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Scientists Suggest New Pathway Causing Cell
Death in Dementia - September 26, 2007
9/27/2007
Scientists have discovered a link between a mutated gene and a
protein found in dead brain cells of people who suffer from a form
of dementia and other neurological disorders. The finding, reported
in the Sep. 26, 2007, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience,
demonstrates for the first time a pathological pathway that ultimately
results in cell death related to frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's
disease). The discovery could eventually play a role in the design
of new drug therapies. The study was funded by the National Institute
on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Milk Matters Online Lesson Resources
Available for Teachers - September 26, 2007
9/27/2007
New online resources stressing the importance of calcium for bone
health are now available for middle and high school teachers. The
resources are available through the Milk Matters calcium education
campaign, sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
Workplace Depression Screening, Outreach and Enhanced Treatment Improves
Productivity, Lowers Employer Costs - September 25, 2007
9/26/2007
Enhanced and systematic efforts to identify and treat depression in
the workplace significantly improves employee health and productivity,
likely leading to lower costs overall for the employer, according
to a study published September 26, 2007, in the Journal of
the American Medical Association. The study was funded by
the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH).
NIH Announces New BIRCWH Awards to Promote Interdisciplinary
Research Careers in Women's Health - September 24, 2007
9/25/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on
Women’s Health (ORWH) and other co-sponsors announce the award
of more than $7 million to 15 new and continuing Building Interdisciplinary
Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) programs nationwide.
This expands an innovative effort to foster career development
in women's health research with an emphasis on innovative interdisciplinary
mentoring across a variety of disciplines.
11 Institutions Established in Second Round of Specialized Centers of Research on Sex/Gender Factors Affecting Women's Health - September 24, 2007
9/25/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) announces 11 new or continuing Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women's Health Awards, as a result of the second solicitation for this program. Funding for these SCORs will total approximately $11 million per year for five years.
Sally Lee Appointed NIGMS Executive Officer - September 24, 2007
9/25/2007
Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), has appointed Sally Lee as the institute’s new executive officer. NIGMS, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports research that increases understanding of life processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
NIH-Funded Scientists Solve Genetic Code of Parasitic Worm that Causes Elephantiasis - September 20, 2007
9/21/2007
More than 150 million people worldwide are infected with filarial parasites — long, thread-like worms that can live for years inside the human body and cause severe, debilitating diseases such as elephantiasis. Mosquitoes spread the larvae of these parasitic nematodes from human to human, placing at risk more than a billion people who live in places in Africa, Asia and Latin America where filarial parasites thrive.
New Publication Helps African Americans 'Make the Kidney Connection' - September 20, 2007
9/21/2007
The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has created an educational brochure tailored specifically for African Americans at risk for kidney disease. The brochure — 'Kidney Disease: What African Americans Need to Know' — explains the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney disease, and encourages those at risk to talk to their health care providers about getting tested.
Scientists Identify Cause of Job’s Syndrome - September 19, 2007
9/21/2007
The rare immunodeficiency disorder known as Job’s syndrome is caused by a specific genetic mutation that both overstimulates and understimulates the human immune system, leading to harmful bacterial and fungal infections and the physical features characteristic of the syndrome, according to two independent groups of scientists, one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the other from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
NIH Director Invests in Innovation, New Investigators - September 18, 2007
9/19/2007
NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., is making a major investment in the future of science with five-year grants totaling more than $105 million to 41 exceptionally innovative investigators, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers.
NIH Announces Plan to Implement President'ss Stem Cell Executive Order - September 18, 2007
9/19/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it will begin implementing President Bush’s Executive Order to explore methods to expand the number of approved pluripotent stem cell lines 'without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding, or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.' The Executive Order calls on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, who in turn is directing NIH, to conduct and support research that takes advantage of emerging potential alternative methods for generating stem cells that are pluripotent, i.e., capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types in the developing body.
NIH Expands National Consortium to Transform Clinical and Translational Research - September 18, 2007
9/19/2007
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., today announced the expansion of the national consortium that is transforming how clinical and translational research is conducted at academic health centers across the country. Ultimately, this consortium will enable researchers to provide new treatments more efficiently and quickly to patients. Funded through Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), the consortium adds 12 more academic health centers to the 12 announced last October. When fully implemented in 2012, 60 institutions will be linked together to energize the discipline of clinical and translational science.
