Blog | Page 23 of 157 | Boston Children's Answers

After surgery for heart condition tetralogy of Fallot, James is all joy

Tags: cardiac surgery, cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, MFCC, tetralogy of fallot

Warriors come in all shapes and sizes. Some even smile. In the Irvine family, the lead warrior is a happy one: 6-month-old James, whose cheeriness hides the difficult medical journey he had in the first few months of life. “I have been told by many people that James is an inspiration,” says his mom, Heidi. ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac surgery, cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, MFCC, tetralogy of fallot

Finding ways to reduce the financial and social costs of pacemakers

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: arrhythmia, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, heart, heart center, medical devices, research

As the number of complex heart operations has increased over the years, so have cases of postoperative heart block, a form of arrhythmia that often requires a pacemaker and more surgery. Heart block occurs when unseen conduction tissue — the cells and electrical signals that control the beating of a heart — is injured. It is a ... Read More

Tagged: arrhythmia, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, cardiology, heart, heart center, medical devices, research

Microvillus inclusion disease: From organoids to new treatments

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: gastroenterology, organoids, rare disease, stem cells

Microvillus inclusion disease (MVID) is a rare type of congenital enteropathy in infants that causes devastating diarrhea and an inability to absorb food. Infants can lose liters of fluid a day, become severely dehydrated, and stop growing. There is no specific treatment. “Until about 10 years ago, 50 percent of kids with MVID would die ... Read More

Tagged: gastroenterology, organoids, rare disease, stem cells

Exposing a tumor’s antigens to enhance immunotherapy

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

Tags: cancer, cellular and molecular medicine, immunotherapy

Successful immunotherapy for cancer involves activating a person’s own T cells to attack the tumor. But some tumors have a trick: They hide themselves from the immune system by preventing their antigens from being displayed, a necessary step in activating T cells. In new work published in Science, researchers in the Program in Cellular and ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, cellular and molecular medicine, immunotherapy

Combining CAR-T cells and inhibitor drugs for high-risk neuroblastoma

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical Care, Research

Tags: cancer, car t-cell therapy, neuroblastoma

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is a potent emerging weapon against cancer, altering patients’ T cells so they can better find and destroy tumor cells. But CAR-T cell therapy doesn’t work well in every cancer — including many cases of neuroblastoma, a cancer that begins in young children’s nerve tissue and can metastasize to ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, car t-cell therapy, neuroblastoma

One day closer: Second opinion for urologic pain changes Iker’s life at last

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: pain, surgery, urology

Like many kids, Iker Guzman enjoys playing with LEGO toys. But there was nothing lighthearted about the day a few years ago when he used the tiny bricks to spell out one word on the floor: HELP. It was a message his parents, Elsa and David, had already taken to heart. For years, they had ... Read More

Tagged: pain, surgery, urology

Rowan the Remarkable: Defying the odds with CPAM

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

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, MFCC, nicu, surgery

This is the story of a baby named Rowan and his remarkable journey of beating the odds after doctors discovered a potentially fatal mass on his lung in utero. This is also the story of his mother, Casey, who fought for him every step of the way, and the medical professionals whose collaboration and planning ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, MFCC, nicu, surgery

Twenty years after a groundbreaking biventricular repair, Faith gives back by helping children with CHD

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

Tags: biventricular repair, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs

Faith Brackett doesn’t remember every detail of the time she was among the first children to have a new life-saving heart surgery. She was 7, after all, when she had a biventricular repair — a procedure that creates two functioning ventricles in a heart relying on just one. But she does remember how the surgery finally gave ... Read More

Tagged: biventricular repair, cardiac surgery, cardiology, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs

It takes a village and the world: Tariq’s care for Tourette syndrome

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: brain health, international, neurology, second opinion

When your child is sick but you can’t figure out the cause or how to fix it, it can leave you feeling helpless and frustrated. It can also test how far you’ll go for answers. Just ask Salem of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who moved with his family to Boston so his son Tariq ... Read More

Tagged: brain health, international, neurology, second opinion

When diagnosis is just the first step: The Brain Gene Registry

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Clinical Care

Tags: exome sequencing, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease, research

Through advances in genetic sequencing, many children with rare, unidentified neurodevelopmental disorders are finally having their mysteries solved. But are they? “Once families receive results of genetic testing, that’s just the beginning of a new journey,” says Maya Chopra, MBBS, FRACP, an investigator with the Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. ... Read More

Tagged: exome sequencing, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease, research