Latest news with #BostonChildrensHospital
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mezzion Pharmaceuticals Reaches Key Enrollment Milestone in World's Largest Fontan Clinical Trial
SEOUL, South Korea, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mezzion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Mezzion) announced that its confirmatory Phase 3 FUEL-2 study evaluating JURVIGO® (udenafil)1 in adolescents and young adults with Fontan circulation has surpassed a key enrollment milestone randomizing approximately 50% of the planned 400+ participants. FUEL-2 is the largest randomized clinical trial ever conducted for the Fontan population, a group of patients born with single ventricle congenital heart disease who require a series of surgeries culminating in the Fontan procedure. This population remains at high risk for heart failure, organ dysfunction, and early mortality, with no FDA-approved pharmacologic therapies available today. "The Fontan journey is long, complex, and often isolating," said Dr. Rahul Rathod, Global Principal Investigator for FUEL-2 and Director of the Single Ventricle Program at Boston Children's Hospital. "With FUEL-2, we're doing more than just advancing a treatment – we're building hope, community, and scientific clarity around a disease that has gone too long without answers." Udenafil, a highly selective and long-acting PDE5 inhibitor, has demonstrated its clinical benefit in Fontan patients with reduced functional capacity (peak VO₂ < 80% of predicted). In the original FUEL trial, this subgroup experienced the most pronounced improvements, particularly in submaximal exercise measures such as ventilatory efficiency and anaerobic threshold – indicators closely tied to functional status in daily life. These findings, combined with FDA-aligned guidance and a growing body of published evidence, informed the focused enrollment criteria for FUEL-2, which is evaluating udenafil exclusively in this higher-risk population. Udenafil has been shown to be safe and well tolerated across more than five years of cumulative exposure, including long-term use in a diverse group of adolescents and young adults from the FUEL trial's open-label extension. In FUEL-2, the primary efficacy endpoint is the change in peak VO2 (mL/kg/min) following 26 weeks of treatment. Peak VO₂ is a validated surrogate for major clinical outcomes, including hospitalization, transplant, and mortality, and a 10% decline is associated with nearly double the risk of death or transplant in Fontan patients.2 "We believe every child and young adult living with Fontan circulation deserves a future with better options," said Dong Hyun 'Dean' Park, Chairman and CEO of Mezzion. "FUEL-2 reflects our deep commitment not only to science but also to the families, clinicians, and advocates who have helped bring this vision to life." To ensure the highest data quality, all cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in FUEL-2 is centrally reviewed by The Lundquist Institute, an internationally recognized leader in cardiopulmonary diagnostics. This centralized approach enhances consistency and precision in measuring both primary and secondary endpoints across all global sites. FUEL-2 is being conducted at more than 30 of the world's leading children's hospitals across the United States and South Korea. The trial is supported by a global coalition of patient advocacy organizations, clinical investigators, and families dedicated to improving long-term outcomes for individuals with Fontan circulation. Join the Movement Patients and families interested in learning more or joining the study can visit or speak with their care team at a participating center. Clinical sites and investigators are encouraged to continue building on this momentum as we enter the second half of enrollment. Your partnership is critical to delivering the first potential FDA-approved therapy for this vulnerable and resilient community. About Mezzion Mezzion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Mezzion Pharma Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 140410), is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with rare and underserved diseases. Headquartered in New Jersey, Mezzion leads the global clinical development and commercialization of JURVIGO® (udenafil), an investigational therapy currently in Phase 3 trials for patients with single ventricle heart disease and Fontan physiology. The company has received Rare Pediatric Disease Designation from the U.S. FDA and anticipates submitting a New Drug Application (NDA) following completion of the FUEL-2 trial. For more information, visit and ¹ JURVIGO® (udenafil) is an investigational drug and has not been approved for the treatment of Fontan patients by the U.S. FDA or any other regulatory authority. The safety and efficacy of JURVIGO® in this population have not been established. 