Blog | Page 53 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

Bringing Xavien home: One family’s journey with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: bronchopulmonary dysplasia, newborn medicine, nicu, prematurity, pulmonology

Xavien Velazquez is getting ready to celebrate his first birthday. It’s a milestone for every child but especially meaningful for this little boy who has spent more than half his life away from home receiving care for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease characterized by respiratory distress that is most often seen in newborns ... Read More

Tagged: bronchopulmonary dysplasia, newborn medicine, nicu, prematurity, pulmonology

Widespread recognition of Juneteenth carries the hope of change

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Albert McKeon | Our Community

Tags: health equity

For African American and Black employees of Boston Children’s, the mainstream acceptance of Juneteenth is a promising step toward national healing. It was only last year that June 19 — “Juneteenth” for short — became a federal holiday, giving all Americans an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of slavery, the civil rights movement, and race ... Read More

Tagged: health equity

Breaking down barriers: How interpreters can enhance patient care

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Veronica Giarla | Clinical Care

Tags: advocacy, community health, culture, digital health, primary care, research

Sharing medical concerns with clinicians can be hard for anyone — a challenge that’s amplified in patients when English isn’t their first language. The results are troubling: One recent study by Boston Children’s pediatric hospitalist and researcher Alisa Khan, MD, MPH, found that patients and families who have limited English proficiency are three to five ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, community health, culture, digital health, primary care, research

Melatonin for kids: Is it effective? Is it safe?

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Nancy Fliesler | Health and Parenting

Tags: sleep

You’ve heard melatonin — an over-the-counter hormone supplement — can help with insomnia. Perhaps your pediatrician has recommended it. But is it really beneficial, and can your child take it safely? A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raises some concerns. It found an alarming six-fold increase in the past ... Read More

Tagged: sleep

Exploiting a vulnerability in an aggressive leukemia

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cancer, leukemia, oncology, stem cells

Survival has improved greatly in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). But a certain form of ALL that occurs mostly in babies is still very lethal, with a survival rate below 50 percent: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with rearrangements of the mixed lineage leukemia gene, or MLL B-ALL. “Something about the biology of this type ... Read More

Tagged: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cancer, leukemia, oncology, stem cells

Unstoppable: Cairo’s journey for kidney care began even before birth

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, kidney failure, MFCC, nephrology, transplant

Like lots of babies, Cairo Carter was born screaming — and his parents were thrilled. “We just wanted him to scream so we knew he could breathe,” explains his mother, Alaila. The family cried tears of joy and relief, but they understood that the moment was just the first step of a long journey. “We ... Read More

Tagged: Fetal Care and Surgery Center, fetal medicine, kidney failure, MFCC, nephrology, transplant

From South Africa to Boston: Kyleigh’s four-year search for good heart health

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, international, tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect

Kyleigh Kista had three open-heart surgeries in just the first 18 months of her life. But instead of progressing, her health was rapidly deteriorating by the time she reached 3. Her doctors said there was little else they could do, except make her a candidate for a heart and lung transplant. It was shattering news ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center, heart patient, international, tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect

Previous COVID-19 or MIS-C does not protect kids from Omicron

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: coronavirus, immunology, mis-c, vaccines

You would think that having had COVID-19 once, you’d have antibodies that would protect you against repeat infections. But studies of adults have shown that Omicron doesn’t go by that logic. A new study, led by Dr. Adrienne Randolph of Boston Children’s Hospital and Dr. Surender Khurana of the Food and Drug Administration, confirms that ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, immunology, mis-c, vaccines

Getting to the heart of heart muscle function

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: arrhythmia, cardiac research, cardiomyopathy, cellular and molecular medicine, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center

Every heart muscle cell, or cardiomyocyte, is studded with tiny, intricate structures called dyads. The dyads are like orchestra conductors: They coordinate incoming electrical signals with release of calcium in the muscle, triggering contraction. When dyads work properly, the different segments of heart muscle contract in unison; when they don’t, heartbeats may be too weak ... Read More

Tagged: arrhythmia, cardiac research, cardiomyopathy, cellular and molecular medicine, congenital heart defect, heart, heart center

Cell therapy for lung disease? Proof-of-concept study shows promise

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cystic fibrosis, organoids, pulmonology, stem cells

Many serious pulmonary diseases, including genetic lung diseases, lack an effective treatment other than the most extreme: lung transplant. A team at Boston Children’s Hospital envisions a much better option: cell therapy, using lung stem cells created from patients’ own cells to repair or replace damaged lung tissue. For patients with genetic lung diseases, the ... Read More

Tagged: cystic fibrosis, organoids, pulmonology, stem cells