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FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- While the start of the school year can give kids and teens the chance to reconnect with friends and enjoy school sports and activities, it can also trigger stressors that send many to the emergency room for mental health woes, a new report shows.Among children aged 5 to 17, emergency department visits for depression, suicidal thoughts, stress and substance abuse increased significantly in the fall and remained high through the spring, the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. "The academic school year is a time when parents and caregivers, educators, health care providers and others who regularly interact with children and adolescents can be aware of mental health concerns in children and adolescents, and be...

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New research underscores the harms of e-cigarettes, showing that vaping increases the risk of asthma in teens who have never smoked cigarettes.Although e-cigarettes have fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, they still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise the risk of respiratory diseases, researchers say.“Increasing knowledge about the harmful effects of e-cigarette use, implementing stricter regulations, and promoting alternative coping mechanisms for mental health are potential interventions to mitigate e-cigarette use,” lead author Taehyun Roh, of Texas A&M University, said in a school news release.Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. It can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding the...

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) – New research suggests some newer diabetes treatments may not be as beneficial for Black patients, after earlier drug trials included small numbers of non-white people.Whether the medications -- called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-Is) and glucogen-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1-Ras) -- actually have less benefit for Black patients or whether the small sample size was unreliable isn’t clear yet."Given the well-documented evidence that Black and other ethnic minority populations are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and at a younger age, the consistent lack of benefits we observed among Black populations is concerning," said lead researcher Samuel Seidu, a professor in primary care diabetes and...

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have found a gene mutation linked to esophageal cancer, which could lead to better prevention and treatment strategies. Investigators from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio found the mutation, potentially helping those at risk of what is a highly lethal cancer. Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a cancer of your food pipe.“With this discovery, we will be able to identify early those at a high risk of developing EAC in their lifetime, and accordingly tailor screening, lifestyle and treatment strategies to prevent cancer development,” said Kishore Guda. He is an associate professor at the Case Western School of Medicine and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.The investigators’ previous research had found...