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Injectable microgels reduce surgical bleeding risk in infants

Biomedical researchers have designed an injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In an animal model, the engineered microgel reduced bleeding by at least 50%.

3 Apr 2026

Calcium channel mutations disrupt early brain development and cause epilepsy

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have uncovered a previously unrecognized mechanism by which inherited calcium channel mutations disrupt early brain development and predispose children to epilepsy and related cognitive challenges.

3 Apr 2026

Living near Salton Sea linked to reduced lung growth in children

Children who live within 11 kilometers of the Salton Sea, a drying body of water with a high concentration of salts and contaminants in Imperial Valley, California, have slower lung function growth between ages 10 and 12 than children who live farther away.

3 Apr 2026

Rising e-cigarette exposures threaten safety of toddlers and infants

While cigarette exposures are decreasing for young children, electronic nicotine products are putting toddlers at new risk of inhalation, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

3 Apr 2026

Losing a parent hits harder with fewer siblings

Findings suggest that having siblings may buffer the mental health impact of parental loss, with fewer siblings associated with increased medication use.

3 Apr 2026

Giving families interpreter access doubles communication time in PICU

Language barriers may be particularly harmful in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where families encounter challenging, often life-changing medical decisions. In many hospitals, a member of the healthcare team, and not the family, decides when to use interpretation services.

3 Apr 2026

Study identifies a common hidden genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorder in children

Researchers identified biallelic variants in RNU2-2 as the cause of a recessive neurodevelopmental disorder marked by intellectual disability, global developmental delay, and frequent seizures. The study suggests this condition may be the most prevalent known recessive neurodevelopmental disorder currently diagnosable by sequencing, with RNA data pointing to a loss-of-expression mechanism.

2 Apr 2026

Pediatric experts say plain yogurt is safe from 6 months and belongs in a baby’s diet

An expert panel review says plain, whole yogurt with no added sugar or sweeteners can be introduced from 6 months as part of complementary feeding, provided it does not replace breast milk or infant formula as the main source of nutrition. It also explains that yogurt provides live microorganisms and key nutrients, is generally well tolerated, and helps address common myths about inflammation, mucus, acne, sugar, and safety.

2 Apr 2026

Music boosts vivid mental imagery while traffic noise changes where the mind goes

Music and traffic noise both changed how people imagined a simple journey, but they did so differently: music boosted vividness, positive tone, imagined time, and distance, while traffic noise mainly increased vividness, distance, and traffic-related imagery content. The study suggests that everyday soundscapes can shape mental imagery in complex ways, with possible implications for imagery-based therapies and other real-world settings.

2 Apr 2026

Regulatory T cells may influence inflammation and behavior in autism

Two new studies from the UC Davis MIND Institute examined regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their potential role in neuroinflammation and behavioral changes associated with autism.

2 Apr 2026

Researchers find 25 ways to rate meals and diets for both health and environmental impact

This systematic review identified 25 food-based indices, termed NECIs, that combine nutritional value and environmental impact to classify or rank meals and diets. It found wide methodological variation across 27 approaches, suggesting a need for more harmonized tools to support healthier and more sustainable food choices.

2 Apr 2026

World likely to miss UN child mortality targets by five years

A new study tracking global progress on child mortality finds that the world will miss a key United Nations (UN) health target by at least five years at current rates, with the burden falling heavily on Sub-Saharan Africa.

2 Apr 2026

New study highlights rising cleaning product injuries in young children

Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found more than an estimated 240,800 visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) associated with household cleaning product-related injuries from 2007 through 2022 for children aged five years and younger.

2 Apr 2026

Finnish study reveals how parental immigration status impacts child mental health

A new nationwide Finnish register study shows that children with two immigrant parents are significantly less likely to receive mental health services for anxiety and depression than children of Finnish parents.

2 Apr 2026

US scientists sequence 1,000 genomes from measles, a disease long eliminated with vaccines

This week, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year.

2 Apr 2026

State-run insurance plans for foster kids leave some of them without doctors

Ollie Super has moved in and out of cancer treatment since she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma as a toddler in foster care. Now 8, the second grader is dealing with it again. Her cancer came back late last year.

2 Apr 2026

PCV schedule shift associated with increased vaccination inequalities in England

Vaccine uptake data has been examined to assess the impact of moving from a '2+1' to a '1+1' Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) dose schedule on vaccine coverage and health inequalities among infants in England.

1 Apr 2026

Extreme heat linked to higher risk of low birth weight babies

Exposure to extreme heat conditions is resulting in more babies being born with low birth weight, according to a new study involving Adelaide University researchers.

1 Apr 2026

Imaging study measures pancreatic fat in children and teens

Higher fat content in the pancreas of children and adolescents with obesity is associated with an increased level of heart and metabolic risk factors, including higher than average body mass index (BMI), elevated diastolic blood pressure, higher levels of abdominal and liver fat, and insulin resistance, according to new research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).

1 Apr 2026

How vitamin D in the first 1,000 days may shape lifelong health

This narrative review argues that vitamin D is clearly important for skeletal health during the first 1,000 days of life and may also shape immune, metabolic, and selected neurodevelopmental pathways during early development. However, the authors stress that human evidence for most non-skeletal outcomes remains heterogeneous, with benefits appearing most consistent in populations with baseline deficiency.

31 Mar 2026