The race-neutral forced expiratory volume in 1 second quotient (FEV1Q) predicted mortality and had better discriminative performance than standardly used spirometry interpretation strategies, both in healthy individuals and in those with advanced lung disease. These were among the findings of a study published in the European Respiratory Journal. FEV1Q is a “simple approach to spirometry interpretation” that compares measured lung function to a value approximating the lower limit needed for survival — 0.4 L in women and 0.5 L in men, said study authors. Notably, the current spirometry interpre ..read more

Acetaminophen use during pregnancy does not increase the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability in children, according to study results published in JAMA. Although acetaminophen is generally considered safe during pregnancy and is regularly used to manage pain and fever in pregnant individuals, recent studies indicated potential risks for developmental disorders associated with its use. To determine if these reports may have been attributable to familial confounding, investigators conducted a population-based study t ..read more

Individuals with psychiatric conditions in early adulthood have a greater long-term risk for cardiometabolic complications, relative to individuals without mental health disorders. This increased risk was independent of familial confounders and seems to be attributable to a broad predisposition to psychopathology, according to study findings published in The American Journal of Psychiatry. It has been generally established that psychiatric disorders are associated with a greater risk for cardiometabolic issues. However, it remains unclear as to whether this association is due to psychopatholog ..read more

HealthDay News — Later sleep timing and greater sleep variability are risk factors for certain academic problems among adolescents, according to a study published online March 5 in SLEEP. Gina Marie Mathew, Ph.D., from Stony Brook University in New York, and colleagues examined associations of multiple actigraphic sleep dimensions with academic functioning among adolescents. The analysis included 774 participants (age 15 years) in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The researchers found that later sleep timing and greater sleep variability were associated with poorer academic ou ..read more

HealthDay News — Pediatric mental health (MH) emergency department visits were lower during the late pandemic period than prepandemic, according to a study published online April 2 in Academic Emergency Medicine. In a retrospective study, Jennifer A. Hoffmann, M.D., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues examined how pediatric MH emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic differed from expected prepandemic trends. Children aged 5 to <18 years at nine U.S. hospitals were included from 2017 to 2022. Visit length was described by time pe ..read more

The COVID-19 XBB.1.5-containing mRNA-1273 booster confers robust and diverse neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including JN.1, according to study results published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. In an ongoing, open-label, phase 2/3 study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04927065), researchers assessed the safety and immunogenicity of 2 Omicron XBB-containing vaccine candidates. The vaccine candidates were monovalent mRNA-1273.815 (Omicron XBB.1.5) and bivalent mRNA-1273.231 (Omicron XBB.1.5 plus BA.4/BA.5), which were administered as third ..read more

Interim results from a randomized trial indicate that long-acting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with cabotegravir and rilpivirine is superior to oral ART among patients with HIV infection who are unable to maintain virologic suppression on daily oral regimens. These findings were published in a press release from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In an ongoing randomized trial, researchers evaluated outcomes of long-acting ART with cabotegravir plus rilpivirine among patients with HIV infection at 31 sites with a history of having difficulty taking daily oral ART as prescribed. The study ..read more

During the COVID-19 pandemic, self-reported pain in caregivers of patients with dementia was associated with more pandemic‑related stress stemming from the caregiver’s relationship with the patients, according to a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The COVID-19 pandemic strained caregivers who had to keep patients with dementia safe while maintaining adequate distances to protect them from potential viral transmission at home. Meeting this objective may have been especially stressful for caregivers who were in pain, which can interfere with functioning and well-b ..read more

Among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), initiating ADHD medication significantly decreases the risk for all-cause and unnatural-cause mortality, according to study findings published in JAMA. However, ADHD medications do not decrease natural-cause mortality risk. It is widely established that ADHD is associated with physical and psychiatric comorbidities that increase the risk for adverse health outcomes, including premature mortality. However, it is unclear whether ADHD medication is protective or contributes to this mortality risk. To this aim, researchers exa ..read more

From 2006 to 2019, outpatient mental health visits and visits associated with psychotropic medications almost doubled among adolescents and young adults in the United States. These study findings are published in JAMA. Mental health among young people in the US has been a national public health concern for over a decade, but concerns intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. To inform intervention strategies and effectively address this crisis, it is first necessary to determine trends in the prevalence of mental health disorders and identify vulnerable populations. To this aim, investigators ..read more