{"title":"Predictive Ability of Lung Ultrasound Score for Response to Surfactant Replacement Therapy in Preterm Neonates with Respiratory Distress Syndrome (PLUS-RDS Study).","authors":"Anup Thakur, Sachin Dangi, Madhuri Jhanwar, Vijay Kumar Krishnegowda, Rishabh Shukla, Neelam Kler, Pankaj Garg","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00387-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-026-00387-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound score (LUS) for predicting response to surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) in preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective observational study conducted between August 2023 and July 2024 enrolled consecutive neonates ≤ 34 weeks gestational age with RDS. All neonates underwent lung ultrasound following admission and prior to extubation. The LUS was compared against target condition/s (response to SRT, surfactant retreatment and extubation failure). Diagnostic accuracy measures including receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curves were estimated.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>Of 126 eligible neonates, 90 neonates were enrolled. The median (q1, q3) gestational age and birth weight of the neonates were 31.2 (29.4, 32.6) weeks and 1397 (1110, 1854) g, respectively. Surfactant was administered to 65 (72.2%) neonates, and 14 (15.6%) of these required additional doses. For predicting response to surfactant therapy (n = 65, at LUS threshold 12), AUC was 0.721 (95% CI 0.572-0.870), sensitivity 64.7% (95% CI 38.3-85.8%) and specificity 72.9% (95% CI 58.1-84.7%). For predicting extubation failure (n = 64, at LUS threshold 4), AUC was 0.785 (95% CI 0.645 - 0.924), sensitivity 71.4% (95% CI 56.7 - 83.4%) and specificity 80.0% (95% CI 51.9 - 95.7%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>LUS showed moderate sensitivity and specificity for predicting response to SRT and extubation failure in preterm neonates with RDS.</p><p><strong>Trial registry: </strong>Clinical Trial Registry-India; CTRI/2023/07/055318.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148470310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence and Associated Social Factors of Prediabetes in Children and Adolescents in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Momin Sayed Kashif, Hrishikesh Khadilkar, Vijay Domple, Satish Wadde, Kalyani Deshmukh, Chanchal Goyal, Jogender Kumar, Aravind P Gandhi","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00392-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00392-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Prediabetes is a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that are below the threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes. It is also an early indicator of long-term complications.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of prediabetes and identify associated social factors among children and adolescents in India.</p><p><strong>Evidence acquisition: </strong>Observational studies published between 2008 and 2024 were included following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for studies involving Indian participants aged 6-19 years. Eligibility screening was performed in two stages by independent reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools. A random-effects model was used to compute the pooled prevalence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen studies (n = 48,454) were included. The pooled prevalence of prediabetes was 10% (95% CI 5-17%) with high heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup> = 99.2%). The prevalence was higher in older adolescents (15-19 y: 23% vs. 10-14 y: 11%) and females (9% vs. males: 6%). Key social correlates included urban high socioeconomic status (linked to sedentary lifestyle and overnutrition), rural low socioeconomic status (linked to undernutrition and healthcare barriers), family history of diabetes, high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, and physical inactivity. The prediction intervals (0-41%) indicated wide regional variability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Prediabetes affects one in ten Indian youth, with the risk shaped by age, sex, and modifiable social determinants. Tailored public health interventions focusing on lifestyle modifications and early screening are critical to prevent progression to type 2 diabetes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148368326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00266-y
Mohamed Muneer Varikkottil, Zubair Ahmad Bhat, Femitha Pournami, Jyothi Prabhakar, Ajai Kumar Prithvi, Arif Abdulsalam Kolisambeevi, Naveen Jain
{"title":"Amino Acid Levels of Preterm Infants on Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Mohamed Muneer Varikkottil, Zubair Ahmad Bhat, Femitha Pournami, Jyothi Prabhakar, Ajai Kumar Prithvi, Arif Abdulsalam Kolisambeevi, Naveen Jain","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00266-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00266-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the serum amino acid (AA) levels among preterm infants receiving parenteral and enteral nutrition.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included very preterm neonates (≤ 32 weeks) and healthy term breastfed neonates as reference group between December 2022 and June 2024. Parenteral nutrition (PN) was commenced on day 1 of life for preterm neonates delivered at ≤ 30 weeks gestation. Neonates delivered at 31-32 weeks gestation did not receive PN. Standard feed regimens were followed for enteral nutrition with \"early\" commencement of human milk fortifier (HMF). AA levels were estimated by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry after at least one week of full enteral nutrition for 31-32 weeks group, or parenteral followed by full enteral nutrition for ≤ 30 weeks group. AA levels in preterm infants were considered inadequate if found to be below the lowest level of corresponding AA levels in healthy term breastfed babies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 84 preterm neonates delivered at ≤ 30 weeks gestation, 56 preemies at 31-32 weeks gestation, and 100 term neonates were studied. Compared to term neonates, preterm infants ≤ 30 weeks on PN and EN had inadequate levels of phenylalanine, methionine, histidine, valine, glycine, glutamine, arginine, alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid. Deficiencies were noted in > 10% of this group for phenylalanine, methionine, histidine and glycine; in 5-10% for valine, leucine/isoleucine, glutamine, alanine, glutamic acid; and in < 5% for tyrosine, arginine, serine, and aspartic acid.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite use of parenteral and enteral nutrition protocols based on current science, preterm (≤ 30 weeks) infants had amino acid levels significantly lesser than in term healthy breastfed neonates.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"480-487"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145959323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-04-01DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00320-9
Wrik Laha, Choudri Muzafar Paswal, Swasthi Kabi Satpathy, Neeraj Gupta, Vibhor Tak
