Background: There is increasing interest in identifying adolescents with depression in primary care settings by paediatricians in India. This article studied the diagnostic accuracy, reliability and validity of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) while used by paediatricians in a primary care setting in India. Methods: 181 adolescents attending 3 schools were administered a back translated Tamil version of BDI by a paediatrician to evaluate its psychometric properties along with Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R) for convergent validity. Clinical diagnosis of depressive disorders, for reference standard, was based on ICD-10 interview by an independent psychiatrist who also administered the Impact of Event Scale (IES) for divergent validity. Appropriate analyses for validity and diagnostic accuracy both at the item and scale levels were conducted. Results: A cut-off score of ≥ 5 (Sn = 90.9%, Sp = 17.6 %) for screening and cut-off score of ≥ 22 (Sn = 27.3%, Sp = 90%) for diagnostic utility is suggested. The 4 week test – retest reliability was good (r = 0.82). In addition to the adequate face and content validity, BDI has very good internal consistency (α = 0.96), high convergent validity with CDRS-R (r = 0.72; P = 0.001), and high discriminant validity with IES (r = 0.26; P = 0.23). There was a moderate concordance rate with the reference standard (54.5%) in identifying depression among the adolescents. Factor analysis replicated the 2-factor structure explaining 30.5 % of variance. Conclusion: The BDI proved to be a psychometrically sound measure for use by paediatricians in a primary care setting in India. The possibility of screening for depressive disorders through the use of BDI may be helpful in identifying probable cases of the disorder among adolescents.

Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Diagnosis is established in presence of genetic mutation or positive family history in one of the siblings. Common genetic mutations associated with FHL are mutations in gene PRF-1 (also known as FHL 2), UNC13D (FHL 3) and STX11 (FHL 4). Recently mutation in STXBP2 encoding syntaxin binding protein 2 (Munc 18 -2) has been found to be associated with FHL type 5. Here we describe the first reported Indian patient with homozygous mutation in STX BP2 gene (c1697 G>A resulting in amino acid change p.G566D) causing FHL 5.

Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infestation of the central nervous system which manifests commonly as acute onset focal seizures. We report a rare clinical presentation of neurocysticercosis in a 1-year-old infant who presented with involuntary movements. Involuntary movements are not a common manifestation. Young children are rarely affected by this disease. In endemic areas, when a child presents with seizures or unusual neurological features and the CT scan shows contrast enhancing lesions or cystic lesions neurocysticercosis should be considered however young the child may be.

Early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) through newborn screening (NBS) improves clinical outcomes, but in countries like India, delayed diagnosis increases morbidity, mortality, and likely underestimates infant deaths from CF. We performed a retrospective study at a single center in south India from 2017 to 2025 reviewing children diagnosed with CF before one year of age. Patient demographic, clinical, and genetic data were analyzed to characterize early clinical features and identify factors linked to mortality. Of 56 infants diagnosed with CF, 59% survived (median current age 55 months) while 41% died (median age of death 5 months). Key clinical indicators included sibling death with CF-like symptoms, rapid weight loss, and persistent respiratory or nutritional complications. Mortality risk under one year was significantly linked to hypoalbuminemia (OR 9.7), severe malnutrition (OR 4.4), severe anemia (hemoglobin < 7 g/dL) requiring blood transfusions (OR 3.0), and peripheral edema (OR 4.2). A triad of anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and edema was found to strongly predict death (OR 4.2). Integrating clinical checklists of these manifestations into primary healthcare may improve prompt referrals for earlier diagnosis and treatment. Continued education and advocacy for NBS are essential to reduce potentially preventable CF-related deaths in young children.