Clinical Care
Panel urges new genetic test for neurodevelopmental disorders
An international group of doctors and scientists, led by Boston Children’s Hospital, is urging the medical community to embrace — and health insurers to pay for — a new genetic technology as a first-line test for autism and other disorders affecting the development of the brain and nervous system. In a paper published last week ... Read More about Panel urges new genetic test for neurodevelopmental disorders
Patient Stories
New genetic test yields answer after family’s 10-year search
Kate Cole knew her daughter Lilly was different almost from the moment of birth. She was “a floppy baby,” lacking the strength and muscle tone her older sister had. She had trouble eating and was slow to gain weight. When she started on solid food, she often choked on it. She never really crawled and ... Read More about New genetic test yields answer after family’s 10-year search
Patient Stories
Young inventor puts time in hospital to good use
Alexis (Lexi) Abbott is a 14-year-old inventor from the Appalachian Highlands region of Virginia. Lexi is so dedicated to her craft that she didn’t let a recent hospital stay at Boston Children’s Hospital for a complex spinal surgery get in the way of her creativity. Instead, she came prepared, turning her stay into an extended ... Read More about Young inventor puts time in hospital to good use
Patient Stories
Solving the mystery of Sophie’s high blood pressure
Sophie Lawrence loves “Baby Shark.” Like many other toddlers, she listens to the popular children’s song on repeat, bopping her head and mimicking the accompanying hand gestures. “Something about it just really calms her when she’s upset,” says her mother, Samantha. Indeed, Sophie was rocking out to “Baby Shark” during a recent appointment with Dr. ... Read More about Solving the mystery of Sophie’s high blood pressure
Patient Stories
Taking life with hemophilia one day at a time
Hemophilia has always been part of Kayla Klein’s life. Her father, David, had the condition. Her son, Robbie, has it too. For years, though, Kayla has also surrounded herself with the right people — people who know hemophilia and who have helped her and her husband Joel create a life where the condition isn’t something ... Read More about Taking life with hemophilia one day at a time
Health and Parenting
What role do genetics play in pediatric leukemia?
Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, accounting for 31 percent of cancers in children younger than 15, and 25 percent of those younger than 20. Most young patients develop leukemia because of a mutation, or DNA change, that occurs randomly in a blood cell only, and is not inherited from a parent. On the other ... Read More about What role do genetics play in pediatric leukemia?
Research
Genetics drive deep investigations into blood cell production
Knowing how different kinds of blood cells form from their stem cell progenitors can shed light on blood disorders and aid in finding new treatments. A series of recent studies co-led by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center applied a variety of genetic tools to provide new insights on blood cell production. ... Read More about Genetics drive deep investigations into blood cell production
Patient Stories
Rylan’s story: A fixed and full tummy
Our sweet son Rylan cried all of the time as a baby. We were told by our local pediatrician in Texas that he had acid reflux. For the first year of his life, we sat in a rocking chair and rocked him nonstop while he cried. One night, I fell asleep with him on the couch ... Read More about Rylan’s story: A fixed and full tummy
Clinical Care
Fetal treatment for vein of Galen malformations
Vein of Galen malformations (VOGMs) are rare, life-threatening vascular malformations that often cause heart failure in neonates. The preferred postnatal treatment for VOGM is transarterial embolization [1]. Although often diagnosed in utero, currently no in utero treatments exist. The Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital have agreed that ... Read More about Fetal treatment for vein of Galen malformations
Research
Opioid alternative? Taming tetrodotoxin for precise painkilling
Opioids remain a mainstay of treatment for chronic and surgical pain, despite their side effects and risk for addiction and overdose. While conventional local anesthetics block pain very effectively, they wear off quickly and can affect the heart and brain. Now, a study in rats offers up a possible alternative, involving an otherwise lethal pufferfish ... Read More about Opioid alternative? Taming tetrodotoxin for precise painkilling