Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.9
3.3
Journals
Diagnostics
Special Issues
New Advances in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Diseases
share announcement

New Advances in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Diseases

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 807

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mariapina Cerulo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery Unit, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: pediatric; surgery; urology; robotics; laparoscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite submissions for this Special Issue, “New Advances in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Diseases”. This issue will highlight cutting-edge diagnostic science and translation that improve detection, characterization, and clinical decision-making across neonatology, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The scope includes novel biomarkers (molecular, proteomic, and metabolomic), genomic and multi-omics diagnostics, advanced imaging, AI and decision-support tools, point-of-care and wearable technologies, multiplex infectious disease testing, newborn screening improvements, rapid diagnostics for rare and genetic disorders, and implementation studies addressing equity, ethics, and cost-effectiveness. We welcome original research with clinical validation (including multicenter studies), systematic reviews, methodological papers, diagnostic protocols, technical notes, and high-quality case series that demonstrate innovation and translational impact. Submissions should emphasize diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility, reproducibility, and pathways to implementation in pediatric settings. Interdisciplinary work, computational science, laboratory medicine, and clinical pediatrics are especially encouraged. Authors should clearly state clinical implications and limitations to guide adoption in practice. Together, these contributions will provide new insights into advances in the diagnosis of pediatric diseases.

Dr. Mariapina Cerulo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pediatric diseases diagnostic
  • artificial intelligence-assisted diagnostics
  • non-invasive diagnostic methodologies
  • early detection and disease stratification in children
  • precision medicine approaches in pediatrics
  • diagnostic biomarkers for pediatric disorders

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Other

16 pages, 986 KB  
Systematic Review
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Diagnostic Test Accuracy of Hepatorenal Index in Pediatric Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
by Ratna Sutanto, Aristya Dewi Pratiwi, Callistus Bruce Henfry Sulay and Gilbert Sterling Octavius
Diagnostics 2026, 16(5), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16050729 - 1 Mar 2026
Viewed by 583
Abstract
Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is increasingly prevalent in children. However, reliable noninvasive diagnostic tools remain limited. The hepatorenal index (HRI) has been proposed as a quantitative ultrasound method to assess hepatic [...] Read more.
Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is increasingly prevalent in children. However, reliable noninvasive diagnostic tools remain limited. The hepatorenal index (HRI) has been proposed as a quantitative ultrasound method to assess hepatic steatosis. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of HRI in detecting pediatric MASLD. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on 13 September 2025, following PRISMA-DTA guidelines, with the protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251146939). MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched. Studies that assessed HRI against reference standards (MRI-PDFF or liver biopsy) in pediatric MASLD were included. Pooled diagnostic parameters were estimated using a bivariate random-effects model, with heterogeneity evaluated by I2 statistics and publication bias by funnel plot asymmetry. Results: Four studies involving 194 pediatric patients (47.9% MASLD), mostly male (57.7%), met the inclusion criteria. The suggested HRI cut-off varies from ≥1.215 to 1.99. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 90% (95% CI 70–97) and 84% (95% CI 73–92), respectively, with an AUC of 0.91 (95% CI 0.88–0.93). Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 6 and 0.12, corresponding to post-test probabilities of 32% and 1%, respectively. No significant publication bias or heterogeneity was detected. Conclusions: Although HRI demonstrates strong diagnostic performance, it currently lacks sufficient discriminatory power to definitively confirm or exclude MASLD in pediatric populations and should therefore be regarded as a supportive rather than definitive diagnostic tool pending further high-quality validation studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in the Diagnosis of Pediatric Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop