NIBIB and the Indian Department of Biotechnology Collaborate to Develop Low-Cost Medical Devices

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced the availability of supplemental funding for eligible NIBIB-supported research grants to facilitate collaborative work among researchers in the United States and India.

Vitamin D Status is Not Associated with Risk for Less Common Cancers

Despite hopes that higher blood levels of vitamin D might reduce cancer risk, a large study finds no protective effect against non-Hodgkin lymphoma or cancer of the endometrium, esophagus, stomach, kidney, ovary, or pancreas. In this study, carried out by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and … Read more

MedicareCard.com, NIH, Wellcome Trust Announce Partnership To Support Genomic, Population-Based Studies in Africa

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Wellcome Trust, a global charity based in London, will announce a partnership with African researchers to conduct genetic and environmental studies in Africa of common, non-communicable disorders — such as heart disease and cancer — as … Read more

Medicare Card: National Eye Institute Hosts Translational Research and Vision Symposium

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is bringing together premier researchers who translate molecular and genetic approaches from the laboratory to visual system diseases in the clinic.

Medicare Card: Gene Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Plays Key Role in Cell Survival

Scientists have discovered that a gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease may play a beneficial role in cell survival by enabling neurons to clear away toxic proteins. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene is essential to the function of … Read more

Medicare Card: NIH Researchers Identify New Steps in Spread of Malaria Parasite Through Bloodstream

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have observed two previously unknown steps in the spread of the malaria parasite through the bloodstream. And in laboratory cultures, the researchers interfered with one of these steps, raising the possibility that new drug treatments could be developed to combat the disease.

Medicare Card, Stroke Prevention Study, Children with Sickle Cell Anemia, Iron Overload Stopped Early

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has stopped a clinical trial evaluating a new approach to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell anemia and iron overload because of evidence that the new treatment was unlikely to prove better than the existing treatment.

Medicare Card News: NIH Researchers Explore How Healthy, Young Adults View the Role Genetics Plays in Improving Health

Most healthy young adults place greater emphasis on health habits than on genetic risk factors when considering what causes common diseases, a research team from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit has found. The study, based on a survey of 25- to-45-year-olds, was released June 8, … Read more

Medicare Help, Immune Cell’s Role, Lupus Nephritis Demonstrated, Paves Way for Safety Testing, of Potential New Use for Asthma Drug

National Institutes of Health scientists have discovered that the activation of immune cells called basophils causes kidney damage in a mouse model of lupus nephritis. These findings and the team’s associated research in humans may lead to new treatments for this serious disease, a severe form of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that affects the kidneys … Read more

Medicare STAR METRICS, New Way to Measure the Impact of Federally Funded Research

A new initiative promises to monitor the impact of federal science investments on employment, knowledge generation, and health outcomes. The initiative–Science and Technology for America’s Reinvestment: Measuring the Effect of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science, or STAR METRICS–is a multi-agency venture led by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and … Read more

Medicare, NHLBI to Hold Workshop, Health Consequences of Sickle Cell Trait

Scientists from across the nation will gather June 3-4 to discuss what is known about sickle cell trait and the potential health implications related to this genetic blood condition. “Framing the Research Agenda for Sickle Cell Trait” will examine the ethical, legal, social, and public health impacts of the blood condition.

Medicare, NIH-Supported Study, Looks for Earliest Changes, in the Brain That May Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease

Volunteers are being sought for a clinical study examining the subtle changes that may take place in the brains of older people many years before overt symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear. Researchers are looking for people with the very earliest complaints of memory problems that affect their daily activities. The study will follow participants over … Read more

Medicare, Study of MicroRNA, Helps NIH Scientists, Unlock Secrets of Immune Cells

With the rapid and continuous advances in biotechnology, scientists are better able to see inside the nucleus of a cell to unlock the secrets of its genetic material. However, what happens outside of the nucleus has, in many ways, remained a mystery. Now, researchers with the National Institutes of Health are closer to understanding how … Read more

Medicare, Deep Brain Stimulation, Two Different Targets, Produces Similar Motor Improvements in Parkinson’s Disease

In a major study, investigators have compared how individuals with Parkinson’s disease respond to deep brain stimulation (DBS) at two different sites in the brain. Contrary to current belief, patients who received DBS at either site in the brain experienced comparable benefits for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s.

MedicareCard, Newer Heart Surgery, Infants Offers First-Year Survival Benefit over Traditional Procedure

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart who undergo a newer surgical procedure are more likely to survive their first year and not require a heart transplant than those who have a more traditional surgical procedure, according to a report by researchers supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part … Read more

Medicare, Novel Therapeutic Approach, Shows Promise Against Multiple Bacterial Pathogens

A team of scientists from government, academia and private industry has developed a novel treatment that protects mice from infection with the bacterium that causes tularemia, a highly infectious disease of rodents, sometimes transmitted to people, and also known as rabbit fever. In additional experiments with human immune cells, the treatment also demonstrated protection against … Read more