https://medicalxpress.com/childrens-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Children's Health The definition of autism may have become so broad that it risks confusion and even misdiagnosis, according to a new editorial by UCL professor Dame Uta Frith, whose pioneering research in the 1960s and '70s laid the foundations for how we understand autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-definition-autism-broad.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:00:01 EDT news704964542 QIMR Berghofer researchers have found how breast milk supports infant immunity via a protein called osteopontin. The study also identifies a potential way of mimicking this protective effect in baby formula. The findings, published today in the journal Cell, reveal osteopontin triggers a cascade of biological signals that support immune cell development in a baby's liver and lungs and help protect against potentially deadly respiratory infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-breast-protein-osteopontin-shield-infants.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news704986561 A research team from the School of Nursing at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has found that video-call support from trained peer mothers helped first-time mothers breastfeed more successfully. Among mothers who received this support, the study revealed a 42.6% relative increase in the number of mothers exclusively breastfeeding their babies at two months after birth, along with greater confidence in breastfeeding. This is the first-of-its-kind randomized clinical trial in Hong Kong to evaluate video-call-based peer support for breastfeeding and is also one of the first trials globally to rigorously examine the effectiveness of this digital approach in improving breastfeeding outcomes. The research findings were published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-video-based-peer-boost-breastfeeding.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news704980381 Researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital have conducted the world's first randomized clinical trial to test cortisone eyedrops to slow the progression of serious eye disease in extremely premature babies. The results suggest that the intervention can reduce the need for invasive treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that causes blindness in 35,000 children worldwide each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cortisone-eyedrops-sight-extremely-premature.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:40:06 EDT news704978641 While Black and Hispanic families are enthusiastic about research participation, other provider- and system-focused factors may influence their involvement in pediatric oncology clinical trials, a UT Southwestern Medical Center-led study found. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, focused on parent and clinician perspectives, revealing opportunities to increase clinical trial participation among historically marginalized patients to help improve outcomes and make trial results more generalizable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-boost-enrollment-black-hispanic-patients.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:20:05 EDT news704970001 A pair of wearable stickers may transform diagnostic sweat testing for cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder that causes problems with digestion and breathing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-wearable-stickers-cystic-fibrosis-diagnosis.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news704707796 Newborns receive several routine immunizations shortly after birth. Prophylactic vitamin K is one such recommended shot. It activates several coagulation factors necessary for blood to clot properly, preventing vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), a condition that can be life-threatening. As more parents refuse prophylactic vitamin K for their children, researchers in Sweden wanted to examine trends in newborn vitamin K shots over time and any associations with infant bleeding diagnoses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-million-newborns-vitamin-shot-higher.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:40:04 EDT news704621079 Exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke during the first days of life can cause changes in tooth enamel mineralization without causing visible changes to the teeth. This was demonstrated in an animal model study conducted by researchers at the Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry at the University of São Paulo (FORP-USP) in Brazil. The results were published in May in the scientific journal Calcified Tissue International. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rat-early-secondhand-exposure-tooth.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 07:00:03 EDT news704769247 An evidence review of international research suggests widespread misconceptions within the medical community about early milk production, pacifiers and breast pumps may be undermining breastfeeding success in the critical first days after birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hours-hospital-routines-undermine-breastfeeding.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:10:01 EDT news704619421 Puberty is a process regulated by the endocrine system, and its timing can be altered by environmental factors. Several recent studies point to a trend toward earlier onset of puberty in girls, a phenomenon linked to a complex interplay among genetics, lifestyle and exposure to chemicals capable of interfering with hormones. Among these substances are certain pesticides, widely used in agriculture and present in some everyday foods. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-links-exposure-fungicides-insecticides-age.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:02 EDT news704720762 Linguistic models that analyzed the words children used when talking about stressful events were better at predicting future mental health problems than a panel of human experts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-children-future-mental-health-problems.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:00:04 EDT news704553721 Every day in the urban slums of Mumbai, hundreds of young children were fed toddler-appropriate porridge, soft curry or fresh-baked goods. For some, these were made of ordinary pearl millet, an ancient grain common in the Indian diet. For others, they were made of a specially bred variety packed with nearly three times the iron and more zinc than typical grain. The difference was largely imperceptible on the palate. But deep in the children's guts, something meaningful was beginning to happen. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-supercharged-millet-children-gut-health.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:06 EDT news704646035 A major study has ruled out inflammation as the cause of a developmental condition affecting children's teeth while also revealing how common the condition is. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-root-common-dental-defect-children.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:20:03 EDT news704622291 Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Penn Engineering have developed an advanced artificial intelligence system that measures a child's ability to imitate simple body movements using ordinary video recordings. The Computerized Assessment of Motor Imitation, or CAMI-2DNet, brings researchers one step closer to a scalable, objective method for evaluating imitation, which is an important behavioral marker associated with autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-autism-screening-accessible.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:10 EDT news704604601 Malaria is the deadliest climate-sensitive infectious disease. Yet researchers and public health officials have long argued over how climate change has shaped its spread. A new Nature study resolves this debate, providing the most comprehensive assessment to date. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-climate-redrawing-malaria-africa.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:40:04 EDT news704545321 Researchers from the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (Wits VIDA) Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) have played a leading role in an international phase 1/2 clinical trial demonstrating the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational maternal vaccine against Group B Streptococcus (GBS)—a major cause of life-threatening infections in newborns worldwide. The findings have been published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-trial-maternal-vaccine-newborns-group.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news704540768 Sugar restriction during the first 1,000 days after conception may significantly reduce a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's by up to 46%. Those are the findings of a new study published in the journal npj Aging that examined the long-term effects of early-life nutrition on brain aging and lifelong mental health. The findings also suggest that some benefits may begin before birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-sugar-early-life-alzheimer.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:40:08 EDT news704539618