Research
Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant
Boston Children’s cardiac surgeons have an overriding goal for each patient: If possible, repair their congenital heart defect (CHD) — rather than replace any native heart tissue. Preserving heart tissue often leads to a speedier and more complete recovery and longer-lasting cardiac function. Sometimes, though, a patient’s valve tissue is beyond repair and a bioprosthetic or mechanical replacement valve ... Read More about Eight years of preparation for a surgical first: a partial heart transplant
Health and Parenting
August 2024 coloring pages
Gear up for a new school year with our August coloring pages! MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-1Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-2Download MAC_31109_ColoringPages_Back_To_School-3Download Images: Adobe Stock/Illustration: David Chrisom Get more coloring pages, news, and tips for your family from our weekly newsletter. Sign up now! Share this:
Research
Creating the next generation of mRNA vaccines
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines came to the rescue, developed in record time and saving lives worldwide. Researchers in the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital have developed two novel technologies that could make these and future mRNA vaccines more potent and longer-lasting — at smaller doses and with fewer side effects. The ... Read More about Creating the next generation of mRNA vaccines
Health and Parenting
Going for gold starts with breakfast: Nutrition advice for athletes
As they speed-climb 49-foot walls or spring across narrow balance beams, athletes rely on nutrition to provide the energy they need to achieve their dreams. Sports dietitian Laura Moretti Reece offers all athletes this simple nutrition advice: 1. Eat enough. Food is fuel, says Reece of Boston Children’s Female Athlete Program. Athletes need fuel for ... Read More about Going for gold starts with breakfast: Nutrition advice for athletes
Health and Parenting
July 2024 coloring pages
Celebrate summer and the Olympics with our latest coloring pages! MAC_30808_ColoringPages_Summer_Olympic-3-1Download MAC_30808_ColoringPages_Summer_Olympic-1Download MAC_30808_ColoringPages_Summer_Olympic-2Download Images: Adobe Stock/Illustration: David Chrisom Get more coloring pages, news, and tips for your family from our weekly newsletter. Sign up now! Share this:
Research
Tracking influenza in its first battleground: The nose
The answer to curbing influenza could be right under our noses — or, more accurately, inside them. New research maps happenings in the nose during the course of influenza in exquisite detail, and could potentially lead to new targets and more effective nasal flu vaccines. The nose is often the gateway to respiratory infections, where ... Read More about Tracking influenza in its first battleground: The nose
Patient Stories
No labels or limits with Apert syndrome: A letter to parents
Dear parents, If you’re reading this, your child might have been recently diagnosed with Apert syndrome and you don’t know what comes next with this rare genetic disorder that causes fusion of your child’s skull, hands, and foot bones. Or maybe you’ve been in the Apert world for a while and are looking for people ... Read More about No labels or limits with Apert syndrome: A letter to parents
Research
From injury to backflips: A path to recovery for gymnasts
Gymnasts can create the illusion that gravity doesn’t exist. As they spring from one acrobatic skill into the next, they leave spectators little time to consider the strain they’re putting on their wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Nonetheless, a single back handspring exerts force equal to two to four times an athlete’s weight on their upper ... Read More about From injury to backflips: A path to recovery for gymnasts
Research
From ‘hit to vial’: Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant
Many vaccines are only partially effective, have waning efficacy, or do not work well in the very young or the very old. For more than a decade, Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, and David Dowling, PhD, in the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, have tried improving vaccines by adding compounds known as adjuvants to ... Read More about From ‘hit to vial’: Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant
Patient Stories
The power of a second opinion for Merritt’s spina bifida care
In March 2020 — at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown — Jenna, Brian, and their 2-year-old daughter Merritt were practically the only passengers on their flight from Charlotte to Boston. Waiting for them in Massachusetts were Dr. Benjamin Warf, Dr. Carlos Estrada, and other experts from the Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Conditions Center ... Read More about The power of a second opinion for Merritt’s spina bifida care