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Tryptophan deficiency in breast milk may explain health challenges in children born to mothers with HIV

A new UCLA study reveals that breast milk from women living with HIV contains significantly lower levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid likely important for infant immune function, growth, and brain development.

28 Oct 2025

Eating peanuts while pregnant may influence how a child’s genes respond to breastfeeding

Maternal peanut and peanut butter consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding shaped DNA methylation patterns in children, particularly in genes regulating neurodevelopment and inflammation. These findings suggest maternal diet can prime offspring epigenetic sensitivity to breastfeeding duration.

27 Oct 2025

Study finds evidence for repurposing thiostrepton as an anti-rhabdomyosarcoma drug

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) accounts for up to 10% of childhood cancers and nearly half of pediatric soft tissue sarcomas.

27 Oct 2025

Enhancing early diagnosis of developmental delays in Pennsylvania's children

Children who are mistreated at a young age are more likely to experience a wide range of developmental delays and health problems, according to Christian Connell, Ken Young Family Professor in Healthy Children and professor of human development and family studies at Penn State.

24 Oct 2025

Researchers reveal how maternal stress reshapes fetal growth and brain development

Maternal stress, encompassing physical, emotional, and psychological distress, remains a widespread yet underestimated risk during pregnancy.

24 Oct 2025

Boston Children's Hospital secures $8.1M for spastic paraplegia research

Boston Children's Hospital has received $8.1M in NIH funding to support and expand the Spastic Paraplegia Centers of Excellence Research Network (SP-CERN). Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Boston Children's, and his team will lead this multi-center effort.

24 Oct 2025

New database transforms evidence-based care for children with lower respiratory tract infections

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) remain the most common illnesses in children, accounting for up to two-thirds of pediatric outpatient and inpatient cases in China.

24 Oct 2025

Blood biomarkers forecast long-term blood pressure improvement after adolescent bariatric surgery

A groundbreaking study published in Hypertension, the journal of the American Heart Association, has identified a set of blood-based biomarkers that can predict improvements in blood pressure five years after adolescents underwent metabolic bariatric surgery.

20 Oct 2025

Low parental omega-3 intake tied to preterm birth and neighborhood disadvantage

Researchers in Chicago found that both mothers and fathers consumed far less DHA and EPA than recommended, with lower maternal intake linked to prior preterm birth. Socioeconomic disadvantage and neighborhood opportunity also influenced omega-3 intake, highlighting disparities that affect family health potential.

20 Oct 2025

Review reveals how paternal lifestyle shapes sperm epigenetics and offspring health

A new review in Clinical Epigenetics synthesises growing evidence that paternal lifestyle and environmental exposures such as diet, obesity, smoking, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and stress alter sperm epigenetic marks (DNA methylation, histone retention, and small non-coding RNAs).

17 Oct 2025

Gene therapy shows long-term success in children with rare immune disorder

Results from the largest cohort of children who received a gene therapy for a rare immunodeficiency condition have shown the long-term safety and efficacy of the curative treatment, in a study led by a UCL researcher.

15 Oct 2025

Nemours neurologist wins major NIH award to study hippocampal dysfunction in brain disorders

Rodney Scott, MBChB, MRCP, DipStat, PhD, Division Chief of Neurology, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley, has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Award.

15 Oct 2025

Mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in preemies’ brains

Hearing the sound of their mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in a premature baby's brain, according to a new Stanford Medicine-led study.

14 Oct 2025

Maldives achieves historic triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of diseases

In a landmark public health achievement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation (in 2019) for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis.

14 Oct 2025

Study validates AI models for preemptive sepsis care in pediatrics

Sepsis, or infection causing life-threatening organ dysfunction, is a leading cause of death in children worldwide. In efforts to prevent this rare but critical condition, researchers developed and validated AI models that accurately identify children at high risk for sepsis within 48 hours, so that early preemptive care can be provided.

13 Oct 2025

New method can create reliable growth charts for children with rare genetic disorders

Growth charts for children with rare genetic disorders - giving healthcare professionals and families clearer guidance on how a child is developing - have been created by an international team, led by the University of Bristol.

13 Oct 2025

New insights into sperm metabolism could transform infertility treatments

Michigan State University scientists have pinpointed the molecular "switch" that supercharges sperm for their final sprint to an egg - a breakthrough that could reshape infertility treatments and pave the way for safe, nonhormonal male contraceptives.

10 Oct 2025

Higher screen exposure in early years tied to weaker academic achievement

Higher levels of screen time in early childhood are associated with lower scores in reading and mathematics on Ontario's standardized tests, with each additional hour of daily screen time associated with a 10 per cent drop in the likelihood of achieving higher academic levels.

10 Oct 2025

How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy? New review finds no clear threshold

Caffeine's impact on pregnancy is nuanced; moderate consumption may not lead to major complications, but risks to fetal growth persist without a safe threshold.

10 Oct 2025

Survey reveals strong support for patient involvement in allergy research

A team of researchers from Keio University School of Medicine, the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo, and the National Center for Child Health and Development has reported the first cross-disease, cross-stakeholder survey on PPIE in Japan.

9 Oct 2025

Child Health News and Research

Tryptophan deficiency in breast milk may explain health challenges in children born to mothers with HIV

Eating peanuts while pregnant may influence how a child’s genes respond to breastfeeding

Study finds evidence for repurposing thiostrepton as an anti-rhabdomyosarcoma drug

Enhancing early diagnosis of developmental delays in Pennsylvania's children

Researchers reveal how maternal stress reshapes fetal growth and brain development

Boston Children's Hospital secures $8.1M for spastic paraplegia research

New database transforms evidence-based care for children with lower respiratory tract infections

Blood biomarkers forecast long-term blood pressure improvement after adolescent bariatric surgery

Low parental omega-3 intake tied to preterm birth and neighborhood disadvantage

Review reveals how paternal lifestyle shapes sperm epigenetics and offspring health

Gene therapy shows long-term success in children with rare immune disorder

Nemours neurologist wins major NIH award to study hippocampal dysfunction in brain disorders

Mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in preemies’ brains

Maldives achieves historic triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of diseases

Study validates AI models for preemptive sepsis care in pediatrics

New method can create reliable growth charts for children with rare genetic disorders

New insights into sperm metabolism could transform infertility treatments

Higher screen exposure in early years tied to weaker academic achievement

How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy? New review finds no clear threshold

Survey reveals strong support for patient involvement in allergy research

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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