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NIH awards $1 million five-year grant to study the genetics of cataracts in children

Jennifer Rossen, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, recently received a $1 million five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute (NIH/NEI) to study the genetics of cataracts in children.

10 Jun 2026

Living with cats does not worsen childhood asthma outcomes

Children with asthma and allergies who live with one or more cats do not experience worse asthma outcomes than children without cats at home.

10 Jun 2026

European study connects youth mental health to economic parity

Xabi Martinez-Mendia, a researcher at the EHU-University of the Basque Country, has analysed how adolescent psychotropic drug consumption is linked to gender inequality and economic factors in 32 European countries.

10 Jun 2026

Study finds indoor cats do not trigger child asthma flares

Asthma is the most common chronic disease and one of the main causes of hospitalization among children. The Global Asthma Network has estimated that its global prevalence is 9.1% for children and 11.0% for adolescents, but this percentage varies greatly between countries, regions, and environments.

10 Jun 2026

Fertility challenges may influence children's behavioral and developmental outcomes

Difficulty conceiving a pregnancy may be associated with small differences in children's learning and behavior, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

9 Jun 2026

Moderate screen exposure linked to better concussion outcomes

Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found that moderate screen time might be better for concussion recovery than no screen time at all.

9 Jun 2026

Active β-catenin promotes aggressive spread of childhood bone cancer

A new research paper was recently published in Volume 17 of Genes & Cancer, titled "Active Beta-Catenin (ABC) promotes an invasive phenotype in pediatric osteosarcoma."

9 Jun 2026

Houston researcher identifies new targets for fatal rhabdomyosarcoma

A cancer researcher at the University of Houston is reporting what makes malignant soft tissue cancer grow in children, identifying key mechanisms and molecular targets to prevent tumor progression in patients in future therapies of the fatal rhabdomyosarcoma.

9 Jun 2026

Uninherited parental genes leave lasting imprint on children's lives

Our parents' genes, even the ones we didn't inherit, leave a measurable lasting imprint on our lives. An international team led by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health developed a new approach to analyze genetic data from tens of thousands of families.

9 Jun 2026

Fathers shape childhood obesity risk long before birth

New research highlights fathers' influence on childhood obesity risk through sperm changes, lifestyle, and parenting, urging inclusive prevention strategies.

9 Jun 2026

Fruit and vegetables sell better when supermarkets place them near the entrance

A 36-store WRAPPED study in England found that placing an expanded fresh fruit and vegetable section near discount supermarket entrances improved fresh produce sales and may modestly support healthier household purchasing and women’s diet quality.

8 Jun 2026

Early egg introduction reduces childhood allergy rates in Australia

Australian guidelines recommending egg be introduced into a child's diet in the first year of life has seen the number of children with egg allergy drop by 17 per cent, researchers have found.

8 Jun 2026

Father's alcohol use before conception impacts offspring development

A growing body of research suggests that a father's health before conception may play a larger role in child development than previously understood - and researchers are working to understand how a father's drinking before conception may affect offspring health and development.

8 Jun 2026

Early outdoor play reduces future mental health risks in children

Children who spend more time playing outdoors between the ages of two and four may be less likely to develop emotional and behavioural difficulties later in childhood.

8 Jun 2026

Infant receives world's first gene therapy for WOREE syndrome

An eight-month-old infant with a severe genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an experimental gene replacement therapy designed to restore the function of the WWOX gene directly in the brain.

8 Jun 2026

Children facing food insecurity show distinct gut microbiomes

Food insecurity may leave a measurable biological signature in the gut microbiome of children, according to new research presented at ASM Microbe 2026.

7 Jun 2026

Maternal vaccination provides protection against RSV-associated hospitalization in early infancy

A study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC published today in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association, found that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during pregnancy reduced the risk of hospitalization in young infants by nearly 70%.

5 Jun 2026

Noninvasive technology detects early intestinal disease in premature infants

A new noninvasive technology, called broadband optical spectroscopy (BOS), has promise to reliably detect necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants at earlier stages, before this devastating intestinal disease progresses enough to be visible on x-ray, according to a first-in-human study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

5 Jun 2026

Large clinical trial shows both common septic shock fluids are equal

A randomized clinical trial conducted across five countries in 47 pediatric emergency departments, including Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, established that both commonly used IV fluids for treating septic shock – balanced crystalloid fluid and 0.9% saline – are equally safe and effective. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Jun 2026