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“We designed these apps so they fit easily into people’s lives and could be used as simply as apps to find a restaurant or directions,” said lead author David Mohr, Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, US.

Can spending a few minutes on your smartphone each day improve your mental health? A new study says it’s possible — if you have the right apps. “Using digital tools for mental health is emerging as an important part of our future,” lead study author David Mohr, a professor of preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement. The apps “are designed to help the millions of people who want to get [mental health] support but can’t get to a therapist’s office,” Mohr said.

A Northwestern Medicine study found a suite of mental health-focused apps, designed at the university’s Feinberg School of Medicine, reduced depression and anxiety symptoms reported by participants by nearly 50 percent over an eight-week period. The study was set to be published Thursday in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology video, which features Northwestern University pediatrician Ruchi S. Gupta, recommends adding hot water to 2 teaspoons of peanut butter to make a warm puree. Feed a little bit of the puree to the child, and then monitor for about 10 minutes to make sure there is no reaction such as hives, rash or trouble breathing before continuing to feed the child peanut-containing foods.

What might surprise you: Urinary tract infections become more common in women after menopause because of those estrogen changes, says Lauren Streicher, MD, the director of the Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. (Estrogen appears to play a protective role against the bacteria that lead to UTIs.) “We see this issue in 60 to 70 percent of women after menopause.” What you can do about it: Streicher recommends local estrogen like a topical cream, which delivers lower doses than traditional hormone therapy.

Many people have difficulty getting their lives back on track after being released from juvenile detention, especially those from racial and ethnic minorities, a new study shows. Delinquent youth are at high risk for problems in adulthood. Some of the reasons why include a background of significant trauma and loss, limited social support or adult guidance, and limited academic success, according to study author Karen Abram. She is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Many people have difficulty getting their lives back on track after being released from juvenile detention, especially those from racial and ethnic minorities, a new study shows. Delinquent youth are at high risk for problems in adulthood. Some of the reasons why include a background of significant trauma and loss, limited social support or adult guidance, and limited academic success, according to study author Karen Abram. She is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Most delinquent youth achieve few positive milestones in the years after their detention, especially if they are boys, Hispanic, or African American. Researchers followed nearly 1200 boys and girls for 12 years after their detention in Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Dr. Linda A. Teplin from Northwestern University in Chicago and colleagues found that among the boys, 46 percent of non-Hispanic whites had achieved more than half the outcomes, compared with only 29 percent of Hispanics and 19 percent of African Americans. Results for girls did not differ by race or ethnicity.

Most delinquent youth achieve few positive milestones in the years after their detention, especially if they are boys, Hispanic, or African American. Researchers followed nearly 1200 boys and girls for 12 years after their detention in Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Dr. Linda A. Teplin from Northwestern University in Chicago and colleagues found that among the boys, 46 percent of non-Hispanic whites had achieved more than half the outcomes, compared with only 29 percent of Hispanics and 19 percent of African Americans. Results for girls did not differ by race or ethnicity.

All can be addressed, doctors say. Perhaps most important is ensuring that older adults remain physically active and don’t become sedentary. “If someone comes into my office walking at a snail’s pace and tells me, ‘I’m old; I’m just slowing down,’ I’m, like, ‘No, that isn’t right,’ ” said Lee Ann Lindquist, a professor of geriatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. ”You need to start moving around more, get physical therapy or occupational therapy and push yourself to do just a little bit more every day,” she said.