General pediatrics, intensive care, sedation and analgesia, pediatric nephrology, and neuropediatrics are among the topics explored in the research conducted by IDOR’s pediatrics team in recent years. Among the most current projects is translational research into epigenetic alterations associated with child development. Three of the questions the scientists want to answer are: What changes can chronic stress during childhood cause in genes related to diseases in adulthood, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, and anxiety? Can these epigenetic changes be passed on from one generation to the next? Is there anything we can do to reverse the epigenetic changes caused by chronic stress?

To answer the first question, IDOR researchers follow groups of particularly vulnerable children, such as those who are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) and those who live in deprived and violent communities. The team collects blood samples from children at different stages of development to determine the occurrence of epigenetic alterations. The second question can be answered with a combination of interviews with parents – to collect their life history – and genetic analysis of samples from parents and babies. Regarding possible interventions, one alternative being tested is the kangaroo care method, where premature babies spend part of the day in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. The group is also researching the relationship between the occurrence of adverse events in childhood and the development of Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease in adulthood.

IDOR also conducts research in the area of sepsis, with special attention to its consequences for the central nervous system; socio-emotional development; health quality; and the consequences of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.