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Panel finds hydroxyurea treatment is underutilized for sickle cell disease
2/29/2008
An independent panel convened this week by the NIH concluded
that the use of hydroxyurea for sickle cell patients should
be increased in adolescents and adults. Hydroxyurea
was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for
use in adults with sickle cell anemia in 1998, but provider
and patient concerns have hindered its use, depriving many
patients of its proven benefits.
High Blood Cholesterol Newest Offering on NIHSeniorHealth Website
2/29/2008
Many older adults have their blood cholesterol level checked regularly. Now, easy-to-understand information about why this test is so important to heart health and what the results mean is available on NIHSeniorHealth, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Web site designed especially for seniors.
Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression More Likely to Get Better with Switch to Combination Therapy
2/27/2008
Teens with difficult-to-treat depression who do not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more
likely to get well if they switch to another antidepressant medication
and add psychotherapy rather than just switching to another antidepressant,
according to a large, multi-site trial funded by the National Institutes
of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The
results of the Treatment of SSRI-resistant Depression in Adolescents
(TORDIA) trial were published February 27, 2008, in the 'Journal
of the American Medical Association' (JAMA).
Brain Stress System Presents Possible Treatment Target for Alcohol Dependence
2/27/2008
A brain circuit that underlies feelings of stress and anxiety shows promise as a new therapeutic target for alcoholism, according to new studies by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NCMHD Announces HIV/AIDS Expert as New Senior Policy Advisor
2/27/2008
Idalia Ramos Sanchez, a longtime fighter for health equity
especially as it relates to HIV/AIDS, has been appointed senior
policy advisor at the National Center on Minority Health and
Health Disparities (NCMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
She will serve as the primary legislative liaison within the
Division of Scientific Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis
(DSSPPA). DSSPPA is the coordination arm for the development
of NCMHD's strategic plan and responsible for assessing and
highlighting NIH's overall effort to eliminate health disparities.
Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans
2/26/2008
Rates of cognitive impairment among older Americans are on the
decline, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) comparing the cognitive health of older people
in 1993 and 2002. Higher levels of education were associated with
better cognitive health.
Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT): Lucentis - Avastin Trial
2/26/2008
The National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) announces the start of a multicenter clinical trial
to compare the relative safety and effectiveness of two drugs currently
used to treat advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The two drugs are Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab).
Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT): Lucentis -- Avastin Trial
2/23/2008
The National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) announces the start of a multicenter clinical trial
to compare the relative safety and effectiveness of two drugs currently
used to treat advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The two drugs are Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab).
Genetic Tags Reveal Secrets of Memories' Staying
Power in Mice
2/22/2008
A better understanding of how memory works is emerging from a
newfound ability to link a learning experience in a mouse to consequent
changes in the inner workings of its neurons. Researchers, supported
in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), have developed a way to pinpoint the specific
cellular components that sustain a specific memory in genetically-engineered
mice.
Smoking's Effects on Genes May Play a Role in Lung Cancer Development and Survival
2/21/2008
Smoking plays a role in lung cancer development, and now scientists
have shown that smoking also affects the way genes are expressed,
leading to alterations in cell division and regulation of immune
response. Notably, some of the changes in gene expression persisted
in people who had quit smoking many years earlier. These findings
by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of
the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the Feb. 20, 2008,
issue of 'PLoS ONE'.
NIH to Hold Consensus Development Conference on Hydroxyurea Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease, February 25 – 27
2/20/2008
Experts will describe the available evidence
on hydroxyurea treatment for sickle cell disease, including
efficacy, effectiveness, harms, barriers to treatment,
and future research needs. Following a series of scientific
presentations and open public discussions, an impartial,
independent panel will issue a statement of its findings
on the final day of the conference, and will hold a press
conference at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27. Convened
by the Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR)
and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
of the NIH, this conference is free and open to the public
and the media.
Stress Hormone Impacts Memory, Learning in Diabetic Rodents
2/20/2008
Diabetes is known to impair the cognitive health of people, but
now scientists have identified one potential mechanism underlying
these learning and memory problems. A new National Institutes
of Health (NIH) study in diabetic rodents finds that increased
levels of a stress hormone produced by the adrenal gland disrupt
the healthy functioning of the hippocampus, the region of the brain
responsible for learning and short-term memory.
Scientists Find Antibody that Can Potently Neutralize Two Viruses
2/16/2008
In laboratory experiments, scientists at the National Cancer Institute
(NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their
colleagues supported by the NIH National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Disease (NIAID), have discovered an antibody that neutralizes
two viruses classified as henipaviruses.
Novel Approach Strips Staph of Virulence
2/15/2008
An international team of researchers supported by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked staph infections in mice
using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering
agent.
NIH Collaborates with EPA to Improve the Safety Testing of Chemicals
2/15/2008
Testing the safety of chemicals ranging from pesticides to household
cleaners will benefit from new technologies and a plan for collaboration,
according to federal scientists from the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
who today announced a new toxicity testing agreement.
News Advisory: NIDCD-Supported Research on Stem Cells and Hearing Loss, Music through the Cochlear Implant and a Virtual Grocery Store for People with Balance Disorders Featured at ARO Conference in Phoenix
2/14/2008
Current research supported by the National
Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD),
one of the National Institutes of Health, will be featured
at the 2008 Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research
in Otolaryngology (ARO).
