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Rates of Rare Mutations Soar Three to Four Times Higher in Schizophrenia
3/28/2008
People with schizophrenia have higher rates of rare genetic deletions and duplications that likely disrupt the developing brain, according to studies funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

Gene Variation Predicts Response to Treatment in Common Infertility Disorder
3/28/2008
NIH-sponsored researchers have discovered that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are less likely to ovulate in response to a promising new drug treatment for the condition if they have a variation in a particular gene.

Scientists Launch First Comprehensive Database of Human Oral Microbiome
3/26/2008
Scientists know more today than ever before about the microbes that inhabit our mouths. They know so much, in fact, that gathering all of the relevant bits of information into one place when designing experiments can be a labor-intensive job in itself. Now, grantees of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their international colleagues intend to solve this problem with the launch of the first comprehensive database of the oral microbiome, or the approximately 600 distinct microorganisms currently known to live in the mouth.

NIH Council of Councils Members Named
3/25/2008
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announces the appointments to the NIH Council of Councils. The Council is made up of 27 members selected from the NIH Institute and Center (IC) advisory councils and advisory committees to the NIH Office of the Director. The Council will advise the NIH Director on cutting-edge trans-NIH priorities and matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, established by the NIH Reform Act 2006, and the Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives (OPASI).

Statement of Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for National Kidney Month
3/22/2008
Kidney disease is common, serious and treatable. Yet, most of the 26 million Americans who have kidney problems still don't know it because they don't have symptoms, hampering efforts to prevent kidney failure. While World Kidney Day 2008 has passed and National Kidney Month is well under way, here at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, we continue to hear from people about kidney health.

Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, on National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, March 20, 2008
3/21/2008
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, joins with native communities in mourning those who have died from AIDS and salutes the individuals who assist people living with HIV in these communities and who provide the services needed to help prevent further infections.

Statement of Christine F. Sizemore, Ph.D., Barbara E. Laughon, Ph.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health on World TB Day, March 24, 2008
3/21/2008
As we commemorate World TB Day, we recognize the important strides made in combating tuberculosis (TB) over the past several years, and, simultaneously, are reminded of the substantial challenges that lie ahead.

Past Child Abuse Plus Variations in Gene Result in Potent PTSD Risk for Adults
3/19/2008
A traumatic event is much more likely to result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults who experienced trauma in childhood -- but certain gene variations raise the risk considerably if the childhood trauma involved physical or sexual abuse, scientists have found. The research was conducted with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and others.

NIH Launches Center to Study Genomics and Health Disparities
3/18/2008
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the establishment of the NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities (NICGHD), a new venue for research about the way populations are impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

Scientists Identify New Leads for Treating Parasitic Worm Disease
3/18/2008
A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has identified chemical compounds that hold promise as potential therapies for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.

Modified Virus Vaccine Shows Promise in Mouse Model of Breast Cancer
3/15/2008
Researchers have shown that vaccinating mice with a modified form of a virus containing proteins from breast cancer cells can kill large breast cancer tumors and tumors that have spread to the lungs. The rodent model of cancer used in this study closely resembles a type of breast cancer seen in humans called HER2-positive. Although other cancer vaccines have shown activity in the treatment of very small tumors, their ability to influence large, established tumors, such as many HER2-positive breast cancers, has proven difficult. The study, led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the March 15, 2008, issue of 'Cancer Research'.

Rodent Study Finds Artificial Butter Chemical Harmful to Lungs
3/14/2008
A new study shows that exposure to a chemical called diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, can be harmful to the nose and airways of mice. Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the study because diacetyl has been implicated in causing obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) in humans.

Survey Shows Americans Lack Critical Facts about Maintaining Eye Health
3/14/2008
Most Americans do not know the risks and warning signs of diseases that could blind them if they don't seek timely detection and treatment, according to recent findings of the 'Survey of Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Eye Health and Disease'. This survey was sponsored by the National Eye Institute, one of the National Institutes of Health, and the Lions Clubs International Foundation.

Researchers Find Cause of Severe Allergic Reaction to Cancer Drug
3/14/2008
Clinicians have been perplexed by the fact that some patients given the drug cetuximab -- an immune-based therapy commonly used to treat persons diagnosed with head and neck cancer, or colon cancer -- have a severe and rapid adverse reaction to the drug. Sometimes the reaction includes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition characterized by a drop in blood pressure, fainting, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. Now researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered that specific pre-existing antibodies cause the severe reaction to the drug.

Personal Counseling and Web-Based Strategies Show Modest Success for Sustaining Weight Loss, According to NHLBI Study
3/12/2008
Adults who lost weight in a six-month program were able to keep at least some of the weight off for 2.5 years with the help of brief monthly personal counseling, according to a new study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, March 10, 2008
3/11/2008
Today, we pause to commemorate the third annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and to recognize the female face of HIV/AIDS in America. Since the epidemic began in the early 1980s, more than 181,000 women and girls in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS, and an estimated 86,000 have died with the disease.

NLM and ORWH Announce New NIH Web Site Source for Women's Health Research Information
3/11/2008
A new Web resource providing consumers with the latest information on significant topics in women's health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources is now available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its Division of Specialized Information Services, Office of Outreach and Special Populations has partnered with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) to create this one-stop resource.

Confronting the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance
3/11/2008
Drug resistance is making many diseases increasingly difficult -- and sometimes impossible -- to treat, according to Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Studying Mutations in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Yields Clues for Potential New Therapies
3/7/2008
DNA mutations found in a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has a poor prognosis has led researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues to a better understanding of how the cancer develops and how it might be treated. The research findings appear in the March 6 2008, issue of 'Science'.

