Research shows that early childhood maltreatment is associated with significant delays in social and cognitive development. Unfortunately, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, children under age one face the highest risk of maltreatment, particularly neglect. The Child Protective Services (CPS) system is responsible for responding to maltreatment and preventing its recurrence. Most children with substantiated maltreatment reports remain with their parents, and CPS provides services to the parents (including substance use treatment or parenting classes) to rectify the conditions that led to maltreatment. Most foster care entries occur during early childhood, from the newborn period to five years old, but most research on foster care is focused on older children. Debate over the impacts of foster care has persisted for many years, yet little attention has been paid to the timing of children’s entry into foster care.

 

To remedy the gap in literature, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the Pennsylvania State University followed 8,795 Wisconsin children referred to CPS during their first year of life from birth until third grade. They examined the associations between the age of first foster care placement and school test scores, exposure to punitive discipline (suspension), and chronic absenteeism. The findings suggest that compared to no foster care intervention, foster care during early infancy is related to a higher likelihood of demonstrating basic or above reading skills and a lower likelihood of chronic absenteeism.

A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center identifies several molecules in the blood, known as metabolites, that are linked to EDS. Findings suggest that risk of the condition may be influenced by both internal body processes, such as hormone levels, and external factors such as diet. Results are published in Lancet eBioMedicine. 

Cutting off blood flow ages the bone marrow, weakening the immune system’s ability to fight cancer, a new study finds.

The most common cancer-causing strain of human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV16, undermines the body’s defenses by reprogramming immune cells surrounding the tumor, according to new USC research. In mice, blocking this process boosted the ability of experimental treatments for HPV to eliminate cancer cells. HPV16 causes more than half of cervical cancer cases and roughly 90% of HPV-linked throat cancers. It can be neutralized with the preventive vaccine Gardasil-9, but only if vaccination occurs prior to HPV exposure. Researchers are now working to develop “therapeutic vaccines,” which can be taken after HPV exposure to trigger an immune response by T-cells against infected cells, but in clinical trials, these vaccines have limited effectiveness—and the new study helps explain why. The study focuses on the signaling protein Interleukin-23 or IL-23 in the immune system which has inflammatory properties. While IL-23 was previously implicated in cervical and throat cancers, its exact role was unclear. In a series of tests in mice and cell cultures, USC researchers found that two HPV proteins, E6 and E7, prompt nearby cells to release IL-23, which in turns prevents the body’s T-cells from attacking the tumor. In mice with HPV16 tumors, IL-23 neutralizing antibodies blocked IL-23 and increased the number of T-cells around the tumor that could recognize and kill cancer. When combined with the HPV therapeutic vaccine, this approach triggered a stronger immune response and led to longer survival than either treatment on its own.

 

A new study from the University of Washington shows that households enrolled in the City of Seattle's Fresh Bucks program experience a 31% higher rate of food security and consume at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables 37% more often than those assigned to a program waitlist. Fresh Bucks, a $40 a month benefit, works with local partners to help residents access fresh food.