https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health Commercial baby foods in spouted pouches—intended to boost nutritional intake from the age of 6 months onward—are often more like sugary drinks and smoothies than nutritious food, finds an analysis of U.K. products, published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-spouted-baby-food-pouches-sugary.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:30:02 EDT news706794347 Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that removing the gene for Regnase-1 from engineered immune cells makes them more effective at treating relapsed osteosarcoma. There is a great clinical need for new therapies for childhood osteosarcoma, for which there are very few effective treatments for relapsed disease. The approach improved the cells' ability to control osteosarcoma growth and prevent metastasis to the lungs in preclinical models. The findings support the development of an early-phase clinical trial and were published today in Cell Reports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-car-cell-therapy-pediatric.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news706882441 Climate change is making droughts more frequent, prolonged and intense in many regions of the world, increasing the need to understand their effects on health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-drought-pregnancy-preterm-birth-impaired.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:40:06 EDT news706876741 Two disorders with big names—trichotillomania (repeated hair-pulling) and excoriation disorder (repeated skin-picking)—were the focus of a recent Yale study looking at potential genetic causes. The two disorders are part of a group called body-focused repetitive behaviors, or BFRBs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-clues-genetic-roots-hair-skin.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:40:04 EDT news706861741 Physical activity in adulthood may depend on exercise during growth, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study, conducted in birds, is the first to directly demonstrate that experiences during development influence how efficiently adults use energy during movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-bird-bulking-youth-decreases-energy.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:00:02 EDT news706800842 Obesity doesn't look the same at age 15 as it does at age 45, and Duke University School of Medicine researchers are learning why. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation showed teenagers retain a degree of metabolic flexibility that's largely lost in adulthood. The study suggests that the way teenage bodies respond to excess weight is fundamentally different and potentially more reversible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-obesity-adolescence-reversible-previously-thought.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:20:09 EDT news706792201 Prenatal exposure to certain insecticides used in agriculture does not appear to be linked to social communication problems and other traits related to autism, a new study shows. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pesticide-exposure-social-difficulties-common.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news706535101 Teenagers who are subjected to online bullying are at greater risk of later emotional and behavioral difficulties, research suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cyberbullying-fuel-teen-mental-health.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news706455718 A daily 20-milligram dose of zinc reduced infections by nearly 40% among Ugandan children younger than 5 with sickle cell anemia, according to new research led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine and their study partners in Uganda. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), point to an affordable, well-tolerated strategy to decrease hospitalizations and save the lives of more children living with the genetic blood disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-daily-mg-zinc-infections-children.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news706525682 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in communication, social interactions, learning and sensory processing. Past studies have found that when some autistic children have a fever (i.e., when their body temperature rises above 38°C or 100.4°F), their communication, hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors and some of their mental functions can temporarily improve. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fever-body-cognitive-differences-preclinical.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:40:01 EDT news706437955 Iron deficiency is one of the world's most common nutritional disorders, affecting millions of women and children globally. Yet diagnosing it remains difficult in many low-resource settings, where access to laboratories and trained health care workers is limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rapid-iron-treatment-worldwide.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news706445076 Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) have identified key social and environmental factors that influence how climate change affects childhood diarrheal diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-climate-reshape-childhood-diarrheal-disease.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news706456501 An internet-based treatment supported by a therapist led to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms among adolescents with depression than standard care, at a lower treatment cost. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal BMJ Mental Health. At the same time, the results suggest that a self-guided internet-based treatment may be a cost-effective alternative where access to therapists is limited, although the clinical effect is more uncertain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-internet-based-treatment-young-people.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:00:07 EDT news706455680 An Australian research collaboration has identified several existing TGA-approved medicines that could help slow brain damage in children with a rare form of dementia—offering hope for faster treatment options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-screening-drugs-childhood-dementia.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news706443002 Research using human brain organoids onboard the International Space Station helped lead to a clinical trial of a potential therapy for Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurological disorder in children. Scientists are now expanding the space-based approach to study other brain diseases and find new treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-orbit-clinic-hiv-drug-rett.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news706370221 Every RNA virus—from stomach bugs and influenza to measles and the common cold—has its own story to tell, with a unique combination of symptoms, transmission rates, duration and chemical blueprint. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-norovirus-vaccine-approach-strategies-rna.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:06 EDT news706358581