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09/11/08   Public Comment: DRAFT Pregnancy and Perinatology (PP) Branch Report to Council
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
08/27/08   Common Treatment to Delay Labor Decreases Preterm Infants' Risk for Cerebral Palsy
Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium sulfate—a common treatment to delay labor—are less likely to develop cerebral palsy than are preterm infants whose mothers do not receive it, report researchers in a large National Institutes of Health research network.
08/27/08   Low Levels of Brain Chemical May Lead to Obesity, NIH Study of Rare Disorder Shows
A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.
08/13/08   Molecular Switch Boosts Brain Activity Associated with Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia have an alteration in a pattern of brain electrical activity associated with learning and memory. Now, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have identified in mouse brain tissue a molecular switch that, when thrown, increases the strength of this electrical pattern.
07/15/08   Children's Physical Activity Drops From Age 9 to 15, NIH Study Indicates
The activity level of a large group of American children dropped sharply between age 9 and age 15, when most failed to reach the daily recommended activity level, according to the latest findings from a long-term study by the National Institutes of Health.
07/11/08   Reading, Math Scores Up For 4th and 8th graders, Federal Report Shows
The nation’s fourth and eighth graders scored higher in reading and mathematics than they did during their last national assessment, according to the federal government’s latest annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation’s children. Not all the report’s findings were positive; there also were increases in the adolescent birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight.
06/19/08   Surgeon General's Conference Outlines Agenda to Prevent Preterm Birth
Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health for the Office of the Surgeon General released an agenda today for activities in the public and private sectors to reduce the nation’s rate of preterm birth. The agenda calls for a national system to better understand the occurrence of preterm birth and a national education program to help women reduce their chances of giving birth prematurely.
06/11/08   Public Comment: DRAFT Contraception and Reproductive Health (CRH) Branch Report to Council
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act
06/04/08   Findings Offer Insights into Role of Breastfeeding in Preventing Infant Death, HIV Infection in Resource Poor Countries
In many poor countries, mothers with HIV face a stark choice: to nurse their infants, and risk passing on HIV through their breast milk—or to formula feed, and deprive their infants of much of the natural immunity needed to protect against fatal diseases of early infancy. Now, two studies supported by the National Institutes of Health offer insights into preventing early death and HIV infection among breastfeeding infants of mothers with HIV in these countries.
05/29/08   NIH Researchers Find That Rett Syndrome Gene is Full of Surprises
A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has transformed scientists' understanding of Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes autistic behavior and other disabling symptoms. Until now, scientists thought that the gene behind Rett syndrome was an "off" switch, or repressor, for other genes. But the new study, published today in Science1, shows that it is an "on" switch for a startlingly large number of genes.
05/07/08   Mothers' High Normal Blood Sugar Levels Place Infants at Risk for Birth Problems
Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal—but not high enough to be considered diabetes—are more likely than women with lower blood sugar levels to give birth to babies at risk for many of the same problems seen in babies born to women with diabetes during pregnancy, according to a study funded in large part by the National Institutes of Health.
04/30/08   Intensive Training for Medical Staff in Latin American Hospitals Reduces Serious Complication of Pregnancy
An intensive educational program for physicians and midwives involving 19 hospitals in Argentina and Uruguay dramatically reduced the rate of postpartum hemorrhage, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
04/16/08   NIH Study Reveals Factors That Influence Premature Infant Survival, Disability
Based on observations of more than 4,000 infants, researchers in an NIH newborn research network have identified several factors that influence an extremely low birth weight infant’s chances for survival and disability. The findings offer new information to physicians and families considering the most appropriate treatment options for this category of infants.
04/07/08   Excess Fat Around the Waist May Increase Death Risk For Women
Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.
04/01/08   Newly Awarded Autism Centers of Excellence to Further Autism Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 1, 2008, the latest recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. These grants will support studies covering a broad range of autism research areas, including early brain development and functioning, social interactions in infants, rare genetic variants and mutations, associations between autism-related genes and physical traits, possible environmental risk factors and biomarkers, and a potential new medication treatment.
04/01/08   NIH Research Suggests Stimulant Treatment For ADHD Does Not Contribute To Substance Abuse Later In Life
Treating children as early as age six or seven with stimulants for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not likely to increase risk of substance abuse as adults, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, the studies also showed treatment with stimulants did not prevent substance abuse later in adulthood. The studies, conducted by researchers at New York University School of Medicine (NYU) and the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Mass General) are being published in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry.
03/27/08   Gene Variation Predicts Response to Treatment in Common Infertility Disorder
NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they have a variation in a particular gene.
03/05/08   NIH Receives Gates Foundation Grant to Investigate Role of Iron Supplements in Malaria
Do iron supplements worsen the course of malaria? Researchers aren’t sure, and the uncertainty has jeopardized efforts to treat the debilitating effects of iron deficiency in parts of the world where malaria and other infectious diseases are common.
03/03/08   NICHD Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Advocate for Institute's Founding Event to Commemorate Her Founding Role
Congress has renamed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her essential contribution to the institute's founding.
03/02/08   NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season Stability of Virus' Membrane at Cold Temperatures May Ease Winter Spread
NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season Stability of Virus’ Membrane at Cold Temperatures May Ease Winter Spread
02/28/08   Tobacco Use, Secondhand Smoke Exposure during Pregnancy, May Threaten Health of Women and Children in Developing Nations
Findings from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study indicate that rates of tobacco use during pregnancy, as well as exposure of pregnant women and their young children to secondhand smoke, are significant threats to health in several low and middle-income countries.
02/14/08   Novel Approach Strips Staph of Virulence
An international team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked staph infections in mice using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The novel approach, described in the February 14 online edition of "Science", could offer a new direction for therapies against a bacterium that's becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
02/07/08   NIH Scientists Detect Fatal Copper Disorder at Birth
A test developed by NIH scientists could greatly extend the survival of infants with Menkes disease, a rare, otherwise fatal disorder of copper metabolism. The test allows for early diagnosis of the condition, when the chance for successful treatment is greatest. Their work is described in the February 7 New England Journal of Medicine.
02/06/08   Item of Interest: Extended Nevirapine Regimens Reduce HIV Transmission and Death in Breastfed Infants of HIV-infected Mothers
An extended course of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine (NVP) helps the breastfeeding babies of HIV-infected mothers remain HIV-negative and live longer, according to several new studies presented at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections held in Boston from February 3–6.
02/06/08   Item of Interest: The Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of Infant (PEPI)-Malawi Study Sponsored by NICHD and CDC
Questions and Answers
01/29/08   Thin Bones Seen In Boys with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Results of an early study suggest that dairy-free diets and unconventional food preferences could put boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher than normal risk for thinner, less dense bones when compared to a group of boys the same age who do not have autism.
01/25/08   Item of Interest: Public Comment on the Draft Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology (OPP) Branch Report to Council
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
01/22/08   NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan
The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate intellectual disability and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH.
12/06/07   NIH Announces Collaboration With National Council of Negro Women to Reduce Childhood Overweight
Officials from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a collaboration today with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to help African American children maintain a healthy weight.
11/13/07   NICHD Perinatology Research Branch Chief Elected to Institute of Medicine
Roberto Romero, M.D., Chief of the NICHD Perinatology Research Branch, has been elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.
11/05/07   SIDS Risk Reduction Continuing Education Program Emphasizes Important Role of Nurses in Health Care
The National Institutes of Health has created a continuing education program designed to help nurses communicate the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to parents and child caregivers. Nurses are a key information resource for new parents and often spend the most time with families in the hospital following the birth of a child.
10/25/07   NIH Public Trust Initiative Launches the Partners in Research Program
The Public Trust Initiative (PTI), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the release of a new Request for Applications (RFA) for the Partners in Research program.
10/04/07   NIH Announces Addition of 22 New Study Centers in National Children's Study
The National Children’s Study announced today that it awarded contracts in late September to 22 new study centers to manage participant recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities across the United States. Funding for the new study centers and the study’s initial phase is a result of a $69 million appropriation from Congress in fiscal year 2007.
10/02/07   Transcript of National Children's Study Media Briefing - October 4, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the National Children’s Study Conference Call. At this time all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question and answer session. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded.
10/01/07   Public Comment: DRAFT National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Plan on Down Syndrome
After many internal meetings and consultations and meetings with outside groups and scientists, the Working Group created a draft research plan with input from the outside scientific and family communities, at the request of Congress in the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2007.
09/26/07   Milk Matters Online Lesson Resources Available for Teachers
New online resources stressing the importance of calcium for bone health are now available for middle and high school teachers. The resources are available through the Milk Matters calcium education campaign, sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
09/07/07   Public Comment: DRAFT Demographic and Behavioral Sciences (DBS) Branch Report to Council
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
08/21/07   Children Who Complete Intensive Early Childhood Program Show Gains in Adulthood: Greater College Attendance, Lower Crime and Depression
By the time they reached adulthood, graduates of an intensive early childhood education program for poor children showed higher educational attainment, lower rates of serious crime and incarceration, and lower rates of depressive symptoms than did non-participants in the program, reported researchers in a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
08/02/07   NIH Funds New Program to Investigate Causes and Treatment of Autism
The National Institutes of Health will intensify its efforts to find the causes of autism and identify new treatments for the disorder, through a new research program.
08/01/07   Progesterone Treatment Does Not Prevent Preterm Birth in Twin Pregnancy
Progesterone therapy does not reduce the chances of preterm birth in women pregnant with twins, reported researchers in a network sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
07/13/07   Report Shows Gains, Setbacks for Nation's Children
Compared to national statistics for the previous year, there has been an increase in the percentage of children living with at least one working parent and the percentage of children living in households classified as food insecure has declined. High school students were more likely to have taken advanced academic courses and the percentage of young adults who completed high school has increased. The adolescent birth rate has dropped to a record low.
06/27/07   Boys with Autism, Related Disorders, Have High Levels of Growth Hormones
Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.
06/20/07   Researchers Discover Gene For Rare Skin Disorder
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified the gene that accounts for most cases of Goltz syndrome, a rare skin disorder that can also affect bone and eye development.
06/11/07   Public Comment: DRAFT Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch Report to Council
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
05/30/07   Audio News Briefing - Pediatric Seizure Study Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to the Pediatric Seizure Study. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question and answer session. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to your host today, Mr. Bob Bock, Press Officer, NICHD.
05/23/07   NIH Outlines Plans for Study of Pediatric Seizures
The scenario unfolds almost every day in the United States. A crowd gathers at a playground, or perhaps on a soccer field. A child has fallen to the ground, gripped by a seizure. Usually, the twitching and jerking stop within a few minutes.
05/23/07   Small Infants Have Greater Survival Rate in High Level Intensive Care Facilities
Very low birth weight infants are significantly more likely to survive when delivered in hospitals with high-level neonatal intensive care units that care for more than 100 such newborns annually than are those delivered in comparable facilities that provide care to fewer than 100 such children every year.
05/18/07   NIH Study Tracks Brain Development In Some 500 Children Across U.S.
Children appear to approach adult levels of performance on many basic cognitive and motor skills by age 11 or 12, according to a new study coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
05/11/07   New Spanish Publication Gives Evidence-Based Parenting Guidelines
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the National Institutes of Health has released ¿Qué Significa ser Padres? (What Does It Mean To Be Parents?), a free Spanish-language publication geared toward Hispanics who are seeking advice on parenting.
04/16/07   Researchers Discover Gene Crucial for Nerve Cell Insulation
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a defect in a single master gene disrupts the process by which several genes interact to create myelin, a fatty coating that covers nerve cells and increases the speed and reliability of their electrical signals.
03/26/07   Early Child Care Linked to Increases in Vocabulary, Some Problem Behaviors in Fifth and Sixth Grades
The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.
03/08/07   Older Mothers More Likely Than Younger Mothers To Deliver By Caesarean
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that older mothers with normal, full-term pregnancies-particularly first-time older mothers-were more likely to undergo Caesarean delivery than were younger women with similarly low-risk pregnancies.
03/02/07   National Children's Study Seeks Proposals for New Study Centers
The National Children's Study has issued a request for proposals to award contracts to up to 20 new study centers. These centers will manage operations in up to a total of 30 communities across the United States.
02/23/07   Experimental Vaccine Given During Pregnancy Reduces Stillbirths from Common Virus
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that reduces stillbirths among rodents born to mothers infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV)—a common virus that can also cause mental retardation and hearing loss in newborn children who were infected in early fetal life.
02/20/07   Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues
The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain's glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11.
02/08/07   Second Gene Discovered for Recessive Form of Brittle Bone Disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have found a second genetic defect that accounts for previously unexplained forms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a disorder that weakens bones, sometimes results in frequent fractures and is sometimes fatal.
02/08/07   Standard Therapy More Effective Than Diabetes Drug for Achieving Pregnancy in Common Fertility Disorder
Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes and thought to hold great promise at overcoming the infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is less useful for helping women with the condition achieve pregnancy than is the standard treatment with the infertility drug clomiphene, report researchers in an NIH research network.
01/25/07   Item of Interest: Public Comment: Reproductive Sciences (RS) Branch Report
Each component of the NICHD reports its activities to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, the federal advisory committee for the NICHD. The NACHHD Council follows all regulations set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
01/10/07   Women's Response to Anti-HIV Therapy Improved If Treatment Begins Six Months After Earlier Preventive Regimen
A woman's response to HIV treatment with drug combinations that contain nevirapine is improved if at least six months have passed after she received the drug as a single dose during labor to prevent passing HIV on to her child. (The response to treatment is measured by the reduction of HIV in the blood.)
12/28/06   Gene Discovered for Form of Brittle Bone Disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a previously unexplained fatal form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta-a disorder that weakens bones and which may cause frequent fractures-results from a genetic defect in a protein involved in the production of collagen.
12/18/06   Malaria Vaccine Prompts Victims' Immune System to Eliminate Parasite From Mosquitoes
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that could, theoretically, eliminate malaria from entire geographic regions, by eradicating the malaria parasite from an area’s mosquitoes.
12/07/06   Hormonal Contraception Does Not Appear To Increase HIV Risk
Using hormonal contraception does not appear to increase women's overall risk of infection with the AIDS virus, report the authors of a large study commissioned by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
12/05/06   Brain's Fear Center Shrinks In Autism's Most Severely Socially-Impaired
The brain's fear hub Likely becomes abnormally small in the most severely socially impaired males with autism spectrum disorders , researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered.
11/22/06   Technology for Monitoring Fetal Oxygen During Labor Offers No Apparent Benefit
A new technology for measuring blood oxygen levels of a baby during labor—expected to provide information useful for preventing birth complications—offers no apparent benefit, report researchers in a National Institutes of Health research network.
10/31/06   SIDS Infants Show Abnormalities In Brain Area Controlling Breathing, Heart Rate
Infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome have abnormalities in the brainstem, a part of the brain that helps control heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, temperature and arousal, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
10/30/06   Backgrounder: Searching For Those at Greatest Risk For SIDS
The current study appears in the November 1 Journal of the American Medical Association provides additional evidence that brainstem abnormalities may impair an infant's ability to sense high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels.
10/29/06   In Most Comprehensive Study Yet, Two-Week Regimen Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Arm Control
In the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind to date, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that when stroke survivors who've lost function in one arm are given a unique, two-week rehabilitation regimen that involves restraining their functional arm, they show improvements that last for as long as one year post-treatment.
10/19/06   NIH Opens Health Information Center at Jackson Medical Mall
The National Institutes of Health opened a new health information center today at the Jackson Medical Mall in Jackson, Mississippi, affirming NIH’s commitment to providing accurate, up-to-date health information to Mississippi residents.
10/17/06   Gene Linked to Autism in Families with More Than One Affected Child
A version of a gene has been linked to autism in families that have more than one child with the disorder. Inheriting two copies of this version more than doubled a child's risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered.
10/05/06   Drug Prevents PostPartum Hemorrhage in Resource Poor Settings Advance Has Potential to Save Thousands of Lives
The drug misoprostol provides a safe, convenient, and inexpensive means to prevent postpartum hemorrhage, a major killer of women in developing countries. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, and the National Institutes of Health.
10/03/06   Family Characteristics Have More Influence On Child Development Than Does Experience In Child Care
A compendium of findings from a study funded by the National Institutes of Health reveals that a child’s family life has more influence on a child’s development through age four and a half than does a child’s experience in child care.
09/21/06   Item of Interest: New Report Seeks to Improve Science Education in Grades K through 8
What is the best way to teach kids about science? A new report seeks to help children learn science more effectively by improving the way science is taught in the classroom.
09/13/06   New National Institutes of Health Web site for Child Health and Human Development
Need information on reading disability? Want to know how much calcium is in a serving of broccoli? Trying to find out how to apply for a research grant to study spinal cord development in zebrafish? Check out http://www.nichd.nih.gov.
09/07/06   Molecules in Blood Foretell Development of Preeclampsia
High levels of two proteins in the blood of pregnant women appear to indicate the subsequent development of preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy, report a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The proteins, which interfere with the growth and function of blood vessels, also signal the development of high blood pressure during pregnancy.
09/06/06   Backgrounder - Pursuing the Causes of Preeclampsia
The basic research effort to implicate soluble endoglin (sEng) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) in preeclampsia was led by a coauthor of the current paper, S. Ananth Karumanchi, M.D., a nephrologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
09/05/06   Overweight in Early Childhood Increases Chances for Obesity at Age 12
Children who are overweight as toddlers or preschoolers are more likely to be overweight or obese in early adolescence, report researchers in a collaborative study by the NIH and several academic institutions.
08/16/06   Study Provides Evidence That Autism Affects Functioning of Entire Brain
A recent study provides evidence that autism affects the functioning of virtually the entire brain, and is not limited to the brain areas involved with social interactions, communication behaviors, and reasoning abilities, as had been previously thought. The study, conducted by scientists in a research network supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that autism also affects a broad array of skills and abilities, including those involved with sensory perception, movement, and memory.
