HHS Updates

How Medicare Coverage Can Help – Gene Mutations Linked to Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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An international team has discovered that mutations in either of 2 related genes cause a severe and rare form of inflammatory bowel disease in young children. The discovery allowed the researchers to successfully treat one of the study patients with a bone marrow transplant.

NIMH Seeks More BRAINS

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The National Institute of Mental Health is seeking more BRAINS for 2010 by offering a second round of Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MH-10-060.html). The program calls for innovative and groundbreaking research projects from early stage investigators to explore the complex mechanisms underlying mental disorders or novel treatments and prevention strategies.

Getting Your Eyes Checked – Mending Vision in Patients with Eye Vein Clots

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If the blockage is in a large vein, it’s known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). If it’s in small branches of a vein, it’s called branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). In some cases, the blockage can lead to fluid buildup in the center of the retina, or macular edema, a common cause of blindness.