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Researchers Identify Alcoholism Subtypes - June 28, 2007
6/28/2007
Analyses of a national sample of individuals with alcohol dependence (alcoholism) reveal five distinct subtypes of the disease, according to a new study by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Protein Plays Crucial Role in Repairing Genetic Damage that Can Lead to Lymphomas in Mice - June 28, 2007
6/28/2007
Researchers have discovered that a protein called ATM kinase, which plays a crucial role in repairing double-strand breaks in DNA, also helps prevent cells with this type of DNA damage from dividing, thereby blocking the passage of persistent DNA damage on to daughter cells. Persistent DNA damage can lead to the development of cancer. These results, from a study conducted in mice by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and others appeared online June 28, 2007 in the journal Cell and will be published in the July 13, 2007 issue of the journal.
Scientists Identify a Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell More Like Our Own - June 28, 2007
6/28/2007
Scientists have discovered a new type of mouse embryonic stem cell that is the closest counterpart yet to human embryonic stem (ES) cells, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today. The cells are expected to serve as an improved model for human ES cells in studies of regeneration, disease pathology and basic stem cell biology.
Study Shows Surgery Is More Effective Than Other Treatments for Common Back Problem - June 28, 2007
6/28/2007
When it comes to low back pain, physicians generally advise exhausting nonsurgical options before resorting to surgery. But a new study shows that for degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis, surgery provides significantly better results than nonsurgical alternatives. The study, published in the May 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is the second in a series reporting findings of the Spine Patients Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), a five-year, multicenter study supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health.
Scientists Discover Role of Enzyme in DNA Repair - June 27, 2007
6/27/2007
Scientists from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and Integrative Bioinformatics Inc. have made an important discovery about the role of an enzyme called ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM) in the body’s ability to repair damaged DNA. NIAMS and NCI are part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NIH Awards Nearly $5 Million to Fund Knockout Mouse Repository - June 26, 2007
6/27/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today it will provide $4.8 million to establish and support a repository for its Knockout Mouse Project. This award is the final component of a more than $50 million trans-NIH initiative to increase the availability of genetically altered mice and related materials.
A Brief Skill-Building Program Can Reduce STD or HIV Risk among Inner-City African American Women - June 26, 2007
6/26/2007
A brief skill-building program on practices to reduce exposure to sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV improved the self-reported protective behaviors of inner-city black women for up to one year and actually decreased their risk of acquiring an STD, according to a study appearing in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The women received the program from specially trained nurses either individually or in small group sessions at an inner-city women’s health clinic. The study was conducted as part of the “Sister to Sister: The Black Women’s Health Project,” funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Gene Variant Increases Risk for Alcoholism Following Childhood Abuse - June 26, 2007
6/26/2007
Girls who suffered childhood sexual abuse are more likely to develop alcoholism later in life if they possess a particular variant of a gene involved in the body’s response to stress, according to a new study led by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new finding could help explain why some individuals are more resilient to profound childhood trauma than others.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Eyes Against Retinopathy, Study Finds - June 24, 2007
6/25/2007
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against the development and progression of retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina, in mice. This is the major finding of a study that appears in the July 2007 issue of the journal Nature Medicine. The study was a collaborative effort by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Goteborg in Sweden, and the National Eye Institute (NEI) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Boys with Autism, Related Disorders, Have High Levels of Growth Hormones - June 22, 2007
6/22/2007
Boys with autism and autism spectrum disorder had higher levels of hormones involved with growth in comparison to boys who do not have autism, reported researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.
Papers of Medical Philanthropist and NIH Benefactor Mary Lasker Added to the National Library of Medicine’s Profiles in Science Web Site - June 21, 2007
6/21/2007
The National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health, announces the release of an extensive selection from the papers of Mary Lasker (1899–1994), a noted patron of science, medical research advocate, and health promoter, on the Library’s Profiles in Science Web site.
NCCAM Welcomes Six New Members to Its National Advisory Council - June 21, 2007
6/21/2007
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, a component of the National Institutes of Health within the Department of Health and Human Services.
WHI Study of Younger Postmenopausal Women Links Estrogen Therapy to Less Plaque in Arteries - June 20, 2007
6/21/2007
New results from a substudy of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen-Alone Trial show that younger postmenopausal women who take estrogen-alone hormone therapy have significantly less buildup of calcium plaque in their arteries compared to their peers who did not take hormone therapy. Coronary artery calcium is considered a marker for future risk of coronary artery disease.
Researchers Discover Gene For Rare Skin Disorder - June 20, 2007
6/20/2007
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have identified the gene that accounts for most cases of Goltz syndrome, a rare skin disorder that can also affect bone and eye development.
National Toxicology Program Gets New Associate Director- June 15, 2007
6/15/2007
John Bucher, Ph.D., will serve as the new associate director of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and will begin managing the day-to-day operations of the program on June 18. The NTP is an interagency program with the mission to coordinate, conduct and communicate toxicological research across the U.S. government.
NIDA Study Suggests Crystal Methamphetamine Use in Young Adults Higher than Previously Reported - June 15, 2007
6/15/2007
Crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the United States is considerably higher than previous surveys indicate, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published in the July issue of the journal Addiction, found 2.8 percent of young adults (ages 18-26) reported use of crystal methamphetamine in the past year during 2001-2002. Annual prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use by young adults (ages 19-28) was measured at 1.5 percent by NIDA’s 2004 Monitoring the Future Survey; however this most recent data analysis suggests use rates are even higher.
