Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Poison Centers See Big Rise In Calls Related To Self-Harm From Preteens
MedPage Today: Large Jump In Poison Center Calls Tied To Self-Harm In Preteens
Exposures to medications, dietary supplements, or psychoactive substances increased among children from 2000 to 2023, particularly exposures associated with suspected self-harm or suicidal intent, according to data from U.S. poison centers. Among children ages 6 to 12 years, the overall rate of exposure increased non-linearly by 53.8% over this time period, while the exposure rate associated with suspected self-harm or suicidal intent increased by 311%, reported Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPH, of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues. (Firth, 9/8)
In other health and wellness news —
CNN: Diabetes Symptoms: Nearly Half Of People Living With The Disease Are Undiagnosed
When was the last time you had your blood sugar checked? It might be worth looking into, a new study says. Forty-four percent of people age 15 and older living with diabetes are undiagnosed, so they don’t know they have it, according to data analysis published Monday in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. (Park, 9/8)
Stat: Life Expectancy: How Women Outliving Men Is Overlooked By Society
A century ago, there were less than two years between men’s and women’s life expectancies in the United States. Today, that gender gap has almost tripled, with men dying 5.3 years earlier than women in 2023. Yet despite the disparity, there’s no focused public health campaign to address men’s early deaths or much conversation about why this is happening. (Goldhill, 9/9)
The New York Times: Gunman In Manhattan Shooting Claimed To Have CTE. How Do Doctors Search For It?
In July, a gunman in Midtown Manhattan left a note that referred to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a brain disease that can be diagnosed only after death. “Study my brain please,” the note said. The New York City medical examiner’s office is examining the shooter’s brain, a process that can take weeks, or months. A visit to the Neuropathology Brain Bank at Mount Sinai in New York City reveals the many steps required to prepare brain tissue for analysis and diagnosis. (Corum, 9/4)
The New York Times: Do You See The Same Colors That I Do?
After decades of brain research, scientists still aren’t sure whether most people see the same way, more or less — especially with colors. Is what I call red also red for you? Or could my red be your blue? Or maybe neon pink? If it were possible to project what I see directly into your mind, would the view be the same, or would it instead resemble a crazy-hued Andy Warhol painting? (Chang, 9/8)
CIDRAP: Amid COVID Pandemic, Toddlers Showed Resilience, Less Bad Behavior, Researchers Say
A study today in JAMA Network Open involving nearly 3,500 US toddlers suggests that they had fewer parent-reported behavioral problems amid than before the COVID-19 pandemic. New York University (NYU)–led researchers parsed data from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort from nine sites from September 2009 to July 2023. Parents completed the 99-item Preschool Child Behavior Checklist, which asks about child anxiety, sadness, and aggression. (Van Beusekom, 9/5)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Michael Seltzer, Who Raised Millions To Fight AIDS, Dies At 78
Michael Seltzer, whose bedside vigil for a friend who was dying of AIDS transformed him into a prodigious fund-raiser who rallied individuals, foundations and corporations to support the prevention and treatment of the disease in the 1980s, when it was largely neglected at all levels of government, died on July 31 at his summer home on Governor Island, near Branford, Conn. He was 78. His husband, Ralph Tachuk, said the cause was cardiac arrest. His death was not widely reported at the time. (Roberts, 9/8)
