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Researchers Identify Novel Molecular Pattern Linked to Colon Cancer Prognosis
1/30/2008
An international research team has identified a link between the
expression patterns of a class of molecules called microRNAs and
how a patient's colon cancer may progress. These data, the first
to make such a link, may lead to a new tool for clinicians to help
them assess a colon cancer patient's prognosis and decide on appropriate
treatment, while potentially providing a new target for the development
of colon cancer therapies. The findings, by scientists at the National
Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), Ohio State University, and the University of Hong Kong,
China, were published in the January 30, 2008, issue of the 'Journal
of the American Medical Association'
Thin Bones Seen In Boys with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder
1/30/2008
Results of an early study suggest that dairy-free diets and unconventional
food preferences could put boys with autism and autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) at higher than normal risk for thinner, less dense
bones when compared to a group of boys the same age who do not
have autism. The study, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health
and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, was published
online in the 'Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders'
Diuretics Most Effective Blood Pressure Medication for People with Metabolic Syndrome
1/29/2008
The latest findings from the 'Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering
Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial' or ALLHAT, sponsored
by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the
National Institutes of Health, are published in the January 28
issue of 'Archives of Internal Medicine'
NIDDK Welcomes Four New Members to Advisory Council
1/29/2008
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt appointed four
new members to the Advisory Council of the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the institute
announced today. NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Statement of Dr. Paul A. Sieving on the Passing of Dr. Muriel Isolde Kaiser-Kupfer
1/26/2008
As director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the National
Institutes of Health, I am sad to report that Muriel Isolde Kaiser-Kupfer,
M.D., researcher in genetic eye diseases and chief of NEI's Ophthalmic
Genetics and Visual Function Branch until her retirement in 2004,
passed away January 9, 2008 after a lengthy illness.
NIGMS Strategic Plan Reinforces Commitment to Investigator-Initiated Research
1/26/2008
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today issued 'Investing
in Discovery', a strategic plan that will guide the Institute's
decision-making over the next 5 years.
Josephine Briggs, M.D., Named Director of NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
1/25/2008
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director, Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., has named Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., to be the director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
NIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan
1/23/2008
The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan
to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development
of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic
cause of mild to moderate mental retardation and associated medical
problems.
NIH Announces New Initiative in Epigenomics
1/23/2008
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will invest more than
$190 million over the next five years to accelerate an emerging
field of biomedical research known as epigenomics.
International Consortium Announces the 1000 Genomes Project
1/23/2008
An international research consortium today announced the 1000
Genomes Project, an ambitious effort that will involve sequencing
the genomes of at least 1,000 people from around the world to create
the most detailed and medically useful picture to date of human
genetic variation. The project will receive major support from
the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England, the Beijing
Genomics Institute, Shenzhen (BGI Shenzhen) in China and the National
Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH).
Studies Highlight MRSA Evolution and Resilience
1/23/2008
Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are caused primarily by a single
strain -- USA300 -- of an evolving bacterium that has
spread with 'extraordinary transmissibility' throughout
the United States during the past five years, according to a
new study led by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists.
Researchers Uncover New Piece to the Puzzle of Human Height
1/15/2008
In studies involving more than 35,000 people and a survey across
the entire human genome, an international team supported in part
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found evidence that
common genetic variants recently linked to osteoarthritis may also
play a minor role in human height.
International Effort Finds New Genetic Variants Associated with Lipid Levels, Risk for Coronary Artery Disease
1/15/2008
Now,
in an international collaboration supported primarily by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), scientists have discovered more than
25 genetic variants in 18 genes connected to cholesterol and lipid
levels.
Autism Risk Higher in People with Gene Variant
1/11/2008
Scientists have found a variation in a gene that may raise the
risk of developing autism, especially when the variant is inherited
from mothers rather than fathers. The research was funded by the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National
Institutes of Health.
