Blog | Page 38 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Playing the long game: An exciting discovery in telomere disease

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Patient Stories, Research

Tags: drug development, dyskeratosis congenita, hematology, rare disease, stem cell transplant, telomere disease

Each time our cells divide, the protective caps that keep our chromosomes from fraying, called telomeres, lose a bit of their DNA. Telomeres shorten steadily as we age, but in certain medical conditions like dyskeratosis congenita, the process is accelerated. “Your telomeres determine your lifeline; how long they are determines how old your body is,” ... Read More

Tagged: drug development, dyskeratosis congenita, hematology, rare disease, stem cell transplant, telomere disease

The sooner the better: An argument for fetal MRI before 16 weeks

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Katie Paradis | Clinical, Research

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, imaging, MFCC, newborn medicine, pregnancy

To date, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been limited to the mid-second or the third trimester of pregnancy. This timing has been based on the belief that MRIs performed too early couldn’t produce diagnostic images because of the small fetal size and normal fetal motion. In addition, although practice guidelines indicate that first-trimester imaging ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, imaging, MFCC, newborn medicine, pregnancy

Lacrosse, cerebral palsy, and leadership: Luke’s story

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: cerebral palsy, orthopedics

When he returned to lacrosse after surgery on his left leg, Luke Kilfoyle wasn’t nervous. In the five and a half months since his surgery, he’d worn a cast, gone to school in a wheelchair, used a walker, then a cane and ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). He’d spent hours in physical therapy and the gym. By ... Read More

Tagged: cerebral palsy, orthopedics

Years in the making: Team performs successful fetal intervention for VOGM

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, MFCC, surgery, vein of galen malformation

On an ordinary Wednesday in March, a team of specialists from two institutions made the extraordinary happen: a first-of-its-kind intervention for a rare, life-threatening type of blood vessel anomaly called a vein of Galen malformation (VOGM) — performed in utero. The ultrasound-guided embolization involves deploying tiny metal coils into the affected vein via a microcatheter ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, MFCC, surgery, vein of galen malformation

No backing down: Sophia takes on a rare form of liver cancer

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: cancer, liver disease, surgery

Sophia LaBorde is headstrong and “doesn’t back down,” says her mother, Alicia. So last year when Sophia had some gastrointestinal discomfort and a low appetite, she asked her parents to bring her to her local pediatrician. And when test after test ruled out more common culprits — lactose intolerance, heartburn, even thyroid disease — she ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, liver disease, surgery

Immune biomarkers predicted COVID-19 severity and could help in future pandemics

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: biomarkers, cellular and molecular medicine, coronavirus, genetics and genomics, infectious diseases, proteomics

Why did some people fall critically ill from COVID-19 and others not? In May 2020, as COVID-19 swept the world, Boston Children’s Hospital helped launch a national, NIAID-funded study called IMPACC (IMmunoPhenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort). Taking a “systems immunology” approach, the goal was to document the virus’s impact on the immune system in ... Read More

Tagged: biomarkers, cellular and molecular medicine, coronavirus, genetics and genomics, infectious diseases, proteomics

A ‘super’ new heart surgery for a super kid

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: biventricular repair, brain tumor, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects

When you’re the first person in the world to undergo a new type of heart surgery, you don’t have to use the procedure’s clinical name. You can give it any name you want, even your own. That’s what 7-year-old Easton Schlein’s family has done. While his Boston Children’s cardiac surgery team calls the groundbreaking procedure a “reverse ... Read More

Tagged: biventricular repair, brain tumor, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects

On her own terms: Robot-assisted procedure gives Sage more independence

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: hydrocephalus, spina bifida, surgery, urology

At 19, Sage Nault has had multiple surgeries, aimed at addressing challenges related to myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. But it’s her most recent operation that might have the greatest impact on her quality of life. Known as a Mitrofanoff appendicovesicostomy and a Malone antegrade continence enema (MACE), the combined procedure has ... Read More

Tagged: hydrocephalus, spina bifida, surgery, urology

Making autism evaluations accessible: Boston Children’s tests virtual options

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Veronica Giarla | Primary Care

Tags: autism, autism research, autism spectrum disorder, telehealth

At this time the virtual autism diagnosis program is only available to internal Boston Children’s Hospital primary care patients who receive care at the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center or at Boston Children’s at Martha Eliot. Many obstacles can delay a diagnosis of autism in children, including language barriers, waiting lists for evaluation, and access ... Read More

Tagged: autism, autism research, autism spectrum disorder, telehealth

Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, People

Tags: critical care, global health, health equity, infectious diseases, newborn medicine, pregnancy, prematurity, research rising stars

First in an ongoing series profiling researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. Globally, five million children die annually before the age of 5. Forty percent of these deaths are in the first month — and many are preventable. Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, finds these numbers unacceptable. They contrast starkly with U.S. medicine, including at Boston ... Read More

Tagged: critical care, global health, health equity, infectious diseases, newborn medicine, pregnancy, prematurity, research rising stars