Video program teaches kids to interpret dogs’ warning signals
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.
Media Advisory: Proximity to muscle cells may promote spread of prostate cancer cells, NIH study suggests
Proximity to nearby muscle cells may make prostate cancer cells more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other organs, according to an early study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The presence of muscle cells appears to make cancer cells more likely to fuse two or more cancer cells into a single cell, thereby increasing their invasiveness and ability to spread.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no increased risk of newborn heart malformations from anti-nausea drug
Contrary to earlier studies, a National Institutes of Health funded analysis of records from more than 88,000 pregnancies in which women took the anti-nausea drug ondansetron found no increased risk for newborn heart malformations and only a slightly increased risk for cleft lip and palate.
Media Advisory: NICHD chronicles its major research advances of 2018
As 2018 winds down, a new slideshow highlights a selection of initiatives, therapies, and scientific advances supported by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2018
In 2018, researchers funded by NICHD made significant progress in advancing the health and well-being of infants, children, teenagers, and adults across the United States and around the world.
Media Advisory: Pelvic floor disorders linked to mode of delivery among first-time mothers
A first-time mother’s risk of pelvic floor disorders is strongly associated with how her baby is delivered, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Pelvic floor disorders are thought to result from weakening or injury of the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue in the lowest part of the pelvis.
Podcast: Menstruation as a Diagnostic Tool for Women’s Health
Dr. Candace Tingen with NICHD’s Gynecological Health and Disease Branch speaks about the possibilities of tapping a woman’s menstrual cycle for signs of disease. Listen to our latest podcast.
Science Update: NIH study explores link between maternal obesity and fetal growth during pregnancy
Maternal adipokines—molecules produced by fat cells—influence fetal growth and newborn length, birthweight, and proportion of body fat.
Item of Interest: NICHD seeks applications to study effects of maternal opioid use on newborns
The initiative seeks to improve treatment and care of infants and children who were exposed to opioids in the womb.
Release: Low-income, rural kids at higher risk for second- or third-hand smoke exposure
Infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported, according to an NIH-supported study.
Media Advisory: Experimental treatment for preeclampsia effective in animals, NIH-funded researchers show
In studies of mice and nonhuman primates, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have used a technique known as RNA interference to reduce high levels of a protein that can cause preeclampsia, a potentially fatal high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy.
Release: NIH to evaluate effectiveness of male contraceptive skin gel
A clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health will evaluate a male contraceptive gel for its ability to prevent pregnancy.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers produce uterine cells from adult stem cells
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have produced human uterine endometrial cells from adult stem cells. The findings could lead to a way to produce new uterine cells from a patient’s own tissues, which could then be used to treat uterine disorders such as endometriosis, uterine factor infertility, and early-stage endometrial cancer.
Science Update: Short interval between pregnancies may increase health risks for mothers and infants
Compared to younger mothers, mothers over 35 are at higher risk of death and serious illness if they conceive 6 months or less after the birth of a previous child, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. For mothers of all ages, such short intervals between pregnancies were associated with higher risk for preterm birth and for having infants small for their gestation age.
Release: NIH to fund national data collection on new mothers with disabilities
Collaboration with CDC aimed at evaluating pregnancy initiatives and outcomes
Release: Astrocytes regulate signal speeds of neurons
NIH findings in rodents suggest that astrocytes play an important role in how the brain processes information.
Podcast: Rethinking Disability: The Egans and Down Syndrome
Dr. Kathleen Egan and her son David Egan, pioneers of inclusion for people with Down syndrome, share their experiences. Listen.
Item of Interest: NICHD launches Placental Atlas Tool (PAT) to accelerate pregnancy research
PAT is a free resource incorporating placental data from publications and public databases into a single website for the research community.
Science Update: Nearly a third of children with concussion experience symptoms for a year, NICHD-funded study finds
Nearly a third of children experiencing a concussion had symptoms, including headache, irritability, and fatigue, up to a year after their injury, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Researchers identify two cell types that produce melatonin in pineal gland
The brain’s pineal gland has two kinds of pinealocytes—cells that make melatonin—the hormone that regulates the body’s sleep and wake cycles, according to a rodent study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings have the potential to inform future research on disorders that involve melatonin, such as jet lag and seasonal affective disorder.