NICHD News Releases

Participants sought for NIH study of adrenal disorder
Adults who have congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disorder of the adrenal glands, may be eligible to take part in a study at the National Institutes of Health on the effectiveness of a new pump which delivers missing adrenal hormones in a manner more closely matching their release by the adrenal glands.

In a Healthy Pregnancy, Let the Baby Set the Delivery Date
NICHD Director Dr. Alan Guttmacher discusses reasons it’s best, in a healthy pregnancy, to wait until 39 weeks or later to deliver.

Dr. Lisa Freund New Branch Chief for Child Development and Behavior Branch
Dr. Lisa Freund, Ph.D., has been named the new Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch, as announced in an email from Dr. Catherine Spong, M.D., Director of the Division of Extramural Research.

Stroke prevention, treatment, and research topic of NICHD May podcast
In the May NICHD Research Perspectives, NICHD researchers and grantees discussed how to reduce the risk for stroke, current stroke treatments, and research on how best to rehabilitate stroke patients.

Preeclampsia Awareness Month
Organizations marked National Preeclampsia Awareness Month in May. The NICHD follows up with highlights of its research on preeclampsia, its mechanisms, and possible ways to prevent or treat the condition.

2012 Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Annual Report
One of the largest intramural divisions within the NIH, the NICHD’s DIR studies a diverse range of topics from molecular and cellular processes, to developmental endocrinology and genetics, to obstetric and perinatal research, to pediatric imaging. These and other research areas are the focus of the 2012 DIR Annual Report.

A molecular explanation for age-related fertility decline in women
Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have a new theory as to why a woman’s fertility declines after her mid-30s. They also suggest an approach that might help slow the process, enhancing and prolonging fertility.

Research Funding News: New policy on NIH grant awards, new NICHD funding strategies
A new policy has been posted on the NIH Web site regarding NIH Fiscal Operations for the remainder of FY 2013 in light of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), signed by President Obama on March 26, 2013, and the sequestration provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act.

New syndrome linked to a somatic HIF2A mutation
A team of NIH researchers, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Utah (Salt Lake City) and Tufts Medical Center (Boston), have identified a new syndrome involving two rare neuroendocrine tumors and a rare blood disease. The syndrome was observed in four female patients who had multiple paraganglioma and somatostatinoma tumors and the blood disease polycythemia.

Flu in pregnancy may quadruple child’s risk for bipolar disorder
Pregnant mothers’ exposure to the flu was associated with a nearly fourfold increased risk that their child would develop bipolar disorder in adulthood, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings add to mounting evidence of possible shared underlying causes and illness processes with schizophrenia, which some studies have also linked to prenatal exposure to influenza.

Progress on Pelvic Floor Disorders (PFDs)
In observance of National Women’s Health Week, the NICHD looks back at 15 years of research on PFDs.

Just in Time for Mother’s Day: Let the Baby Set the Delivery Date!
The NICHD’s National Child and Maternal Health Education Program and its coordinating committee members unite to let mothers know that they should wait until at least 39 weeks to deliver their babies unless medically necessary.

Teaching Youth to be Media Smart
The NICHD’s Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active® program teaches young people how to be smart media consumers and make good choices about nutrition and physical activity.

Women’s, Men’s brains respond differently to hungry infant’s cries
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have uncovered firm evidence for what many mothers have long suspected: women’s brains appear to be hard-wired to respond to the cries of a hungry infant.

'Preventing shaken baby syndrome' topic of NICHD April podcast
In the April NICHD Research Perspectives, NICHD director Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher talks with researchers about recognizing the forerunners of shaken baby syndrome and other forms of infant abuse, and how episodes of such abuse can be prevented.

Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research 2012 Annual Report
This NICHD Division recently released its annual report highlighting research that covers a range of topics, from understanding fertility and preventing birth defects to promoting healthy lifestyles and behaviors and developing new ways to analyze data.

Membrane remodeling: Where yoga meets cell biology
Cells ingest proteins and engulf bacteria by a gymnastic, shape-shifting process called endocytosis. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health revealed how a key protein, dynamin, drives the action.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
This April, the NICHD joins in efforts to raise awareness about preventing child abuse and neglect during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Anti-HIV therapy appears to protect children’s hearts, NIH network study shows
For children who have had HIV-1 infection since birth, the combination drug therapies now used to treat HIV appear to protect against the heart damage seen before combination therapies were available, according to researchers in a National Institutes of Health network study.

Harnessing Research to Combat Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
STDs and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have affected health and human relationships throughout history. For STD Awareness Month this April, the NICHD highlights some of its research efforts related to STDs and STIs.

Global Consortium Identifies Best Management of Endometriosis
The World Endometriosis Society Consortium, a global collaboration that includes experts from and grantees of the NICHD, has published a consensus statement about the best ways to manage endometriosis.

New genetic link found between normal fetal growth and cancer
Two researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered a new genetic link between the rapid growth of healthy fetuses and the uncontrolled cell division in cancer. The findings shed light on normal development and on the genetic underpinnings of common cancers.

Drug safety for children and pregnant women topic of March NICHD Director’s Podcast
Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a drug, physicians can use their best judgment to prescribe it to their patients—whether or not their patients are similar to those who took part in the clinical trials. Physicians can also prescribe drugs for diseases or conditions other than those for which they were originally tested.

Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, NIH network study finds
Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health network study.

XLNT! The Text4baby Program Celebrates 3 Years
In only a few years, the text4baby program has grown to more than 500,000 subscribers. This evidenced-based text messaging service allows for new moms and new moms-to-be to get timely health information and encourages them to follow prenatal and postnatal care recommendations.

Delay in shifting gaze linked to early brain development in autism
At 7 months of age, children who are later diagnosed with autism take a split second longer to shift their gaze during a task measuring eye movements and visual attention than do typically developing infants of the same age, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Wireless, implanted sensor broadens range of brain research
A compact, self-contained sensor recorded and transmitted brain activity data wirelessly for more than a year in early stage animal tests, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Backwards signals appear to sensitize brain cells, rat study shows
When the mind is at rest, the electrical signals by which brain cells communicate appear to travel in reverse, wiping out unimportant information in the process, but sensitizing the cells for future sensory learning, according to a study of rats conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

March Is Trisomy Awareness Month
The term “trisomy” refers to conditions characterized by having 3 copies of a chromosome, instead of the usual 2-copy pair. An extra chromosome causes health problems ranging from mild intellectual and developmental disability, to severe physical problems. During Trisomy Awareness Month, the NICHD highlights the important role research plays in helping families and patients address challenges associated with trisomy conditions, such as Down syndrome.

Panel supports maintaining the current diagnostic approach for gestational diabetes mellitus
An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health has concluded that despite potential advantages of adopting a new diagnostic approach for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), more evidence is needed to ensure that the benefits outweigh the harms. The panel recommended following the current diagnostic approach until further studies are conducted.

Toddler ‘Functionally Cured’ of HIV Infection, NIH-Supported Investigators Report
A two-year-old child born with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral drugs beginning in the first days of life no longer has detectable levels of virus using conventional testing despite not taking HIV medication for 10 months, according to findings presented today at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Atlanta.

Researchers describe role of trace minerals in health for February podcast
Trace minerals are minerals that the body needs in very small amounts: too little, or too much, can cause serious health problems. The February 2013 NICHD Research Perspectives featured efforts to better understand the role of iron and copper, two minerals important for human health.

February is International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
The NICHD supports a number of efforts to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and other infections during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, both in the United States and in other countries. Current NICHD-supported studies are exploring better methods of prevention and treatment of these infectious diseases.

First grade math skills set foundation for later math ability
Children who failed to acquire a basic math skill in first grade scored far behind their peers by seventh grade on a test of the mathematical abilities needed to function in adult life, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

February Is National Children’s Dental Health Month
During National Children’s Dental Health Month, the NICHD reminds parents and caregivers that developing healthy habits goes beyond proper brushing and flossing and regular dental care. Balanced nutrition—especially getting enough calcium—can help children achieve a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

NICHD Director’s podcast features research on adolescent health behavior
The January 2013 NICHD Research Perspectives features adolescent health research undertaken by scientists in the institute’s Prevention Research Branch.

NIH launches study of long-term effects of blood glucose during pregnancy
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health plan to determine whether elevated blood sugar during pregnancy, a less-severe condition than gestational diabetes, influences later levels of body fat in children and development of diabetes in mothers after giving birth.

Lack of iron regulating protein contributes to high blood pressure of the lungs
A protein known to regulate iron levels in the body has an unexpectedly important role in preventing a form of high blood pressure that affects the lungs, and in stabilizing the concentration of red cells in blood, according to a study in mice by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Immune system protein in semen boosts HIV spread in female genital tissue
An immune system protein normally found in semen appears to enhance the spread of HIV to tissue from the uterine cervix, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Carrying Pregnancy to 39 Weeks: Is It Worth It? Yes!
New videos from the NICHD’s National Child and Maternal Health Education Program explain why it’s important not to induce labor for nonmedical reasons before 39 weeks of pregnancy. Find out why it’s worth it for both mother and baby.

Kutlesic named director of NICHD global health office
Vesna Kutlesic, Ph.D., became Director of the NICHD’s Office of Global Health on December 30, 2012.

Birth Defects Prevention Month and NICHD Research Advances
Understanding the causes of birth defects has been a primary goal of the NICHD since its establishment. During Birth Defects Prevention Month, the NICHD reflects on its research in structural birth defects as well as the significant advancements made to date in determining the causes, prevention, and treatments of birth defects.

NIH clinical trial begins for treatment of rare, fatal neurological disorder

Government, industry, academia, and patient groups collaborate on Niemann-Pick Type C research.

Signore named to new extramural division leadership position
Caroline Signore, M.D., M.P.H., has been named Deputy Director of the Division of Extramural Research (DER), a newly created post, which she will assume January 27.

A Promising New Therapy for a Childhood Coordination Disorder
​Developmental coordination disorder, a disorder that impairs the development of a child’s motor coordination, can cause some children to fall behind their peers in terms of motor and coordination skills. NICHD-supported researchers are exploring technologies to assist children with this sometimes debilitating neurological disorder. [Photo: Courtesy of Indiana University]

Celebrating 20 Years of Medical Rehabilitation Research
A new publication highlights the NICHD’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) 20th anniversary symposium, which commemorated the establishment of the NCMRR, described its activities, and featured the scientific advances in rehabilitation research that came from its support.

December NICHD Director’s podcast features primate research
The December 2012 NICHD Director’s podcast is now online. This month’s podcast focuses on the research of NICHD’s Laboratory of Comparative Ethology. Ethology is the study of human and animal behaviors and ethologists tend to study animals in their natural settings. Much of lab’s research is conducted at the NIH Animal Center located on a 509-acre expanse of farmland in rural Montgomery County, about 30 miles from the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Lab researchers study rhesus macaques and a few other non human primates. An important component of the lab is an open-air enclosure that houses a free-ranging troop of rhesus macaques.

NIH study uncovers details of early stages in muscle formation and regeneration
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified proteins that allow muscle cells in mice to form from the fusion of the early stage cells that give rise to the muscle cells.

Benefits of higher oxygen, breathing device persist after infancy
By the time they reached toddlerhood, very preterm infants originally treated with higher oxygen levels continued to show benefits when compared to a group treated with lower oxygen levels, according to a follow-up study by a research network of the National Institutes of Health that confirms earlier network findings, Moreover, infants treated with a respiratory therapy commonly prescribed for adults with obstructive sleep apnea fared as well as those who received the traditional therapy for infant respiratory difficulties, the new study found.

Scientific Vision: The Next Decade
The NICHD embarked upon a collaborative process in 2011 to create a scientific Vision, identifying the most promising scientific opportunities for the Institute and its partners to pursue over the next decade. The newly published Scientific Vision statement presents the results of that process and outlines scientific goals for the coming decade.

November NICHD Director’s podcast now available
The November 2012 NICHD Director’s podcast is now online. This month’s podcast featured presenters from a recent NICHD Exchange program, “Sleep: the ABC’s of Zs.” The NICHD Exchange is a series of quarterly meetings in which NICHD administrators and scientists present relevant findings designed to spur thought provoking conversations to inform the NICHD research effort.

New test offers more information on genetic causes of stillbirth
A more precise method for examining a fetus' genetic material may help detect abnormalities in 40 percent more cases of stillbirth than does the traditional method, according to a National Institutes of Health network study.

NICHD reorganizes extramural program
​Alan Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) announced a number of changes to streamline the institute’s organizational structure and accelerate the exchange of scientific ideas.

