Blog | Page 89 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Avoiding a dangerous attraction to magnets: Lainey’s story

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Alice McCarthy | Patient Stories

Tags: advocacy, emergency medicine, research, safety

A few days before Valentine’s Day in 2013, 2-year-old Lainey Styles wasn’t feeling well. She had vomited, was lethargic, and had a fever. After visiting the pediatrician, her mother Jessica thought Lainey had a stomach virus. But the appearance of a softball size bruise around Lainey’s belly button a couple of days later prompted her ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, emergency medicine, research, safety

Fighting for answers: Innovative approach to epilepsy helps Emma thrive

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: epilepsy, seizures

As a nurse, Lynda Coto was used to solving problems — until she was faced with her own daughter’s seemingly inexplicable illness. “I always have answers, and if I don’t, I find them,” she says. “But this time, I just didn’t know.” The questions surrounding Emma’s health began almost as soon as she was born. At ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, seizures

Hunker down and reduce your ‘transmission footprint’

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Ellen Greenlaw | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus, infectious diseases

In the midst of one of the worst COVID-19 surges so far, we finally have some good news. Two coronavirus vaccines, made by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna, appear to be highly effective and safe. While data are still preliminary, it seems that the Pfizer vaccine may also have excellent efficacy in older adults. While ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus, infectious diseases

Tough yet flexible: Biologically inspired adhesive may improve fetal surgery

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: biomaterials and drug delivery, fetal medicine, spina bifida, surgery

In children with spina bifida, the neural tube that forms the spinal cord and brain doesn’t close during early prenatal development. That leaves the nerves of the spinal cord exposed to potential damage from fetal movement and the surrounding amniotic fluid. While surgeons can repair spina bifida soon after birth, the ideal would be to ... Read More

Tagged: biomaterials and drug delivery, fetal medicine, spina bifida, surgery

Poverty predicts worse cancer outcomes, even in children receiving top-tier care

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Research

Tags: advocacy, cancer, clinical trials, neuroblastoma, policy, poverty, public health, stem cell transplant

A pair of recent studies suggests that even among patients receiving advanced cancer care, poverty is a predictor of worse outcomes. The disturbing findings raise many questions that follow-up studies are now exploring. Key takeaways Poverty was associated with 3.7-fold higher mortality among children receiving targeted immunotherapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. Household poverty was associated with ... Read More

Tagged: advocacy, cancer, clinical trials, neuroblastoma, policy, poverty, public health, stem cell transplant

The new COVID-19 vaccines: Will they be safe?

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Alice McCarthy | Research, Therapeutics/Diagnostics/Devices

Tags: clinical trials, coronavirus, infectious diseases, vaccines

Just within the past week, pharmaceutical companies have announced encouraging news about two COVID-19 vaccines in the final development phase. As more vaccine developers announce similar reports in the coming weeks and months, it’s key to remember that vaccine safety is as important as effectiveness against the virus. Fortunately, scientists have learned lessons from the ... Read More

Tagged: clinical trials, coronavirus, infectious diseases, vaccines

Missed signals? A new way we vary from each other biologically

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: big data, blood, epigenetics, genetics and genomics, precision medicine

Genetics has made huge strides over the past 20 years, from the sequencing of the human genome to a growing understanding of factors that turn genes on and off, namely transcription factors and the DNA “enhancer” sequences they bind to. New research from Boston Children’s Hospital introduces another previously unknown layer of human genetics. It ... Read More

Tagged: big data, blood, epigenetics, genetics and genomics, precision medicine

Carpooling during COVID-19: Is it safe?

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Ellen Greenlaw | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus

There are many advantages to carpooling. It’s convenient, it saves on gas and parents’ time, and when you’re carting around kids, it gives them company for the ride. But during the coronavirus pandemic, carpooling may also carry a big risk. Carpooling is a risk “You’re in a very enclosed space, so you’re taking on a ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus

Rising global temperatures tied to rising antibiotic resistance

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Data Science, Research

Tags: antibiotics, big data, climate change, disease surveillance, epidemiology, public health

A new data analysis suggests that two rising public health threats — climate change and antibiotic resistance — are related. The study, spanning 2000 to 2016, doesn’t establish cause and effect. But its findings, in the journal Eurosurveillance, suggest that rising global temperatures could be helping to fuel increases in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Key takeaway Countries ... Read More

Tagged: antibiotics, big data, climate change, disease surveillance, epidemiology, public health

Tau protein changes correlate with Alzheimer’s disease dementia stage

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Alice McCarthy | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: alzheimers disease, biomarkers, neuroscience

Research into Alzheimer’s disease has long focused on understanding the role of two key proteins, beta amyloid and the tau protein. Found in tangles in patients’ brain tissue, a pathological form of the tau protein contributes to propagating the disease in the brain. Key takeaways A pathological form of the tau protein contributes to the ... Read More

Tagged: alzheimers disease, biomarkers, neuroscience