The vacuole, a compartment inside human red blood cells in which malaria parasites reproduce and develop, takes on a distinct spherical shape just minutes before its membrane ruptures, leading to the release of parasites into the blood stream, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Science Update: NIH study uncovers protein responsible for post-nerve-injury pain and inflammation
The findings suggest new ways to treat long-term pain without opioids.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify key enzyme for nerve cell insulation
Findings from the mouse study offer clues on myelin-related diseases that impair the nervous system in people.
Release: NIH researchers identify how eye loss occurs in blind cavefish
Study yields potential clues to understanding eye disease and blindness in people.
Podcast: DNA Day: Battling Brittle Bone Disease
From NICHD patient to registered nurse. Kristal Nemeroff shares her story living with the genetic disorder, Osteogenesis Imperfecta.
Release: Cyberbullying, unmet medical needs contribute to depressive symptoms among sexual minority youth
NIH study finds higher rates of dissatisfaction with family relationships.
Release: NIH researchers crack mystery behind rare bone disorder
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health worked with 15 patients from around the world to uncover a genetic basis of “dripping candle wax” bone disease. The rare disorder, known as melorheostosis, causes excess bone formation that resembles dripping candle wax on x-rays.
Media Advisory: NIH researchers find a potential treatment for disorders involving excess red blood cells
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have cured mice with Chuvash polycythemia, a life-threatening disorder that involves the overproduction of red blood cells, with the experimental drug, Tempol.The findings offer hope that Tempol or a similar drug may treat polycythemias that affect humans, such as mountain sickness—a serious blood complication experienced in low-oxygen, high-altitude settings.
News Release: NIH researchers report first 3D structure of DHHC enzymes
The first 3D structure of DHHC proteins—enzymes involved in many cellular processes, including cancer—explains how they function and may offer a blueprint for designing therapeutic drugs, according to an NICHD study.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2017
Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.
Media Advisory: NIH study identifies new targets for anti-malaria drugs
The deadliest malaria parasite needs two proteins to infect red blood cells and exit the cells after it multiplies, a finding that may provide researchers with potential new targets for drug development.
Media Advisory: NIH study identifies brain patterns underlying mothers’ responses to infant cries
Infant cries activate specific brain regions related to movement and speech, according to an NICHD-led study of mothers in 11 countries.
Experimental treatment for Niemann-Pick disease type C1 appears safe, effective
An experimental drug appears to slow the progression of Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1), a fatal neurological disease, according to results of a
clinical study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study appears in The Lancet.
NIH scientists find rare disease clues in cell’s recycling system
Scientists have demonstrated how an investigational drug works against a rare, fatal genetic disease, Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1).
HIV hijacks surface molecule to invade cell
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a key step in the process that HIV uses to inject its genetic material into cells.
NICHD scientists uncover role of proteins in neuron activity and neurological disease
Brain proteins known as neuregulins are important for establishing normal brain activity, according to recent studies led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
NIH researchers find potential genetic cause of Cushing syndrome
A small study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health suggests that mutations in the gene CABLES1 may lead to Cushing syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body overproduces the stress hormone cortisol. The study appears online in Endocrine-Related Cancer.
NICHD scientists identify molecule that may help control sleep and wake cycles
A molecule may work with the hormone melatonin to regulate 24-hour changes in metabolism, including sleep and wake cycles, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Medical imaging device developed by NIH researchers awarded U.S. patent
A device that calibrates MRI scanners to improve image and data quality has received U.S. patent approval. The inventors are researchers at NICHD and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
NIH researchers identify key regulator of fetal growth in mice
NICHD researchers show that proteins known for silencing viral genes left over from ancient infections can also play an essential role in fetal and placental development.