08/15/06   New Findings Offer More Complete View Of Breast Cancer Gene Mutations in U.S. Population
BETHESDA, Md., Tues., Aug. 15, 2006 - A large study funded by the National Institutes of Health today provided the clearest picture yet of the prevalence in the U.S. population of mutations in two genes associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The genes are called Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA1) and Breast Cancer 2 (BRCA2). In addition, the study identified key predictors for assessing which women are most likely to carry these genetic mutations.
08/10/06   New Light Microscope Can View Protein Arrangement in Cell Structures
Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus, the National Institutes of Health, and Florida State University have developed and applied a new light microscopy technique that will allow them to determine the arrangement of proteins that make up the individual organelles, or structures, within a cell.
07/14/06   Adolescent Birth Rate Falls to Record Low, Kids' Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Drops
Adolescent Birth Rate Falls to Record Low, Kids' Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Drops Infant Mortality Rate Falls to Former Level, But Birth Rate for Unmarried Women Rises.
07/14/06   Interview with Duane Alexander on the Report on America's Children, 2006
Interview with Duane Alexander on the Report on America's Children, 2006 (4MB MP3 format)
07/12/06   Researchers Gain Insight Into Why Brain Areas Fail To Work Together in Autism
Researchers have found in two studies that autism may involve a lack of connections and coordination in separate areas of the brain.
06/12/06   Lack of Key Enzyme Associated with Development of Rare Tumor
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a rare tumor of the adrenal glands appears to result from a genetic deficiency of an important enzyme. The enzyme is one of a class of enzymes involved in halting a cell's response to hormones and appears to stop cells from dividing.
06/06/06   Youth Overweight Increases Risk of Bone Fractures, Muscle and Joint Pain
Children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely than their normal weight counterparts to suffer bone fractures and have joint and muscle pains, according to a study conducted at the National Institutes of Health.
05/24/06   Materials Help Youth Evaluate Media Messages, Make Food, Activity Choices
A new after-school program helps kids interpret the numerous messages they receive every day to make healthier choices about food and physical activity. The materials, available free on the Web, were developed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH.)
04/12/06   Combined Surgery Reduces Incontinence In Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse
By performing two surgical procedures during the same operation, researchers in an NIH network reduced by half the incidence of urinary incontinence in women with a condition known as pelvic organ prolapse.
03/21/06   Male Fat Distribution Pattern and Coronary Risk Profile Linked to X Chromosome
Two risk factors that place males at greater risk for heart disease than women appear to be influenced by genes on the X chromosome, report researchers at the NIH and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. The finding appears in a Research Letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In a separate Research Letter, the researchers at the NIH and at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia also report that women who lack functioning ovarieseither because of a hereditary condition or due to an illnessare more likely than are other women to experience shyness and anxiety in social situations.
03/16/06   Electrical Impulses Foster Insulation of Brain Cells, Speeding Communications
Electrical impulses foster myelination, the insulation process that speeds communication among brain cells, report researchers at two institutes of the National Institutes of Health. "This finding provides important information that may lead to a greater understanding of disorders such as multiple sclerosis that affect myelin, as well as a greater understanding of the learning process," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD.
02/08/06   Common Reflux Treatment Linked to Life Threatening Bowel Infection in Premature Infants
Researchers in an NIH network have found that premature infants given a common class of non-prescription drugs used to treat acid reflux are slightly more likely to develop a potentially fatal bowel disorder than are infants who are not treated with the drugs.
01/18/06   NICHD Alerts Parents to Winter SIDS Risk and Updated AAP Recommendations
The number of infants who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, increases in the cold winter months, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health. During these colder months, parents often place extra blankets or clothes on infants, hoping to provide them with more warmth. In fact, the extra material may actually increase infants' risk for SIDS.
01/10/06   Most Behaviors Preceding Major Causes of Preventable Death Have Begun By Young Adulthood
By the time they reach early adulthood, a large proportion of American youth have begun the poor practices contributing to three leading causes of preventable death in the United States: smoking, overweight and obesity, and alcohol abuse. This finding is according to an NIH-funded analysis of the most comprehensive survey of adolescent health behavior undertaken to date.
10/12/05   Cold Treatment Protects Against Infant Disability and Death From Oxygen Loss
Lowering infants' body temperature to about 92 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 6 hours of life reduces the chances of disability and death among full term infants who failed to receive enough oxygen or blood to the brain during birth. This finding was reported by researchers in the Neonatal Research Network of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health. The study appears in the October 13, 2005 New England Journal of Medicine.
09/29/05   National Children's Study Seeks to Explain African American Child Health Disparities
African Americans make up a substantial percentage of the nation's population. (Population projections can be found on the U.S. Census Web site in Table 1a at http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-5.pdf.)
09/29/05   National Children's Study Seeks to Explain Hispanic Child Health Disparities
Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the country, and by 2050, one of every four Americans will be Hispanic. (Population projections can be found on the U.S. Census Web site in Table 1a at http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimproj/natprojtab01a.pdf.)
09/29/05   National Children's Study Seeks to Explain Native American Child Health Disparities
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that there are approximately 2.5 million American Indians in the United States, constituting 0.9 percent of the total population, and that they live primarily in the West, Southwest, and Midwest. Modest growth of these communities is predicted in the next few decades (http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-15.pdf).
09/29/05   NICHD Announces Contracts to First Research Centers for Planned National Children's Study
The National Children's Study-planned to be the largest study ever undertaken to assess the effects of the environment on child and adult health-took a major step forward today with the announcement that contracts have been awarded to 6 Vanguard Centers to pilot and complete the first phases of the Study.
09/29/05   Remarks of Duane Alexander, M.D., Director, Announcement of Vanguard Centers
Good afternoon. Welcome and thank you for coming. I'd like to thank the United States Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Richard Carmona for being with us today.
09/29/05   Remarks of Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, Announcement of Vanguard Centers
Thank you, Dr. Alexander. I'm happy to be here today as we embark upon the promise of the National Children's Study. As you mentioned, the 2005 agenda of the Office of the Surgeon General can be summed up in six words: "The Year of The Healthy Child."
09/19/05   Researchers Discover How Malaria Parasite Disperses From Red Blood Cells
Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have determined the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of the National Institutes of Health.
09/15/05   Researchers Discover How Compounds Prevent Viruses From Entering Cells
Compounds called defensins - known to prevent viruses from entering cells - appear to do so by preventing the virus from merging to cells' outer membrane, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, both of the National Institutes of Health, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
08/24/05   Drug Offers Alternative to Surgical Treatment After Miscarriage
A drug first used to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers in people taking certain types of painkillers offers an alternative to surgery after miscarriage, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions.
08/24/05   Teens' Driving Riskier with Male Teen Passenger, Teen Boy's Driving Safer with Female Teen Passenger
Teenage drivers--both males and females were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat, according to a study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
07/20/05   America's Children: Family Structure and Children's Well-Being (Backgrounder)
New to the report this year is a special section presenting five indicators of child well-being analyzed by family structure. The indicators are: percentage of births that are low and very low birthweight; death rates among infants; percentage of adolescents ages 15-17 enrolled in school; percentage of adolescents ages 15-17 reported to be in excellent or very good health; and percentage of adolescent girls who became unmarried birthmothers by ages 17-19.
07/20/05   America's Children: Parents Report Estimated 2.7 Million Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems (Backgrounder)
A special feature in the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005 shows that nearly 5 percent, or an estimated 2.7 million children are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties, problems that may interfere with their family life, their ability to learn, and their formation of friendships. These difficulties may persist throughout a child's development and lead to lifelong disability, including more serious illness, more difficult to treat illness, and co-occurring mental illnesses.
07/20/05   America's Children: Teen Birth Rate Continues Decline, Fewer Childhood Deaths, More Children Immunized Children More Likely to Live in Poverty, Be Involved in Violent Crime
The adolescent birth rate has reached another record low, the death rate for children between ages 1 and 4 is the lowest ever, young children are more likely to receive their recommended immunizations, and fourth graders are scoring better in math, according to a yearly compendium of statistics from federal agencies concerned with children.
07/06/05   Study Casts Doubt on Lung Treatment for Preterm Infants
Contrary to an earlier finding, inhaled nitric oxide therapy (a treatment for lung problems in premature infants) does not reduce the infant's chances for death or further lung problems, according to a study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
05/25/05   NIH Researchers Discover How Insulin Allows Entry of Glucose Into Cells
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have discovered the critical sequence of events by which insulin stimulates the entry of glucose into fat cells. The study, appearing in the May 9 Journal of Cell Biology, was conducted by researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
05/12/05   Mouse Gene Accounts For Blood Abnormalities As Well As Parkinson's Symptoms
Mice found in a previous study to develop a Parkinson's-like deterioration when deprived of a gene for iron metabolism were also found to develop anemia and signs of a rare skin condition, according to a follow up study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
04/07/05   NICHD Launches Project to Treat Infant Asphyxia In Lower Income Countries
Scientists in a federally sponsored global research network will undertake a new project that will train midwives and traditional birth attendants in resource poor countries on how to treat newborn asphyxia, a major cause of infant death. The treatment, developed in the United States, is the standard of care provided to infants born in this country.
