Bubble Wrap PLUS – March 2026

Can’t get enough of Bubble Wrap? The Bubble Wrap Plus is a monthly paediatric Journal Club reading list from Professor Jaan Toelen (University Hospitals Leuven) and Dr Anke Raaijmakers (Sydney Children’s Hospital). 

This comprehensive list is developed from 34 journals, including major and subspecialty paediatric journals. We suggest this list can help you discover relevant or interesting articles for your local journal club or keep a finger on the pulse of paediatric research.

In a double-blind, randomised trial published in the Archives this month, investigators described how we could potentially treat childhood pneumonia better. They suggest adding dexamethasone to the treatment plan of children with severe community-acquired pneumonia. The results were evident: by 72 hours, only a quarter of those on dexamethasone showed treatment failure, compared to more than half in the placebo group. The message is clear: adding dexamethasone helps these children recover faster without added risk. However, the study was done in a centre in India, and the death rate was ‘low’ at 3% (!). If this approach is applicable to the Western medicine population, it remains uncertain and warrants further exploration.

Celebrities on social media reach many young people. This month, Paediatrics published a study investigating how celebrities who own alcohol brands might influence children by exposing them to age-inappropriate content. By sharing branded content, celebrities may not only fail to disclose these promotions properly but also risk exposing young audiences to alcohol marketing. This research examined how often celebrities promoted their own alcohol brands on Instagram, whether they included sponsorship disclosures, and if the posts were accessible to underage users. Shockingly, among 112 celebrities, one-third mentioned their brand directly in their bio, and most had referenced their alcohol brand in at least one post. Although only 3.4% of total posts mentioned alcohol brands, almost none (<2%!) included a clear disclosure, and 98% of these posts were visible to adolescents. Banning social media for young audiences -as Australia is trying to do- could help, but stronger regulations on alcohol promotion across social media platforms should be a priority too.

Antibiotic prophylaxis might be one of the most debatable practices in medicine. Research does not often support it, yet clinicians still prescribe it daily. A study in Ped Nephrology this month found that a more selective, risk-based approach to managing antenatal hydronephrosis can safely reduce unnecessary testing and antibiotic use. By reserving antibiotic prophylaxis for infants with hydroureteronephrosis, the researchers significantly reduced interventions without increasing urinary tract infections. Over 10 years, their approach halved the number of voiding cystograms and nuclear medicine scans, shortened prophylaxis duration, and maintained low infection rates. This suggests that routine prophylaxis and imaging aren’t needed for most mild cases, but remain valuable for higher-risk infants, especially those with (a) dilated ureter(s).

You will find the list is broken down into four sections:

If we have missed out on something useful or you think other articles are absolutely worth sharing, please add them in the comments!