pediatrics

A new cardiac valve stent can expand on its own, according to preclinical tests conducted in piglets; the pediatric device doubled in size as the animals matured. As the authors note in their study published in Science Advances, this offers the possibility of adapting to the rapid growth of the hearts of babies and young children with congenital conditions. The stent, which is based on a spring-like expansion mechanism, could eliminate the need for repeated surgeries in pediatric patients.

A team from the United States has analyzed nearly twenty studies on melatonin use in children between the ages of 0 and 6 in different countries. Although it appears that melatonin can help improve sleep onset in children with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, the data indicate that in recent years there has been an increase in sales of these products without a clear understanding of their actual effectiveness and potential long-term consequences for typically developing young children. The results are published in JAMA Network Open. 

An international team has analyzed data from nearly 60 studies involving more than 48,000 children with different types of diets and compared the nutritional profile and various health parameters between those following vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and omnivorous diets. The results indicate that plant-based diets, if well-planned, can promote healthy growth with benefits such as a better cardiovascular profile and lower cholesterol levels. However, they may have difficulty achieving adequate levels of vitamins D and B12, calcium, iron, and zinc. According to the authors, the findings underscore the need for careful planning and supplementation in children following these types of diets. The study is published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 

The prevalence—proportion of cases—of hypertension in minors has almost doubled worldwide between 2000 and 2020, rising from 3.4% to 6.53% in boys and slightly less in girls, according to a systematic review published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. The study brings together data from nearly 444,000 children and adolescents up to the age of 19 in 21 countries.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been linked to rare cases of heart inflammation in children and young people. The largest study of these risks in children, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, concluded that receiving the vaccine is associated with a risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis within six months of 0.85 additional cases per 100,000 vaccinated children; while after COVID-19 infection, the risk is 2.24 additional cases per 100,000. The study used data from 98% of the British population under the age of 18 (almost 14 million) between January 2020 and December 2022.

Childhood vaccination rates have increased modestly worldwide in 2024, without reaching their pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to data from the WHO and UNICEF. For example, global measles vaccination coverage rose by one percentage point from the previous year, reaching 84% of girls and boys who had received one dose in 2024, compared to 86% in 2019.

Between 1980 and 2023, childhood vaccination rates against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled worldwide, according to a study published in The Lancet. However, this increase slowed in many countries between 2010 and 2019; during this period, measles vaccination declined in half of all countries.

So-called precision oncology involves the use of drugs that target specific molecular alterations in the tumour. These therapies are usually tested in clinical trials in adults and most have not been approved for use in children. An opinion article calls for these trials to be extended to children as well, given the difficulty of conducting such trials in children due to the small number of cases. According to the authors, who publish the text in the journal Trends in Cancer, given that children and adolescents tend to tolerate therapy better than older adults, ‘the time has come to consider age-agnostic approvals, i.e. approvals that include children and adults of any age’.

Genome analysis of 11,555 individuals revealed 60 genes involved in congenital heart disease, according to a study published today in the journal PNAS. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common birth defects and affects between 1 and 1.8% of live births.

In the context of World AIDS Day, which is celebrated on 1 December, it is essential to reflect on one of the most urgent challenges in the fight against this disease: HIV in the paediatric population. A project led by the Complutense University of Madrid seeks to reduce paediatric mortality by training research leaders in sub-Saharan Africa and applying technology and innovation.