NIH Outlines Next Steps to Address Safety Concerns about Boston-area Laboratory
3/7/2008
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced additional steps in a comprehensive plan to address public safety concerns regarding a national biocontainment research laboratory now under construction at Boston University Medical Center.

Statement of Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, on World Glaucoma Day
3/7/2008
The National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the federal government's National Institutes of Health (NIH), joins today with other groups around the globe to observe World Glaucoma Day. NEI reaffirms its commitment to support ongoing research to better understand glaucoma, to identify risk factors that lead to the development of the disease, and to prevent vision loss and blindness.

Mark Your Calendars, APA Annual Meeting, May 3-8, 2008
3/6/2008
National Institute of Mental Health science track symposia, lectures, press conferences at the American Psychiatric Association 161st Annual Meeting.

NIH Receives Gates Foundation Grant to Investigate Role of Iron Supplements in Malaria
3/6/2008
The National Institutes of Health has received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a research program to find the best ways to diagnose and treat iron deficiency and better understand its interaction with malaria and infectious diseases in parts of the world where such diseases are common. The Gates Foundation grant is $9.3 million over a five-year period.

Quantity and Frequency of Drinking Influence Mortality Risk
3/5/2008
How much and how often people drink & not just the average amount of alcohol they consume over time & independently influence the risk of death from several causes, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

WHI Follow up Study Confirms Health Risks of Long-Term Combination Hormone Therapy Outweigh Benefits for Postmenopausal Women
3/5/2008
New results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) confirm that the health risks of long-term use of combination (estrogen plus progestin) hormone therapy in healthy, postmenopausal women persist even a few years after stopping the drugs and clearly outweigh the benefits. Researchers report that about three years after women stopped taking combination hormone therapy, many of the health effects of hormones such as increased risk of heart disease are diminished, but overall risks, including risks of stroke, blood clots, and cancer, remain high. The WHI is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Kidney Expert Named Director of Kidney, Urology and Hematology Research
3/5/2008
Robert A. Star, M.D., has been named director of the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, by Institute Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers.

Genome-Wide Association Study on Parkinson's Disease Finds Public Home at NIH
3/5/2008
Data from one of the first genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which focused on Parkinson's diseases and was funded in part by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), is now being made available to researchers through the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Irritating Smells Alert Special Cells, NIH-Funded Study Finds
3/5/2008
Scientists do not know why certain chemical odors, like onion, ammonia and paint thinner, are so highly irritating, but new research in mice has uncovered an unexpected role for specific nasal cavity cells. Researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, describe this work in the March issue of the 'Journal of Neurophysiology', now available online.

Newly Identified Genetic Variations May Affect Breast Cancer Risk
3/5/2008
Researchers have identified genetic variations in a region of DNA that may be associated with risk for breast cancer. Women with the variation have a 1.4 times greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to those without this variation. The study is one of several genome-wide association studies looking for breast cancer genes to be published this year by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues.

NICHD Renamed for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Advocate for Institute's Founding
3/4/2008
Congress has renamed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her essential contribution to the institute's founding.

NIH Scientists Offer Explanation for Winter Flu Season
3/4/2008
A finding by a team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health may account for why the flu virus is more infectious in cold winter temperatures than during the warmer months.

New Test for Joint Infection Could Spare Some Patients an Unnecessary Procedure
3/4/2008
A potential diagnostic test that could help surgeons confirm or rule out the presence of infection-causing bacteria in prosthetic joints that require surgical revision has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Changes in Adult Stem Cells May Underlie Rare Genetic Disease Associated with Accelerated Aging
3/4/2008
Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a rare disease that causes premature aging in children, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NHLBI Issues First U.S. von Willebrand Disease Clinical Practice Guidelines
3/4/2008
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health today issued the first clinical guidelines in the United States for the diagnosis and management of von Willebrand Disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder. The guidelines include recommendations on screening, diagnosis, disease management, and directions for future research. An extensive article on the guidelines is published online Feb. 29 in the journal Haemophilia.

Increased Allergen Levels in Homes Linked to Asthma
3/1/2008
Results from a new national survey demonstrate that elevated allergen levels in the home are associated with asthma symptoms in allergic individuals. The study suggests that asthmatics that have allergies may alleviate symptoms by reducing allergen exposures inside their homes. The work was carried out by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the University of Iowa, Rho Inc., and the Constella Group. The team's findings may help millions of Americans who suffer from asthma.

Zebrafish Provide Useful Screening Tool for Genes, Drugs That Protect Against Hearing Loss
3/1/2008
A small striped fish is helping scientists understand what makes people susceptible to a common form of hearing loss, although, in this case, it's not the fish's ears that are of interest. In a study published in the Feb. 29 issue of the journal 'PLoS Genetics', researchers at the University of Washington have developed a research method that relies on a zebrafish's lateral line -- the faint line running down each side of a fish that enables it to sense its surroundings -- to quickly screen for genes and chemical compounds that protect against hearing loss from some medications. The study was funded in part by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), one of the National Institutes of Health.

NIDDK Releases New Awareness & Prevention Series for Community Health Events
3/1/2008
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) today announced the release of new health information to raise awareness about diabetes, digestive diseases, and kidney and urologic diseases among people not yet diagnosed with these illnesses. The NIDDK developed the Awareness and Prevention Series for community health fairs, workplace health forums, family reunions, and other similar events. NIDDK is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIDDK Publishes Resources about Bladder Problems
3/1/2008
Women with bladder control problems can learn about treatments and techniques to help them manage their condition in a new resource from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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