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Data from screenings of more than 1,600 schoolchildren in various communities in that part of Western Alaska found that lack of running water -- a chronic problem in rural Alaska -- corresponded to a 53% higher rate of middle-ear infections, the study found. Young children, 3 to 6 years old, were most at risk, the study found. (Rosen and Beacon, 9/26)

Women were more likely than men to overdose during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., according to an analysis of private insurance claims by FAIR Health to be published Tuesday. (Fracassa and Vaziri, 9/26)

Michael, 17, arrived in the sleek white waiting room of his plastic surgeon’s office in Miami for a moment he had long anticipated: removing the bandages to see his newly flat chest. After years of squeezing into compression undershirts to conceal his breasts, the teenager was overcome with relief that morning last December. Wearing an unbuttoned shirt, he posed for photos with his mother and the surgeon, Dr. Sidhbh Gallagher, happy to share his bare chest with the doctor’s large following on social media. “It just felt right — like I’d never had breasts in the first place,” Michael said. “It was a ‘Yes, finally’ kind of moment.” (Ghorayshi, 9/26)

The world is getting really old, really fast. And while many economically developed countries (Japan, Italy, Germany) are ahead of us, the United States is not immune to the aging boom. Our new demography could mean big changes over the next few decades. (Snibbe and Mouchard, 9/26)

An Auburn-based snack company is withdrawing a candy corn product in New England due to allergy concerns, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Arcade Snacks issued a recall of its 15-ounce candy corn packages on Friday, per an FDA advisory, after it was found that the products may contain undeclared egg. No illnesses have been reported in connection to the products, the agency said. (Fonseca, 9/26)