2 Cunningham JW, Nathan AS, Rhodes J, Shafer K, Landzberg MJ, Opotowsky AR. Decline in peak oxygen consumption over time predicts death or transplantation in adults with a Fontan circulation. Am Heart J. 2017;189:184–192. Media Contacts: John Presser, EVP, CBO: Sung-Il Noh, CFO: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Mezzion Pharmaceuticals, Inc Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNET
30-07-2025
- CNET
TikTok Introduces New Parental Controls, Fact-Checking and AI Moderation Features
TikTok is introducing a suite of new parental controls, community notes and AI enhancements that aim the make the short-form video social media platform safer for teens, the company said in a press release on Wednesday. Family pairing, a feature that allows parents to monitor their teen's TikTok accounts, will now notify parents of when their teens upload videos, stories or photos. It'll also now let parents know which featured topics their teens have chosen to fill their feeds. TikTok has long allowed parents to put time restrictions on their teens' accounts. Now, with Well-being Missions, TikTok says that the app can help build positive reinforcement habits. Made in collaboration with its Global Youth Council and experts from the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, the app will gamily mindfulness, giving teens badges for completing certain in-app well-being experiences. Creators also have some new tools to take advantage of. TikTok has introduced some new tools to help moderate their comments sections and make the overall experience more pleasant. This includes Creator Care Mode which, with the help of AI, can learn the types of comments a creator dislikes to automatically start filtering them out. While doing a TikTok Live stream, creators can now bulk-mute certain emojis or phrases that might be used to insult or harass. For creators with large followings, the Creator Inbox can help curate messages and allow creators to manage messages and bulk-reply to fans. Similar to Instagram's Broadcast Channel feature, TikTok will have what it calls Creator Chat Room, which allows creators to have one large chatroom with their fans. Given the influx of misinformation online, TikTok is looking to employ similar models that of X and Meta, which leverage their communities to fact-check posts. The feature is called Footnotes, and it'll work similarly to the community notes feature found on X and Facebook. Footnotes is launching as a pilot in the US and those who've signed up for the contributor community program can help verify if the information found on a post is accurate, including linking to a reliable source. Unlike Meta, which got rid of its fact checking teams entirely earlier this year, TikTok will still keep its fact-checking teams around and presses that Footnotes will be a supplement, not a solution, to fact verification. TikTok works with 20 International Fact Checking Network-accredited fact-checking partners in 60 languages over 130 markets. TikTok referred to its blog posts when asked for comment. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has been around since 2016 but saw a major surge in popularity during the pandemic. The short-form video platform has 1.59 billion users globally, 170 million of which are in the US. Being Chinese-owned, it's been railed against by politicians and regulators for its influence among US users. The fear is that TikTok could act as a backdoor into people's devices or that its algorithm could influence the public against the US government and its interests. During Trump's first term, he threatened to ban the app from the US. It was Biden who signed a bipartisan law in April of 2024 demanding ByteDance sell off TikTok to a US company or face a ban. When Trump was running for reelection, however, he claimed the app was helpful towards his campaign efforts. Trump also received donations from Jeff Yass, a billionaire and co-founder of Susquehanna International Group, who owns 7% of ByteDance. Instead of letting the ban go into effect, Trump has instead has given extensions to TikTok to find a US buyer. Trump is currently on his third 90-day extension, which is set to end on Sept. 17.
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Obesity Prediction Could Be Guided by Genetic Risk Scores
Researchers have known for decades that genetics may be more powerful than environment in predicting who will develop obesity. Identical twins tend to have the same body mass index, even if they are reared apart. Adopted children tend to have a degree of obesity similar to their birth parents rather than their adoptive ones. Identifying the genetic roots of obesity could aid with prevention starting in childhood. But finding a genetic footprint for obesity has proved challenging. With rare exceptions, there's not one gene or even a few that are the culprits. Instead, obesity is spurred by thousands of gene variants acting in concert. Each variant exerts a tiny effect. Now, using genetic data from five million people, an international group of hundreds of researchers reports that it has developed an obesity risk score, known also as a polygenic risk score. It combines thousands of gene variants to estimate individuals' predicted body mass indexes, which continue to be used by doctors to anticipate weight-related health dangers. The researchers showed that the scores can predict which young children are at risk of obesity as adults. And, in another test, they found that overweight and obese adults with high risk scores quickly regain any weight that they lose with lifestyle programs. Their paper was published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. Dr. Joel Hirschhorn, an author of the paper and a professor of pediatrics and genetics at Boston Children's Hospital, cautioned that genetics cannot account for the effects of environment and is therefore inherently limited in predicting obesity. 'We will almost never be able to say a child will have a BMI of 38 as an adult,' he said. 'Genetics is not that predictive.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top U.S. Health Systems Commit More Than $100M to Tackle Healthcare Staffing and Student Debt Crises
Boston Children's Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering, MyEyeDr., Northwestern Medicine, Novant Health, OhioHealth, VCA Animal Hospitals, and more offer early job commitments and a combined $101.2M+ in student loan repayment for critical healthcare roles. BOSTON, July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Top U.S. health systems are taking bold, employer-led action to combat two converging crises: student debt and clinical staffing shortages. Together with Clasp, the first retention-driven recruitment platform, hospitals are launching a new model for financing education—one that locks in talent early, rewards retention, and makes healthcare careers more accessible. A new generation of healthcare professionals is entering the workforce with staggering debt—often exceeding $100,000 for roles like physical therapists, occupational therapists, and physician assistants, and nearly $150,000 for newly graduated veterinarians. These burdens are only expected to grow as more roles shift to advanced degree requirements: physical therapists now need a doctorate to practice, nurse anesthetists will soon face the same, and states like New York are mandating additional credentials like the "BSN in 10" rule for nurses. Clasp's model flips the script on traditional student loan benefits. Clasp programs enable employers to commit early—often while students are still in school—and defer actual repayment until after retention milestones. That structure stretches every dollar further, with many employers on Clasp's platform offering up to $75,000+ in tax-advantaged loan repayment over three years. The result: deeper loyalty, lower turnover, and more sustainable pipelines for in-demand roles like nurse anesthesia, radiologic and surgical technology, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine. Systems leading the charge include Boston Children's Hospital (ranked the #1 pediatric hospital in the country), Memorial Sloan Kettering (the #2 cancer center), MyEyeDr. (a leading national eye care provider), Northwestern Medicine (Illinois' top-ranked hospital system), Novant Health (a top 40 U.S. health system), OhioHealth (central Ohio's largest health system), and VCA Animal Hospitals (leading national veterinary group). They join Clasp's growing network of early adopters building stronger futures—for students and the healthcare workforce alike. "At Novant Health, we're working to build a healthier future for all – from patients and communities to our own clinicians and team members. We believe the workforce of tomorrow depends on how we support students today," said Sebastien Girard, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Novant Health. "As part of our recruitment efforts targeting new nurse anesthetists, we've partnered with Clasp to repay a significant portion of their student loans and hope to expand this benefit to other positions in the future. By relieving financial burden upfront, we're building loyalty from day one—and setting a new bar for what it means to invest in our future teams." To expand access and impact, Clasp has also secured up to $100 million in no-cosigner education loan funding—helping students from low- and middle-income backgrounds pursue high-impact healthcare careers without barriers. "This isn't just about offering a benefit—it's about rewiring how healthcare systems attract and retain talent," said Tess Michaels, CEO of Clasp. "These leaders aren't just responding to a crisis. They're shaping the future of work in healthcare—and setting a new standard that others will follow." This Spring, a healthcare system with >30,000 employees fully replaced their sign-on bonuses