Archive for Alice McCarthy
Zika study reveals how infection can cause microcephaly
Prenatal exposure to viruses capable of infecting the fetal brain, particularly in the first trimester, can cause a range of developmental defects in the baby. The Zika epidemic in Brazil during 2015-2016 posed an extreme case, causing hundreds of babies to be born with microcephaly, or an abnormally small head. Although cases have waned significantly, ... Read More about Zika study reveals how infection can cause microcephaly
Global services: Coordinating care for international families
In most years, more than 2,500 families living outside of the United States seek care at Boston Children’s Hospital. To help guide the process, the Global Services team — a group of medical and administrative professionals — manages all the details. Their mission is to help coordinate care between families, medical professionals in their home ... Read More about Global services: Coordinating care for international families
Risdiplam improves motor function in infants with spinal muscular atrophy
Until recently, babies and children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) lacked any type of treatment capable of stopping the neuromuscular disease from progressing. In SMA, damaged motor neurons in the spinal cord fail to correctly send messages to the muscle cells. As a result, infants and children with SMA may not be able to hold ... Read More about Risdiplam improves motor function in infants with spinal muscular atrophy
ADHD drug class leads to fewer side effects in preschool children
About 2.4 percent of preschool-age children have an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. For these children, behavioral interventions intended to redirect a child or otherwise replace negative behaviors with positive ones are the first line of treatment. But what if symptoms linger, or are so severe that they interfere with a child’s social, emotional, and educational ... Read More about ADHD drug class leads to fewer side effects in preschool children
A coming wave of diabetes? The link with COVID-19
Researchers are observing a new long-term health concern in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — an increase in new-onset hyperglycemia lasting months after infection. An Italian study found that about half of the patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 during the start of the pandemic had new cases of hyperglycemia, or high levels of blood ... Read More about A coming wave of diabetes? The link with COVID-19
We speak your language: Helping non-English-speaking families receive the best care
Visiting a health care provider requires a fair amount of communication, whether for scheduling an appointment, receiving care, or understanding follow-up directions. For families whose primary language isn’t English, the Interpreter Services program at Boston Children’s Hospital can help make those discussions easier. “Our team of interpreters provides translation services in more than 70 languages,” ... Read More about We speak your language: Helping non-English-speaking families receive the best care
A successful, low-cost reusable treatment for infant hypothermia
Key Takeaways Infant hypothermia leads to about one million deaths each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.A study in rural Rwanda of a non-electric infant warmer developed by Boston Children’s showed it successfully raised infants’ core temperatures and improved survival in preterm infants with hypothermia Infant hypothermia contributes to approximately one million deaths each ... Read More about A successful, low-cost reusable treatment for infant hypothermia
What drives severe lung inflammation in COVID-19?
A main feature of COVID-19 is lung inflammation and respiratory failure caused by an overexuberant immune response known as the cytokine storm. But why does the body produce such an excess of cytokine immune cells? New research from Talal Chatila, MD, of the Division of Immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital and colleagues provides some insights, ... Read More about What drives severe lung inflammation in COVID-19?
Recommendations for reproducibility in stem cell research
The ability to program induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and drive their differentiation into a variety of neural cells is essential for studying neurological disorders, including intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). But issues regarding variability and reproducibility from lab to lab make translating discoveries difficult, in turn slowing the progress of IDD research. To address ... Read More about Recommendations for reproducibility in stem cell research
New technique yields potential treatment for a common cause of autism
Since 2008, we have known that the 16p11.2 chromosomal region is linked with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Now, researchers from Boston Children’s have developed a new way to study the effects of 16p11.2 deletion in human neurons. In the process, they also found a potential treatment, possibly expanding the therapeutic options for this specific cause ... Read More about New technique yields potential treatment for a common cause of autism