NICHD vision statement now available online
A document charting a research course for the many collaborators who share an interest in promoting the science concerning human development through the life span, child health, women's health, and rehabilitation research is now available online.

Research for a Lifetime: Commemorating the NICHD’s 50th Anniversary
On October 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the legislation establishing the NICHD to examine “the complex process of human development from conception to old age.” The Institute marks its golden anniversary with Research for a Lifetime, an all-day scientific colloquium to highlight the Institute’s mission, accomplishments, and future research directions.

Prenatal intervention reduces learning deficit in mice
​Mice with a condition that serves as a laboratory model for Down syndrome perform better on memory and learning tasks as adults if they were treated before birth with neuroprotective peptides, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

World AIDS Day and NICHD HIV/AIDS Research
​According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 34 million people around the world are living with HIV, and about 10% of them are children. On World AIDS Day, the NICHD reflects on its progress and its continuing efforts to keep these children healthy, to preserve the health of HIV-positive mothers, and to prevent new cases of HIV among children and adults.

HIV treatment reduces risk of malaria recurrence in children, NIH funded study shows
​A combination of anti-HIV drugs has been found to also reduce the risk of recurrent malaria by nearly half among HIV-positive children, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Literacy and the NICHD
​The ability to understand and use health information—called health literacy—is vital for staying healthy, but many Americans just don’t understand the information that health organizations produce, and many health organizations are not skilled at creating health information tailored to different publics. Research supported by the NICHD and other agencies and organizations is helping to identify ways to improve health literacy, which can help individuals and families make informed decisions about their health and help them to stay healthy.  

Evidence-based Methodology Workshop on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
​PCOS is a leading cause of infertility in women and is linked to a variety of health problems. The NICHD and the NIH Office of Disease Prevention are convening a workshop to evaluate the best evidence currently available on PCOS diagnosis criteria, causes, long-term health consequences, and management and prevention.

PCBs, other pollutants may play role in pregnancy delay
​Couples with high levels of PCBs and similar environmental pollutants take longer to achieve pregnancy in comparison to other couples with lower levels of the pollutants, according to a preliminary study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

20 percent of youth with HIV didn’t know they were infected at first sexual experience
​Roughly 20 percent of youth who have had HIV since birth did not know their HIV status when they first became sexually active, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health-supported research network.

HPV vaccine may benefit HIV-infected women
​Women with HIV may benefit from a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), despite having already been exposed to HPV, a study finds. Although many may have been exposed to less serious forms of HPV, more than 45 percent of sexually active young women who have acquired HIV appear never to have been exposed to the most common high-risk forms of HPV, according to the study from a National Institutes of Health research network.

Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)—NIH Consensus Development Conference (Rescheduled)
​GDM is common, affecting about 7% of pregnant women in the United States. There is current debate in the obstetrical community about the best method for diagnosing this condition, to optimize pregnancy and later health outcomes for mothers and their children. To address this issue, the NICHD and the NIH Office of Disease Prevention are sponsoring a consensus development conference to evaluate available scientific evidence on the benefits and risks of various screening and diagnostic approaches for GDM, an important first step toward delivering optimal care to pregnant women who might be at risk for GDM.

NIH establishes Down syndrome patient registry
​A new Down syndrome patient registry will facilitate contacts and information sharing among families, patients, researchers and parent groups. The National Institutes of Health has awarded a contract to PatientCrossroads to operate the registry. The company has created patient-centric registries for muscular dystrophy and many rare disorders.

October NICHD Director's podcast now online
​The October 2012 NICHD Research Perspectives, the NICHD’s monthly podcast, is now online. The podcast features discussions of research of a study on a treatment to reduce the risk of preterm birth and the new Safe to Sleep campaign.

Preeclampsia Research at the NICHD
​Preeclampsia, characterized by a sudden spike in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy, can affect the health of both mother and baby. Finding ways to detect, treat, and prevent preeclampsia and its negative health outcomes are priorities for the NICHD. This spotlight describes some of the Institute's current research activities and findings related to preeclampsia.

NIH study shows drug fails to prevent preterm birth in high risk group
​A formulation of the hormone progesterone, shown to be effective in women at risk for another preterm birth because they had a prior preterm birth, was not found to be effective in preventing preterm birth for women in their first pregnancy who have a short cervix, according to a National Institutes of Health network study.

NICHD Director's Statement: Births: Preliminary Data for 2011
​Preterm births have fallen for the fifth straight year in a row, reported the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in one of its recent National Vital Statistics Reports. This welcome decline was seen for all groups, and for each stage of pregnancy.

After diabetes during pregnancy, healthy diet linked to reduced type 2 diabetes risk
​By sticking to a healthy diet in the years after pregnancy, women who develop diabetes during pregnancy can greatly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health has found.

Study shows benefits, drawbacks, for women's incontinence treatments
​Oral medication for treating a type of incontinence in women is roughly as effective as Botox injections to the bladder, reported researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network study, with each form of treatment having benefits and limitations.

NICHD and Its Collaborators Launch Expanded Infant Mortality Awareness Campaign
​​The NICHD and its collaborators launched the Safe to Sleep campaign to inform parents and caregivers about ways to reduce the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death. Safe to Sleep builds on the successes of the Back to Sleep campaign, which began in 1994, and includes messages about safe sleep environment, breastfeeding, and infant health.

September NICHD Director's podcast now available
​The September 2012 NICHD Research Perspectives, the NICHD’s monthly podcast, is now online. The podcast features discussions of research on how a gene found in a rare cancer increases red blood cell production, the involvement of “dark matter” DNA in the body’s response to day and night cycles, and on cesarean delivery versus labor for preterm infants.

Spong named first NICHD associate director for extramural research
​Alan Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) announced that Catherine Y. Spong, M.D., has been named Associate Director for Extramural Research at the NICHD after a rigorous national search. Dr. Spong previously has served as the Chief of NICHD’s Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch.

NIH Science Education Conversation Series
​The NIH kicks off a new seminar series on science education, during which speakers and attendees can interact and discuss worldwide research, policy, and science education practices. The inaugural seminar, Thinking Differently about How We Teach Science: Why Should NIH Care and What Can NIH Do?, will occur on September 27, 2012.

Vaginal delivery safe for head first births before 32 weeks
​Infants born to mothers attempting to deliver vaginally before the 32nd week of pregnancy are as likely to survive as those delivered by a planned cesarean, provided the fetus is in the head-first position, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Dark Matter DNA active in brain during day–night cycle
​Long stretches of DNA once considered inert dark matter appear to be uniquely active in a part of the brain known to control the body’s 24-hour cycle, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Rare Cancers Yield Potential Source of Tumor Growth
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a genetic mutation that appears to increase production of red blood cells in tumors. The discovery, based on analysis of tissue from rare endocrine tumors, may help clarify how some tumors generate a new blood supply to sustain their growth, the researchers explained.​

Understanding Typical & Atypical Development: Research at the Heart of the NICHD Mission
​Birth abnormalities, broadly defined to include structural, functional, and metabolic problems that are present at birth, are a major cause of death and disease. The NICHD's Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Teratology (DBGT) Branch supports efforts to increase our understanding of the biological processes and mechanisms controlling both typical and atypical development. Many of these research efforts are made possible through collaborations among scientists with diverse research backgrounds. This spotlight highlights the Branch's work through an example of one such collaboration.

NICHD's Mofenson Recognized as Federal Employee of the Year
​Lynne Mofenson, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch, received the Federal Employee of the Year Award from the Partnership for Public Service. The award is one of nine Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals bestowed on public servants who make "high-impact contributions to the health, safety and well-being of Americans."

NIH Expands Safe Infant Sleep Outreach Effort
​The U.S. national campaign to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome has entered a new phase and will now encompass all sleep-related, sudden unexpected infant deaths, officials of the National Institutes of Health announced today.

Family Problem-Solving Sessions Help Teens Better Manage Diabetes
​A clinic-based program for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their families helped the teens develop the healthy behaviors needed to control their blood sugar levels, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found.

Extra Zs Spell Better Health
​Between work/school, errands, and social activities, sleep is often the first thing we cut back on to make room in a busy schedule. Yet sleep is critical to overall health and to restoring health after an illness or injury. The NICHD pursues research on the mechanisms of sleep, its effects on body functions, and the impact of its absence. Back to school time often requires some adjustments to schedules, including sleep schedules. As families get back into the school mode, the Institute highlights its research on the many aspects of sleep and health.

August NICHD Director's Podcast Now Online
​The August 2012 NICHD Research Perspectives, the NICHD’s monthly podcast, is now online. The August podcast features research on how the stresses of poverty may affect learning in young children, the effects of fetal alcohol exposure, and how the ability to estimate quantities changes across the lifespan.

NIH Awards $100 Million for Autism Centers of Excellence Program
​The National Institutes of Health has announced grant awards of $100 million over five years for the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program, which will feature projects investigating sex differences in autism spectrum disorders, or ASD, and investigating ASD and limited speech.

Stresses of Poverty may Impair Learning Ability in Young Children
​The stresses of poverty—such as crowded conditions, financial worry, and lack of adequate child care—lead to impaired learning ability in children from impoverished backgrounds, according to a theory by a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health. The theory is based on several years of studies matching stress hormone levels to behavioral and school readiness test results in young children from impoverished backgrounds.

NIH seeks Proposals to Study Genomic Sequencing in Newborn Period
​The National Institutes of Health is seeking proposals for research projects on the implications of information obtained from sequencing the genome to identify diseases in newborns. The intent of funding such projects is to further the understanding of disorders that appear during the newborn period and to improve treatments for these diseases.

Research on Breastfeeding & Breast Milk at the NICHD
​​Breastfeeding offers benefits to both mothers and babies. Not only does human milk provide essential calories, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive components for optimal growth, health, and development, but the process of breastfeeding also helps mother-infant bonding. To mark World Breastfeeding Week, the NICHD describes some of its current research and research findings on breastfeeding and breast milk.

NICHD's Ongoing Research on HIV/AIDS
​​The NICHD joined the international community at AIDS 2012, a gathering of more than 20,000 leading HIV/AIDS researchers, public health experts, policy makers, individuals and members of communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and media representatives. A number of NICHD scientists participated in this important event. This spotlight highlights some recent NICHD-funded findings on HIV/AIDS.

New Video Highlights NIH Investment in Zebrafish Research
​As they strive to develop new treatments for birth defects, or to prevent them, scientists at the National Institutes of Health have found a big ally in a small fish. An NIH video shows how the zebrafish, Danio rerio, is a valuable resource for scientists trying to understand the intricate process by which a fertilized egg develops into a fully formed individual, and the numerous diseases and conditions that can result when even a tiny part of the process goes wrong.

Slide Show: NIH Zebrafish Facility
​Slide Show: NIH zebrafish facility

Cognitive Changes may be only Sign of Fetal Alcohol Exposure
​Most children exposed to high levels of alcohol in the womb do not develop the distinct facial features seen in fetal alcohol syndrome, but instead show signs of abnormal intellectual or behavioral development, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and researchers in Chile.

July NICHD Director's Podcast Now Online
​The July 2012 NICHD Research Perspectives, the NICHD’s monthly podcast, is now online. This month’s podcast features research sponsored by the NICHD’s Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch. This month’s guests, Branch Chief Dr. Lynne Mofenson and Dr. Bill Kapogiannis, reported on findings to reduce the occurrence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the safety of one of the new anti HIV drugs, tenofovir, during pregnancy, and the risk of bone loss among young men newly diagnosed with HIV.

Federal Report Shows Drops in Infant Mortality, Preterm Birth Rates
The infant mortality rate, the preterm birth rate, and the adolescent birth rate all continued to decline, average mathematics scores increased for 4th and 8th grade students, the violent crime victimization rate among youth fell, as did the percentage of young children living in a home where someone smoked, according to the federal government’s annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation’s children and youth.

Following the Footsteps of Our Nation's Future
The annual federal report card on the well-being of the nation's children and youth includes both good news and not-so-good news: the number of adolescent mothers and preterm births dropped while the number of children living in poverty increased. This year marks the 16th annual report in the America's Children series.

June NICHD Director's Podcast Now Online
The June 2012 NICHD Research Perspectives—NICHD' monthly podcast series—features discussions of a treatment that reduces the body temperatures of infants who experience oxygen deficiency at birth, the effectiveness of progesterone as a treatment for the infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, and the influence that engaging the attention of young children with autism has on their language development.

