Cognitive and motor developmental test scores of preterm and late preterm infants increase with gestational age. Developmental test scores in full-term infants have not previously been considered to relate to gestational age.

In a cohort of healthy, full-term infants, 37 to 41 weeks, 12-month mental and psychomotor scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development increased with gestational age, suggesting that neurodevelopment is optimal in infants born at 39 to 41 weeks. (Read the full article)

Infants with a diverse gut microbial flora are less likely to develop eczema and allergy.

Parental sucking of their infant’s pacifier is associated with a reduced risk of allergy development and an altered oral flora in their child. Transfer of oral microbes from parent to infant via the pacifier might be used in primary prevention. (Read the full article)

Blood lead levels well below 10 µg/dL are now recognized as causing adverse cognitive effects, including lower scores on standardized reading and math tests.

This is the first study to show that reading readiness early in kindergarten is independently associated with blood lead levels well below 10 µg/dL. Results suggest that lead exposure may have a larger impact on urban education than national estimates suggest. (Read the full article)

Child welfare data show declines in child physical abuse since the early 1990s, but analysis of national data from hospitalized children in the Kids’ Inpatient Database showed an increased incidence of serious physical abuse in children from 1997 to 2009.

We found no significant change in hospitalization rates for injury from abuse in young children and increases in injury severity using the National Inpatient Sample from 1997 to 2009. This data helps provide a more complete perspective of the problem. (Read the full article)

Early preventive pediatric dental visits are widely recommended. However, the effectiveness of pediatric preventive dental visits in reducing the need for subsequent, more expensive oral health treatment has not been well established.

Using an econometric method that accounts for time-invariant differences between children, and thus helps mitigate selection bias, we found a positive impact of preventive dental visits on oral health. However, there is less evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of preventive visits. (Read the full article)

Infants aged <2 months are at highest risk for pertussis morbidity and mortality but are too young to receive pertussis vaccines. To protect young infants, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends mothers receive 1 dose of Tdap during pregnancy.

This article evaluates the effect of Tdap during pregnancy compared with postpartum Tdap and cocooning in preventing infant pertussis cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, as well as their relative cost-effectiveness. (Read the full article)

Preterm neonates in resource-poor settings frequently develop hypothermia. Plastic bags or wraps are a low-cost intervention for the prevention of hypothermia in infants in developed countries.

For preterm infants born in a resource-poor health facility, placement in a plastic bag at birth can reduce the incidence of hypothermia at 1 hour after birth. (Read the full article)

About one in five 2-year-olds are overweight, with potential adverse outcomes. Early feeding practices lay the foundation for food preferences and eating behavior and may contribute to future obesity risk. High-quality obesity prevention trials commencing in infancy are rare.

In this large randomized controlled trial, anticipatory guidance on the "when, what, and how" of complementary feeding was associated with increased maternal "protective" feeding practices. Differences in anthropometric indicators were in the expected direction but did not achieve statistical significance. (Read the full article)

Significant variation in the mortality of preterm infants has been observed among NICUs. Factors explaining this variation have been difficult to identify.

Sizable center differences in mortality exist, even among similarly sized NICUs in academic centers. Patient characteristics and center treatment rates explain some of the center effect, especially for the youngest infants, but a significant portion of these differences remains unexplained. (Read the full article)

Children exposed to alcohol prenatally have increased risk of a range of developmental problems such as language delay, behavior problems, learning, and memory and cognitive deficits, all of which can have a negative impact on educational achievement.

The expression of learning problems varied with the dose, pattern, and timing of prenatal alcohol exposure. Test scores below national benchmarks for reading were associated with first trimester heavy alcohol exposure and for writing after late pregnancy occasional binge drinking. (Read the full article)

Assessment of general movements (GM) in early infancy is predictive of adverse neurologic outcome, particularly cerebral palsy. There is limited evidence of the predictive value of GM for other domains of neurodevelopment such as language and cognitive impairment.