NCI Launches a Pilot of its Community Cancer Centers Program to Bring Quality Cancer Care to All - June 14, 2007
6/15/2007
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today launched the three-year pilot phase of a new program that will help bring state-of-the-art cancer care to patients in community hospitals across the United States.
HBO Producers win NIDA/CPDD Media Award for Documentary series “Addiction” - June 14, 2007
6/14/2007
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the College On Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) will jointly present the 2007 Media Award to John Hoffman, Vice President, Home Box Office (HBO) Documentary, for his role in co-producing the groundbreaking HBO documentary series “Addiction.”
Study Finds Mix of Disease Processes at Work in Brains of Most People with Dementia - June 13, 2007
6/13/2007
Few older people die with brains untouched by a pathological process, however, an individual’s likelihood of having clinical signs of dementia increases with the number of different disease processes present in the brain, according to a new study. The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Julie Schneider, M.D., and colleagues report the findings in the journal Neurology online today.
New Findings Challenge Established Views on Human Genome - June 13, 2007
6/13/2007
An international research consortium today published a set of papers that promise to reshape our understanding of how the human genome functions. The findings challenge the traditional view of our genetic blueprint as a tidy collection of independent genes, pointing instead to a complex network in which genes, along with regulatory elements and other types of DNA sequences that do not code for proteins, interact in overlapping ways not yet fully understood.
NIH Awards Nearly $21 Million to Fund Cutting-Edge Research Equipment - June 12, 2007
6/12/2007
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today it will provide $20.65 million for 14 High-End Instrumentation (HEI) grants that will fund cutting-edge equipment required to advance biomedical research. Awarded to research institutions around the country, the one-time grants support the purchase of sophisticated instruments costing more than $750,000.
NCI Researchers Discover Genes That Are Turned On at High Levels in Tumor-Associated Blood Vessels of Mice and Humans - June 11, 2007
6/11/2007
A team of researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has uncovered a set of genes that are turned on, or expressed, at high levels only in the blood vessels that feed tumors in mice and humans. These genes, and the proteins they encode, are important new potential targets for novel drugs that could selectively cut off a tumor’s blood supply without affecting the blood vessels of healthy tissues, overcoming one of the major concerns of current anticancer therapies targeted at blood vessel growth.
Gabapentin Shown Effective for Fibromyalgia Pain - June 11, 2007
6/11/2007
New research supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) shows that the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin, which is used for certain types of seizures, can be an effective treatment for the pain and other symptoms associated with the common, often hard-to-treat chronic pain disorder, fibromyalgia.
Early Results from Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging Biomarker Project Show Promise for Faster Study of Therapies - June 10, 2007
6/11/2007
Alzheimer’s disease researchers may be able to reduce the time and expense associated with clinical trials, according to early results from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a public-private research partnership organized by the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary results from ADNI show how it might yield improved methods and uniform standards for imaging and biomarker analysis, so these techniques can be employed in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
NIH Establishes Working Groups to Examine Peer Review - June 8, 2007
6/8/2007
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., announced today the formation of two working groups—one external, the other internal — to examine the NIH peer review process, with the goal of maximizing its effectiveness.
Newly Found Sensing System Enables Certain Bacteria to Resist Human Immune Defenses - June 7, 2007
6/7/2007
Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a survival mechanism in a common type of bacteria that can cause illness. The mechanism lets the bacteria protect itself by warding off attacks from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are defense molecules sent by the body to kill bacteria.
NIAID releases MDR/XDR Tuberculosis research agenda - June 6, 2007
6/6/2007
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today released its NIAID Research Agenda for Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) and Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis (TB).
Fogarty International Center to Hold Anniversary Meeting for Disease Control Priorities Project - June 4, 2007
6/4/2007
The Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will host “The Disease Control Priorities Project: First Year Anniversary Celebration, Implementing the Research Agenda,” a meeting to review key messages of the Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP) and highlight its impact on health policy and programs in developing countries.
New Study Heralds Shortened Timeline for Anticancer Drug Development, Kidney Disorders - June 3, 2007
6/4/2007
A new compound, called ABT-888, has passed the first stage of clinical examination using a new model for drug development that promises to shorten — by up to six to 12 months — the timeline for taking anticancer drugs from the laboratory to the clinic, according to a team of researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Mouse Model Points to Possible New Strategy For Treating Rare Muscle Disease, Kidney Disorders - June 1, 2007
6/4/2007
Based on clues provided by a study with transgenic mice, a research group at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has developed a strategy that will be tested as the first treatment for people with hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM), a rare, degenerative muscle disease.
Five New Members Named to NIH Advisory Committee on Research On Women’s Health - June 1, 2007
6/1/2007
Five new members have been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health (ACRWH), which held its semiannual meeting recently in Bethesda, Maryland.
Five New Members Named to NIH Advisory Committee on Research On Women’s Health - June 1, 2007
6/1/2007
Five new members have been appointed to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health (ACRWH), which held its semiannual meeting recently in Bethesda, Maryland.
Blood Test May Help Signal Tumor’s Remission, Return in Throat Cancer Patients - June 1, 2007
6/1/2007
A blood test that detects proteins commonly released by a growing tumor could one day become a useful tool for monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatment in people with advanced throat cancer, according to a study published in the June 1, 2007, issue of Clinical Cancer Research. Scientists in the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and National Cancer Institute (NCI), two of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with researchers of the University of Michigan, found that throat cancer patients who showed a decline in several cancer-related proteins following chemotherapy and radiation treatment were more likely to remain in remission, while those who experienced a large rise over time in those proteins frequently exhibited a return of throat cancer.