Study shows a need for vigilance when observing long COVID symptoms in younger children

Rutgers researchers say clinicians and caregivers may not recognize the symptoms because they are unfamiliar with it

Rutgers University

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Infants, toddlers and preschoolers exhibit symptoms of long COVID, but the symptoms can be different and more difficult to identify in these children, according to Rutgers Health research.   

The new study is part of the National Institutes of Health–funded Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. 

Lawrence Kleinman, a professor and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a professor of global public health at Rutgers School of Public Health, is the lead investigator for the Collaborative Long-term study of Outcomes of COVID-19 in Kids (CLOCK), a national consortium led by Rutgers.

“The COVID pandemic began with a myth – that children are spared its ill effects. In contrast, many children were sick with COVID, and we now have a new chronic illness emerging,” Kleinman said. “We are working hard to characterize long COVID in children and it will be critical for policymakers to assure that we have adequate resources to support and manage these children now and in the future.”

Of the total 1,011 children included in the study, 472 were infants and toddlers (children 2 years old or younger) and 539 were preschoolers (children 3 to 5 years old). Overall, 101 (15%) of the 677 children with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified as likely having long COVID. The symptoms of long COVID in these age groups differ from those reported among school age children and teens. Infants and toddlers with long COVID were more likely to experience difficulty sleeping, fussiness, poor appetite, stuffy nose and coughing while preschoolers were more likely to experience coughing and daytime tiredness and low energy.

Researchers said they can confirm that younger children can have long COVID. Clinicians and caregivers may not recognize long COVID in these children because they are unfamiliar with it. The authors explain too that the inability of younger children to describe how they feel may make identification of long COVID more difficult in this age group. For similar reasons it is important for pediatricians and family physicians to consider long COVID when children present with the symptoms described. The failure to diagnose long COVID quickly delays treatment and inhibits availability of supportive services to children with long COVID.

“This study is the largest systematic look at long COVID in younger children in the United States,” said Sunanda Gaur, a professor of pediatrics and director of the Adult and Pediatric Clinical Research Centers at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “It suggests that this is an illness that children, families, pediatricians and the health care and educational system will be dealing with for a generation.”

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About RECOVER: The National Institutes of Health Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (NIH RECOVER) Initiative is a $1.15 billion effort, which is supported in part through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It seeks to identify how people recuperate from COVID-19 and who is at risk for developing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Researchers also are working with patients, clinicians and communities across the United States to identify strategies to prevent and treat the long-term effects of COVID, including long COVID. For more information, please visit recovercovid.org.   

 

Long COVID Pediatric Awareness Week is July 21 to July 25, 2025, and is hosted by Long COVID Families.org.

 

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Journal

JAMA Pediatrics

DOI

10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.1066 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Characterizing Long COVID Symptoms During Early Childhood

Utah engineers develop novel material that efficiently removes ‘forever chemicals’

This metal-organic framework both fluoresces in the presence of certain PFAS chemicals and absorbs these environmental contaminants that are widely used in consumer products.

University of Utah

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image: 

Ling Zang, left, and Rana Dalapati, seated, modified another chemical-capturing molecule to increase its binding ability.

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Credit: University of Utah College of Engineering

University of Utah researchers have developed a material that addresses an urgent environmental challenges: the efficient removal and real-time detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a toxic and persistent member of the PFAS “forever chemicals” family, from contaminated water.

In an industry-funded study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Ling Zang, professor in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and his research team introduced a dual-functional metal-organic framework (MOF) known as UiO-66-N(CH₃)₃⁺, a zirconium-based material known for its thermal and chemical stability.

This new MOF demonstrates exceptional capabilities in both PFOA adsorption and fluorescence-based detection; the MOF literally lights up when it binds to the pollutant, making it easier to quantify the scale of the problem and the rate and efficiency of remediation. The MOF also exhibits excellent reusability, as tested through repeated adsorption–desorption cycles. After each adsorption, the material could be readily regenerated by simple washing.

“This MOF represents a major leap forward for PFAS remediation,” said Rana Dalapati, the study’s lead author and postdoctoral researcher in the Zang Research Group.  “Its ability to both selectively capture and sensitively detect PFOA in real time makes it a versatile and practical solution for water treatment and environmental monitoring.”

This work builds on past research from the Zang lab that created a porous material that fluoresces in the presence of PFAS.