Abnormal GM in preterm infants in the first 3 months postterm are predictive of a range of neurodevelopmental outcomes in early childhood. GM at 3 months are more accurate at distinguishing later neurodevelopment impairment than those at 1 month. (Read the full article)

Neonatal infections are frequent complications in very preterm infants, already at high risk of neurologic and cognitive disabilities. Few studies have linked neonatal infections and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Those that did evaluated children only to the age of 22 months.

This study assessed the respective effects of early- and late-onset sepsis and their association with 5-year neurodevelopmental outcomes. We identified a significant and cumulative risk of cerebral palsy when episodes of early- and late-onset sepsis were associated. (Read the full article)

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with ADHD are at risk for problematic video game use. However, group differences in media use or in the factors associated with problematic video game use have not been studied.

Boys with ASD and ADHD demonstrated greater problematic video game use than did boys with typical development. Inattention was uniquely associated with problematic use for both groups, and role-playing game genre was associated with problematic use among the ASD group only. (Read the full article)

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in school-age children and adolescents is linked to heavier weight, and decreased SSB consumption results in less weight gain. Reports regarding these associations among children aged 2 to 5 years have been mixed.

Preschool-aged and kindergarten children drinking SSB compared with infrequent/nondrinkers had higher BMI z scores. SSB consumption is also associated with higher weight status among children aged 2 to 5 years. (Read the full article)

Respiratory outcomes of patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) range from no oxygen requirement to chronic respiratory failure. Outcomes of least severe types of BPD are well described. Limited data exist on outcomes of patients with BPD-related chronic ventilator dependency.

Along with a first estimation of the incidence of patients with severe BPD-related chronic respiratory failure who were dependent on positive pressure ventilation via tracheostomy at home, we describe their survival rate, liberation from positive pressure ventilation, and decannulation. (Read the full article)

Term neonates in resource-poor settings frequently develop hypothermia. Plastic bags or wraps are a low-cost intervention for the prevention of hypothermia in preterm and low birth weight infants that may also be effective in term infants.

For term neonates born in a resource-poor health facility, placement in a plastic bag at birth can reduce the incidence of hypothermia at 1 hour after birth. (Read the full article)

Parents of premature infants are susceptible to developing trauma symptoms related to their NICU experience. There are no current well-established interventions that simultaneously address both parental trauma as well as redefinition of the parenting experience.

A brief, cost-effective, and feasible manualized intervention for NICU parents was effective in reducing both parental trauma and depression. Implementation of this intervention in the NICU setting has the potential to improve maternal well-being and infant outcomes. (Read the full article)

Rehabilitation of people with cerebral palsy aims to achieve and maintain optimal performance in mobility and daily activities. Although insight into the developmental trajectories of activities from childhood into adulthood is important, little is known about long-term development.

The gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy determines the developmental trajectories of mobility performance but not of daily activities, where intellectual disability was shown to be the determining factor. (Read the full article)

Stress affects health of children, potentially persisting as a trajectory into adulthood. Earlier biological markers assess only momentary stress, making it difficult to investigate stress over longer periods of time. Cortisol in hair is a new biomarker of prolonged stress.

Mother and child hair cortisol association suggests a heritable part or maternal calibration. Cortisol output gradually stabilizes, has a stable trait, and is positively correlated to birth weight. Hair cortisol is a promising noninvasive biomarker of prolonged stress, especially applicable for children. (Read the full article)

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children worldwide. Anemia, widely prevalent globally, is not routinely assessed when treating pneumonia. The effect of anemia and high altitude on outcome of pneumonia is not well described.

Anemia at high altitude increases the risk of poor outcome with severe pneumonia. Children with severe pneumonia at high altitude present with more severe hypoxemia and have a longer time to recovery than children at low altitude. (Read the full article)

A large and growing literature has demonstrated significant associations between the use of spanking and later child aggression, but we know less about paternal spanking, effects of spanking on cognitive development, and longer-term effects.

