Observational evidence suggests that increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake has the potential to improve children’s cognitive function and mental well-being(1,2), but this has not yet been empirically tested in intervention research. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a multi-component FV intervention, informed by behaviour change science, which measures mental and cognitive health outcomes in children. The ‘Feel Good Study’ was a cluster-randomised wait-list controlled feasibility study conducted in four New Zealand primary schools, with equal allocation of schools to intervention and wait-list control arms. The intervention group received a 10-week FV intervention which included a programme informed by behavioural theory. designed to improve FV availability and acceptance. The wait-list control group received a simplified 5-week version of the intervention. Dietary, cognitive, and mental health outcomes were completed by children and parents/caregivers at the start and end of the 10-week study period. Primary outcomes of this feasibility study were recruitment, retention, and data collection rates. Process evaluation captured measures of intervention fidelity and dose, acceptability, reach, and barriers or facilitators to implementation. Seventy children were recruited (79% recruitment rate), with an average retention rate of 89%. Diet, cognitive, and mental health data collection procedures were feasible, with all data valid for analysis except for 6% of children’s dietary questionnaires. All intervention components were delivered (100% dose delivered), with high levels of fidelity (82% - 100% of components implemented as planned). All teachers and parents strongly agreed that they would recommend other schools/families to take part in the study, indicating high levels of acceptability. The process evaluation revealed areas for refinement, including more cohesive connections between school- and home-based intervention components, enhancing or adding new intervention components, and simplifying enrolment procedures with extended recruitment periods. The key feasibility and acceptance measures in the Feel Good Study were met. We recommend refining the intervention and progression to a definitive trial. This will allow for the first evaluation of the impact of increased FV intake on children’s mental health and cognitive function.

We assessed the prevalence of probable depression and anxiety among young people in Ghana to inform evidence-based responses to youth mental health needs. This subnational high-risk population survey was conducted among 602 young people (YP) aged 13–24 years across three ecological zones of Ghana. Screening was done using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) tools. Demographic, social and economic indicators were assessed. Logistic regression was used to generate adjusted relative risk (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). There was evidence of probable depression and anxiety among participants surveyed. In total, 8.6% (95% CI, 6.5–11.2) of the participants met criteria for probable depression, 5.9% (95% CI, 4.2–8.2) for probable anxiety and 2.8% (95% CI, 1.6–4.5) for comorbid depression and anxiety (cDA). Correlates of cDA included living in a household enrolled in two or more social protection programs (aRR: 3.70; 95% CI, [1.00–13.66]; anxiety: 3.63 [1.57, 8.4]; depression:1.93 [1.00, 3.71]) and being currently in school (aRR: 2.82; 95% CI, 0.78–10.10). The burden of probable depression or anxiety evidenced in this study underscores the need to integrate mental health promotion and screening into existing social protection schemes and school-based interventions to enhance early detection and support for youth mental health in Ghana and similar LMIC settings.

Pulmonary artery sling is a rare congenital anomaly in which the left pulmonary artery arises anomalously from the right pulmonary artery. With rigorous pre-operative assessment, we successfully repaired isolated pulmonary artery sling using left thoracotomy in a highly selected group of children. In this modern series, we have achieved satisfactory surgical outcomes without using cardiopulmonary bypass support.

Morphological awareness, i.e., the ability to consciously manipulate roots (e.g., HEALTH) and affixes (e.g., -Y as in HEALTHY), is a key skill for literacy development. While its role is well documented from Grade 3 onward, its early contribution to reading and spelling acquisition remains unclear, especially in French. This study investigates whether morphological awareness predicts early reading and spelling, particularly for derived and inconsistent words, from Grade 1. We used an accelerated longitudinal design with two cohorts of French-speaking children (N = 291): one from Grade 1 to 2 and the other from Grade 2 to 3. An autoregressive structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the predictive role of morphological awareness on later literacy outcomes, controlling for phonological skills, vocabulary, and non-verbal reasoning. Morphological awareness significantly predicted general reading and spelling abilities, and specifically the spelling of derived words, but not their reading. These effects were stronger in the younger cohort (Grade 1 to 2) due to the lesser effect of the autoregressive path. Morphological awareness plays a unique role in early literacy, particularly in spelling morphologically complex words. Findings are discussed in light of French orthographic consistency and current models of literacy acquisition.

