Infants who underwent surgery for inguinal hernia—when intestinal tissue protrudes through an abnormal opening in the abdominal muscles—after discharge had fewer adverse events than those who had surgery while still in the hospital, a study suggests. The findings offer guidance on the best timing to perform this delicate surgery on fragile infants.
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.
Item of Interest: NIH awards interim prizes in fetal diagnostic and monitoring technology competition
NIH has announced finalists in its competition to accelerate the development of diagnostic and monitoring
technologies to improve fetal health outcomes.
Science Update: Preterm infants fed donor milk had fewer intestinal complications than formula-fed infants
Compared to formula fed infants, extremely preterm infants fed donated human milk had half the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis, a life threatening condition of the intestines. There were no differences in neurological development between those fed donor milk and those fed formula.
Media Advisory: NIH-supported researchers create single-cell atlas of the placenta during term labor
An atlas of the placenta developed by NIH researchers offers insight on the communication that occurs between maternal and fetal cells during labor and delivery.
Science Update: Cannabis use in pregnancy may impair placental function, suggests NIH-funded study
Pregnant people who tested positive for cannabis use were at 27% higher risk for conditions related to poor placental function—including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, stillbirth, and growth restriction relative to gestational age—than pregnant people who tested negative.
Science Update: Widespread COVID-19 vaccination likely halted spike in preterm birth, NIH-funded analysis suggests
By late 2022, widespread COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant people likely halted a spike in the preterm birth rate that began at the start of the pandemic, suggests a new study. The findings underscore the need for pregnant people to keep current on COVID-19 vaccination.
Science Update: Maternal depression may age the placenta prematurely, NIH study suggests
Depression in early and mid-pregnancy seems to age the placenta more rapidly than not experiencing depression during pregnancy. Premature placental aging could account for higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, blood pressure disorders, diabetes, and other complications linked to depression in pregnancy, underscoring the need to diagnose and treat depression in pregnant people.
Science Update: Pain experienced during newborn intensive care could influence preterm infants’ neurodevelopment, suggests NIH-funded study
Preterm infants who underwent several painful medical procedures in early life may be at high risk for autism spectrum disorders and lower motor and language scores at 18 months of age, suggesting that repeated exposure to pain may affect early brain development. The findings underscore the need to develop more effective pain management procedures for preterm infants.
Spotlight: Scientific Advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Item of Interest: NICHD and CDC Partner on Healthy Native Babies Project
This collaboration will promote safe infant sleep with and within American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Media Advisory: Umbilical cord milking appears to be safe in preterm infants born after 28 weeks
A treatment that moves blood from the umbilical cord into an infant’s body may provide a safe option for preterm infants born after 28 weeks who need rapid support, according to a study supported by NIH. Umbilical cord “milking”— gently squeezing the cord between the thumb and forefinger and pushing the blood into the newborn’s body—did not increase the risk of bleeding inside the brain for preterm infants born after 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop ultrasound library of placental development
For the first time, researchers were able to track development of the human placenta from the merging of placental cells with blood vessels in the uterus to a fully formed organ using new ultrasound technology that visualizes and measures blood flow through extremely small blood vessels. The images and data provide a reference for typical placental development to help with comparison studies, tracking, identification of placental disorders, and other complications.
Science Update: Scanning technique may help assess health of preterm infants after blood transfusion, NIH-funded study suggests
A technique using near-infrared light to detect blood oxygen levels in the brain and abdomen may have potential for monitoring the health of preterm infants needing or given a blood transfusion.
Release: NIH launches $2 million prize competition to spur innovation in fetal diagnostic and monitoring technologies
NIH will award up to $2 million in cash prizes as part of its Fetal Monitoring Challenge to accelerate development of diagnostic and monitoring technologies that improve fetal health outcomes in low-resource settings. U.S. scientists, engineers, and clinicians can submit innovative approaches and compete for prizes and resources to support technology development and clinical impact, with a focus on point-of-care and home-based diagnostic and monitoring technologies that may reduce fetal health risk and loss during and after birth.
Spotlight: Scientific Advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Science Update: Fortified human milk may promote growth of preterm infants, according to NIH-funded study
Extremely preterm infants fed fortified human milk grew longer and more rapidly and had larger head circumferences than infants fed unfortified human milk. The findings provide support for future studies on the potential benefits of human milk fortification in preventing malnutrition among infants born at 28 weeks or younger.
Media Advisory: Cervical pessary no more effective than usual care in preventing preterm birth risk
A device known as a pessary, thought promising for reducing preterm birth risk due to a short cervix, appears no more effective than usual medical care, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. A pessary is a rounded silicone device that fits around a cervix that has shortened, to keep it from opening and leading to miscarriage or preterm birth. The device is typically removed before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Item of Interest: NICHD announces awards for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has announced new funding for participating centers in its Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network.
Media Advisory: New MRI method provides detailed view of the placenta during pregnancy
NIH-funded technique enables automatic detection of placental compartments, oxygen status and structural abnormalities.
Science Update: Postpartum depression, reduced breastfeeding may help account for developmental delays seen in children born to women with depression during pregnancy
Researchers know that children born to mothers who have depression in pregnancy are at risk for developmental delays but haven’t known why. Now, a National Institutes of Health study suggests that depression persisting after pregnancy and reduced breastfeeding may account for at least part of the increased risk. Based on their results, researchers conclude that physicians may be able to reduce this risk by offering treatment for depression both during and after pregnancy and by counseling new mothers on how to breastfeed successfully.