Two studies in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses highlight the significant burden of respiratory syncytial virus in primary care. One study found an incidence of 62.8 cases per 1,000 children in primary care settings before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the highest rates among the youngest children. Another study found that 13.2% of adults 60 and older had RSV, with a similar burden to that of influenza.

The Eat, Sleep, Console approach for managing neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome focuses on ensuring infants can eat sufficiently, sleep for at least an hour, and be comforted easily. This method, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, significantly reduced the need for pharmacologic treatment in infants compared to usual care, highlighting the importance of nonpharmacologic interventions.

The study presented at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference revealed that baricitinib is effective in maintaining hair regrowth among adolescents with alopecia areata. By week 52, 54.1% of those treated with 4 mg of baricitinib and 31% with 2 mg achieved significant hair regrowth, highlighting the potential of baricitinib as a promising treatment for adolescents.

Experts are raising concerns about the risk of food allergies associated with Dubai-style chocolate, especially as the treat becomes popular in the US. The chocolate contains a variety of potential allergens, such as pistachios, other nuts, sesame, wheat and milk, but labeling may not disclose all ingredients.

-- Christopher Warren, epidemiologist at the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

A study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice found that skin prick testing is reliable for assessing allergies to seeds such as sesame and sunflower. Among 392 oral food challenges involving eight types of seeds, sesame had a 71.9% tolerance rate and sunflower had an 87.5% tolerance rate.

Will Bynum and colleagues at Duke University School of Medicine are pioneering a movement to teach "shame competence" to medical students and physicians. The initiative aims to equip health care professionals with the skills to recognize and manage shame effectively, thus preventing its negative impact on themselves and their patients. Training sessions and workshops are being held to foster a healthier approach to this complex emotion.

Cancer rates among young adults are rising faster in the Corn Belt states of Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas, when compared with the rest of the US, according to a Washington Post analysis. Rates are particularly high for kidney and skin cancers. Cancer rates in these states in 2022 were 5% higher for young adults and 5% higher in the general population.

The "Babies Need to Breathe" campaign emphasizes the importance of ensuring that infants have safe sleeping environments to prevent suffocation and other sleep-related risks. This initiative aims to educate caregivers on practices that support babies' ability to breathe safely during sleep.

The New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy are collaborating to launch "public health alerts" as an alternative to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Announced by CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm at the IDWeek conference, these alerts aim to provide timely public health information, and submissions are invited on outbreaks and relevant data.

The release of new US dietary guidelines has been delayed, tentatively to December, due to the government shutdown. The guidelines, updated every five years, influence federal nutrition programs and school meals. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said the guidelines will emphasize whole foods and increased saturated fats, a significant shift from current recommendations.