NIAID Scientists Identify New Cellular Receptor for HIV
2/12/2008
A cellular protein that helps guide immune cells to the gut has
been newly identified as a target of HIV when the virus begins
its assault on the body's immune system, according to researchers
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Gene Variant Predicts Medication Response in Patients with Alcohol Dependence
2/8/2008
Patients with a certain gene variant drank less and experienced
better overall clinical outcomes than patients without the
variant while taking the medication naltrexone, according
to an analysis of participants in the National Institutes
of Health's 2001-2004 COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies
and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence) Study.
NIH Scientists Detect Fatal Copper Disorder at Birth
2/8/2008
A test developed by NIH scientists could greatly extend the survival
of infants with Menkes disease, a rare, otherwise fatal disorder
of copper metabolism. The scientists devised a test to diagnose
the condition early, when the chances for successful treatment
are greatest.
For Safety, NHLBI Changes Intensive Blood Sugar Treatment Strategy in Clinical Trial of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
2/7/2008
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National
Institutes of Health has stopped one treatment within a large,
ongoing North American clinical trial of diabetes and cardiovascular
disease 18 months early due to safety concerns after review of
available data, although the study will continue.
Plan Expedites Alternatives to Animal Testing
2/6/2008
A new plan to further reduce, refine and replace the use of animals
in research and regulatory testing commonly referred to as the 3Rs was
unveiled today at a symposium marking the 10-year anniversary of
the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative
Methods (ICCVAM). ICCVAM is a permanent interagency committee
composed of representatives from 15 federal regulatory and research
agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
that use, generate or disseminate toxicological information.
Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day, February 7, 2008
2/6/2008
The grossly disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on African Americans
is a public health crisis that we at the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and as a nation must address boldly. Nearly 27 years
into the AIDS epidemic, approximately half of the new HIV infections
that occur each year in the United States are among African Americans,
even though they represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population.
Researchers Discover New Battleground for Viruses and Immune Cells
2/5/2008
An improved understanding of how the immune system operates
during a viral infection is critical to designing successful anti-virus
vaccines. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), have added an important dimension to this knowledge.
Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress
2/5/2008
Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress
tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing
depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Carl Dieffenbach Appointed Director of the NIAID Division of AIDS
2/2/2008
Carl W. Dieffenbach, Ph.D., has been appointed Director of the
Division of AIDS (DAIDS) of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes
of Health.
Heart Disease Deaths Continue to Decline in American Women
2/2/2008
Heart disease deaths in American women continued
to decline in 2005, and for the first time, have declined six years
consecutively, covering the years 2000-2005, according to newly
analyzed data announced today by the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.
NCCAM’s Advisory Council Welcomes Six New Members
2/2/2008
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM) welcomes six new members to the National Advisory Council
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NACCAM). The Council
serves as the principal advisory body to NCCAM, the lead Federal
agency for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research
and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Researchers Find Biological Factors that May Drive Prostate Tumor Aggressiveness in African-American Men
2/2/2008
Researchers analyzing prostate tumors have identified differences
in gene expression (the degree to which individual genes are turned
on or off) between African-American and European-American men that
show the existence of distinct tumor microenvironments (the area
that includes the tumor and the surrounding non-cancerous tissue)
in these two patient groups. These findings by researchers at the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institute
of Health, appeared online February 1, 2008, in 'Cancer Research'
Five Named to NIAID Advisory Council
2/2/2008
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) yesterday announced the appointment of five new members to the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council, its principal advisory body. NIAID is part of National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
NIH Director Welcomes Five New Members to the Advisory Committee to the Director
2/1/2008
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the selection
of five individuals to serve as members of the Advisory Committee
to the Director (ACD). Since 1966, the ACD has advised the NIH
Director on policy and planning issues important to the NIH mission
of conducting and supporting biomedical and behavioral research,
research training, and translating research results for the public.
NCMHD Announces Physician And Policy Maker As New Director Of Office Of Innovation And Program Coordination
2/1/2008
Dr. Kyu Rhee, a primary care physician and member of the Institute
of Medicine (IOM) committee that assessed the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) plan to eliminate health disparities, has been
named director of the Office of Innovation and Program Coordination
(OIPC) at the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
(NCMHD) at the NIH.
Study Shows Variety of Approaches Help Children Overcome Auditory Processing and Language Problems
2/1/2008
For children who struggle to learn language, the choice between
various interventions may matter less than the intensity and format
of the intervention, a new study sponsored by the National Institute
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) suggests.
The study, led by Ronald B. Gillam, Ph.D., of Utah State University
is online in the February 2008 'Journal of Speech, Language,
and Hearing Research.' NIDCD is one of the National Institutes
of Health.
Distinguished Scientists Appointed to National Advisory Council on Aging
2/1/2008
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt
announced the appointment of three new members to the National
Advisory Council on Aging (NACA). The group advises the National
Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the department's National Institutes
of Health (NIH), on the conduct and support of biomedical, social,
and behavioral research on the diseases and conditions associated
with aging.
Does the Desire for Drugs Begin Outside Awareness?
2/1/2008
Using a brain imaging technology called functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI), scientists have discovered that cocaine-related
images trigger the emotional centers of the brains of patients
addicted to drugs -- even when the subjects are unaware they've
seen anything. The study, published Jan. 30 in the journal 'PLoS
One', was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),
part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).