Month: December 2020

The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the nasopharynx and can cause pneumonia. Then, it can spread from the lungs to the bloodstream and cause organ damage. This opportunistic pathogen commonly infects young children, those who are immunocompromised and the elderly. In 2015, S. pneumoniae infections worldwide killed an estimated 192,000 to 366,000 children under age 5.

An observational study has launched to evaluate the short- and long-term health outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), and to characterize the immunologic pathways associated with different disease presentations and outcomes. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. The study, called the Pediatric Research Immune Network on SARS-CoV-2

A new study identified an adenovirus gene therapy vector carrying a VEGF isoform. It can improve uterine blood flow in placental insufficiency, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy. Reduced uterine blood flow and lack of bioavailable VEGF due to placental insufficiency is a major cause of severe fetal growth restriction (FGR). This

A new paper released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reports a strong association between a high number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and contact with the U.S. justice system. Analyzing data from eleven studies, the researchers found that results were consistent across multiple types of justice system contact and across diverse geographic

Komalsingh Rambaree is the vice president of International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) and serves as a member of the board of the International Council on Social Welfare, ICSW-Sverige. Last spring, ICSD decided to study how different countries handled the pandemic. Komalsingh Rambaree points out that we need to understand that in a catastrophe like

Researchers are investigating whether a human umbilical cord patch placed on the spina bifida defect could improve healing after minimally invasive fetoscopic surgery in a clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Patients are being enrolled at The Fetal Center affiliated with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, McGovern Medical School

If clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines aren’t expanded soon to include children, it’s unlikely that even kids in their teens will be vaccinated in time for the next school year. The hurdle is that COVID vaccine makers are only in the early stages of testing their products on children. The Pfizer vaccine authorized for use

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases are increasing across the globe in a horrible second wave as of late 2020. Governments worldwide continue to struggle to contain the virus while protecting their economies at the same time. One controversial but effective method used widely for viral containment is strict lockdowns or stay-at-home orders.

Over two million babies, children, and adults in the United States are living with congenital heart disease–a range of birth defects affecting the heart’s structure or function. Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco (UCSF) have made inroads into understanding how a broad network of genes and proteins go awry in a subset

When a child is born before term, the mother and baby are physically separated due to the hospital care required by the latter. Mothers of preterm infants often experience stress in the hospital, and their worry for the baby’s survival may be considerable. This heightens their risk of anxiety and depression, particularly among mothers of