Race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status are closely associated with visual impairments in adolescents in the United States, researchers have found. The study showed that adolescents who identified as Black, Mexican-American, of low-income, or as non-US citizens were two to three times more likely than White adolescents to report vision problems and to perform worse on … Read more
Long-awaited global transgender care guidelines have dropped, with no recommendations regarding age limits for treatment and surgery in teenagers but acknowledging the complexity of dealing with such adolescents amid lack of longitudinal research on the impact of transitioning gender. The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) published its latest standards of care (SOC) 8 … Read more
Getting close to nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing. In a study of healthy adults, researchers observed a decrease in activity in the amygdala after a 1-hour walk in the forest, but not after a stroll on a busy city street. “The results support the previously assumed positive relationship … Read more
At the risk of losing a digit or two I am going to dip my toes into the murky waters of gender-affirming care, sometimes referred to as trans care. Recently, Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, released two statements, one in the Aug. 22, 2022, Wall Street Journal, the other … Read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California will establish a new court program to steer — even force — homeless people with severe mental disorders into treatment after lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to a proposal pitched in March by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Senate unanimously agreed to changes approved in the Assembly late Tuesday, … Read more
Prompted by the “unprecedented” increase in the occurrence of infective endocarditis cases among people who inject drug, the American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement devoted to this challenging patient population. The statement provides a more in-depth focus on the management of infective endocarditis (IE) among this unique population than what has been … Read more
“Doomscrolling” or “doomsurfing” the news is fairly common and raises the risk for poor mental health as well as poor physical health, new research suggests. The past 2 years have been filled with worrisome global events, from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine, large-scale protests, mass shootings, and devastating wildfires. The 24-hour media coverage … Read more
Gun attacks in classrooms across the nation have led principals and other school leaders to implement “active shooter” drills to try to increase the safety of their students and faculty. The drills can range from staging lockdowns and sheltering in place to quasi dramas with mock shooters roaming the halls. Although the goals of these … Read more
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) using a home-based device can help improve attention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are not taking stimulants, new research suggests. Results from the sham-controlled trial also showed that the tDCS treatment was both safe and well tolerated. Overall, the findings suggest that the device could be a nondrug … Read more
Medications that help smokers quit appear to have another benefit: reducing heavy drinking. Researchers in the United States and Russia have found that a variety of therapies to reduce the craving for nicotine ― including prescription and over-the-counter medications ― cut smoking and drinking levels in tandem. People who stopped smoking entirely reduced their drinking … Read more