Patient Stories
Muriel’s story: Choosing life after loss
I was with my mom when she had a heart attack. I was only 3 years old, but I remember her falling down and the EMTs arriving and later being told she had passed away. As I got older, I understood that my mom’s weight and health habits caused her heart disease and ultimately her ... Read More about Muriel’s story: Choosing life after loss
Research
Getting a grip on genetic loops
A new discovery about the spatial orientation and physical interactions of our genes provides a promising step forward in our ability to design custom antibodies. This, in turn, could revolutionize the fields of vaccine development and infection control. “We are beginning to understand the full biological impact that the physical structure and movement of our ... Read More about Getting a grip on genetic loops
Health and Parenting
What parents should know about hypospadias
It’s one of the most common birth defects, affecting an estimated 1 out of 200 boys. But most parents aren’t aware of hypospadias until their child is diagnosed with it. In this condition, the opening of a boy’s urethra (through which both urine and semen pass) is located on the underside of his penis rather than at ... Read More about What parents should know about hypospadias
Health and Parenting
What parents of musicians should know about upper extremity injuries
When it comes to orthopedic injuries, sports are usually talked about as high-risk activities, but it’s not often we consider the risk that musicians take when playing an instrument for hours every day. Musicians can get overuse injuries the same way that athletes do, and are at risk for neck and back injuries, as well ... Read More about What parents of musicians should know about upper extremity injuries
Patient Stories
Football and family: Overcoming brachial plexus birth palsy
Chase is only a few months away from fulfilling a lifelong dream; playing college football. It’s a dream thousands of other kids across the country will be living out this fall — but they aren’t like Chase. “The first time I saw Chase was in 2000,” says Dr. Peter Waters, Orthopedic Surgeon-in-Chief and director of the Brachial ... Read More about Football and family: Overcoming brachial plexus birth palsy
Research
Solving the DIPG puzzle a single cell at a time
For more than 15 years, pediatric neuro-oncologist Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, has been on a scientific crusade to understand DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma). She hopes to one day be able to cure a disease that has historically been thought of as an incurable type of childhood brain cancer. “While I was in medical school, I ... Read More about Solving the DIPG puzzle a single cell at a time
Health and Parenting
Stroke in kids: What’s different?
Every May, we recognize National Stroke Awareness Month to honor everyone who has experienced a stroke — and to raise awareness of this disease. That awareness is especially important for pediatric stroke, which is more common than you might imagine. “Stroke occurs throughout childhood, from birth through 18 years of age, and more commonly than ... Read More about Stroke in kids: What’s different?
Research
Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis
Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated. Typically affecting young children, the most severe form of PVS progresses very quickly ... Read More about Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis
Research
Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Clostridium difficile, also called “C. diff,” causes severe gastrointestinal tract infections and tops the CDC’s list of urgent drug-resistant threats. In work published in Nature in 2016, Min Dong, PhD, and colleagues found the elusive portal that enables a key C. diff toxin, toxin B, to enter the intestines’ outer cells and break down the ... Read More about Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Research
Failed cancer drug may extend life in children with progeria
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, better known as progeria, is a highly rare genetic disease of premature aging. It takes a cruel toll: Children begin losing body fat and hair, develop the thin, tight skin typical of elderly people and suffer from hearing loss, bone problems, hardening of the arteries, stiff joints and failure to grow. They ... Read More about Failed cancer drug may extend life in children with progeria