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Dexamphetamine and methylphenidate work similarly for ADHD but differ in weight effects

A head-to-head trial of ADHD treatments finds dexamphetamine and methylphenidate equally effective, with notable differences in weight management over time.

17 Jul 2026

Maternal diets high in UPFs may influence children’s health years later

A narrative review of 84 publications links higher ultra-processed food intake during pregnancy and early childhood with poorer diet quality, maternal complications, childhood obesity, and potential immune, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental effects. The authors identify possible microbiome and biopsychosocial pathways but emphasize that the predominantly observational evidence cannot establish causality.

17 Jul 2026

New study maps localized factors influencing US breastfeeding rates

New data on breastfeeding initiation across the U.S. reveal broad geographic patterns as well as local factors that can inform targeted public health interventions.

16 Jul 2026

Epidurals during labor show no significant risks to newborns

Having an epidural during labor is not associated with clinically significant increased risks of harm to newborn babies, including brain injury, severe breathing problems, sepsis and death, or cerebral palsy later in childhood.

15 Jul 2026

India's childhood immunization program reduced deaths while reshaping educational outcomes

Each year, approximately 700,000 children worldwide die from diseases that vaccines could have prevented, nearly all of them in low- and middle-income countries.

14 Jul 2026

New accessible placental measurement method could help prevent stillbirths

When Ann O'Neill suffered a stillbirth in 2018, she was bewildered. She was already a mother to three healthy children and therefore had received no information on stillbirth prevention from her doctors.

14 Jul 2026

Animal-free lung model unlocks better treatments for RSV in babies

Future therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) must target both the virus and its immune response to ensure babies get the best possible outcomes, finds a new study by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

13 Jul 2026

High maternal sensitivity reduces the risk of later emotional and behavioral problems

A mother's warm, timely, and appropriate responses to her child's needs support the child's development and help protect against emotional and behavioral difficulties later in life. A new study shows that sensitive parent-child interactions help reduce risks associated with preterm birth.

10 Jul 2026

Trial offers hope for babies with fetal kidney failure

Women diagnosed early in pregnancy with a fetus lacking adequate kidney function to make the urine that serves as vital amniotic fluid have long faced virtually no chance of their fetus's survival after birth.

8 Jul 2026

Illinois study outlines gaps in emergency pediatric mental healthcare

When a child is experiencing a mental health crisis, families increasingly turn to the emergency department for help.

8 Jul 2026

Researchers identify a distinct subtype of eosinophilic esophagitis in children

Researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago identified a distinct subtype of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) – a chronic allergic inflammatory disorder in which the esophagus narrows, interfering with food going down properly.

6 Jul 2026

New safety strategies reduced serious surgical events in children

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago achieved more than a 13-fold improvement in surgical safety after implementing a series of interventions based on high reliability principles across its operating rooms.

1 Jul 2026

New trial shows oral therapy increases growth in children with achondroplasia

New findings from a trial conducted at Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) and University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz School of Medicine demonstrate significantly increased growth rates in children with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

30 Jun 2026

Researchers identify key predictors for mother-infant bonding difficulties

Mother-to-infant bonding difficulties (MIBD) are commonly associated with postnatal depression. MIBD has been linked to developmental delays and child abuse.

30 Jun 2026

Pioneering gene therapy for rare immune disorder shows promise in early pre-clinical studies

The development of a pioneering gene therapy to treat a devastating, rare immune disorder led by UCL scientists is set to move into its next phase following promising early pre-clinical studies.

27 Jun 2026

Experts urge neglected tropical disease status for ocular toxoplasmosis

One third of the world's population is infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, which can cause ocular toxoplasmosis, an eye infection that can damage the retina and result in permanent vision loss.

25 Jun 2026

Gene therapy shows promise against deadly childhood liver disease

A new gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a deadly childhood liver disease using mice that model this disease by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

23 Jun 2026

Family court care proceedings increase mortality risk among first-time mothers

First-time mothers whose children go through family court care proceedings in England are 21 times more likely to die within 10 years of having their baby compared with other mothers, a new study by UCL researchers finds.

23 Jun 2026

Sugar-coated nanoparticles extend survival in aggressive glioblastoma mouse model

Researchers at Oregon State University have potentially found a new way to treat the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, whose two-year survival rate is less than 30%.

23 Jun 2026

Gut fungi play key role in pediatric allergic diseases development

Two new studies jointly published in Nature: The Clinical Microbiome reveal that certain species of fungi in the gut play a key role in the development of immune dysregulation and some pediatric allergic diseases - and may be promising targets for new therapies.

23 Jun 2026