Children's Health: Higher cigarette taxes linked to fewer infant deaths ♦ We change after we start dating, ♦ on’t want to raise a psychopath?

Higher cigarette taxes linked to fewer infant deaths Higher taxes and prices for cigarettes are strongly associated with lower infant mortality rates in the United State. The association was stronger for African American infants than for non-Hispanic white infants, which has implications for trying to reduce disparities in infant mortality between the two groups

We change after we start dating, Researchers put to test the hypothesis that adolescents become less similar to their friends and more similar to romantic partners after they start a new romantic relationship. This first study to use longitudinal data is a stark reminder how the peer social world changes during adolescence, and same-sex friends become less important and romantic affiliations become more important.

Interventions may temporarily raise kids' IQs, but there is fadeout over time A meta-analysis shows that the beneficial effects of interventions to raise intelligence in young children fade over time

Don’t want to raise a psychopath? Be sensitive to a child’s distress How do you stop a child, especially one who has experienced significant adversity, from growing up to be a psychopath? Responsive, empathetic care giving -- especially when children are in distress -- helps prevent boys from becoming callous, unemotional adolescents.

Health Research: Traditional dating abuse increases chances of cyber dating abuse ♦ Diaphragms grown from stem cells offer hope of a cure for common birth defect,

New diaphragms grown from stem cells offer hope of a cure for common birth defect, possibly future repairs of the heart New diaphragm tissue in rats has been successfully created in the lab using a mixture of stem cells and a 3D scaffold. When transplanted, it has regrown with the same complex mechanical properties of diaphragm muscle. The study offers hope of a cure for a common birth defect and possible future heart muscle repairs.

Involvement in traditional dating abuse increases chances of cyber dating abuse in teens Teens who are involved in dating abuse -- as either the perpetrator or the victim -- are more likely to also be involved in cyber dating abuse, research concludes. Further, teens who commit cyber dating violence against their partners are more likely to later be victimized by it and cyberviolence victims are more likely to later perpetrate this act

Oxytocin has different effects on stress in male and female mice Clinical trials are testing whether oxytocin, sometimes called the 'love hormone' for its role in intimacy and social bonding, has potential as a treatment for anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. New research by behavioral neuroscientists suggests oxytocin may have different effects in men and women -- and in certain circumstances the hormone may actually trigger anxiety

Mitochondria affect stress responses Mitochondria, the tiny structures inside our cells that generate energy, may also play a previously unrecognized role in mind-body interactions. This insight may have broad implications for human psychology and for the biology of psychiatric and neurological diseases