Latest Pediatrics and Child Health research

Top 10 this week

Week of 20 September 2026

1. 1

   Evaluating the Role of School-Based Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation in Shaping Common Morbidity and Growth Outcomes Among Adolescent Girls: Evidence From a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Central Ethiopia Region

   Maternal & child nutrition · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 1 July 2026

   44% reduction in morbidity symptoms after 4 months with weekly

2. 2

   Antibiotic pretreatment and culture yield in pediatric osteoarticular infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

   Clinical and experimental pediatrics · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 14 September 2026

   Meta‑analysis of antibiotic pretreatment effect

3. 3

   Biologics for Children and Adolescents with Asthma: A Systematic Review and Exploratory Indirect Comparative Analysis

   Journal of asthma and allergy · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 10 September 2026

   Three pediatric trials of omalizumab, dupilumab and mepolizumab each showed fewer asthma attacks than placebo, with moderate certainty for this benefit. Safety was similar for omalizumab and dupilumab, while mepolizumab reported more overall adverse events and serious events were uncertain. Indirect comparisons were low-certainty, so head-to-head trials are still needed.

4. 4

   Accuracy of type 2 inflammatory biomarkers to diagnose asthma in adults and children: a meta-analysis of 30 studies with prospective validation in an adult primary care cohort

   The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 15 September 2026

   A meta-analysis of 30 studies and a prospective primary-care cohort showed that an exhaled nitric-oxide level at least 65 ppb correctly ruled in asthma in roughly four-fifths of adults with suspected disease, while a level <20 ppb ruled out asthma with 93% negative predictive value. Blood eosinophil counts added no diagnostic benefit, and recent inhaled-corticosteroid use reduced FeNO accuracy. Further work is needed to confirm pediatric thresholds.

5. 5

   Drawing and visual art interventions for anxiety in children aged 5-12: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

   BMJ paediatrics open · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 16 September 2026

   A meta-analysis of eight randomized trials (816 children) found that drawing- and visual-art activities dramatically lowered short-term anxiety in medical or procedure settings, with an effect size near -2.7 standard deviations. However, results were highly variable and only apply to acute clinical contexts, so the benefit cannot yet be assumed in schools or other settings.

6. 6

   Blinatumomab for Replacing Chemotherapy in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

   The New England journal of medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026

   In a randomized trial of 709 children with high-risk B-cell ALL, replacing two chemotherapy cycles with blinatumomab raised 4-year event-free survival to 83% compared with 70% for standard therapy. Infections fell dramatically (24% vs 69%), but neuro-toxic events were three times more common. Long-term safety and optimal integration into treatment regimens remain to be defined.

7. 7

   Impact of early enteral nutrition on children with acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta analysis

   Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 14 September 2026

   Ranked by evidence level and journal quartile

8. 8

   Recorded Contingent Caregiver Voice Independently Improves Neural Speech Processing in Hospitalized Preterm Infants: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial

   Journal of clinical medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 5 September 2026

   High-quality evidence in a top journal

9. 9

   Association between surgical repair timing and mortality in neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

   Clinical and experimental pediatrics · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 17 September 2026

   Not directly relevant to acute paediatric illness

10. 10

    Home-based telerehabilitation on motor function in youth with cerebral palsy: systematic review and meta-analysis

    Pediatric research · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 18 September 2026

    Home telerehab improves gross motor function in CP

Paper of the day, last two weeks

• Short-term outcomes and six-month follow-up of BEAR: a blended, pre-emptive intervention for infants and toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism

  European child & adolescent psychiatry · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 19 September 2026

  In a cluster trial of 55 families, the BEAR blended e-health program improved parents' scaffolding skills and emotional responsiveness, but did not produce measurable changes in toddlers' joint engagement or social-communicative development over the short term. The findings suggest the intervention may first benefit caregivers, with child effects still uncertain and requiring longer follow-up.