Ability to Estimate Quantity Increases in First 30 Years of Life
One of the basic elements of cognition―the ability to estimate quantities―grows more precise across the first 30 years or more of a person’s life, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Alcohol & Drug-Related Birth Defects Research at the NICHD
Birth defects are structural or functional abnormalities present at birth that can cause physical, intellectual, or emotional problems. Birth defects caused by alcohol or drug use during pregnancy are an important focus of the NICHD’s research agenda. This Spotlight describes some of the Institute’s current research on birth defects caused by these types of prenatal exposures.

For Young Children with Autism, Directing Attention Boosts Language
An intervention in which adults actively engaged the attention of preschool children with autism by pointing to toys and using other gestures to focus their attention results in a long term increase in language skills, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Saving Lives in the Golden Minute
Through its Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research, the NICHD has partnered with U.S. and international organizations and stakeholders to help reduce neonatal deaths in the developing world by training skilled birth attendants through the Helping Babies Breathe® (HBB) initiative. The HBB training program is now active in more than 30 countries and is earning recognition from the public health community for its effectiveness at addressing newborn resuscitation needs.

Adding Nevirapine to HIV Regimen Halves Newborn Transmission Rate
Adding the drug nevirapine to the regimen given to newborns of women diagnosed with HIV shortly before or during labor halves the newborns' risk of contracting the virus, according to findings by a National Institutes of Health research network.

Children Exposed to HIV in the Womb at Increased Risk for Hearing Loss
Children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience hearing loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers, according to scientists in a National Institutes of Health research network.

Extra Treatment During Prolapse Repair Reduces Incontinence Rate
Surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse often carries a risk of incontinence. To avoid scheduling a second surgery, some women may opt to have a second procedure to reduce incontinence at the time of their prolapse repair surgery.

NIH Study Finds HIV-Positive Young Men at Risk of Low Bone Mass
Young men being treated for HIV are more likely to experience low bone mass than are other men their age, according to results from a research network supported by the National Institutes of Health. The findings indicate that physicians who care for these patients should monitor them regularly for signs of bone thinning, which could foretell a risk for fractures. The young men in the study did not have HIV at birth and had been diagnosed with HIV an average of two years earlier.

Focus on Infertility Research at the NICHD
Infertility is a broad term used to define any condition that prevents a man or woman from conceiving a child or that interferes with carrying a pregnancy to term. In this Spotlight, the NICHD describes some of its research activities and recent findings related to infertility causes and treatments for both men and women.

Health Benefits all Nations, HHS Secretary Tells NICHD Global Network
Secretary Sebelius addressed the researchers at the Network's Annual Steering Committee meeting this month. The Network, established by the NICHD and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to prevent maternal and infant deaths and illnesses worldwide. Scientists from developing countries, together with those in the United States, lead teams that identify the health needs of an area and address those needs through randomized clinical trials to test treatments and interventions.

Rene Marks 50 Years of Service
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (l) recently recognized Dr. Anthony Rene at the HHS offices in Washington, D.C., for 50 years of federal service.

Focus on Children's Mental Health Research at the NICHD
At the NICHD, researchers provide insight into many aspects of children's development, including their mental and emotional health. This research ranges from traumatic brain injury's effect on children's behavior to depression among young victims of cyber bullying. The Institute also works within children's many environments—schools, communities, homes—to understand ways of encouraging and promoting children's mental health.

Benefits of Hypothermia for Infants Continue through Early Childhood
A treatment to reduce the body temperatures of infants who experience oxygen deficiency at birth has benefits into early childhood, according to a follow-up study by a National Institutes of Health research network.

Transcript: Newborn Hypothermia Treatment
Transcript of an audio news briefing about Newborn Hypothermia Treatment.

NICHD Launches New Director's Podcast Series
This month, the institute launched NICHD Research Perspectives, a new podcast series. Each month, NICHD Director Alan E. Guttmacher will talk with NICHD scientists and program staff about findings from their areas of expertise. The series provides a means for researchers to go beyond the descriptions in news releases, to discuss the implications of the research, what the findings may mean for patients and members of the public, as well as what direction future studies might take.

NICHD Research on Women's Health
The term "women's health" covers many topics ranging from disease prevention, to pregnancy and childbirth, to gynecological diseases, to illnesses that affect women uniquely. Following last week's celebration of National Women's Health Week, the NICHD highlights its diverse portfolio of research and collaborative efforts on the many aspects of women's health.

NIH Study of Spina Bifida Surgery Recognized as 'Trial of the Year'
The Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) has selected the NICHD Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) as its 'Trial of the Year.'

Progestin Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome may Reduce Pregnancy Chances
The hormone progestin, often given as a first step in infertility treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), appears to decrease the odds of conception and of giving birth, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.

Paralyzed Individuals Use Thought-Controlled Robotic Arm to Reach & Grasp
In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own – for the first time in nearly 15 years – by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system. This is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI) intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control.

NIH Obesity Research Featured in HBO's The Weight of the Nation
Obesity is one of today's most pressing health issues facing this country. On May 14 and 15, 2012, HBO premieres The Weight of the Nation, a four-part documentary exploring the personal costs of and scientific advances related to obesity. The series reflects years of research supported by the NIH, including the NICHD, that has helped shape our understanding of obesity, as well as ways to prevent and treat it at every stage of life.

NIH releases Research Plan on Painful Vulvar Condition
Vulvodynia is a group of conditions that cause vulvar pain, sometimes debilitating pain. The NIH recently released its research plan for learning more about this disorder, its features, and its possible treatments.

Anti-HIV Drug Use During Pregnancy does not Affect Infant Size, Birth Weight
Infants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes of Health network study. However, at 1 year of age, children born to the tenofovir-treated mothers were slightly shorter and had slightly smaller head circumference—about 1 centimeter each, on average—than were infants whose mothers did not take tenofovir.

NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2012 - May 1, 2012
On World Asthma Day 2012, we at the National Institutes of Health stand with the Global Initiative for Asthma to renew our dedication to improving the quality of life for the millions of people living with asthma.

Audio Briefing: NIH Researchers Develop Nanoprobe Treatment for Animal Model of Cerebral Palsy
The Chief of NICHD's Perinatology Research Branch and his colleagues recently held a news briefing to describe a prototype treatment for an animal model of cerebral palsy. The researchers injected a bacterial toxin into the uteruses of pregnant rabbits. Like human patients with cerebral palsy, the baby rabbits developed a severe disability affecting their ability to move. When injected with nanoparticles carrying an anti-inflammatory drug, the baby rabbits recovered much of their movement ability.

Minority Health Month & NICHD Activities
On April 25, 2012, the NICHD and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will host a event at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.–the "Asthma Capital" of the United States–to raise awareness about asthma and other health issues that affect children from minority groups. During this National Minority Health Month, the NICHD also highlights some of its other efforts to understand and improve minority health, especially among women and children.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month & NICHD Research on Young Drivers
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the message from the U.S. Department of Transportation and other organizations is crystal clear: stop using cell phones while driving. NICHD-funded research reveals that other factors, such as restricting driving at night and encouraging parents to set driving limits, also help reduce the number of crashes and fatal crashes among teen drivers.

Audio Briefing: New Genes Associated with Common Childhood Obesity Identified
NIH-supported researchers have identified locations at two genes, which, when mutated, appear to increase the likelihood of common childhood obesity. The findings are from a large meta analysis of studies previously conducted in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Earlier studies have identified genes associated with obesity in extremely obese youth and in adults, but the current study is the first to identify two genes associated with the less severe, more common form of obesity. Although environmental factors such as diet and exercise play a strong role in common childhood obesity, the current study shows that genetic factors also contribute to the condition.

Bilingual Children Switch Tasks Faster than Speakers of a Single Language
Children who grow up learning to speak two languages are better at switching between tasks than are children who learn to speak only one language, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. However, the study also found that bilinguals are slower to acquire vocabulary than are monolinguals, because bilinguals must divide their time between two languages while monolinguals focus on only one.

NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Biomechanical Basis of Concussion: Monitoring Head Impacts in Sports"
The 2012 NICHD Director's Lecture Series continues with a focus on traumatic brain injury resulting from head impacts during sports and other activities. Dr. Richard M. Greenwald, founder and president of Simbex, LLC, and adjunct associate professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, shares his expertise on this topic with NICHD staff and others.

NIH Study Finds Women Spend Longer in Labor Now Than 50 Years Ago
Authors S. Katherine Laughon and Branch Ware were available last week for a news briefing to explain the results of their recent study on changing labor patterns.

NIH Study Finds Women Spend Longer in Labor Now Than 50 Years Ago
Women take longer to give birth today than did women 50 years ago, according to an analysis of nearly 140,000 deliveries conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The researchers could not identify all of the factors that accounted for the increase, but concluded that the change is likely due to changes in delivery room practice.

Endometriosis Awareness Month & NICHD Research
The 2012 NICHD Director's Lecture Series continues with a focus on traumatic brain injury resulting from head impacts during sports and other activities. Dr. Richard M. Greenwald, founder and president of Simbex, LLC, and adjunct associate professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, shares his expertise on this topic with NICHD staff and others.

Video Presentation: Role of Research in Understanding, Preventing, & Treating Birth Defects
Item of Interest: Video Presentation: Role of Research in Understanding, Preventing, and Treating Birth Defects

NIH Brain Imaging Study Finds Evidence of Basis for Caregiving Impulse
Distinct patterns of activity--which may indicate a predisposition to care for infants--appear in the brains of adults who view an image of an infant face--even when the child is not theirs, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Germany, Italy, and Japan.

New Report on Iron & Malaria Available
​The Iron and Malaria Project, a partnership between the NICHD, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and other organizations, began in 2007 to examine the factors that affect the safety and effectiveness of interventions to prevent and treat nutritional iron deficiency in the context of malaria and other infections. The Project released a technical report that provides a full assessment of current scientific knowledge and possible research directions related to iron supplementation for populations in malaria-prone regions.

NIH Study Links Childhood Cancer to Developmental Delays in Milestones
Infants and toddlers who have been treated for cancer tend to reach certain developmental milestones later than do their healthy peers, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Italy.

NICHD HIV/AIDS Research & National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
​HIV/AIDS impacts millions of women and girls across the United States. On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day--March 10--organizations aim to raise awareness about some of the unique features of HIV/AIDS in women and girls and to focus on effective prevention methods and treatment regimens. The NICHD highlights some of its research activities related to HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness in women and girls.

NIH Coordinating Group Seeks Comments on Fragile X Research Plan
The NIH Fragile X Research Coordinating Group invites all who are interested to comment on the current National Institutes of Health Research Plan on Fragile X syndrome and associated disorders.

Release of the 2011 Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Annual Report
​The NICHD's DIR recently released its annual research report, highlighting research achievements of DIR scientists during the last year.

Vitamin D shrinks fibroid tumors in rats
Treatment with vitamin D reduced the size of uterine fibroids in laboratory rats predisposed to developing the benign tumors, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Genomic Medicine Series Provides Convenient Reference on Ethics, Potential of New Field
A recently completed series on medical genomics--the study of how genes interact with each other and with various non-genetic factors--provides a reference for physicians and scientists. The series, appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, was edited by W. Gregory Feero, M.D., Ph.D., Special Advisor to the Director for Genomic Medicine at the National Human Genome Research Institute and Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Variation in Brain Development Seen in Infants with Autism
Patterns of brain development in the first two years of life are distinct in children who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to researchers in a network funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study results show differences in brain structure at 6 months of age, the earliest such structural changes have been recorded in ASDs.

NIH Conference on Phenylketonuria (PKU) Research Advances
​The NICHD joins the NIH Offices of Rare Diseases Research and Dietary Supplements in co-sponsoring a conference on phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder of metabolism and one of the first conditions detected through newborn screening programs. At this public event, diverse participants will discuss research advances in PKU and will help shape the future of PKU research.

NIH Study Links High Levels of Cadmium, Lead in Blood to Pregnancy Delay
Higher blood levels of cadmium in females, and higher blood levels of lead in males, delayed pregnancy in couples trying to become pregnant, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other academic research institutions.

Research on Concussions: Keeping Your Head in the Game
​Concussions were once thought of as just a bump on the head, especially for those who played sports. But research shows that concussions are actually a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with both short- and long-term effects, some of them serious. The NICHD supports a broad range of research programs and projects to understand, identify, and treat concussions and other forms of TBI.

Hirschfeld Named Director of National Children's Study
Steven Hirschfeld, M.D., Ph.D., has been named Director of the National Children’s Study. He has served as the study's Acting Director since August 2009.

