Reuters (4/19, Ajmera) reported the FDA on Friday granted approval for generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries “to market its generic nasal spray for opioid overdose,” marking “the first approval of a generic naloxone nasal spray for use in a community setting by individuals without medical training.”

The AP (4/19, Johnson) wrote, “Naloxone has been sold as a nasal spray in the U.S. since 2016 under the brand name Narcan.” The AP highlighted that “pharmacists can dispense it without a prescription. It is also sold as a generic or brand-name drug in automatic injectors, prefilled syringes and vials.”

Related Links:

— “FDA approves Teva’s generic nasal spray to treat opioid overdose, “Ankit Ajmera, Reuters, April 19, 2019

MedPage Today (4/19, George) reported, “Incremental physical activity, even at a light intensity, was tied to larger brain volume,” researchers concluded after comparing “the number of steps walked per day” as well as dose measured as intensity x duration “with MRI total cerebral brain volume in 2,354 third-generation Framingham Heart Study participants who were a mean age of 53.” The study revealed that “each additional hour of light-intensity physical activity per day was associated with higher cerebral total brain volume, even among people not meeting national physical activity guidelines.” The findings were published online April 19 in JAMA Network Open. HealthDay (4/19, Reinberg) also covered the study.

Related Links:

— “Light Physical Activity Tied to Brain Volume, “Judy George, MedPage Today, April 19, 2019

The AP (4/18, Spencer, Kennedy, Slevin) reports on several personal stories about “the struggle” to provide mental health resources after a school shooting. Survivors of the Columbine school shooting started the Rebels Project, which became “a loose nationwide network of survivors of mass attacks.” The group “held a packed meeting for survivors and parents in Parkland this month, describing how they have learned to cope over the years through therapy, exercise and hobbies and assuring the Florida community that their pain is normal.”

Related Links:

— “For school shooting survivors, trauma has no time limit, “Terry Spencer, Kelli Kennedy and Colleen Slevin , AP, April 18, 2019

On its website, ABC News (4/17, Rosenblatt) reports, “A new study out of the University of Alberta has found that by the age of 5, children who spent two hours or more looking at a screen each day were 7.7 times more likely to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when compared to children who spent 30 minutes or less each day on a screen.” The findings were published in PLOS ONE. The article adds, “The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends limiting screen use to a maximum of one hour a day of high-quality programming for preschool children ages 2 to 5.”

HealthDay (4/17, Norton) and Newsweek (4/17, Gander) also report.

Related Links:

— “More screen time linked to higher risk of ADHD in preschool-aged children: Study, “Dr. Joshua Rosenblatt, ABC News, April 17, 2019

The Philadelphia Inquirer (4/17, Pattani) reports researchers examined data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that “half of all pregnant women who experience depression do not get any treatment, and some may turn to alcohol, marijuana, and opioids to self-medicate.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services in Advance. The article mentions that “the American Psychiatric Association says there is growing evidence that it’s safe for pregnant women to use antidepressants, and they can be helpful for some.”

Related Links:

— “https://www.philly.com/health/pregnant-women-depression-treatment-mental-health-addiction-20190417.html, “Aneri Pattani, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 17, 2019

The AP (4/17, Banda, Collins) reports on “the effects of trauma and turmoil experienced by law enforcement authorities who respond to school shootings.” Previously, many officers viewed “seeking psychiatric help as a sign of weakness – particularly in elite units like SWAT” – and saw “their own mental health as secondary when civilians suffer grave loss.” However, “attitudes are starting to change. A group of global law enforcement administrators recently began work on a set of uniform guidelines for psychological care for SWAT teams and other officers who respond to the worst of the worst carnage.” In addition, several state legislatures recently passed “laws to extend workers’ compensation for mental health to police and other first responders.”

Related Links:

— “School shootings draw attention to officers’ mental health, “Solomon Banda, AP, April 17, 2019

Healio (4/16) reports, “Almost a quarter of older adult survey respondents from Washington stored their guns unlocked and loaded, regardless of whether they had memory loss or suicide risk factors,” researchers found in a study involving “4,428 older adults” who reported having a firearm in their home. The findings were published April 16 in a research letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Survey shows some older adults do not store firearms safely, “Savannah Demko, Healio, April 16, 2019

ABC News (4/17, McLaughlin) reports that American Veterans (AMVETS) “is calling for a multi-agency investigation into what they’re calling a ‘suicide epidemic among veterans and service members,’ after three veterans killed themselves at Veterans Affairs facilities in the span of five days this month.” The veterans group “asked the inspectors general of the VA, Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services to immediately launch ‘a joint, coordinated investigation into the veteran and service member suicide epidemic, to include a macro evaluation of mental health treatment programs and personnel assigned to operate them.’”

Related Links:

— “Veterans group calls for multi-agency investigation after 3 vets killed themselves at VA facilities in 5-day span, “Elizabeth Mclaughlin, ABC News, April 17, 2019

Newsweek (4/15, Gander) reports that research indicates “90 percent of under-18s who are killed by a current or ex-partner are girls, while almost 90 percent of perpetrators are men.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

The NPR (4/15, Chatterjee) “Shots” blog reports that the researchers “found that of the more than 2,000 adolescents killed between 2003 and 2016, nearly seven percent – 150 teens – were killed by their current or former intimate partners.” In nearly “80 percent of the cases, the perpetrator was 18 years or older.”

Related Links:

— “90 percent of teens killed by their partners are girls—and most of the killers are men, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, April 15, 2019

The AP (4/15, Neergaard) reports that “research suggests seniors who aren’t on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Reuters (4/15, Rapaport) reports that investigators “gave scam awareness questionnaires to 935 older people who didn’t have dementia.” Reuters adds, “After an average follow up of six years, 151 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease and 255 developed mild cognitive impairment.” The researchers found that “low scam awareness was associated with a 56 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s and a 47 percent higher risk of mild cognitive impairment.”

Also covering the story are CNN (4/15, Scutti), Newsweek (4/15, Gander), HealthDay (4/15, Norton), and MedPage Today (4/15, George).

Related Links:

— “Senior’s weakness for scams may be warning sign of dementia, “Lauran Neergaard, AP, April 15, 2019