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☆ Hilary Cass Says U.S. Doctors Are ‘Out of Date’ on Youth Gender Medicine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Azeen Ghorayshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After 30 years as one of England’s top pediatricians, Dr. Hilary Cass was hoping to begin her retirement by learning to play the saxophone. Instead, she took on a project that would throw her into an international fire: reviewing England’s treatment guidelines for the rapidly rising number of children with gender distress, known as dysphoria. At the time, in 2020, England’s sole youth gender clinic was in disarray. The waiting list had swelled, leaving many young patients waiting years for an appointment. Staff members who said they felt pressure to approve children for puberty-blocking drugs had filed whistle-blower complaints that had spilled into public view.

Persons: Hilary Cass, England’s, “, Cass Organizations: Staff, National Health Service, Royal College of Pediatrics, Child Health

☆ The Question of Transgender Care - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( David Brooks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It is about what the health care approach should be, and how best to help the growing number of children and young people who are looking for support from the N.H.S. For reasons that are also not clear, adolescents who were assigned female at birth are driving this trend, whereas before the late 2000s, it was mostly adolescents who were assigned male at birth who sought these treatments. One is that greater social acceptance of trans people has enabled people to seek these therapies. A third is that the rise of teen mental health issues may be contributing to gender dysphoria. In her report, Cass is skeptical of broad generalizations in the absence of clear evidence; these are individual children and adolescents who take their own routes to who they are.

Persons: Hilary Cass, Cass Organizations: National Health Service, Britain’s Royal College of Pediatrics, Child Locations: England, Cass

☆ 5 tips for navigating childhood obesity
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Andrea Kane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s note: Season 9 of the podcast “Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta” explores the intersection between body weight and health. With children, doctors define obesity a bit differently than they do with adults. Severe obesity is having a BMI equal to or greater than the 120th percentile. “Most people who are heavy by the age of 5 or 6 will tend to continue to have problems with body weight throughout adolescence and into adulthood,” Yanovski said. “We know that those individuals will therefore accrue the greatest risks from their higher body (fat) because they’re going to continue to have high body weight throughout the years,” he said.

Persons: Sanjay Gupta ”, Dr, Jack Yanovski, Sanjay Gupta, ” Yanovski, ”, pediatricians, “ Organizations: CNN, National Institute of Child Health, Human Locations: Alabama

☆ Children Born to Mothers With Pregnancy Complications Face Higher Heart Risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Women who develop high blood pressure or diabetes in the course of pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children who develop conditions that may compromise their own heart health at a young age, scientists reported on Monday. By the time they are 12 years old, these children are more likely to be overweight or to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar, compared with children whose mothers had complication-free pregnancies. The research underscores the strong association between healthy pregnancies and child health, though the study stops short of proving a cause-and-effect relationship. The findings come from a government-supported study that has followed an international cohort of 3,300 mother-and-child pairs for over a decade. The research was presented at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine’s annual pregnancy meeting in National Harbor, Md.

Organizations: Society, American, of, Gynecology Locations: National Harbor, Md

☆ ‘Everywhere’ chemicals linked to rise in preterm births, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, researchers have found synthetic chemicals called phthalates used in clear food packaging and personal care products could be a culprit, according to a new study. “Studies show the largest association with preterm labor is due to a phthalate found in food packaging called Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP,” Trasande said. “In our new study, we found DEHP and three similar chemicals could be responsible for 5% to 10% of all the preterm births in 2018. “This paper focused on the relationship between exposure to individual phthalates and preterm birth. “Every day, they’re often exposed to more than one phthalate from the products they use, so the risk of preterm birth may actually be greater,” said Friedman, who was not involved in the study.