Accounting for a broad array of risk factors, spanking predicts both aggression and receptive vocabulary across the first decade of life. Importantly, we include paternal spanking, cognitive outcomes, and a longitudinal span longer than that of much of the literature. (Read the full article)

Several studies have documented earlier onset of pubertal maturation in girls, with several potential factors attributed to the earlier onset.

This study demonstrates earlier maturation in white non-Hispanic girls, with greater BMI linked as a major factor. The entire distribution of pubertal timing has shifted to a younger age, suggesting redefinition of ages for both early and late maturation. (Read the full article)

Preterm infants are born with low serum levels and low body stores of tocopherol. Serum levels ≥0.5 mg/dL are required for protection against lipid peroxidation. Previous studies have shown good intestinal absorption of vitamin E given intragastrically to preterm infants.

Serum α-tocopherol increases after a single 50-IU/kg dose of vitamin E as dl-α-tocopheryl acetate given intragastrically to very preterm infants soon after birth; however, 30% of infants still have serum α-tocopherol level <0.5 mg/dL 24 hours after dosing. (Read the full article)

In 2007, manufacturers voluntarily withdrew over-the-counter (OTC) infant cough and cold medications (CCMs) from the US market. A year later, manufacturers announced OTC CCM labeling would be revised to warn against OTC CCM use by children aged <4 years.

Among children aged <2 and 2 to 3 years, emergency department visits for CCM adverse events declined nationally after the withdrawal and labeling revision announcement relative to all adverse drug event visits. Unsupervised ingestions caused most CCM adverse events after each intervention. (Read the full article)

Global health is of increasing interest and relevance to North American pediatric trainees. Opportunities for resident global health training and exposure are most often limited to electives or trainees in dedicated global health tracks.

A series of short, structured, participatory global child health modules improved knowledge and were well received and integrated within academic programs. Such modules enable global health learning for all residents, including those who never intend to practice overseas. (Read the full article)

Psychosocial stress in childhood has been associated with a greater risk of future overweight, although the associations have not always been consistent, the types of psychosocial stressors have often been somewhat extreme, and moderators of the association have rarely been examined.

Experiencing many negative life events in childhood, particularly with chronicity or events that are family health related, increases risk of overweight by age 15 years. Maternal obesity and greater delay of gratification for food each intensify this risk. (Read the full article)

Prenatal and postnatal organophosphate (cholinesterase inhibitor) pesticide exposure has been associated with delays in attention, memory, intelligence, and inhibitory control. Two recent studies reported decreased attention and working memory with greater exposure to organophosphates in boys but not in girls.

This is the first study to report associations between decreased acetylcholinesterase activity, a stable marker of cholinesterase inhibitor pesticide exposure, and lower overall neurodevelopment, attention, inhibitory control, and memory. These associations were present in boys but not in girls. (Read the full article)

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for sleep disturbances and excessive media use. However, the relationship between media use and sleep in children with ASD or ADHD has not been studied.

In-room access to screen-based media and video game hours were associated with less sleep among boys with ASD. The relationships between media use and sleep were much more pronounced among boys with ASD than among boys with ADHD or typical development. (Read the full article)

The incidence of pertussis has significantly increased, and infection can result in severe disease among young children. This highly contagious disease may frequently be transmitted in pediatric health care settings, necessitating effective infection control practices to reduce exposure risk.

Despite institutional guidelines, pediatric health care workers (HCWs) are frequently exposed to pertussis because of delayed or incomplete adherence to infection control practices. Inconsistent reporting may also result in missed HCW exposures, increasing the risk of subsequent transmission to patients. (Read the full article)

Although immunoglobulin replacement is recognized as effective in children with primary immunodeficiency, pneumococcal infection may occur. There is no available prospective clinical study evaluating levels of protective serospecific antibodies in patients and products.

