Blog | Page 19 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

From ‘hit to vial’: Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Many vaccines are only partially effective, have waning efficacy, or do not work well in the very young or the very old. For more than a decade, Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, and David Dowling, PhD, in the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, have tried improving vaccines by adding compounds known as adjuvants to ... Read More

Tagged: drug development, vaccines

The power of a second opinion for Merritt’s spina bifida care

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: hydrocephalus, second opinion, spina bifida, urinary tract infection, urology

In March 2020 — at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown — Jenna, Brian, and their 2-year-old daughter Merritt were practically the only passengers on their flight from Charlotte to Boston. Waiting for them in Massachusetts were Dr. Benjamin Warf, Dr. Carlos Estrada, and other experts from the Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Conditions Center ... Read More

Tagged: hydrocephalus, second opinion, spina bifida, urinary tract infection, urology

Firearm suicides in children and youth: A state-by-state look

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Data Science, Research

Tags: mental health, policy, public health, research, suicide

At a time when mental health problems are skyrocketing, a new study provides one of the most comprehensive state-by-state accountings to date of firearm suicides in children and youth. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, are eye-opening — but could also help in crafting interventions. Lois Lee, MD, MPH, in the Division of Emergency Medicine ... Read More

Tagged: mental health, policy, public health, research, suicide

Making genome sequencing a first-line test in rare disease

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: exome sequencing, genetics and genomics, rare disease

Children with rare diseases often undergo years of medical visits and genetic testing before they get a diagnosis. Over the past few years, clinics have started to embrace exome sequencing as a first genetic test, skipping time-consuming testing of individual genes and gene panels and getting to a diagnosis faster. But exome sequencing doesn’t always ... Read More

Tagged: exome sequencing, genetics and genomics, rare disease

Boosting vaccines for the elderly with ‘hyperactivators’

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: aging, cancer, immunology, vaccines

As we age our immune systems start to flag, leaving us more susceptible to cancer and infections — and less responsive to vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. Going to the heart of the problem, Jonathan Kagan, PhD, a researcher in immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital, has identified a way to rejuvenate the elderly immune system. His ... Read More

Tagged: aging, cancer, immunology, vaccines

The gut-brain connection: A new approach to OCD and tic disorders?

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: diet, microbiome, neuroscience, research

It’s natural for young children to use routines to help them navigate the world and for older children and teens to zero in on interests and hobbies. But if they veer into disruptive, unwanted obsessions or thoughts or the need to perform compulsive rituals, they may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We know that OCD is ... Read More

Tagged: diet, microbiome, neuroscience, research

Ted Williams, chocolate milkshakes, and a pioneering heart team: What Bruce remembers about his heart surgery 65 years later

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: arrhythmia, atrial septal defect, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient

Bruce Chansky was the star of his neighborhood after he had heart surgery at Boston Children’s. It was 1959, a time when a child having heart surgery wasn’t common — it was newsworthy. Eleven-year-old Bruce was featured in his hometown newspaper, which only furthered his celebrity in Beverly, Massachusetts. Friends, neighbors, and strangers all wanted ... Read More

Tagged: arrhythmia, atrial septal defect, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient

Two rising stars in kidney genetics: Nina Mann and Amar Majmundar

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | People, Research

Tags: genetics and genomics, kidney failure, nephrology, research rising stars

A healthy, functional kidney must maintain a delicate balance of water, nutrients, and electrolytes so it can properly filter the blood and produce urine. That often makes caring for patients with kidney disease an exercise in chemistry and mathematics — an aspect of nephrology that attracted two young physician-scientists. Coming from different paths, Nina Mann, ... Read More

Tagged: genetics and genomics, kidney failure, nephrology, research rising stars

For Ana Sofia: How one mom found prenatal care for fetal pleural effusion

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, MFCC, nicu

Alexandra is the first to admit she asks a lot of questions and needs to know details. “I’m curious about everything, and I want to know everything,” she says. “I do my research. I’m a pretty resourceful person.” It’s something she says can be off-putting to some people, but it’s also what saved her daughter’s ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, MFCC, nicu

Are cochlear implants an option for my child?

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Joanne Barker | Health and Parenting

Tags: cochlear implants, hearing, otolaryngology

By providing access to sound, cochlear implants have made it possible for children with severe to profound hearing loss to communicate through speech. The devices transmit signals from external processors to the brain via units implanted underneath the skin and small wires connected to the inner ear. “Cochlear implants can be life changing for a ... Read More

Tagged: cochlear implants, hearing, otolaryngology