Seventy-seven year old NICHD researcher Keiko Ozato, Ph.D., started her laboratory in 1981. We caught up with her as she thought about how some early challenges shaped her life and research career.
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: NIH-funded mouse study links weight gain in pregnancy to obesity in later life
Excessive weight gain during pregnancy could permanently slow metabolism and lead to weight gain in later life, according to the results of a mouse study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Known risk factors may account for only part of the U.S. increase in life-threatening childbirth complications
The increasing rate in the United States of severe maternal morbidity—life-threatening maternal childbirth complications—may not be accounted for by the simultaneous increase in known risk factors for these complications, suggests an analysis of California hospital records funded by the National Institutes of Health. To reduce the rate of severe maternal morbidity, more research is needed to identify additional risk factors and other potential causes for the increase, the authors concluded.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop implants that help heal spinal cord injuries in rats
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have partially restored limb function to spinal-cord-injured rats. They used a rapid 3D printing technology to create scaffolds that precisely fit the injury site. Each of these implants contain small conduits through which regenerating nerve fibers can reconnect. The researchers have also generated prototypes of these implants for humans.
Science Update: Genomic sequencing finds that standard screens miss disease risk in 9 percent of newborns
Genomic sequencing identified a higher risk of childhood genetic disorders in 9 percent of newborns who had passed standard screening for these diseases, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings, from the BabySeq Project, are part of a larger effort to examine whether newborn genomic sequencing is suitable for routine health care.
Science Update: Females with a concussion more likely than males to have neck injury, NIH-funded study suggests
Women and girls with a concussion are more likely than males to have a neck injury, according to an analysis of emergency department visits funded by the NICHD. The finding suggests that physicians evaluating females for concussion should also consider evaluating them for neck injury so that they can benefit from treatment as soon as possible.
Spotlight: Flu during pregnancy: Nothing to sneeze at
Health experts recommend the seasonal flu shot for pregnant women.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop intervention to help children avoid dog bites
Video program teaches kids to interpret dogs’ warning signals
Media Advisory: Proximity to muscle cells may promote spread of prostate cancer cells, NIH study suggests
Proximity to nearby muscle cells may make prostate cancer cells more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other organs, according to an early study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The presence of muscle cells appears to make cancer cells more likely to fuse two or more cancer cells into a single cell, thereby increasing their invasiveness and ability to spread.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no increased risk of newborn heart malformations from anti-nausea drug
Contrary to earlier studies, a National Institutes of Health funded analysis of records from more than 88,000 pregnancies in which women took the anti-nausea drug ondansetron found no increased risk for newborn heart malformations and only a slightly increased risk for cleft lip and palate.
Media Advisory: NICHD chronicles its major research advances of 2018
As 2018 winds down, a new slideshow highlights a selection of initiatives, therapies, and scientific advances supported by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2018
In 2018, researchers funded by NICHD made significant progress in advancing the health and well-being of infants, children, teenagers, and adults across the United States and around the world.
Media Advisory: Pelvic floor disorders linked to mode of delivery among first-time mothers
A first-time mother’s risk of pelvic floor disorders is strongly associated with how her baby is delivered, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Pelvic floor disorders are thought to result from weakening or injury of the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue in the lowest part of the pelvis.
Podcast: Menstruation as a Diagnostic Tool for Women’s Health
Dr. Candace Tingen with NICHD’s Gynecological Health and Disease Branch speaks about the possibilities of tapping a woman’s menstrual cycle for signs of disease. Listen to our latest podcast.
Science Update: NIH study explores link between maternal obesity and fetal growth during pregnancy
Maternal adipokines—molecules produced by fat cells—influence fetal growth and newborn length, birthweight, and proportion of body fat.
Item of Interest: NICHD seeks applications to study effects of maternal opioid use on newborns
The initiative seeks to improve treatment and care of infants and children who were exposed to opioids in the womb.
Release: Low-income, rural kids at higher risk for second- or third-hand smoke exposure
Infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported, according to an NIH-supported study.
Media Advisory: Experimental treatment for preeclampsia effective in animals, NIH-funded researchers show
In studies of mice and nonhuman primates, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have used a technique known as RNA interference to reduce high levels of a protein that can cause preeclampsia, a potentially fatal high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy.
Release: NIH to evaluate effectiveness of male contraceptive skin gel
A clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health will evaluate a male contraceptive gel for its ability to prevent pregnancy.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers produce uterine cells from adult stem cells
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have produced human uterine endometrial cells from adult stem cells. The findings could lead to a way to produce new uterine cells from a patient’s own tissues, which could then be used to treat uterine disorders such as endometriosis, uterine factor infertility, and early-stage endometrial cancer.