The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has announced new funding for participating centers in its Neonatal Research Network (NRN). The purpose of the NRN is to improve healthcare and outcomes for newborns.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Science Update: Placental cells secrete tiny structures that may play a role in regulating blood sugar during pregnancy, NIH-funded study suggests
Placental cells secrete extracellular vesicles—tiny, balloon-like structures containing proteins, enzymes, DNA, and other molecules capable of transmitting chemical messages between cells—that appear to help regulate glucose uptake by maternal cells, according to a mouse study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In a series of experiments, the researchers found evidence that release of the vesicles follows placental release of the enzyme O-glycosyl transferase (OGT) after glucose levels rise. The findings may inform the development of new treatments for gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes.
Science Update: Cells from umbilical blood vessel lining secrete tiny structures conveying biochemical messages, NIH study suggests
Cells lining the umbilical vein secrete a newly discovered extracellular vesicle—a tiny, balloon-like structure that influences other cells—suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings may have implications for understanding fetal development and may inform strategies to use extracellular vesicles to deliver drugs and other therapies.
Item of Interest: NIH selects next round of winners in the RADx® Tech for Maternal Health Challenge
The National Institutes of Health announced the next round of winners of its RADx® Tech for Maternal Health Challenge—an $8 million prize competition to accelerate development of technologies to improve maternal health outcomes.
Science Update: Symptoms of MIS-C lessened during the pandemic, but still serious, NIH-funded study suggests
Serious complications from a rare childhood condition linked to COVID-19 infection appear to have decreased as SARS-CoV-2 evolved from 2020 to 2022, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), inflames different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. The authors noted, however, that while the proportion of those with severe complications has dropped, 37% of children hospitalized with MIS-C needed intensive care.
Science Update: Risk of developmental delays may be higher for HIV-free children whose mothers began antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy, NIH-funded study suggests
HIV-free children whose mothers started taking anti-HIV medications while they were in the womb may be at higher risk for lower-than-average scores in one or more areas of development at age 5, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: NIH researchers identify new genetic cause for overgrowth disorders
Researchers at NIH have discovered that mutations in the gene SPIN4 cause a rare overgrowth disorder in people.
Director's Corner: Fostering Inclusion in Down Syndrome Research
The theme for this year’s World Down Syndrome Day—With us, not for us—reflects a major goal of NIH’s INCLUDE project, which NICHD co-leads. INCLUDE aims to increase the participation of people with Down syndrome and their families in clinical research to expand our knowledge about the condition and its links to other health issues, with the ultimate goal of improving the health and quality of life of affected individuals.
Release: New, non-invasive imaging tool maps uterine contractions during labor
The tool has the potential to assist with preterm birth, labor management and clinical decisionmaking.
Science Update: High-intensity walking intervals better than moderate walking for stroke rehabilitation, NIH-funded study suggests
A program with intervals of high-intensity walking promotes greater gains in fitness for stroke patients than the currently recommended program of moderate-intensity walking, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study enrolled chronic stroke patients—those at least six months past their stroke—often considered more difficult to rehabilitate than recent stroke patients.
Science Update: Biomarker for Niemann-Pick type C may be useful for diagnosing other class of rare disorders, NIH study suggests
A biomarker used to detect a rare neurodegenerative disorder of cholesterol metabolism, Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1), may also be useful for diagnosing another class of rare diseases known as congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG), suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Spotlight: Scientific Advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Science Update: Uterine fibroids may slightly increase fetal size but not enough to interfere with birth process, NIH study suggests
Uterine fibroids during pregnancy do not appear to result in undersized newborns, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The finding allays concerns from previous studies that fibroids might result in smaller-than-normal infants. In fact, the study found that infants born to mothers with fibroids had slightly larger head, arm and thigh circumferences, though not to the extent that they would interfere with birth. The researchers also confirmed prior results suggesting a link between fibroids and increased risk for preterm birth.
Media Advisory: Researchers identify compounds that could lead to an on-demand, short-term contraceptive for men
In a mouse study, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a potential non-hormonal contraceptive that men could take shortly before sexual activity and have fertility restored the next day. Researchers gave male mice a compound that temporarily disables soluble adenylyl cyclase, the enzyme essential for activating a sperm cell’s ability to swim and mature so that it can travel through the female reproductive tract and fertilize an egg.
Science Update: Infants’ cries may predict later developmental problems, NIH-funded study suggests
Characteristics of the cries of preterm infants may help predict their risk for long-term developmental and behavioral problems, suggests an NICHD-funded study. The findings may lead to tools to identify babies at highest risk for such issues, aiding early treatment or prevention efforts.
Release: Single-dose antibiotic prevents maternal sepsis and death
A single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin can reduce the risk of postpartum sepsis and death among women who deliver vaginally by one-third, according to a large multi-country clinical trial funded by NICHD.
Science Update: NIH researchers discover cellular protein’s role in bone remodeling
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have determined that a protein interacting with RNA molecules in cell nuclei plays a role in forming osteoclasts—cells that break down old or damaged bone tissue so it can be replaced with new bone. The findings have implications for understanding degenerative bone disorders like osteoporosis and fibrous dysplasia.
Director's Corner: Understanding How Digital Media Affects Child Development
In this increasingly digital world, we must strive to better understand how technology and media affect development, health outcomes, and interpersonal relationships from infancy through adolescence. NICHD has a longstanding commitment to research on these topics.
Media Advisory: New MRI method provides detailed view of the placenta during pregnancy
NIH-funded technique enables automatic detection of placental compartments, oxygen status and structural abnormalities.
Item of Interest: NICHD Scientific Director Christopher McBain Elected AAAS Fellow
Christopher McBain, Ph.D., scientific director of the Division of Intramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).