Research
With a dose of health equity, brachial plexus study enrolls more patients
What drives a parent to say yes or no to enrolling their child in research? When a surprisingly high percent of patient families said no to participating in a study of brachial plexus birth injury, orthopedic surgeon Andrea Bauer, MD, and her team decided to find out why. Along the way, they became versed in ... Read More about With a dose of health equity, brachial plexus study enrolls more patients
Clinical Care
Improving treatment process so kids can return to sports after COVID-19
Children can’t wait for the next game, the next tournament. Sports means many things to them, including an escape from the uncertainty and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring that kids can return to sports and resume other types of competitive activities after recovering from COVID-19 has become a priority for parents, coaches, and physicians ... Read More about Improving treatment process so kids can return to sports after COVID-19
Health and Parenting
COVID vaccines are here for kids ages 5 to 11. Here’s what families should know.
On November 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to help prevent COVID-19 in children ages 5 to 11. What does this mean for your child? We’ve got answers. Why is it important to vaccinate kids against COVID-19? Although most children have ... Read More about COVID vaccines are here for kids ages 5 to 11. Here’s what families should know.
Research
Preventing leukemia by preventing rogue blood cells from taking over
As we age, many of us acquire mutations that cause some of our blood stem cells to multiply faster than others, forming their own distinct populations or “clones.” This is known as clonal hematopoiesis. In some cases, a single clone originating from a single genetically altered or mutated stem cell can expand to comprise up ... Read More about Preventing leukemia by preventing rogue blood cells from taking over
Research
Diving deep on epilepsy genetics
When child neurologist Annapurna Poduri, MD, MPH finished her clinical epilepsy fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2004, she was struck to find that the genetic understanding of epilepsy had changed little in the decade since she started medical school. Many questions were unanswered — and some weren’t yet being asked. Existing treatments were still ... Read More about Diving deep on epilepsy genetics
Health and Parenting
Bullying at all ages: How to spot the signs and support your child
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, nearly a quarter of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school in 2019. But bullying can happen almost anywhere — through exclusive group-texts, the creation of hurtful memes, “Finstagrams” (fake Instagram accounts sometimes used for harassment), and more classic offline methods parents themselves may ... Read More about Bullying at all ages: How to spot the signs and support your child
Health and Parenting
Cavities are no trick: How to balance Halloween candy with healthy teeth
Believe it or not, dentists don’t dislike Halloween. They don’t secretly wish for kids to not eat candy. What dentists do want is for children to avoid certain ultra-sugary sweets and to practice moderation when munching through the contents of their trick-or-treat bags. “It’s important for kids to have fun,” says Matthew Harper, DDS, an associate ... Read More about Cavities are no trick: How to balance Halloween candy with healthy teeth
Health and Parenting
The great mask debate: how to deal with bullying over face masks in school
As the war against COVID-19 rages on, so do the battles about the best ways to stop the spread. And, as some families are finding, these battles include backlash over the decision of whether to send their children to school in masks. “Like many aspects of the pandemic, masks have become a polarizing issue, and ... Read More about The great mask debate: how to deal with bullying over face masks in school
Research
What makes the Delta variant of COVID-19 so contagious?
The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has swept the planet, becoming the dominant variant within just a few months. A new study from Boston Children’s Hospital, published in Science, explains why Delta spreads so easily and infects people so quickly. It also suggests a more targeted strategy for developing next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Last spring, ... Read More about What makes the Delta variant of COVID-19 so contagious?
Research
New research NETs a fresh angle for treating severe inflammation
As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, serious infections sometimes trigger an excessive inflammatory reaction that does as much harm — or more — than the infection itself. New research at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests a potential way to block this hyperinflammation response by repurposing or modifying an existing drug. ... Read More about New research NETs a fresh angle for treating severe inflammation