Blog | Page 99 of 159 | Boston Children's Answers

Capturing SARS-CoV-2’s shape-shifting spike protein

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

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

The rod-like spike proteins on the surface of SARS CoV-2 are the tip of the spear of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spikes bind to human cells via the ACE2 receptor and then dramatically change shape. They jack-knife, folding in on themselves to fuse their own membrane with the membrane of our cells. And that opens ... Read More

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

Utilizing engineering tools from the aerospace industry to repair hearts

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Ellen Greenlaw | Clinical Care, Specialty Care

Tags: cardiac surgery, heart center, single ventricle defects

When an 18-year-old patient from North Carolina recently presented at Boston Children’s Heart Center with an enlarged right atrium that made the flow through his Fontan circulation very inefficient, David Hoganson, MD, decided to utilize a new set of tools borrowed from the aerospace industry. “We have been collaborating with Dassault Systemes for over a ... Read More

Tagged: cardiac surgery, heart center, single ventricle defects

Should you hire a babysitter during COVID-19? Six tips to consider

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Lisa D. Ellis | Health and Parenting

Tags: coronavirus

If you’ll be going back to work outside of the home, you may wonder if it’s safe to hire a babysitter during COVID-19. While this decision is a very personal one, for some families it can be an appealing alternative to using a daycare center— as long as you can find a caregiver you trust ... Read More

Tagged: coronavirus

Experience matters: For Curtis’s family, choosing a thyroid surgeon was simple

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: surgery, thyroid cancer

For many parents, being told their child needs a total thyroidectomy — surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland — comes as a frightening shock. But for Curtis Lynch’s family, the procedure is already quite familiar. Several members have also undergone thyroidectomy in hopes of mitigating their genetic risk for thyroid cancer. Curtis’s family has a ... Read More

Tagged: surgery, thyroid cancer

Leaning into Sydney: A team approach to renovascular hypertension

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: hypertension, midaortic syndrome, sickle cell disease

In most ways, Sydney Murphy is a typical 3-year-old girl: She watches the movie The Princess and the Frog on repeat, names most of her dolls after the main character, Tiana, and loves the color pink. But she’s also wise beyond her years. “She knows how to use a blood pressure cuff and is really ... Read More

Tagged: hypertension, midaortic syndrome, sickle cell disease

Diving into the dark side of ependymoma

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Emily Williams | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: brain tumor, cancer, epigenetics, genetics and genomics

Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, a neuro-oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, is driven by a desire to find new therapies for some of the hardest-to-treat pediatric brain tumors. At the core of her work is an effort to uncover the events that shape tumor development. Key takeaways:· Aggressive ependymoma tumors are stuck ... Read More

Tagged: brain tumor, cancer, epigenetics, genetics and genomics

Provider Spotlight: Meet Dr. Grant Hogue

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Joanne Barker | Our Community, People

Tags: orthopedics, spine division

Dr. Grant Hogue completed his fellowship in orthopedic surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2015. He spent the next five years at the University of Texas in San Antonio as division chief of pediatric orthopedics. Soon after he relocated to Massachusetts to join the Boston Children’s Hospital Spine Division, Governor Charlie Baker issued a stay-at-home ... Read More

Tagged: orthopedics, spine division

Answers for Aubree: Finding support for OEIS

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: colorectal and pelvic malformations, oeis

Michelle and Stephen Strickland are used to having questions about their infant daughter, Aubree’s, health. After all, Aubree was born last year with a rare and complex condition called cloacal exstrophy, or OEIS syndrome, in which many of the internal abdominal structures and organs are exposed outside the body. OEIS can include an omphalocele, rectal ... Read More

Tagged: colorectal and pelvic malformations, oeis

Monitoring for breast cancer after childhood chest radiation: When and how?

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical Care, Primary Care

Tags: cancer, imaging, oncology, primary care, research

Chest radiation is used to treat children with Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma as well as lung metastases in various solid tumors. But radiation itself is a potential cancer risk. That includes an increased risk for breast cancer later in life. Girls receiving chest radiation for childhood cancer face a breast cancer risk as high as ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, imaging, oncology, primary care, research

Internet searches provide real-time estimate of Lyme disease risk

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Emily Humphreys and Nancy Fliesler | Data Science, Research

Tags: digital health, disease surveillance, epidemiology, infectious diseases, informatics, public health

Lyme disease season is well underway. How much of a risk do we face for this tick-borne illness? A new method dubbed Lymelight, developed by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Google, can accurately estimate Lyme disease risk in real time, down to the county level. Historically, estimates of Lyme disease have been based on ... Read More

Tagged: digital health, disease surveillance, epidemiology, infectious diseases, informatics, public health