The genetics of height: Coming close to cracking the code
More than 20 years ago, as a pediatric endocrinology fellow at Boston Children’s, Joel Hirschhorn, MD, PhD, saw many children with unusually short stature, and would often tell parents that their child was growing slowly because of genetic factors. But no height-related genes had yet been identified — in fact, scientists believed there were so ... Read More about The genetics of height: Coming close to cracking the code
The secret to safer heart surgery lies in modernizing an old technique
Of the many features in the recently-opened Hale Family Building at Boston Children’s, maybe one of the most impactful for patients and clinicians is an innovation that puts a new spin on an old way of conducting perfusion in open-heart surgery. Used in cardiac operating rooms (ORs) until only a few decades ago, wall water systems had ... Read More about The secret to safer heart surgery lies in modernizing an old technique
New insight into dietary approaches for epilepsy
Fasting has been believed since ancient times to curb seizures in epilepsy, and small patient studies in the early 1900s have revived the idea. But the reasons have remained mysterious. New research from Boston Children’s helps explain how fasting affects the brain at the molecular level. The findings could lead the way to new approaches ... Read More about New insight into dietary approaches for epilepsy
Tim Springer: Scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor
As an undergraduate in 1966, immunologist, biochemist, and biophysicist Timothy A. Springer, PhD, looked askance at science. The Vietnam War was going on, and he saw science as a means of making Agent Orange and napalm. Questioning his own Ivy League education, he left Yale to spend a year as a VISTA volunteer on a ... Read More about Tim Springer: Scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor
Preventing ‘chemo brain’ with antioxidants targeting the spinal fluid
Up to three-quarters of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy suffer from “chemo brain” — a side effect that makes it harder to remember things, maintain attention, and learn new information. When it strikes children, whose brains are still developing, effects are sometimes long lasting, affecting their schoolwork and self-esteem. “One of the most distressing potential side ... Read More about Preventing ‘chemo brain’ with antioxidants targeting the spinal fluid
Children with psychotic symptoms may merit genetic testing, finds study
A 6-year-old boy began seeing ghosts, aliens in trees, and colored footprints. More disturbingly, he heard voices coming from the walls and the school intercom telling him to hurt himself and others. Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich, MD, a psychiatrist at Boston Children’s Hospital, put him on antipsychotic medications at age 9. The frightening hallucinations stopped. While children ... Read More about Children with psychotic symptoms may merit genetic testing, finds study
A new view of heart health: Mutations accumulate in the heart starting in childhood
Why do so many people get heart disease when they get older? We know that factors like high blood pressure or high cholesterol contribute to heart disease risk, but they don’t explain all cases. A first-of-its-kind study from Boston Children’s Hospital offers a new lens on heart health. It shows that the cells of our ... Read More about A new view of heart health: Mutations accumulate in the heart starting in childhood
How protected am I from COVID-19? A new test could tell you at home
Say you’re going to a wedding or a concert or are about to leave the country. You’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, even boosted, but you have an underlying medical condition. You might have a young child who’s received only one vaccine dose. How much protection do you and your family have? Do you need another ... Read More about How protected am I from COVID-19? A new test could tell you at home
Powerful new antibody neutralizes all known coronavirus variants
As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, newer variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have been evolving ways to evade the antibodies we make in response to vaccines or prior infections. As a result, we’ve seen breakthrough cases, antibody treatments that once worked have also become less effective over time. Scientists have been searching for an antibody ... Read More about Powerful new antibody neutralizes all known coronavirus variants
Lingering health problems in children and youth after COVID-19 and MIS-C
More than one in four children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) had persisting health problems two to four months later, finds a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the largest of its kind to date. Just published in the journal Pediatrics, the study tracked 358 patients ... Read More about Lingering health problems in children and youth after COVID-19 and MIS-C