Archive for Nancy Fliesler
Boston Children’s Hospital leads national study on pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C
Why are children largely spared from COVID-19 — and why do a few become extremely sick? To find out, Boston Children’s Hospital launched a national study in April to perform real-time surveillance at more than 35 U.S. children’s hospitals. In May, when multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) began appearing, that still-mysterious condition was added ... Read More about Boston Children’s Hospital leads national study on pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C
Getting to a COVID-19 vaccine as fast and as safely as possible
The novel coronavirus is not expected to disappear anytime soon. With physical distancing, virus testing, contact tracing, and potentially new therapeutics, we may be able to keep it partially at bay. But many eyes are looking toward a COVID-19 vaccine, and scientists are feeling the urgency. Key takeaways. Work is moving quickly, but to show ... Read More about Getting to a COVID-19 vaccine as fast and as safely as possible
Type III interferon in COVID-19: Protective or harmful?
Our immune system makes interferons and other cytokines to help us fight viruses. But in COVID-19, we’ve learned that they can also contribute to damaging, potentially life-threatening lung inflammation. New work published yesterday in the journal Science helps tease out the good from the bad for one interferon of interest: type III. Key takeaways. At ... Read More about Type III interferon in COVID-19: Protective or harmful?
Treating inflammation in MIS-C: An evidence-based approach
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a complex, post-COVID-19 spectrum of illness that has affected a small number of children and adolescents. Symptoms can include features of Kawasaki disease, cardiac dysfunction, hypotension and toxic-shock-like signs, abnormal blood coagulation, and prominent GI symptoms. At its core is a hyperinflammatory response that we do not yet ... Read More about Treating inflammation in MIS-C: An evidence-based approach
Disparities in travel time to COVID-19 testing sites may bias case estimates
As the U.S. economy begins to reopen after two months of lockdown, states and counties are using local data on COVID-19 incidence to inform their plans. But a new analysis highlights an inconvenient truth. Geographic access to COVID-19 testing sites is as uneven as access to health care overall, meaning that local estimates of COVID-19 ... Read More about Disparities in travel time to COVID-19 testing sites may bias case estimates
Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A new mouse model allows scientists to track every cell in the body — from the embryo stage until adulthood. The system is the first of its kind and should yield a greater understanding of development, aging, and disease. Scientists described it last week in the journal Cell. “The dream of many developmental biologists for ... Read More about Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A snapshot of COVID-19 in children admitted to the PICU
Experts have recently warned of cases of serious inflammatory illness in children possibly related to COVID-19. But a report in JAMA Pediatrics this week reinforces the fact that serious complications have been rare in children with the new coronavirus, especially if they have no underlying health conditions. The new study represents the first cross-sectional, multi-hospital ... Read More about A snapshot of COVID-19 in children admitted to the PICU
COVID-19 and a serious inflammatory syndrome in children: Unpacking recent warnings
On April 27, an alert circulated from the U.K. about multi-system inflammatory disease in children with COVID-19, based on a small rise in the number of critically ill children with this illness in England. Picked up by multiple media outlets, the alert cited features of toxic shock syndrome and incomplete Kawasaki disease, with some children ... Read More about COVID-19 and a serious inflammatory syndrome in children: Unpacking recent warnings
COVID-19 complications in children: What’s behind the recent alerts?
You may have heard the alerts in the news: a new inflammatory syndrome in a small number of children that appears to be related to COVID-19 and affects multiple organs in the body. Doctors around the world have reported features of toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, in which blood vessels, including the coronary arteries, ... Read More about COVID-19 complications in children: What’s behind the recent alerts?
Adults with cancer appear more vulnerable to COVID-19
Cancer, particularly metastatic cancer, can be added to the list of medical conditions that pose a significant risk of worse COVID-19 outcomes , suggests a new study. Led by Boston Children’s Hospital and Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, it represents the first large cohort study to examine COVID-19 outcomes in cancer patients. Findings were published ... Read More about Adults with cancer appear more vulnerable to COVID-19