Blog | Page 18 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

New insight into the effects of PPIs in children

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: aerodigestive, coronavirus, gastroenterology, microbiome, reflux, research

Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are frequently prescribed to suppress stomach acid in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Prescribing rates of PPIs in children have risen more than 500 percent in the past two decades, despite growing concerns about their risks: Previous research has linked their use to an increased risk of various pulmonary and gastrointestinal ... Read More

Tagged: aerodigestive, coronavirus, gastroenterology, microbiome, reflux, research

How to make school lunch less scary for “picky eaters”

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Veronica Giarla | Health and Parenting

Tags: nutrition

Lunch boxes with fun designs, giggling friends, lunch trays clattering in the meal line, and sticky hands galore — school lunch time is back. But how do you prepare for it when your child is showing signs of being a “picky eater” — that is, selective about the foods they’re willing to eat and hesitant ... Read More

Tagged: nutrition

Going back to school with a chronic condition

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Health and Parenting

Tags: advocacy, complex care, rare disease, safety, short bowel syndrome, stroke

Going back to school can be a time of excitement for many families: Your kids are looking forward to reconnecting with their friends — and you’re looking forward to watching them learn and grow. But for caregivers of children and teens with chronic or complex conditions, preparing for a new school year involves much more ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, complex care, rare disease, safety, short bowel syndrome, stroke

A new anti-cancer strategy: Overriding tumor edits

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cancer, gene editing, genetics and genomics, immunotherapy

Cancers are clever and often find ways to dodge people’s immune systems, making them hard to eradicate. Immunotherapies such as CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors can sharpen the immune system’s attack and cure the cancer. But they don’t work for most solid tumors. We now know that tumors can edit their genes to evade immune ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, gene editing, genetics and genomics, immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for children with primary liver carcinomas: Research offers new hope

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: cancer, immunotherapy, liver disease, research

Pediatric hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and fibrolamellar carcinoma are rare, aggressive forms of liver cancer that typically affect adolescents and young adults. Although some immunotherapy drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration as first-line treatments for HCC in adults, less is known about their effectiveness in treating pediatric liver carcinomas. Now, new research led ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, immunotherapy, liver disease, research

Lily’s smile lights up the stage, thanks to orthodontic care

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Veronica Giarla | Patient Stories

Tags: dentistry

Thirteen-year-old Lily is a fan of the theatre — and she’s no stranger to taking the stage, having already performed in two plays just this past school year. “She’s always the most confident when she’s up on stage with her friends,” says her mom, Jade. Lily’s confidence is something that she recently stepped back into, ... Read More

Tagged: dentistry

Un hito en la Costa Este: El bebé Isaac está evolucionando después de una reparación fetoscópica por minilaparotomía de espina bífida abierta

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: fetal medicine, fetal surgery, MFCC, spina bifida

Isaac Suardi aún no lo sabe, pero ya ha hecho historia. Recién nacido en julio, es el primer bebé en la Costa Este en someterse a una reparación quirúrgica fetoscópica por minilaparotomía de un defecto del tubo neural (DTN) mientras aún está en el útero de su madre. “Sinceramente, no pensamos demasiado en eso”, admite ... Read More

Tagged: fetal medicine, fetal surgery, MFCC, spina bifida

Humble cells in a little-known organ manage brain inflammation

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: immunology, neuroinflammation, neurology, neuroscience

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

Tagged: immunology, neuroinflammation, neurology, neuroscience

Baby Isaac is thriving after an East Coast first for a neural tube defect

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: fetal medicine, fetal surgery, MFCC, spina bifida

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

Tagged: fetal medicine, fetal surgery, MFCC, spina bifida

Four ways to support your teen’s mental health

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Emily Rizzitano | Health and Parenting

Tags: adolescent medicine, primary care, suicide

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

Tagged: adolescent medicine, primary care, suicide