• Clinical Outcomes of Systemic Steroid Use in Children Under 2 with Bronchiolitis and BPD

  Hospital pediatrics · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 17 September 2026

  In a national database of 1,239 children under two with bronchopulmonary dysplasia hospitalized for bronchiolitis, 35% received systemic steroids. Steroid treatment was linked to a longer length of stay (about 0.6 day more) and more days on oxygen, without clear benefit on other outcomes. The finding highlights wide practice variation and the need for prospective trials to define steroid role.

• Admission ionised calcium disturbances and adverse outcomes in paediatric major trauma: a UK multicentre retrospective cohort study

  BMJ open · Q1 journal · Retrospective cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 18 September 2026

  In a UK cohort of 517 children with major trauma, 14% presented with ionised hypercalcaemia, which was independently linked to a 19-times higher odds of dying within 24 hours and a more than nine-fold increase in 30-day mortality. The finding suggests that high admission calcium may flag severe physiological stress, but whether correcting it improves outcomes remains unknown.

• Long-Term Effectiveness, Safety, and Survival of Dupilumab in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis

  JAMA dermatology · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 16 September 2026

  Dupilumab long‑term safety in paediatric atopic dermatitis

• Early impact of maternal RSV vaccination on bronchiolitis hospitalisation and critical care admissions in infants under age 3 months, England, September 2024 to March 2026

  Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · Q1 journal · Unclassified · Evidence level 5 (Expert Opinion) · 1 September 2026

  Maternal RSV vaccine reduces bronchiolitis hospitalisations

• Association between sociodemographic factors, neighbourhood cigarette smoke exposure and critical illness due to respiratory condition among paediatric population in England, 2014-2023: a retrospective cohort study

  Archives of disease in childhood · Q1 journal · Retrospective cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 11 September 2026

  In England, children of Black or Asian ethnicity and those from the most deprived neighborhoods experienced about 70% more intensive-care admissions for respiratory illness than White or affluent peers, and Asian children and the poorest groups also faced roughly double the in-PICU death risk. Living in areas with the highest cigarette-smoke exposure added a further 30% admission risk, underscoring the need for targeted tobacco-control and equity-focused interventions.

• Serum Chloride Trajectories and Acute Kidney Injury in Children With Diabetic Ketoacidosis

  Hospital pediatrics · Q1 journal · Prospective cohort · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 14 September 2026

  In a cohort of 364 children with diabetic ketoacidosis, the median peak serum chloride rose to 118 mEq/L and was independently linked to creatinine-defined acute kidney injury, which in turn prolonged hospitalization. Additional normal-saline boluses slowed chloride normalization, suggesting chloride-sparing fluids might reduce renal complications, but prospective trials are needed.

• Secondary hypoalbuminemia is independently associated with in-hospital mortality in children with Escherichia coli bloodstream infection

  Annals of medicine · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 3 (Low) · 10 September 2026

  Secondary hypoalbuminemia predicts mortality in E. coli BSI

• Oral amoxicillin for management of fast breathing or chest indrawing pneumonia without danger signs in children aged 2-59 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  Journal of global health · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 11 September 2026

  Oral amoxicillin for fast‑breathing/chest‑indrawing pneumonia meta‑analysis

• Association of stress hyperglycemia with severe outcomes in ill-appearing children

  The American journal of emergency medicine · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 4 (Very Low) · 31 August 2026

  Retrospective study linking stress hyperglycaemia to severe outcomes in ill‑appearing

• RSV Bivalent Prefusion F Protein Vaccine in Pregnancy and Protection Against RSV-Associated Illness in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  JAMA pediatrics · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 8 September 2026

  RSV vaccine efficacy in pregnancy, protects infants from severe disease

• Association of stress hyperglycemia with severe outcomes in ill-appearing children

  The American journal of emergency medicine · Q1 journal · Cohort · Evidence level 4 (Very Low) · 31 August 2026

  Retrospective study linking stress hyperglycaemia to severe outcomes in ill‑appearing

Evidence summaries in Pediatrics and Child Health

• Bronchiolitis
• Kawasaki Disease