During the 1990's, the pattern of early infections among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants changed significantly, according to a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)- funded study that appears in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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.
Scientists One Step Closer to Cause of Uterine Fibroids
Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the University of South Florida, Tampa, have come one step closer to identifying the cause of uterine fibroids - a condition that affects up to 70 percent of all reproductive age women and can lead to heavy menstrual bleeding, pain, and in some cases, infertility.
Infant Mortality Rate Drops, Children More Likely to Have A Working Parent, Be Read to, Report Says
Children in America are less likely to die during infancy than they were in previous years, less likely to smoke in 8th or 10th grade, and less likely to give birth during adolescence, according to the 6th annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2002.
Possible Gene for Form of Mental Retardation, Brain Development Identified
Researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have come one step closer to identifying one of the causes of previously unexplained mental retardation.
NICHD Study Finds No Association Between Oral Contraceptive Use & Breast Cancer For Women from 35 to 64
Women between the ages of 35 and 64 who took oral contraceptives at some point in their lives are no more likely to develop breast cancer than are other women the same age, according to findings from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Women's Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences Study (Women's CARE).
New Study Finds Vasectomy Does Not Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
Contrary to some earlier studies, a new study funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) found that men who undergo vasectomies are no more likely to develop prostate cancer than are men who do not.
Few Women Regret Sterilization Procedures
Few of the women who undergo tubal sterilization or whose husbands undergo vasectomy later go on to regret either procedure, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Protein Essential for Switching On T-Cell Response
A minor change in a cell protein impairs the ability of a key type of immune cell to marshal the body's defenses against disease, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Study Concludes Benefits of Anti-HIV Therapy During Pregnancy Outweigh Risks
A new study found no association between the use of an anti-HIV treatment that uses a combination of drugs during pregnancy and an increased risk of such birth complications as premature delivery, stillbirth, and low Apgar scores.
Irregular Periods in Young Women Could be Warning Sign for Later Osteoporosis
Irregular menstrual periods in young women may be a warning sign of a hormonal shortage that could lead to osteoporosis, according to a preliminary study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Teen Friendships More Racially Segregated at Moderately Diverse Schools: Integrated Friendships More Likely at Highly Diverse Schools
Teens are more likely to choose friends from within their own racial group in moderately racially mixed schools, with this likelihood greatest in schools where diversity is moderately high, according to an analysis of information from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Adolescent Health Study.
Researchers Gain Insight into Function of Memory Enhancing Drugs
Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have come one step closer to understanding how experimental, memory-enhancing drugs affect the brain on a molecular level.
Scientists Discover Gene in Human Egg That May Be Necessary for Female Fertility
Fertility researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered a gene present in the human egg that may be essential for early embryo development.
Undersize Infants Score Higher on IQ Tests if Breast Fed Exclusively
Full-term infants who are born small score an average of 11 points higher on IQ tests if they are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life compared to those who are given formula or solids early on, according to findings published in the March Acta Paediatrica.
Many Obese Youth Have Condition That Precedes Type 2 Diabetes
Many obese children and adolescents have impaired glucose tolerance, a condition that often appears before the development of type 2 diabetes, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Oral Diabetes Drug Shows Promise in Preventing Miscarriage in Common Infertility Disorder
The anti-diabetes drug metformin appears to reduce the likelihood of early miscarriage in women with a common form of female infertility, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
NICHD Scientists Develop Vaccine Against Deadly Hospital-Acquired Infection
Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the biologics firm Nabi have developed the first vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of infection and death among hospital patients.
NIH Panel Outlines Strategies for Managing Tumors of the Adrenal Glands
A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health issued recommendations to help physicians evaluate a particular class of tumors of the adrenal glands and determine which should be removed and which should be left alone.
NIH State-of-the-Science Panel to Evaluate Treatment Strategies for Clinically Inapparent Adrenal Gland Masses
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of the Clinically Inapparent Adrenal Mass (Incidentaloma) on February 4-6, 2002, in the main auditorium of the William H. Natcher Building on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Home Uterine Monitors Not Useful for Predicting Premature Birth
Portable monitors that detect contractions of the uterus do not appear to be useful for identifying women likely to have a preterm delivery, according to a study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).