Reuters (12/18, Begley) reports that a study conducted by scientists at Harvard School of Public Health and published in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that children whose mothers were exposed to high levels of fine particulate pollution in late pregnancy have as much as twice the risk of developing autism. The study, which involved 116,430 women, found no correlation between autism and fine particulate pollution before, during early pregnancy, or after the child was born. High levels of exposure during the third trimester, however, doubled the risk of autism.

Related Links:

— “Autism risk linked to particulate air pollution,” Sharon Begley, Chicago Tribune, December 17, 2014.

In “Op-Talk” in the New York Times (12/17), Anna North writes that according to a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health, “mental-health screening may not be the best way to prevent mass shootings — and expecting psychiatrists to identify potential shooters may do more harm than good.” In the paper, Jonathan M. Metzl, MD, PhD, and Kenneth T. MacLeish, PhD, “cite research showing that most gun violence isn’t committed by people who are determined to have mental illness — and that most people with mental illness don’t commit violence,” nor can psychiatrists even readily determine which patients may become violent.

Related Links:

— “Can Psychiatrists Stop Gun Violence?,” Anna North, New York Times, December 16, 2014.

The Washington Post (12/16, Bernstein) “To Your Health” blog reported that according to a study on 317 adults in late middle age, those who “exercised five times a week or more had fewer of the age-related changes in the brain that are associated with” Alzheimer’s disease, “and did better on cognitive tests.”

Related Links:

— “More evidence that exercise can help fight Alzheimer’s disease,” Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post, December 16, 2014.

The Los Angeles Times (12/16, Kaplan) “Science Now” blog reports that according to a research letter published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine, “when it comes to longevity, feeling young may be more important than being young.” After analyzing “data on nearly 6,500 English adults,” researchers “found that those who felt at least one year older than their actual age were 41% more likely to die within eight years than were those who felt at least three years younger than the age listed on their birth certificates.”

The AP (12/16, Tanner) reports that “feeling older was a predictor of death even when the researchers accounted for things that could affect death rates, including illnesses, wealth, education, smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity.” The reason for that link is unknown, but it is “possible that health conditions and lifestyle choices that the researchers didn’t study explain why feeling old may help predict death.” Another theory is that “it may be that those who feel younger than their real age have ‘greater resilience, sense of mastery, and will to live,’ the researchers said.”

Related Links:

— “It’s OK to be old if you feel young, study suggests,” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, December 15, 2014.

The Wall Street Journal (12/16, Silverman, Subscription Publication) reports that a Federal judge has issued an injunction preventing Actavis PLC from removing the older version of the Namenda (memantine) Alzheimer’s medicine in favor of a newer version of the treatment. At issue is a tactic employed by pharmaceutical companies, called product hopping, in which a company releases a newer version of a drug and removes the older version before a generic version becomes available. Effectively, patients are forced into using the newer version.

Related Links:

— “Court Rules on Alzheimer’s Drug,” Ed Silverman, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2014.