Three national centers to develop best practices for prevention, intervention and treatment.
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 led task force submits recommendations on research needs for pregnant and nursing mothers
NIH led task force submits recommendations on research needs for pregnant and nursing mothers
Release: NIH, DoD to Develop Limb Loss and Preservation Registry
National repository aims to improve rehabilitation and quality of life for people who have lost a limb.
Release: NIH funds study to prevent, treat HIV among adolescents in poor countries
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $7.5 million for an international research program to prevent and treat HIV infection among adolescents and young adults in seven African countries and Brazil.
Item of Interest: Federal report on health, well-being of America’s children and youth now available
The latest report features statistics from U.S. government agencies on the status of at-risk children and youth.
Media Advisory: Gene variations linked to severity of Zika-related birth defects, small NIH study suggests
The severity of birth defects caused by Zika virus infection may be influenced by natural variations in a pregnant woman’s genes for a key enzyme, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Neurons absorb and release water when firing, NIH study suggests
Neurons absorb and release water when they relay messages throughout the brain, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Tracking this water movement with imaging technology may one day provide valuable information on normal brain activity, as well as how injury or disease affect brain function.
Science Update: NICHD-supported study explores inherited and environmental influences on gene activity
Findings from a study on twins may help explain factors that activate or silence genes.
Release: EXP2 protein helps deadliest malaria parasite obtain nutrients during infection
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have deciphered the role of a key protein that the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum uses to obtain nutrients while infecting red blood cells. Their study appears in Nature Microbiology.
Release: Blood test may identify gestational diabetes risk in first trimester, NIH analysis suggests
A blood test conducted as early as the 10th week of pregnancy may help identify women at risk for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related condition that poses potentially serious health risks for mothers and infants, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Induced labor at 39 weeks may reduce likelihood of C-section, NIH study suggests
Healthy first-time mothers whose labor was induced in the 39th week of pregnancy were less likely to deliver by cesarean section, compared to those who waited for labor to begin naturally, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Podcast: Boosting Mobility for People with Disabilities
A computerized skateboard, a self-motorized toy car, and a robotic prosthetic arm are just a few of the research projects supported by NICHD’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research. Listen to the latest podcast.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify neurons that prevent sensory overload
New findings in zebrafish help explain how the brain filters information from the environment and may improve our understanding of neurological disorders.
Media Advisory: Fetal DNA sequencing potentially could reduce need for invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures
Sequencing the fetal DNA that circulates in a pregnant woman’s blood holds promise for modern genomic medicine, according to a review article by NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., and a colleague. Fetal DNA sequencing improves the accuracy of prenatal screening tests for genetic conditions and at times has led to the diagnosis of maternal conditions that may have otherwise gone undetected.
Science Update: Sexual minority females less likely to obtain a driver’s license than heterosexual peers, NICHD study suggests
NICHD researchers find that sexual minority men are more likely to have lived in three or more different places in the past year.
Item of Interest: NIH extends study on HIV drug, dolutegravir, to evaluate potential safety concerns for pregnant women
The study seeks to determine if exposure poses a risk for neural tube defects.
Science Update: NICHD researchers identify protein important for neurodevelopment in mice
A protein found only in mouse embryos and not in adult mice is important for fetal neurodevelopment, according to NICHD researchers.
Science Update: Bone maturation varies with bone size, suggest NIH researchers
To reach their adult proportions, bones mature on separate time scales, with the long bones like those in the arms and legs maturing much more slowly than shorter bones, like those in the fingers and toes, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The study results may lead to new insights and potential treatments for disorders in which bones fail to grow normally.
Podcast: Infertility: Men’s Health
Dr. Enrique Schisterman, Chief of the Epidemiology Branch shares his personal struggle with infertility, which led him to dedicate a research career focusing on ways to help couples boost fertility.
Media Advisory: NIH researchers identify sequence leading to release of malaria parasites from red blood cells
The vacuole, a compartment inside human red blood cells in which malaria parasites reproduce and develop, takes on a distinct spherical shape just minutes before its membrane ruptures, leading to the release of parasites into the blood stream, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.