Persons: phthalates, ”, Dr, Leonardo Trasande, ” Trasande, “, that’s, Alexa Friedman, Friedman, diisononyl, toxicologist Linda Birnbaum, ” Birnbaum, birthweight, DEHP, Trasande, ” Friedman, don’t, ” CNN’s Jen Christensen Organizations: CNN, NYU Langone Health, “, Environmental, American Chemistry Council, Product Safety, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Toxicology, National Institutes of Health’s, Child Health, Health, Mayo Clinic, American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP Locations: United States, European

☆ Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, linked with cognitive decline, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Polycystic ovary syndrome, known as PCOS, has long been known for symptoms such as missed periods or excess body hair. Polycystic ovary syndrome refers to symptoms related to a hormonal imbalance in people assigned female at birth. “Our results suggest that people with this condition have lower memory and thinking skills and subtle brain changes at midlife. The findings highlight “potential cognitive vulnerabilities in women with PCOS, though it’s important to know that these are cognitive weaknesses, not impairments,” Maki said. For one, the study showed an association between PCOS and cognitive decline, but didn’t prove that the condition causes cognitive decline, the authors said.

Persons: ”, Pauline Maki, Maki wasn’t, Eunice Kennedy, PCOS, Heather G, Huddleston, “, ” Maki, Mateja Perović, Wiebke Arlt, wasn’t, Arlt, Katherine Sherif, Ricardo Azziz, ” Sherif Organizations: CNN, Mental Health Research, University of Illinois, National, of Child Health, Human, World Health Organization, University of California, PCOS, University of Toronto, Imperial College London’s Institute, Clinical Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Alabama Locations: midlife, University of Illinois Chicago, Philadelphia, Birmingham

In 2019, a non-governmental organization set up the camp's health post where Aliyu's ninth child, Hauwa, was delivered in 2021. "There are no special arrangements for pregnant women in IDP and refugee camps [in Nigeria]. But for most of the 64 women recorded in the camp's birth register this year, these costs are prohibitive. Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health oversees health for the country (including provisions provided by the Commission). He tells CNN: "Women's Health services were prioritized and featured strongly in the programs designed to the needs of internally displaced women."

Persons: Aisha Aliyu, Abba, Aliyu, Aisha, Liyatu Ayuba, Ayuba, Fatima Mahmood Jibirilla, Isa Umar, Umar, they've, doesn't, Dr Charles Nzelu, Dolapo Fasawe, Fasawe, Nzelu, Iko Ibanga, Osagie, Ehanire, Ibanga Organizations: CNN, Walden University, Camp, Camp Management, Aliyu, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health, Commission for Refugees, Migrants, Commission, antenatal, Capital Territory, Territory's, Environmental Services, FCT Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry, Pro Health, Federal Capital Territory, Health, Pro Health International, Union, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ministry of Health, National Assembly Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Nigeria's, Wala, Borno State, Maiduguri, Haram, Durumi, Africa, Nigerian, Borno, Adamawa

Political Cartoons View All 1244 Images“They ask questions but they don’t tell us what is going on,” Hawkins said of CMS. If trends continue, as many as 30 million people could end up being dropped from Medicaid once states finish reviewing their Medicaid rolls, according to Avalere's projections. The numbers dwarf the Biden administration’s initial projections that only 15 million people would lose coverage throughout the process. “We have to say it’s going poorly,” Massey Whorley, a principal at Avalere, said of the Medicaid redeterminations. Some Texas lawmakers have asked CMS to investigate issues in the state, where nearly 1 million have lost Medicaid.

Persons: Biden, Avalere, ”, Trevor Hawkins, Hawkins, “, ” Hawkins, they’ve, Xavier Becerra, Daniel Tsai, Tsai, Lily Mezquita, Mezquita, ” Massey Whorley, I’ve, Gavin Lesnick, Lesnick, Lynn Hearn, Hearn, We’ve, we’ve, ” Hearn, Mallory McManus, Cassidy Estes, Rogers, didn't, Estes, Graciela Camarena, Camarena, Jennifer Ruffcorn, Jennifer Wagner, ___ Hunter, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: WASHINGTON, Medicaid, Legal Aid, Centers, Medicare, Services, CMS, Democratic, Human Services, HHS, CMS Center, Children’s Health Insurance, Biden, AP, state's Department of Human Services, Florida Health Justice, Florida Department of Children, Charlotte Center, Legal, Children's Defense Fund, Texas, Texas Health, Center, Budget, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Miami , Florida, Avalere, North Carolina, Atlanta