02/23/05   Researchers Uncover Key Step In Manufacture of Memory Protein
A cellular enzyme appears to play a crucial role in the manufacture of a protein needed for long-term memory, according to a team of researchers led by scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
02/22/05   NICHD Program Helps Parents Set Limits To Reduce Teens Driving Under Risky Conditions
A new program reduces the likelihood that teens will drive under conditions that place them at the greatest risk for a car crash, according to a study from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
02/07/05   Bone Density Appears to Recover After Adolescents Discontinue Injected Contraceptive
Lower bone density appears to recover in adolescent females once they stop using the injected contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
01/21/05   Abused Women Less Likely To Be Married or In Long-Term Relationships
Prevention of abuse would help women foster stable long-Term relationships. Women who experienced physical or sexual abuse in childhood or as adults are less likely to be married or in a stable long-term relationship than are other women, according to a large study of low-income women funded by the federal government.
01/04/05   Substance in Urine Predicts Development of Preeclampsia
A substance found in the urine of pregnant women can be measured to predict the later development of preeclampsia, according to research from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
12/14/04   Risks From Labor After Prior Cesarean Delivery Low, Study Reports
The risks from vaginal delivery after a prior Cesarean delivery are low, but are slightly higher than for a repeat Cesarean delivery. This finding is from the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, undertaken by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
11/29/04   Brains of People with Autism Recall Letters of the Alphabet In Brain Areas Dealing With Shapes
In contrast to people who do not have autism, people with autism remember letters of the alphabet in a part of the brain that ordinarily processes shapes, according to a study from a collaborative program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
11/16/04   Infection Puts Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants at Risk For Developmental Delays
Extremely low birth weight infants--the tiniest category of premature infants are much more likely to experience developmental impairments if they acquire an infection during the newborn period, according to a study by the Neonatal Research Network of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health. The developmental impairments were seen regardless of the type of infection whether it occurred in the brain, blood or intestines.
11/15/04   Enzyme Essential To Sperm Movement Provides Target for New Contraceptive Approach
A team of researchers has determined that an enzyme in sperm is necessary for sperm movement. Mice bred to lack this enzyme produce sperm that cannot swim toward egg cells to fertilize them.
11/03/04   Researchers Grow Sperm Stem Cells In Laboratory Cultures Advance Could Lead To New Infertility Treatments, Source of Adult Stem Cells
A team of researchers working with cells from mice has overcome a technical barrier and succeeded in growing sperm progenitor cells in laboratory culture. The researchers transplanted the cells into infertile mice, which were then able to produce sperm and father offspring that were genetically related to the donor mice.
11/01/04   Pediatricians Can Help Immigrant Mothers By Explaining Child Development, NICHD Study Suggests
Groups of immigrant mothers from Japan and South America knew less about child development than did their European American counterparts, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. Such gaps in parenting knowledge, the authors wrote in the November issue of Pediatrics, could have a negative impact on children's development, with mothers possibly missing warning signs that their children need medical attention or early intervention services.
10/29/04   Labor Takes Longer For Overweight and Obese Women, Study Finds
Pregnant women who are overweight or obese progress through labor more slowly than do normal weight women, according to a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
10/26/04   Prolonged Crying in Infants a Marker for Later Cognitive Problems
Infants who cry persistently in an uncontrollable manner without any obvious cause after 12 weeks of age may be at risk for lower IQ scores and poorer fine motor skills by the time they reach 5 years of age, according to researchers from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
10/15/04   NICHD Study Shows Fibroid Tumors Unlikely To Respond To Conventional Hormone Treatments
A new study suggests that the conventional hormone therapies used to treat fibroid tumors are unlikely to produce much improvement and at best will only temporarily relieve symptoms. However, the study findings also suggest a strategy for developing a new, non-surgical treatment.
10/14/04   Researchers Find Protein That Makes Long-Term Memory Possible
From language to literature, from music to mathematics, a single protein appears central to the formation of the long-term memories needed to learn these and all other disciplines, according to a team of researchers led by scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. Their findings appear in the October 15 issue of Science.
10/13/04   Back to Sleep Campaign Marks Tenth Anniversary With Renewed Effort To Cut SIDS Rates in African American Community
The Back to Sleep campaign marks its tenth anniversary this October with renewed efforts to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the African American community by reminding parents and caregivers to always place infants on their backs to sleep. The Back to Sleep campaign is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
10/07/04   Breathing Problems during Sleep May Affect Mental Development in Infants and Young Children
Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence than do other children their age, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both studies appear in the October issue of Journal of Pediatrics.
10/01/04   Roadmap Initiative To Provide Training for Future Leaders Of Clinical Research
An NIH roadmap initiative will provide a total of nearly $8 million in funding to seven institutions that can train researchers in multidisciplinary research-research involving teams of specialists from a variety of disciplines. The seven institutions, chosen because they have a strong clinical research infrastructure, will provide training to health professionals at the post-graduate level-such as those with an M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., Pharm.D. or R.N.-Ph.D.
09/14/04   Children Follow Same Steps To Learn Vocabulary, Regardless of Language Spoken
Regardless of the language they are learning to speak, young children learn vocabulary in fundamentally the same way, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
08/23/04   Depo Provera Appears to Increase Risk for Chlamydial and Gonococcal Infections
The injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) appears to increase a woman's risk of acquiring the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia and gonorrhea by approximately three fold when compared to women not using a hormonal contraceptive, according to a study jointly funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Population and Reproductive Health.
08/12/04   Pineal Gland Evolved To Improve Vision, According To Theory By NICHD Scientist
The pineal gland-which regulates the cycles of sleep and waking--appears to have evolved as an indirect way to improve vision, by keeping toxic compounds away from the eye, according to a new theory by a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
07/16/04   Teen Birth Rate Down, Youth Less Likely to Be Involved In Violent Crimes, Kids More Likely To Be Overweight
The well-being of America’s children has shown strong gains in some areas but has declined in others, according to a yearly report by federal agencies compiling statistics on children.
07/09/04   Thai Study Shows That Inexpensive Treatment Reduces Risk Of Mother To Child HIV Transmission
A single dose of the drug nevirapine given at the beginning of labor, when combined with a short course of the anti-HIV drug AZT (zidovudine), dramatically reduces a woman's chances of passing HIV on to her child, according to a study of Thai women funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
07/01/04   High School Graduates from Immigrant Families Just As Likely To Succeed In College As American-Born Peers
High school graduates from immigrant families are as likely to go on to college and to perform as well academically as their peers from American-born families, according to a study funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health.
06/30/04   Multivitamins During Pregnancy and After Birth Delay Progression of HIV In Women
Multivitamin supplements containing high doses of the vitamin B complex, as well as vitamins C and E, given to HIV-infected women during pregnancy and for more than 5 years after they gave birth reduced the symptoms of AIDS, according to a study of Tanzanian women supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC) for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, both of the National Institutes of Health. The supplements also bolstered counts of disease-fighting immune cells, and modestly lowered HIV levels in the blood.
06/16/04   Analysis Shows Infants of Mothers Infected With HIV Face Nearly Constant Risk For HIV Infection For Duration of Breastfeeding
After four weeks of age, infants who breast feed from mothers infected with HIV continue to be at risk for infection with HIV for as long as they breastfeed, according to an analysis conducted and funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. Previously, researchers thought the risk for being infected with the virus from breast milk diminished as an infant grew older.
06/07/04   U.S. Youth No More Likely to Engage in Violence Than Youth In Four Other Countries
The results of an international survey show that young adolescents in the United States are no more likely to engage in violent behavior than are youth in 4 other countries.
06/02/04   Fibroid Tumors Lack Crucial Structural Protein
Fibroid tumors-the sometimes painful uterine growths affecting many American women-lack a key protein that plays a role in holding tissues together, according to a study by researchers from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
06/01/04   Genes Promoting Nerve, Other Cell Communications May Have Come From Bacteria
Some of the genes that allow nerve cells and some other types of cells to send elaborate chemical messages to each other appear to have been transferred to animals or their immediate ancestors from bacteria eons ago, according to a study by researchers from the National Library of Medicine and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, both part of the National Institutes of Health.
05/24/04   U.S., Irish Researchers Identify Important Clue to Genetic Basis for Neural Tube Defects
A team of U.S. and Irish researchers has come one step closer to understanding why a high proportion of the population is genetically at risk for neural tube defects, according to a genetic study by researchers in Ireland and at two of the National Institutes of Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Human Genome Research Institute.
05/16/04   NICHD Funded Researchers Discover Gene for Cornelia De Lange Syndrome Discovery May Lead to Prenatal Test For Debilitating Disorder
A team of researchers has discovered a gene for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a disorder consisting of mental retardation, heart defects and a number of physical abnormalities.
