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
Researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in the largest reported group of kidney transplant recipients who have not rejected the transplant kidneys even though they stopped taking anti-rejection drugs. This finding may help identify other transplant recipients who could safely reduce or end use of immunosuppressive therapy. In 2008, more than 80,000 … Read more
Dr. Harold Varmus brings a vast wealth of expertise to this key leadership position at the Department. Among his many professional distinctions, he is a Nobel laureate in cancer genetics; has been president of one of the premier cancer research and treatment institutions for the past decade; and previously has served the public as NIH … Read more
A genetic variant of a receptor in the brain’s reward circuitry plays an important role in determining whether the neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the brain following alcohol intake, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Dopamine is … Read more
Two common operations for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) help women achieve similar levels of dryness, according to a team of urologists and urogynecologists who compared the treatments in a large U.S. trial supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study is being released online May 17, 2010, by the New England Journal of Medicine … Read more
See the most popular pages and search terms on USA.gov last month.
Two findings from an NIH research network study provide new information on how much oxygen very preterm infants should receive starting on the first day of life and the most effective means to deliver it to them.
My nephew was making my sister and her husband crazy. He was fidgety, he couldn’t keep his hands to himself, and he was always losing things. His grades weren’t very good and his teachers were frustrated because he was constantly distracting other kids. He would do impulsive things that ended up with him breaking things or getting hurt.
Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.
The more obese a woman is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the likelihood that she will give birth to an infant with a congenital heart defect, according to a study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the New York state Department of Health.
Last week, one of our frequent commenters, Thomas, suggested we post on the health care bill President Obama signed into law last month. Thomas says there’s a lot of information in the news about the bill and he was hoping that we could just give the “facts” about the law.
There has been a lot in the news in the last several months about food recalls and the resulting illnesses from eating those foods. By paying attention to the news or signing up for recall alerts, we can make sure we’re all aware of what products we should avoid.
I know it’s officially spring, but I wanted to remind you that H1N1 flu (also known as swine flu) is still a risk and you should take steps to stay healthy. Even though the H1N1 outbreak in the U.S. was mild over the winter, the World Health Organization still considers H1N1 a pandemic. Luckily for us, … Read more
A sad story appeared in my inbox last week. It was an email from a woman, let’s call her Rosemary, who met an attractive and attentive widower, let’s call him Albert, on a popular online dating site. Here’s how the story goes.
The National Institutes of Health announced today that it is creating a public database that researchers, consumers, health care providers, and others can search for information submitted voluntarily by genetic test providers. The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) aims to enhance access to information about the availability, validity, and usefulness of genetic tests.
In the spirit of trying to undo the damage over three feet of snow causes, I’m using National Nutrition Month as a kickoff for making better food choices.
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the agency is providing helpful health care information and website links to the more than three million individuals who apply each year for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits.