About one in 20 infants worldwide is subjected to physical abuse by a caregiver in their first two years of life, according to the first review to bring together anonymous reports from caregivers about behaviours like spanking, slapping, shaking and hitting. Researchers from the University of British Columbia and Memorial University of Newfoundland reviewed 20 studies that together encompassed reports on more than 220,000 infants and caregivers across several countries. When caregivers were asked privately and anonymously, 4.8 per cent reported at least one act of physical aggression toward an infant under 24 months. Anonymous surveys let caregivers disclose behaviour that never reaches a clinic, police service or social worker. Such behaviours can have lasting effects on a child’s learning, behaviour and mental health. Evidence has linked these actions with harm and with a higher chance of more severe violence in the future. Understanding how common these kinds of behaviours are could help health systems, policymakers and families focus on prevention, getting support to parents before a bad moment turns into injury.

Restrictive abortion policies are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among women, according to a new 25-year study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The equivalent of approximately four additional restrictive laws was linked to a 7 percent increase in depressive symptoms among women. The study findings contribute to the small but growing body of literature documenting potential adverse mental health consequences of restrictive abortion legislation. 

A comprehensive new systematic review published in The Journal of Nutrition provides the latest evidence that large-scale food fortification is a highly cost-effective intervention for reducing global malnutrition.

Teens who frequently lash out at others may face lasting physical health consequences later in life, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The study found that aggressive behavior in early adolescence is linked to faster biological aging and higher body mass index (BMI) by age 30.

In a new study published in Nutrients, Tufts researchers determined that lifestyles during precollege years are often maintained into adulthood. The study found that, broadly speaking, people with the lowest initial level of healthfulness who maintained those behaviors into their adulthood years gained the most weight while those who maintained their healthy behaviors into adulthood gained the least weight on average.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer that usually progresses rapidly if swift and intensive treatment is not applied. Although the disease can often be contained by chemotherapy (remission), it returns in many patients. A permanent cure is often only possible with a stem cell transplant - provided that the leukemia can be sufficiently contained beforehand. A new Germany-wide study led by the Dresden University Medicine has shown that the combination of intensive chemotherapy and the substance venetoclax can significantly improve the success rate of treatment of aggressive acute leukemia. This has been confirmed by the results of RELAX, with remission in 75% of the cases compared to the past attempts yielding an only 40 percent remission rate. The study was published in the renowned journal The Lancet Haematology.

The way menstruation is experienced depends not only on physical symptoms, but also on the social context in which it occurs. A study conducted in Spain with more than 4,000 participants analyses how menstrual stigma influences daily life, social participation and well-being.

This study, led by the INGENIO Institute, a joint centre of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has been published in the journal BMC Women's Health. It is the fourth publication of a research project that provides one of the first insights into menstrual health in Spain — after addressing menstrual education, stigma and access to healthcare — and now focuses on the social impact of menstruation on everyday life.

The results show that menstruation continues to influence everyday activities. Only 15.4% of participants say they maintain their routine without change on those days, while many adapt their behaviour to avoid potential discomfort or exposure. Among the most common strategies are avoiding certain types of clothing (36%), avoiding white garments (48%), reducing sports activities (21%) or limiting activities such as swimming or going to the beach (22%).