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SUNDAY, Sept. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Knowing the warning signs of suicide can save a life, experts say.Suicide is the 10th leading overall cause of death in the United States, and number two among people between the ages of 10 and 34.Most suicides result from depression. It can cause someone to feel worthless, hopeless and a burden on others, making suicide falsely appear to be a solution, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health."Suicide risk is very hard to predict," said Dr. Paul Nestadt. He's an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore. "Even seasoned experts are hard pressed to accurately determine the risk."The general warning signs may include a change in usual activities;...

SATURDAY, Sept. 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Most parents want their children to live carefree lives, so a diagnosis of childhood cancer is devastating. Fortunately, pediatric cancers are rare.Yet it doesn't hurt to be watchful for the warning signs, suggest experts in childhood cancer from Penn State Health.The best screening most parents can do is to stay on track with well-child visits, the doctors said."For example, at your child's regular check-up, your pediatrician looks at your child's eye with an ophthalmoscope – that's an early eye cancer screening," said Dr. Lisa McGregor. She is interim division chief of pediatric hematology and oncology at Penn State Health Children's Hospital. "Your child's pediatrician is your first line of defense."The warning signs of potential...

FRIDAY, Sept. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 in U.S. nursing homes appears to have been grossly underestimated.According to a new study, that's because U.S. federal guidelines did not require nursing homes to report cases and deaths until May 24, 2020, months after the pandemic began."Because of the delay in the federal reporting system for cases and deaths in nursing homes, there were roughly 68,000 unreported cases and 16,000 unreported deaths from COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic," said lead researcher Karen Shen, an applied public and labor economist at Harvard University."Accounting for underreporting changes the understanding of the toll on nursing homes across places and across facilities," she added.For instance, using the...

FRIDAY, Sept. 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Los Angeles has become the first major school system in the United States to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all students 12 and older. L.A.'s Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to require all students 12 and older to be vaccinated before they can attend in-person classes, The New York Times reported. The school district is the second largest in the nation, and the mandate affects some 460,000 students, including those in independent charter schools housed in district buildings.The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is widespread across the United States. Vaccination is needed to ensure schools can stay open, said Megan Reilly, interim schools superintendent. Speaking about a 12th-grade athlete, Reilly said, "We owe this...