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Humble cells in a little-known organ manage brain inflammation

Posted on by | Basic/Translational, Research
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Deep in the brain, sheets of tissue known as the choroid plexus produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and act as a protective barrier between the brain and CSF. But the lab of Maria Lehtinen, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital has shown that the little-known choroid plexus does much more. For example, it secretes factors that promote ... Read More
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Baby Isaac is thriving after an East Coast first for a neural tube defect

Posted on by | Patient Stories
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Isaac Suardi doesn’t know it yet, but he’s already made history. Just born in July, he’s the first baby on the East Coast to undergo mini-laparotomy fetoscopic surgical repair of a neural tube defect (NTD) while still in his mother’s womb. “Honestly, we didn’t think too much about that,” admits his father, Chris. “We knew ... Read More
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Four ways to support your teen’s mental health

Posted on by | Health and Parenting
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Being a teen is hard enough, but with the current adolescent mental health crisis, parents should know about the psychosocial challenges — from stress to suicidal thoughts — teens face nowadays. We spoke with Nanci Ginty Butler, LICSW, director of Mental Health Services in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s ... Read More
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Finding epilepsy hotspots before surgery: A faster, non-invasive approach

Posted on by | Clinical, Research
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Neurosurgery for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy requires locating the precise brain areas that are generating the seizures. Typically, patients undergo 7 to 10 days of invasive intracranial EEG monitoring, with electrodes surgically implanted inside the brain through one or more skull openings to capture seizure activity as it happens. Eleonora Tamilia, PhD, directs the Epilepsy ... Read More
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‘Zero place for mistakes’: Taking fetal surgery to the next level with simulation

Posted on by | Clinical Care
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The highly complex interventions involved in fetal surgery require exceptional skill, training, and experience. Beyond the procedures themselves, these surgical scenarios depend on the ability of team members to work in concert. It’s a seamless collaboration that’s even more crucial when two patients — the pregnant person and fetus — are involved. When the Fetal ... Read More
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Jack had a first-of-its-kind surgery with the aim of making it his last

Posted on by | Patient Stories
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Jack Mangan loves fire trucks. He also loves monster trucks. So you can imagine his excitement about those two things being mashed up as a toy: a fire truck on top of a monster truck. The 4-year-old has an extensive collection of miniature hybrid monster trucks — one has a shark on top; another Scooby-Doo ... Read More
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Beyond expectations: Treating Isaac’s teratoma through an EXIT procedure

Posted on by | Patient Stories
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Jennifer worked as a hairdresser until just days before delivering her son, Isaac, last December, even though she had planned to stop a week earlier. Beating expectations must run in the family because Isaac has been doing just that since before he was even born. He has amazed everyone around him with how well he ... Read More
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After surgery for a brain tumor, Jenny is moving ahead — and giving back

Posted on by | Patient Stories
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“It might sound weird,” says Jenny Eckert, “but I’m very grateful that I got hit in the face with a soccer ball.” A year and a half ago, Jenny, then 9, was playing soccer when she accidentally took a hit to the head — twice. Concerned about a possible concussion, her parents, Vanessa and Scott, brought ... Read More
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Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant

Posted on by | Clinical, Research
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Boston Children’s cardiac surgeons have an overriding goal for each patient: If possible, repair their congenital heart defect (CHD) — rather than replace any native heart tissue. Preserving heart tissue often leads to a speedier and more complete recovery and longer-lasting cardiac function. Sometimes, though, a patient’s valve tissue is beyond repair and a bioprosthetic or mechanical replacement valve ... Read More
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August 2024 coloring pages

Posted on by | Health and Parenting
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Gear up for a new school year with our August coloring pages! MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-1Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-2Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-3Download Images: Adobe Stock/Illustration: David Chrisom Get more coloring pages, news, and tips for your family from our weekly newsletter. Sign up now! Share this:
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