☆ Infant Deaths Have Risen for the First Time in 20 Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The number of American babies who died before their first birthdays rose last year, significantly increasing the nation’s infant mortality rate for the first time in two decades, according to provisional figures released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics. The spike is a somber manifestation of the state of maternal and child health in the United States. Infant and maternal mortality, inextricably linked, are widely considered to be markers of a society’s overall health, and America’s rates are higher than those in other industrialized countries. Their infants face up to double the risk of dying, compared with white and Hispanic babies. Overall life expectancy has declined in the United States in recent years, too, affecting white Americans as well as people of color.

Organizations: National Center for Health Statistics Locations: United States

It’s a scary day for moms, right?” French Gates said. Tragically, those solutions aren’t reaching families in the communities where mothers and kids need them most,” said Bill Gates and French Gates in the report’s introduction. Gates and French Gates also noted the increasing rates of maternal deaths in the U.S. and United Kingdom and the racial disparities in those deaths. French Gates spoke with outrage about the harrowing experience tennis star Serena Williams described after giving birth to her first daughter and suffering multiple complications, which endangered her life. It was almost like a slap in the face,” said French Gates.

Persons: — Melinda French Gates, Gates, Melinda Gates, Jennifer, Leila — Jennifer's, —, “, Rasa Izadnegahdar, ”, “ It’s, Bill Gates, French Gates, Mark Suzman, recommit, Suzman, Tom Kenyon, they’re, Izadnegahdar, there’s, ’ ”, Black, Serena Williams, Tori Bowie, aren’t, we’ve Organizations: Melinda Gates Foundation, Associated Press, Sustainable, United Nations, Child Health, World Health Organization, General Assembly, Gates Foundation, American Medical Association, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: U.S, French, Ukraine, Saharan Africa, South Asia, United Kingdom

☆ Cambridge study: Kids who read for pleasure are better test takers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Kids who read for pleasure 12 hours per week perform better on cognitive tests and have better mental health, according to a recently published study in Psychological Medicine. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University looked at data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a long-running project that tracks brain development and child health in the United States. The team analyzed clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioral assessments and brain scans from 10,000 adolescents in the United States. It then compared those who began reading for pleasure between ages two and nine to those who began reading later in life, or not at all. Those who started read recreationally at an early age had better verbal learning, memory, speech development, and academic achievement than their peers who weren't picking up books for fun.

Organizations: Psychological Medicine, University of Cambridge, Fudan University Locations: United States

☆ FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the birth control pill Opill to be available over-the-counter — the first nonprescription birth control pill in the United States. Opill is expected to be available over-the-counter in stores by the end of March 2024. The FDA has faced pressure to allow Opill to go over-the-counter from lawmakers as well as health care providers. A recent study showed that it has become harder for women to access reproductive health care services more broadly — such as routine screenings and birth control — in recent years. About 45% of women experienced at least one barrier to reproductive health care services in 2021, up 10% from 2017.

Persons: “, Patrizia Cavazzoni, “, ”, Frederique Welgryn, Opill, Welgryn, Perrigo, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, —, Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, FDA’s Center, Drug, Research, FDA, CNN Health Locations: United States, U.S

☆ FDA approves Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, a landmark decision that will allow more women and girls in the U.S. to prevent unintended pregnancies without a prescription. The daily pill, called Opill, was first approved by the FDA as a prescription in 1973. Medical organizations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and women's health advocates have pushed for wider access. More than 50 members of Congress in March 2022 also called on FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to ensure the agency reviewed applications for over-the-counter birth control pills without delay.

