Archive for Alice McCarthy
Cancer and COVID-19: Ethics guidelines for resource allocation
Main findings: Hospitals should create guidelines in advance to ensure cancer patients are fairly represented in possible resource allocation decisions — in COVID-19 and other emergencies.A cancer diagnosis should be considered as any other underlying health condition.Decisions about distributing limited resources should not be made by a patient’s physician. As the COVID-19 pandemic began surging ... Read More about Cancer and COVID-19: Ethics guidelines for resource allocation
Disulfiram inhibits inflammatory gatekeeper protein: Could it be helpful in COVID-19?
Inflammation is the alarm system by which cells first respond to potential danger. But in excess, inflammation can be deadly. In new research from the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (PCCM) at Boston Children’s Hospital, scientists discovered that disulfiram, an FDA-approved drug commonly used for treating alcoholism, blocks a key gatekeeper protein involved in ... Read More about Disulfiram inhibits inflammatory gatekeeper protein: Could it be helpful in COVID-19?
Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
We know that the consequences of COVID-19 disease start by infection from a virus. But how does the body react to that viral invasion? To answer that question, Boston Children’s Hospital will play key roles in a nationwide study designed to learn how the immune systems of people hospitalized with COVID-19 respond to the disease ... Read More about Making an IMPACC: Examining immune responses in people hospitalized with COVID-19
Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: What we know so far
Despite the current hype, infectious disease experts and others are cautious about using chloroquine drugs in the current COVID-19 pandemic. While the urgent need for COVID-19 treatments justifies the rapid pace of trials, several concerns have been raised related to the limitations of studies published so far. Kristin Moffitt, MD The drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine ... Read More about Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: What we know so far
Could plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients help others?
As new cases of COVID-19 mount daily, treatment revolves around supportive therapy to reduce symptoms, meaning there are no treatments shown to slow down or kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One new idea actually isn’t so new: transfusing blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients into patients currently sick with the disease. Last week, the Food and Drug ... Read More about Could plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients help others?
COVID-19 and children: Understanding the science
As information on COVID-19 pours in from all kinds of sources, not all of them reliable, we wanted to bring you the facts about how children and teens appear to be responding to the infection. In recent weeks, several highly respected medical journals have published studies and commentaries based on observations in children and teens ... Read More about COVID-19 and children: Understanding the science
Designing a coronavirus vaccine for next year – and the years beyond
As the number of coronavirus infections swell daily across the globe, strategies for developing a safe and effective vaccine are rapidly moving forward. In response to this public health crisis, the Precision Vaccines Program (PVP) at Boston Children’s Hospital is on the front lines of developing a coronavirus vaccine targeted especially toward older populations, those ... Read More about Designing a coronavirus vaccine for next year – and the years beyond
Mouse model could lead to new treatments for endometriosis pain
There are few effective long-term treatments for endometriosis; even fewer options for relieving the often severe pain associated with the condition, which involves tissue overgrowth outside of the uterus. As a first step toward identifying new pain treatments, researchers in the laboratory of Michael Rogers, PhD, in the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, ... Read More about Mouse model could lead to new treatments for endometriosis pain
Mouse/human model provides new way to study neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer affecting about 800 children each year in the United States. Because of its unusual behavior — tumors in infants often disappear spontaneously without treatment while it can be aggressive and fatal in toddlers — studying the disease has been complicated. That may change with a new research tool: a ... Read More about Mouse/human model provides new way to study neuroblastoma
Child access prevention laws spare gun deaths in children
Child access prevention (CAP) laws are on the books in half of U.S. states. They are meant to protect children from accessing firearms by holding a parent or guardian responsible for the actions or potential actions a child takes with a firearm. New research from Boston Children’s Hospital finds that U.S. states with CAP laws ... Read More about Child access prevention laws spare gun deaths in children