Theresa Hayes Cruz, Ph.D., has been selected as director of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR).
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.
Release: NIH-funded project seeks to identify children at risk for MIS-C
The National Institutes of Health has announced research funding to encourage the development of approaches that identify children at high risk for developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), thought to be a severe complication of COVID-19. Up to $20 million will be awarded to successful research proposals over four years.
Media Advisory: New tool compares rates of severe pregnancy complications across U.S. hospitals
Scoring system developed by NIH-funded researchers standardizes patient data to aid research, surveillance and improvement initiatives.
Media Advisory: NIH researchers discover new set of channels connecting malaria parasite and blood cells
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have discovered another set of pore-like holes, or channels, traversing the membrane-bound sac that encloses the deadliest malaria parasite as it infects red blood cells. The channels enable the transport of lipids—fat-like molecules—between the blood cell and parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The parasite draws lipids from the cell to sustain its growth and may also secrete other types of lipids to hijack cell functions to meet its needs.
Spotlight: Boosting women’s health by supporting menstruation research
NICHD has supported gynecologic and reproductive health research for decades. Learn more about its leading role in menstruation research.
Item of Interest: NICHD Selects Six Infrastructure Centers to Promote Rehabilitation Research
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently selected six centers for its Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network.
Media Advisory: Placenta lacks major molecules used by SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause infection
The placental membranes that contain the fetus and amniotic fluid lack the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule required to manufacture the ACE2 receptor, the main cell surface receptor used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause infection, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Drug-containing nanoparticles reduce size of fibroid tumors in mice
In a study of mice, NIH-funded researchers have developed a prototype technique for shrinking uterine fibroids—sometimes painful, noncancerous tumors that form in the uterus. The method involves encasing a tumor-killing drug in nano-sized spheres called liposomes and delivering them directly to the fibroids through the bloodstream. The findings set the stage for studies to determine if the method is safe and effective for treating fibroids in people.
Item of Interest: NICHD fetal growth calculators available to healthcare providers
New tools estimate fetal growth percentiles and velocity, and they account for racial and ethnic variations.
Release: Iodine exposure in the NICU may lead to decrease in thyroid function, NIH study suggests
Exposure to iodine used for medical procedures in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may increase an infant’s risk for congenital hypothyroidism (loss of thyroid function), suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Item of Interest: Shyamal Peddada named Chief of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Branch in NICHD’s Division of Intramural Population Health Research
Shyamal D. Peddada, Ph.D., has been named the new chief of the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Branch of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Peddada joins NICHD from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, where he served as Chair of the Department of Biostatistics.
Science Update: Screen time before bed linked to less sleep in children with impulse control problems, according to NIH-funded study
Screen time before bed may affect kids differently, depending on whether they have a particular personality trait, suggests a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Nighttime electronic media use was linked to less sleep in children who scored lower on a measure of effortful control—the ability to override inappropriate impulses, focus attention, and complete difficult tasks. In contrast, bedtime screen use was not associated with sleep reduction in children who scored high in effortful control.
Director's Corner: COVID-19 Testing Technologies
As the nation begins to return to work and businesses re-open, reliable COVID-19 testing is needed. NIH is rising to the challenge.
Media Advisory: Genetic analysis suggests distinct subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome, an infertility disorder affecting at least 15% of reproductive-age women, may have at least two different subtypes, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings could provide important information on the possible causes of PCOS and for developing more effective ways to treat the condition.
Science Update: Mouse study links embryo culture after IVF with reduced placental, fetal growth
A mouse study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that a step in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure could account for the higher rate of complications in pregnancies resulting from this form of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The researchers linked the culture of embryos in laboratory dishes after fertilization with impaired growth of the placenta, smaller fetal size, and a higher risk of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy-related blood pressure disorder.
Release: NIH-funded study links endometriosis to DNA changes
DNA from uterine cells of women with endometriosis has different chemical modifications, compared to the DNA of women who do not have the condition, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The changes involve DNA methylation—the binding of compounds known as methyl groups to DNA—which can alter gene activity.
Science Update: Pregnancy, birth complications higher among deaf and hard of hearing women, suggests NIH-funded study
Compared to other women, deaf and hard of hearing women have a higher risk for pregnancy and birth complications such as gestational diabetes and blood pressure disorders, according to a study funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Moreover, infants of deaf and hard of hearing women were more likely to be born preterm, have low birth weight, and receive a low Apgar score—a screening test used to determine the baby’s need for additional medical services.
Release: NIH-funded study to evaluate drugs prescribed to children with COVID-19
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have launched an effort to evaluate drugs prescribed to treat COVID-19 in infants, children and adolescents across the country.
Science Update: Delayed iron supplementation may improve long-term health of children with severe malarial anemia, NIH-funded study suggests
Waiting 28 days to give iron supplements to malaria-infected children with a severe low red blood cell count (anemia) may improve their iron levels a year later, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Item of Interest: Biospecimens from National Children’s Study pilot now available
Environmental, biological samples span the period from preconception to early childhood.