As we ring in 2024, we’d like to take a brief look back on our accomplishments during 2023. These activities illustrate the institute’s continued commitment to research and training in its mission areas.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Science Update: Maternal depression may age the placenta prematurely, NIH study suggests
Depression in early and mid-pregnancy seems to age the placenta more rapidly than not experiencing depression during pregnancy. Premature placental aging could account for higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, blood pressure disorders, diabetes, and other complications linked to depression in pregnancy, underscoring the need to diagnose and treat depression in pregnant people.
Science Update: New method could replace conventional invasive procedures for prenatal testing, NIH-funded study suggests
Researchers developed a new method of evaluating blood from pregnant people to identify anomalies in the genes of fetuses. The new approach is more sensitive than current tests, which screen only for chromosome-level variants, such as an extra chromosome, and a small number of fetal genetic variants. It is also less invasive than current methods, which often involve inserting a needle into the uterus to retrieve fetal cells for analysis.
Director's Corner: Advancing Endometriosis Research
Endometriosis affects an estimated 10% of women, can cause severe pain and infertility, and typically has long delays in diagnosis. NICHD is accelerating efforts to definitively diagnose, prevent, and treat this chronic disease.
Science Update: Pain experienced during newborn intensive care could influence preterm infants’ neurodevelopment, suggests NIH-funded study
Preterm infants who underwent several painful medical procedures in early life may be at high risk for autism spectrum disorders and lower motor and language scores at 18 months of age, suggesting that repeated exposure to pain may affect early brain development. The findings underscore the need to develop more effective pain management procedures for preterm infants.
Spotlight: Reflecting on Recent Progress in HIV Research
For the 35th observance of World AIDS Day, NICHD reflects on recent progress in HIV/AIDS research to optimize outcomes for infants and children, tailor care for adolescents and young adults, promote reproductive health, and support pregnancy and parenthood.
Spotlight: Scientific Advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Science Update: Antibody treatment for cytomegalovirus appears to offer no benefit, suggests NIH-funded study
Two-year-old children showed no benefits from their mothers receiving antibodies that target cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy compared to those whose mothers received a placebo. Findings from this follow-up study were similar to the original, which also found no differences. Full effects of CMV infection during pregnancy may not appear until a child is two years old.
Science Update: Questionnaire may detect childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder, NIH-funded study suggests
An early study suggests that a questionnaire can detect posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth with high probability. If large-scale studies verify its effectiveness, the questionnaire could provide a rapid and efficient method for postnatal PTSD screening, allowing timely referral for a thorough assessment and treatment.
Item of Interest: NICHD and CDC Partner on Healthy Native Babies Project
This collaboration will promote safe infant sleep with and within American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no link between preconception COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage risk
Among more than 1,800 women planning a pregnancy, those who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before getting pregnant were no more likely to miscarry than those who were unvaccinated. The study also found no increased miscarriage risk among roughly 1,500 couples in which the male partner was vaccinated before trying to conceive.
Media Advisory: Umbilical cord milking appears to be safe in preterm infants born after 28 weeks
A treatment that moves blood from the umbilical cord into an infant’s body may provide a safe option for preterm infants born after 28 weeks who need rapid support, according to a study supported by NIH. Umbilical cord “milking”— gently squeezing the cord between the thumb and forefinger and pushing the blood into the newborn’s body—did not increase the risk of bleeding inside the brain for preterm infants born after 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Science Update: NICHD researchers develop model for how energy-producing mitochondria obtain magnesium
Researchers at NIH have developed a model of how mitochondria—the energy producers in cells—obtain the essential mineral magnesium through the Mitochondrial RNA Splicing 2 (MRS2) channel.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop ultrasound library of placental development
For the first time, researchers were able to track development of the human placenta from the merging of placental cells with blood vessels in the uterus to a fully formed organ using new ultrasound technology that visualizes and measures blood flow through extremely small blood vessels. The images and data provide a reference for typical placental development to help with comparison studies, tracking, identification of placental disorders, and other complications.
Science Update: Virtual driving test scores can identify new drivers at higher crash risk, NIH-funded study suggests
A virtual skill-based driving test can identify new drivers who are at higher-than-average risk for a crash within one year after they receive their licenses. The authors concluded that test assessments could inform development of interventions that would reduce crash risk in less skillful new drivers.
Director's Corner: Reducing Ableism in Medicine and Research
Ableism—discrimination and social prejudice against those who are disabled—is a major contributor to the health disparities experienced by people with disabilities. Within NIH, NICHD has been at the forefront of efforts to address ableism in medicine and scientific research.
Science Update: Maternal microbiome promotes placental development in mice, NIH-funded study suggests
Bacteria in the maternal digestive tract appear to stimulate blood vessel development of the placenta, suggests a mouse study. Studying the relationship between the mother’s microbiome and placental development may yield important insights into fetal and maternal health.
Media Advisory: New smartphone app quickly analyzes human motion to aid physical rehabilitation
Researchers have developed a smart phone app that can track and analyze human locomotion—the ability to move from one place to another—and other types of movements. They suggest that using the app costs only 1% of conventional motion analysis techniques and works 25 times faster.
Science Update: Generic daily HIV prevention pill for young men who have sex with men could save lives, lower costs, NIH-funded study suggests
Compared to annual HIV screening alone, generic daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with HIV screening every three months would result in fewer HIV acquisitions, longer life expectancy, and fewer HIV-associated costs among young men who have sex with men in the United States.
Science Update: Scanning technique may help assess health of preterm infants after blood transfusion, NIH-funded study suggests
A technique using near-infrared light to detect blood oxygen levels in the brain and abdomen may have potential for monitoring the health of preterm infants needing or given a blood transfusion.