The AP (3/28) reports researchers in California, Maryland, and New Mexico “are working with public school nurses” to curb suicide rates among LGBT teenagers “by making school grounds safer.” The article reports that suicide rates “are three to four times higher for lesbian, gay and transgender students than their peers.”

Related Links:

— “Project aims to help school nurses tackle suicide rates,” Associated Press, Washington Times, March 28, 2017.

In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (3/27, Kaplan) reports, “The longer a mother nurses – and the longer she does so exclusively – the bigger the benefits,” research indicates. One “perceived benefit of breastfeeding is the possibility that it boosts a baby’s brain.”

CNN (3/27, Kounang) reports a study published in Pediatrics, however, indicates “breastfeeding has little impact on long-term cognitive development and behavior.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after following “7,478 Irish children born full term, from the time they were nine months old,” then evaluating them “at three years and again at five years of age.”

Related Links:

— “For babies, breastfeeding is still best, even if it doesn’t make them smarter (though it might),” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2017.

MD Magazine (3/27, Black) reports that stimulant medications for the “treatment of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (AD/HD) may “inhibit long-term growth.” The findings of the large study were published online March 10 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Studies Continue to Conflict on Whether ADHD Meds Stunt Growth – See more at: http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/studies-continue-to-conflict-on-whether-adhd-meds-stunt-growth#sthash.P25LIUhU.dpuf,” Ryan Black, MD Magazine, March , 2017.

Medscape (3/27, Melville) reports that even though “guidelines for initiating treatment of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with cholinesterase inhibitors are well established, guidance and consensus as to when, how, and even whether to discontinue the treatment are lacking,” researchers concluded in a presentation given at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Medical Daily (3/27, Dovey) reports “current trends suggest that the number of women aged 60 and older who drink and/or abuse alcohol is set to increase,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from the 1997 to 2014 National Health Interview Surveys, which included information from 65,303 individuals over the age of 60.” The findings were published online March 24 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Related Links:

— “More Elderly Women Expected To Drink And Abuse Alcohol; What This Means For Their Health,” Dana Dovey, Medical Daily, March 27, 2017.