A study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Oxford supports the widespread belief that stress may reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant. The study is the first of its kind to document, among women without a history of fertility problems, an association between high levels of a substance … Read more
Having a drink now and then as you get older is not usually thought to be harmful, but alcohol can be a problem for older adults, especially if they take certain medications, have health problems or don’t control their drinking. Alcohol Use and Older Adults, http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alcoholuse/toc.html, the newest topic on NIHSeniorHealth, provides helpful information about … Read more
A new Web resource providing people with the latest science-based information on bone health and bone disease is available through the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases — National Resource Center (NRC). The site is www.bones.nih.gov.
A week after Jess’s post on preparing for storms, a major thunderstorm came through my neighborhood. One neighbor who was at home said it reminded him of hurricanes he lived through in Florida. If the wind had blown in a slightly different direction, massive tree limbs would have hit my apartment, causing a lot of … Read more
Expanding on the success of its online Drug Facts Chat Day, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week designed to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse. NIDA is a component of the National Institutes … Read more
Using a new, rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing strategy, scientists have discovered genetic alterations that account for most cases of Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder that causes multiple birth defects and mental retardation. Instead of sequencing the entire human genome, the new approach sequences just the exome, the 1-2 percent of the human genome … Read more
A newly formed advisory committee will develop and coordinate a strategic federal research agenda on environmental and genetic factors related to breast cancer. The 19-member Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (IBCERCC) was established by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to review … Read more
Nearly 40 percent of people with major depression may also have subthreshold hypomania, a form of mania that does not fully meet current diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, according to a new NIMH-funded study. The study was published online ahead of print August 15, 2010, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
People with a particular kind of knee alignment have a greater chance of developing osteoarthritis than do those with other types of leg alignment, reported researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.
A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal … Read more
Carolyn Cihelka is the editor of the Consumer Information Catalog and the writer/editor of the FedInfo enewsletter. I’d always been too cheap to buy organic, and in too much of a hurry to give my fruits and veggies more than a quick rinse, so I was horrified recently when, as the mother of a child … Read more
Each payday I have some money deducted from my paycheck to buy a U.S. Savings Bond. I’m used to having savings bonds arrive in my mailbox, but in September there will be a change for federal employees, and in January the change happens for everyone else. No more paper savings bonds through the payroll deduction … Read more
On Sept. 2-3, 2010, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) will convene a two-day conference on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: From Mouse Models to Human Disease and … Read more
It’s almost back to school time, and when you’re a parent, that means it’s back to school shopping time. I don’t know why, but it always catches me by surprise. I should know better. The kids have grown and they need new clothes, and shoes. Their backpacks are worn to threads so they need new … Read more
As a kid, I was sick a lot and I missed school quite a bit. I seemed to spend a lot of time at the doctor’s office and I was often diagnosed with sinus infections, colds, post-nasal drip, chronic/acute bronchitis, or pneumonia. For months at a time, I lived on antibiotics, cough medicine, and cough … Read more
Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about not being caught off-guard in summer storms. Sometimes I need to learn to take my own advice. This past Sunday a wicked thunderstorm tore through the Maryland, DC and Virginia area. There were tornado warnings in some areas and, though I don’t think any funnel … Read more
I watched the movie Food, Inc last weekend and one of its messages was that if you want the healthiest food, you should strive to buy your produce locally. There’s no better way to do that than shopping at your local farmers market. The Department of Agriculture is promoting farmers markets this week by deeming … Read more