News & Updates

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed a prototype device that could potentially diagnose pregnancy complications by monitoring the oxygen level of the placenta.

A federally funded study has verified that a set of measures designed to improve treatment of children in hospital emergency departments helps to reduce the pediatric death rate in these centers. Compared to children treated in emergency departments that scored lowest on implementing the measures, children treated in emergency departments that scored highest were 42% less likely to die. The authors concluded that the findings support emergency departments adopting these standards to improve care for children.

The experimental drug TEMPOL may be a promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, suggests a study by researchers at NIH.

Women in the first trimester of pregnancy when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 were more likely to deliver preterm compared to women who gave birth before the assassination, according to an analysis by NIH-funded researchers. The findings suggest that experiencing a sudden stress early in pregnancy may increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes.

A healthy diet around the time of conception through the second trimester may reduce the risk of several common pregnancy complications, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

An environment in which family members support one another and express their feelings can reduce the effects of social deprivation on cognitive ability and development among adopted children, suggests a small study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. In contrast, rule-driven households where family members are in conflict may increase an adopted child’s chances for cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties.

Women assigned to 1,000 mg of an omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), daily in the last half of pregnancy had a lower rate of early preterm birth (<34 weeks gestation) than women who took the standard dose of 200 mg, found in many prenatal supplements, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Women who entered the study with low baseline DHA levels had the greatest reduction in early preterm birth.

Pregnant women made only modest dietary changes after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, according to a study by NICHD researchers.

NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi is joined by NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health Director Dr. Janine Clayton in assessing the growing maternal health crisis in the United States and describing NIH’s efforts to address it.

Trophoblasts—the outermost fetal cells of the placenta—may be able to contain SARS-CoV-2 and prevent it from spreading to the fetus even though these cells appear to be susceptible to infection by the virus, a study by NIH-funded researchers suggests. Further research into how trophoblasts might contain the virus could lead to ways to prevent COVID-19 in children and adults. The findings may also lead to insights on why fetuses are only rarely infected with SARS-CoV-2.

A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health has developed a new ultrasound technique to monitor the placenta for impaired fetal blood flow early in pregnancy. The technique, which uses conventional ultrasound equipment, relies on subtle differences in the pulsation of fetal blood through the arteries at the fetal and placental ends of the umbilical cord, potentially enabling physicians to identify placental abnormalities that impair fetal blood flow and, if necessary, deliver the fetus early.

Mouse study provides atlas to pinpoint neurons involved in neurodegenerative diseases.

Preliminary data from NICHD-funded researchers provides caregiver-reported information on how children and teens fared during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A mobile app was successful at distinguishing toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from typically developing toddlers based on their eye movements while watching videos, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that the app could one day screen infants and toddlers for ASD and refer them for early intervention, when chances for treatment success are greatest.

The National Institutes of Health is awarding up to $33 million over two years to fund projects at 10 institutions across eight states to build evidence on safely returning students, teachers and support staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations.

Results bolster previous studies finding no growth, development differences with IVF.

Read about the career and achievements of NICHD Deputy Director Dr. Alison Cernich.

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a test to evaluate the expressive language skills of people with Down syndrome, a condition resulting from an extra copy or piece of chromosome 21. Expressive language is the use of words to convey meaning to others. Language delays are common in people with Down syndrome, and the study authors believe their test provides a more effective way to evaluate prospective language interventions, compared to current evaluation methods.

Looking back and looking ahead. NICHD Director Dr. Diana W. Bianchi joins other leaders across NIH in reflecting on the work of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program and discussing plans for the future.

Current vaccines to prevent COVID-19 are highly effective in producing antibodies in pregnant women, resulting in more antibodies than what is generated from a natural SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, antibodies produced after vaccination are present in breastmilk and travel across the placenta, indicating that vaccination during pregnancy will also confer immunity to newborns.