News

Adults who experienced adversity as children were more likely than those who didn’t to die by suicide or substance use by middle adulthood.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

NIH researchers have upgraded a sensor that monitors placental oxygen levels, pairing it with sensors that monitor a pregnant person’s breathing, heart rate, and uterine contractions, along with fetal movements.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

Kids who begin drinking juice before 6 months of age have higher blood pressure and other signs of cardiac risk by middle childhood than kids who begin drinking juice after 12 months of age.

NICHD researchers found changes in DNA methylation of children born to older mothers. The children have changes in DNA tags, called methyl groups, which switch genes on and off. The findings may provide an explanation for the slightly higher health risks children born to older parents have.

Children with a history of adverse childhood experiences scored lower on tests of neurological and cognitive development than kids not exposed to early life adversity. Researchers called for the development of interventions to protect children from adversity’s potential neurological and cognitive effects.

Infertility affects millions of lives. NICHD supports research to better understand its causes and contributing factors and to improve treatments for both male and female inferility.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

Children testing higher social anxiety may be at greater risk for overeating and weight gain after being socially excluded by their peers. The findings suggest that efforts to reduce obesity in children may need to consider social stresses, such as ostracism.

In 2023, NICHD continued its commitment to research to understand human development, improve reproductive health, promote women’s health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. Highlights include steps toward reducing the global burden of maternal sepsis and establishing a standard treatment for opioid-exposed newborns.

As we ring in 2024, we’d like to take a brief look back on our accomplishments during 2023. These activities illustrate the institute’s continued commitment to research and training in its mission areas.

Depression in early and mid-pregnancy seems to age the placenta more rapidly than not experiencing depression during pregnancy. Premature placental aging could account for higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, blood pressure disorders, diabetes, and other complications linked to depression in pregnancy, underscoring the need to diagnose and treat depression in pregnant people.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

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.

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.

Christopher McBain, Ph.D., has been appointed scientific director and director of the Division of Intramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.