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FRIDAY, Oct. 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Adult staff in schools are more likely than students to suffer sudden cardiac arrest, but automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are often used and improve the chances of survival, a new study finds. AEDs are portable devices that deliver an electric shock to try and restart the heart. If appropriate action isn't taken immediately, cardiac arrest is often fatal."Most research on sudden cardiac arrest in school-aged populations focuses on high schools and student athletes, leaving out the majority of students and adults in schools," said lead study author Milla Arabadjian. She is a postdoctoral research associate at New York University College of Nursing, in New York City.To get a more complete picture, the researchers surveyed almost 900...

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Despite hints of promise from early research, a new clinical trial finds no evidence that kids with autism benefit from nasal sprays containing the "love" hormone oxytocin.Researchers called the findings disappointing.But they said the study also offers important information: Some parents of children with autism are already using oxytocin nasal sprays in the hopes of supporting their children's social development.That hope was spurred by positive findings in some small studies testing synthetic versions of oxytocin — a natural hormone in the body that supports bonding, whether between mother and child or romantic partners.Yet, the new trial found that over six months, children given oxytocin showed no more gains in their social abilities...

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- It could be a bad flu season this year — and for a couple of years to come — in places in the United States where COVID-19 restrictions like social distancing and masking have been lifted, researchers warn.These sorts of measures caused flu cases to decline by more than 60% within the first 10 weeks after COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented in 2020, Columbia University researchers found.That's because face masks, hand washing and maintaining your distance work as well at preventing influenza infections as they do to stop the spread of COVID-19, said senior researcher Sen Pei. He is an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, in New York City."We know COVID-19 and influenza share...

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- A lifelong athlete who rowed for Brown University and enjoyed the occasional cycling road race, New York City attorney Lowell Chase thought of himself as nearly invincible.So when a routine physical in his late 20s revealed a heart murmur, he wasn't overly concerned. "I sort of took it in stride, but he said I should probably have it checked out, because it could be something," Chase said.His mother convinced him to make a follow-up appointment. Soon, he met with cardiologist Dr. Ira C. Schulman. Tests revealed Chase had high blood pressure and severe aortic regurgitation. In essence, Chase's aortic valve was leaky, allowing blood to pass back through what's intended to be a one-way flow. As a result, his heart was...