NIH Study Shows Caffeine Consumption Linked to Estrogen Changes
Asian women who consumed an average of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day--the equivalent of roughly two cups of coffee--had elevated estrogen levels when compared to women who consumed less, according to a study of reproductive age women by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

The Long-Lasting Effects of Preterm Birth
​​Recent findings from three NICHD-supported studies show that the effects of preterm birth don’t end once the infant leaves the neonatal intensive care unit. Effects on an infant’s stress system, social interactions, brain patterns, and cognition last well into childhood.

High Animal Fat Diet Increases Gestational Diabetes Risk
Women who consumed a diet high in animal fat and cholesterol before pregnancy were at higher risk for gestational diabetes than women whose diets were lower in animal fat and cholesterol, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University.

NIH Announces Funding for New Learning Disabilities Research Centers
Funding for four centers to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning disabilities in children and adolescents has been provided by the National Institutes of Health.

Public Comment Period Opens for Research Plan on Vulvodynia
​The draft Research Plan on Vulvodynia is now available for public comment. Those who have comments can e-mail them directly to NICHDVulvodynia@mail.nih.gov.

NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Pharmacogenomics: Beyond Biomarkers"
​The NICHD Director's Lecture Series continues into 2012 with a focus on pharmacogenomics, the study of genes, inheritance, and their effects on individuals' response to drugs. Dr. Richard M. Weinshilboum, from the Mayo Clinic, shares his expertise in pharmacogenomics with NICHD staff and others.

NICHD Posts Map of State-by-State Funding for Research
​An interactive map with information about NICHD funding for research projects in the United States is now available on a new page of the NICHD Web site,at: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/overview/approp/Pages/fundstate.aspx.

Vitamin D May Improve Bone Health in those Taking Anti-HIV Drug
Vitamin D may help prevent hormonal changes that can lead to bone loss among those being treated for HIV with the drug tenofovir, according to the results of a National Institutes of Health network study of adolescents with HIV.

NIH Study Shows HIV-Exposed Children at High Risk of Language Delay
Children exposed to HIV before birth are at risk for language impairments, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Audio Briefing: Annual Cost of Fibroid Tumors in the United States
Uterine fibroids are common non-cancerous tumors that affect the majority of American women at some point in their lives. Fibroids may be painful and result in such reproductive problems as infertility, miscarriage, and early labor.

Long-term Health Effects of Extremely Low Birth Weight
​​Although some of the long-term health risks faced by preterm infants are well known, others remain unclear. An NICHD-funded 14-year study compared rates of chronic health conditions—including obesity and asthma—during adolescence for preterm infants born at extremely low birth weight and for term infants born at normal birth weight to help define health outcomes and risks for these children.

Study Shows Additional Benefits of Progesterone in Reducing Preterm Birth Risk
An analysis of five previous studies has uncovered additional evidence of the effectiveness of progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, in reducing the rate of preterm birth among a high-risk category of women.

Placental, Pregnancy Conditions Account for Most Stillbirths
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy disorders and conditions affecting the placenta, according to results reported by a National Institutes of Health network established to find the causes of stillbirth as well as ways to prevent or reduce its occurrence.

Slide Show: NIH Hosts 5K Run to Raise Awareness of Infant Mortality
The NICHD Division of Special Populations recently cosponsored a 5-Kilometer Run/Walk/Roll to raise awareness of infant mortality, one of the most important indicators of a nation's health. The event was cosponsored by First Candle, the NIH Office of Research Services, the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association, the NIH Federal Credit Union, National Healthy Start, Inc., the Baltimore City Healthy Start; the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NIH Grantee Honored for Pioneering Research on Gene Networks
A long-term grantee of the National Institutes of Health has been awarded the International Prize for Biology from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Steroids Boost Survival, Reduce Brain Injury for Infants Born at 23 Weeks
Prenatal steroids--given to pregnant women at risk for giving birth prematurely--appear to improve survival and limit brain injury among infants born as early as the 23rd week of pregnancy, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.

NICHD Recruits Associate Director for Extramural Research
The NICHD is conducting a national search for an Associate Director for Extramural Research. This position offers a unique and exciting opportunity for an extremely capable individual to develop and implement an overall vision for the Institute's extramural research activities, which include more than 3,100 projects and involve 130 staff members.

World AIDS Day: NICHD Research on HIV/AIDS
​​World AIDS Day, commemorated on December 1, marks a day of global unification in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In a recent presentation at the NIH, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shared a vision for turning the tide on HIV/AIDS, drawing on 30 years of U.S. leadership in the fight against the disease and recent scientific advances. The NICHD highlights some of its research activities in HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness.

NICHD Highlights Neuroscience Research
​​Neuroscience research plays a critical role in advancing the NICHD mission of improving the health of children, adults, families, and populations across the lifespan. The NICHD Director showcased some innovative research findings from the Institute's neuroscience research portfolio at the 41st annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Cholesterol Levels Elevated in Toddlers Taking Anti-HIV Drugs
Toddlers receiving anti-HIV drugs have higher cholesterol levels, on average, than do their peers who do not have HIV, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

NIH Grantee to Receive White House Mentoring Award
A training program for high school girls co-founded by longtime NIH grantee Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., will receive a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, the White House announced in mid-November.

NIH Statement on World Pneumonia Day
November 12 is World Pneumonia Day, a day set aside to raise public awareness of the millions of childhood deaths that pneumonia causes each year and to encourage efforts to prevent and treat this deadly disease. Pneumonia is an infection occurring in one or both lungs, caused by any number of infectious organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. According to the World Health Organization, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Pneumonia kills almost 1.6 million children each year, more than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Childhood pneumonia remains a serious health risk but is less widespread in the United States and other developed countries.

Collaborating to Improve the Health of Native Babies
​​The Healthy Native Babies Project, a collaboration between the NICHD’s Back to Sleep campaign and representatives from five Northern Tier Indian Health Service Areas, focuses on spreading safe sleep messages and sharing other infant health information in American Indian/Alaska Native communities.

Graduated Drivers Licensing Programs Reduce Fatal Teen Crashes
Programs that grant privileges to new drivers in phases--known as graduated licensing programs--dramatically reduce the rate of teen driver fatal crashes, according to three studies funded by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH-Funded Study Finds Dyslexia Not Tied to IQ
Regardless of high or low overall scores on an IQ test, children with dyslexia show similar patterns of brain activity, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The results call into question the discrepancy model--the practice of classifying a child as dyslexic on the basis of a lag between reading ability and overall IQ scores.

Study of Youth to Seek Origins of Heart Disease Among African-Americans
Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health are undertaking a preliminary study to identify the early origins of heart disease among African-Americans. The new feasibility study will enroll children and grand children of participants taking part in the largest study of heart disease risk factors among African-American adults, the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), in Jackson, Miss.

Math Disability Linked to Problem Relating Quantities to Numerals
Children who start elementary school with difficulty associating small exact quantities of items with the printed numerals that represent those quantities are more likely to develop a math-related learning disability than are their peers, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Audio Briefing: NICHD Scientists Identify Risk Factors for Teen Driving Accidents
Newly licensed teen drivers have higher crash rates than do older drivers and the teens are much more likely to engage in risky maneuvers that increase the gravitational force on their vehicles, reported a team of scientists from the NIH and other institutions. Publishing in the American Journal of Public Health, the researchers were led by Bruce Simons-Morton, Ed.D, M.P.H., Chief, of the Prevention Research Branch in the NICHD's Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research. Although the risky behaviors declined shortly after the teens received their licenses, the behaviors were much more prevalent than they were for the adult drivers in the study.

NIH Researchers Show How Anti-HIV Drug Acts to Block Herpes Virus
An anti-HIV drug also discovered to stop the spread of the genital herpes virus does so by disabling a key DNA enzyme of the herpes virus, according to findings by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

HHS Agencies Express Support for Infant Safe Sleep Recommendations
Representatives of the agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with a focus on infant health and safety today expressed their support for the new infant safe sleep recommendations issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Safe Sleep for All Babies
​​With the release of updated safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NICHD marks Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month by expanding its efforts to reduce SIDS risk and other sleep-related causes of infant death.

NIH Research Highlights Health Impact of Indoor Pollution from Cooking
​​Indoor air pollution from inefficient stoves is a leading cause of death and disease in developing countries. The NICHD joins the NIH and other global partners to understand and address the health impact of this unique problem.

Inefficient Developing World Stoves Contribute to 2 Million Deaths a Year
An international effort to replace smoky, inefficient household stoves that people commonly use in lower and middle income countries with clean, affordable, fuel efficient stoves could save nearly 2 million lives each year, according to experts from the National Institutes of Health.

Down Syndrome Consortium Formed
The National Institutes of Health has joined with organizations interested in Down syndrome to form a consortium that will foster the exchange of information on biomedical and biobehavioral research on the chromosomal condition.

Two NICHD Grantees Awarded National Medal of Science
Two grantees of the NICHD's Reproductive Sciences Branch were among the seven researchers named by President Obama as recipients of the National Medal of Science, an honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors.

NICHD Advisory Council Weighs in on Scientific Vision
​​At the 145th meeting of the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council, members provided important feedback to the NICHD Director on concepts from the Institute’s draft scientific Vision statement.

Porter Named NICHD Clinical Director
Forbes D. Porter, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed Clinical Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Violence During Pregnancy Linked to Reduced Birth Weight
Pregnant women who are assaulted by an intimate partner are at increased risk of giving birth to infants of reduced weight, according to a population-level analysis of domestic violence supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Research Advances in Pediatric, Adolescent, & Maternal HIV/AIDS
​​As the NICHD continues its efforts to improve prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and related diseases in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women, several recent research findings help to advance the field.

Members Appointed to Blue Ribbon Medical Rehabilitation Research Panel
Thirteen scientists have been appointed to a blue ribbon panel that will review medical rehabilitation research at the National Institutes of Health.

Gene Replacement Treats Copper Deficiency Disorder in Mice
Gene therapy plus an injection of copper dramatically improved survival in mice with a condition that mimics the often fatal childhood disorder Menkes disease, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Uterine Stem Cells Used to Treat Diabetes in Mice
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have converted stem cells from the human endometrium into insulin-producing cells and transplanted them into mice to control the animals' diabetes.

Preschoolers' Understanding of Quantity Linked to Math Ability
Preschoolers with a strong ability to estimate quantities are more likely to score higher on tests of basic number skills than are their peers with less ability to estimate quantities, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Constantine A. Stratakis Named New NICHD Intramural Director
​​Constantine A. Stratakis, M.D., D.Sc, has been named Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Former NICHD Center Director Passes Away
Sumner J. Yaffe, M.D., a former center director at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has passed away.

National Children's Study Research Day at NIH
​​The NICHD invites potential research collaborators to come learn about the progress and protocols of the National Children's Study on August 24, 2011, at Natcher Conference Center on the NIH main campus.

National Children's Study Upgrading Data Gathering, Analysis
The National Children's Study is changing its approach to informatics--the science of classifying, cataloging, storing, analyzing, and retrieving information, study officials announced today.

Brain Electrical Activity Spurs Insulation of Brain's Wiring
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered in mice a molecular trigger that initiates myelination, the process by which brain cell networks are reinforced with an insulating material called myelin that speeds their ability to transmit messages.

New Online Education Activity for Pharmacists
​​The NICHD’s Back to Sleep campaign launches an online continuing education activity to teach pharmacists about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and about reducing babies’ risk for SIDS.

NIH Scientist who Advanced Understanding of Preeclampsia Passes Away
An NIH scientist whose landmark collaborations led to a major advance in understanding a potentially fatal disorder of pregnancy has passed away.

Researchers Develop Mouse with 'Off Switch' in Key Brain Cell Population
NIH-funded scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation, and mood. The switch controls only the serotonin-producing cells, and does not affect any other cells in the animal's brains or bodies.

NIH Researchers Trace Early Journey of Modulating Cells in Brain
Key cells in the brain region known as the hippocampus are formed in the base of the brain late in fetal life and undertake a long journey before reaching their final destination in the center of the brain shortly after birth, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

NIH-Funded Study Proposes New Method to Predict Fertility Rates
Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new statistical technique to forecast changes in fertility rates. The new method mathematically compensates for uncertainty and is expected to allow governments to plan more reliably for the infrastructure and social services needed to accommodate large-scale population changes.

NIH Meeting on Vulvodynia: Setting a Research Agenda
​​The NICHD and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health recently hosted a meeting on vulvodynia, with the goal of setting a research agenda for this chronic pain disorder.

Zinc 'Sparks' Fly from Egg within Minutes of Fertilization
At fertilization, a massive release of the metal zinc appears to set the fertilized egg cell on the path to dividing and growing into an embryo, according to the results of animal studies supported by the National Institutes of Health.