Two NIH Institutes Share Emmy Award for HBO's 'The Addiction Project' - September 15, 2007
9/19/2007
Two Institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been honored with the prestigious Governors Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their contribution to HBO’s Addiction Project. 'Addiction' is a 14-part documentary television series and multimedia initiative revealing the science of addiction, its treatment, recovery, and its costs to families and society.
Anthony S. Fauci Awarded Lasker Award for Public Service - September 15, 2007
9/19/2007
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), has been awarded the 2007 Mary Woodard Lasker
Award for Public Service for his role in developing two major U.S.
public health programs, in AIDS and biodefense. The award will
be presented on Friday, September 28th during a luncheon ceremony
in New York City.
NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow to Speak
about Addiction at World Psychiatric Association Conference
in Shanghai, China - September 14, 2007
9/19/2007
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, will speak at
the 2007 World Psychiatric (WPA) Regional Meeting & Chinese
Society of Psychiatry (CSP) Annual Congress in Shanghai in
September. The meeting will provide a special opportunity
to discuss some of the most important topics of the psychiatric
field within an international framework. Such topics will
cover forensic psychiatry, clinical diagnosis, approaches
to care, and cultural issues.
NIH Scientists Demonstrate Genetic Variant is
Linked to Greater Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Medication - September 10, 2007
9/19/2007
A genetic variant present in nearly half of Americans of European
ancestry is linked to greater effectiveness of the smoking cessation
medication bupropion (Zyban), according to research by scientists
supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH). People with this variant were less likely than
those without it to have resumed smoking six months after treatment
with bupropion.
NDEP Campaign Highlights the Link Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease - September 12, 2007
9/13/2007
More than 20 million adults in the United States are living with
diabetes and are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
But there are steps that they can take to reduce the complications
associated with these two diseases. The National Diabetes Education
Program (NDEP) has launched Control Your Diabetes. For Life.,
a national campaign that will reach out through a network of 200
partners to health care professionals and their patients to emphasize
the importance of comprehensive control of diabetes and CVD. The
NDEP is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Manic Phase of Bipolar Disorder Benefits from Breast Cancer Medication - September 12, 2007
9/13/2007
The medication tamoxifen, best known as a treatment for breast
cancer, dramatically reduces symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar
disorder more quickly than many standard medications for the mental
illness, a new study shows. Researchers at the National Institutes
of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who conducted
the study also explained how: Tamoxifen blocks an enzyme called
protein kinase C (PKC) that regulates activities in brain cells.
The enzyme is thought to be over-active during the manic phase
of bipolar disorder.
The National Institutes of Health and NASA Partner for Health Research in Space
- September 12, 2007
9/13/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA have entered into an agreement that helps American scientists utilize the International Space Station to answer questions about human health and diseases. The Memorandum of Understanding marks a milestone in a long partnership to advance scientific discovery and signals researchers to the availability of a remarkable platform on which to conduct experiments.
Researchers Isolate Adult Stem Cells for First
Time in Tendon - September 9, 2007
9/11/2007
Tendon, the cord-like tissue that connects muscle to bone, contains
a small subset of previously unknown adult stem cells, scientists
at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues
have discovered.
NIH and NASA Partner for Health Research in Space - September 7, 2007
9/11/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in space-related health research. This agreement will help American scientists utilize the International Space Station to answer questions about human health and disease.
NIA Offers New Spanish-Language Website - September 7, 2007
9/8/2007
Accurate, up-to-date information on health issues affecting Hispanic
seniors is now available online in Spanish from the National Institute
on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The
user-friendly website has information on a wide range of health
topics, including diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes.
Helpful tips on choosing a doctor and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
also are available at www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol
Global Survey Reveals Significant Gap in Meeting
World's Mental Health Care Needs - September 6, 2007
9/8/2007
Mental disorders rank among the top ten illnesses causing disability -- more
than 37 percent worldwide -- with depression being the leading
cause of disability among people ages 15 and older, according to
the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors published
in 2006. Yet, the world's mental health care needs are largely
going unmet, especially in less developed nations and in high-income
countries, according to results from a new survey of 17 countries
conducted as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) World
Mental Health Survey Initiative. The results of the initiative,
partially funded by the National Institutes of Health's National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), were published in The Lancet in
September 2007.
