NICHD - News Releases

All News releases related to Birth Defects

Your search for: All Related News Releases All Years returned the following 62 results:

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.

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.

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.

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.

01/22/08		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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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