Women receiving one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during a single menstrual cycle had an increase in cycle length of nearly one day, according to an NIH-funded study.
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.
Media Advisory: Sleep-disordered breathing in early pregnancy linked to insulin resistance
Sleep-disordered breathing in early pregnancy is associated with insulin resistance or difficulty clearing glucose from the blood, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results strengthen the link between sleep-disordered breathing, which includes pauses or slowing of breathing during sleep, and gestational diabetes. They also suggest that screening pregnant women, particularly those with overweight or obesity, for sleep-disordered breathing could identify those who might benefit from early interventions to reduce their diabetes risk.
Item of Interest: PregSource® Mobile App Allows Access from Anywhere
It just got easier to participate in the PregSource®: Crowdsourcing to Understand Pregnancy research project. The free app allows participants to track their weight, sleep, mood, and other features of their pregnancy in just a few taps.
Director's Corner: Understanding Long COVID in Children
Dr. Bianchi discusses NICHD-led research on long COVID in children.
Release: NIH announces winners of data challenge to identify risk factors for first-time pregnancies
Awarded projects seek to reduce pregnancy complications and prevent maternal deaths.
Science Update: Infants’ brains may respond to faces, other visual stimuli earlier than previously thought, NIH-funded study suggests
Specialized regions in infant brains appear to respond to visual information in much the same way adult brains do, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Located in the visual cortex, these brain regions selectively process faces, bodies, or scenes. Previously, researchers had believed that it took years for these regions to develop before they would function like an adult’s visual cortex. The findings may provide information helpful for understanding disorders in which facial recognition is impaired, such as autism spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder.
Media Advisory: In-person school during COVID-19 must address needs of underserved communities
NIH commentary highlights community engagement in research design and implementation.
Media Advisory: NIH to study long-term effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy
The National Institutes of Health will support a four-year follow-up study on the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. The study will also follow their offspring for any potential long-term effects.
Science Update: Anticipation of racial bias protects Korean American youth from mental health effects of discrimination, NIH-funded study suggests
For Korean American youth, parental advice to anticipate occasional racial bias from the larger society protected against the mental health effects of discrimination, suggests an NIH-funded study. In addition, for U.S.-born Filipino Americans, having parents who taught them to take pride in their ethnicity and to be wary of forming relationships with other groups was protective against discrimination’s mental health effects.
Science Update: Infant seizure risk increases after cooling therapy rewarming, NIH-funded study suggests
Newborns who undergo whole body cooling after oxygen deprivation—proven to prevent brain damage and death—have a high risk of seizures during the rewarming phase of the treatment, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings indicate that infants’ brain waves should be continuously monitored for seizures during rewarming, which may otherwise go undetected and lead to disability or death.
Media Advisory: Genetic testing of the siblings of newborns with cancer genes could reduce rare pediatric cancer deaths by half, NIH-funded analysis suggests
Genetic testing of the siblings of newborns found to have mutations in any one of 11 genes most commonly associated with childhood-onset cancers could reduce deaths from these rare cancers by about 50%, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Media Advisory: Antibody treatment for MIS-C works by depleting inflammatory immune cells
NIH-funded study explains how intravenous immune globulin helps children with rare COVID condition.
Media Advisory: Oxytocin does not improve social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder, NIH-funded study suggests
Regular doses of the hormone oxytocin do not appear to overcome deficits in social functioning among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings contradict earlier reports that indicated the hormone could alleviate the difficulties in social functioning characteristic of ASD. Oxytocin is associated with empathy and social bonding.
Science Update: Weekly COVID-19 testing helps reduce transmission in schools for children with disabilities
Findings from NICHD-supported study may aid special education classes across the country.
Science Update: No serious adverse events from COVID-19 vaccine in breastfeeding women or their children, NIH-funded study suggests
No serious adverse events were reported by 180 breastfeeding women receiving either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, either among themselves or in their infants, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. For the mothers, adverse events included muscle and body aches, fever and vomiting, pain, redness, swelling, or itching at the injection site.
Science Update: Newborn genome sequencing information does not contribute to family distress, NIH-funded study suggests
Receiving detailed genomic information on their newborn’s potential risks for childhood and adult diseases does not appear to cause distress or anxiety among parents, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings could help to allay concerns that routinely sequencing newborn genomes to obtain information about their long-term health prospects may be too stressful for families.
Science Update: Pandemic changes in screen time, physical activity may increase kids’ obesity risk, NIH-funded study suggests
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, American children may have adopted a range of behaviors that increase their risk for obesity, an NIH-funded study suggests. Compared to before the pandemic, children 7- to 12-years old increased their sedentary behavior, screen time, and food intake, while reducing their level of physical activity and adopting a later sleep schedule—all behaviors that increase obesity risk.
Item of Interest: NIH funds studies to assess potential effects of COVID-19 vaccination on menstruation
NIH has awarded one-year supplemental grants to five institutions to explore potential links between COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual changes.
Science Update: Foreign-born Minnesotans more likely to die of COVID-19 at a younger age than U.S.-born residents, NIH-funded study suggests
Working-age immigrant men—particularly Latinos—were more likely to die of COVID-19 than their native-born counterparts, according to a study of Minnesota death records funded by the National Institutes of Health. Because COVID-19 data on immigration status is not collected on a national level, the findings provide insights into how COVID-19 mortality trends differ between U.S.- and foreign-born residents.
Science Update: Maternal antibody treatment fails to reduce infant cytomegalovirus infection, NIH-funded study suggests
An antibody treatment in early pregnancy for women infected with cytomegalovirus does not appear to reduce the risk of infection or death among their newborns, an NIH-funded study suggests. The findings contradict several smaller studies on the treatment, known as hyperimmune globulin, that suggested the treatment was effective.