A high genetic risk score for cholesterol and other blood lipids among pregnant women is linked to fetal weight, but varies according to the mother’s racial and ethnic group and obesity status, suggests an analysis by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
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: Risk for autism spectrum disorder mainly influenced by genetics, suggests NICHD-funded study
Inherited genetic factors account for approximately 80 percent of the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to estimates published in a study funded by NIH.
Science Update: NIH researchers discover possible new genetic cause of Cushing syndrome
Finding may help find treatments for rare pituitary disorder
Media Advisory: Guidelines for introducing solid foods to infants may lead to unhealthy weight
NIH-supported research calls for well-defined standards for infants between 6 months and 1 year
Media Advisory: Risk of neural tube defects slightly higher for babies of women on HIV therapy containing dolutegravir
Children born to women on HIV therapy containing the drug dolutegravir since conception have a slightly higher risk of neural tube defects, compared to children born to women on regimens of other antiretroviral drugs.
Release: NIH study links air pollution to increase in newborn intensive care admissions
Infants born to women exposed to high levels of air pollution in the week before delivery are more likely to be admitted to a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Low vitamin D early in life may increase risk of high blood pressure through adolescence, NICHD-funded study suggests
Low vitamin D levels at birth or in early childhood may increase the risk of high blood pressure in later childhood or adolescence, suggests a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Item of Interest: Four NICHD Grantees Honored with PECASE Award
Four NICHD grantees will be honored July 25 in Washington, DC, with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. More than 300 researchers across the country are award recipients, the White House announced July 2.
Spotlight: NICHD Looks Back on 50 Years of Learning Disabilities Research
NICHD’s contributions to research on learning disabilities highlight decades of studies that informed the identification, recognition and treatment of these disorders.
Media Advisory: Extinct human species likely breast fed for up to a year after birth, NIH-funded study suggests
Infants of the extinct human species Australopithecus africanus likely breast fed for up to a year after birth, similar to modern humans but of shorter duration than modern day great apes, according to an analysis of fossil teeth funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The findings provide insight into how breast feeding evolved among humans and may inform strategies to improve modern breast-feeding practices.
Release: NIH scientists link genetics to risk of high blood pressure among blacks
Variants in the gene ARMC5 may be associated with high blood pressure among blacks, according to a National Institutes of Health study led by NICHD researchers.
Science Update: Gestational diabetes may increase risk of fatty liver disease later in life, NIH study suggests
Women who have gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes may be more likely to develop a potentially serious build up of fat in the liver later in life, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The researchers found that 9 to 16 years after pregnancy, women who had gestational diabetes have high levels of liver enzymes associated with the accumulation of fat, which could place them at risk of liver damage and liver failure.
Release: Elevated blood pressure in first trimester increases risk for blood pressure disorder later in pregnancy
Elevated blood pressure in the first trimester of pregnancy, or an increase in blood pressure between the first and second trimesters, raises the chances of a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: NIH study links high maternal genetic risk of obesity to variations in fetal weight
A high genetic risk of obesity among pregnant women is linked to fetal weight, but varies according to race, fetal sex, and other factors, according to a study by researchers at the NICHD.
Science Update: Preterm infants with growth failure have key differences in microbiome, metabolism, NIH-funded study suggests
Preterm infants with a lower-than-normal growth rate have key differences in the bacteria and other organisms that live in their digestive tracts, according to a study funded by the NICHD. Moreover, byproducts of metabolism in slow-growing preterm infants are like those found in malnourished children, despite receiving a diet appropriate for their age.
Science Update: Drug combination may lead to slight bone loss in young adolescent males, NIH-funded analysis suggests
Truvada, a drug combination that reduces the chances of HIV infection in high-risk people may result in small, yet persistent bone loss in younger adolescent males, suggests a study supported by the NICHD. The researchers added, however, that the protection against HIV offered by Truvada far outweighs any possible risks from bone loss.
Release: Family, community bonds help decrease mental health problems of former child soldiers
Acceptance and support from communities and families appear to lessen the toll of mental health conditions experienced by former child soldiers transitioning to early adulthood, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Media Advisory: Change in Medicaid reimbursement may reduce rate of closely spaced births among teens
Long-acting contraception after childbirth could help teens avoid short-interval pregnancies, suggests NIH-funded study.
Item of Interest: Focus on FMR1: NIH Invites Comments on its Research Plan on Fragile X and Associated Conditions
NIH invites scientists, advocacy and family groups, representatives from federal and local agencies, and others to provide comments and suggestions on its draft research plan on Fragile X syndrome and associated conditions.
Science Update: Supportive parenting may offset poverty’s effects on adolescent brain development, NIH-funded study suggests
Supportive parenting may help adolescents avoid brain development issues that have been linked to living in poverty, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. By age 25, children of supportive parents—those who reason with and encourage their children to consider the consequences of their behavior—had more neural connections in brain regions that regulate learning, memory, and emotional control, compared to peers with less supportive parents.