How Facebook Has Become One Of The World’s Largest Suicide Screening And Alert Programs

The New York Times: In Screening For Suicide Risk, Facebook Takes On Tricky Public Health Role
A police officer on the late shift in an Ohio town recently received an unusual call from Facebook. Earlier that day, a local woman wrote a Facebook post saying she was walking home and intended to kill herself when she got there, according to a police report on the case. Facebook called to warn the Police Department about the suicide threat. (Singer, 12/31)

NPR: Practice And Planning Needed To Evacuate Elderly In A Storm
The benefits of retiring in South Carolina's low country are clear to Joyce East. Her home, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and downtown Charleston, overlooks 120 acres of lush marshland. Palm trees and Spanish moss dot the property. But the drawbacks of retiring only a few meters above sea level have also become apparent to the 91-one-year-old retiree. Since 2016, her home within Charleston's Bishop Gadsden Retirement Community has weathered one snow storm, one ice storm and three hurricanes. She has had to evacuate twice in two years. (Ellis, 12/28)

Stat: How VR May Help Transform The Postpartum Experience For New Mothers
The virtual reality scene was a neat trick — but it’s also at the heart of a technology [Pinar] Yanardag hopes could one day transform the postpartum experience. The first step is what she calls “Virtual Letdown,” an immersive VR app that could let a user pump breast milk both more enjoyably and more effectively. The project aims to address a common problem for new mothers: It’s easiest for the body to release milk, a process controlled by the hormone oxytocin, when a woman is relaxed. But relaxing can be difficult when you’re hooked up to a noisy suction device in a locked office or a bathroom. (Preston, 12/31)

NPR: Death's Dress Rehearsal: Virtual Reality Explores Dying In A Hospice
You wait in the sterile purgatory of your oncologist's office, between your spouse and your daughter, for the doctor to give you the verdict on your latest scans. "I'm afraid it's not good news," she says quietly, hands clasped. Your lung cancer has grown despite your recent chemotherapy. Surgery, chemo and other treatments, she tells you, will likely only make you sicker. (Burge, 12/27)

Detroit Free Press: Flu Season Is Here: Learn About 2018-19 Symptoms, Shot
After last year's whopper of a flu season — when flu-associated deaths rose to an estimated 79,000 Americans, of which 185 were children — health officials are carefully watching to see what happens this year. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting an uptick in flu activity, and urges anyone older than 6 months to get vaccinated. This comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the 2018-19 flu season is officially underway and confirmed the death of the first Michigan child to the flu this season. (Shamus, 12/29)

The Hill: Government Deploys Military, Medical Research Arms In Response To Diplomats' 'Targeted Health Attacks' 
The State Department has called in assistance from medical experts in federal agencies and across the U.S. to investigate a series of mysterious incidents involving diplomats who fell ill after reporting hearing strange sounds while stationed overseas. NBC News reported Friday that the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to respond to reports of diplomats reporting strange symptoms after deployments in Cuba and China now involve at least seven federal agencies and experts from four states, as the government seeks to unravel the mystery behind the attacks. (Bowden, 12/28)

The Washington Post: Wearing Contact Lens When You Sleep Or Nap Raises Risk Of Serious Eye Infections
Many contact lens wearers have a dirty little secret: They sometimes sleep or nap in their lenses. But this bad habit could raise their risk of serious eye infections and even lead to vision loss, emergency room doctors are warning. (Rettner, 12/22)

Politico: Legal Weed Is Everywhere — Unless You’re A Scientist
Americans can legally buy high quality marijuana in most states, but when scientists want to study pot in a lab, they’re basically stuck with schwag. A little-known research facility at the University of Mississippi is the only place in the country that is authorized to grow and test marijuana for medical research purposes. But this effort is stymied by a slow process for certifying scientists, a lack of funding and according to pot experts, an inferior product compared to what the booming cannabis sector has rolled out in recent years. (Owermohle, 12/25)