A prominent subset of this group of fluorine-based compounds, PFOA is a synthetic chemical with water and stain-resistant properties and has commonly been used in non-stick cookware, firefighting foam and other products. The material, which does not break down in the environment, has leached into groundwater, raising public health concerns.

Detecting and mitigating PFOA and other PFAS contamination has become a priority for many environmental quality agencies, and Zang’s breakthroughs could help.

UiO-66-N(CH₃)₃⁺ features fluorescent tags that turn on once PFOA is captured inside the MOF’s molecular cage.

Zang’s team constructed their MOF by modifying another widely studied metal-organic framework, known as UiO-66-NH₂, a material recognized for its high porosity and potential in water treatment applications. However, when applied to removal of PFOA, the adsorption capacity of UiO-66-NH₂ is limited due to weak binding interactions. To address this limitation, the researchers incorporated quaternary ammonium groups that enhance electrostatic interactions with PFOA, resulting in a 3.4-fold increase in adsorption capacity compared to the parent UiO-66-NH₂ framework. These cationic groups also work synergistically with the MOF’s metal-binding sites, achieving high selectivity and efficiency in contaminant capture.

The success of this approach underscores the power of post-synthetic modification in MOF design, opening the door to the development of next-generation multifunctional materials with tailored performance for specific environmental contaminants.

Key technological breakthroughs

• Record-High Adsorption Capacity
  UiO-66-N(CH₃)₃⁺ achieves a maximum PFOA adsorption capacity of 1178 mg/g, as determined by Langmuir isotherm modeling, far surpassing conventional sorbents such as activated carbon and unmodified MOFs. This sets a new benchmark for PFOA uptake in the field.
• Ultra-Fast Removal Performance
  Thanks to its highly porous, interconnected structure, the MOF removes nearly 100% of PFOA from 50 ppb aqueous solutions within 5 minutes. This sort of rapid treatment is crucial for real-world applications.
• High Selectivity and Salt Tolerance
  The MOF exhibits strong selectivity for PFOA even in the presence of other PFAS compounds, salts, and natural organic matter, ensuring reliable performance in complex environmental conditions.
• Robust Reusability
  The material maintains over 93% adsorption capacity after five regeneration cycles, making it both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.
• Integrated Fluorescent Sensing for Real-Time Monitoring
  Beyond removal, UiO-66-N(CH₃)₃⁺ functions as a highly sensitive “turn-on” fluorescent sensor for PFOA using an indicator displacement assay (IDA). This enables real-time, on-site quantification of PFOA concentrations, offering a user-friendly and rapid alternative to traditional lab-based techniques.

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The study, titled “Dual-Functional Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Removal and Fluorescent Detection of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) from Water,” was published July 15 in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. The research was funded by Gentex Corporation, a Michigan-based technology company on whose board Zang sits.

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Journal

Journal of Materials Chemistry C

DOI

10.1039/D5TC01765C 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Dual-Functional Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Removal and Fluorescent Detection of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) from Water

Article Publication Date

25-Jul-2025

COI Statement

Ling Zang has a significant financial interest in Gentex Corporation, which funded this research.

Exclusive: BYD to delay mass production at new Hungarian plant, make fewer EVs, sources say

CHINA'S BACKDOOR INTO EUROPE

Reuters
Tue, July 22, 2025 at 

(Reuters) -China's BYD (1211.HK, BYDDF, BYDDY) will delay mass production at its new electric vehicle factory in Hungary until 2026 and will run the plant at below capacity for at least the first two years, two sources familiar with the matter said.

At the same time, China's No. 1 automaker will start making cars earlier than expected at a new plant in Turkey where labour costs are lower, and will vastly exceed its announced production plans, one of the sources said.

Shifting production away from Hungary in favour of Turkey would be a setback for the European Union, which has been hoping that its tariffs on EVs made in China would bring in Chinese investments and well-paid manufacturing jobs.

BYD's 4 billion euro ($4.64 billion) plant in Szeged, in southern Hungary, will start mass production in 2026 but only make a few tens of thousands of vehicles over the whole year, the sources said.

That would be a fraction of the plant's initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles BYD. It should eventually have a maximum capacity of 300,000 cars per year.

A third source confirmed the slower 2026 start-up.

