Brain Characteristics Associated with Epilepsy and Depression/Anxiety
Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that symptoms of depression and anxiety were related to diffuse reductions in brain structure and function in youth with intractable epilepsy.
Read the whole story at Pediatrics Nationwide: Brain Characteristics Associated with Epilepsy and Internalizing Disorders.
Excess Weight Alters Results of Blood Tests in Kids
Even in children and teens, obesity has been linked to major health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. But the effects of extra weight may show up in some tests before disease develops. Weight can affect results of routine blood tests in kids, new data show. And those results might highlight kids at risk of developing disease.
Read the whole story at Science News for Students: Excess Weight Alters Results of Blood Tests in Kids and Teens.
Gene Therapy for Rare Disorders
After decades of promise tempered by setbacks, gene therapies are nowbringing new treatment options for a variety of inherited and acquireddiseases.
Recently, clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have shown that gene therapy can safely correct the immune systems of children born without critical infection-fighting cells. These successes are the result of safety modifications and improvements in gene transfer efficiency and delivery fueled by basic science research. Now, as clinical progress in the field rapidly grows, gene therapies are beginning to benefit those with inherited immunodeficiencies, blood disorders, blindness, neuromuscular disease, and more.
Read my story at IEEE Pulse: Advances in Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Rare Disorders.
A Major Milestone in Cystic Fibrosis Treatment
A Phase III clinical trial shows that elexacaftor added to ivacaftor and tezacaftor improves lung function and quality of life in cystic fibrosis patients with the most common genetic mutation, F508del. The triple therapy, known as Trikafta, could effectively treat 90 percent of people with cystic fibrosis.
Read the whole story at Pediatrics Nationwide: A Major Milestone in Cystic Fibrosis Treatment.
Vaping Guidelines
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), state and local health departments, and public health andclinical partners are looking into a multistate outbreak of lung injuryassociated with the use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), orvaping, products.
Now, a report by a working group of experts offers guidance to health care providers caring for patients with EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury).
See that they say in my latest research summary for Pediatrics Nationwide: Health Care Leaders Offer Interim Guidelines on Vaping, EVALI Care.