A Check-up for U.S. Children
​Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics releases findings from its annual snapshot of the health and well being of the nation’s children.

Federal Report Shows Drop in Adolescent Birth Rate
The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children and youth.

NIH Effort Seeks to Identify Measures of Nutritional Status
The National Institutes of Health has undertaken a new program to discover, develop and distribute measures of nutritional status. The Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) Program brings together experts in the field of nutrition to provide advice to researchers, clinicians, program- and policymakers, on the role of food and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention.

Benefits of Early Childhood Program Last through Adulthood
Children who attended an intensive preschool and family support program attained higher educational levels, were more likely to be employed, and less likely to have problems with the legal system than were peers who did not attend the program, according to a study funded by the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Women Sought for NIH Study of Infertility Disorder
Young women in the Washington, D.C., area who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are encouraged to take part in a study at the National Institutes of Health on the possible role of the adrenal glands in the disorder.

NIH Statement on the New Crib Safety Standards
On June 28th, new mandatory safety standards for infant cribs will take effect, helping to ensure a safe sleep environment for infants in the United States. The new standards released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) require manufacturers and retailers to meet new safer crib standards, which include stopping the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional, drop side cribs. According to the CPSC, the new standards will ensure that mattress supports are made stronger, that crib hardware is more durable, and that crib safety testing is more rigorous.

NICHD Scientists Featured in Endometriosis Article
In a recent issue of NIH News in Health, two NICHD scientists explained the challenges of understanding and preventing endometriosis, a condition causing pain and infertility in many women.

NIH Researchers Slow Immune Attack on Ovaries in Mice
In a study of mice, researchers have slowed an immune system attack on the ovaries. The mice developed a disorder resembling primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a menopause-like condition that affects women under the age of 40, sometimes years or even decades before normal menopause. The study was conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Difficulty Estimating Quantity Linked to Math Learning Disability
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered that the innate ability to estimate quantities is impaired in children who have a math learning disability.

Key step identified in Legionnaire's disease infection process
NIH researchers have uncovered a key step in the biochemical sequence the bacterium which causes Legionnaire's disease uses to reproduce inside the cells it infects.

20 Years of Discovery and Innovation at the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR)
​Since it was established 20 years ago, NCMRR-supported research has led to discoveries and advances that have improved health outcomes for those with disabilities and chronic conditions.

NIH Study Addresses Concerns about High Folate Levels
Taking folic acid supplements or eating fortified grain products is unlikely to worsen problems related to low levels of vitamin B12, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and five other institutions in the United States, Ireland and Norway.

Vaccines are Safe for Children with Urea Cycle Disorders
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that vaccines are safe for children diagnosed with a group of diseases known as urea cycle disorders.

30 Years of Milestones
​As the NIH and the scientific community commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of what is now known as AIDS, the NICHD highlights some of the key moments in pediatric, adolescent, and maternal AIDS research.

Study Shows 19 Percent of Young Adults have High Blood Pressure
Roughly 19 percent of young adults may have high blood pressure, according to an analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH Study Finds Increased Death Risk for Early Term Births
Infants born in the 37th or 38th week of pregnancy have a higher risk of dying before age 1 than do infants born between 39 and 40 weeks, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the March of Dimes.

New White Papers Available for Public Comment
Six new white papers outlining scientific opportunities for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are now available on the institute's Web site for public comment.

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research Celebrates its 20th Anniversary
​The Center marks 20 years of providing a focal point for federal research and discovery efforts to improve the lives of all people through medical rehabilitation.

National Library of Medicine Announces Release of "Embryo" App
The National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health has released "Embryo", a new app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. The NICHD collaborated on the development of the app, which provides access to digitized representations of serial sections of early stage human embryos for mobile devices, photo micrographs of early stage embryo development, fertilization videos, and a pregnancy calculator.

NIH-funded centers to assist rehabilitation researchers
The National Institutes of Health has provided approximately $30 million over a five year period to fund a network of centers to advance medical rehabilitation research. The centers provide researchers with access to new technologies and resources.

Instruction for midwives lowers death rate for newborns in Zambia
An inexpensive instructional program to teach routine newborn care skills to midwives in Zambia resulted in a substantial reduction in the death rate of infants in the first week of life, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Low-Hanging Fruit for Better Global Health? Evidence from the Field"
​The second lecture in the NICHD Director’s Lecture Series focuses on global health and its challenges. It features Dr. Esther Duflo, NICHD grantee and the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Storz One of Three NIH Scientists Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Gisela T. Storz, deputy director of the NICHD Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems.

Progesterone Reduces Rate of Early Preterm Birth in at Risk Women
A National Institutes of Health study has found that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, reduced the rate of preterm birth before the 33rd week of pregnancy by 45 percent among one category of at risk women.

NICHD Research and National Child Abuse Prevention Month
​In April, multiple government agencies and organizations highlights community efforts and resources available to help prevent child abuse. For its part, the NICHD supports research to inform outreach and training programs for parents and people who care for abused and neglected children.

Check Out the 2010 Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Annual Report
​Now available! The 2010 DIR Annual Report highlights the latest research conducted by DIR scientists at the NICHD and describes their recent research achievements.

NICHD Seeks Comment on Scientific Vision Papers
The first two of nine white papers outlining a scientific vision for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are now available online for public comment.

Video: Surgery on Fetus Reduces Complications of Spina Bifida
Recently, scientists in an NIH study reported that a surgical procedure to repair a common birth defect of the spine, if undertaken while a baby is still in the uterus, greatly reduces the need to divert, or shunt, fluid away from the brain, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health and four research institutions. The fetal surgical procedure also increases the chances that a child will be able to walk without crutches or other devices.

Triplets With Extremely Low Birth Weight Face High Risks
Among the smallest preterm infants, those born as triplets are at greater risk than single born infants or twins of dying or developing a disability before their second birthday, according a study by a research network of the National Institutes of Health.

Paying It Forward: Menkes Disease
​Blaine Grenon, a 15-year-old with the rare genetic condition Menkes Disease, realizes the vital role that research has played in understanding and improving outcomes for those who have it. Now he’s playing an important part in helping others affected by this condition.

New Drug Regimens Cut HIV Spread from Mother to Infant
Pregnant women who are unaware that they have HIV miss the chance for drug treatment that can benefit not only their own health, but could also prevent them from transmitting the virus to their infants. When HIV is not diagnosed until women go into labor, their infants are usually treated soon after birth with the anti HIV drug zidovudine (ZDV), to prevent the infants from becoming infected with the virus.

Increasing Awareness of Late Preterm Birth
​The NICHD’s National Child and Maternal Health Education Program launches a new continuing medical education/continuing education (CME/CE) program on Medscape. The program aims to increase health care providers’ knowledge about late preterm birth and inducing delivery for non-medical reasons before 39 weeks in the womb.

Researchers Identify Protein Essential for Embryo Implantation
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a key step in the establishment of a pregnancy. Their discovery shows how the hormone progesterone suppresses the growth of the uterus's lining so that a fertilized egg can implant in the uterus.

FDA Approves Drug to Reduce Preterm Birth Risk
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P), a drug that reduces the chances of preterm delivery in a group of high risk pregnant women.

Spina Bifida Surgery In the Womb Decreases Complications
​Findings from an NICHD-funded study on treatment for the most common and most severe form of spina bifida, called myelomeningocele, shows that surgery done while the baby is still in the womb decreases complications related to the condition and improves outcomes better than the standard treatment of surgery done after birth.

Surgery on Fetus Reduces Complications of Spina Bifida
A surgical procedure to repair a common birth defect of the spine, if undertaken while a baby is still in the uterus, greatly reduces the need to divert, or shunt, fluid away from the brain, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health and four research institutions.

Backgrounder: Myelomeningocele
Backgrounder on Myelomeningocele.

High-quality Preschool Program Produces Long-term Economic Payoff
An early education program for children from low-income families is estimated to generate $4 to $11 of economic benefits over a child's lifetime for every dollar spent initially on the program, according to a cost-benefit analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Level of Tumor Protein Indicates Chances Cancer Will Spread
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread.

New Videos Show NIH Studies of Communication Between Brain Cells
An NIH researcher has captured video images of a previously unknown form of communication between brain cells that might hold clues to the way learning shapes the brain.

Health Care Visits to Check More Than Just Health?
​Recent findings from an NICHD-supported study show that health care providers can use well-baby and well-child visits to help at-risk families prepare their children for school.

NICHD Director’s Lecture Series: New Frontiers in Endometriosis
​​The NICHD Director’s Lecture Series showcases cutting-edge science relevant to the Institute’s mission. On January 24, 2011, the first Series lecture will focus on endometriosis and will feature Dr. Linda C. Giudice, international expert on reproductive health and the Robert B. Jaffe, M.D. Endowed Professor from the University of California, San Francisco.

NIH Researchers Link Rare Cancer to Cell Oxygen Deficiency
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a rare cancer of the digestive tract is linked to a shutdown in an enzyme that helps supply oxygen to cells.

Brain Activity Pattern Signals Ability to Compensate for Dyslexia
Brain scans of dyslexic adolescents who were later able to compensate for their dyslexia showed a distinct pattern of brain activity when compared to scans of adolescents who were unable to compensate, reported researchers funded in part by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Understanding Fragile Families
​In 1998, the NICHD launched a long-term study of parenting and relationships among unmarried couples. The latest findings from this study reveal a portrait of life in these families today.

Young Women with Menopause-like Condition at Risk for Depression
Young women with the menopause-like condition, primary ovarian insufficiency, are much more likely than other women to experience depression at some point during their lives, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health. The finding suggests that all women diagnosed with the condition should be evaluated for depression.

Very Low Birthweight Down Syndrome Infants at High Risk For Heart, Lung Disorders
Very low birthweight Down syndrome infants are at higher risk for disorders of the heart and lungs than are very low birthweight infants who do not have a chromosomal variation, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.

Saving Infant Lives Around the World
​Findings from an NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research study show that training birth care providers in basic care and resuscitation of newborns greatly reduces infant mortality in resource-poor countries.

Viral Counts Necessary for Gauging Health of Children with HIV
For children being treated for HIV in less developed countries, monitoring to predict the occurrence of serious HIV-related illnesses is most accurate if it includes a measure of HIV levels in the blood, according to a National Institutes of Health study conducted throughout Latin America.

Item of Interest: Video - Gene Variations that Alter Key Enzyme Linked to Prostate Cancer
Recently, researchers at the National Institutes of Health reported that variations in a gene for an enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism appear to increase the risk for prostate cancer.

Researchers Tie Gene Variations to Alteration in Brain Network
Brain images of youth who have a variation in a gene associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) revealed an altered pattern of in the brain's connective wiring, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH Alerts Caregivers to Increase in SIDS Risk During Cold Weather
Parents and caregivers can take steps to reduce the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) during the colder months, when infants are at higher risk, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Improving Mothers' Literacy Skills May Be Best Way to Boost Children's Achievement
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health concluded that programs to boost the academic achievement of children from low income neighborhoods would be more successful if they simultaneously provided adult literacy education to parents.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month: Highlights of NICHD Outreach
​In addition to the research the NICHD supports and conducts on SIDS, the Institute also does a great deal of outreach to spread safe sleep messages to various audiences.

NIH Scientists Discover How Dengue Virus Infects Cells
National Institutes of Health researchers have discovered a key step in how the dengue virus infects a cell. The discovery one day may lead to new drugs to prevent or treat the infection.

Taking a Stand Against Bullying

NICHD Director Describes Vision Process in New Web Video
The NICHD has embarked on a process to develop a scientific vision that sets an ambitious agenda to inspire the NICHD, its many partners and the research community to achieve critical scientific goals and meet pressing public health needs.

Timely Advice on Safe Infant Sleep: Research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
​As SIDS Awareness Month begins, warnings about the potential dangers of products claiming to correctly position infants and prevent SIDS are a reminder about the importance of research on SIDS and SIDS risk reduction.

Gene Variations That Alter Key Enzyme Linked to Prostate Cancer
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that variations in a gene for an enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism appear to increase the risk for prostate cancer.

National Children's Study Begins Recruiting At 30 Newly Activated Locations
The National Children's Study has initiated recruitment at 30 study locations around the United States. The Study is the largest long-term study of children's health ever conducted in the United States, and will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21 to learn how the environment influences children's health, development, and quality of life. Study researchers seek to enroll women who are pregnant or may become pregnant in the next few years.