Strength in Numbers: NIH Debuts Campaign to Empower Individuals to Pursue Careers in Research - September 6, 2007
9/7/2007
The NIH’s Loan Repayment Program (LRP) Strength in Numbers campaign
debuted today. Offering a renewed commitment to qualified postdoctoral
scientists who are seeking careers in biomedical and behavioral
research, the program funds up to $35,000 annually in loan repayment.
Study Identifies Genetic Risk Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus - September 6, 2007
9/7/2007
A genetic variation has been identified that increases the risk
of two chronic, autoimmune inflammatory diseases: rheumatoid arthritis
(RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). These research findings
result from a long-time collaboration between the Intramural Research
Program (IRP) of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and other organizations. NIAMS is part
of the National Institutes of Health.
NIH Launches Interdisciplinary Research Consortia - September 6, 2007
9/7/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research will fund nine interdisciplinary research consortia as a means of integrating aspects of different disciplines to address health challenges that have been resistant to traditional research approaches.
'Holy Grail' of Hearing: True Identity of Pivotal
Hearing Structure Is Revealed - September 5, 2007
9/7/2007
Our ability to hear is made possible by way of a Rube Goldberg-style
process in which sound vibrations entering the ear shake and jostle
a successive chain of structures until, lo and behold, they are
converted into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the
brain. Exactly how the electrical signal is generated has been
the subject of ongoing research interest.
New Study Examines Brain-Gut Relationship in
those Suffering with Stomach Pain or Discomfort (Functional Dyspepsia) - September 5, 2007
9/7/2007
A new clinical study will explore the brain-gut interaction in
patients with functional dyspepsia and whether certain drugs can
effectively relieve symptoms of this disorder. Functional dyspepsia
is a costly and chronic disorder that can cause severe stomach
pain often reported as cramping, bloating, and gas, or great discomfort
or fullness after eating. The study is funded by the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) at six medical centers in the U.S.
Rates of Bipolar Diagnosis in Youth Rapidly
Climbing, Treatment Patterns Similar to Adults - September 3, 2007
9/7/2007
The number of visits to a doctor's office that resulted in a diagnosis
of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents has increased by
40 times over the last decade, reported researchers funded in part
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over the same time
period, the number of visits by adults resulting in a bipolar disorder
diagnosis almost doubled. The cause of these increases is unclear.
Medication prescription patterns for the two groups were similar.
The study was published in the September 2007 issue of the 'Archives
of General Psychiatry'
Genes, Environment and Health Initiative Invests In Genetic Studies, Environmental Monitoring Technologies - September 4, 2007
9/7/2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected the first
projects to be funded as part of the Genes, Environment and Health
Initiative (GEI), a unique collaboration between geneticists and
environmental scientists.
HIV Protease Inhibitors Show Potential as Cancer Treatments - September 1, 2007
9/7/2007
Several protease inhibitors that are used in combination with
other drugs to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection
may also be effective against certain types of cancer, according
to researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of
the National Institutes of Health.
NIH Peer Review Advisory Committee Gains Eight New Members - August 28, 2007
9/7/2007
The Director of the National Institutes of Health, Elias Zerhouni, M.D., has appointed eight new members to the NIH Peer Review Advisory Committee. This committee provides technical and scientific advice on matters related to the procedures and policies governing the scientific and technical evaluation of NIH grant applications. Peer review is the key method NIH uses to ensure that the $20+ billion it invests in biomedical research grants each year advances the most promising research.
Unique Grape Skin Extract Inhibits Prostate Cancer Cell Growth in the
Laboratory - August 31, 2007
9/1/2007
Laboratory experiments show that an extract of the skin of muscadine
grapes can inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.
Investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of
the National Institutes of Health, and their research partners
also show that muscadine grape skin extract (MSKE) does not contain
significant amounts of resveratrol, another grape skin component
that has been widely studied and shown to be of potential benefit
in preventing prostate cancer growth. The results appear in the
September 1, 2007, issue of Cancer Research.