BYD has said it will launch operations at Szeged in October, but has not said publicly when mass production will start. Production at Szeged is due to increase in 2027, but will still be below planned capacity, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the automaker's $1 billion plant in Turkey, which had been slated to start production at the end of 2026 with an annual capacity of 150,000 cars, will make more cars than the Hungarian plant next year, one of the sources said.

Production at the plant in Manisa, western Turkey, will far exceed 150,000 cars in 2027 and BYD will greatly increase output again in 2028, the source added.

BYD did not respond to requests for comment.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss BYD's production plans publicly.

BYD is building the plant in Hungary to sell cars in Europe tariff free. All the cars it currently sells in Europe are made in China, and subject to EU anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese-made EV imports on top of the standard 10% duty. In BYD's case, the total tariff is 27%.

Many of the cars made at the new plant in Turkey will also be destined for Europe and face no tariffs when exported to the European Union.

A shift toward cheaper production in Turkey would highlight the challenge for Chinese carmakers that want to build cars in Europe to avoid punitive tariffs, but balk at the region's higher wages and energy costs.

Under right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary, which will be the headquarters for BYD's European operations, has become an important trade and investment partner for China.

Turkey has long served as a low-cost manufacturing hub for major automakers including Toyota, Stellantis, Ford, Hyundai and Renault.

In March, the Turkish government said China's Chery will invest $1 billion in a plant with an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles.
Soaring demand

BYD is expanding rapidly outside its home market China, where it faces a vicious price war. Reuters reported last month BYD has slowed its expansion in China by reducing shifts at some factories and delaying adding new production lines.

The change in production plans comes as BYD overhauls its European operations following strategic missteps that included failing to sign up enough dealers and hire executives with local-market knowledge, and offering hybrids in markets resistant to fully-electric cars.

Demand for BYD's EVs, which are cheaper than European rivals' models, is soaring in the region.

S&P Global Mobility has estimated the No.1 Chinese automaker will sell 186,000 vehicles in Europe this year, up from 83,000 units in 2024, and expects sales to double again to just under 400,000 units by 2029.

BYD has begun ramping up operations at its plant in Brazil, but has also been sued by Brazilian prosecutors over alleged labour abuses involving Chinese contractors hired to build the complex.

In Hungary, the automaker had planned to install production line machinery by September at the Szeged plant, first announced in 2023, the two sources said.

A worker polishes the surface of a BYD car during the Shanghai auto show on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) · ASSOCIATED PRESS

But in recent months it has delayed tooling of the production line, which is being built in one of its manufacturing hubs in China, the sources added.

BYD's plans for Szeged may change. Over the last year, executives have mentioned the possibility of making a number of different models at the plant, including the Atto 2, Atto 3 and Dolphin.


One source told Reuters BYD will make the popular Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs as well as its upcoming low-cost Seagull model there, while another source said it would make the Atto 2, Atto 3 and Dolphin.

In Turkey, one source said BYD will make the fully-electric Seal U SUV, the Sealion 5 - though it was unclear whether it would be the fully-electric or plug-in hybrid version - plus two plug-in hybrid models, the Seal U Dmi and Seal 06 Dm-i.

($1 = 0.8627 euros)

(Reporting By Reuters Staff; Writing by Nick Carey;Editing by Josephine Mason and Susan Fenton)

White House trots out Tulsi Gabbard to push narrative Obama led Russian interference claims and ‘coup’ against Trump

John Bowden
Wed, July 23, 2025 

THE INDEPENDENT

White House trots out Tulsi Gabbard to push narrative Obama led Russian interference claims and ‘coup’ against Trump

Donald Trump’s intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard took over the White House briefing room Wednesday to continue pressing her narrative about a “coup” supposedly launched by Barack Obama.

The latest conspiracy has been pressed by both Gabbard and President Donald Trump since the weekend as the administration returns to the “Russiagate” investigation as an apparent diversion while Trump is facing uproar from his base over his administration’s efforts to tamp down on speculation surrounding the death and crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile.

In early July, the Department of Justice and FBI declared in a joint statement that no “client list” detailing Epstein’s co-conspirators could be found within the DOJ’s files; the statement also reiterated the agencies’ conclusion that Epstein died by suicide in 2019.

