An intensive educational program for physicians and midwives involving 19 hospitals in Argentina and Uruguay dramatically reduced the rate of postpartum hemorrhage, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
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.
NIH Study Reveals Factors that Influence Premature Infant Survival, Disability
Based on observations of more than 4,000 infants, researchers in an NIH newborn research network have identified several factors that influence an extremely low birth weight infant's chances for survival and disability. The findings offer new information to physicians and families considering the most appropriate treatment options for this category of infants.
NICHD Scientific Lead on Surgeon General's Conference on Preventing Preterm Birth
Preterm birth remains one of the most complicated and difficult research and public health issues in obstetrics and pediatrics. Nearly 12 percent of all babies born in the United States are born preterm, and this rate continues to rise. To underscore the importance of this problem, the U.S. Congress passed the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act (P.L. 109-450), which was signed by the President in December 2006.
Excess Fat Around the Waist May Increase Death Risk for Women
Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.
Newly Awarded Autism Centers of Excellence to Further Autism Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 1, 2008, the latest recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. These grants will support studies covering a broad range of autism research areas, including early brain development and functioning, social interactions in infants, rare genetic variants and mutations, associations between autism-related genes and physical traits, possible environmental risk factors and biomarkers, and a potential new medication treatment.
NIH Research Suggests Stimulant Treatment for ADHD does not Contribute to Substance Abuse Later in Life
Treating children as early as age six or seven with stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not likely to increase risk of substance abuse as adults, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, the studies also showed treatment with stimulants did not prevent substance abuse later in adulthood.
Gene Variation Predicts Response to Treatment in Common Infertility Disorder
NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they have a variation in a particular gene.
NIH Receives Gates Foundation Grant to Investigate Role of Iron Supplements in Malaria
Do iron supplements worsen the course of malaria? Researchers aren't sure, and the uncertainty has jeopardized efforts to treat the debilitating effects of iron deficiency in parts of the world where malaria and other infectious diseases are common.
In Honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation and founder and honorary chairperson of Special Olympics, has been a leader in the worldwide struggle to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for most of her life. Her vision and unrelenting efforts helped to establish the NICHD in 1962. In recognition of her dedication, Congress passed Public Law 110-154 on December 21, 2007, renaming the Institute as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
NICHD Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Advocate for Institute's Founding
Congress has renamed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her essential contribution to the institute's founding.
NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season
NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season Stability of Virus' Membrane at Cold Temperatures May Ease Winter Spread.
Tobacco Use, Secondhand Smoke Exposure during Pregnancy, May Threaten Health of Women & Children in Developing Nations
Findings from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study indicate that rates of tobacco use during pregnancy, as well as exposure of pregnant women and their young children to secondhand smoke, are significant threats to health in several low and middle-income countries.
Novel Approach Strips Staph of Virulence
An international team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked staph infections in mice using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The novel approach, described in the February 14 online edition of "Science", could offer a new direction for therapies against a bacterium that's becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
NIH Scientists Detect Fatal Copper Disorder at Birth
A test developed by NIH scientists could greatly extend the survival of infants with Menkes disease, a rare, otherwise fatal disorder of copper metabolism. The test allows for early diagnosis of the condition, when the chance for successful treatment is greatest. Their work is described in the February 7 New England Journal of Medicine.
Extended Nevirapine Regimens Reduce HIV Transmission and Death in Breastfed Infants of HIV-infected Mothers
An extended course of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine (NVP) helps the breastfeeding babies of HIV-infected mothers remain HIV-negative and live longer, according to several new studies presented at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston from February 3-6.
The Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of Infant (PEPI)-Malawi Study Sponsored by NICHD and CDC
Questions and Answers.
Thin Bones Seen in Boys with Autism & Autism Spectrum Disorder
Results of an early study suggest that dairy-free diets and unconventional food preferences could put boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher than normal risk for thinner, less dense bones when compared to a group of boys the same age who do not have autism.
New NIH Research Plan on Down Syndrome
Research on lifelong disorders, such as Down syndrome, has been a fundamental part of the NICHD’s mission since the Institute was established 45 years ago. To build on this research foundation and coordinate Down syndrome research the NIH created its Working Group on Down Syndrome. Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual and developmental disability and occurs in one out of 800 births in the United States.
NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan
The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate intellectual disability and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH.
NIH Announces Collaboration with National Council of Negro Women to Reduce Childhood Overweight
Officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a collaboration today with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to help African American children maintain a healthy weight.