NICHDevelopments – March 2023 | Association of Population Centers

News

Researchers identify compounds that could lead to an on-demand, short-term contraceptive for men

In a mouse study, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a potential non-hormonal contraceptive that men could take shortly before sexual activity and have fertility restored the next day. Researchers gave male mice a compound that temporarily disables soluble adenylyl cyclase, the enzyme essential for activating a sperm cell’s ability to swim and mature so that it can travel through the female reproductive tract and fertilize an egg.

Preterm infants’ cries may predict later developmental problems

Characteristics of the cries of preterm infants may help predict their risk for long-term developmental and behavioral problems, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings may lead to tools to identify babies at highest risk for such issues, aiding early treatment or prevention efforts.

Showcase highlights from NICHD Division of Intramural Research

Recent advances from NICHD scientists include a mouse study suggesting that it may be possible to delay the nerve damage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, identification of the genes controlling blood lipids in pregnant women of diverse backgrounds, greater understanding of how neurons in the prefrontal cortex control neuronal activity, and insights into how the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease reproduce inside its macrophage host.

High-intensity walking intervals may be better than moderate walking for stroke rehabilitation

A program with intervals of high-intensity walking promotes greater gains in fitness for stroke patients, compared to the currently recommended program of moderate-intensity walking, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study enrolled chronic stroke patients—those at least six months past their stroke—a population considered more difficult to rehabilitate than recent stroke patients.

Uterine fibroids may slightly increase fetal size but not enough to interfere with birth process

Uterine fibroids during pregnancy do not appear to result in undersized newborns, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The finding could help allay concerns from previous studies that fibroids might result in smaller-than-normal infants. In fact, the study found that infants born to mothers with fibroids had slightly larger head, arm, and thigh circumferences, though not to the extent that they would interfere with birth. The researchers also confirmed prior results suggesting a link between fibroids and a higher risk of preterm birth.

Biomarker for Niemann-Pick type C may be useful for diagnosing other class of rare disorders

A biomarker used to detect a rare neurodegenerative disorder of cholesterol metabolism, Niemann-Pick disease type C1, may also be useful for diagnosing another class of rare diseases known as congenital disorders of glycosylation, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Selected Funding Announcements

Requests for Applications, Announcements, and Notices

For links to NICHD funding opportunities, check Active Funding Opportunity Announcements for All NICHD.

NICHD’s Data Sharing Resources

NICHD supports many resources and tools for researchers.

Featured This Month:

NICHD Training: Kids First Elements of Style Workflow Creation Maintenance

This course, developed by Anne Deslattes Mays, Ph.D., the Data and Technology Advancement Scholar within the NICHD Office of Data Science and Sharing (ODSS), teaches researchers how to use, build, reproduce, and repurpose analytical workflows regardless of the computational environment. It explains the use of cloud platforms and workflows and orients users to approaching the activities in a modular, testable fashion. Although the training highlights the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program Data Resource, it teaches fundamental principles that enable researchers to ask scientific questions about a variety of data types and datasets. The course and materials are publicly available through GitHub for on-demand, self-paced training. ODSS will post materials from other data-focused efforts on the GitHub repository over time, so revisit the site frequently for more information.

For information on other resources, visit NICHD’s Datasets & Research Resources.

NIH’s Office of Extramural Research News

Subscribe to NIH Office of Extramural Research Updates.

NICHD Meetings, Conferences, and Events

For a full listing of previous and upcoming meetings and events, visit Scientific Meetings and Events.

NICHDevelopments – March 2023