for one of their hardest-to-hire clinical roles and was able to hit 130% of their applicant goal in just 20 days offering student loan repayment. Across Clasp's partner network, early data shows a potential 440% return-on-investment, with employers saving up to $5 million in year one by utilizing as an alternative to sign-on bonuses, reducing contract labor spend, and cutting turnover—down to as little as 5% in some roles on Clasp's platform. Building A Stronger Future, TogetherMomentum is building. Health systems nationwide are turning to this new model as a smarter, more sustainable way to build high-performing clinical teams—and students are responding. "If we want healthcare to be stronger tomorrow, we need to invest in the people who power it today," Michaels added. "This model works because it starts earlier, goes deeper, and delivers real, lasting results." Students currently enrolled in eligible programs can learn more and apply at Healthcare employers ready to lead—not follow—can reach out to partnerships@ to join the movement today. About ClaspClasp is a first-of-its-kind platform connecting education and employment through retention-driven recruitment. Since 2018, Clasp (formerly Stride Funding) has helped over 10,000 students access outcomes-based financing, career pathways, and student loan repayment. By enabling healthcare systems to sponsor loan repayment tied to early job commitments, Clasp addresses two major challenges: student debt and the clinical talent shortage. Clasp also publishes the School Deserts Index, a national report featuring state-by-state rankings of gaps in clinical training programs, offering actionable insights for workforce planners. Backed by up to $100M in funding capacity—with no co-signer required—Clasp supports students at the moment they need it most. Learn more at Media ContactMorgan ViehmanSr. Director, Brand & Marketingmorgan@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Clasp Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
You And Your Siblings Might've Had Very Different Childhoods Despite Growing Up Together — Here's Why
Hearing your siblings describe their childhood can sometimes be a little jarring. You may even get the sense that you didn't grow up on the same planet, much less in the same house. 'Despite having shared early experiences, it's not uncommon for siblings to have experienced their childhood in a very different way,' said Genevieve von Lob, a clinical psychologist and author of 'Happy Parent, Happy Child.' It turns out this is normal ― and for a good reason. Below, experts break down this phenomenon. The family circumstances a child is born into often differ from when their younger sibling arrives. For example, economic changes may make siblings feel like their childhoods weren't the same. 'Significant changes in family financial status can impact differences in extracurricular activities, schooling, vacations, and other material aspects of childhood between siblings,' said Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a clinical psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts. 'These things are very tangible and can feel 'unfair,' even though they are often just a product of changes in circumstances.' Emotional shifts in parents can play a significant role as well. For example, siblings are often born at different phases in their parents' lives, so they might be treated differently. 'Parents may show up very differently for each of their children depending on where they are in their own lives, including their own mental health and stress levels, their significant partnership, support network, work and financial commitments, and whether they have more than one child,' von Lob said. She noted that parenting might feel overwhelming to someone highly sensitive, as their nervous systems become overstimulated more quickly. 'If they have more than one child, other stressors in their lives, or if they haven't had enough sleep and time alone to recharge their batteries, then they can become more drained, anxious, irritated and frazzled,' von Lob said. 'So differences in the way a child is parented can also be influenced by the temperament of the parent and where the parent is emotionally in their lives.' 'Siblings born years apart are quite literally born from parents who themselves are years apart from who they were during the earlier or later pregnancy,' noted Dr. Kevin Simon, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Boston Children's Hospital and chief behavioral health officer for the city of Boston. As parents get more experience raising children, they inevitably evolve in their caregiving style. 'Some parents are more unsure and cautious with their first child and more sure of themselves with subsequent siblings,' Sinclair-McBride said. 'This can make older and younger siblings' experiences different.' Parents may recognize that certain approaches they took with their first child weren't ideal and adjust accordingly. 'Maybe the older sibling was treated more harshly, but the parents readjusted their parenting style and were more compassionate with their parenting moving forward with a younger sibling,' said parenting educator Laura Linn Knight. 'An older sibling also may have experienced or witnessed more than the younger sibling, such as a divorce, so this can affect the way they see themselves in the family dynamic.' Birth order can also shape the way a child perceives and interacts with their parents. 'For example, the oldest child is often expected to take on more responsibilities and look after younger siblings, so may have different expectations placed on them,' von Lob said. 