Healio (6/22, Herpen) reports, “Despite advances in treatment, patients with schizophrenia have faced obstacles in obtaining an education, with the largest gap occurring in high-income countries,” researchers concluded in a 3,321-study systematic review and meta-analysis that encompassed 318,632 patients. The findings were published in the July issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Patients with schizophrenia face more educational obstacles in higher-income nations “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 22, 2022

Reuters (6/22, Khandekar) reports, “Nearly 1 in 5 American adults who reported having COVID-19 in the past are still having symptoms of long COVID, according to survey data collected in the first two weeks of June, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.” The data collected by the “Census Bureau and analyzed by the” CDC also “found that younger adults were more likely to have persistent symptoms than older adults,” and women were “more likely to have long COVID than men.”

Related Links:

— “Nearly 1 in 5 adults who had COVID have lingering symptoms – U.S. study “Amruta Khandekar, Reuters, June 22, 2022

Healio (6/22, Herpen) reports, “Prevalence of clinically significant anxiety and depression among adults in the United States increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prior years,” researchers concluded after examining data “from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System…a state-based monthly telephone survey in which 1,429,354 adults responded (1,093,663 from 2017 to 2019; 335,691 from March to December 2020).” The findingswere published online June 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Prevalence of anxiety, depression in U.S. adults elevated in first year of pandemic ” Robert Herpen, Healio, June 22, 2022

The Washington Post (6/21, McGinley) reports, “The Biden administration said Tuesday it plans to develop a rule requiring tobacco companies to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes sold in the United States to minimally or nonaddictive levels.” This is “an effort that, if successful, could have an unprecedented effect in slashing smoking-related deaths and threaten a politically powerful industry.” The Administration’s notice “said the Food and Drug Administration intends by May 2023 to develop a proposed standard ‘that would establish a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and certain finished tobacco products.’”

The New York Times (6/21, A1, Jewett, Jacobs) and Reuters (6/21, Shakil, Khandekar, Sharma) also report.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

CNN (6/21, Hunt) reports, “An inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in later life is linked to nearly double the risk of death from any cause within the next decade, according to a new study.” This “simple balance test may be useful to include in routine physical exams for people in middle and old age,” according to the research. The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Wobbly on one leg? Ability to balance is linked to a longer life, study finds “Katie Hunt, CNN, June 21, 2022

Healio (6/21, Herpen) reports, “Rates of suicide among adults in the United States decreased following the 2014 expansion of Medicaid, with the sharpest subsistence occurring for young adults,” researchers concluded in a study that “obtained information from the National Center for Health Statistics included all individuals from the United States aged 20 to 64 between January 2000 and December 2018” among whom “a total of 553,912 deaths by suicide were recorded.” The findings were published online June 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rates, incidence in U.S. adults decreased following Medicaid expansion “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 21, 2022

Healio (6/20, Herpen) reports, “Serious injuries sustained in combat by male soldiers from the United Kingdom were associated with poor mental health outcomes, and the type of injury influenced the severity of the outcome,” researchers concluded in data acquired “via the ongoing ADVANCE cohort study, which included 579 combat-injured participants (418 with non-amputation injuries, 161 with amputation injuries) and 565 uninjured participants recruited between August 2015 and August 2020.” The findings were published in the July issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Mental health outcomes worse for UK soldiers who sustained injuries in combat “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 20, 2022

USA Today (6/16, Alltucker) reports Roche’s Alzheimer’s disease “drug crenezumab did not slow or prevent cognitive decline in a long-running study of Colombian families who carried” the paisa mutation “that put them at near certain risk to develop the” disease, according to findings from the 252-patient study. The study tested whether the drug “could slow or halt the disease if participants took the medication before memory or thinking problems surfaced,” but it “did not demonstrate a significant benefit in tests measuring cognitive abilities or memory function…Roche said Thursday in a news release.”

Reuters (6/16, Koltrowitz, Grover) reports this “failure marks another blow to the hypothesis that targeting toxic protein plaque known as beta amyloid in the brain is a viable approach to arresting the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Related Links:

— “Alzheimer’s drug fails to slow or halt disease with early treatment “Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, June 16, 2022

The AP (6/16, Megerian) reports Vice President Harris “and administration officials on Thursday launched a task force dedicated to fighting online harassment and abuse, which they warned can be a precursor to real-life violence.” The new “task force will address several issues, including prevention of online abuse and services for people who are targeted.”

Reuters (6/16, Alper) reports, “The group is tasked with producing within six months a blueprint detailing actions to address the problem, including more support for victims, prevention and greater accountability for aggressors and platforms hosting them.”

NBC News (6/16, Gregorian) reports the group “aims to address the growing problem of online harassment and abuse which disproportionately targets women, girls and LGBTQI+ people,” a White House official said.

CNN (6/16, Fossum) also reports.

Related Links:

— “VP Harris launches task force on online harassment, abuse “Chris Megerian, AP, June 16, 2022

According to HealthDay (6/16, Preidt), cannabis “use, drinking, smoking and vaping all fell among U.S. youth” during the COVID-19 pandemic, “likely because they had to spend more time at home and less time with their friends,” investigators concluded in a 49-study systematic review, the findings of which were published online April 27 in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports.

Related Links:

— “Youth Drinking, Pot Use Went Down During Pandemic “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 16, 2022