An exciting Emerging Topic review published in Brain Medicine unveils compelling evidence linking air pollution exposure during pregnancy and early childhood to increased autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. The analysis highlights how specific pollutants trigger multiple pathogenic mechanisms, potentially disrupting crucial neurodevelopmental processes and increasing susceptibility to ASD, particularly in genetically predisposed individuals.

Adolescents in regions with fewer abortion restrictions and those who had an abortion were more likely to have graduated from college, earn higher incomes and have greater financial stability at two time-points over an almost 25-year period. Girls who became teen moms, conversely, were more likely to experience eviction, debt and food insecurity. 

Online e-cigarette retailers are not consistently adhering to laws aimed at preventing the sale of vaping products to minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods and flavor restrictions, report researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.