Archive for research
It takes a village: Creating best practices for personalized treatments
In 2019, doctors and scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital announced a medical landmark. In the space of one year, a team led by Timothy Yu, MD, PhD, pinpointed a one-of-a-kind genetic mutation in a girl named Mila with Batten disease, developed a custom drug called milasen to repair the mutation, and treated Mila with it. ... Read More
Solving neurodevelopmental mysteries, one gene, one child at a time
Suheil Day was born early, at 37 weeks. Aside from a slight head lag and mild muscle weakness, nothing seemed terribly amiss. But as the months progressed, he began having seizures. “At the age of 4 to 5 months, he started waking up screaming and crying excessively, his eyes rolling up into his head,” says ... Read More
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
Innovative NIH-funded project promises to expand care for gender-diverse youth
Transgender and gender-diverse young people have historically high rates of suicidal ideation: According to some estimates, more than half of gender-diverse youth will contemplate suicide in their lifetime. This risk is even higher in Black and Latinx trans youth, who experience both gender- and race-based discrimination, stigma, and stress. Research has shown that trans youth ... Read More
A promising new antiseizure drug tailored to newborns
Neonatal seizures can lead to serious consequences, including significant cognitive and motor disabilities, lifelong epilepsy, and death. They are often highly resistant to treatment, in part because seizures in newborns are fundamentally different from seizures in older children and adults. Yet they are treated in much the same way as older patients, with little change over the decades. Better treatment is ... Read More
Thickened feeds — but not acid-suppressing medications — help treat laryngomalacia in infants
In laryngomalacia, the soft tissues of the larynx fall over the airway opening and partially block it, which can result in stridor, feeding difficulties, and other symptoms. Infants with this condition are frequently treated with acid-suppressing medications, based on the belief that gastroesophageal reflux might worsen the problem. However, there’s little evidence to support the ... Read More
Taking treatment of long-gap esophageal atresia to the next level: Refining innovative techniques
The surgeons in the Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center at Boston Children’s Hospital are pioneers in developing and refining innovative surgical approaches to long-gap esophageal atresia, a condition in which a child’s esophagus develops in two separate segments that can’t be easily connected with surgery. Among these techniques are jejunal interposition and the Foker process. ... Read More
A coming wave of diabetes? The link with COVID-19
Researchers are observing a new long-term health concern in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — an increase in new-onset hyperglycemia lasting months after infection. An Italian study found that about half of the patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 during the start of the pandemic had new cases of hyperglycemia, or high levels of blood ... Read More
Inspired by Chinese finger traps, an annuloplasty ring that grows with the child
This post is part of a series on innovations to treat valvular disease in children. Read our prior posts on transcatheter valve replacement and an expandable prosthetic heart valve. Prosthetic annuloplasty rings have improved the durability of heart valve repairs in adults. Implanted at the perimeter of dilated, leaky valves, they help keep the valve ... Read More
Children with severe MIS-C do better with IVIG and steroids as initial therapy
When children started getting sick with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in the wake of COVID-19, clinicians largely turned to two treatments. Many used immunoglobulin (IVIG) because of MIS-C’s similarities with Kawasaki disease. And many used steroids such as methylprednisolone because of MIS-C’s inflammatory features. Key takeawayIn this large, rigorous national study, initial treatment of MIS-C ... Read More