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Morning Briefing

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Monday, Jun 5 2017

Full Issue

While Still Risky, Congenital Heart Defects No Longer Always A Deterrent Of Pregnancy

Also in public health news are developments related to infant sleep, the empathetic impact of dogs, 90-somethings working through their bucket lists, "death cap" mushrooms, the impact of social media on teens' mental health, domestic violence and biking injuries.

For years, the one thing standing between Candace Martinez and motherhood was her heart. She was born with a defect that a generation earlier would have led to death as an infant, but modern medicine 鈥 open-heart surgery at 5 weeks old to switch two misconnected arteries 鈥 had saved her.聽At age 18 she experienced heart failure: Her heart muscle couldn鈥檛 pump enough blood to oxygenate her body. At 19, she got a pacemaker. Martinez survived, but she always assumed that the life modern medicine had given her would not include having children. Pregnancy and childbirth long were thought to be too tough on women with congenital heart defects like hers. (Haelle, 6/4)

The sooner babies get their own rooms, the longer they'll sleep on average, according to a new study that breaks with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Analyzing surveys from 230 first-time mothers at Penn State, Dr. Ian Paul, a pediatrician, found that babies slept for longer stretches if they didn't sleep in the same bedroom as their parents. (Nedelman, 6/5)

Benjamin Stepp, an Iraq war veteran, sat in his graduate school course trying to focus on the lecture. Neither his classmates nor his professor knew he was silently seething. But his service dog, Arleigh, did. She sensed his agitation and 鈥減ut herself in my lap,鈥 said Mr. Stepp, 37, of Holly Springs, Miss. 鈥淚 realized I needed to get out of class. We went outside, I calmed down. We breathed.鈥 (Lucchesi, 6/4)

It is one thing to have a bucket list at any age. It is something else entirely to have a bucket list that sends you to college for the first time at 92 鈥 or that sends you on your maiden flight at the controls of a single-engine airplane at 97. These are the bucket list accomplishments of Cecile Tegler (92) and Mildred 鈥淢illy鈥 Reeves (97). And neither of them is done yet. (Horovitz, 6/5)

They sprouted up in abundance after heavy rains,聽poking up聽through California lawns聽and forests,聽appearing harmless聽to some of those聽who found聽them 鈥 as though they'd make a good meal. And so they do, at first. The聽鈥渄eath cap鈥 mushroom is said to be delicious. A new federal report detailed what came after consumption for 14 people who sampled the Bay Area's聽bloom of death cap 鈥 or amanita phalloides 鈥 last December: Violent nausea, in all cases. For some days later, organ damage聽as the death caps' potent toxins ravaged聽the liver. (Selk, 6/3)

Researchers and scientists still are trying to figure out how social media use affects young people. So far the evidence is mixed and there's no broad consensus on the long-term consequences of excessive social media use.聽Studies have shown the around-the-clock world of social media takes a mental and emotional toll on some young people. It has been linked to increased anxiety, depression and decreased relationship skills. One study found social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol for some people.聽Social media also can have a positive affect, however. Some research has found that social media can be a resource for teens to find social support when they are struggling with life issues, and that they can use the different online platforms as a way to express themselves. (McDaniels, 6/2)

Financial manipulation聽is a tactic聽abusers commonly use in domestic violence cases to torment and control their victims. "What we know is that economic security equals safety," said Sarah Gonzalez Bocinski, director of the Economic Security for Survivors Project at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Without those resources, options are very limited." As many as 74% of women surveyed聽at domestic violence shelters reported that they stayed with an abuser longer because of financial issues, she said, citing a 2012 Mary Kay Foundation report. 聽(Shamus, 6/3)

Bikes have transformed urban landscapes throughout America, from pavement markings on streets to our workday gear, and most of us agree it's a good thing. They've reduced the pollution we send into聽the ozone layer, helped us conserve gas and oil and kept us fitter than we might otherwise be. But there's also been a downside to all that cycling: more injuries. And those injuries are costing billions of dollars a year. (Cha, 6/3)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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