04/19/04   Imaging Study Reveals Brain Function of Poor Readers Can Improve
A brain imaging study has shown that, after they overcome their reading disability, the brains of formerly poor readers begin to function like the brains of good readers, showing increased activity in a part of the brain that recognizes words.
04/07/04   Study of Growth Hormone Treatment and Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease Underscores Need for Prevention of Adrenal Crises
The largest study of its kind, designed to track the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers, has found that the vast majority of those who received the hormone did not contract the fatal condition.
03/08/04   New Study Finds Babies Born To Mothers Who Drink Alcohol Heavily May Suffer Permanent Nerve Damage
Newborns whose mothers drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy had damage to the nerves in the arms and legs, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
02/06/04   NICHD Launches Milk Matters Web Games for Kids
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is introducing a new series of Web games for children on its Milk Matters Web site.
02/05/04   Substances Found in Blood May Predict Development of Preeclampsia
Abnormal levels of two molecules found in the blood appear to predict the development of preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
01/12/04   New Guide Offers African American Families Help to Cope with Crises
African American parents now have an important new resource to help them support their children in times of stress or crisis.
01/05/04   U.S. Teens More Overweight Than Youth in 14 Other Countries
U.S. teens are more likely to be overweight than are teens from 14 other industrialized nations, according to survey information collected in 1997 and 1998 by two agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services as well as institutions in 13 European countries and in Israel.
12/22/03   NICHD Alerts Parents to Winter SIDS Risk
The cold winter months bring an increase in the number of infants who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health.
12/12/03   Media Availability for the National Children's Study Assembly Meeting
Media availability with leading health and environment officials to provide the latest information on the development of the National Children's Study, a groundbreaking, long-term research project to examine the environmental influences on children's health and development.
12/08/03   HHS, EDUCATION LAUNCH RESEARCH TO PROMOTE SCHOOL READINESS Effort Supports President Bush's Early Childhood Education Initiative
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new five-year research initiative with the Department of Education to find the best ways to prepare preschool children for later success in school.
11/19/03   NICHD Funds Major Effort to Determine Extent and Causes of Stillbirth
One of the National Institutes of Health has begun a concerted effort to determine the extent and causes of stillbirth- the death of a fetus at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy.
10/22/03   New Study Identifies Gene Signaling Puberty
NIH-funded researchers have identified a gene that appears to be a crucial signal for the beginning of puberty in human beings as well as in mice.
09/23/03   NICHD Honors Outstanding Scientists During 40th Anniversary Year
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has selected 15 outstanding scientists for its Hall of Honor, which recognizes scientists supported by the Institute for exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge and improving maternal and child health.
08/28/03   Researchers Seek Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome for Study to Treat Infertility
Researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are seeking volunteers for a study to treat infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
07/18/03   Teen Birth Rate Down, Exposure To Secondhand Smoke Drops Kids More Likely To Be Overweight
The well-being of America's children has improved in many respects, with infant and childhood death rates continuing to drop, fewer adolescents smoking, fewer children exposed to secondhand smoke, fewer adolescent girls giving birth, and more adolescents taking honors courses.
07/16/03   Child Care Linked To Assertive, Noncompliant, and Aggressive Behaviors Vast Majority of Children Within Normal Range
The more time children spent in child care from birth to age four-and-a-half, the more adults tended to rate them, both at age four-and-a-half and at kindergarten, as less likely to get along with others, as more assertive, as disobedient, and as aggressive, according to a study appearing in the July/August issue of Child Development.
06/23/03   Vulvodynia Workshop Highlights Prevalence of Disorder Scientists Share Findings on Pain Research and New Therapies
Vulvodynia is a condition characterized by burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness of the female genital area when there is no apparent infection or skin disease that could cause these symptoms.
06/17/03   Researchers Identify A Possible Cause of Infertility In Some Women With Endometriosis
NIH funded researchers report that some women who have infertility as a result of endometriosis lack molecules in the uterus that allow the embryo to attach to the uterine wall.
05/29/03   Detroit Summit to Bring African American Women Together to Reduce SIDS Risk
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will sponsor a regional summit meeting May 30-31 in Detroit as part of a national campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in African American communities.
05/12/03   Study Confirms Safety of Placing Infants to Sleep on their Backs Infants Who Sleep on Back Have Fewer Fevers and Ear Infections
A team of researchers reports that infants who are placed to sleep on their backs are not at increased risk for health problems, and they are less likely to develop fevers, get stuffy noses, or develop otitis media (ear infection).
05/05/03   Bed Sharing with Siblings, Soft Bedding, Increase SIDS Risk
Infants who share a bed with other children are at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than are other infants, according to the most recent analysis of a study of predominantly African American SIDS deaths in Chicago.
04/25/03   NICHD Study To Test Surgical Technique to Repair Spinal Defect Before Birth
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will conduct a large study to determine whether a new surgery to correct spina bifida in the womb is safer and more effective than the traditional surgery to correct the disorder, which takes place a few days after birth.
04/14/03   Bullies, Victims at Risk for Violence and Other Problem Behaviors
Bullying is not just a normal, if unpleasant, part of growing up, according to Federal researchers.
04/03/03   Sites Chosen for NIH and Gates Foundation Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has selected the first eight research units for the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research, an international research network to improve the health of women and children throughout the world.
04/02/03   Strong Religious Views Decrease Teens' Likelihood of Having Sex Teens' Attitudes Towards Sex Hold More Sway than Religious Views
Teens-particularly girls-with strong religious views are less likely to have sex than are less religious teens, largely because their religious views lead them to view the consequences of having sex negatively.
03/13/03   L.A. Summit Seeks to Reduce SIDS in Western U.S. African American Communities
The Women in the NAACP (WIN) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have joined forces with two national African American women's organizations to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the African American community.
03/06/03   Mothers' Leaving Welfare Had No Effect on Preschoolers Slight Improvement Seen for Young Adolescents
Mothers Leaving Welfare Had No Effect on Preschoolers Slight Improvement Seen for Young Adolescents
02/28/03   Higher SIDS Risk Found in Infants Placed in Unaccustomed Sleeping Position
Infants accustomed to sleeping on their backs who are then placed to sleep on their stomachs or sides are at an increased risk for SIDS-greater than the increased SIDS risk of infants always placed on their stomachs or sides.
02/10/03   Study Suggests Schools Lacking in Exercise Programs for Children
America's young children may not be getting enough vigorous physical exercise through their schools' physical education (PE) programs, suggests the latest analysis by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.
01/30/03   Summits Seek to Reduce SIDS Risk In African American Community
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has joined forces with three national African American Women's organizations in a year-long program to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among African American infants.
01/23/03   Human gene affects memory
NIH scientists have shown that a common gene variant influences memory for events in humans by altering a growth factor in the brain's memory hub.
01/22/03   NICHD-Sponsored Research Finds Early Learning Associated With Reduced Child Maltreatment
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found that low-income children who receive pre-school and early-grades learning assistance, coupled with services for parents, are less likely than those who do not receive these services to be victims of child maltreatment.
01/16/03   Researchers Discover How Embryo Attaches to the Uterus
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how an embryo initially attaches to the wall of the uterus-what appears to be one of the earliest steps needed to establish a successful pregnancy.
01/13/03   Study Finds Bed Sharing Among Parents and Infants on the Rise
Bed sharing-the practice of letting babies sleep in an adult bed with a parent or caregiver-is increasing in the United States, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
12/23/02   Parents' Involvement Helps Kids Overcome Peer Influence on Smoking
Having involved parents-those who know a lot about their children's friends, activities, and how they're doing in school-can help children overcome peer influence to start smoking, according to a study by a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
12/03/02   Study Identifies SIDS Risk Factors Among American Indian Infants
A study of Northern Plains Indians found that infants were less likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) if their mothers received visits from public health nurses before and after giving birth.
11/29/02   Study Confirms Breast Cancer Risk in Continuous Combined Hormone Therapy Risk Begins to Return to Normal After Women Stop Taking Hormones
Researchers confirmed that a daily, combined dose of estrogen and progestin increases breast cancer risk in post menopausal women, but added that this risk begins to return to normal about six months after women stop taking the hormones.
11/08/02   Parent-Teen Intervention May Reduce Teen Driving Risk
A program that teaches parents how to set limits on their teens' driving greatly reduces the teens' chances of risky driving behavior that could lead to accidents, according to a recent study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
10/15/02   Folate Deficiency Associated with Higher Early Miscarriage Risk
Pregnant women who have low blood levels of the vitamin folate are more likely to have early miscarriages than are pregnant women who have adequate folate levels, according to a study of Swedish women by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
10/07/02   Most Definitive Study of Its Kind Shows That Sleeping on the Stomach Increases Infant SIDS Risk
Researchers have conducted the most definitive study of its kind to show that sleeping on the stomach increases the risk of U.S. infants for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
09/26/02   Women with Endometriosis Have Higher Rates of Some Diseases
Women who have endometriosis are more likely than other women to have disorders in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, according to researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the George Washington University, and the Endometriosis Association.
