Children’s Health

Recent analyses indicate that pregnant women and newborns may face elevated risks of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Cell reveals lower than expected transfer of protective SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via the placenta from mothers who are infected in the

Giving antimalarial medicines to children monthly during the rainy season cut malaria deaths in children by 42 per cent, making a case for wide implementation in malaria-endemic African regions, a study found. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued guidelines for implementing intermittent monthly drug administration, also known as Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), in

Substances present in cooked meats are associated with increased wheezing in children, Mount Sinai researchers report. Their study, published in Thorax, highlights pro-inflammatory compounds called advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) as an example of early dietary risk factors that may have broad clinical and public health implications for the prevention of inflammatory airway disease. Asthma prevalence

Results of a national study show significant sex and age-based differences among youth and young adults who experience a nonfatal opioid overdose. Female youth between the ages of 11 and 16 have a higher incidence of nonfatal opioid overdose compared to male youth of the same age. That reverses at age 17, however, as males

Researchers at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine have revealed that alterations in fetal microglia resulting from maternal inflammation could contribute towards the onset of developmental and psychiatric disorders. The research team including PhD student OZAKI Kana and Professor YAMADA Hideto et al. from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology observed that infant mice

When a person has an infection, the body activates immune responses to fight it. IFNγ is an inflammatory molecule produced by the immune system that helps fight infections. However, long-term exposure to IFNγ has undesirable consequences – it irreversibly exhausts blood stem cells, the progenitors of all blood cells, including immune cells, by triggering their

For the first time in the world, the humanoid robot iCub, developed and built by researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), enters a rehabilitation facility to take part in an experimental therapy to treat cognitive impairments in children with autism spectrum condition. The experimental protocol has been defined by the IIT

For over 20 years, the Genetics Service at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) has been providing clinical care to patients with genetic disorders. In 2014, BRIDGES (Bringing Research Innovations for the Diagnosis of GEnetic diseases in Singapore) was set up, in collaboration with genomic research institutes at SingHealth, Agency for Science, Technology and

A new study looking at the results of testing children for COVID-19 through a Children’s National Hospital community-based testing site found that one in four patients had a positive test. The findings, reported online Dec. 18 in The Journal of Pediatrics, reinforce that children and young adults are impacted by the virus more than originally

In spring 2020, when soccer and sports clubs closed for sever-al weeks due to the Corona pandemic, children and adoles-cents looked for alternative physical activities. According to a supplementary study covering more than 1700 children and adolescents aged from 4 to 17 as part of the Motorik-Modul Study (MoMo) conducted by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Exposure to metals such as nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead may disrupt a woman’s hormones during pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study. The study appears in the journal Environment International. Exposure to metals has been associated with problems at birth such as preterm birth and low birth weight in babies, and preeclampsia in women. However,

Infant circumcision may lead to social challenges as an adult Undergoing circumcision as an infant has delayed psychological complications. This is shown by an international study led by researchers from Aarhus University. Researchers have long disagreed about the health implications – also for mental health – of small boys being circumcised. A study now shows

Scientists at the University of Exeter have identified a way to “rescue” cells that have genetically mutated, paving the way to a possible new treatment for rare terminal childhood illness such as mitochondrial disease. The research, funded by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in the USA, was led by Professors Matt Whiteman and Tim Etheridge.

Two groundbreaking studies at the UC Davis MIND Institute provide clues about possible types of autism linked to brain structure, including size and white matter growth. The research is based on brain scans taken over many years as part of the Autism Phenome Project (APP) and Girls with Autism, Imaging of Neurodevelopment (GAIN) studies. It

The growth of prenatal screening in Europe has reduced the number of babies being born per year with Down syndrome (DS) by an average of 54%, according to a new study published in the European Journal of Human Genetics by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and international Down syndrome organizations. In research published in

Preschoolers living in impoverished communities who have access to a nurturing home environment have significantly higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in adolescence compared to those raised without nurturing care. That is the finding of a new international study conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, which examined data from more than 1600

At the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many scientists were left baffled about why and how the illness predominantly affected older adults and those with comorbidities. These groups are at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and are more likely to die from the infection. Meanwhile, most children and young people

Parents, caregivers and health care professionals are increasingly concerned about childhood obesity. Compounding their concern are fears of inadvertently provoking disordered eating, such as unhelpful dieting, when discussing a child’s weight status (i.e. normal weight, overweight or obese). Given the complexity of these concerns, major health advocacy groups have independently published guidelines for having conversations

Sledding is a popular winter activity in communities across the country, but it may not be as risk-free as many people think. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that 220,488 patients were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries related to sledding

Research has shown that human milk is the optimal nutrition source for neonates and infants. It confers protection against both immediately life-threatening infant diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as later onset diseases in adults, like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. Scientific evidence suggests that what a mother eats while she is breastfeeding