A diabetes drug with a potential side benefit: Reduced COVID-19 mortality
In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug sitagliptin to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. Now, a multicenter observational study in Italy suggests the drug also cuts mortality in diabetic patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — by as much as half. Paolo Fiorina, MD, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital led the study, ... Read More about A diabetes drug with a potential side benefit: Reduced COVID-19 mortality
Pain neurons activate immune cells, opening new treatment possibilities
For a long time, pain and inflammation were thought to be two separate biological responses. But new research by Boston Children’s Hospital and international collaborators suggests that the same sensory neurons that produce pain also trigger inflammation. And they do so by activating cells of the immune system, a relationship never described before. This interaction ... Read More about Pain neurons activate immune cells, opening new treatment possibilities
Platelet profiles could enhance care for bleeding disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer
The trillion-odd platelets in our blood are best known for controlling bleeding, helping clots form when we sustain an injury. But platelets can also go rogue. They contribute to clotting in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, leading to strokes and heart attacks, and can be hijacked by cancers to help them spread. Key takeaways A new ... Read More about Platelet profiles could enhance care for bleeding disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer
Global partnership leads to improved treatment for childhood diarrhea
Diarrheal diseases remain a major childhood health problem in many parts of the world. Each year, they lead to the deaths of more than 500,000 children under age 5 globally. A new large clinical trial based in Tanzania and India, led by investigators at Boston Children’s Hospital, local research universities, and the World Health Organization ... Read More about Global partnership leads to improved treatment for childhood diarrhea
Lung ‘organoids’ capture early-stage lung cancer; could help test treatments
Lung cancer, the leading cancer killer in the U.S., is often missed in its earlier stages. And while recent imaging advances offer earlier detection, early-stage lung cancers still have no targeted treatments. Key takeaways Mini “organoids” made from lung cells offer a rapid platform for tracking early-stage lung cancers and for testing possible treatments. RNA ... Read More about Lung ‘organoids’ capture early-stage lung cancer; could help test treatments
Natural killer cells: Protect the placenta cell but kill the infection
Infections that reach the placenta can lead to spontaneous abortions, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital abnormalities, and premature births. New research from the laboratory of Judy Lieberman, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Harvard University shows that a group of cells near the site where the placenta attaches to the uterine wall plays an essential role in ... Read More about Natural killer cells: Protect the placenta cell but kill the infection
Gene therapy’s future may be all about the bases
Gene therapy offers the possibility of a cure for many genetic disorders, especially those involving a single gene. The first kind of gene therapy used a virus to carry a corrected copy of the gene into people’s cells. When the early viral vectors used in the 1990s were found to have off-target effects, sometimes even ... Read More about Gene therapy’s future may be all about the bases
Two drugs join forces against COVID-19
Two drugs, including one developed by a researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in tests of human cells. Both drugs, vacuolin-1 and apilimod, originally developed years ago, target a large enzyme called PIKfyve kinase. Prior to this study, little was known about this enzyme’s role in COVID-19 infection. Details ... Read More about Two drugs join forces against COVID-19
A master regulator of kidney health?
End-stage kidney disease often begins with injury to podocytes. These highly specialized cells are a critical part of the glomeruli, clusters of capillaries that serve as the filtration units in our kidneys’ tightly-packed nephrons. As their name suggests, podocytes extend tiny foot processes to intermingle with the capillaries and filter the blood, maintaining the proper ... Read More about A master regulator of kidney health?
Nurses, COVID-19, and PTSD: When it hurts to care
When Boston Children’s Michelle Schuster, MSN, RN, CPHON, inpatient oncology/hematology staff nurse and Patricia Dwyer, PhD, RN, CNOR, nurse scientist, set out to study post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nurses, they weren’t thinking about COVID-19. The two had been studying PTSD in nurses for almost two years when the pandemic hit. Key takeaways· PTSD is ... Read More about Nurses, COVID-19, and PTSD: When it hurts to care