Depression High Among Youth Victims of School Cyber Bullying, NIH Researchers Report
Unlike traditional forms of bullying, youth who are the targets of cyber bullying at school are at greater risk for depression than are the youth who bully them, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Taking a Stand Against Bullying
​The NICHD joins other agencies and organizations in examining existing research, supporting new research, and helping put an end to bullying.

An Unexpected Benefit & A Cause for Concern
​NICHD-funded researchers find that as global smallpox immunization programs were phased out because of their success, monkeypox moved in and is on the rise.

NIH Study Shows How Insulin Stimulates Fat Cells to Take in Glucose
Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have shown how insulin prompts fat cells to take in glucose in a rat model. The findings were reported in the Sept. 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

Association between Eelevated Levels of Lead, Cadmium & Delayed Puberty in Girls
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have found that exposure to lead in childhood may delay the onset of puberty in young girls, with higher doses increasing the chance for later maturation.

MOMS: Seeking Moms to Understand Best Treatment for Spina Bifida
​NICHD researchers are seeking pregnant patients carrying a baby diagnosed with spina bifida for the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS).

Prior Stress Could Worsen Premenstrual Symptoms, NIH Study Finds
Women who report feeling stressed early in their monthly cycle were more likely than those who were less stressed to report more pronounced symptoms before and during menstruation, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The association raises the possibility that feeling stressed in the weeks before menstruation could worsen the symptoms typically associated with premenstrual syndrome and menstruation.

NIH-Funded Study finds Outward Knee Alignment increases Arthritis Risk
People with a particular kind of knee alignment have a greater chance of developing osteoarthritis than do those with other types of leg alignment, reported researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH Study Indicates Stress May Delay Women Getting Pregnant
A study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Oxford supports the widespread belief that stress may reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant. The study is the first of its kind to document, among women without a history of fertility problems, an association between high levels of a substance indicative of stress and a reduced chance of becoming pregnant.

Women's Cholesterol Levels Vary with Phase of Menstrual Cycle
National Institutes of Health researchers have shown that women's cholesterol levels correspond with monthly changes in estrogen levels. This natural variation, they suggest, might indicate a need to take into account the phases of a woman's monthly cycle before evaluating her cholesterol measures. On average, the total cholesterol level of the women in the study varied 19 percent over the course of the menstrual cycle.

With Your Help, We Can!
​Help We Can!® (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) select its video contest winner by voting for your favorite video.

NIH-Funded Researchers Generate Mature Egg Cells From Early Ovarian Follicles
Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have for the first time activated mouse egg cells at the earliest stage of their development and brought them to maturity. In a related experiment, the researchers replicated the finding by also bringing human eggs to maturity in the laboratory.

The War at Home
​Research supported by the NICHD examines the effects on children and families of having a combat-deployed parent.

Alan Guttmacher Named Director of NICHD
​NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced today that Alan Guttmacher, M.D., will be the new Director of the NICHD. Dr. Guttmacher has been the Acting Director of the NICHD since December 1, 2009.

NIH Director Announces Appointment of Alan Guttmacher as Director of NICHD
National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins M.D., Ph.D., announced today the appointment of Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D as director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health. The appointment follows an extensive national search.

Research = Hope
​The NICHD joins other organizations in marking National Fragile X Awareness Day and examines how research helps to bring hope to millions of families.

Gene Associated with Rare Adrenal Disorder Appears To Trigger Cell Death, According to NIH Study
A gene implicated in Carney complex, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands, appears to function as a molecular switch to limit cell growth and division, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Mice lacking functional copies of the gene in the adrenal glands developed an overgrowth of adrenal tissue and were more susceptible to tumors in the gland.

Annual Federal Statistics Compilation Reports Second Straight Decline In Preterm Births
Preterm births and adolescent births declined, eighth graders' math and reading scores increased, and more children had health insurance, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children and youth. The report also showed several economic changes that coincided with the beginning of the economic downturn: increases in child poverty and food insecurity, as well as a decline in secure parental employment.

Children Being Well
​In its 13th annual report, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics offers insights into the well-being of America’s children.

Researchers Discover How Folate Promotes Healing In Spinal Cord Injuries
The vitamin folate appears to promote healing in damaged rat spinal cord tissue by triggering a change in DNA, according to a laboratory study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Partners in Maternal & Child Health
​Upcoming program announcements from the Indo-U.S. Joint Working Group will aim to improve maternal and child health worldwide and continue this important and beneficial collaboration.

The Hidden Damage of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
​An estimated 1.4 million U.S. people sustain a TBI each year; of those, 50,000 die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized*. Those who survive face a broad range of problems. Many of those problems are obvious, such as difficulty walking, talking, or moving; other problems are more subtle, such as changes in personality or mood. These subtle problems can have a major impact on recovery and rehabilitation.

NIH Researchers Identify New Steps in Spread of Malaria Parasite Through Bloodstream
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have observed two previously unknown steps in the spread of the malaria parasite through the bloodstream. And in laboratory cultures, the researchers interfered with one of these steps, raising the possibility that new drug treatments could be developed to combat the disease.

Genomics: Mapping a Genetic Path to Better Health
​Alan Guttmacher, Acting NICHD Director, shares some thoughts on genomics research and how it might help improve the health of children, adults, families, and populations.

NIH Study Finds That Overweight Girls Who Lose Weight Reduce Adult Diabetes Risk
Overweight girls who lose weight before they reach adulthood greatly reduced their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University, who analyzed 16 years of data on nearly 110,000 women.

Not Your Grandma's Osteoporosis
​May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. Most people think of osteoporosis as something older people need to worry about. But when is the best time to take actions to prevent osteoporosis?

Recovery Act Funds Key Reproductive Health Research
Millions of Americans with reproductive health disorders stand to benefit from new research funded by the National Institutes of Health. With funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the National Institutes of Health today announced grants totaling nearly $60 million for research into disorders that impair fertility, cut short a woman's reproductive years, and often cause intense pain.

Infants Capable of Learning While Asleep
Newborn infants are capable of a simple form of learning while they're asleep, according to a study by researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The finding may one day lead to a test that can identify infants at risk for developmental disorders that do not become apparent until later in childhood.

Higher Oxygen Levels Improve Preterm Survival, Increase Risk for Eye Condition
Two findings from an NIH research network study provide new information on how much oxygen very preterm infants should receive starting on the first day of life and the most effective means to deliver it to them.

Link between Child Care & Academic Achievement & Behavior Persists into Adolescence
Teens who were in high-quality child care settings as young children scored slightly higher on measures of academic and cognitive achievement and were slightly less likely to report acting-out behaviors than peers who were in lower-quality child care arrangements during their early years, according to the latest analysis of a long-running study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

New Intramural Report Available
​Does the circulatory system of a zebrafish develop in the same order as the circulatory system of a mouse or a human? How does the biology of a cell change in response to stress in the environment? How do color-vision circuits between the eye and the brain use chemicals to detect color? Why are the bones of people with Osteogenesis imperfecta so fragile? Are animals and humans “wired” to respond to an infant’s cry in the same way?

Endometrial Stem Cells Restore Brain Dopamine Levels
Endometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease.

Commemorating the Life of Dr. Dorothy Height
​Commemorating the Life of Dr. Dorothy Height.

NIH Study Confirms Location of Stem Cells Near Cartilage-Rich Regions in Bones
Working with mice, a team of researchers has pinpointed the location of bone generating stem cells in the spine, at the ends of shins, and in other bones. The team also has identified factors that control the stem cells' growth. The research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Most Young Women with Menopause-like Condition Retain Store of Eggs
Contrary to what researchers had previously believed, most young women and girls who experience a menopause-like condition called primary ovarian insufficiency still have immature eggs in their ovaries, according to a study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health.

Pregnancy & Healthy Weight
​New research shows that maintaining a healthy weight before and during pregnancy can reduce the likelihood of negative effects for mothers and babies.

Risk of Newborn Heart Defects Increases with Maternal Obesity
The more obese a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the likelihood that she will give birth to an infant with a congenital heart defect, according to a study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the New York state Department of Health.

Vitamin C and E Supplements Do Not Reduce Risk for Blood Pressure Disorders of Pregnancy
Taking vitamin C and E supplements starting in early pregnancy does not reduce the risk for the hypertensive disorders and their complications that occur during pregnancy, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.

Strengthening Families & Communities: National Child Abuse Prevention Month
​NICHD joins other agencies and organizations in observing National Child Abuse Prevention Month to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect by supporting research to understand the impacts of these experiences.

Banking on Research Futures
​The Institute recently expanded efforts and oversight of its Brain and Tissue Bank for Developmental Disabilities to study autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Brain Injury Awareness Month: NICHD Research on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
​Through its National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, the NICHD works to understand Traumatic brain Injury (TBI) and to aid the recovery of those who have experienced TBI.

Hereditary Condition Causing Limb Weakness Traced to Gene for Rare Disorder
A gene that causes a fatal childhood brain disorder can also cause adults to develop peripheral neuropathy, a condition resulting in weakness and decreased sensation in the hands and limbs, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The study is the first to show that different mutations in the same gene cause the two seemingly unrelated disorders.

NIH Convenes Conference on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
​The conference, sponsored by the NICHD and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research, brings experts together to assess the available scientific evidence on vaginal childbirth for women who have previously given birth by cesarean section.

New Online Resource for Nurses
​The NICHD launches an online version of the Continuing Education Module on SIDS Risk Reduction: Curriculum for Nurses.

Online Version of Nurses Continuing Education Program on SIDS Risk Reduction Now Available
An online version of NIH's continuing education program for nurses about SIDS risk reduction is now available. The Continuing Education Program on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Risk Reduction was developed by NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in collaboration with national nursing and health organizations.

NIH Convenes Conference on Lactose Intolerance
​The conference, sponsored by the NICHD and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research, brings experts together to assess the available scientific evidence on lactose intolerance and health.

NIH Scientists Identify Maternal & Fetal Genes that Increase Preterm Birth Risk
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery. The DNA variants were in genes involved in the regulation of inflammation and of the extracellular matrix, the mesh-like material that holds cells within tissues.

Stillbirths Drop Dramatically After Newborn-Care Training in Developing Countries
The rate of stillbirths in rural areas of six developing countries fell more than 30 percent following a basic training program in newborn care for birth attendants, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study tracked more than 120,000 births.

Pregnancy 2.0
​The NICHD joins a coalition of agencies, organizations, and companies in a new program using mobile phones to spread the word about healthy pregnancy and infancy.

SIDS Linked to Low Levels of Serotonin
The brains of infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) produce low levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that conveys messages between cells and plays a vital role in regulating breathing, heart rate, and sleep, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The "PROMISE" of Research
​The “PROMISE” of Research New study—Promoting Maternal-Infant Survival Everywhere (PROMISE)—aims not only to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission but also to preserve maternal and infant health.

New Gene Discovered for Recessive Form of Brittle Bone Disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have discovered the third in a sequence of genes that accounts for previously unexplained forms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic condition that weakens bones, results in frequent fractures and is sometimes fatal.

Survival of Children with HIV in the United States Has Improved Dramatically Since 1990s, New Analysis Shows
The death rates of children with HIV have decreased ninefold since doctors started prescribing cocktails of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-1990s, concludes a large-scale study of the long-term outcomes of children and adolescents with HIV in the United States. In spite of this improvement, however, young people with HIV continue to die at 30 times the rate of youth of similar age who do not have HIV, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions found.

AIDS Awareness Month and the NICHD
​As the world observes the 21st annual AIDS Awareness Month, the NICHD looks ahead to the prevention and treatment challenges of HIV/AIDS in infants, children, adolescents, and women.

Study Links Factors to Choice of Infant Sleep Position
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified three principal factors linked to whether caregivers place infants to sleep on their backs. Those three factors are: whether they received a physician's recommendation to place infants only on their backs for sleep, fear that the infant might choke while sleeping on the back, and concerns for an infant's comfort while sleeping on the back.

NIH Appoints Alan Guttmacher Acting Director of NICHD
Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., is the new acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health.

Alan Guttmacher Named Acting Director of NICHD
​Alan Guttmacher Named Acting Director of NICHD - Joins NICHD from National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Study Finds Link Between Preeclampsia & Reduced Thyroid Function
Women who experience preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy, may have an increased risk for reduced thyroid functioning later in life, report a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

NIH Awards $8.5 Million for Research on Pharmaceuticals for Children
Studying drugs in pediatric populations is challenging because drugs often affect children differently than they do adults. The scarcity of pediatric studies limits the ability of doctors and scientists to predict drug dosing, safety and efficacy in children. To address this gap, the National Institutes of Health announced today 18 grants to help determine outcome measures and increase the likelihood of success of future trials of treatments for children.

