Archive for Nancy Fliesler
Genetics drive deep investigations into blood cell production
Knowing how different kinds of blood cells form from their stem cell progenitors can shed light on blood disorders and aid in finding new treatments. A series of recent studies co-led by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center applied a variety of genetic tools to provide new insights on blood cell production. ... Read More about Genetics drive deep investigations into blood cell production
Opioid alternative? Taming tetrodotoxin for precise painkilling
Opioids remain a mainstay of treatment for chronic and surgical pain, despite their side effects and risk for addiction and overdose. While conventional local anesthetics block pain very effectively, they wear off quickly and can affect the heart and brain. Now, a study in rats offers up a possible alternative, involving an otherwise lethal pufferfish ... Read More about Opioid alternative? Taming tetrodotoxin for precise painkilling
Empowering pediatricians to provide mental health care
By late adolescence, up to 20 percent of children will have experienced impairing levels of anxiety, depression, and/or ADHD, the most common and treatable mental health conditions. But child behavioral health specialists are in chronic short supply with long wait lists. Massachusetts, for example, has nearly 300,000 youths with at least one diagnosable psychiatric disorder ... Read More about Empowering pediatricians to provide mental health care
Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Clostridiodes difficile infection has become a leading cause of severe, sometimes fatal diarrheal illness. It flourishes best in hospitals and long-term care facilities where people are on long-term antibiotic treatment, but it’s also an increasing problem in the community. Much of the damage from C. diff is caused by toxins the bacterium produces, which damage ... Read More about Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a complicated disease influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Now, an international consortium of scientists has uncovered some previously unknown genetic factors — which could potentially aid the search for better treatments. The researchers sequenced the exomes — all the protein-coding genes — of roughly 21,000 people with type 2 diabetes ... Read More about Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes
Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
Teens and young adults are notably susceptible to misusing opioids and becoming addicted once exposed. Opioids should be used with great care in this group. Yet a large national study from Boston Children’s Hospital finds that opioid prescriptions to youth aged 13-22 are much like those in older adults. Based on 2005-2015 data from the ... Read More about Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
When even experts can’t figure you out: CNS-restricted HLH
At first it seemed like motion sickness when 5-year-old Emily threw up after spinning around outside, or during car rides. No one thought much of it. But gradually, she also developed headaches and stomachaches. Her walking and balance started to falter. She became lethargic, and complained about something in her eye. Her face took on ... Read More about When even experts can’t figure you out: CNS-restricted HLH
Children wait for new cancer drugs 6.5 years longer than adults
A 20-year analysis finds that FDA-approved cancer drugs took a median of 6.5 years to go from the first clinical trial in adults to the first trial in children. That’s not good enough for researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, who are calling for expanding children’s access to experimental cancer therapies. “It’s ... Read More about Children wait for new cancer drugs 6.5 years longer than adults
After GWAS studies, how to narrow the search for genes?
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) look at large populations to find genes that contribute to common, multi-gene traits like height or obesity. These comprehensive investigations frequently turn up large numbers of tiny genetic variations that show up more often in people who are tall, obese, etc. But this association doesn’t mean the variant actually helps cause ... Read More about After GWAS studies, how to narrow the search for genes?
Stool transplant found safe, effective for ‘C. diff’ in children
Diarrhea caused by Clostridiodes (formerly Clostridium) difficile infections is on the rise among children; one population-based study found a 12.5-fold increase in incidence from 1991 to 2009. For reasons that aren’t clear, C. difficile is more frequently striking children without the usual risk factors, such as hospitalization or antibiotic exposure. One thing that is known ... Read More about Stool transplant found safe, effective for ‘C. diff’ in children