A Model on Effects of School Closures on Potential Health-Care Worker Absenteeism
Razi Berry US policymakers considering physical distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 face a difficult trade-off between closing schools to reduce transmission and new cases, and potential health-care worker absenteeism due to additional childcare needs that could ultimately increase mortality from COVID-19, according to new modelling research published in The Lancet Public Health […]
COVID-19 Less Severe in Children
Razi Berry As outbreaks of COVID-19 disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues worldwide, there’s reassuring evidence that children have fewer symptoms and less severe disease. That’s among the insights provided by an expert review in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of The European Society for […]
COVID-19 Not Transmitted to Fetus, Study Suggests
Razi Berry Finally, some good news! Finally, some good news has emerged about the novel coronavirus that has spread to about 50 countries across the world. Chinese professors report in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics that it doesn’t appear that the viral infection is transmittable from pregnant mothers to newborns at birth. Second study out […]
Children and Teens Worry About Political Issues
Razi Berry Many surveys of American adults have revealed that they worry about political issues and are concerned for the future of the United States. But what about children and teenagers? A new psychological study is the first to examine youths’ worry about political issues, and what it suggests A new psychological study, published in […]
Children Worldwide are at Risk from Lack of Physical Activity
Razi Berry Emphasis on particular groups hinders efforts to address the problem of declining physical activity in children, according to a study led at the University of Strathclyde. Children are at risk from a decline in physical activity A review of more than 50 published studies, covering a total of 22,000 children, found that children […]
Certain Antibiotics During First Trimester Linked to Birth Defects
Razi Berry Children of mothers prescribed macrolide antibiotics during the first trimester of pregnancy are at an increased risk of major birth defects when compared with penicillin, and the drugs should be used ‘with caution’ according to a new University College London (UCL) study. Increased risk of major birth defects for children of mothers prescribed […]
Increase in Teen Overdose from Anxiety Meds
Razi Berry The number of teens taking, and overdosing from benzodiazepines, commonly prescribed anxiety medications, has risen dramatically over the past decade, according to a national study from Rutgers University-New Brunswick coauthored by Rutgers researchers. 54% increase in cases involving children ages 12 to 18 reported to U.S. Poison Control from 2000 to 2015 The […]
Breastmilk Helps Early Childhood Growth
Razi Berry Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) found in breastmilk may influence a child’s growth from infancy through early childhood, according to a study supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study also suggested that maternal obesity may affect […]
You Really Are on the ‘Same Wavelength’ as Your Baby
Razi Berry New research suggests that you might quite literally be “on the same wavelength,” experiencing similar brain activity in the same brain regions. Have you ever played with a baby and felt a sense of connection, even though they couldn’t yet talk to you? A team of Princeton researchers has conducted the first study […]
Lead Exposure May Change Brain Structure in Children
Razi Berry Although leaded gas and lead-based paint were banned decades ago, the risk of lead exposure is far from gone. A new study led by Elizabeth Sowell, PhD, shows that living in neighborhoods with high risk of lead exposure is associated with differences in brain structure and cognitive performance in some children. Her findings, […]