The good thing that happens with graduated license laws
State laws designed to help teens gradually ease into full driving privileges may have an unintended effect: lowering rates of teen alcohol consumption and binge drinking, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Surgeons find better ways to treat nerve compression disorder that can sideline athletes
Two new studies from the School of Medicine suggest ways to improve surgical treatment for a debilitating condition caused by compressed nerves in the neck and shoulder. The condition, neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, causes pain, numbness or tingling in the shoulder, arm or hand and is perhaps best known for affecting baseball pitchers and other athletes.
Surveys guide doctors about when to test teens for STIs
Adolescents visiting a pediatric emergency department are willing to disclose information about their sexual activity when filling out a computerized questionnaire, and this information can be used to determine whether they should be tested for STIs, a new study by Fahd A. Ahmad, MD, shows.
Teens with autism face major obstacles to social life outside of school, study finds
Hanging out with friends after school and on the weekends is a vital part of a teen’s social life. But for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, social activity outside of school is a rarity, finds a new study by Paul Shattuck, PhD, autism expert and assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Washington University opens first adolescent bariatric surgery program in St. Louis area
Washington University School of Medicine has partnered with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital to open the first bariatric surgery program in the area for obese adolescents. The rate of obesity among teens has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Today, 18 percent are obese, which increases their risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and dying young.
Luis Zayas discusses Latina suicide on NPR’s Latino USA
Luis Zayas, PhD, the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, will be on this week’s Latino USA program on NPR discussing Latina teen suicide in the United States. Listen to the program at http://www.latinousa.org/916-2/.
Adolescent drinking adds to risk of breast disease, breast cancer
Girls and young women who drink alcohol increase their risk of benign (noncancerous) breast disease, says a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University. Benign breast disease increases the risk for developing breast cancer.