The largest study of its kind, designed to track the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers, has found that the vast majority of those who received the hormone did not contract the fatal condition.
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.
New Study Finds Babies Born to Mothers Who Drink Alcohol Heavily May Suffer Permanent Nerve Damage
Newborns whose mothers drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy had damage to the nerves in the arms and legs, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
NICHD Launches Milk Matters Web Games for Kids
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is introducing a new series of Web games for children on its Milk Matters Web site.
Substances Found in Blood May Predict Development of Preeclampsia
Abnormal levels of two molecules found in the blood appear to predict the development of preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
New Guide Offers African American Families Help to Cope with Crises
African American parents now have an important new resource to help them support their children in times of stress or crisis.
U.S. Teens More Overweight Than Youth in 14 Other Countries
U.S. teens are more likely to be overweight than are teens from 14 other industrialized nations, according to survey information collected in 1997 and 1998 by two agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services as well as institutions in 13 European countries and in Israel.
NICHD Alerts Parents to Winter SIDS Risk
The cold winter months bring an increase in the number of infants who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
Media Availability for the National Children's Study Assembly Meeting
Media availability with leading health and environment officials to provide the latest information on the development of the National Children's Study, a groundbreaking, long-term research project to examine the environmental influences on children's health and development.
HHS, Education Launch Research to Promote School Readiness
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new five-year research initiative with the Department of Education to find the best ways to prepare preschool children for later success in school.
NICHD Funds Major Effort to Determine Extent & Causes of Stillbirth
One of the National Institutes of Health has begun a concerted effort to determine the extent and causes of stillbirth- the death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy.
New Study Identifies Gene Signaling Puberty
NIH-funded researchers have identified a gene that appears to be a crucial signal for the beginning of puberty in human beings as well as in mice.
NICHD Honors Outstanding Scientists During 40th Anniversary Year
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has selected 15 outstanding scientists for its Hall of Honor, which recognizes scientists supported by the Institute for exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge and improving maternal and child health.
Researchers Seek Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome for Study to Treat Infertility
Researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are seeking volunteers for a study to treat infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Teen Birth Rate Down, Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Drops Kids More Likely to be Overweight
The well-being of America's children has improved in many respects, with infant and childhood death rates continuing to drop, fewer adolescents smoking, fewer children exposed to secondhand smoke, fewer adolescent girls giving birth, and more adolescents taking honors courses.
Child Care Linked to Assertive, Noncompliant, & Aggressive Behaviors Vast Majority of Children Within Normal Range
The more time children spent in child care from birth to age four-and-a-half, the more adults tended to rate them, both at age four-and-a-half and at kindergarten, as less likely to get along with others, as more assertive, as disobedient, and as aggressive, according to a study appearing in the July/August issue of Child Development.
Vulvodynia Workshop Highlights Prevalence of Disorder
Vulvodynia is a condition characterized by burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness of the female genital area when there is no apparent infection or skin disease that could cause these symptoms.
Researchers Identify a Possible Cause of Infertility in Some Women with Endometriosis
NIH funded researchers report that some women who have infertility as a result of endometriosis lack molecules in the uterus that allow the embryo to attach to the uterine wall.
Detroit Summit to Bring African American Women Together to Reduce SIDS Risk
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will sponsor a regional summit meeting May 30-31 in Detroit as part of a national campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in African American communities.
Study Confirms Safety of Placing Infants to Sleep on Their Backs: Infants Who Sleep on Back Have Fewer Fevers & Ear Infections
A team of researchers reports that infants who are placed to sleep on their backs are not at increased risk for health problems, and they are less likely to develop fevers, get stuffy noses, or develop otitis media (ear infection).
Bed Sharing with Siblings, Soft Bedding, Increase SIDS Risk
Infants who share a bed with other children are at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than are other infants, according to the most recent analysis of a study of predominantly African American SIDS deaths in Chicago.