Children’s research made the Huffington Post’s Top 10 Medical Research Trends to Watch in 2010. We find out exactly how dangerous secondhand smoke is to children. Are American destined to be obese? Two studies show how important a good night’s sleep for your children is. A gene for a devastating kidney disease is discovered. Do you know the dangers of leaving your child in the car alone? Dr. Rich responds to comments on his Call of Duty post. Have Americans finally hit an obesity plateau? The Flu Fighters invade Facebook. Children’s sends a team into Haiti and we offer advice on how to talk to your children about this devastating event.
Posts tagged as:
cancer
by Lawrence Rhein, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Infant Lung Development
Most people know that smoking is bad for the people who light up a cigarette and inhale. And most non-smokers know that inhaling someone else’s smoke can be unpleasant. But is it dangerous?
High in toxic chemicals, secondhand smoke causes or contributes to many health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A new study, out this month, adds to the growing evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke is especially concerning for children. [click to continue…]
Charlotte Kelly is battling neuroblastoma
WBZ-TV yesterday shared the story of Charlotte Kelly, a 3-year-old Children’s patient who is battling stage IV neuroblastoma. The chemotherapy used to treat Charlotte’s cancer destroys the platelets in her blood, so she needs regular transfusions to replace them. Her mother’s colleagues from the Tynan Elementary School in South Boston gave the greatest holiday gift this week when they came to Children’s Blood Donor Center to donate platelets for Charlotte.
As you’re giving gifts this year, don’t forget to give the ones, like blood and platelets, that don’t cost a dime but help kids like Charlotte every day at Children’s and places like it around the world.
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
An eco-perspective is explored on H1N1. Survivors of childhood brain cancer face a variety of late effects and why you need to get rid of your old glass thermometers. Children’s explores how babies understand expressions and emotions and offers tips on how to prepare your child for a flu vaccine. A new study reveals that parents are out of touch about knowing their kids’ stress levels and a Children’s expert gives tip on how to help kids cope with the stress of having a parent at war. The HealthMap team gives us our weekly H1N1 update and your questions are answered about whether or not your asthmatic child should get the H1N1 vaccine. Children are increasingly relying on food stamps and the Mediatrician dishes on telenovelas and toddlers.
By Celiane Rey-Casserly, PhD, ABPP-CN, director of Children’s Neuropsychology Program and neuropsychologist for the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Every year, about 2,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor. Thanks to better technology and treatments, children are now surviving brain tumors at increasing rates. But as these survivors age, pediatric cancer specialists like me are beginning to understand that the legacy of childhood cancer extends well into adulthood. We’re learning that survivors of brain tumors face a variety of late effects from their cancer and treatments.
A recent paper by Leah Ellenberg, PhD, of University of California Los Angeles, found that survivors of childhood brain tumors reported significantly greater neurocognitive dysfunction than their siblings or than survivors of other types of childhood cancer. [click to continue…]
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Read why the days of jumping back into a game after a possible concussion are over. A new study shows that adult survivors of childhood cancer are much more likely to experience suicidal thoughts than their peers. Children’s expert Ellen Hanson, PhD, questions whether autism really is on the rise. An experimental heart valve saves a child with H1N1. Children’s has established and unprecedented partnership with the state’s largest health plans. The HealthMap team gives its weekly H1N1 update. Children’s Dennis Rosen, MD, questions whether sleeping late can keep your child slim and Joanne Cox, MD, answers parents’ questions about H1N1. Our resident mediatrician tackles the question of graphic violent and sexual images in the media and a teen guest blogger writes about teens and self-esteem.
Cancer care for children has improved dramatically in the last 40 years. Prior to the 1970s, childhood cancer was often a fatal diagnosis. Now, thanks to advances in cancer treatments, about 80 percent of pediatric cancer patients can expect to be cured of their cancer and grow into to adulthood.
Unfortunately, the intensive treatments needed to cure children of their cancers can have significant effects on their physical and emotional health later in life. [click to continue…]
Other stories we’ve been reading:
• The Washington Post reports on an interactive Web site from Microsoft Corp that employs the same triage calculations used by clinicians at Emory University to help determine when patients under 12 should see a doctor about their flu symptoms.
• A study led by Nina S. Kadan-Lottick, MD, MSPH, FAAP, of the Yale Cancer Center, shows that nearly 50 percent of childhood cancer survivors never marry.
• The Boston Globe finds that many Massachusetts hospitals are increasing their focus on the patient experience by offering more amenities such as free wireless service, flat screen TVs and a greater number of private rooms.
• WebMD reports on a new survey from the September issue of Pediatrics which shows that a majority of parents don’t know how to properly determine their child’s correct height and weight based on the growth charts provided by their pediatricians.
• Yahoo News reports on the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) findings that schools are making slight improvements in limiting some types of junk food available on school property, just not all junk food. [click to continue…]
