Wu J, Zheng G, Zhang Y
… +3 more, Lu Y, Guo Y, Yang M
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 Jun · PMID 41881835
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OBJECTIVE: This study focused on investigating the educational value of combining standardised patient (SP) teaching videos with simulation-based medical education (SBME) in paediatric resident training. METHODS: Forty p...OBJECTIVE: This study focused on investigating the educational value of combining standardised patient (SP) teaching videos with simulation-based medical education (SBME) in paediatric resident training. METHODS: Forty paediatric resident trainees (June 2023-June 2024) were randomised into a control group (n = 20, routine teaching) and a study group (n = 20, routine teaching plus SP videos and SBME). Upon completion of the rotation, participants were assessed on clinical skills, clinical reasoning and theoretical knowledge. Professional qualities (questioning skills, information gathering, information provision and understanding patient perspectives), learning ability, learning interest, teamwork, mastery of subject content and teaching satisfaction were also evaluated. RESULTS: The study group achieved higher scores in clinical skills and clinical thinking (p < 0.05), while theoretical knowledge scores were comparable between groups (p > 0.05). Professional quality, learning ability, interest, teamwork and mastery of medical interview, communication, humanistic care and overall clinical competence were all superior in the study group (p < 0.05), with no difference in physical examination or clinical judgement (p > 0.05). Satisfaction with teachers' attitude, teaching methods and teaching effectiveness was higher in the study group (p < 0.05), but satisfaction with teaching intensity showed no difference (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of SP teaching videos and SBME enhances clinical skills, professional qualities, engagement and satisfaction in paediatric resident education, offering a valuable supplement to conventional teaching.
Stancati S, Macho V, Rodrigues R
… +1 more, Silva CC
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 May · PMID 41872121
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AIM: Molar-incisor hypomineralisation is a developmental enamel defect characterised by lower mineral content in the tooth's outer layer, discoloured and structurally fragile teeth that are more prone to sensitivity, bre...AIM: Molar-incisor hypomineralisation is a developmental enamel defect characterised by lower mineral content in the tooth's outer layer, discoloured and structurally fragile teeth that are more prone to sensitivity, breakdown and caries. This review aims to summarise current knowledge on molar-incisor hypomineralisation and highlight key clinical considerations relevant to paediatricians. METHODS: A comprehensive narrative review of the literature was performed to describe the condition's epidemiology, aetiological hypotheses, clinical features, diagnostic challenges and implications for early recognition in paediatric practice. RESULTS: Findings show that this pathology affects up to one in five children worldwide, with causes likely multifactorial and involving prenatal, perinatal and environmental factors. Clinically, molar-incisor hypomineralisation may be presented as demarcated opacities, colour alterations or post-eruptive enamel loss. Paediatricians, who are often the first clinicians to observe affected children, play a crucial role in identifying early signs and ensuring timely referral to a paediatric dentist. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing paediatricians' awareness of molar-incisor hypomineralisation is essential to promote early diagnosis, prevent complications and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration that improves children's oral health and quality of life.
Low SZQ, Lee JH, Sultana R
… +4 more, Lim YLB, Ang LB, Wee PH, Lim JKB
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 Jun · PMID 41863091
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AIMS: This study describes the location, mode of death, palliative care and advance care planning (ACP) use amongst children who died at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore, between 2011 and 2020. METHODS...AIMS: This study describes the location, mode of death, palliative care and advance care planning (ACP) use amongst children who died at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore, between 2011 and 2020. METHODS: Medical records of all children who died in the general ward, high dependency unit and paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were reviewed. Data collected included: demographics, diagnosis, cause, location, mode of death, palliative care and ACP use. Trends were analysed using the Mann-Kendall test and compared using logistic regression. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Amongst 326 372 hospital admissions, 412 children (0.13%) died, of whom 270 (65.5%) had at least one complex chronic condition (CCC). Most deaths occurred in the PICU (319/412, 77.4%), and 188 children (45.6%) died following non-escalation of care. Palliative care consultations were provided in 119 cases (28.9%), and ACP was documented in 25 cases (6.1%). From 2011 to 2020, palliative care consultations increased from 20.4% to 39.3% (p = 0.06) and ACP use increased from 0% to 15.2% (p < 0.05). Over the same period, deaths after withdrawal of life-sustaining measures (WLSM) increased from 14.3% to 30.3% (p = 0.09), whilst deaths in the general ward decreased from 12.2% to 6.1% (p = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Most hospitalised children died in the PICU following non-escalation of care without palliative care or ACP use. Future research is needed to identify the barriers and facilitators to their use.
