Sex-based differences in the development of brain hubs involved in memory and emotion

Researchers have uncovered sex-based differences in the development of the hippocampus and amygdala. These brain areas have been implicated in the biology of several mental disorders that impact males and females differently. The findings may help researchers better understand sex-based differences in the emergence of mental disorders during adolescence and early adulthood.

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Doctor offers unique perspective as father of a child with rare genetic disease

From a professional standpoint, Nathan Hoot, MD, Ph.D., understands the value of medical research that leads to new, groundbreaking drugs in the treatment of rare diseases. And as an emergency medicine physician, he's familiar with adjusting ventilators and managing patients' airways. But the magnitude of these matters also weigh on Hoot personally — as the father of a child with a rare genetic disease.

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Full-body interaction video games enhance social skills in children with autism disorders

Communicating with others is one of the biggest difficulties for autistic children. Asking for help, initiating social interaction and sharing their emotions become skills that require learning through exercises and therapy. Interventions based on games that require the use of technology have proved to facilitate motivation and learning processes in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

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Handling traumatic grief reactions in children and adolescents post-9/11

In the wake of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001 (9/11), researchers defined the 'traumatically bereaved' as those who experienced the loss of a mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, other family member, friend, and/or someone else after 9/11 happened. A new study reports that this disorder warrants separate clinical attention.

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African child deaths could be prevented by improving environmental quality and reducing population

Children under 5 years of age in Africa are much more likely to die as a direct result of poor health linked to air pollution, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, increased family size, and environmental degradation, according to the first continent-wide investigation of its kind. An international team of researchers have analysed data to break down the correlation between increased child mortality, environmental degradation,and population density of all countries across the African continent.

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Teen study reveals how schools influence e-cigarette use, outlines prevention strategies

When e-cigarettes hit the US market in 2007, they were promoted as a safer, healthier alternative to traditional, combustible cigarettes. The unintended consequence of vaping devices and e-cigarettes, however, is a new generation of vapers — teenagers — becoming addicted to nicotine. This study examines how schools influence e-cigarette use in adolescence, outlining various prevention strategies as well to hopefully decrease the trend of teenage vapers.

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First large-scale study of universal screening for autism raises questions about accuracy

In the first large, real-world study of universal screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers, researchers have found that the most widely used and researched screening tool is less accurate than shown in previous studies conducted in research laboratory settings. The new study also revealed significant disparities in detecting early autism symptoms in minority, urban and low-income children.

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