News & Updates

This month, the institute launched NICHD Research Perspectives, a new podcast series. Each month, NICHD Director Alan E. Guttmacher will talk with NICHD scientists and program staff about findings from their areas of expertise. The series provides a means for researchers to go beyond the descriptions in news releases, to discuss the implications of the research, what the findings may mean for patients and members of the public, as well as what direction future studies might take.

The Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) has selected the NICHD Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) as its 'Trial of the Year.'

More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and approximately 17% of Americans ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity increases the likelihood of many serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, certain cancers, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, liver failure, pregnancy complications, and infertility. Being overweight can be emotionally painful and can significantly impact life expectancy.

Although it could affect anywhere from 9% to 18% or more of women age 18 to 64 at any time during their lives, there are few definitive answers about vulvodynia—a group of conditions characterized by unexplained pain of the vulva.

Infants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes of Health network study.

On World Asthma Day 2012, we at the National Institutes of Health stand with the Global Initiative for Asthma to renew our dedication to improving the quality of life for the millions of people living with asthma.

Asthma is a growing problem in the United States, especially in children. This condition causes the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. Inhaling certain substances or doing certain activities can trigger asthma symptoms. Common asthma triggers include animals, dust, chemicals in the air or in food, exercise, mold, pollen, stress, tobacco smoke, and respiratory infections such as colds.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death and disability for adolescents. As they shift from learning to drive in classrooms and parking lots to real on-road driving situations, they encounter shifts in weather, traffic, and road conditions, as well as potential distractions.

On April 17, 2012, the NICHD Director’s Lecture Series will feature Richard M. Greenwald, Ph.D., and his lecture about Biomechanical Basis of Concussion: Monitoring Head Impact in Sports.

In 2011, the NICHD-led Endometriosis: Natural History, Diagnosis, and Outcomes (ENDO) study found that 11 percent of a group of women with no symptoms of endometriosis actually had the disorder. If this finding is applied to all the women in the United States, the number of American women with endometriosis would well exceed previous estimates of 5 million.

Item of Interest: Video Presentation: Role of Research in Understanding, Preventing, and Treating Birth Defects

Iron is an essential nutrient for the basic health and functioning of the body. Without iron, oxygen is not delivered efficiently to cells, brain growth and development can be hampered, and the body struggles to maintain a strong immune system. Yet more than 2 billion people worldwide do not get enough iron, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) , making iron deficiency (ID) or iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) the world’s most common forms of malnutrition.

HIV/AIDS continues to be a serious public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 290,000 women were living with HIV in the United States in 2008.

The newly released 2011 DIR Annual Report reviews the latest basic, clinical, and translational research being pursued by the staff scientists within DIR at the NICHD. Contributing to this effort are 79 tenured and tenure-track investigators and approximately 1,200 administrative and research staff. In 2011, DIR project areas ranged from vaccine development to genomics, from reproduction to regenerative medicine, and from the neurosciences and early human development to biophysics and imaging.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from breaking down phenylalanine, an amino acid found in many proteins. As a result, phenylalanine can build up in body tissues of those with PKU and lead to intellectual disability.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the United States. Rather than just a bump on the head, a concussion is actually a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Steven Hirschfeld, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Director of the National Children’s Study. He has served as the study's Acting Director since August 2009.

Dr. Richard M. Weinshilboum will initiate the 2012 NICHD Director’s Lecture Series with a lecture on Pharmacogenomics: Beyond Biomarkers.

In the last three decades, advances in medical technology and neonatal intensive care have significantly improved the survival rates of infants born preterm. These technologies have also helped some of the smallest preemies, called extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and defined as infants weighing less than 2.2 pounds.

Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy disorders and conditions affecting the placenta, according to results reported by a National Institutes of Health network established to find the causes of stillbirth as well as ways to prevent or reduce its occurrence.