Nerurkar SN, Ng YH, Yap CJY
… +4 more, Ganesan I, Chong SL, Chao SM, Leow EH
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41863085
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BACKGROUND: Children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) are at increased risk of kidney scarring which can be identified by a late dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan performed ≥ 3 months after the febrile UTI. I...BACKGROUND: Children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) are at increased risk of kidney scarring which can be identified by a late dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan performed ≥ 3 months after the febrile UTI. In this study, we developed a clinical risk prediction model to identify children at risk of an abnormal late DMSA scan after the first febrile UTI. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of all children diagnosed with their first febrile UTI between January and July 2017, scheduled for a late DMSA scan. Patient characteristics and laboratory findings were compared between patients with and without abnormalities on the DMSA scan. A clinical risk prediction model was developed using the odds ratio of variables in a multivariable logistic regression model to obtain a score for each covariate. RESULTS: There were 581 children diagnosed with their first febrile UTI, of which 208 (36%) underwent DMSA scan. Overall, 40 (19%) children had abnormal DMSA scans. A higher proportion of boys with phimosis compared to those without phimosis had DMSA abnormalities (67% vs. 38%, p = 0.019). C-reactive protein (CRP) (108.0 [interquartile range, IQR 41.4-198.4] vs. 32.6 [IQR 11.4-85.2] mg/L, p < 0.001), procalcitonin (10.98 [IQR 0.40-43.72] vs. 0.13 [IQR 0.10-0.24] ng/mL, p < 0.001) and creatinine (41 [IQR 37-46] vs. 37 [IQR 35-40] μmol/L, p < 0.001) were higher in patients with DMSA abnormalities. The clinical risk prediction model included procalcitonin ≥ 4.07 μg/L, creatinine ≥ 43 μmol/L and CRP ≥ 90.4 mg/L. CONCLUSION: Serum creatinine, procalcitonin and CRP may be useful in identifying paediatric patients with first febrile UTI at risk of an abnormal late DMSA scan.
Davis T, Rath C, Athalye-Jape G
… +3 more, Nathan E, Keelan J, Patole S
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 Jun · PMID 41839774
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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Early prediction of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants is important given its significant health, economic and social-emotional burden. We aimed to validate a clinical risk score (Chec...BACKGROUND AND AIM: Early prediction of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants is important given its significant health, economic and social-emotional burden. We aimed to validate a clinical risk score (Check-NEC Score [CNS]) for this purpose in preterm infants. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted using data (January 2020-December 2023) from very preterm infants (VP: gestation < 32 weeks) with confirmed NEC≥Stage II. CNS was calculated for cases and controls (matched for key confounders) at baseline (T1), 7 days (T2), and 72 h (T3) before NEC diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Twenty-two cases of NEC≥Stage II diagnosed at a median (IQR) age of 17 (11-24) days were matched with 22 controls. Median CNS was significantly higher in cases compared to controls at T2 (8 vs. 7, p = 0.025) and T3 (8 vs. 7, p = 0.005). T3 CNS had the highest AUC (0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.81). A cut-off score of ≥ 11 at T2 had the highest specificity (95%, 95% CI 75%-99%). At T3, a cut-off score of either ≥ 8 or ≥ 9 was best. CONCLUSION: CNS demonstrated acceptable predictive ability at 72 h with high specificity 7 days before NEC diagnosis, depending on the cut-off score chosen.
