Advice on Injury Prevention
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital OaklandExperts are preparing to see a spike in shoulder injuries starting in April.
Experts are preparing to see a spike in shoulder injuries starting in April.
Children's Hospital Oakland Scientist First to Show Certain Pregnant Women at Risk for Iron Overload Study proves current recommendations for iron supplementation can cause birth complications.
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland will conduct a series of workshops to teach physicians how to talk to parents about their child's obesity-related health problems.
Scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), the University of Iowa and Roche Molecular Systems are the first to identify a new gene variant that makes women more susceptible to developing heart disease. The affected gene is called Leukotriene C4 Synthase (LTC4S) and its variant could be identified through a genetic test at birth. The use of such a test would allow physicians to initiate preventative treatments to reduce or even eliminate the risk of heart disease in those women possessing the variant gene.
Children with cochlear implants require a different approach to learning. Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland (CHRCO) in California is one of the few hospitals in the state with a program to educate teachers on how to lead students with cochlear implants to their full academic potential. Teachers from all over California come to CHRCO to attend the monthly seminars.
A new study led by Elizabeth Theil, Ph.D., is the first to suggest that a small protein or heptapeptide (seven amino acids wrapped into one unit) could be used to accelerate the removal of iron from ferritin. The results of this study may help scientists develop new medications that dramatically improve the removal of excess iron in patients diagnosed with blood diseases such as B-Thalassemia (Cooley's anemia) or Sickle Cell Disease.
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland has the region's first sports medicine clinic just for kids. The Sports Medicine Center for Young Athletes, a division of the hospital's pediatric orthopedic surgery department, evaluates treats and rehabilitates children and adolescents with sports-related injuries. The center also designs injury prevention programs specific to adolescents, whose growing bones and cartilage are more susceptible to injuries than those of adults.
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland's Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) program recently earned a renewal accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). FACT accreditation requires that programs meet the highest standards on the basis of rigorous on-site performance reviews.
Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first children's hospital in the country to use groundbreaking technology that could revolutionize the way blood is analyzed at pediatric hospitals. This new method uses smart-card technology, similar to that used in some debit or credit cards at the supermarket or gas station, to read a child's blood sample.
A groundbreaking study conducted by Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first to reveal a new avenue for harvesting stem cells "“ from a woman's placenta, or more specifically the discarded placentas of healthy newborns. The study also finds there are far more stem cells in placentas than in umbilical cord blood, and they can be safely extracted for transplantation.
A landmark study conducted by Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first to reveal a new syndrome in children that presents with a combination of allergy, apraxia and malabsorption. Autism spectrum disorders were variably present. Verbal apraxia has until now been understood to be a neurologically based speech disorder, although hints of other neurological soft signs have been described.
A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists identifies a new class of therapeutic agents found naturally in soy that can prevent and possibly treat colon cancer, the third most deadly form of cancer. Sphingadienes (SDs) are natural lipid molecules found in soy that research shows may be the key to fighting colon cancer.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) Pharmacogenetics Research Network (PGRN) just awarded $13.23 million to Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) Senior Scientist Ronald Krauss, MD, for a five-year renewal of his grant, Pharmacogenomics and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease (PARC). Dr. Krauss and the national, interdisciplinary PARC team will use the grant to continue research into identifying a genetic basis for the wide variation in effectiveness of statin treatment for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
Sugar molecule used In common food and household products like Febreze® Fabric Refresher called Hydroxypropyl Beta Cyclodextrin (HPßCD) will be delivered into twins’ central nervous system in an attempt to stop neurological progression of Niemann Pick Type C disease.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland’s Pediatric Residency Program is the recipient of California’s largest individual Affordable Care Act - Primary Care Residency Expansion (ACA-PCRE) program grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) totaling $3.84 million to fund up to 20 new pediatric residents over a 5-year period in order to expand the country’s primary care workforce.
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists identified that an injection of the protein apolipoprotein (apo)A-V may reduce high triglyceride levels in the blood and subsequently reduce coronary artery disease. Like cholesterol, elevated levels of triglyceride, a fat in the blood, is associated with the increased risk of heart disease—the number one cause of death in the United States.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland is hosting the 2nd annual international Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease October 28 and 29. This impressive conference will bring together hematologists from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, and beyond, and the premier sickle cell experts from the United States for a dialogue on research, comprehensive care, and new treatments and therapies.
Study shows testing for hemoglobin H disease at birth leads to better medical care and decreased morbidity, may lead to change in national public health policy.
Results of Study May Help Eradicate Dangerous Disease, Contribute to Solving Global Health Problem: A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland and University of Massachusetts Medical Center scientists and published in the Journal of Immunology identifies a new mutant vaccine antigen for Neisseria meningitidis (also called meningococcus) that has the potential to improve vaccine development against dangerous bacterial infections including meningitis.
An analysis of the essential mineral selenium by Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) suggests that adequate intake of essential mineral selenium may prevent age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland announced today a $1 million gift from The Clorox Company to support research with an aim of developing a vaccine against meningococcal disease – a potentially deadly bacterial infection that affects millions of children and young adults throughout the world.
More than two dozen international sickle cell disease leaders from Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States will gather tomorrow at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland for the 3rd annual Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease, an intensive two-day conference on sickle cell disease. This meeting is part of a global health initiative involving international countries dedicated to addressing sickle cell disease. There are over 300,000 newborns diagnosed every year.
Each year 300,000 to 500,000 babies are born with severe forms of hemoglobin disorders worldwide. It is estimated that 7% of the world’s population are carriers of the genes that may cause these diseases. While originally most common in warm climates, extensive population migration has resulted in hemoglobinopathies becoming a worldwide public health problem, including the United States and particularly California. Leading the World Health Organization’s effort to address this public health crisis is distinguished physician and researcher Sir David Weatherall who will present “The Inherited Disorders of Hemoglobin: An Increasing Global Health Problem" at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland on Thursday, November 10, 2011.
A groundbreaking study conducted by Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) Senior Scientist Elizabeth Theil, PhD, is the first to reveal the existence of at least two independent mechanisms for iron absorption from non-meat sources-and a potential treatment for iron deficiency, the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide. The discovery of an alternative mechanism for iron absorption from vegetables and legumes may provide the key to helping solve iron deficiency by providing an alternative, affordable, and readily available source of iron.
Scientists at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute’s (CHORI) Nutrition & Metabolism Center, led by National Medal of Science winner Bruce N. Ames, PhD, have developed a low-calorie fruit-based high fiber vitamin and mineral nutrition bar called the “CHORI-bar” that improves biological indicators (increased HDL-c and glutathione, lowered homocysteine) linked to risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and associated decline in anti-oxidant defenses.
A landmark study conducted by Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) Senior Scientist Elizabeth Theil, PhD, and collaborators at Hunter College/ Graduate Center City University of New York and Case Western Reserve University, demonstrates for the first time that ferrous iron (Fe2+) binds directly to a ribonucleic (RNA) complex to result in a conformational change that ultimately increases iron synthesis. This discovery has profound implications on the fundamental understanding of how Fe2+ and other metal ions interact with RNA, but also provides a potential model for treating dangerous and life-threatening iron overload and for targeting viruses that use similar mechanisms to bind to RNA.
A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury and may be stimulated to improve muscle repair in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe inherited disease of muscle that causes weakness, disability and, ultimately, heart and respiratory failure.
Scientists at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) led by Vladimir Serikov, MD, PhD, and Frans Kuypers, PhD, report in the current Epub issue of Stem Cells Translational Medicine that placental stem cells with important therapeutic properties can be harvested in large quantities from the fetal side of human term placentas (called the chorion). The chorion is a part of the afterbirth and is normally discarded after delivery, but it contains stem cells of fetal origin that appear to be pluripotent -- i.e., they can differentiate into different types of human cells, such as lung, liver, or brain cells. Since these functional placental stem cells can be isolated from either fresh or frozen term human placentas, this implies that if each individual’s placenta is stored at birth instead of thrown away, these cells can be harvested in the future if therapeutic need arises. This potential represents a major breakthrough in the stem cell field.
New drug, vismodegib, is effective in dramatically shrinking and preventing the formation of basal cell skin cancers – the most common cancer in the United States – in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS), a rare genetic condition that causes hundreds to thousands of skin cancers primarily treated by surgical removal.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland is celebrating its 100th birthday. The free-standing, not-for-profit pediatric medical center was founded in 1912 and opened for business in 1914. Originally called the “Baby Hospital,” Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland was founded by nurse Bertha Wright and social worker Mabel Weed, and a group of charitable Bay Area women dedicated to creating a hospital just for babies. One hundred years later, the founders' mission - to deliver specialized healthcare to all children in the region and beyond – has remained an essential component of the mission of Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland was just named one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America. Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland was recognized by The Joint Commission for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children’s asthma, stroke and venous thromboembolism, as well as inpatient psychiatric services
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland announced today a $5 million grant from Kaiser Permanente to benefit the 100-year-old, not-for-profit medical center’s rebuild and modernization efforts. This contribution will make a profound impact in the community and the quality of care available to all children.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland’s promising pilot study of deferiprone for the treatment of the neurodegenerative disorder, PKAN, leads to an international trial with potential implications for Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland’s Cystic Fibrosis Center was recently awarded the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s 2012 Quality Care Award. This prestigious award recognizes cystic fibrosis (CF) centers committed to improving the quality of patient care and providing better health outcomes for people with the life-threatening genetic disease.
Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland is ranked 10th in the nation for research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to children’s hospitals. In 2012, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland received more than $15 million in awards from the NIH for 25 separate research grants. Children’s Oakland is the only children’s hospital in Northern California ranked as a top recipient of NIH awards.
CHORI Scientists Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD, find causal link between Vitamin D, serotonin and autism. The findings point towards possible prevention and treatment options.
A group of scientists from Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute and UC Berkeley report the first mapping of genome methylation in the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster in their paper “Genome methylation in D. melanogaster is found at specific short motifs and is independent of DNMT2 activity,” published this month in Genome Research.
The trauma center at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland has been verified as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients and establishes the hospital as the only Bay Area, free-standing children’s hospital with ACS Pediatric Level 1 verification.
A team of Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland (CHORI) researchers has found that a category of lipids known as sphingolipids may be an important link in the relationship between diet, inflammation and cancer. In a paper published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Julie Saba, MD, PhD and her team provide evidence that a sphingolipid metabolite called sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) found in both mammalian food products and generated by normal human cells can contribute to inflammation of the colon, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and inflammation-associated colon cancer, whereas soy and plant-type sphingolipids called sphingadienes may protect against these conditions.
Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In a new paper published in FASEB Journal* by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), serotonin is explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders.
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland hosted its 8th annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation signature head-shaving event on March 13 and March 14 and made over $215,000 for life-saving childhood cancer research. Two-hundred and forty-two participants shaved their heads to support the event that seeks conquer childhood cancers. Shave-a-thon participants at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland have cumulatively raised $1.4 million for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest non-government funder of childhood cancer grants worldwide.
A fruit-based micronutrient and fiber-dense supplement bar (the “CHORI-bar”) conceived by Drs. Bruce Ames and Mark K. Shigenaga at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), was shown in clinical trials to improve metabolism in overweight/obese (OW/OB) otherwise healthy adults in ways that are consistent with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Consumption of the bar for two months also reduced chronic inflammation, and initiated a reduction in weight and waist circumference.
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) Senior Scientist Dr. Ronald Krauss has received a five-year, $13,184,000 grant from the NIH for precision medicine research in statin response. The grant will enable Dr. Krauss and his colleagues to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to identify genetic determinants of the efficacy of statin drugs in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as the risk for adverse effects of statins, specifically myopathy and type-2 diabetes.
Installation of underground utility connections for the OPC 2 building continue along MLK Jr. Way north of 52nd Street. The west bound driveway exit access to MLK Jr. Way is permanently closed.
The Tara Health Foundation announced today a grant of $4.8 million dollars to fund a research collaboration that will investigate how childhood adversity affects children’s health. The Bay Area Research Consortium on Toxic Stress and Health, composed of the Center for Youth Wellness, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and UCSF Medical Center, aims to bolster research and scientific tools to comprehensively address the negative health outcomes associated with exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Treatment with the antiplatelet agent prasugrel does not significantly reduce the rate of pain crises or severe lung complications in children with sickle cell disease, according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine describing one of the largest and most geographically diverse international clinical trials on sickle cell disease to date.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, which is high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods, significantly lowers blood pressure as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In a study to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’s (AJCN) February issue, researchers at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) found that a higher fat DASH diet lowered blood pressure to the same extent as the DASH diet, but also reduced triglycerides and did not significantly raise LDL cholesterol.
In a study to be published in February's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at the UCSF Benioff's Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) found that a higher fat DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet lowered blood pressure to the same extent as the DASH diet, but also reduced triglycerides and did not significantly raise LDL-C.
In 2009, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk were included in the food voucher package provided by USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). As a result, the diet quality improved for the roughly 4 million children who are served by WIC, according to a study by researchers at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, UC San Francisco and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Nutrition Policy Institute.
David Killilea, PhD, a staff scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), co-authored a study into the causes of kidney stones. The study was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in collaboration with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Marin County and Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI). Published in the prestigious scientific journal PLOS ONE, the study revealed that high levels of zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stone formation.