'In this way, they may have a very different experience of their childhood. Younger siblings may have a parent who feels more experienced and therefore may be more relaxed but may have less time to give that child than the firstborn.' 'All siblings are unique individuals ― including twins,' Sinclair-McBride said. 'Having their own personality styles, traits, and characteristics may cause siblings to interpret or experience the same situations or parenting differently. In turn, these differences may impact the way they are parented, connect to their parents and experience their family.' One child may share certain interests and personality traits with one or both parents, while another sibling has more of their own distinct personality and interests. So if one kid is passionate about that same sport or team their parent loves, they may forge a specific bond around that activity. 'Sometimes, a child's personality traits can bring out different sides of their parents, and parents may relate to a child's personality more than another child, which can be seen as favoritism,' Knight said. 'Because of personality traits of the child and parent, you find that parents respond differently to each child or enjoy spending more time with a child that is easier for them to communicate with and enjoy the company of. When we look at differences in personality, temperament, needs and interests of parents and children, it is easy to see that siblings will have their own unique experience.' Even parents with the best intentions don't respond to each child similarly. Factors like personality, past experiences and even societal expectations around gender roles can color each interaction. While some kids are more extroverted and crave attention, others can be more reserved and less open about what they want. 'The gender, personality, needs, mannerisms and behavior of each particular child can trigger parents in different ways, which can result in a sibling who is treated very differently to the other children,' von Lob said. She noted that a parent may find their strong-willed, highly sensitive child more demanding and difficult to manage than their laidback, easy-tempered child ― which can lead to very different interactions over those childhood years. 'Depending on the personality, temperament, and characteristics we're born with, our parents will respond to those differences,' said clinical psychologist and author Jenny Yip. 'Siblings are different individuals who will also respond to their parents differently.' She noted that no two individuals think the same way about a situation. Thus, siblings can have different emotional responses to similar experiences. This is true for how they feel during childhood and as adults looking back. 'It's just like eyewitness accounts,' Yip said. 'You have 10 people who all saw the same thing, but depending on belief system, attitude, and values, they're going to interpret the same incident differently. Another example is like watching a movie. Everyone in the room watches the same movie, but what each person takes from it and relates to it is going to be different depending on your values, attitudes, and belief system. It's the same with siblings who share the same parents.' Siblings can disagree about shared experiences. For example, one may have been more affected by a particularly positive or traumatic event that they both lived through. Or they may simply have a different impression of whether something was positive or negative at all. 'One sibling may have loved the village they grew up in, but the other sibling found it stifling,' von Lob said. 'One sibling may have loved the camping holidays in the countryside, but the other sibling found it boring and remembers wanting to go abroad.' 'It is normal and expected for siblings to have different experiences with their parents,' Simon said. 'This is neither good nor bad in and of itself. It is a natural result of each sibling's unique personality, experiences, and perspective.' Indeed, the fact that you and your siblings grew up in the same home but had very different perceptions of your childhoods does not necessarily indicate a problem. 'Children do not have to be treated exactly the same at all times to be treated equitably,' Sinclair-McBride said. 'Because each individual is unique, they have unique needs and experiences. If those needs were met with love and support, slight differences in treatment do not have to be a cause for alarm for parents or siblings.' Still, the reality is that you and your siblings have different impressions of your childhood, and your parents may feel uncomfortable. That's where talking about it can help. 'Siblings need to recognize and respect each other's differences in how they perceive and relate to their parents,' Simon said. 'Siblings can learn to appreciate and value each other's perspectives, even if they disagree.' Although these differences are natural and understandable, processing them is still helpful. In addition, there might be some negative feelings that warrant addressing. 'If one or more siblings feel that there was unfair and unequal treatment in their childhoods, working through this together can be very beneficial to their relationships,' Sinclair-McBride said. 'Giving one's siblings grace to explain their experiences without judgment and defensiveness can help with perspective-taking and compassion. Trying to change other people's perceptions of their experiences is a futile exercise. Working through one's own experiences can be healing.' 24 Hilarious Comics About Sibling Relationships 35 Too-Real Tweets About The Things Siblings Fight Over 43 Photos Of Adopted Siblings That Show Family Is About Love, Not DNA