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 May · PMID 41837584
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AIM: This retrospective cohort study reviewed medical records of 84 children diagnosed with infantile epileptic spasm syndrome (IESS) between 2015 and 2024 at the Douala Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. Patients...AIM: This retrospective cohort study reviewed medical records of 84 children diagnosed with infantile epileptic spasm syndrome (IESS) between 2015 and 2024 at the Douala Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. Patients were invited for follow-up clinical assessment, with 67 children (79.8%) completing follow-up evaluations under a child neurologist's supervision. METHODS: The study reviewed medical records and conducted follow-up examinations. Data on socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic features were analysed using SPSS 30.0. RESULTS: The prevalence of IESS was 0.34%, with mean symptom onset at 6.73 ± 4.02 months. The most common presentation was epileptic spasms (77.4%), predominantly flexion type (73%). Median diagnostic delay was 2.0 months (IQR: 1-3 months), with 65.5% of families initially seeking traditional medicine. The primary etiologies were perinatal asphyxia (64.3%), cerebral malformations (11.9%) and prematurity-associated brain injury (8.3%). Notably, 72.6% of infants had documented neonatal infections, which may have contributed to the pathophysiology in conjunction with other etiological factors. Electroencephalography revealed hypsarrhythmia in 97.6% of cases. Corticosteroids were the most frequent treatment (78.6%). Outcomes were poor, with high mortality (25.4%) and persistent developmental delays (90.0%). INTERPRETATION: The high mortality and developmental delays highlight the need for urgent interventions in low-resource settings, including: early diagnostic algorithms, discouraging delays due to traditional medicine, improving neonatal infection control, ensuring corticosteroid availability and implementing paediatric neurology teleconsultation to improve outcomes.
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41834025
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BACKGROUND: New Zealand's sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) rates remain high, and ethnic disparities appear to be increasing. This study describes the characteristics and circumstances of these deaths. METHODS:...BACKGROUND: New Zealand's sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) rates remain high, and ethnic disparities appear to be increasing. This study describes the characteristics and circumstances of these deaths. METHODS: Coronial data identified 101 SUDI cases in 2022-2023. Sociodemographic factors, sleep environment, and maternal smoking and/or vaping were analysed and compared with previous years. RESULTS: The SUDI rate was 0.87/1000 live births. Rates among Māori (1.97/1000) and Pacific (0.91/1000) infants were higher than those among Europeans (0.17/1000). 72.3% of cases occurred while direct bed sharing. Maternal smoking was reported in 51.5% of cases, vaping in 30.3%, and smoking and/or vaping in 72.7%. Vaping was more likely in bed-sharing than non-bed-sharing deaths (p = 0.003). Compared with New Zealand studies from 1987 to 1990 and 2012 to 2015, current cases show increasing proportions of Māori and Pacific infants, older mothers, back sleeping and direct bed sharing. CONCLUSIONS: SUDI rates remain unacceptably high with widening ethnic disparities. The proportion of deaths associated with direct bed sharing is striking and is increasing. Vaping appears to be an emerging SUDI risk factor, especially when combined with direct bed sharing. Further studies examining the association of vaping with SUDI are urgently needed.
Ertural U, Kaçar M, Likos Z
… +2 more, Topaloğlu G, Cesur F
J Paediatr Child Health
· 2026 May · PMID 41820761
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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the contribution of home-prepared school lunches to daily energy intake and their potential influence on obesity risk among primary school children. METHODS: A total of 399 stud...OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the contribution of home-prepared school lunches to daily energy intake and their potential influence on obesity risk among primary school children. METHODS: A total of 399 students (200 girls, 199 boys) aged 6-10 years (mean age 7.73 ± 1.2 years) from three primary schools in Arsin, Trabzon, were included. Researchers documented the contents of students' lunchboxes through photographs and administered a 'Nutrition Habits Data Collection Form' along with the KIDMED index. Anthropometric measurements were obtained. Nutrient intake and body mass index (BMI) were calculated using the CeviCal nutrient analysis programme. Statistical analyses involved ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests, with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Children with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet exhibited significantly greater height (p < 0.05). Regular consumption of home-prepared lunches was associated with lower body weight and BMI (p < 0.05), whereas irregular lunchbox habits correlated with higher BMI despite taller stature. Overall, 4% of participants were classified as obese based on BMI percentiles, while 10.3% were obese according to weight classification. Notably, no first-grade students were obese, whereas 10.6% of fourth-grade students fell into the obese category (p < 0.05). Additionally, adequate hydration was positively associated with height. CONCLUSION: Regular consumption of home-prepared school meals is associated with lower BMI values and a lower likelihood of obesity among primary school children. Promoting healthy dietary habits and adherence to high-quality nutrition at school may be a potential public health strategy associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity.