Item of Interest: Biospecimens from National Children’s Study pilot now available
Environmental, biological samples span the period from preconception to early childhood.
News & Updates
NICHD issues Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Science Updates and Spotlights explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement such as an initiative launch or a notable staff change. Director’s Corner posts are monthly updates from the NICHD director.
Release: NIH to test one-dose antibiotic for the prevention of maternal and infant sepsis
Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will assess whether a single oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin during labor reduces the risk of maternal and infant bacterial infection and death in seven low- and middle-income countries.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study to investigate pregnancy outcomes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers to evaluate medical records of 21,000 pregnant women
Media Availability: NIH maternal mortality workshop to address conditions that increase the risk of life-threatening pregnancy complications
Program will include lessons learned from caring for pregnant women with COVID-19.
Director’s Corner: Endometriosis Research to Develop Non-Invasive Treatment and Diagnosis
Research on the causes of and effective treatments for endometriosis is a high priority for NICHD. Our grantees share their findings and ongoing research.
Science Update: Mouse study links exercise during pregnancy to lower risk of obesity in offspring
Exercise during pregnancy stimulates fetal production of brown fat, which boosts metabolism and burns calories, even after birth, suggests a mouse study funded by the National Institutes of Health. When fed a high-fat diet, mice born to mothers who exercised had less weight gain than mice whose mothers did not exercise.
Science Update: Earlier birth may increase the risk for developmental delays, NIH study suggests
The earlier in pregnancy infants were born, the more likely they were to fail a screening test for developmental delay by age 3, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Although infants born at 39 weeks, considered full term, had a lower risk than those born earlier, infants born at 40 and 41 weeks had even lower risks. The findings may have implications for elective induction—labor induced when there is no medical need—at 39 weeks.
Women in Science: Diana Bianchi and the Value of Connections
Read about the career and achievements of NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi.
Director’s Corner: Advancing Women’s Health: Research to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
NICHD is working with the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to enhance coordinated activities addressing the problem of maternal morbidity and mortality.
Science Update: Fetal weight gain may begin long before gestational diabetes is commonly diagnosed
The excess body fat seen in infants born to women with gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes is associated with higher maternal blood sugar levels as early as the 10th week of pregnancy—long before the time when women are usually screened for the condition, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, weight gain in the fetuses of women with gestational diabetes first becomes apparent in the 28th week of pregnancy, when many women are first tested for the condition.
Media Advisory: Antioxidant supplements do not improve male fertility, NIH study suggests
Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility, according to a new NICHD-supported study.
Item of Interest: Duane Alexander, Former NICHD Director, Dies
Duane Alexander, M.D., a former director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), died on February 16, 2020, from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 79 years old.
Media Advisory: Maternal obesity linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in children, NIH study suggests
Maternal obesity may increase a child’s risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to an analysis by NICHD researchers.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study links natural sugars in breastmilk to early childhood height and weight
Human milk oligosaccharides found in breastmilk may influence a child’s growth from infancy through early childhood, according to an NICHD-supported study.
Media Advisory: Breastfeeding may reduce type 2 diabetes risk among women with gestational diabetes, NIH study suggests
The longer a woman with gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes breastfeeds her infant, the lower her risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Genetic profile may predict chance of type 2 diabetes among women with gestational diabetes
Women who go on to develop type 2 diabetes after having gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes are more likely to have particular genetic profiles, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The findings provide insight into the genetic factors underlying the risk of type 2 diabetes and may inform strategies for reducing this risk among women who had gestational diabetes.
Release: NIH scientists link higher maternal blood pressure to placental gene changes
Gene modifications correspond to blood pressure increases at distinct pregnancy intervals.
Media Advisory: Homicide is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in Louisiana
Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant and postpartum women in Louisiana, according to an analysis of birth and death records from 2016 and 2017. The study, appearing as a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Director's Corner: Addressing opioid withdrawal in newborns, improving pain management for women
I recently joined NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, and Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome to highlight the integral role NICHD plays through our ACT NOW initiative.
Release: NIH’s PregSource research project now available in Spanish
To expand the reach of its crowdsourcing pregnancy research project, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched a Spanish version of PregSource®.
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