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Despite Guidelines, Few US Children Receiving Flu Antivirals
National guidelines recommend the use of antiviral drugs in children diagnosed with influenza, but only 30% of children and adolescents at higher risk for influenza complications were prescribed antivirals during outpatient visits, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Notably, almost 37% of infants six months and younger — who are not yet eligible for flu vaccination — were not treated with antivirals when hospitalized for the flu. The findings were based on 1,213 children with lab-confirmed flu seen at seven pediatric medical centers in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) between Dec. 1, 2016, and March 31, 2020. Cities included in the study were Cincinnati, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York; and Seattle, Washington.
The median age of patients with confirmed cases was 3.7 years. Most patients were boys (55.6%), had public insurance (64.3%), and did not receive antivirals prior to admission (89.9%), the authors said. In total, 652 children (53.8%) were treated with antivirals.
As Health Secretary, RFK Jr. Could Hold Enormous Influence Over Childhood Vaccines
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. meets with Senate Republicans on the Hill this week in an effort to secure his confirmation as secretary of health and human services, his biggest hurdle may be convincing them that he doesn’t hold extreme views on vaccines. Childhood vaccination policies in the U.S. are complex, with states holding much of the authority. Still, experts say that Kennedy could wield enormous influence over childhood vaccinations.
If confirmed as health secretary, Kennedy would oversee a suite of health agencies that includes the CDC, the FDA, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, among others. His greatest influence on vaccines, experts say, could come through the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, an independent group of health experts that helps the agency make recommendations for states and insurers on what vaccines to cover, including childhood vaccinations.
Genes Behind Dyslexia Linked to Brain Changes in Motor, Vision, and Language
A large-scale study revealed that genetic variants linked to dyslexia are associated with differences in brain areas controlling motor coordination, vision, and language. Using data from over a million individuals, researchers calculated genetic “polygenic scores” for dyslexia and analyzed their relationship to brain structures.
Higher genetic risk for dyslexia was tied to lower volumes in brain regions related to speech processing and movement, and increased volumes in the visual cortex. Differences in the brain’s internal capsule, which connects regions, were also observed.
These findings suggest that dyslexia is a complex trait involving altered brain development and cognition, potentially aiding earlier diagnosis and personalized interventions.
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Previously Unknown Genetic Links Provide Insights Into Autism’s Prevalence Among Males
Research published in The American Journal of Human Genetics has identified a previously unknown genetic link to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study found that variants in the DDX53 gene contribute to ASD, providing new insights into the genetic underpinnings of the condition.
ASD, which affects more males than females, encompasses a group of neurodevelopmental conditions that result in challenges related to communication, social understanding and behavior. While DDX53, located on the X chromosome, is known to play a role in brain development and function, it was not previously definitively associated with autism.
In the study, researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada and the Istituto Giannina Gaslini in Italy clinically tested 10 individuals with ASD from eight different families and found that variants in the DDX53 gene were maternally inherited and present in these individuals. Notably, the majority were male, highlighting the gene’s potential role in the male predominance observed in ASD.
Study Finds Parental Emotional Abuse Linked to Teen Suicide Attempts
A study by CUNY SPH alumna Abigail Lyons and faculty from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) reveals a concerning connection between parental emotional abuse and suicide attempts among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting sexual minority youth may be at highest risk. The analysis was based on the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, a cross-sectional nationally representative survey of 7,705 U.S. high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study is published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Lyons and co-authors Sasha Fleary, Philip Kreniske, and Chloe Teasdale found that adolescents who reported experiencing emotional abuse from a parent or caregiver were approximately three times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who did not. Additionally, among adolescents who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning or other (LGBQ), the effect of parental emotional abuse was even more pronounced; this group of teens had nearly ten times higher odds of attempting suicide compared to their heterosexual peers who did not report experience of parental emotional abuse.
6 in 10 Want Social Media Ban for Children in US: Survey
More than half of voters in the U.S., or 59%, want a similar social media ban to the one passed in Australia last month, which barred children under the age of 16 from using the platforms, a new Quinnipiac University poll found. The law in Australia affects social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X and Reddit, but it will not be enforced for YouTube.
According to the poll, while roughly 6 in 10 respondents wanted to see a similar ban to the one in Australia, 31% said the opposite. Most groups supported a similar ban, except for voters aged 18 to 34, who were more divided in their answers, the survey revealed. 50% of voters in that age group supported a similar ban, while 46% said they did not, the poll found.