On Wednesday, the president’s weeks-long effort to find a distraction to turn his base’s focus from that statement resulted in the director of the U.S. intelligence community declaring behind the White House podium that former President Obama ordered intelligence assessments to be doctored to include the assertion that Russia was working directly to elect Trump.

Gabbard called the investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign a years-long “coup” orchestrated by the former president, something that Obama dismissively rejected in a rare statement this week condemning the Trump administration’s latest claims.

“There is irrefutable evidence that detailed how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,” Gabbard told reporters.

“They manufactured findings from shoddy sources, they suppressed evidence and credible intelligence that disproved their false claims. They disobeyed traditional trade craft intelligence community standards, and withheld the truth from the American people,” she said.

“In doing so, they conspired to subvert the will of the American people,” she continued, later asserting that the supposedly serious changes to ODNI assessments (which in reality do not show a difference in conclusion) amounted to “a years long coup against the incoming president United States, Donald Trump.”

Gabbard’s report, released last week, closely followed an article from the Wall Street Journal purporting to contain a note from Trump to Epstein as part of the latter’s 50th birthday celebration in 2003.

The note, framed as an imagined dialogue between the two men, alludes to a shared “secret” between the two. The U.S. president strongly denied the note’s authenticity and swiftly filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the WSJ, it’s parent company News Corp and founder Rupert Murdoch, among others.

With the Jeffrey Epstein saga consuming more and more of the media atmosphere every day, the White House turned late last week to Barack Obama and the FBI investigation into his first campaign for the presidency as Trump’s aides seek to move the news cycle along.

The memo authored by Gabbard last week, which she summarized on Tuesday, accuses the Obama administration of lying to the American public about Russia’s supposed interest in seeing Trump elected. In reality, straight-news coverage of the 2016 election largely centered around the reality, verified by both the FBI’s special counsel investigation headed up by Robert Mueller and a bipartisan probe conducted by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Russian-backed hackers struck the servers of the Democratic National Committee in 2016, then published those materials online in an effort to damage the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. Russian influence campaigns on social media spanned a wide range of efforts including backing Trump, opposing Clinton, and disseminating misinformation.

Gabbard’s memo also mischaracterized the general assessment of the American intelligence community in 2016: that Russian intelligence agents had not attemped to directly influence vote totals through the hacking of election infrastructure, a finding which her office seemed to conflate with an absence of any Russian influence efforts altogether.

Former President Barack Obama has released a rare statement on 'Russia-gate' after President Donald Trump accused him of committing 'treason.' (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the director of national intelligence backed away from that conflation entirely.

She and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that it was the Trump administration’s view that Russian actors had interfered in the 2016 election through the use of social media botnets and other means to sow “distrust and chaos”, but without any clear goal or motive.

There was no explanation to what end Russia was supposedly sowing “distrust and chaos”, by hacking the servers of one major political party and not the other, if not with the aim of benefiting the party not forced to explain damaging internal emails which fueled accusations from Clinton’s critics in the party that the DNC establishment favored her.

Gabbard also dodged questions about what steps the Trump administration would take from here, or why the president and his allies had waited until statutes of limitations had likely expired on any criminal charges that could rise from the matter (were Trump’s allegations of misconduct actually true).

She referred questions about possible criminal charges to the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose own future in the administration is already on possibly shaky ground as the criticism of her declaration about the Epstein case continues to fester.

Neither she nor Leavitt could explain why the Senate Intelligence Committee (including now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio) did not find that the Obama administration had improperly changed any ODNI assessments in its report released in 2020.

Justice Department officials have been notably quiet amid the clamoring from the White House for retribution against Obama and top members of his administration, including Clinton, his director of national intelligence James Clapper, and FBI director James Comey. Bondi has announced no plans to launch a new investigation into the matter, and Gabbard herself can only refer evidence to the DOJ for review.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is leaving town early this week to dodge a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would force the administration to release the Epstein files, and Trump is increasingly swinging at longer and longer lists of his perceived foes as the pressure from his base ramps up and accusations of a cover-up grow louder.

In a now-deleted Truth Social post, Trump even bashed his supporters who support calls to investigate Epstein’s accomplices “weak” and claimed he didn’t need their support.