09/18/02   Compounds Prevent Alcohol's Disruption of Important Developmental Process
Two experimental compounds prevent one of the cellular events that is a likely contributor to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
09/10/02   Multiples Born to Older Moms Fare Same as or Better than Those Born to Younger Moms
In contrast to the pattern seen with singleton births, twins born to older mothers do not appear to have a greater risk of birth complications than do twins born to younger mothers, according to a recent study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the University of Kansas.
09/09/02   Stress System Malfunction Could Lead to Serious, Life Threatening Disease
Whether from a charging lion, or a pending deadline, the body's response to stress can be both helpful and harmful.
09/06/02   Bone Loss in Depo-Provera Users Largely Reversible
A new study confirms earlier reports that Depo-Provera, an injectable contraceptive popular among young and low-income American women, is strongly associated with bone density loss.
08/30/02   Women with Premature Menopause at Increased Risk for Potentially Fatal Adrenal Condition Early Diagnosis Can Lead to Effective Treatment
Women with spontaneous premature ovarian failure (POF) are three hundred times more likely than members of the general population to develop a serious condition in which the body attacks the adrenal glands, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
08/02/02   Children's Reading Disability Attributed To Brain Impairment
Children who are poor readers appear to have a disruption in the part of their brain involved in reading phonetically, according to a sophisticated brain imaging study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
07/29/02   Mouse With Rett Syndrome May Provide Model for Testing Treatments, Understanding Disorder
Scientists funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a new mouse model for Rett syndrome - a heartbreaking disorder which gradually robs apparently healthy infants of their language, mental functioning, and ability to interact with others.
07/29/02   NIH Licenses New MRI Technology That Produces Detailed Images of Nerves, Other Soft Tissues
A new technology that allows physicians and researchers to make detailed, three-dimensional maps of nerve pathways in the brain, heart muscle fibers, and other soft tissues has been licensed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
07/25/02   Pattern of Newborn Infections Changes
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.
07/22/02   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.
07/12/02   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.
06/27/02   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.
06/26/02   NICHD Study Finds No Association Between Oral Contraceptive Use and 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).
06/18/02   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.
06/17/02   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).
06/13/02   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).
06/12/02   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.
05/29/02   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).
05/28/02   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.
05/15/02   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.
04/29/02   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.
03/20/02   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.
03/13/02   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).
02/27/02   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).
02/13/02   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.
02/06/02   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.
01/31/02   NIH State-of-the-Science Panel To Evaluate Treatment Strategies for Clinically Inapparent Adrenal Mass (Incidentaloma)
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.
01/23/02   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).
01/23/02   New Parenting Booklet Puts Decades of Research into Easy-to-Read Guide
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) today released a valuable new parenting booklet that incorporates three decades of research on effective parenting techniques and healthy child development.
01/16/02   Educational Lag for Premature Infants Persists Into Adulthood
By the time they reached adulthood, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants born in the late 1970s lagged behind their normal birth weight counterparts in I.Q. scores and educational achievement, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
01/15/02   Even Moderately Premature Birth Poses Risk for Developmental Delays
Contrary to current assumptions, being born just two to four weeks premature can put a child at risk for minor delays in development, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
12/10/01   Calcium Crisis Affects American Youth
Only 13.5 percent of girls and 36.3 percent of boys age 12 to 19 in the United States get the recommended daily amount (RDA) of calcium, placing them at serious risk for osteoporosis and other bone diseases, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
11/27/01   Study Confirms Secretin No More Effective Than Placebo in Treating Autism Symptoms
The latest in a series of studies on secretin has failed to show that giving the digestive hormone to children with autism alleviates symptoms of the disorder, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
11/26/01   Autism Fact Sheets Now Available from NICHD
A series of fact sheets describing the latest research findings on autism is now available from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
11/07/01   New Recommendations To Assess Male Fertility Question Previous Standards
New recommendations from an NICHD study question current standards for determining whether a semen sample is normal or abnormal.
10/31/01   Harmless Virus Prevents HIV Variant From Spreading In Human Tissue Blocks
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), a common virus that is apparently harmless in adults, appears to prevent a form of the AIDS virus from reproducing in laboratory cultures of human tissue, according to a study published in the November issue of Nature Medicine.
10/30/01   Sharp Drop In Stress Hormones May Set Stage For Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis After Pregnancy
A sharp drop in stress hormones after giving birth to a child may predispose some women to develop certain conditions in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
10/10/01   Infant Sleep Position and Head Control
A study appearing in the October 2001 issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics reported that premature infants who sleep on their backs gain the ability to lift their heads at a slightly slower rate than do premature infants who sleep on their stomachs.
10/08/01   Master Stress Hormone Prevents Mother From Rejecting Embryo
The "master" hormone that commands the body's response to stress is also directly involved in the process that prevents a mother's immune system from destroying an embryo that has implanted in her uterus, according to the results of a study by researchers at the the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and several other Institutions.
09/18/01   Shortened Cervix in Second Trimester Possible Warning Sign for Premature Birth
A short cervix early in the second trimester of pregnancy appears to be a warning sign of impending premature birth among women who have previously given birth prematurely, according to a study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Maternal Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network.
08/21/01   Researchers Find New Insights Into the Genetic Foundations of Autism
In collaboration with their European colleagues, scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have come one step closer to determining the genetic basis for autism.
08/15/01   Treatment for Common Sexually Transmitted Disease During Pregnancy Fails to Reduce the Likelihood of Premature Birth
Using the drug metronizadole to treat pregnant women who have the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis does not reduce the women's chances for giving birth prematurely, and may actually increase them, according to a study appearing in the August 16 New England Journal of Medicine.
08/09/01   Epidural Pain Relief During Labor Does Not Increase Chance of C-Section
Contrary to what had previously been reported, epidural analgesia, used to relieve women's pain during labor, does not appear to increase a woman's chances of having a Cesarean section, according to an analysis of hospital records by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Tripler Army Medical Center, in Hawaii.
07/27/01   NICHD Funds New Sites To Follow Disease Progression In HIV-Infected Women
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will fund three sites to conduct research to increase understanding of how infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects adolescent and adult women.
07/25/01   NICHD Fertility Researcher Receives Award for Listening to Patients
Lawrence Nelson, MD, a fertility researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has received "The Art of Listening Award" from the Genetic Alliance for his ability to listen carefully to his patients when evaluating their conditions.
07/19/01   Child Poverty, Adolescent Birth Rate Continue Decline
The well-being of America's children has improved on several fronts, according to the Federal government's fifth annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2001.
07/02/01   National Study Examines Sites Where U.S. Children Drown
Infants are most likely to drown in bathtubs, toddlers in swimming pools, and older children in other freshwater sites such as rivers and lakes, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
05/15/01   Breastfeeding Has Minor Effect in Reducing Risk of Childhood Overweight
Breast feeding appears to be a minor factor in reducing the likelihood of childhood overweight, according to a study by the National Institute of Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and two other Federal agencies.
05/01/01   Study Raises Questions About Relationship Between SIDS And Events Detected By Home Monitors
Episodes of prolonged cessation of breathing or prolonged slowing of heart rate in infants-- believed to be potential signs of risk for SIDS--primarily occur before the developmental age when most SIDS deaths occur, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
04/25/01   First Typhoid Vaccine to Protect Children Proven Effective by NICHD Scientists
Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed and tested the first vaccine capable of protecting children from ages 2 to 5 against typhoid fever.
04/25/01   Typhoid Fever in the United States (Backgrounder)
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 400 Americans each year acquire typhoid, most of them while traveling in developing countries.
04/24/01   Bullying Widespread in U.S. Schools, Survey Finds
Bullying is widespread in American schools, with more than 16 percent of U.S. school children saying they had been bullied by other students during the current term, according to a survey funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
04/18/01   Ear Tube Placement Does Not Seem To Improve Children's Development by Age Three
Placing tubes into the eardrums of young children who have moderately persistent accumulation of fluid in the middle ear does not appear to have any effect on the children's speech, language, intellectual, psychological, or social development by age three, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
03/30/01   Old Drug May Offer New Hope to Victims of Childhood Neuro-Degenerative Disease
A drug long used to treat a rare genetic disease also has the potential to treat a form of Batten disease, a fatal group of hereditary disorders that gradually robs its victims of their eyesight and mental abilities before claiming their lives.
02/26/01   Researchers Seek Women with Premature Ovarian Failure for Testosterone Replacement Study
Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are recruiting women who have premature ovarian failure--formerly known as premature menopause--to determine if restoring testosterone will help prevent osteoporosis.
01/30/01   Mouse with Iron Disorder Offers Clues to Parkinson's, Similar Diseases
Mice engineered to lack a gene involved in iron metabolism may provide important clues for deciphering the nature of a group of brain disorders-similar to Parkinson's Disease-affecting movement, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
01/30/01   National Reading Panel Launches Revamped Web Site
The National Reading Panel (NRP) today announced the launch of its redesigned Web site at http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org .
