Childhood Development News and Research

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Exposure to tobacco smoke increases the presence of heavy metals in children's saliva, study shows

Secondhand tobacco smoke continues to be a major source of indoor air pollution that causes more than 41,000 nonsmoking adults to die every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

29 Jun 2023

Elucidating the role of the gut-brain-axis in autism

The study investigates the relationship between the gut and the brain in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), identifying microbial profiles and metabolic products associated with ASD phenotypes, dietary patterns, and inflammation. The findings provide insights into the role of the gut-brain axis in ASD and its potential impact on understanding and managing the disorder.

28 Jun 2023

Health experts and multinationals join together to announce the formation of Movement Health Foundation

On the sidelines of the 76th World Health Assembly, Harvard University's Professor of Global Health Systems, Rifat Atun, the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies (CIFS), Microsoft, Roche, and Siemens Healthineers came together to announce the formation of the Movement Health Foundation.

27 May 2023

Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy linked to childhood obesity in boys

Study examines the association between prenatal vitamin D levels and growth and adiposity in late childhood. The results suggest a sex-specific programming effect of early pregnancy vitamin D3 levels on offspring body composition into late childhood observed in boys.

25 Apr 2023

Mother-child microbiota bond: Transmission shapes future health and development

Research discusses the link between the gut microbiome and health, particularly in early life. It explores the acquisition and transmission of early-life microbiota from mother to child and potential interventions for improving health outcomes.

25 Apr 2023

Prenatal alcohol exposure associated with the facial shape of children

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technology to find a link between alterations in the shape of children's faces and the amount of alcohol their mothers drank, both before becoming pregnant and during pregnancy.

16 Feb 2023

Researchers find link between fungal microbes in infant gut and body-mass index

Researchers in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary in collaboration with the Canadian CHILD Study have found a link between the diversity, or number, of fungal species in the infant gut and the body-mass index (BMI) of infants.

9 Feb 2023

Specific genetic variant linked to early-onset childhood epilepsy discovered

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered a specific genetic variant in SCN1A, the most common genetic epilepsy, that leads to an earlier onset of epilepsy, with clinical features distinct from other epilepsies.

30 Nov 2022

Parental methods to help toddlers sleep are related to the development of a child's temperament

A group of international researchers examined parental methods to help toddlers sleep across 14 cultures and found that these methods are related to the development of a child's temperament.

24 Nov 2022

Babies born below the 25th percentile for birthweight have higher risk of developmental difficulties

Being born below the 25th percentile for birthweight may put a child at risk for developmental difficulties, according to a new study by Abiodun Adanikin of Coventry University, UK, and colleagues, publishing October 11th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

11 Oct 2022

Acetaminophen use during pregnancy associated with sleep, attention problems in children

Acetaminophen use during pregnancy is associated with sleep and behavior problems consistent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

4 Oct 2022

Excessive smartphone use may lead to early puberty

Exposure to blue light via regular use of tablets and smartphones may alter hormone levels and increase the risk of earlier puberty, according to data from a rat study presented today at the 60th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting.

16 Sep 2022

Are pesticides affecting childhood growth in low-income countries?

Researchers assess the risk posed by these chemicals to the developing fetus and child.

12 Sep 2022

Researchers use Viking poop to genetically map one of the oldest human parasites

Using stool samples from Viking latrines, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have genetically mapped one of the oldest human parasites – the whipworm.

5 Sep 2022

Iodine deficiency may be making a comeback due to changing eating habits in Canadian communities

Iodine deficiency, a public health concern resolved decades ago, may be making a comeback due to changing eating habits, according to new findings by McMaster University researchers.

11 Jul 2022

Researchers highlight the extent to which NAFLD and diabetes jointly occur worldwide

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become an epidemic, similar to the non-communicable diseases cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

18 Feb 2022

Optimizing the treatment of epilepsy patients

Researchers have devised a new diagnostic model to predict how generalized epilepsy patients will respond to drug treatment.

8 Dec 2021

Maternal anemia during pregnancy may increase risk of childhood anemia

Babies born to women with anemia during pregnancy have an increased risk of childhood anemia, according to a study carried out in rural India.

2 Dec 2021

Labs with no one to run them: Why public health workers are fleeing the field

There were days, nights and weekends in the early months of the pandemic when Denise Von Bargen was the only person running covid tests at the public health lab in Ventura County. She once had eight or nine employees to assist her, but, one by one, they had all retired or left for other jobs.

2 Nov 2021

CHLA investigators receive NIH funding to lead study on healthy brain development

When children are sick, clinicians can consult a known standard for how their heart, lungs and kidneys should be growing and working.

4 Oct 2021