Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2019
Read about NICHD’s notable research findings and activities from 2019.
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News & Updates
NICHD issues Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Science Updates and Spotlights explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement such as an initiative launch or a notable staff change. Director’s Corner posts are monthly updates from the NICHD director.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on 2019
NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi looks back at 2019 and NICHD’s many amazing accomplishments.
Release: Persistent organic pollutants in maternal blood linked to smaller fetal size, NIH study suggests
Pregnant women exposed to persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, had slightly smaller fetuses than women who haven’t been exposed to these chemicals, according to an analysis of ultrasound scans by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Media Advisory: Severity of autism symptoms varies greatly among identical twins
Identical twins with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience large differences in symptom severity even though they share the same DNA, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that identifying the causes of this variability may inform the treatment of ASD-related symptoms.
Media Advisory: Many pregnant women with HIV prescribed treatment that does not meet federal guidelines
More than 20% of pregnant women beginning anti-HIV treatment were prescribed an antiretroviral treatment that did not meet federal guidelines for use during pregnancy, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Drug restores normal function of cells from person with MEHMO syndrome, NIH study finds
A drug called ISRIB (integrated stress response inhibitor) restored the normal function of cells from a person with the rare disorder MEHMO syndrome, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Their study appears in Molecular Cell.
Spotlight: Healthy Pregnancy for Every Body
NICHD’s new initiative—Pregnancy for Every Body—educates plus-size pregnant women about healthy pregnancy and the importance of working with a healthcare provider to develop a pregnancy plan.
Media Advisory: Vesicles released by bacteria may reduce the spread of HIV in human tissue, NIH study suggests
Nano-sized vesicles released by certain bacteria that inhabit the vagina may protect
against HIV infection, suggests a study of human cells and tissues by researchers at the National Institutes of
Health and the University of Bologna, Italy. Known as extracellular vesicles, these bubble-like particles are
produced by many kinds of cells and are thought to transport molecules from one cell to another.
Item of Interest: John Robbins, NIH pioneer of conjugate vaccine technology, dies at 86
John Bennet Robbins, M.D., co-developer of a vaccine that has spared thousands of small children from a major cause of death and intellectual disability, has passed away after a long illness. Dr. Robbins was chief of the Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), before he retired in 2012. He was 86.
Item of Interest: NICHD Neuroscientist R. Douglas Fields Named AAAS Fellow
R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D., chief of NICHD’s section on Nervous System Development and Plasticity has been named a distinguished Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Release: High amounts of screen time begin as early as infancy, NIH study suggests
Children’s average daily time spent watching television or using a computer or mobile device increased from 53 minutes at age 12 months to more than 150 minutes at 3 years, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Living in ethnic enclaves may improve pregnancy outcomes for Asian/Pacific Islanders, NIH study suggests
Among Asian/Pacific Islander women living in the United States, those who reside in ethnic enclaves—areas with a high concentration of residents of a similar ancestry—are less likely to have pregnancy or birth complications than those living in other areas, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Umbilical cord milking may be linked to higher risk of brain bleeding in preterm infants
Milking the umbilical cord—gently squeezing the cord and pushing the contents into the newborn’s abdomen before clamping the cord—could increase the risk for severe intraventricular hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain’s fluid-filled cavities, in extremely preterm infants, according to results of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that was halted for safety concerns.
Release: Exposure to HIV drug in the womb may increase risk of microcephaly, developmental delays in children
Children born to women on HIV therapy containing the drug efavirenz were 2 to 2.5 times more likely to have microcephaly, or small head size, compared to children born to women on regimens of other antiretroviral drugs, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health. The children with microcephaly also had a higher risk for developmental delays, compared to children with normal head size.
Science Update: Positive family relationships in adolescence may reduce depression risk during midlife, NIH-funded study suggests
Adolescents who had a positive relationship with their families were less likely to have depressive symptoms not only in adolescence, but also in midlife, according to an analysis funded by the NICHD.
Item of Interest: Now Available: NIH Research Plan on Fragile X and Associated Conditions
The Trans-NIH Fragile X Coordinating Committee, led by NICHD, recently published the final NIH Strategic Research Plan on FMR1-Associated Conditions.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study shows placenta imaging method may aid early diagnosis of pregnancy complications
A new imaging technique to track maternal blood flow to the placenta has the potential to help diagnose several common complications in early pregnancy, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers used the technique, referred to as pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (pCASL MRI), to identify women with reduced placental blood flow who later developed one or more complications.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers identify subtle motor differences in Fragile X premutation carriers
Many carriers of the FMR1 premutation—a mutation in the gene associated with the developmental disorder Fragile X syndrome—may have subtle changes in grip strength, fine motor control, and reaction time before other symptoms develop, according to a small study supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study suggests acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism
Exposure to acetaminophen in the womb may increase a child’s risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.
Media Advisory: High rates of dementia, Alzheimer’s observed among older people with Down syndrome
A study of Wisconsin Medicaid enrollees with Down syndrome has found that more than half of those ages 55 and older have filed at least three claims for dementia and nearly a third have filed at least three claims for Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.
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