Protective (0.2 µg/mL) antibody levels for the most frequent pneumococcal serotypes were measured in children treated for primary immunodeficiencies. A linear relationship was demonstrated between peak and trough levels of serospecific antipneumococcal antibodies in patients and infused immunoglobulins. (Read the full article)

Early adiposity rebound is associated with future obesity and an increased risk of development of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease in adult life.

This study shows that early adiposity rebound is associated with future obesity and metabolic consequences of higher triglycerides, atherogenic index, apolipoprotein B, and blood pressure and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 12 years of age. (Read the full article)

Cranial ultrasound is routinely used in identifying cerebral abnormalities in premature infants. Grade III and IV intraventricular hemorrhages, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, and late ventriculomegaly are all known predictors of adverse neurodevelopmental sequelae in these infants.

We reviewed neurodevelopmental outcomes among 2414 extreme preterm infants. Infants with grades I and II intraventricular hemorrhage had increased rates of neurosensory impairment, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, and deafness at 2 to 3 years’ corrected age. (Read the full article)

Xylitol given as a gum or syrup 5 times daily has been shown to reduce the incidence of acute otitis media in children, but this dosing schedule is unlikely to be feasible for many families.

A regimen of viscous xylitol syrup in a dose of 5 g 3 times daily was ineffective in preventing recurrences of acute otitis media in otitis-prone children. (Read the full article)

Cognitive rest is recommended for the management of sport-related concussions. There are limited data to support this recommendation.

This study adds empirical data supporting the recommendation for cognitive rest after a sport-related concussion. (Read the full article)

Infant postexposure prophylaxis prevents perinatal hepatitis B (HepB) virus transmission and mortality and morbidity caused by chronic HepB virus infection. The US Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (PHBPP) identifies and manages infants born to HepB surface antigen–positive women.

It presents the first estimates of the long-term costs and outcomes of postexposure prophylaxis with the PHBPP. It analyzes the effects of the PHBPP, and alternative immunization scenarios, on health and economic outcomes for the 2009 US birth cohort. (Read the full article)

Infant sleep and crying problems are common and associated with postnatal depression. No programs aiming to prevent all 3 issues have been rigorously evaluated.

A prevention program targeting these issues improves caregiver mental health, behaviors, and cognitions around infant sleep. Implementation at a population level may be best restricted to infants who are frequent feeders because they experience fewer crying and daytime sleep problems. (Read the full article)

Human rhinovirus has been known as the common cold agent. Recently, studies have reported that this virus is responsible for severe infections of the lower respiratory tract in children. Reports of factors that increase disease severity have been contradictory.

This study identifies some of the factors involved in disease severity in HRV infections in children. We expect that children at risk for developing severe disease could be identified sooner and appropriate measures could be taken. (Read the full article)

An algorithm for neonatal early-onset sepsis risk based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2002 guidelines for prevention of perinatal Group B Streptococcus disease results in the evaluation of ~12–15% of well-appearing term and late preterm infants.

A revised algorithm based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010 guidelines eliminated 25% of all early-onset sepsis evaluations and resulted in significant cost savings, without short-term evidence of harm. (Read the full article)

Children with congenital heart disease demonstrate a high prevalence of low-severity developmental problems in the areas of language, motor skills, attention, and executive function. Systematic evaluation has been recommended to promote early detection of problems and ensure appropriate intervention.

This study presents results of longitudinal testing in early childhood. Developmental delays were common. Feeding difficulty and medical and genetic comorbidities increased risk for delays. Exposure to risk and prevalence of delay change over time; therefore, repeated evaluations are warranted. (Read the full article)

It is known that adult language input is important to healthy language development and that preterm infants are at risk for language delay.

This is the first study to provide evidence that preterm infants’ exposure to adult words in the NICU before the mother’s due date are associated with better cognitive and language outcomes at 7 and 18 months’ corrected age. (Read the full article)

Violence is a leading cause of death. The emergency department (ED) can prevent violence through proven interventions; however, these interventions are not broadly implemented. There is little evidence to inform decision-makers of the costs associated with preventing violence.

