A National Institutes of Health network study provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.
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 Podcast Advises Women On How to Achieve a Healthy Pregnancy
Women can increase their chances for a healthy pregnancy by eating right, exercising, not smoking, and getting early medical care, says a podcast featuring a National Institutes of Health obstetrician who oversees research on pregnancy and birth.
Lopinavir Proves Superior to Nevirapine in HIV-Infected Infants Who Received Single-Dose Nevirapine at Birth
A recent, scheduled interim data and safety review of a clinical study comparing anti-HIV treatment regimens based on either nevirapine (NVP) or ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (LPV/r) has found LPV/r to be more effective than NVP in HIV-infected children who received a single dose of NVP at birth.
Low Levels of Vitamin B12 May Increase Risk for Neural Tube Defects
Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Trinity College Dublin, and the Health Research Board of Ireland.
National Children's Study Begins Recruiting Volunteers
The National Institutes of Health announced today that the National Children's Study will begin recruiting volunteers to take part in its comprehensive study of how genes and the environment interact to affect children's health. At a briefing, NIH officials announced that the first phase of recruitment for the study will begin in Duplin County, North Carolina, and Queens, New York.
Researchers Levitate Object at a Microscopic Scale
Magicians have long created the illusion of levitating objects in the air. Now researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University have actually levitated an object, suspending it without the need for external support.
ADHD Medications Do Not Cause Genetic Damage in Children
In contrast to recent findings, two of the most common medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to cause genetic damage in children who take them as prescribed, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Duke University Medical Center.
New Program Teaches Preschoolers Reading Skills, Getting Along With Others
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies shows that it's possible to teach preschoolers the pre-reading skills they need for later school success, while at the same time fostering the socials skills necessary for making friends and avoiding conflicts with their peers.
National Institutes of Health & National Council of Negro Women Launch Collaboration to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight
The National Institutes of Health and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) joined forces today to train NCNW members in how to present two NIH education programs that help children maintain a healthy weight.
Earlier Jaundice Treatment Decreases Brain Injury In Preemies
A study from a National Institutes of Health research network found that an early treatment to prevent severe newborn jaundice in extremely early preterm infants reduced the infants' rate of brain injury, a serious complication of severe jaundice.
Prepared Remarks
Welcome, everyone. We are excited to be here to celebrate the 2nd year anniversary of the collaboration between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Jackson Medical Mall. Two years ago, I was honored to kick off this wonderful partnership and the opening of the NIH Health Information Center. Today--several hundred thousand visitors later--I'm delighted to be here again, thanks to Dr. Shirley's vision, to help with another ground-breaking step.
NIH Scientists Identify Link Between Brain Systems Implicated in Schizophrenia
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have deciphered the complex relationship between three distinct brain circuits implicated in schizophrenia. The researchers determined that one brain circuit acts through an intermediary brain circuit. The intermediary circuit acts like a volume control knob, turning up the electrical activity of still another brain circuit, or turning it down.
NIH's National Children's Study Enters Next Phase
The National Institutes of Health announced today that its comprehensive study to examine the effect of genes and the environment on children's health had entered the next phase of operations. At a briefing on the latest developments in the National Children's Study, NIH officials named the study centers funded for 2008.
Common Treatment to Delay Labor Decreases Preterm Infants' Risk for Cerebral Palsy
Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate--a common treatment to delay labor--are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are preterm infants whose mothers do not receive it, report researchers in a large National Institutes of Health research network.
Reading, Math Scores Up For 4th & 8th Graders, Federal Report Shows
The nation's fourth and eighth graders scored higher in reading and mathematics than they did during their last national assessment, according to the federal government's latest annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children. Not all the report's findings were positive; there also were increases in the adolescent birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight.
Surgeon General's Conference Outlines Agenda to Prevent Preterm Birth
Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health for the Office of the Surgeon General released an agenda today for activities in the public and private sectors to reduce the nation's rate of preterm birth. The agenda calls for a national system to better understand the occurrence of preterm birth and a national education program to help women reduce their chances of giving birth prematurely.
NIH Researchers Find That Rett Syndrome Gene Is Full of Surprises
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has transformed scientists' understanding of Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes autistic behavior and other disabling symptoms. Until now, scientists thought that the gene behind Rett syndrome was an "off" switch, or repressor, for other genes. But the new study, published today in Science1, shows that it is an "on" switch for a startlingly large number of genes.
Mothers' High Normal Blood Sugar Levels Place Infants at Risk for Birth Problems
Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal--but not high enough to be considered diabetes--are more likely than women with lower blood sugar levels to give birth to babies at risk for many of the same problems seen in babies born to women with diabetes during pregnancy, according to a study funded in large part by the National Institutes of Health.
Intensive Training for Medical Staff in Latin American Hospitals Reduces Serious Complication of Pregnancy
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.
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.