01/11/01   NICHD Funded Researchers First to Genetically Modify Non Human Primate
Researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health have completed the first successful effort to introduce a new gene into the unfertilized eggs of rhesus monkeys, a member of the family of mammals that includes human beings.
01/10/01   Newborn Lung Treatment Poses Risk of Intestinal Perforation
A treatment commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of chronic lung disease in extremely premature infants does not reduce the risk of death or chronic lung disease in these infants and may increase the risk for perforation of the intestines, according to a study by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network.
01/05/01   Virginity Pledge Helps Teens Delay Sexual Activity
Teens who pledged to remain a virgin until marriage began sexual activity much later than their peers who did not take such a pledge, according to an analysis of data from a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and several other Federal agencies.
12/06/00   Tubal Sterilization Poses No Greater Risk of Menstrual Abnormalities, Study Finds
The largest, most comprehensive study of its kind to date has found that women who have undergone tubal sterilization are at no greater risk for menstrual abnormalities than are women who have not had the procedure, settling a debate within the medical community.
12/04/00   New MRI Technology Provides Detailed Views of Brain Development, Response to Injury Conferees Consider How Best to Use New Technology
Researchers will convene at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to discuss how to make the best uses of a new technology that allows researchers and physicians to make detailed, three-dimensional maps of the nerve pathways through which various parts of the brain communicate.
11/30/00   Chromosome deletions in autistic patient point to possible genetic links to autism
A 7-year-old patient with autism was found to have a chromosome with deleted segments of DNA.
11/27/00   Researchers Identify Gene Common to Many Autism Cases
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a gene that may predispose people to developing autism.
11/08/00   People with Common Masculinizing Disorder Also Lack Adrenaline, NICHD Study Finds
People with 21-hydroxylase deficiency-a common yet little known disorder causing early puberty and masculinizing features in both males and females-also lack sufficient quantities of the stress hormone adrenaline, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
10/30/00   Fertility Researchers Discover New Gene Essential for Female Fertility
Fertility researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have found that a gene in female mice is essential for their egg cells to later develop beyond the two-cell stage after fertilization.
10/18/00   NIH Consensus Panel Recommends Comprehensive Approach to Life Long Care for PKU
People with the rare metabolic disorder phenylketonuria need to adhere to the special diet central to their treatment, concluded a Consensus Panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.
10/12/00   Campaign's Resource Kit Seeks to Reduce Incidence of SIDS in African American Communities
Commemorating SIDS Awareness Month, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher today unveiled a resource kit for reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in African American communities.
10/11/00   NIH Grantees Awarded Nobel Prize in Economics
Two long-time National Institutes of Health grantees -- Dr. James J. Heckman, of the University of Chicago, and Dr. Daniel L. McFadden, of the University of California at Berkeley were awarded the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel, 2000.
10/04/00   Shorter AZT Treatment Reduces Mother to Child HIV Transmission as Well as Longer Treatment but for Less Cost
A shorter course of AZT therapy than currently prescribed for HIV-infected pregnant women may allow women in developing countries to afford the treatment that can reduce their babies' chances of contracting AIDS, but at a much lower cost, according to a study in the October 5 New England Journal of Medicine.
08/30/00   NIH Researchers Discover New Target for Malaria Treatment
NIH researchers have found pore-like holes in the membranes of red blood cells infected by the deadliest form of the malaria parasite.
08/02/00   Federal Funds Support Expansion of Research in Women's Health
In a major new effort to stimulate women's health research across a variety of disciplines, the National Institutes of Health announced it will fund 11 awards to support development of new research in women's health.
07/13/00   America's Children: Nation's Children Gain In Many Areas
American children are less likely to die during childhood, less likely to live in poverty, less likely to be at risk for hunger, and less likely to give birth during adolescence, according to the fourth annual report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2000.
07/13/00   America's Children: Special Indicator Finds High School Volunteerism Up 10 Percent (Backgrounder)
About 55 percent of 9th through 12th graders participated in volunteer activities in 1999, a 10 percent increase from 1996.
07/13/00   America's Children: Special Indicator Shows Majority of Beginning Kindergartners Know Letters (Backgrounder)
A special indicator from the America's Children report showed that 66 percent of children entering kindergarten can recognize letters of the alphabet, and 29 percent could recognize the sounds associated with letters that begin words.
06/27/00   NICHD Researchers Improve Techniques for Interviewing Child Abuse Victims
A research team has developed new techniques to help police interviewers and child protective service workers get more accurate information from victims of child abuse.
06/15/00   Fathers With High Self Esteem More Involved In Child Care, Study Finds
The NICHD Study of Early Child Care has found that fathers who had high levels of self esteem were more involved in caring for their children than were fathers with lower self esteem.
05/22/00   Stress Hormone Linked to Increased Alcohol Consumption in Animal Model
Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development report in the current issue of Alcoholism: Cinical and Experimental Research (Volume 24, Number 5) results from the first study to determine whether future drinking may be predicted by response to stress during infancy.
05/14/00   NICHD-Funded Researchers Uncover Abnormal Brain Pathways in SIDS Victims
A team of researchers funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has found that infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have abnormalities in several parts of the brainstem.
04/25/00   To Reduce SIDS Risk, Doctor's Advice Most Important in Choice of Placing Infants to Sleep on Their Backs
Parents and other caregivers are more likely to place infants to sleep on their backs when advised to do so by their infants' doctors, according to the latest analysis of the National Infant Sleep Position Study (NISP).
04/13/00   National Reading Panel Reports Combination of Teaching Phonics, Word Sounds, Giving Feedback on Oral Reading Most Effective Way to Teach Reading
In the largest, most comprehensive evidenced-based review ever conducted of research on how children learn reading, a Congressionally mandated independent panel has concluded that the most effective way to teach children to read is through instruction that includes a combination of methods.
03/22/00   Holiday Weight Gain Slight, But May Last A Lifetime
A new study suggests that Americans probably gain about a pound during the winter holiday season-but this extra weight accumulates through the years and may be a major contributor to obesity later in life.
03/06/00   Formula Additives Boost Small Children's Intelligence in Study
Adding two substances found in breast milk to infant formula boosted the average intelligence scores in a group of 18-month-old children significantly, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
02/23/00   NICHD Study Shows Treatment Fails to Prevent Preterm Birth
In the largest study of its kind, antibiotic treatment to eliminate bacterial vaginosis failed to prevent premature birth, according to a study supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and coauthored by researchers at the NICHD and several other institutions.
02/16/00   Moderate Weight Loss OK for Overweight Moms Who Breast Feed
Overweight mothers who breast feed their infants may lose weight through a sensible diet and exercise program-without fear of harming their infants-a study by NICHD-funded researchers has found.
01/31/00   U.S. 15 Year Olds Less Likely to Watch Television or Smoke Than Children in Many Other Industrialized Countries
Compared to adolescents in other parts of the industrialized world, U.S. students are less likely to watch television.
01/18/00   Gates Foundation and NIH Fund Global Network for Women and Children's Health Research
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) jointly will support an international research network to improve the health of women and children throughout the world.
12/08/99   Study Shows Secretin Fails to Benefit Children with Autism
The first of a number of studies sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has shown that treatment with a synthetic version of the hormone secretin offered no more benefit for children with autism than did treatment with a placebo.
11/24/99   Moderate Caffeine Use Does Not Increase Miscarriage Risk But High Caffeine Use Doubles Risk
Consuming the amount of caffeine equivalent to that found in one to two cups of coffee does not appear to increase a pregnant woman's chances of having a miscarriage.
11/12/99   Only Small Link Found Between Hours in Child Care and Mother-Child Interaction
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care has established that there is no consistent relation between the hours infants and toddlers spend in child care and these children's cognitive, linguistic or social development. In a just-published analysis about mother-child interaction, the study showed that the number of hours infants and toddlers spent in child care was modestly linked to the sensitivity of the mother to her child, as well as to the engagement of the child with the mother in play.
10/26/99   Back to Sleep Campaign Seeks to Reduce Incidence of SIDS in African American Populations
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala and Mrs. Tipper Gore today announced the start of a new component of the successful "Back to Sleep" campaign that will focus on reducing the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among African Americans.
09/30/99   NICHD-Funded Researchers Discover Gene for Rett Syndrome
Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Stanford University have discovered the gene for Rett syndrome, a heartbreaking disorder which gradually robs healthy infant girls of their language, mental functioning, and ability to interact with others.
09/13/99   NIH Awards Additional Funding for New Researchers in Women's Reproductive Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $3.2 million to fund centers that will support early research careers in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
09/13/99   Research Network Seeks Patients for Infertility Study
Scientists at a research network funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are seeking infertile couples for a study to investigate whether taking a sample of endometrial tissue is useful for diagnosing and treating infertility.
09/03/99   Maternal Depression Linked With Social, Language Development, School Readiness
Children of depressed mothers performed more poorly on measures of school readiness, verbal comprehension, and expressive language skills at 36 months of age than children of mothers who never reported depression.
08/30/99   Knockout Mouse May Lead to Major Understanding of Human Kidney Disorder
A basic science advance has provided a major clue to the possible cause and treatment of IgA nephropathy, a kidney disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.
08/18/99   Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy Linked to Lower IQ For Child; Early Diagnosis and Treatment May Help
Children born to mothers with untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy score lower on IQ tests than children of healthy mothers, according to a study conducted by Dr. James Haddow and partially funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and reported in the August 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
08/17/99   New Analysis Shows that Calcium Does Not Prevent Potentially Fatal Disorder of Pregnancy
A new mathematical analysis of a previous study shows that calcium supplements do not prevent preeclampsia in women at low risk for the condition. Preeclampsia is a dangerous, sometimes fatal, disorder of pregnancy that often strikes without warning.
08/04/99   High HIV RNA Levels Major Risk Factor for Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
Two studies supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide compelling evidence that the amount of HIV in a pregnant woman's blood, known as the maternal HIV viral load, is the prime risk factor for transmitting the virus to her baby.
07/27/99   Blood Chemistry Imbalance Linked to Potentially Fatal Disorder of Pregnancy
Women with preeclampsia, a potentially fatal complication of pregnancy, appear to have an imbalance of two key chemical compounds that control blood pressure, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) published in the July 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
07/08/99   Federal Agencies Report on Nation's Children
America's children are, on average, doing better in several respects than they have in recent years, according to the third annual Federal report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being.
07/01/99   Children Score Higher on Tests When Child Care Meets Professional Standards
Children attending child care centers that meet professional standards for quality score higher on school readiness and language tests and have fewer behavioral problems than their peers in centers not meeting such standards, according to a study appearing in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
05/13/99   NICHD Researchers Discover Gene for Major Brain Structure
Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have discovered a gene that controls the development of the hippocampus, a brain structure crucial for learning and memory.
05/03/99   Major Causes of Early Childhood Death from Injury Identified
Homicide, accidental suffocation, motor vehicle accidents, fire, drowning, and choking were the major causes of injury-related death for children less than a year of age, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
04/28/99   New Drug May Help Women With Infertility Syndrome
An investigational drug that helps insulin to function more efficiently appears to combat infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common cause of female infertility, according to a research team funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
04/26/99   Pampers Will Print the Back to Sleep Logo Across the Diaper Fastening Strips of its Newborn Diapers
At a press event held today at the Vanderbilt YMCA in New York City, Tipper Gore, national spokesperson for the Back to Sleep Campaign, announced that Pampers has joined the fight against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among babies ages one to 12 months old.
04/06/99   NICHD-Funded Researchers Show Estrogen Effects on Brain After Menopause
In a groundbreaking new study, a Yale research team funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has used sophisticated brain imaging technology to show that estrogen alters brain activation patterns in postmenopausal women as they perform memory tasks.
01/28/99   C-Sections Before Labor and Rupture of Membranes Reduce the Risk of Maternal-Infant HIV Transmission by Half (update)
The largest, most comprehensive analysis of its kind has found that pregnant women infected with HIV can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants by about 50 percent if they deliver by elective cesarean section--before they have gone into labor and before their membranes have ruptured, according to a study led by a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
01/26/99   NICHD Child Care Study Investigators to Report on Child Care Quality; Higher Quality Care Related to Less Problem Behavior
Researchers affiliated with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) study of early child care will report that, in general, day care in the United States is "fair," but not outstanding.
01/21/99   NICHD Network Identifies Most Effective of a Series of Infertility Treatments
Researchers in a large network funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have determined the most effective of a series of common infertility treatments.
01/14/99   Incidence of SIDS Increases During Cold Weather: A Winter Alert to All Caregivers of Infants
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), leader of the Back to Sleep campaign, today is issuing a winter alert, once again, urging parents and caretakers to place babies on their backs to sleep to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
10/21/98   Researchers Identify Risk Factors For Infants Most Likely to be Homicide Victims
An infant's chances of becoming a homicide victim during the first year of life are greatest if he or she is the second or later born child of a teenage mother, according to an analysis of birth and death certificates by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
10/16/98   The Use of Secretin to Treat Autism
Secretin is a polypeptide neurotransmitter (chemical messenger), one of the hormones that controls digestion.
10/08/98   Four Million Dollars Awarded for New Researchers in Women's Health
To help advance research in women‘s reproductive health, twelve centers have been awarded a total of $4 million to support early research careers in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
09/02/98   Researchers Identify Risk Factors For Preeclampsia in Hypertensive Women
Having high blood pressure for at least four years before getting pregnant increases a woman's chances of developing the dangerous condition known as preeclampsia, according to a study published in the September 3 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
07/30/98   New NICHD-Sponsored Pertussis Vaccine Approved
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health today joined North American Vaccine in announcing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given its approval to manufacture and market a new DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) vaccine for use in immunization against these diseases.
07/21/98   SIDS Rate Drops as More Babies are Placed to Sleep on Their Backs or Sides
National efforts to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by placing healthy infants on their backs or sides to sleep appear to have been extremely successful, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reported in the July 22 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
07/15/98   Federal Government Issues Second Annual Report on the Well-Being of the Nation's Children
The federal government issued its second annual report today on the well-being of America's 70 million children, revealing some good news about their overall health and educational achievements.
06/27/98   C-Sections Before Labor and Rupture of Membranes Reduce the Risk of Maternal-Infant HIV Transmission by Half
The largest, most comprehensive analysis of its kind has found pregnant women infected with HIV can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants by about 50 percent if they deliver by elective cesarean section--before they have gone into labor and before their membranes have ruptured, according to a study led by a researcher at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
05/02/98   Gene Therapy Technique May Allow Researchers to Suppress Abnormal Protein in Bone Disorder
Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have taken the first preliminary steps for gene therapy of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a diverse group of disorders caused by various defects in type I collagen, a major component of bone.
04/15/98   Study Questions Common Practice of Steroid Administration to Induce Lung Development in Premature Infants
A new study conducted by researchers in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network suggests that the steroid dexamethasone, which is commonly prescribed to help premature infants get off mechanical ventilators, may have serious side effects.
04/01/98   First Trimester Screening For Down Syndrome Possible, NICHD-Funded Study Finds
The first large scale study of its kind shows that effective screening for Down syndrome is possible before the 14th week of pregnancy--earlier than previous screening regimens have permitted, according to a study appearing in the April 2 New England Journal of Medicine.
03/27/98   New Panel to Assess Readiness of Reading Research For Use In Nation's Classrooms
A new panel unveiled today will study the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children how to read and to report on the best ways to apply these findings in classrooms and at home.
03/02/98   NICHD-Funded Researchers Map Physical Basis of Dyslexia
A Yale research team funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has used sophisticated brain imaging technology to show that there is decreased functioning while performing reading tasks in certain brain regions of individuals with the most common form of dyslexia.
02/26/98   Researchers Discover How Melatonin Production is Switched Off
Researchers have long known that melatonin--a key hormone that regulates the body's circadian clock--rapidly disappears from the blood after exposure to bright light.
02/18/98   New Treatment For Lung Problems in Premature Infants Ineffective, NICHD Study Finds
A new study has demonstrated that a potential new therapy, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), given in combination with the steroid hormone glucocorticoid to mothers who were threatening to deliver a very preterm infant, was no more effective in improving their newborn infants' outcome than glucocorticoid treatment alone.
02/17/98   Vaccination May Control Cholera Outbreaks in African Refugee Camps
Vaccinating against cholera in African refugee camps can save lives, prevent disease, and possibly save costs, according to an economic analysis conducted by a team of researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and other institutions.
02/09/98   Experimental Vaccine Against E/ coli O157 Proven Safe and Effective In Preliminary Trials
Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed an experimental vaccine against Escherichia coli O157, the pathogenic bacterium that causes severe food poisoning and that prompted the recall last year of millions of pounds of ground beef.
01/30/98   Ovarian Disorder Places Women At Risk for Bone Loss
Premature ovarian failure (formerly known as premature menopause), increases a woman's risk of bone loss, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
01/05/98   NICHD-Sponsored Fertility Study Seeks Male Subjects
Fertile men are needed to participate in a large study of male fertility and infertility.
09/09/97   Backgrounder--Questions and Answers about the Adolescent Health Study
This sheet provides answers to common questions about the Adolescent Health Study and additional background about the study.
09/09/97   Response Statement--JAMA Article on Adolescent Health Study
Initial results from the largest, most comprehensive survey of adolescents to date indicate that a feeling of personal connection to home, family, and school is crucial for protecting young people from a vast array of risky behaviors.
09/09/97   The Adolescent Health Study
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) is a survey designed to measure the effects of family, peer group, school, neighborhood, religious institution, and community influences on behaviors that promote good health, such as seat belt use, exercise, and nutrition, as well as on health risks such as tobacco use, sexual activity, sun exposure, and drug and alcohol use.
10/09/96   Reduction in SIDS Rates Helps Bring Low Infant Mortality
Saying that more than 50 percent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) mortality may be preventable if babies are placed to sleep on their sides or backs, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced that deaths due to SIDS fell 30 percent between 1992 and 1995.

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