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Brachial plexus birth injury: Harper’s right arm

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: brachial plexus, hand and upper extremity, orthopedics, surgery

When Harper Jane Stalker was born with a limp, unmoving right arm in 2016, her parents had never heard of brachial plexus birth injury. Their situation was not unusual. Although this type of nerve injury is relatively common, most parents haven’t heard the term and don’t know what it is. “In the beginning, we were ... Read More

Tagged: brachial plexus, hand and upper extremity, orthopedics, surgery

Tuber locations associated with infantile spasms map to a common brain network

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Alice McCarthy | Clinical, Research

Tags: neuroscience, newborn medicine, tuberous sclerosis

About half of all babies with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) develop infantile spasms, a type of epilepsy that can have serious long-term neurologic consequences. Infantile spasms occur more often in children who have more brain tubers — groups of cells that do not divide into normal neurons and brain cells — but we haven’t known ... Read More

Tagged: neuroscience, newborn medicine, tuberous sclerosis

COVID-19 exposed health inequities. These doctors let people know.

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Our Community

Tags: coronavirus, health equity, racism

What’s a doctor to do when social issues make their patients sick? Traditional medicine can treat disease, but most people don’t realize that problems like racism, poverty, poor housing, and food insecurity can put children and families at risk for a wide range of health problems. Driven by concern that communities of color would experience ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, health equity, racism

Talking with your child about loss and death

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Ellen Greenlaw | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus, mental health

The death toll from COVID-19 has recently surpassed more than 400,000 in the United States and continues to climb. This means that thousands of children have lost someone close to them — a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a family friend, or even a parent. Some children have lost more than one loved one. Talking ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, mental health

Chronic headaches in kids: How a psychologist can help your child cope

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Jessica Cerretani | Health and Parenting

Tags: headaches, pain

For many young people, the pain of chronic daily headaches can be compounded by the concern that providers aren’t taking them seriously. Defined as headaches that occur at least 15 days per month for six months or more, chronic daily headaches can be so difficult to manage that some patients may feel that their pain ... Read More

Tagged: headaches, pain

Predicting pediatric seizures with a wristband: Study shows what’s possible

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Jessica Cerretani | Research, Therapeutics/Diagnostics/Devices

Tags: epilepsy, research, seizures

The ability to track seizures has a number of potential benefits: It could allow physicians to better determine optimal dosing and timing of medication, as well as enable timely interventions to help prevent impending seizures. Traditionally, electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography have been used to evaluate and forecast seizures. However, more compact, portable approaches — such ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, research, seizures

Answers for parents whose baby is born with brachial plexus injury

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Joanne Barker | Health and Parenting

Tags: brachial plexus, hand and upper extremity, orthopedics, surgery

Between one and three of every 1,000 babies is born with brachial plexus birth injury. The injury, which may be minor or severe, can impair movement and sensation in a baby’s arm. Because brachial plexus injuries take place during birth, usually without warning, the news leaves many new parents at a loss for what to ... Read More

Tagged: brachial plexus, hand and upper extremity, orthopedics, surgery

Specialized T cells protect against the deadliest form of malaria

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Alice McCarthy | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cellular and molecular medicine, immunology, infectious diseases

Each year, there are about 230 million cases of malaria globally. Children under the age of 5 are at highest risk of serious illness and death, accounting for about 265,000 deaths, or nearly 70 percent of all malaria deaths worldwide. Despite significant time and money poured into efforts to develop an effective malaria vaccine, the ... Read More

Tagged: cellular and molecular medicine, immunology, infectious diseases

Returning to sports after having COVID-19

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Ellen Greenlaw | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus, heart, heart center, sports medicine

Mikey LaCroix, age 23, competes in snowboard cross for the U.S. Snowboard Team. In late 2020, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and had mild symptoms including a low-grade fever, chills, and loss of smell and taste that lasted about two weeks. Before returning to the slopes after his illness, Mikey had to go through specific ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, heart, heart center, sports medicine

Pharmacogenomics: Nearly 30 percent of children could benefit, study finds

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical Care

Tags: drug safety, genetics and genomics, research

Medications aren’t one-size-fits-all. Genetic differences can affect how patients metabolize drugs, and can sometimes make a beneficial drug ineffective or even toxic. In one infamous case, a 2-year-old boy in Canada died from a codeine dose he received after surgery. A genetic difference caused him to metabolize codeine so quickly that toxic levels of morphine ... Read More

Tagged: drug safety, genetics and genomics, research