We report the costs of a brief violence prevention intervention in the ED. We highlight the economic impact of implementation, showing that brief interventions in the ED are an inexpensive way the health care system can prevent violence in adolescents. (Read the full article)

Greater numbers of invasive procedures from birth to term-equivalent age, adjusted for clinical confounders, are associated with altered brain microstructure during neonatal care and poorer cognitive outcome at 18 months’ corrected age in children born very preterm.

Altered myelination at school age is associated with greater numbers of invasive procedures during hospitalization in very preterm children without severe brain injury or neurosensory impairment. Greater numbers of invasive procedures and altered brain microstructure interact to predict lower IQ. (Read the full article)

Viral wheezing is common in preschool-aged children. The efficacy of inhaled steroids in preventing viral wheezing is debated. Despite this debate, nebulized beclomethasone is widely prescribed (particularly in a few countries) to children with upper respiratory tract infections.

Findings from this study confirm that inhaled steroids are not effective in preventing viral wheezing. Moreover, no differences were found in the persistence of symptoms (eg, runny nose, sore throat) or in the parental perception of asthma-like symptom severity. (Read the full article)

Many parenting Web sites encourage use of infant "sleep machines" to play ambient noise while infants sleep. Noise recommendations for hospital nurseries suggest a limit of 50 A-weighted dB, whereas occupational standards limit exposure times for noise >85 A-weighted dB.

We measured the maximum sound level outputs of infant sleep machines and found that several devices are capable of producing levels that may be damaging to infant hearing and may be detrimental to auditory development. (Read the full article)

Prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplementation has been demonstrated to increase birth length. However, the impact of this intervention on infant growth and morbidity is unknown.

Infants from mothers who were given prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements showed decelerated linear growth. The gain in length at birth related to prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplementation was not sustained during infancy. (Read the full article)

Physical activity is beneficial to health. Parents are crucial in shaping children’s behaviors, with active mothers appearing to have active children. Little is known about this association in preschool-aged children, or about factors influencing activity in mothers of young children.

Mother-child physical activity levels were positively associated and influenced by temporal and demographic factors. Maternal activity levels were low, and influences differ by activity intensity. Health promotion efforts to increase activity in mothers may also benefit their young children. (Read the full article)

Guidelines recommend that primary care physicians provide preventive dental services to young children. Most state Medicaid programs reimburse physicians for providing fluoride varnish. Individual-level studies show that these services are effective in reducing caries-related treatments and costs.

Preventive dental services provided through a North Carolina Medicaid preventive dental program led to a reduction in dental caries among young children statewide. Programs targeting vulnerable populations through medical offices can reduce disparities in oral health among preschool-aged populations. (Read the full article)

Preterm infants have transiently lowered thyroid hormone levels during the early postnatal period. Past research suggests that low thyroid hormone levels are related to cognitive and developmental deficits in children born preterm.

Contrary to expectations, in this study of children born <30 weeks’ gestation, higher concentrations of free thyroxine over the first 6 weeks of life were associated with poorer cognitive function at 7 years of age. (Read the full article)

In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, sexual assault incidence among adolescents is as high as 24%, resulting in serious physical and mental health problems. In the United States, empowerment and self-defense training have been shown to decrease incidence of sexual assault.

This study evaluated an empowerment and self-defense training intervention for adolescent girls in the African context. This intervention proved highly effective at preventing sexual assault and should be replicable in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. (Read the full article)

Serotonin is critical in early brain development, creating concerns regarding prenatal exposure to factors influencing serotonin levels, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Prenatal SSRI use was recently associated with autism; however, its association with other developmental delays is unclear.

This population-based case-control study in young children provides evidence that prenatal SSRI use may be a risk factor for autism and other developmental delays. However, underlying depression and its genetic underpinnings may be a confounder. (Read the full article)