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Helping manage ‘sensitive issues’: How our psychosocial team helps kids with urologic concerns
In Boston Children’s Department of Urology, urologists, pediatricians, and nurses aren’t the only ones who care for kids and their families. Psychologists, social workers, and child life specialists all work together to help children manage urologic conditions. We sat down with members of the department’s psychosocial team to learn more. Why did you choose to ... Read More about Helping manage ‘sensitive issues’: How our psychosocial team helps kids with urologic concerns
Patient Stories
‘A lot better now’: Andrew’s recovery from Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a stroke
When Andrew was bitten by a tick in 2021, he and his parents could hardly have imagined that just a month later, he would be coping with a series of health problems that would culminate in a stroke. Andrew, then 7, didn’t even realize he’d been bitten until he began to feel sick with a ... Read More about ‘A lot better now’: Andrew’s recovery from Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a stroke
Research
Shoring up heart muscle’s mini ‘managers’ to treat heart failure
Our heart muscle is studded with tiny dyads, intricately designed structures that manage incoming electrical signals and calcium release to coordinate our heartbeats. Could gene therapy help maintain dyads’ structure and boost the function of failing hearts? A new study suggests it can. “We know that in heart failure from many causes, dyads become disorganized,” says ... Read More about Shoring up heart muscle’s mini ‘managers’ to treat heart failure
EarlyBird: Addressing dyslexia through game play
Up to 10 percent of the population has dyslexia, yet many children are diagnosed only after struggling with reading for years. The stigma can cause low self-esteem, depression, and antisocial behavior. But imagine we could identify children at risk for dyslexia before they start formal reading instruction, then help them build the skills they need ... Read More about EarlyBird: Addressing dyslexia through game play
Research
Will early intervention prevent asthma in school-age children?
Asthma affects about 1 in 10 children, often sending them to the emergency room or causing them to miss school. Allergic conditions in young children — like food allergies or eczema — are often a precursor. Susceptible children begin producing IgE antibodies, which trigger allergic reactions and spur the “allergic march” toward asthma. IgE antibodies ... Read More about Will early intervention prevent asthma in school-age children?
Research
Novel procedure may bridge the treatment gap for symptomatic flexible flatfoot
Most children develop arches in their feet by early adolescence. About 20 percent, however, have pes planovalgus (PPV), also known as flexible flatfoot. Most children with PPV can participate in sports and other activities without issue, but others have ongoing pain in their feet that limit function and activities. Until recently in the U.S., children ... Read More about Novel procedure may bridge the treatment gap for symptomatic flexible flatfoot
Research
Finding a possible genetic treatment for rare arrhythmias
Variants in a gene that plays a key role in heart function can cause potentially life-threatening arrhythmia syndromes known as calmodulinopathy. Calmodulinopathy is rare and causes arrhythmias that are poorly treated by current options. Boston Children’s cardiologist William Pu, MD, believes he has found a promising custom genetic treatment: antisense oligonucleotides that deplete the disease-causing gene product. ... Read More about Finding a possible genetic treatment for rare arrhythmias
Patient Stories
Born with congenital scoliosis, Thelma looks to the future
Sixteen-year-old Thelma Alemnji probably enjoys student life more than most high school juniors. After all, up until last year, activities like drama club, debate club, and student government were out of reach. Born with severe congenital scoliosis and thoracic insufficiency syndrome, Thelma’s childhood and early adolescence were marked by regular hospital visits and frequent surgeries: ... Read More about Born with congenital scoliosis, Thelma looks to the future
Patient Stories
‘We’re going to Boston’: Why Aydan’s family temporarily relocated for craniopharyngioma care
One evening in October 2022, 2-year-old Aydan Arguello arrived at Boston Children’s Hospital. It wasn’t a routine visit, but instead the final stop in an urgent journey from his home in South Florida. Months earlier, the toddler had been diagnosed and treated for a large brain tumor — but it was a related concern that led ... Read More about ‘We’re going to Boston’: Why Aydan’s family temporarily relocated for craniopharyngioma care
Research
Curbing blood cancers by teaching immune cells to kill mutant stem cells
Blood stem cells, which give rise to all of our blood cell types, undergo a quality assurance process after they’re born. As the lab of Leonard Zon, MD, director of the Stem Cell Research program at Boston Children’s, has documented, immune cells known as macrophages interact with each newly born cell. They engulf and eat ... Read More about Curbing blood cancers by teaching immune cells to kill mutant stem cells