Stat: American Possibly Exposed To Ebola In DRC Flown To U.S. Hospital 
An American health worker who has been caring for patients infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was flown back to the United States after having what is described as “a possible exposure” to an Ebola patient. The person was flown by charter flight to Omaha and admitted for observation to Nebraska Medical Center. The center has a special containment unit in which it can care for people with dangerous infectious diseases. (Branswell, 12/29)

The New York Times: Hearing Loss Threatens Mind, Life And Limb
The earsplitting sound of ambulance sirens in New York City is surely hastening the day when I and many others repeatedly subjected to such noise will be forced to get hearing aids. I just hope this doesn’t happen before 2021 or so when these devices become available over-the-counter and are far less expensive and perhaps more effective than they are now. (Brody, 12/31)

Kaiser Health News: Up To A Third Of Knee Replacements Pack Pain And Regret
Danette Lake thought surgery would relieve the pain in her knees. The arthritis pain began as a dull ache in her early 40s, brought on largely by the pressure of unwanted weight. Lake managed to lose 200 pounds through dieting and exercise, but the pain in her knees persisted. (Szabo, 12/25)

The Wall Street Journal: The Science Behind Making Your Child Smarter
What parents wouldn’t want to give their children the ability to get good grades and excel at work? Those benefits are linked in research to a high IQ. Dozens of recent studies shed new light on the extent to which parents can—and cannot—help their children score higher on that popular and widely used measure of intelligence. (Shellenbarger, 12/24)

NPR: How To Quell A Kid's Fear Of Doctors And Shots
Like many kids, Lisa Sparrell's daughter never liked getting shots at the doctor's office. "At first she'd cry some, but was quickly placated with rewards like a lollipop or a sticker," says Sparrell, who lives in Honolulu. But last year, Sparrell's 10-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a heart defect. In preparation for surgery, the little girl's trips to the doctor sharply increased –and so did her anxiety. (Fraga, 12/29)

Stat: A New Treatment May Help People Who Are 'Allergic' To The Sun
Jennifer Beck had learned to cope with her disability. She’d park close to buildings to limit her sun exposure. She’d avoid bright patches of sunlight, even indoors. She’d wear long sleeves on hot summer days. “Yes, I know it’s hot,” she would respond to people who thought it was funny to comment. (Weintraub, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals Rush To Offer New Stroke Treatment
Jacques Hayes, a Detroit-area construction worker, recently fell in his apartment. A visitor heard the thud in the next room, then saw Mr. Hayes struggle to walk and talk, falling a second time. So the friend called 911. Mr. Hayes was fortunate to be taken to Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, which is among a quickly growing number of U.S. hospitals offering a revolutionary stroke procedure known as a thrombectomy, in which a blood clot is quickly removed before a patient suffers lasting damage or death. (Burton, 12/26)

The Associated Press: Was That A Bed Bug On My Couch? This App Has The Answer
Just the thought of a bed bug infestation is enough to make you start scratching and tossing out furniture. A new app created by a researcher at Ohio State University has the answers and information on what to do next. The app funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set up as one-stop information source for everything bed bugs. There are guides for identifying and getting rid of them along with tips for travelers. (Seewer, 12/30)

NPR: Is A Backpack As Good As A Parachute When Jumping Out Of A Plane?
Research published in a major medical journal concludes that a parachute is no more effective than an empty backpack at protecting you from harm if you have to jump from an aircraft. But before you leap to any rash conclusions, you had better hear the whole story. The gold standard for medical research is a study that randomly assigns volunteers to try an intervention or to go without one and be part of a control group. (Harris, 12/22)

NPR: Cute Aggression: Adorableness Overload Can Lead To Violent Urges
The holiday season is all about cute. You've got those ads with adorable children and those movies about baby animals with big eyes. But when people encounter too much cuteness, the result can be something scientists call "cute aggression." (Hamilton, 12/31)