{"title":"Outbreak of Gastrointestinal Sepsis Associated with Bacillus cereus-Contaminated Human Milk Fortifier in Preterm Neonates.","authors":"Wrik Laha, Choudri Muzafar Paswal, Swasthi Kabi Satpathy, Neeraj Gupta, Vibhor Tak","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00320-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00320-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report a cluster of acute gastrointestinal illness in seven preterm neonates temporally associated with a single batch of powdered human milk fortifier (HMF). Symptoms developed within 3-4 h of ingestion and included profuse diarrhea, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and shock. Blood and stool cultures were sterile. Microbiological analysis of unopened HMF sachets revealed contamination with Bacillus cereus and other spore-forming organisms. Withdrawal of the implicated batch and reinforcement of infection-control measures resulted in no further cases. This outbreak highlights the risk of pathogenic contamination of powdered HMF in neonatal intensive care units.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"513-516"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147591793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-04-16DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00342-3
Sanjeev Khera, Ajay Shankar Prasad, Rajan Kapoor
{"title":"Liver Fibrosis Screening in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors by Transient Elastography: A Case-Control Study.","authors":"Sanjeev Khera, Ajay Shankar Prasad, Rajan Kapoor","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00342-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00342-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Clinical and biochemical screening is recommended to monitor hepatobiliary late-effects in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors (cALLs). Transient elastography (TE) noninvasively evaluates liver fibrosis by measuring liver stiffness (LSM) with good sensitivity. We screened cALLs for high-LSM using TE, comparing them to controls and evaluated risk factors for high-LSM.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This case-control study included cALLs who were under 18 years at diagnosis, had completed therapy between 2016 and 2023, and were at least 6-months post-completion of therapy. This study also included 50 age- and sex-matched controls. TE (Fibroscan®) was used for LSM, with cutoff ≥ 5.1 kPa for high-LSM indicating fibrosis, and for controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), with cutoff > 248 dB/m for steatosis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-eight cALLs with mean (SD) age of 136.58 (58) months at enrollment were analyzed after mean (SD) duration of 27 (8) months post-completion of therapy. High-LSM was observed in 22/58 (37.9%) of cases. The number of children with high-LSM in cALLs (22/58) compared to control group (8/50) was significantly higher (P = 0.011). In univariate analysis, age at diagnosis ≥ 5 years, bilirubin > 1 mg/dl, and alanine transaminase (ALT) ≥ 40 U/L, while in multivariate analysis ALT ≥ 40 U/L, were found to be associated with high-LSM. Mean (SD) CAP measurement in cALLs was 192 (56) dB/m. Steatosis was seen in 11/58 (18.9%) cases. CAP had a positive correlation with serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels, and a negative correlation with adiponectin levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We report a high prevalence of high-LSM (≥ 5.1 kPa) among cALLs, which indicates liver fibrosis. ALT ≥ 40 U/L was a significant predictor of hepatic fibrosis in cALLs. TE is a useful tool for evaluating hepatobiliary late-effects in cALLS.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"468-473"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147698683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00360-1
Prasad Iyer
{"title":"Transient Elastography in Survivorship Care of Childhood ALL: Promise, but not yet a Practice Standard.","authors":"Prasad Iyer","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00360-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00360-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"464-465"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147981722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-03-31DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00312-9
Dhvani Raithatha, Anurag Bajpai, R Narayanan, Alapan Mahapatra, Vibha Yadav, Prachi Joshi, Alia Zehra, Arpita Bhriguvanshi
{"title":"Development and Validation of Obesity Interpreter: A Mobile Application-Based Tool for Children and Adolescents.","authors":"Dhvani Raithatha, Anurag Bajpai, R Narayanan, Alapan Mahapatra, Vibha Yadav, Prachi Joshi, Alia Zehra, Arpita Bhriguvanshi","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00312-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00312-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To develop and validate Obesity Interpreter, a mobile application tool to assist in assessing children with obesity and avoid unwarranted workup in physiological obesity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The Obesity Interpreter offers guidance on probable diagnoses and workup based on clinical inputs. The validation involved comparing the guidance from the Obesity Interpreter, a pediatric endocrinologist, a pediatrician, and a trainee on the final diagnosis (gold standard) in 400 children and adolescents with obesity concerns (270 constitutional, 23 genetic/syndromic, 11 drug-induced, 13 endocrine, 83 normal or overweight).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The concordance scores were higher for the endocrinologist (92.1%) and the Obesity Interpreter (99.5%) compared to the pediatrician (75.4%) and the trainee (56.6%). The workup guidance of the Obesity Interpreter aligned with the gold standard in 398 (99.5%) subjects (Cohen's kappa 0.989, 95% CI 0.971, 1.0). Diagnostic workup discrepancies were noted in 83 (20.8%) subjects by the pediatrician and in 162 (40.5%) subjects by the trainee. Utilizing the mobile application would have prevented 288/ 292 (98.6%) errors observed in the study with high agreement for classification recommendation (Cohen's kappa 0.990, 95% CI 0.975, 1.0).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Obesity Interpreter provided guidance aligned with the gold standard for evaluation of children with obesity.</p>","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"474-479"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147581153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Indian pediatricsPub Date : 2026-07-01DOI: 10.1007/s13312-026-00368-7
Tooba Qamar, Aashima Dabas
{"title":"Obesity Interpreter: A Digital Tool for Assessment of Childhood Obesity.","authors":"Tooba Qamar, Aashima Dabas","doi":"10.1007/s13312-026-00368-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13312-026-00368-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13291,"journal":{"name":"Indian pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"466-467"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147972162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}