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For years, the treatment protocol for children with concussions involved keeping them out of school to rest in a quiet, dark room with reduced access to screens until they felt better. In the past decade, however, doctors have been moving toward encouraging kids to return to school and light activity after only a couple of days of rest, even if symptoms persist. A recently released study involving more than 1,500 children backs the new approach. It found that an early return to school — which researchers defined as missing less than three days — benefited children ages 8 to 18, who had less severe symptoms two weeks after their concussion compared with kids who stayed home longer. In fact, a longer stay at home seemed to delay recovery. (Chang, 2/1)

In other health and wellness news —

The year when a breast cancer patient turns 70 can make a big difference in the kind of treatment her doctor recommends, according to a study published in the International Journal for Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. (Reed, 2/1)

A new study in mice from researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas suggests that a short-term exposure to a high-fat diet may be linked to pain sensations even in the absence of a prior injury or a preexisting condition like obesity or diabetes. (Fontenot, 2/1)

For more than a decade, Americans have been dying younger than people in other developed countries. Researchers attribute much of this rise in mid-life deaths to what are called "deaths of despair" — that is suicides, drug overdoses and deaths from alcoholic liver disease — among middle-aged white Americans. But a study published last week in The Lancet shows that these premature deaths have affected American Indian and Alaska Native communities far more than white communities. (Chatterjee, 2/1)

The Defense Department has acknowledged that sexual abuse and violence by instructors in the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps in schools across the country were much more pervasive than previously disclosed, according to new documents obtained by the Globe. (Kopan, 2/2)

Lindsay Clancy, 32, was hospitalized last week after she appeared to attempt suicide by jumping out a window of the family home after allegedly injuring her three children that led to their deaths, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said last week, as Fox News Digital reported earlier. (McGorry, 2/1)

Also —

Dangerous fungal infections are on the rise, and a growing body of research suggests warmer temperatures might be a culprit. The human body’s average temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit has long been too hot for most fungi to thrive, infectious-disease specialists say. But as temperatures have risen globally, some fungi might be adapting to endure more heat stress, including conditions within the human body, research suggests. Climate change might also be creating conditions for some disease-causing fungi to expand their geographical range, research shows. (Mosbergen, 2/1)

Conagra Brands has recalled almost 2.6 million pounds of canned meat and poultry products because of a packaging defect that may have caused the food to get contaminated, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. (Singh, 2/1)

After 21 seasons, “Dr. Phil” is coming to an end so that the daytime TV host can expand his audience with another planned venture. In a Wednesday statement, CBS Media Ventures and host Dr. Phil McGraw said that the daytime TV star wants to expand his audience in a new venture, as he has “grave concerns for the American family.” (Saad, 2/1)