News
A treatment to move blood from the umbilical cord into the body of newborns who are limp, pale and with minimal breathing does not appear to increase the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment, according to a study funded by NICHD. Researchers compared the treatment, known as umbilical cord milking, to early clamping and cutting of the cord—undertaken so resuscitation efforts can begin as soon as possible.
NICHD announces funding for two fibroid research centers
NICHD has awarded funds for two new Specialized Centers for Research on Health Disparities in Uterine Leiomyoma, representing a $15 million investment to advance studies of uterine fibroids. The NIH Office of Women’s Health Research also contributed funding.
NIH funds additional Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence
NIH has awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence. Launched last year as part of NIH’s IMPROVE initiative, the Centers of Excellence develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity.
Maternal age linked to changes in offspring DNA methylation
Children born to older mothers have changes in their DNA methylation, according to an analysis by NICHD researchers. The changes involve the presence or absence of tags on DNA called methyl groups. The findings, which need to be confirmed by future studies, may provide a potential explanation for the slightly higher risk of certain health conditions observed in children born to older parents.
Juice consumption before 6 months may increase cardiac risks during middle childhood
Children who began drinking fruit juice before age 6 months were more likely than children introduced to fruit juice after age 12 months to have higher blood pressure and other signs of cardiac risk at ages 8 to 10 years old, suggests a study by researchers at NIH and other institutions.
Youth with HIV may have shorter lifespans than youth without HIV
At age 18, youth with HIV may have a shorter lifespan compared to youth without HIV, suggests a simulation by researchers funded by NIH. Estimates ranged from roughly 10 to 20 lost years depending on sex assigned at birth, whether HIV was present at birth or acquired later, and whether youth received ideal HIV care.
Youth with mood disorders less likely to get driver’s license
Youth with mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, were 30% less likely to obtain a driver’s license than other youth, suggests a study funded by NICHD. Moreover, youth with mood disorders who obtained licenses had a higher risk of crashing than other youth. The authors concluded that research is needed to develop interventions to help these youth overcome barriers to obtaining a license and to help them become safe drivers.
NIH selects new service provider for DS-Connect®: The Down Syndrome Registry
NIH has awarded $1.4 million in first-year funding to the University of Colorado Denver to manage and improve DS-Connect®: The Down Syndrome Registry. Launched by NICHD in 2013, DS-Connect® is an online registry that enables the Down syndrome community to connect with researchers, learn about clinical studies, and complete surveys to improve understanding of their health, especially as they age.
Selected Funding Opportunities
Requests for Applications, Program Announcements
- Notice of Special Interest: Women’s Health Research (NOT-OD-24-079)
- Request for Information on the National Institutes of Health Draft Public Access Policy
- Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 Clinical Trial Required) (PAR-24-214)
- Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Promoting Data Reuse for Health Research (NOT-OD-24-096)
- Notice of Informational Webinar for PAR-23-144, STrengthening Research Opportunities for NIH Grants (STRONG): Structured Institutional Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development for Resource Limited Institutions (RLIs) (UC2 – Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (NOT-MD-24-011)
For links to NICHD funding opportunities, check Active Funding Opportunities and Notices for NICHD.
NICHD’s Data Sharing Resources
NICHD supports many resources and tools for researchers. Featured This Month:
- Implementing Interoperability in the NIH and NICHD Data Ecosystems
Interoperability is now possible between Cavatica, a cloud-based workspace for collaborative, large-scale data analysis, and the Sequence Read Archive (SRA), which is connected to the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP), a primary repository for NICHD managed by NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). This integration means that approved researchers can log into Cavatica and combine and co-analyze genomic data shared through the SRA with data from other repositories, such as the Kids First Data Resource and the INCLUDE Data Hub.
For information on other resources, visit NICHD’s Datasets & Research Resources.
NIH’s Office of Extramural Research News
- Making Advanced Research Computing More Accessible With NIH Cloud Lab
- Marking a Milestone: The Modernized ClinicalTrials.gov Becomes the Singular Website Experience
- Continued Support for Early Stage Investigators in FY 2023