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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

Plastic chemicals linked to nearly two million premature births

Exposure to a chemical commonly used to make plastic more flexible may have contributed to about 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone, or more than 8 percent of the world's total, a new analysis of population surveys shows.

31 Mar 2026

How video gaming may shape sleep, diet, and activity across the lifespan

This narrative review found that video gaming can have both benefits and risks for health across the lifespan. It may provide short-term stress relief and social connection, but frequent or prolonged gaming is also associated with sedentary behaviour, poorer sleep, disrupted eating patterns, and lower diet quality, with effects shaped by age, sex, timing, content, and motivation.

31 Mar 2026

Children’s screen use surged significantly during and after pandemic

First systematic review to track long-term trends across pre- and post-pandemic periods finds dramatic rise in screen use among children and adolescents.

30 Mar 2026

Sleep brain activity offers clues to infant neurological development

Electrical signals from the brain could help identify potential issues in the organ's development, a new study reports.

30 Mar 2026

Swimming in treated pools safe for children with tympanostomy tubes

A new study published in Otolaryngology−Head and Neck Surgery, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology−Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that children with tympanostomy tubes who swim in treated pools are not at increased risk of ear drainage, while those exposed to untreated or natural bodies of water face significantly higher odds of developing recurrent otorrhea.

30 Mar 2026

Mount Sinai researchers identify a highly prevalent recessive neurodevelopmental disorder

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York have identified and described a previously unknown recessive neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that appears to be the most prevalent ever discovered.

30 Mar 2026

Inside the high-stakes corporate fight over feeding preterm babies

In 2013, a scientist at Abbott Laboratories saw study results with potentially big implications for the company's profits and the lives of some of the world's most fragile people: preterm infants.

30 Mar 2026

Why attachment anxiety makes short-form video addiction more likely

Short-form video addiction is associated with attachment anxiety and attentional control, suggesting psychological factors influence digital media engagement.

30 Mar 2026

Trial shows mavacamten benefits adolescents with obstructive heart condition

Adolescent patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who received the drug mavacamten saw a significant improvement in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient, a measure of blood flow obstruction in the heart, compared with those who received a placebo, according to a small study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

Children redefine what makes play meaningful and enjoyable

Play is critical for kids’ development — but ‘play’ in research is often defined by adult scientists, not the children themselves.

28 Mar 2026

AI helps identify childhood cancer survivors needing extra support

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help physicians determine if survivors of childhood cancer need extra support - and the more information included in AI prompting, the better its performance.

27 Mar 2026

FDA approves first gene therapy for rare pediatric immune disorder

Dr. Donald Kohn has been developing gene therapies for rare pediatric immune disorders for over 30 years.

27 Mar 2026

Long ADHD wait times leave families feeling powerless and 'forever in limbo'

Families are feeling stressed, powerless and 'forever in limbo' as they wait months, or sometimes years, for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments, according to a new study.

26 Mar 2026

Experts establish standardized protocols for pediatric recurrent wheezing diagnosis

Recurrent wheezing, a respiratory disorder, is caused by the narrowing of the airways, mainly affecting children aged less than 5 years.

26 Mar 2026

Scientists discover how brain development programs fuel pediatric tumors

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and collaborating institutions reveals in the journal Nature a novel mechanism that drives the development of pediatric supratentorial ependymoma (EPN), the third most common pediatric brain tumor. The findings suggest potential new approaches to treat these aggressive and chemo-resistant tumors.

26 Mar 2026

Study links androgens to aggressive childhood brain tumor growth

An international team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, McGill University and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has discovered what drives the growth of a lethal pediatric brain tumor called Posterior Fossa Type A (PFA) ependymoma.

25 Mar 2026

Childhood ADHD medication shows protective effect against future psychosis

A major new study, led by scientists at University College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh and funded by the St John of God Research Foundation, has found that commonly prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication in childhood may lower the long‑term risk of developing serious psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia.

25 Mar 2026

Study links social media addiction to worse student mental health and points to family as a key buffer

A study of 627 Saudi university students found that higher social media addiction was associated with more anxiety and depression, while family environment fully mediated those links in the statistical model. The findings suggest that supportive family relationships may help buffer the mental health burden associated with problematic social media use, although the cross-sectional design does not establish causation.

25 Mar 2026

Chlorhexidine reduces umbilical cord infections in newborns

A new Cochrane review finds that chlorhexidine likely cuts umbilical cord infection rates by about 29% in low- and middle-income countries, and may reduce newborn deaths.

25 Mar 2026