Persons: Biden, Wade, –, Welgryn, Robert Califf, Patrizia Cavazzoni, Opill Organizations: HRA Pharma, FDA, Drug Administration, American College of Obstetricians, FDA's Center, Drug, Research Locations: U.S, Paris, Dublin

☆ What to Know About Eclampsia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The report identified complications of childbirth as the cause of death, listing eclampsia and respiratory distress as possible factors. “Eclampsia occurs in somewhere between one to 10 in 10,000 pregnancies,” said Dr. Joanne Stone, the head of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Research has suggested that rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy — including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and gestational hypertension — have been on the rise, and increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. What is eclampsia? There can be other causes of seizures during pregnancy, but it’s considered eclampsia “until proven otherwise” through lab tests, including neurological tests, Dr. Longo said.

Persons: Tori Bowie, ”, Joanne Stone, Monica Longo, Eunice Kennedy, Stone, it’s, Longo Organizations: The New York Times, Olympic, Icahn School of Medicine, Research, National, of Child Health, Human, National Institutes of Health Locations: Mount Sinai

☆ More kids are anxious but fewer get the right help, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —More kids, teens and young adults are experiencing anxiety — but fewer are getting the appropriate treatment, according to the latest research. “The burden for treating mental health conditions among young kids is growing,” Chavez said. How to make sure your family gets the right helpWhile there is a larger problem of resources and availability when it comes to mental health care, there are things families can do to get help. Don’t write off chronically anxious behavior as shyness and instead seek out a mental health professional for an evaluation, she said. Families can also find help getting care and resources in the meantime at onoursleeves.org, she added.

Persons: CNN —, Laura Chavez, ” Chavez, Lata McGinn, McGinn, they’re, ” McGinn, Dr, Ariana Hoet, Hoet, ” Hoet, Chavez, “, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Medical, Survey, American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, US National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Child Health Equity, Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Yeshiva University, Cognitive, Behavioral Consultants Locations: United States, Columbus , Ohio, New York City, White Plains , New York, onoursleeves.org

☆ Hormone therapy improves mental health for transgender youths, a new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Transgender youths reported more life satisfaction and fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety after receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy for two years, according to a new study. However, medical associations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, among others, oppose efforts to restrict gender-affirming care for minors. In addition to the New England Journal of Medicine study, about half a dozen others have shown that access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy can improve mental health outcomes, including reducing suicidal ideation, among transgender youths. Three studies — two published in 2020 and another published in 2021 — found that earlier access to gender-affirming medical care is associated with better mental health. They also noted that improvement in mental health varied widely, and that some participants continued to report high levels of depression and anxiety and lower levels of positive emotions and life satisfaction.

The problem was the Neris had switched to a new, high-deductible health insurance plan to save money. The 2010 Affordable Care Act expanded access to health insurance, so companies were faced with covering more people than ever before. But the epinephrine auto-injectors — which deliver a shot of epinephrine and are the only emergency medicine available for life-threatening allergic reactions — usually are not. But AHIP (formerly known as America’s Health Insurance Plans), a group that represents such companies, said drug manufacturers are to blame. Fight it with your health care provider, fight it with your insurance company.”“No almost never means no in health insurance,” he said.

☆ Parents are scrambling to find children's Tylenol, Motrin, and Advil as medicine shortages plague stores like Walgreens and CVS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A combination of COVID-19, flu, and RSV has made kids sick and skyrocketed demand for medications. CVS, Target, and Walgreens have all put limits on the amount of children's meds parents can buy. And now, a shortage of children's medications is leaving parents scrambling to care for their kids as three potentially deadly diseases permeate the United States. Why children's Tylenol and other drugs are in short supplyThe explosion of the three illnesses has left parents demanding more medications than stores and suppliers anticipated — leading to a shortage. When she arrived at her local CVS in San Diego County, California, she only spotted two bottles of children's Tylenol left on the shelves.

