Blog | Page 65 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

COVID vaccines are here for kids ages 5 to 11. Here’s what families should know.

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Jessica Cerretani | Health and Parenting

On November 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to help prevent COVID-19 in children ages 5 to 11. What does this mean for your child? We’ve got answers. Why is it important to vaccinate kids against COVID-19? Although most children have ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, vaccines

Preventing leukemia by preventing rogue blood cells from taking over

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: biomarkers, blood disorder, cancer, leukemia, zebrafish

As we age, many of us acquire mutations that cause some of our blood stem cells to multiply faster than others, forming their own distinct populations or “clones.” This is known as clonal hematopoiesis. In some cases, a single clone originating from a single genetically altered or mutated stem cell can expand to comprise up ... Read More

Tagged: biomarkers, blood disorder, cancer, leukemia, zebrafish

Diving deep on epilepsy genetics

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: epilepsy, genetics and genomics, neurology, neuroscience, rare disease, zebrafish

When child neurologist Annapurna Poduri, MD, MPH finished her clinical epilepsy fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2004, she was struck to find that the genetic understanding of epilepsy had changed little in the decade since she started medical school. Many questions were unanswered — and some weren’t yet being asked. Existing treatments were still ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, genetics and genomics, neurology, neuroscience, rare disease, zebrafish

Bullying at all ages: How to spot the signs and support your child

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Emily Rizzitano | Health and Parenting

Tags: bullying, primary care, primary care alliance

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, nearly a quarter of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school in 2019. But bullying can happen almost anywhere — through exclusive group-texts, the creation of hurtful memes, “Finstagrams” (fake Instagram accounts sometimes used for harassment), and more classic offline methods parents themselves may ... Read More

Tagged: bullying, primary care, primary care alliance

Cavities are no trick: How to balance Halloween candy with healthy teeth

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Albert McKeon | Health and Parenting

Tags: dentistry, safety

Believe it or not, dentists don’t dislike Halloween. They don’t secretly wish for kids to not eat candy. What dentists do want is for children to avoid certain ultra-sugary sweets and to practice moderation when munching through the contents of their trick-or-treat bags. “It’s important for kids to have fun,” says Matthew Harper, DDS, an associate ... Read More

Tagged: dentistry, safety

The great mask debate: how to deal with bullying over face masks in school

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Katie Paradis | Health and Parenting

Tags: bullying, coronavirus, psychiatry

As the war against COVID-19 rages on, so do the battles about the best ways to stop the spread. And, as some families are finding, these battles include backlash over the decision of whether to send their children to school in masks. “Like many aspects of the pandemic, masks have become a polarizing issue, and ... Read More

Tagged: bullying, coronavirus, psychiatry

What makes the Delta variant of COVID-19 so contagious?

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cellular and molecular medicine, coronavirus, imaging, infectious diseases

The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has swept the planet, becoming the dominant variant within just a few months. A new study from Boston Children’s Hospital, published in Science, explains why Delta spreads so easily and infects people so quickly. It also suggests a more targeted strategy for developing next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Last spring, ... Read More

Tagged: cellular and molecular medicine, coronavirus, imaging, infectious diseases

New research NETs a fresh angle for treating severe inflammation

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: coronavirus, drug development, immunology, infectious diseases, pneumonia, sepsis, thrombosis

As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, serious infections sometimes trigger an excessive inflammatory reaction that does as much harm — or more — than the infection itself. New research at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests a potential way to block this hyperinflammation response by repurposing or modifying an existing drug. ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, drug development, immunology, infectious diseases, pneumonia, sepsis, thrombosis

Parents can help end bullying by always being open to conversation

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Albert McKeon | Health and Parenting

Tags: bullying

You just saw your teen get pushed at the bus stop. Or maybe you suspect that bullying is behind your young child’s sudden reluctance to go to school or an extracurricular activity. What you should do next isn’t always an easy decision. No two cases of bullying are ever alike, and there are usually nuances ... Read More

Tagged: bullying

Two for one: It’s safe to get COVID and flu vaccines at the same time

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Albert McKeon | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus, flu, vaccines

Your child can greatly reduce the risk of serious illness by receiving COVID and flu vaccines in one sitting — all they have to do is roll up both sleeves. Now, getting a shot in each arm might give your child pause, but two infectious disease specialists at Boston Children’s Hospital say that a double inoculation ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, flu, vaccines