Discrimination of vowel and consonant pairs is influenced by their order, known as perceptual asymmetry, and recent research suggests a similar effect for lexical tones. This study tested whether discrimination of two consecutive tones is easier when a dynamic contour tone (e.g., rising/falling) precedes a static-level tone (e.g., low/high) than vice versa. Thai-speaking children aged 4, 6, and 8 years and adults completed an AX task with four tone pairs in dynamic–static and static–dynamic orders. Adults showed no perceptual asymmetry, possibly due to ceiling effects. However, children in all three age groups discriminated dynamic–static pairs better than static–dynamic pairs. Although tone discrimination improved across age groups, the magnitude of the dynamic–static over static–dynamic advantage remained stable. These findings reveal a dynamic–static bias in tone perception that emerges before age four and remains stable into the school years. Implications for segmental asymmetries and theories of speech perception are discussed.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a major driver of paediatric antibiotic prescriptions. We assessed the impact of oral and topical antibiotics on middle ear, nasopharyngeal, and gut microbiome compositions, and the gut resistome, in children with AOM and ear discharge (AOMd). Fifty-eight children with AOMd and ear pain and/or fever were randomized to oral amoxicillin suspension (n = 31) or hydrocortisone-bacitracin-colistin eardrops (n = 27) for 7 days. From 57 out of 58 children, baseline, and Week-2 middle ear fluid (MEF) and nasopharyngeal (NP) samples were sequenced, along with baseline, Week-2, and Month-3 faecal samples. At baseline, the top 5 MEF genera were Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Turicella, Staphylococcus and Alloiococcus and NP genera Moraxella, Haemophilus, Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, and Dolosigranulum. At Week-2, the ear discharge had resolved in all but four children (oral n = 3, eardrops n = 1). In NP samples, the relative and absolute abundances of Streptococcus decreased to a greater extent after oral than eardrop treatment, but Moraxella and Haemophilus increased only following oral treatment. Neither treatment significantly altered the faecal microbiome or resistome at Week-2 and Month-3. Therefore, both treatments resolved the middle ear discharge in most children, but oral amoxicillin suspension may reduce NP Streptococcus more than hydrocortisone-bacitracin-colistin eardrops at the cost of potentially increasing other NP pathobionts.

Accurately assessing dietary intake in children and adolescents is essential for understanding dietary patterns and informing public health strategies. In Latin America, rapid nutrition transitions and increasing childhood obesity highlight the need for culturally appropriate, validated dietary assessment tools (DATs). However, methodological challenges and limited regional data hinder effective dietary surveillance. This scoping review identified and characterised DATs used among children and adolescents (5–18 years) in Latin America, examining tool types, features, validation and regional coverage. Following Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, comprehensive searches were conducted in EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and LILACS (April 2024) in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Eligible studies included original research developing, validating, or applying DATs in Latin American populations. Of 13,946 records screened, 105 reports met the inclusion criteria. Brazil and Mexico contributed the most studies, while six countries (Paraguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and Belize) had none. Forty-three DATs were identified, 77% of which were food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). Half targeted adolescents, 39% children, and 11% both groups. Most were interviewer-administered (58%) and applied in person (49%), with only 19% conducted online, reflecting regional digital limitations. Validation was reported for 70% of tools, primarily against 24 HR. The DAT landscape in Latin America remains dominated by FFQs and traditional administration methods, with limited use of digital platforms. Developing age-appropriate, validated and culturally adapted digital DATs is essential to strengthen dietary surveillance and guide effective nutrition policies across the region.

Balloon-expandable Edwards SAPIEN 3 (23 mm) and MyVal OCTACOR (21.5 mm) valves were tested in 3D-printed silicone tubes using a low-pressure, water-perfused simulator with ultrasound and video monitoring. Balloons were inflated in 2 mm increments from 18 to 30 mm. Both valves were easily inflated from 18 to 24 mm with 2–3 atm inflation pressures and required 5.5 atm and 7 atm, respectively, to reach an inner diameter of 26 mm at the outflow level for the SAPIEN 3 and OCTACOR valves. Further expansion was not achievable. At 18 mm, leaflet opening was mildly asymmetric, but laminar flow was preserved. Circular geometry improved at 20 mm and normalised at 22 mm for both valves. At 24 mm, SAPIEN 3 showed trivial regurgitation, while OCTACOR exhibited a central coaptation defect with mild-to-moderate regurgitation. At 26 mm, SAPIEN 3 leaflets were maximally stretched yet functional with central regurgitation, whereas OCTACOR failed with leaflet tears at the frame attachment. These results indicate both valves can be implanted at small diameters and stepwise dilated to nominal size, tolerating overexpansion up to 3 mm for SAPIEN 3 (+13% overexpansion) and 4.5 mm for OCTACOR (+20.9% overexpansion) at outflow level, with SAPIEN 3 remaining functional and OCTACOR requiring valve-in-valve replacement. Pending clinical validation, this versatility could support their use for infant mitral and pulmonary replacements as alternatives to the Melody valve; though, under- or overexpansion should be reserved for clinically essential situations.

The study investigates the potential role that films may play in raising awareness and motivation to act for climate change mitigation. The study was conducted amongst middle school children based in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, India (n = 135). The selected students were classified into higher and lower exposure groups based on their level of exposure to climate vulnerabilities. All the participants were given an educational intervention through a short film designed to enhance the student’s understanding of climate change issues. Data were analysed using GLMM with fixed effects of time, exposure and their interaction. Knowledge increased significantly from pre- to post-test on all items (McNemar’s tests, all p < 0.001). Although both groups improved, gains were consistently larger in the high-exposure group. Model-predicted probabilities rose from 38.1%→52.5% in the lower-exposure group and from 33.1%→69.3% in the high-exposure group, a statistically significant 21.8 percentage-point greater gain for high-exposure students. The study demonstrates that film-based interventions have significantly improved climate knowledge among the middle-school students, with larger gains observed in those with higher lived exposure to climate vulnerabilities.