NIAID Experts See Dengue as Potential Threat to U.S. Public Health
1/9/2008
A disease most Americans have never heard of could soon become
more prevalent if dengue, a flu-like illness that can turn deadly,
continues to expand into temperate climates and increase in severity,
according to a new commentary by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
part of the National Institutes of Health, and David M. Morens,
M.D., Fauci's senior scientific advisor.
News Advisory: Reporters and Editors are Invited to Apply for 2008 'Medicine in the Media' Course
1/9/2008
Now in its seventh year, the National Institutes of Health
is pleased to present a free annual training opportunity to help
develop journalists' ability to critically evaluate and report
on medical research.
Scientists Can Predict Psychotic Illness in up to 80 Percent of High-Risk Youth
1/9/2008
Youth who are going to develop psychosis can be identified before
their illness becomes full-blown 35 percent of the time if they
meet widely accepted criteria for risk, but that figure rises to
65 to 80 percent if they have certain combinations of risk factors,
the largest study of its kind has shown. Knowing what these
combinations are can help scientists predict who is likely to develop
the illnesses within two to three years with the same accuracy
that other kinds of risk factors can predict major medical diseases,
such as diabetes. The research was conducted in youth with a median age of 16 and
was funded primarily by the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers Uncover an Error in Immature Brain Cells in Lab and Animal Studies that May Promote the Growth of Some Brain Tumors
1/9/2008
In experiments done in lab and animal studies, a breakdown in
proper cell development has been shown to cause brain-specific
stem cells to become starter seeds for aggressive brain tumors
called glioblastoma multiforme, according to research from a team
of researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National
Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS), parts of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Top Malaria Experts Publish Groundbreaking Research to Aid Malaria Eradication Efforts
1/9/2008
Leading research scientists, physicians, and public health specialists
from around the world have published new insights into the international
burden of malaria and how the global community can best combat
the disease, it was announced today by malaria experts at the Fogarty
International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers Discover New Biomarker for Predicting Liver Cancer Spread and Survival
1/9/2008
New research has shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small
RNA molecules that regulate gene activity, can accurately predict
whether liver cancer will spread and whether liver cancer patients
will have shorter or longer survival, even patients with early
stage disease. The study, which appeared online January 7,
2008 in 'Hepatology', was conducted by researchers at the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes
of Health, and colleagues at Ohio State University, Columbus, and
the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai, China.
Mayo Clinic, BIG and NCI Host Science Writers’ Seminar on International Breast Cancer Trials
1/9/2008
Two potent and targeted therapies
for treatment of a subtype of breast cancer will be tested
with participation of thousands of women across several continents,
providing a model for international collaboration that furthers
cancer care.
Study of Sugars on Cell Surface Identifies Key Factor in Flu Infection
1/9/2008
Scientists have identified a key factor that determines the ability
of influenza viruses to infect cells of the human upper respiratory
tract -- a necessary step for sustaining spread between people.
The research, described in the January 6 online edition of 'Nature
Biotechnology' and funded by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), offers new insights into how the H5N1 avian flu virus currently
circulating in birds would have to change in order to gain a foothold
in human populations.
Information on 'Participating in Clinical Trials' Now Available on NIHSeniorHealth.gov
1/9/2008
What is a clinical trial and how does it work? What are the benefits
and the risks? If you are an older adult, should you consider participating
in a clinical trial? These and many other questions are addressed
in 'Participating in Clinical Trials', a new topic just
added to NIHSeniorHealth (www.nihseniorhealth.gov),
a Web site developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), both components of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Information on Participating in Clinical Trials Now Available on NIHSeniorHealth.gov
1/5/2008
What is a clinical trial and how does it work? What are the benefits
and the risks? If you are an older adult, should you consider participating
in a clinical trial? These and many other questions are addressed
in Participating in Clinical Trials, a new topic just
added to NIHSeniorHealth (www.nihseniorhealth.gov),
a Web site developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), both components of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH).