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Early pregnancy weight gain contributes to excess fat distribution in fetuses

Fetuses of pregnant people who gained excess weight in the first trimester of pregnancy show signs of excess fat distribution in the upper arm and in the abdomen, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

17 Jan 2025

U.S. launches national plan to tackle Parkinson's disease and related disorders

With support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is leading the implementation of the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson's Act (P.L. 118-66), which was signed into law on July 2, 2024.

17 Jan 2025

Junk food turns public villain as power shifts in Washington

The new Trump administration could be coming for your snacks. For years, the federal government has steered clear of regulating junk food, fast food, and ultra-processed food.

17 Jan 2025

Childhood vaccination rates, a rare health bright spot in struggling states, are slipping

Jen Fisher can do only so much to keep her son safe from the types of infections that children can encounter at school. The rest, she said, is up to other students and parents in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.

16 Jan 2025

UQ and Vaxxas win global prize to accelerate patch-based mRNA vaccine for COVID-19

The University of Queensland's BASE facility – within the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) – and Brisbane-based biotechnology company Vaxxas have been announced as stage winners of a prestigious global prize to accelerate a patch-based mRNA vaccine for COVID-19.

13 Jan 2025

COVID-19 infection linked to increased cases of ME/CFS

New findings from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may be associated with an increase in the number of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) cases.

13 Jan 2025

Health care is Newsom’s biggest unfinished project. Trump complicates that task.

Six years after he entered office vowing to be California's "health care governor," Democrat Gavin Newsom has steered tens of billions in public funding to safety net services for the state's neediest residents while engineering rules to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Californians.

7 Jan 2025

Green space access boosts effectiveness of screen time reduction programs

When children have a place to play outside, programs aimed at reducing their screen time use are more successful, according to a University of Michigan study.

6 Jan 2025

Early results of doxy PEP rollout show mixed impact on STIs

As health care services begin offering doxycycline to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), real-world evidence demonstrates that the postexposure strategy, called doxy PEP, is reducing the rate of syphilis and chlamydia, but has had little to no effect on gonorrhea and needs close monitoring for signals of antibiotic resistance.

6 Jan 2025

Scientists identify novel antibodies for fighting malaria

A novel class of antibodies that binds to a previously untargeted portion of the malaria parasite could lead to new prevention methods, according to a study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published today in Science.

3 Jan 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Francis Collins on supporting NIH and finding common ground

This week, KFF Health News' "What the Health?" presents a conversation with Francis Collins, former National Institutes of Health director and White House science adviser.

2 Jan 2025

Public health experts outline critical steps in handling HPAI H5N1 spread

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) remains a low risk to the general public, and public health experts in the United States believe that available treatments and vaccines, as well as those in development, are sufficient to prevent severe disease.

2 Jan 2025

Brain mapping reveals cell-specific aging patterns

Based on new brain mapping research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), scientists have discovered that not all cell types in the brain age in the same way.

1 Jan 2025

Nonpharmacologic pain intervention provides benefits to people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure

Among people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure, a form of psychological therapy called pain coping skills training reduced how much pain got in the way of their daily lives, also known as pain interference.

30 Dec 2024

Structural brain differences in adolescents may play a role in early initiation of substance use

A study of nearly 10,000 adolescents funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has identified distinct differences in the brain structures of those who used substances before age 15 compared to those who did not.

30 Dec 2024

RSV vaccine acceptance grows amidst rising flu concerns

A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November 2024.

23 Dec 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': End-of-year chaos on Capitol Hill

After weeks of painstaking negotiations, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate agreed to a major year-end package of health bills, including new regulations for drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers, and renewals of programs to combat opioid abuse and prepare for the next possible pandemic.

19 Dec 2024

Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump's choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives.

17 Dec 2024

USC researchers awarded $3.4 million to combat age-related cognitive decline in women

A team of researchers at The Keck School of Medicine of USC have received a $3.4 million federal grant to advance research on an innovative approach to slowing age-related cognitive decline.

14 Dec 2024

Researchers discover key genetic mechanism behind craniofacial development

An international team of researchers has identified a key genetic mechanism that regulates the formation and migration of cranial neural crest cells, which are essential for developing facial structures.

14 Dec 2024

Health and Human Services News and Research

Early pregnancy weight gain contributes to excess fat distribution in fetuses

U.S. launches national plan to tackle Parkinson's disease and related disorders

Junk food turns public villain as power shifts in Washington

Childhood vaccination rates, a rare health bright spot in struggling states, are slipping

UQ and Vaxxas win global prize to accelerate patch-based mRNA vaccine for COVID-19

COVID-19 infection linked to increased cases of ME/CFS

Health care is Newsom’s biggest unfinished project. Trump complicates that task.

Green space access boosts effectiveness of screen time reduction programs

Early results of doxy PEP rollout show mixed impact on STIs

Scientists identify novel antibodies for fighting malaria

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Francis Collins on supporting NIH and finding common ground

Public health experts outline critical steps in handling HPAI H5N1 spread

Brain mapping reveals cell-specific aging patterns

Nonpharmacologic pain intervention provides benefits to people with dialysis-dependent kidney failure

Structural brain differences in adolescents may play a role in early initiation of substance use

RSV vaccine acceptance grows amidst rising flu concerns

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': End-of-year chaos on Capitol Hill

Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’

USC researchers awarded $3.4 million to combat age-related cognitive decline in women

Researchers discover key genetic mechanism behind craniofacial development

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