PEDIATRIC RESEARCH

ECI biocommentary: Samuel J. Gentle
Gentle SJ
Cardiovascular responses as predictors of mortality in children with acute brain injury
Silva MJ, Gonçalves H, Almeida R, Dias CC, Almeida AI, Rocha AP, Granja C, Baptista MJ and Azevedo I
Investigate the utility of cardiovascular responses such as heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate variability (HRV) in the prognosis of children with acute acquired brain injury (ABI).
For short-segment Hirschsprung disease, daily trans-anal irrigation before pull-through surgery is necessary?
Lu H, Tang J, Lu C, Li W and Tang W
To explore the role of daily trans-anal irrigation (TAI) before pull-through surgery in preventing Hirschsprung disease-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) and improving other clinical outcomes in short-segment Hirschsprung disease (HSCR).
Recreational screen time and vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents in the US
Das RK and Bahrani E
This study identifies an association between increased recreational screen time and vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents. Children and adolescents engaging in five or more hours of daily screen time exhibited more than double the risk of vitamin D deficiency compared to those with lower screen exposure. These findings underscore the importance of clinicians assessing screen habits in pediatric patients, as excessive screen time may reduce outdoor activity and sunlight exposure, leading to health risks. Monitoring and managing screen time, alongside considering vitamin D supplementation and outdoor activity, may help mitigate deficiency and associated conditions.
Parent-child interaction frequency: associations with age, sibling presence, and child health
Twork K, Ludwig J, Kiess W and Poulain T
Parent-child interaction plays a crucial role in child development. This study investigated associations between the frequency of parent-child-interactions and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, socio-economic status, family structure, number and age of siblings), physical and psychological symptoms in children, and mental health of parents.
Patent Ductus Arteriosus: (Don't) follow your heart
Mital R, Bocks ML and Mead TJ
The importance of everyday factors in pediatric neurodevelopment
Peeples ES, Bearer CF, Molloy EJ and Kandil SB
Fasting times in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Pliakas MC and Gorga SM
Adequate enteral nutrition is associated with improved outcomes in hospitalized children. Common interruptions to enteral nutrition include fasting status for planned procedures. We sought to describe current fasting duration for patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) undergoing planned anesthesia events.
Clinical and Treatment Evaluation of Anaphylaxis in Children Aged 0-2 Years: Multicenter Study
Selmanoglu A, Haci IA, Koc FSM, Yildiz YK, Yilmaz EA, Azkur D, Erdem SB, Guvenir H, Ozceker D, Guc BU, Ozhan AK, Demir A, Orhan F, Vezir E, Can D, Toyran M, Civelek E and Mısırlıoglu ED
Diagnosing anaphylaxis in children within the first 2 years of life can be difficult due to the often confusing and nonspecific signs and symptoms.
Gut microbiota-derived TMAO and SIRT1/HMGB1 Axis: unveiling mechanisms of renal impairment in beta-thalassemia major
Saad K, Elgalaly NA, Ahmad AR, Elhoufey A, Jaber HA and Elgenidy A
Effects of dog ownership on children's social-emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE cohort study
Adams EK, Murray K and Christian HE
Dog ownership is common in families with children and could play a role in children's social-emotional development. This study used longitudinal data on dog ownership and changing dog ownership to investigate their effects on young children's social-emotional development.
Multi-strain probiotic administration decreases necrotizing enterocolitis severity and alters the epigenetic profile in mice
Klerk DH, Moore H, Scheese DJ, Tragesser C, Raouf Z, Duess JW, Tsuboi K, Sampah ME, Lopez CM, Williams-McLeod S, El Baassiri MG, Jang HS, Prindle T, Wang S, Wang M, Fulton WB, Sodhi CP and Hackam DJ
Probiotic administration may decrease the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) through mechanisms that are largely unknown. We investigated the effects of probiotics on intestinal epigenetics and assessed their effects on intestinal inflammation and motility using both ileum-predominant and combined ileo-colitis mouse NEC models.
Understanding the mystery of the crying infant
Clarke J and Fitzsimons JJ
The impact of the early environment on oxytocin receptor epigenetics and potential therapeutic implications
Nance MG, Sullivan KM and Puglia MH
Oxytocin research is rapidly evolving and increasingly reveals that epigenetic modifications to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) are functional, plastic, and reliable components of oxytocinergic system function. This review outlines how OXTR epigenetics are shaped by the early life environment, impact social-developmental outcomes, and have strong potential to serve as therapeutic targets. We first establish the malleability of OXTR epigenetics in infancy in both animal models and humans through research demonstrating the impact of the early life environment on OXTR DNA methylation (OXTRm) and subsequent social behavior. Next, we detail how OXTRm serves as a predictive mechanism for neurodevelopmental outcomes in animal models of social behavior such as the prairie vole, and summarize the role of OXTRm in psychiatric disorders, emotional processing, and attachment behavior in humans. We discuss the potential of further OXTRm research to improve oxytocin therapeutics by highlighting how a deeper knowledge of OXTRm could improve the therapeutic potential of exogenous oxytocin, how OXTRm may impact additional cellular mechanisms with therapeutic potential including control of the perinatal GABA switch, and how early life therapies may target the tuning of endogenous OXTRm. Finally, we review limitations of previous oxytocin research and make recommendations for future research. IMPACT: Previous research into oxytocin therapeutics has been hampered by methodological difficulties that may be improved by assay of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and its methylation (OXTRm) Key sites of OXTRm modification link early life exposures to developmental and behavioral outcomes OXTRm appears to have a critical period of development in early life Epigenetic modification of the oxytocin receptor gene could serve as a powerful target for therapeutic interventions.
What's hot in neonatal respiratory monitoring?
Williams E and Dassios T
Respiratory monitoring is an essential part of routine clinical care of the newborn. Recent technological developments have improved respiratory monitoring and allowed for a two-way interaction between the monitored parameter and the level of the provided respiratory support. We herein discuss applications of monitoring by neurally adjusted ventilatory assist, closed-loop oxygen control, tidal capnography, lung ultrasound, diaphragmatic electromyography and lung magnetic resonance imaging.
Lung protective ventilation does not impact left ventricular function in a preterm lamb model
Truong J, Fatmous M, Kenna KR, Douglas E, Hodder J, Sharma T, Sourial M, Tingay DG, Sett A and Pereira-Fantini PM
Longitudinal analysis of urinary I-FABP in extremely preterm infants that develop necrotizing enterocolitis
Fundora JB, Shores DR, Everett AD, Yanek LR, Northington FJ and Gilmore MM
Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) is an intestinal epithelial protein detectable in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The longitudinal behavior of I-FABP following NEC or its association with gastrointestinal or neurodevelopmental outcomes is unknown.
Is physical fitness associated with leucocyte telomere length in youth with type 1 diabetes?
Muñoz-Pardeza J, López-Gil JF, Huerta-Uribe N, Hormazábal-Aguayo I, Ojeda-Rodríguez A, Del Moral AM, Izquierdo M and García-Hermoso A
In type 1 diabetes, telomere length (TL) may predict complications and could be influenced by glycaemic control and physical activity, but its relationship with physical fitness in youths remains unexplored. The aim of the study was to assess the association between physical fitness and TL in youth with type 1 diabetes, both at baseline and one year later.
Association of whole blood essential metals with neurodevelopment among preschool children
Shen Y, Zhang W, Jin H, Guo F, Jin M and Chen G
Essential metals may play roles in neurodevelopment. The aim was to evaluate the associations of magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) levels with neurodevelopment among preschool children.
Trends of extreme hyperbilirubinemia related infant mortality in select European countries (1990-2019)
Vidavalur R, Schettler KF, Dani C, Fouzas S, Mimoso G, Sanchez-Luna M, Bhutani VK and deLuca D
Limited data exist on population-level mortality outcomes related to extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (EHB) and this study examines trends in annual infant mortality rate (IMR) attributed to hemolytic and perinatal jaundice among Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Spain from 1990 to 2019.
Implementation of multi-omics in diagnosis of pediatric rare diseases
Ali SS, Li Q and Agrawal PB
The rapid and accurate diagnosis of rare diseases is paramount in directing clinical management. In recent years, the integration of multi-omics approaches has emerged as a potential strategy to overcome diagnostic hurdles. This review examines the application of multi-omics technologies, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, in relation to the diagnostic journey of rare diseases. We explore how these combined approaches enhance the detection of pathogenic genetic variants and decipher molecular mechanisms. This review highlights the groundbreaking potential of multi-omics in advancing the precision medicine paradigm for rare diseases, offering insights into future directions and clinical applications. IMPACT: This review discusses using current tests and emerging technologies to diagnose pediatric rare diseases. We describe the next steps after inconclusive molecular testing and a structure for using multi-omics in further investigations. The use of multi-omics is expanding, and it is essential to incorporate it into clinical practice to enhance individualized patient care.