☆ How Amazon's cloud unit is helping researchers analyze genetics
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon Web Services recently launched general availability for Amazon Omics, which helps researchers store and analyze omic data like sequences of DNA, RNA and proteins. Amazon Omics helps researchers sort through their data by providing them with three components that they can leverage individually or as a collective. More than a dozen customers and partners tested a beta version of the service and are already using Amazon Omics. He said the department spent five years expanding the infrastructure to analyze omics data, and now it's no longer something they need to build or maintain themselves. C2i is a biotechnology company that's working to use genomic data to develop personalized treatments for cancer.

The number of pregnant women and new mothers dying from drug overdoses grew dramatically as the pandemic took hold, reaching a record high in 2020, a new study finds. "It goes to an ever higher level of stigma among pregnant women." She does not work with pregnant women or those with substance use disorder, but did crunch the numbers for the new research. "Overdose deaths in general have increased, and pregnant women aren't immune to the effects of addiction," Wright said. A Biden administration report, released in October, called for broader access to opioid treatment medication among pregnant women and de-stigmatize addiction treatment during pregnancy.

Dozens of measles cases have cropped up in Gambia this year, a spike over previous years. The measles campaign was rescheduled for 2021, but in July of that year polio was detected in a water sample. Over the years, the success of the measles vaccine has numbed many to these risks, health experts say. At the time, 86% of children had at least the first dose of the measles vaccine worldwide, according to WHO estimates. FUNDS REJECTEDThe U.S. CDC has identified 12 African countries as having no clear plans or secured resources for their next measles vaccination drive.

☆ Opinion | Abortion Is Legal in Ethiopia. But Half of These Clinics Won’t Provide Them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Anu Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

When Congress passed the Helms Amendment, only six of those countries allowed abortion in circumstances beyond saving a woman’s life. And every year, more than 16,000 of the women and girls who have received these unsafe abortions die from more serious complications. President Biden also has the power to mitigate some of the harms of the Helms Amendment. His administration could also ensure that clinics in countries where abortion is legal understand that U.S. rules allow them to offer abortion information and counseling. The Helms Amendment is an act of international interference and overreach, and it has to end.

☆ Covid vaccination linked to slight increase in menstrual cycle, NIH study confirms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

However, the longer menstrual cycle, typically about a month long, didn't necessarily increase the number of days of bleeding, according to NIH. A change in menstrual cycle length of eight days or less is considered within the normal range of variation, according to NIH. Women who received both vaccine doses in a single menstrual period saw their cycle increase by 3.91 days. The changes in menstrual cycle length did not differ between vaccines. The researchers had released preliminary findings in January suggesting an association between Covid vaccination and increased menstrual cycle length, but the study published this week confirmed the link.

☆ Study links Covid-19 vaccination to small, temporary change in menstrual cycle
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Naomi Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —People who got the Covid-19 vaccine reported slightly longer menstrual cycles, but the change was temporary, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Medicine. “We found no differences in menses length in any group of vaccinated individuals, compared with the unvaccinated cohort,” the study says. The changes to the length of the cycle didn’t remain in the cycle after vaccination, the authors said – apart from in the group that received two doses in one cycle. For the vaccinated cohort, they looked at three prevaccine cycles and at least the first Covid-19 vaccine dose cycle. Nearly two-thirds of the 15,000 vaccinated participants had received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, although participants had also received the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines among others.

☆ Pakistan floods: Children face a new disaster -- diarrhea, dengue and other waterborne diseases
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Sophia Saifi Rhea Mogul Anna Coren Sandi Sidhu Javed Iqbal Sameer Mandhro | Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A sick baby waits to be seen at the Mother and Child Healthcare Hospital in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Credit: Javed Iqbal/CNNDozens more children sleep cramped together on beds in the facility’s emergency room; some unconscious from their illness, others crying in pain. And then our patients came in like the floods,” said Dr. Nazia Urooj, physician in-charge at the hospital’s children emergency unit. This is the face of a near unprecedented health crisis unfolding across Pakistan – but for many, help is not arriving. In Sindh, one of the worst-impacted provinces, villages have been completely cut off, making it nearly impossible for families to seek help for their sick children.

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