Blog | Page 68 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

Losing a parent or caregiver to COVID-19: Advice for families

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Health and Parenting

Tags: bereavement, coronavirus, mental health

Ed. note: This story was updated on October 7 with new data on COVID-19 deaths. A recent international study estimated that at least 104,884 U.S. children lost one or both parents to COVID-19. And that was as of April 20, 2021, before the highly contagious Delta variant became widespread. A more detailed study of U.S. deaths ... Read More

Tagged: bereavement, coronavirus, mental health

Thyroid nodules in children: When to refer

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Jessica Cerretani | Clinical Care

Tags: primary care, thyroid cancer

You’re doing a regular well-child check when you think you feel a lump in the front of the neck. Or neck imaging done for some other reason shows a nodule in the thyroid. Could that lump be thyroid cancer? What should your next steps be? A thyroid nodule is a growth that forms within the ... Read More

Tagged: primary care, thyroid cancer

A malunion fracture, baseball, and M&M cookies: Tyler’s story

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: hand and upper extremity, limb lengthening and reconstruction, orthopedics, surgery

Tyler Weygand loves baseball, and he’s good at it. Good enough that few balls ever get past him in the infield. So good that for nearly ten years, his parents and coaches in Saratoga, NY didn’t realize he could not rotate his left arm due to a malunion fracture. A fracture that healed out of ... Read More

Tagged: hand and upper extremity, limb lengthening and reconstruction, orthopedics, surgery

More than the blues: Navigating postpartum depression

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Emily Rizzitano | Health and Parenting

Tags: pregnancy, primary care, primary care alliance

Whether you’ve given birth to your first child or you’re adding a member to your growing family, childbirth is a profound experience. After that, caring for a newborn is a round-the-clock endeavor — even if you’re prepared. The transition from pregnancy to parenthood is called the postpartum period. For insight on what parents can expect ... Read More

Tagged: pregnancy, primary care, primary care alliance

A bio-inspired approach to delivering local anesthetics

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Research, Therapeutics/Diagnostics/Devices

Tags: anesthesia, bioengineering, biomaterials and drug delivery, drug development, nanotechnology, pain

Site 1 sodium channel blockers such as tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are small-molecule drugs with powerful local anesthetic properties. They provide pain relief without toxic effects on local nerves and muscles, and are an attractive alternative to opioids. But injected by themselves, the anesthetics can easily float away, causing severe systemic toxicity. Encapsulating these drugs in ... Read More

Tagged: anesthesia, bioengineering, biomaterials and drug delivery, drug development, nanotechnology, pain

What to expect from cold and flu season this year

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus, flu, vaccines

At least fewer people came down with colds and flu in 2020: That’s one of the few positive things we can say about the year of widespread social distancing. Rates of influenza and several other viral infections were historically low, and even the common cold seemed to take the year off from making kids and ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, flu, vaccines

Not just a physical thing: The psychology of sports injuries and recovery

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Research

Tags: female athletes, mental health, orthopedics, sports behavioral health, sports injury, sports medicine

“Nobody plays sports expecting to get injured, but unfortunately, injuries are part of sports,” says Melissa Christino, MD. As a surgeon in the Sports Medicine Division at Boston Children’s Hospital, Christino helps athletes recover from sports injuries, some of which keep her patients on the sidelines for weeks or months at a time. Key takeaways ... Read More

Tagged: female athletes, mental health, orthopedics, sports behavioral health, sports injury, sports medicine

Trial for severe asthma targets a mutation common in children of color

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: asthma, clinical trials, genetics and genomics, precision medicine

Children and adults of color have higher rates of asthma than white people, as well as more hospitalizations and deaths. There are many reasons for this disparity, including more exposure to allergens and pollutants and differences in asthma care. One difference, however, is genetic. A mutation that causes severe, hard-to-treat asthma, in the gene ILR4, ... Read More

Tagged: asthma, clinical trials, genetics and genomics, precision medicine

Standing up to microaggressions: A hospital-wide training

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Our Community

Tags: health equity

How can a large, teaching hospital address racial bias in the midst of a pandemic? This question came to a head last summer as the country reacted to the death of George Floyd. As a champion for children’s health, and as part of its Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity, Boston Children’s Hospital committed to ... Read More

Tagged: health equity

Sending kids to school with celiac disease: One mom shares her story

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Sara Bates | Patient Stories

Tags: celiac disease, gastroenterology

As a neonatologist, it’s my job to understand and treat babies who need critical care. But as a mom whose two children live with celiac disease, it’s my job to find people who understand their specific medical needs and will advocate for them as much as possible. That’s why I’m so grateful for the Celiac ... Read More

Tagged: celiac disease, gastroenterology