Children's Health - Feb 2, 2024 - Medical clowns boost sleep quality and reduce hospital stay for children, study finds

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	Children's Health
	The latest pediatrics news from News Medical

	Medical clowns boost sleep quality and reduce hospital stay for children, study finds Researchers evaluated the impact of medical clown interventions on sleep quality and hospital stay duration in pediatric patients.

	Maternal happiness during pregnancy linked to child's brain development Study reveals that maternal emotional well-being during pregnancy is linked to significant brain development benefits in children, particularly in the hippocampal volume of female offspring.

			Netherlands sees unexpected surge in Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases, younger population more affected A study in the Netherlands reports a significant rise in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections since October 2023, with a notable decrease in the median age of patients compared to the last epidemic.

			Fermented foods linked to mental health benefits through gut-brain connection Researchers explore the mental health benefits of fermented foods on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, highlighting the need for further studies to understand their therapeutic potential.

			Salmon's secret sauce: Nutrimetabolomics uncovers heart-healthy compounds in Mediterranean staple Researchers use nutrimetabolomics to reveal that Salmon, a key component of the Mediterranean diet, contains unique compounds beneficial for cardiometabolic health.

	Higher local Ebola incidence causes lower child vaccination rates The impact of the Ebola epidemic on the child vaccination rate.

	Study shows how CBT rewires the anxious child's brain Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found overactivation in many brain regions, including the frontal and parietal lobes and the amygdala, in unmedicated children with anxiety disorders.

	Teen substance use tied to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts High school students who reported using cannabis, alcohol, or nicotine were more likely to have thoughts about suicide, feel depressed or anxious, have unusual experiences, and exhibit inattention or hyperactivity, according to recent survey-based study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Minnesota.

	High blood pressure during pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes The link between blood pressure (BP) control and potential adverse outcomes in the perinatal period.

	AI Therapy companion 'replika' gains traction among lonely students The young adult mental health outcomes of using a GPT3-enabled chatbot.

	Blood pressure drug could help lower anxiety for kids and young adults with ASD A new study at the University of Missouri's Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment found that propranolol, a medication that treats high blood pressure, can also help lower anxiety for kids and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

	COVID-19 lockdown fueled fuel primary school obesity crisis in the UK Obesity among primary school children in the UK spiked during the COVID-19 lockdown, with a 45% increase between 2019/20 and 2020/21 among 4-5-year-olds, according to a study published on January 24, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Iván Ochoa-Moreno from the University of Southampton, UK, and colleagues.

	Study finds three times the risk of respiratory distress in infants born to COVID-infected mothers New UCLA-led research finds that infants born full term to mothers who were infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy had three times the risk of having respiratory distress compared with unexposed infants, even though they themselves were not infected with the virus.

	Licorice intake raises blood pressure more than expected, challenges safe limit guidelines A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that daily consumption of licorice containing 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid increases blood pressure and suppresses aldosterone and renin levels in young individuals.

	Children battling meningitis face lifelong disability, study finds One in three children who suffer from bacterial meningitis live with permanent neurological disabilities due to the infection.

	Associations between mercury exposure and allergic diseases in children Associations between mercury levels in urine and allergic diseases in children.

	Study confirms safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy for infant neurodevelopment A large cohort study in "JAMA Pediatrics" found no significant differences in neurodevelopmental rates between infants exposed to COVID-19 vaccines in-utero and those who were not, affirming the safety of maternal COVID-19 vaccination.

	How does a plant-based diet affect pregnancy outcomes? A study in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica examines the impact of plant-based diets during pregnancy, revealing that vegan diets are linked to lower birth weights and higher pre-eclampsia risks compared to omnivorous or vegetarian diets.

	Maternal COVID-19 vaccination equally benefits preterm and full-term babies A study in JAMA Network Open reveals that maternal COVID-19 vaccination provides similar antibody levels in preterm and full-term infants' cord blood, with higher doses leading to increased antibodies.

	Is serum vitamin D status linked to dental caries or molar incisor hypomineralisation in children? The potential association between serum vitamin D status and the prevalence and number of teeth affected by dental caries.