Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics

Original article

Hepcidin and other obesity-related factors affecting BNT162b2 response in children and adolescents over a 6-month period

Anthie Damianaki, Antonios Marmarinos, Margaritis Avgeris, Dimitrios Gourgiotis, Elpis-Athina Vlachopapadopoulou, Marietta Charakida, Maria Tsolia, Lydia Kossiva

Background: Obesity causes chronic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation of the immune response and increases an individual's susceptibility to severe infection.
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an increased body mass index (BMI), obesity-associated biomarkers, and habitual factors on immune responses following BNT162b2 vaccination in a pediatric population over a 6-month period. Methods: In this prospective, single-center cohort study, the...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01298 [Accepted]

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Review Article

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

Veerabhadra Radhakrishna, Bharathi Balachander, Sanjana Hansoge Somanath, Hejmady Aneesh Shenoy, Srinivas Balachander

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare congenital anomaly whose management involves a complex interplay between medical and surgical treatments. Stabilization prior to surgery is vital. However, the optimal timing of surgical repair and its relationship with mortality remain unknown. Hence, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between repair timing and mortality in neonates with CDH. A systematic review...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01837 [Accepted]

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Atherogenic lipid profile changes and their cardiovascular consequences across degrees of obesity in children and adolescents: a structured narrative review

Ashraf Soliman, Fawzia Alyafei, Nada Alaaraj, Noor Hamed, Shayma Ahmed, Rasha Amin

Childhood and adolescent obesity is strongly associated with an atherogenic lipid profile and silent cardiovascular injury that begins early and evolves over time. In this structured review, we synthesized PubMed-indexed evidence from the past 25 years on lipid profile changes in children and adolescents with varying degrees of obesity— overweight, obesity, and severe obesity—and their cardiovascular consequences from childhood through young adulthood, as well as interventions that improve lipid...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01739 [Accepted]

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

Mohamad Shieb, Caroline Decesare, Guyu Li, Elizabeth Ristagno

Whether early antibiotic administration compromises microbiological tissue culture yield in children with suspected osteoarticular infection remains a common clinical concern, yet the underlying evidence has never been pooled. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the association between antibiotic pretreatment and tissue culture yield in pediatric osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. MEDLINE (PubMed) and Embase (Ovid) were searched from...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01634 [Accepted]

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Original Article

Effect of varicella vaccine introduction on chickenpox incidence in Kingdom of Bahrain

Afaf Mohammed, Hasan Isa, Malak Hasan, Maram Hasan, Ali Moosa, Janan Radhi, Basma Al Saffar, Adel Al Sayyad

Background: Chickenpox (varicella) is a highly contagious and self-limiting disease in children. However, complications and hospitalizations may occur. In Bahrain, the varicella vaccine was introduced into the routine childhood immunization schedule in May 2015. However, published data describing the epidemiological patterns of varicella postvaccine introduction are limited.
Purpose: This study aimed to estimate varicella vaccine effectiveness (VE); investigate changes in varicella incidence and seasonal variation; compare age groups, healthcare utilization,...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01326 [Accepted]

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Prenatal stress via chronic immobilization amplifies N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced spasm-like seizure susceptibility and neuroinflammation in neonatal rats

Hyeok Hee Kwon, Seungyeon Bin, Seung Gyu Choi, Hyo Jung Shin, Joon Won Kang

Background: Prolonged stress during pregnancy is associated with various neurodevelopmental abnormalities and an increased risk of neurological disorders. Although prenatal stress is implicated in altered brain development, its contribution to infant seizures remains unclear. Specifically, the effects of prolonged prenatal stress on seizure susceptibility and the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear.
Purpose: Infantile spasms, also known as West syndrome, are age-specific epileptic seizures. Most affected patients exhibit signs of...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01403 [Accepted]

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Review Article

Health literacy and emergency preparedness in pediatric tracheostomy and home ventilation: a practical review

Megan Pilcher, Weerapong Lilitwat

Children with tracheostomy and home ventilation are vulnerable to rapidly evolving airway and equipment emergencies after discharge. Health literacy in this setting is the functional capacity to access, understand, appraise, communicate, and apply child-specific information under stress. This narrative review synthesizes health-literacy literature, American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidance, caregiver education and simulation studies, outpatient emergency-knowledge studies, and health-system data to...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01802 [Accepted]

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Clinical note

First biallelic CASQ2 variant in a Korean child with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

Sang Hun Jung, Shin Hyeung Kwak, Gwang Jun Choi, Ja-Kyoung Yoon, Jin Young Song, I Seok Kang, June Huh

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2026.01158 [Accepted]

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Cited By 67	Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress among parents of neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Cited By 42	Metabolic complications of obesity in children and adolescents
Cited By 41	Community-acquired pneumonia in children: updated perspectives on its etiology, diagnosis, and treatment
Cited By 40	Global burden of asthma among children and adolescents with projections to 2050: a comprehensive review and forecasted modeling study
Cited By 36	Neonatal family-centered care: evidence and practice models

Accepted articles