HealthDay (1/21) reports, “While health problems from childhood exposure to lead and mercury are on the decline, these and other toxic chemicals continue to take a toll,” researchers concluded, finding that “exposure to other toxic chemicals – especially flame retardants and pesticides – led to more than one million cases of intellectual disability in the United States between 2001 and 2016.” Senior study author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, “a professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at NYU Langone,” said, “Although people argue against costly regulations, unrestricted use of these chemicals is far more expensive in the long run, with American children bearing the largest burden.” The findings were published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology.

Related Links:

— “Flame Retardants, Pesticides Remain Threat to U.S. Health: Study, ” Kayla McKiski, HealthDay, January 21, 2020

Fox News (1/21, McKay) reports on its website that according to the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, “45,390 American adults died from suicide in 2017 – the most recent available year of data collection – including 6,139 U.S. veterans.” The report “stated that the number of veteran suicides has exceeded 6,000 every single year between 2008 and 2017, and in 2017, the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-veteran adults.” The Department of Veterans Affairs “states that suicide prevention remains a primary focus,” and since 2017, the department “has been actively coordinating across its networks, as well as working in close partnership with the White House, Congress,” HHS, CDC, and local communities.

Related Links:

— “Veteran suicide rates remain alarmingly high despite years of reform, “Hollie McKay, Fox News, January 21, 2020

HealthDay (1/19, Reinberg) reported a small study published in JMIR Research Protocols suggests that “turning to Facebook for help is probably the wrong move for depressed college students.” Researchers found that out of “33 students who posted on Facebook about feelings of depression, not one was advised to reach out to a mental health professional for help.”
        
Healio (1/20, Gremigna) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Facebook Falls Short for College Kids Battling Depression, Study Finds, ” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay , January 19, 2020

Medscape (1/20, McNamara, Subscription Publication) reports a study suggests “despite long-standing efforts to ban lead-based paint, some children in the United States remain at risk for the neurotoxic effects of lead exposure, particularly those living in low-income areas.” The researchers “found children living in areas with the highest risk of lead exposure scored significantly lower on cognitive tests and had lower brain volume than their counterparts who lived in areas with the lowest risk of lead exposure.” The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Lead Exposure Risk in US Children Far From Gone, “Damian McNamara, Medscape, January 20, 2020

Medscape (1/20, Yasgur, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could be at higher risk of developing bipolar disorder, although the risk may be mitigated by use of metformin.” The findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Hikes Bipolar Disorder Risk, “Batya Swift Yasgur, Medscape, January 20, 2020

MD Magazine (1/20, Kunzmann) reports, “Poor pulmonary function may be an indication of greater dementia risk, according to an assessment of 24 previous studies observing the 2 ailments.” A team of investigators based in the UK found in systematic review data that “respiratory illness and symptoms including poor forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were associated with notable increases to dementia risk across 11 different study results.” The study was published online in the CHEST Journal.

Related Links:

— “Poor Lung Function Linked to Dementia Risk, “Kevin Kunzmann, MD Magazine, January 20, 2020

Healio (1/16, Laday) reports, “Frequent mental distress is commonly reported among adults with arthritis across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with the highest prevalence reported in the Appalachian region and southern states,” investigators concluded after evaluating data “provided by 147,288 respondents.” The findings were published online Jan. 3 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “Mental distress highly prevalent among adults with arthritis in Appalachia, southern US, “Jason Laday, Healio, January 16, 2020

Healio (1/15, Gramigna) reports, “College students’ alcohol use behaviors may be closely related to their perceptions of the alcohol-related behaviors and attitudes of other students within their close-knit peer group,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from a sample of 1,054 college students (61% female) across 35 intact same-sex club sport teams.” The study revealed that “perceptions of peers being more approving of drinking prospectively predicted greater alcohol use frequency at later timepoints, which is indicative or conformity processes.” The findings were published online Jan. 13 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “College students’ peer groups significantly influence alcohol use, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, January 15, 2020

MD Magazine (1/15, Rosenfeld) reports, “More openness from physicians about overcoming mental health issues could increase the likelihood that medical students will access care if they need it,” researchers concluded after surveying “second-year medical students and” conducting “a physician panel and small-group discussion to learn the benefit of exposure to physicians with self-disclosed histories of having overcome mental illness.” The 43-student study revealed that “91% of students agreed knowing veteran physicians who struggled with mental health issues, got treatment, and were doing well could make them more likely to seek care if they ever needed it.” The findings were published online Jan. 8 in the Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development.

Related Links:

— “Mental Health Openness Improves Med Students’ Attitudes, “Samara Rosenfeld, MD Magazine, January 15, 2020

The Wall Street Journal (1/15, Abbott, Subscription Publication) reports a Medscape survey indicates almost half of physicians age 40 to 54, members of Generation X, reported burnout, as did nearly 40 percent of Millennials and Boomers. About half of the 15,000 respondents reported willingness to trade salary for improved work-life balance.

Related Links:

— “Physician Burnout Is Widespread, Especially Among Those in Midcareer, “Brianna Abbott, The Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2020