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Fenoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, successfully alleviated pain and inflammation in a rodent model of endometriosis, according to a study funded by NICHD. The study team chose the drug after using a computer algorithm to evaluate nearly 1,300 existing compounds for their ability to reverse gene expression related to endometriosis disease. |
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A report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes recommendations to improve the safe and ethical inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in clinical research while reducing the risk of liability—the legal responsibility for causing harm. NICHD funded the committee to examine the real and perceived risks of liability arising from research conducted with these populations. |
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It may be better for preterm infants to wait for hernia surgery until after they have been discharged from the newborn intensive care unit, suggests a study funded by NICHD. Infants who underwent surgery for inguinal hernia after discharge had fewer adverse events than those who had surgery while still in the hospital. The finding offers guidance on the safest timing of an essential procedure for a class of fragile infants. |
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Irregular sleep and late bedtimes are linked to worse grades and more school-related behavioral problems among teens, suggests a study funded by NICHD. The authors stated that interventions to promote regular sleep schedules may boost adolescents’ academic performance. |
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Research funded by NICHD’s Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act program has led to infant use and dosing updates to the label of the antifungal drug fluconazole. Fluconazole, which is available in both oral and injectable form, is prescribed to prevent and treat various fungal infections, including candidiasis in infants. |
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Children experiencing higher social anxiety may be at greater risk for overeating and weight gain after being socially excluded by their peers, suggests a study from NICHD and other institutions. The researchers found that children who experienced a high stress level after completing an online task that simulates being ostracized and who also reported higher social anxiety were more likely to snack heavily after the simulation and gain weight over the next year and a half. |
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Patients with uterine fibroids who scored high on stress questionnaires also had high levels of certain microRNAs in their uterine muscle tissue, suggests a preliminary study funded by NIH. Unlike RNA, which codes for proteins, microRNA regulates gene activity. The microRNAs the authors detected are known to be active in the formation of certain tumors. The findings add to previous studies linking stress to the development and severity of fibroids and suggest that the stress of structural racism and other issues may explain, at least in part, why African American women are more likely to develop fibroids than other groups. |
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A study funded by NICHD suggests that the relatives of men with no or a very low sperm count may be at higher risk for cancers of the bones, joints, colon, uterus, thyroid, and testes. The findings may lead to new insights into the environmental and genetic risk factors for certain cancers and to new ways of identifying people at risk for them. |
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Developing a genetic atlas of embryonic zebrafish genes to aid in studies of early development, uncovering a link between maternal depression and accelerated placental aging, and identifying gene combinations leading to the virulence of disease-causing bacteria are among the recent advances of NICHD’s intramural researchers |
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