Researchers in the NICHD Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, working with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute, recently identified a gene related to risk for the most common type of testicular cancer.
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.
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.
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
On April 26, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Declared a Public Health Emergency for H1N1 Flu (previously called swine flu). Communities around the world are on alert and are taking measures to protect people from illness caused by infection with this particular type of influenza virus or flu.
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
The Recovery Act and its goals present many unique opportunities.
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
National Children’s Study Announcement of Study Launch
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.