Blog | Page 22 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Reversing the trend: Easing the mental health boarding crisis in emergency rooms

Tags: coronavirus, emergency medicine, mental health, psychiatry, research

Anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts have been rising over the past decade, especially among teens, often landing them in emergency departments (EDs). Due to a nationwide shortage of beds in psychiatric treatment programs, virtually all pediatric hospitals are having to keep patients in the ED and on inpatient medical and surgical floors — sometimes for ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, emergency medicine, mental health, psychiatry, research

Mitochondrial transfer restores heart muscle — but how?

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

Tags: cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cell therapy, cellular and molecular medicine, heart, heart center, stem cells, tissue engineering, transplant

Transferring mitochondria from a patient’s healthy skeletal muscle to damaged, ischemic heart tissue has been shown to restore heart muscle, increase energy production, and improve ventricular function. After pioneering preclinical work by James McCully, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital about a decade ago, cardiac surgeons led by Sitaram Emani, MD, have been testing it as ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cell therapy, cellular and molecular medicine, heart, heart center, stem cells, tissue engineering, transplant

Study suggests hypoxia overexpression causes pericytes to contribute to pulmonary hypertension

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Albert McKeon | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: pulmonary hypertension, pulmonology, research

Pericytes, the multifunctional cells that work within the walls of capillaries, have been a subject of focus in the study of vascular development, cerebral blood flow, cancer, and neurodevelopment diseases. But pericytes hadn’t been truly studied for their potential role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) until they landed under the microscopes of Boston Children’s researchers. They recently ... Read More

Tagged: pulmonary hypertension, pulmonology, research

Brain wiring predicted adolescents’ emotional health during COVID

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: adolescent medicine, coronavirus, mental health, neuroscience

The COVID-19 pandemic was emotionally devastating for many adolescents, disrupting their schooling and social/emotional development. Drawing on national data, a large study finds that how adolescents’ brains were wired — before COVID-19 — predicted their stress, negative emotions, and overall mental health during the height of the pandemic, making them more vulnerable or more resilient. ... Read More

Tagged: adolescent medicine, coronavirus, mental health, neuroscience

Constant improvements make the Ross procedure a safe aortic valve replacement option

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: aortic valve, cardiac catheterization, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, heart, heart center

Cardiac surgeons understand that innovation isn’t always about invention. Improving something can be just as transformative. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Boston Children’s cardiac surgery team is seeing lasting positive outcomes in patients after making adjustments over the years to the Ross procedure, a last-option treatment for aortic valve disease that hasn’t always been accepted by ... Read More

Tagged: aortic valve, cardiac catheterization, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, heart, heart center

A partner through amniotic band syndrome: Jace’s story

Posted on May 14, 2024 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, MFCC, plastic surgery, pregnancy

Jace is a happy, energetic 9-month-old whose big brown eyes light up a room. He’s adored by his parents, Kait and Evan, who not only delight in being first-time parents but are also incredibly appreciative of the care that helped save their son. It was care that took a village, Kait and Evan say — ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, MFCC, plastic surgery, pregnancy

Whether she’s embracing school, sports, or music, Lindsey shows how Williams syndrome can be managed

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: cardiac neurodevelopment, cardiology, cardiovascular genetics, congenital heart defect, genetics and genomics, heart, heart center, heart patient, physical therapy

One of the first things Lindsey Franco will tell you is, “I like being me. I like being happy.” The 19-year-old has a lot to be happy about. She attends a post-high school transition program that helps young adults expand their social and life skills. There, she does all the things she enjoys, including playing ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac neurodevelopment, cardiology, cardiovascular genetics, congenital heart defect, genetics and genomics, heart, heart center, heart patient, physical therapy

Nurse-led innovations: A virtual-nursing pilot helps nurses thrive

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Joanne Barker | Clinical Care

Tags: nursing

It was night shift on the 9E Inpatient Medical Unit and Marisol Hernandez, BSN, RN, CPN, was helping another nurse review her patient assignments. With about 85 percent of their patients admitted from the emergency department (ED), nurses on the unit at Boston Children’s Hospital often don’t know how many patients will be admitted during ... Read More

Tagged: nursing

First-of-its-kind clinical trial aims to improve outcomes in pediatric transplant patients

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Veronica Giarla | Research

Tags: clinical trials, kidney failure, research, transplant

For the last 20 years, pediatric kidney transplant patients have been treated with the same immunosuppressive medication combinations and have been monitored using the same tests, without many new treatment options. Unfortunately, unlike their adult counterparts, pediatric transplant recipients have not been included in clinical trials to test newer and promising combinations of medications that ... Read More

Tagged: clinical trials, kidney failure, research, transplant

In a thriving gene therapy program, nursing leadership is the driving force

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical Care, People

Tags: adrenoleukodystrophy, blood disorder, car t-cell therapy, gene therapy, hemophilia, leukemia, muscular dystrophy, nursing, sickle cell disease, spinal muscular atrophy

Gene therapy was made possible by decades of technological advances. But to execute gene therapy at scale? That would not be possible without the foresight, organization, and innovation of nursing leadership at Boston Children’s Hospital. The gene therapy implementation framework they have built has become a gold standard for the field. Founded in 2010, the ... Read More

Tagged: adrenoleukodystrophy, blood disorder, car t-cell therapy, gene therapy, hemophilia, leukemia, muscular dystrophy, nursing, sickle cell disease, spinal muscular atrophy