NIH-Funded Researchers Transform Embryonic Stem Cells into Human Germa Cells
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately give rise to sperm and eggs. The advance will allow researchers to observe human germ cells--previously inaccessible--in laboratory dishes.

NICHD Researcher Elected to Institute of Medicine
​NICHD Researcher Elected to Institute of Medicine

NIH Newborn Screening Research Program Named In Memory of Hunter Kelly
The National Institutes of Health today announced the establishment of a research program to enhance newborn screening, in memory of the son of National Football League Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

The NICHD & Newborn Screening: A New Era
​The NICHD and Newborn Screening: A New Era The NICHD’s newborn screening research program enters a new era—renaming a portion of its program after a remarkable child, expanding its goals, and creating partnerships.

National Children's Study Scholars Program
The National Children's Study (NCS) is a unique epidemiological study of children's environmental health. The largest child health study ever undertaken in the United States, the NCS will longitudinally assess the effects of the chemical, biological, psychosocial-cultural, and physical environments on child health and development, with a special emphasis on gene-environment interaction and gene expression. The NCS will follow women through pregnancy and birth and their children through 21 years of age. Further information about the Study is available at http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov.

NICHD Welcomes Acting Director
​NICHD Welcomes Acting Director Susan Shurin, M.D., joins the NICHD as Acting Director, while the NIH begins its formal search for a permanent NICHD Director.

Treating Even Mild Gestational Diabetes Reduces Birth Complications
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.

NICHD Director Announces Departure
​NICHD Director Announces Departure Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, announced recently that he would soon leave the institute on October 1, 2009, to begin a new assignment within the NIH.

New Technique Could Eliminate Inherited Mitochondrial Disease
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental technique with the potential to prevent a class of hereditary disorders passed on from mother to child. The technique, as yet conducted only in nonhuman primates,involves transferring the hereditary material from one female's egg into another female's egg from which the hereditary material has been removed.

U.S. Updates Clinical Guidelines for Prevention & Treatment of Opportunistic Infections among HIV-Exposed & HIV-Infected Children
New guidelines to assist health care workers in preventing and treating the secondary infections that can afflict U.S. children exposed to, or infected with, HIV, were published by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Imitation Promotes Social Bonding in Primates
Imitation, the old saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. It also appears to be an ancient interpersonal mechanism that promotes social bonding and, presumably, sets the stage for relative strangers to coalesce into groups of friends, according to a study by a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health and two Italian research institutions.

Statement of Duane Alexander, M.D., Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development National Institutes of Health
The entire world owes a debt to Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her foresight in calling for an institute at the National Institutes of Health to study the myriad aspects of human development, both as it unfolds without problems and when medical and environmental factors prevent it from doing so.

NIH Issues Research Plan on Fragile X Syndrome & Associated Disorders
The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance the understanding of fragile X syndrome and its associated conditions, fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome and fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency. Fragile X syndrome causes intellectual and developmental disabilities and results from a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome.

New Technique Could Sustain Cancer Patients' Fertility
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have completed a critical first step in the eventual development of a technique to retain fertility in women with cancer who require treatments that might otherwise make them unable to have children.

Federal Report Shows Slight Declines in Preterm Birth & Low Birthweight
American infants were less likely to be born preterm or of low birthweight, when compared to the previous year, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children. However, the report also showed economic setbacks for the nation?s children. Children were more likely to live in poverty, and less likely to have at least one parent employed year round, full time.

In Memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver
​In Memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver The driving force behind the NICHD’s establishment and an unrelenting advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities died Tuesday, August 11, 2009, at the age of 88.

New NIH Research Plan on Fragile X Syndrome and Associated Disorders
​The Trans-NIH Fragile X Research Coordinating Group, led by the NICHD, releases a report setting research priorities for Fragile X syndrome and two associated disorders.

Understanding America's Children
​America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009, the 12th annual report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, provides a comprehensive view of the status of the nation’s children and youth.

Second Gene Linked to Familial Testicular Cancer
Specific variations or mutations in a particular can gene raise a man's risk of familial, or inherited, testicular germ-cell cancer, the most common form of this disease, according to new research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. This is only the second gene to be identified that affects the risk of familial testicular cancer, and the first gene in a key biochemical pathway. The study appears in the July 2009 Cancer Research.

Tracking Down Genes for Cancer Risk
​Even though testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer to strike young men, ages 15 to 35, most people knew little about the disease until world-class U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with it in the 1990s.

Delay in Diagnosis of Menopause-like Condition in Young Women Linked to Low Bone Density
Women and young girls who experience delays in diagnosing a premature, menopause-like condition face increased risk of low bone density, according to new research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health. A delay in diagnosing the condition, called primary ovarian insufficiency, may make women more susceptible to osteoporosis and fractures later in life, the researchers concluded.

NIH Researchers Discover How Prion Protein Damages Brain Cells
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have gained a major insight into how the rogue protein responsible for mad cow disease and related neurological illnesses destroys healthy brain tissue.

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.

Researchers Identify Key Proteins Needed for Ovulation
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have identified in mice two proteins essential for ovulation to take place.

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.

New Centers Begin Recruiting for National Children's Study
The National Children's Study, the federal government's comprehensive study of how genes and the environment interact to affect children's health, has activated five additional centers to begin recruiting prospective volunteers in five new communities. These Vanguard Centers join two centers activated previously to recruit volunteers for the feasibility phase of the study, in which the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will review the size, scope, and cost projections for the full study. The data gleaned from the feasibility phase will be used to inform the final research design.

Gene Scan Shows Body's Clock Influences Numerous Physical Functions
The pineal gland -- integral to setting the body's sleep and wake cycles -- may be involved in a broad range of bodily functions, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Researchers Decipher Blood Stem Cell Attachment, Communication
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have deciphered a key sequence of events governing whether the stem cells that produce red and white blood cells remain anchored to the bone marrow, or migrate into the circulatory system.

H1N1 Influenza (flu) Information for NICHD Audiences
​H1N1 Influenza (flu) Information for NICHD Audiences

Media-Smart Youth® Program Evaluation Report Available
​The report of a formal evaluation of the NICHD’s Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!® Program is now available through the program Web site.

Researchers Develop DNA "Patch" For Canine Form of Muscular Dystrophy
Using a novel genetic technology that covers up genetic errors, researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have developed a successful treatment for dogs with the canine version of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a paralyzing, and ultimately fatal, muscle disease.

A Message from the NICHD Director: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
​Duane Alexander, M.D., discusses the Recovery Act and explains the impact that the Act will have on NICHD constituencies.

Swimming Lessons Do Not Increase Drowning Risk in Young Children
Providing very young children with swimming lessons appears to have a protective effect against drowning and does not increase children's risk of drowning, reported researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

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.

Video & Transcript of Maternal Vitamin B12 Levels & the Risk of Neural Tube Defects
Video and transcript of maternal vitamin B12 levels and the risk of neural tube defects

Plan Offers Guidance For Evaluating Menopause-Like Condition in Girls & Young Women
A comprehensive plan to help health care professionals diagnose and treat primary ovarian insufficiency--a menopause-like condition affecting girls and young women that may occur years before normal menopause is expected--has been developed by a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

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.

Speaker's Prepared Remarks
Dr. Duane Alexander: Good morning. Thank you for joining us for another in our continuing series of periodic updates on the progress of the National Children's Study. It's not an accident that I use the term "progress". I'm happy to report that after 8 years of intensive research and planning, the National Children's Study will recruit its first volunteer study participants.

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 Children's Study Launches Recruitment at Two Vanguard Locations
​After years of intensive research and planning, the National Children's Study will begin recruiting for its 100,000 participants in mid-January 2009.

Neuroscience Research at the NICHD
​NICHD research includes a variety of efforts in the neurosciences, from developing systems to rehabilitation. Interested researchers can meet with NICHD program staff throughout the 38th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, November 15-19, 2008, in booths 3515 and 3517 in the exhibit hall.

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.

The National Institutes of Health and Jackson Medical Mall Launch Informative Health Series for Mississippians
The NIH/Jackson Medical Mall health information series will provide residents of the Jackson, Miss., area with informational presentations on diabetes, stroke/hypertension, asthma, and mental health. The health series will also include quarterly continuing medical education (CME) presentations for health care professionals.

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.

Transcript of Speakers' Remarks: National Children's Study Announcement of New Study Centers
National Children's Study announcement of the new Study Centers, a transcript of the speakers' remarks

National Children's Study Announces Addition of New Study Centers
​NICHD names the 27 study centers that will be funded in 2008, bringing the total of new and existing study centers to 36 and covering a total of 72 study locations.

Roughly One Quarter of U.S. Women Affected by Pelvic Floor Disorders
Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes physical discomfort and limits activity.

Herpes Virus Changes Anti-Herpes Drug to Form that Hinders AIDS Virus
The drug acyclovir has long been used to suppress outbreaks of oral and genital herpes. Herpes viruses change acyclovir to a form that prevents them from reproducing. Now, it appears that after acyclovir is altered by herpes viruses, it also interferes with the AIDS virus's ability to reproduce, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

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.

Low Levels of Brain Chemical May Lead to Obesity, NIH Study of Rare Disorder Shows
A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.

Molecular Switch Boosts Brain Activity Associated with Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia have an alteration in a pattern of brain electrical activity associated with learning and memory. Now, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Sweden's Karolinska Institute have identified in mouse brain tissue a molecular switch that, when thrown, increases the strength of this electrical pattern.

Decades of Data
​For nearly two decades, the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) has provided evidence-based findings about children and the many environments in which they develop.

Children's Physical Activity Drops From Age 9 to 15, NIH Study Indicates
The activity level of a large group of American children dropped sharply between age 9 and age 15, when most failed to reach the daily recommended activity level, according to the latest findings from a long-term study by the National Institutes of Health.

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.

NICHD-Supported Studies Offer Insight on Reducing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Resource-Poor Countries
​Two studies supported by the NICHD’s Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch provide families and health care providers in poor countries with evidence-based insight on how to improve infant outcomes and reduce HIV transmission.

Findings Offer Insights into Role of Breastfeeding in Preventing Infant Death, HIV Infection in Resource Poor Countries
In many poor countries, mothers with HIV face a stark choice: to nurse their infants, and risk passing on HIV through their breast milk--or to formula feed, and deprive their infants of much of the natural immunity needed to protect against fatal diseases of early infancy. Now, two studies supported by the National Institutes of Health offer insights into preventing early death and HIV infection among breastfeeding infants of mothers with HIV in these countries.

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.

Focus on NICHD Women's Health Research
​May is Women’s Health Month, a time for the NICHD and other NIH Institutes to highlight their many research activities related to women’s health.

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.

NICHD Scientific Lead on Surgeon General's Conference on Preventing Preterm Birth
​The Office of the Surgeon General named the NICHD as the scientific lead for its upcoming conference on the prevention of preterm birth.

Excess Fat Around the Waist May Increase Death Risk for Women
Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.

Newly Awarded Autism Centers of Excellence to Further Autism Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 1, 2008, the latest recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. These grants will support studies covering a broad range of autism research areas, including early brain development and functioning, social interactions in infants, rare genetic variants and mutations, associations between autism-related genes and physical traits, possible environmental risk factors and biomarkers, and a potential new medication treatment.

NIH Research Suggests Stimulant Treatment for ADHD does not Contribute to Substance Abuse Later in Life
Treating children as early as age six or seven with stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not likely to increase risk of substance abuse as adults, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, the studies also showed treatment with stimulants did not prevent substance abuse later in adulthood. The studies, conducted by researchers at New York University School of Medicine (NYU) and the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Mass General) are being published in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry.

Gene Variation Predicts Response to Treatment in Common Infertility Disorder
NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they have a variation in a particular gene.

NIH Receives Gates Foundation Grant to Investigate Role of Iron Supplements in Malaria
Do iron supplements worsen the course of malaria? Researchers aren't sure, and the uncertainty has jeopardized efforts to treat the debilitating effects of iron deficiency in parts of the world where malaria and other infectious diseases are common.

In Honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver
​On March 3, 2008, the NICHD formally recognizes the renaming of the Institute to honor Mrs. Shriver's contributions to the Institute’s founding at a special event.

NICHD Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Advocate for Institutes's Founding Event to Commemorate Her Founding Role
Congress has renamed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her essential contribution to the institute's founding.

NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season
NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season Stability of Virus' Membrane at Cold Temperatures May Ease Winter Spread.

Tobacco Use, Secondhand Smoke Exposure during Pregnancy, May Threaten Health of Women & Children in Developing Nations
Findings from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study indicate that rates of tobacco use during pregnancy, as well as exposure of pregnant women and their young children to secondhand smoke, are significant threats to health in several low and middle-income countries.

Novel Approach Strips Staph of Virulence
An international team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked staph infections in mice using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The novel approach, described in the February 14 online edition of "Science", could offer a new direction for therapies against a bacterium that's becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

NIH Scientists Detect Fatal Copper Disorder at Birth
A test developed by NIH scientists could greatly extend the survival of infants with Menkes disease, a rare, otherwise fatal disorder of copper metabolism. The test allows for early diagnosis of the condition, when the chance for successful treatment is greatest. Their work is described in the February 7 New England Journal of Medicine.

Extended Nevirapine Regimens Reduce HIV Transmission and Death in Breastfed Infants of HIV-infected Mothers
An extended course of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine (NVP) helps the breastfeeding babies of HIV-infected mothers remain HIV-negative and live longer, according to several new studies presented at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston from February 3-6.

The Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of Infant (PEPI)-Malawi Study Sponsored by NICHD and CDC
Questions and Answers.

Thin Bones Seen in Boys with Autism & Autism Spectrum Disorder
Results of an early study suggest that dairy-free diets and unconventional food preferences could put boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher than normal risk for thinner, less dense bones when compared to a group of boys the same age who do not have autism.

New NIH Research Plan on Down Syndrome
​​Research on lifelong disorders, such as Down syndrome, has been a fundamental part of the NICHD’s mission since the Institute was established 45 years ago. To build on this research foundation and coordinate Down syndrome research the NIH created its Working Group on Down Syndrome.

NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan
The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate intellectual disability and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH.

NIH Announces Collaboration with National Council of Negro Women to Reduce Childhood Overweight
Officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a collaboration today with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to help African American children maintain a healthy weight.

NICHD Perinatology Research Chief Elected to Institute of Medicine
Roberto Romero, M.D., Chief of the NICHD Perinatology Research Branch, has been elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.

SIDS Risk Reduction Continuing Education Program Emphasizes Important Role of Nurses in Health Care
The National Institutes of Health has created a continuing education program designed to help nurses communicate the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to parents and child caregivers. Nurses are a key information resource for new parents and often spend the most time with families in the hospital following the birth of a child.

The Importance of Nurses
​A new continuing education program on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) from the NICHD, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and other national organizations, aims to capitalize on the unique role that nurses play in our health and health care.

NIH Public Trust Initiative Launches the Partners in Research Program
The Public Trust Initiative (PTI), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the release of a new Request for Applications (RFA) for the Partners in Research program.

For the Health of All Children
​The National Children’s Study announces the addition of new study centers in dozens of communities around the United States.

NIH Announces Addition of 22 New Study Centers in National Children's Study
The National Children's Study announced today that it awarded contracts in late September to 22 new study centers to manage participant recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities across the United States. Funding for the new study centers and the study's initial phase is a result of a $69 million appropriation from Congress in fiscal year 2007.

Transcript of National Children's Study Media Briefing - October 4, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the National Children's Study Conference Call. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question and answer session. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded.

Milk Matters Online Lesson Resources Available for Teachers
New online resources stressing the importance of calcium for bone health are now available for middle and high school teachers. The resources are available through the Milk Matters calcium education campaign, sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Milk Matters Online Lesson Resources Available for Teachers
​New online lesson resources that stress the importance of calcium for bone health are now available for middle and high school teachers on the Milk Matters Web site.

Children Who Complete Intensive Early Childhood Program Show Gains in Adulthood: Greater College Attendance, Lower Crime & Depression
By the time they reached adulthood, graduates of an intensive early childhood education program for poor children showed higher educational attainment, lower rates of serious crime and incarceration, and lower rates of depressive symptoms than did non-participants in the program, reported researchers in a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

Preventing Preterm Birth
​NICHD-supported research has made great progress in furthering our understanding of preterm birth and possible ways to prevent it.

NIH Funds New Program to Investigate Causes & Treatment of Autism
The National Institutes of Health will intensify its efforts to find the causes of autism and identify new treatments for the disorder, through a new research program.

Progesterone Treatment Does Not Prevent Preterm Birth in Twin Pregnancy
Progesterone therapy does not reduce the chances of preterm birth in women pregnant with twins, reported researchers in a network sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

"Prime" Partnership for NICHD Milk Matters Campaign
​New public service announcements, produced in partnership with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), focus on adolescence as prime time for bone growth.

Report Shows Gains, Setbacks for Nation's Children
Compared to national statistics for the previous year, there has been an increase in the percentage of children living with at least one working parent and the percentage of children living in households classified as food insecure has declined. High school students were more likely to have taken advanced academic courses and the percentage of young adults who completed high school has increased. The adolescent birth rate has dropped to a record low.

Focus on America's Children
​America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007, a new report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, provides a comprehensive view of the current state of the nation’s children and youth.

Boys with Autism, Related Disorders, Have High Levels of Growth Hormones
Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.

Researchers Discover Gene For Rare Skin Disorder
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified the gene that accounts for most cases of Goltz syndrome, a rare skin disorder that can also affect bone and eye development.

Treating Pediatric Seizures
​Status epilepticus—continuous, unrelenting seizures that continue beyond several minutes—is a serious, life-threatening condition that affects up to 60,000 children and adults in the United States every year.

NIH Outlines Plans for Study of Pediatric Seizure: Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the Pediatric Seizure Study. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question and answer session. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to your host today, Mr. Bob Bock, Press Officer, NICHD.

Small Infants Have Greater Survival Rate in High Level Intensive Care Facilities
Very low birth weight infants are significantly more likely to survive when delivered in hospitals with high-level neonatal intensive care units that care for more than 100 such newborns annually than are those delivered in comparable facilities that provide care to fewer than 100 such children every year.

NIH Outlines Plans for Study of Pediatric Seizure
The scenario unfolds almost every day in the United States. A crowd gathers at a playground, or perhaps on a soccer field. A child has fallen to the ground, gripped by a seizure. Usually, the twitching and jerking stop within a few minutes.

NIH Study Tracks Brain Development in Some 500 Children Across U.S.
Children appear to approach adult levels of performance on many basic cognitive and motor skills by age 11 or 12, according to a new study coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

New Spanish Publication Gives Evidence-Based Parenting Guidelines
Just in time for Mother's Day, the National Institutes of Health has released ¿Qué Significa ser Padres? (What Does It Mean To Be Parents?), a free Spanish-language publication geared toward Hispanics who are seeking advice on parenting.

NICHD Co-hosts Conference on Early Child Development Research
​The NICHD, the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, and the National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) are hosting a three-day conference about the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS).

NICHD & Other NIH Institutes Aim to Prevent Obesity & Overweight in Children
​The percentage of children and teens who are overweight has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and 17 percent of American children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Researchers Discover Gene Crucial for Nerve Cell Insulation
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a defect in a single master gene disrupts the process by which several genes interact to create myelin, a fatty coating that covers nerve cells and increases the speed and reliability of their electrical signals.

Early Child Care Linked to Increases in Vocabulary, Some Problem Behaviors in Fifth & Sixth Grades
The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.

Older Mothers More Likely than Younger Mothers to Deliver By Caesarean
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that older mothers with normal, full-term pregnancies-particularly first-time older mothers-were more likely to undergo Caesarean delivery than were younger women with similarly low-risk pregnancies.

An Opportunity to Improve the Course of Children's Health
​The National Children's Study is expanding and, in preparation, issued a request for proposals (RFP) to support 15 to 20 new Study centers.

National Children's Study Seeks Proposals for New Study Centers
The National Children's Study has issued a request for proposals to award contracts to up to 20 new study centers. These centers will manage operations in up to a total of 30 communities across the United States.

Experimental Vaccine Given During Pregnancy Reduces Stillbirths from Common Virus
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that reduces stillbirths among rodents born to mothers infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV)--a common virus that can also cause mental retardation and hearing loss in newborn children who were infected in early fetal life.

Largest-ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues
The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain's glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11.

Second Gene Discovered for Recessive Form of Brittle Bone Disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have found a second genetic defect that accounts for previously unexplained forms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a disorder that weakens bones, sometimes results in frequent fractures and is sometimes fatal.

Standard Therapy More Effective Than Diabetes Drug for Achieving Pregnancy in Common Fertility Disorder
Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes and thought to hold great promise at overcoming the infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is less useful for helping women with the condition achieve pregnancy than is the standard treatment with the infertility drug clomiphene, report researchers in an NIH research network.

Hall of Honor Inductee: Dr. Stanley Cohen
​The NICHD Hall of Honor, initiated in 2003 in conjunction with the Institute's 40th anniversary, is inducting long-time grantee and Nobel winner Dr. Stanley Cohen on January 24-25, 2007.

Women's Response to Anti-HIV Therapy Improved If Treatment Begins Six Months After Earlier Preventive Regimen
A woman's response to HIV treatment with drug combinations that contain nevirapine is improved if at least six months have passed after she received the drug as a single dose during labor to prevent passing HIV on to her child. (The response to treatment is measured by the reduction of HIV in the blood.)

Gene Discovered for Form of Brittle Bone Disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a previously unexplained fatal form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta-a disorder that weakens bones and which may cause frequent fractures-results from a genetic defect in a protein involved in the production of collagen.

Making Malaria History
​NICHD researchers have developed an experimental vaccine that could, theoretically, eliminate malaria from entire geographic regions, by eradicating the malaria parasite from an area’s mosquitoes.

Malaria Vaccine Prompts Victims' Immune System to Eliminate Parasite From Mosquitoes
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that could, theoretically, eliminate malaria from entire geographic regions, by eradicating the malaria parasite from an area's mosquitoes.

Hormonal Contraception Does Not Appear to Increase HIV Risk
Using hormonal contraception does not appear to increase women's overall risk of infection with the AIDS virus, report the authors of a large study commissioned by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Brain's Fear Center Shrinks in Autism's Most Severely Socially-Impaired
The brain's fear hub Likely becomes abnormally small in the most severely socially impaired males with autism spectrum disorders, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered.

Technology for Monitoring Fetal Oxygen During Labor Offers No Apparent Benefit
A new technology for measuring blood oxygen levels of a baby during labor--expected to provide information useful for preventing birth complications--offers no apparent benefit, report researchers in a National Institutes of Health research network.

World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse
​Abuse of children and adolescents is a complex international problem that seems to defy simple analysis and easy answers.

An End & a Beginning: Landmark Research Network Concludes
​When autism was first named in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, it was thought to be a rare condition, occurring in fewer than three children in 10,000.

SIDS Infants Show Abnormalities in Brain Area Controlling Breathing, Heart Rate Serotonin-Using Brain Cells Implicated in Abnormalities
Infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome have abnormalities in the brainstem, a part of the brain that helps control heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, temperature and arousal, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Backgrounder: Searching for Those at Greatest Risk for SIDS
The current study appears in the November 1 Journal of the American Medical Association provides additional evidence that brainstem abnormalities may impair an infant's ability to sense high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels.

In Most Comprehensive Study Yet, Two-Week Regimen Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Arm Control
In the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind to date, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that when stroke survivors who've lost function in one arm are given a unique, two-week rehabilitation regimen that involves restraining their functional arm, they show improvements that last for as long as one year post-treatment.

NIH Opens Health Information Center at Jackson Medical Mall
The National Institutes of Health opened a new health information center today at the Jackson Medical Mall in Jackson, Mississippi, affirming NIH's commitment to providing accurate, up-to-date health information to Mississippi residents.

Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child
A version of a gene has been linked to autism in families that have more than one child with the disorder. Inheriting two copies of this version more than doubled a child's risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered.

Drug Prevents PostPartum Hemorrhage in Resource Poor Settings
The drug misoprostol provides a safe, convenient, and inexpensive means to prevent postpartum hemorrhage, a major killer of women in developing countries. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri, India's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, and the National Institutes of Health.

Family Characteristics Have More Influence on Child Development Than Does Experience in Child Care
A compendium of findings from a study funded by the National Institutes of Health reveals that a child's family life has more influence on a child's development through age four and a half than does a child's experience in child care.

New Report Seeks to Improve Science Education in Grades K through 8
What is the best way to teach kids about science? A new report seeks to help children learn science more effectively by improving the way science is taught in the classroom.