 

What Trump’s New Tax Law Means for Upper-Middle-Class Families in 2025

Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

Heather Altamirano

Wed, July 23, 2025 

President Trump signed his “One Big Beautiful Act” (OBBA) into law and Americans will see sweeping changes to their finances as a result. The final bill includes a senior bonus to help offset Social Security taxes, tax breaks for service industry employees, a bigger Child Tax Credit, but will also make Trump’s  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017  (TCJA) permanent and cut funding for Medicaid and Medicare, per the Center for American Progress.

While the bill has been touted as a way to offer financial relief to Americans, it doesn’t exactly give much help. “This thing is mostly smoke and mirrors for upper middle class families (that $117,000 to $150,000 range),” said finance expert Andrew Lokenauth with Be Fluent in Finance.  “You’re not getting hammered, but you’re not winning either.”

AS BASE ECONOMICS IN ADVANCED CAPITALI$M THIS WAGE RANGE IS STILL WORKING CLASS

Here’s what Trump’s new tax law really means for the upper-middle class, according to tax and finance experts.

Increased Standard Deduction

The standard deduction is rising to $15,000 for single filers, an increase of $400 and $30,000 for married couples, which is an increase of $800 per the IRS.

“This is a big win for families in this income bracket who don’t itemize deductions,” said Peter Diamond, a federally licensed tax, accounting, real estate and structure and certified bankability expert.

“Most upper middle class taxpayers don’t exceed the itemization threshold, especially with the SALT (state and local taxes) cap still in place. The increased standard deduction gives them a bigger automatic write-off, reducing taxable income and simplifying filing,” he explained.

However, according to Lokenauth, that change could cost some taxpayers more. “If you’re in that $120,000 to $150,000 income zone, especially with a mortgage, the loss of personal exemptions and caps on SALT means you’re probably paying more now than you did before 2018,” he added.

Check Out: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes: Here’s How Long Experts Think It Could Take

Expanded Child Tax Credit

The Child Tax Credit was a big talking point for Trump and Vice President Vance. The credit boosted from $2,000 per qualifying child to $2,220 beginning in 2026, per CNBC. Parents must earn $200,000 a year or less or joint filers up to $400,000. 

“That means many families in the $117,000 to $150,000 range, who were previously phased out of this credit, now qualify again,” Diamond said. “For a family with two children, that’s up to $4,000 in tax credits, which directly reduces the tax bill dollar-for-dollar.”

However, the new revisions are not as good as they seem, Lokenauth said.

“We got the credit — but the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and phaseouts on other things like education credits basically neutralized any real benefit,” he explained. “The math got messier, not cleaner.”

SALT Deduction Cap Remains

While there are ways the upper middle class can get a small break, the State and Local Tax deduction cap will not offer relief, according to Diamond.

“The $10,000 cap remains, which hits high-tax states hard,” he said. “Families in this income range often pay well over $10,000 in combined property and state income taxes, but they can only deduct up to that cap. While some benefits elsewhere may offset this, it’s still a frustrating limitation for many.”

Mortgage Interest Deduction

Previously under the TCJA you could deduct mortgage interest up to $1 million in debt, but it’s now been reduced to $750,000.

“For a lot of upper middle class buyers in expensive housing markets (California, D.C. suburbs, New York burbs), this wipes out a big deduction you probably relied on,” Lokenauth explained.

“A friend who bought in Westchester with a $900K mortgage was shocked to learn that only a portion of his interest was deductible. He said it cost him over $3,000 in missed tax savings in his first year alone,” he added.

20% QBI Deduction Extended

The Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction — allowing up to a 20% deduction on pass-through business income — has been extended.

“This doesn’t help W-2 earners, but for anyone in this income range with a side business, real estate rentals or 1099 income, it’s a powerful tool. Structuring income the right way could significantly lower their taxable income,” Diamond said.

Having an upper middle class income sounds great on paper, but it’s not the comfortable salary needed to live after taxes and cost of living.

“If you’re making around $125,000, you’re probably seeing some benefit from the current system — lower marginal rates, bigger standard deduction — but you’re also losing more in deductions. Especially if you own a home or pay a lot in local taxes,” Lokenauth said.

However, knowing the tax codes is beneficial and can work to your advantage, Diamond explained. 

“The truth is, wage earners will always pay the most in taxes, while asset owners often pay the least. That’s how the system is designed — but when you understand the code, you can use it to your advantage instead of being crushed by it,” he added.

Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Trump’s New Tax Law Means for Upper-Middle-Class Families in 2025