Intervention for First-Time Moms and Their Infants Improves Child Weight
An intervention designed to help first-time mothers effectively respond to their infant’s cues for hunger, sleep, feeding and other infant behaviors significantly improved the body mass index (BMI) z-scores of the child through age 3 years compared with the control group.
NIH Researchers Discover Highly Infectious Vehicle for Transmission of Viruses
Researchers have found that a group of viruses that cause severe stomach illness—including the one famous for widespread outbreaks on cruise ships—get transmitted to humans through membrane-cloaked “virus clusters” that exacerbate the spread and severity of disease.
Notification of Patient Overdose Deaths Reduces Clinician Opioid Prescriptions
Clinicians were more likely to reduce the number and dose of opioid drugs they prescribed after learning that one of their patients had died from an overdose from a controlled substance than those not notified, according to a recent study appearing in the Aug. 10 issue of Science.
No Link Found Between Brain Injury and IV Fluid Treatment of Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Giving children intravenous (IV) fluids to treat diabetic ketoacidosis—an emergency complication of untreated diabetes—does not appear to worsen the brain swelling that may accompany the condition, according to a study supported by NICHD.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis Due to Missing Protein?
Scientists have discovered that the absence of a specific protein in cells lining the esophagus may cause inflammation and tissue damage in people with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
High Thyroid Hormone Level in Early Pregnancy Linked to Gestational Diabetes
Women in early pregnancy who have high levels of a certain thyroid hormone may be at greater risk for gestational diabetes, compared to women who have normal levels of the hormone, according to researchers at NICHD.
Researchers Find Link Between Allergen in Red Meat, Heart Disease
A team of researchers says it has linked sensitivity to an allergen in red meat to the buildup of plaque in the arteries of the heart.
Next-Generation ALS Drug Silences Inherited Form of the Disease in Animal Models
NIH-funded researchers delayed signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in rodents by injecting them with a second-generation drug designed to silence the gene superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1).
Tickborne Diseases Likely to Increase
The incidence of tickborne infections in the United States has risen significantly within the past decade.