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U.S. National Institutes of Health
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U.S. National Institutes of Health

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NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the http://www.nih.gov.

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Health

Nanotechnology: A Report of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Nanotechnology Task Force

As other emerging technologies have in the past, nanotechnology poses questions regarding the adequacy and application of regulatory authorities. The then Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated the Nanotechnology Task Force (Task Force) in 2006 to help assess these questions with respect to FDA's regulatory authorities, in light of the current state of the science for nanotechnology. This report offers the Task Force's initial findings and recommendations to the Commissioner.

Jul 26, 2007
Health

HIV/AIDS Trial Finds Continuous Antiretroviral Therapy Superior to Episodic Therapy

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced that enrollment into a large international HIV/AIDS trial comparing continuous antiretroviral therapy with episodic drug treatment guided by levels of CD4+ cells has been stopped. Enrollment was stopped because those patients receiving episodic therapy had twice the risk of disease progression (the development of clinical AIDS or death), the major outcome of the study.

Jan 18, 2006
Health

Mutation that Protects Against HIV Infection May Raise Risk of West Nile Virus Illness

People who lack a cell surface protein called CCR5 are highly resistant to infection by HIV but may be at increased risk of developing West Nile virus illness when exposed to the mosquito-borne virus, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings may have cautionary implications for physicians who are treating HIV-positive individuals with experimental CCR5-blocking drugs, say the scientists.

Jan 17, 2006
Health

Having a Sibling with Heart Disease Significantly Raises Personal Heart Disease Risk

Having a sibling with a history of cardiovascular disease carries the same or greater risk as having a parent with a history of the disease, according to a new report from the long-standing Framingham Heart Study conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Personal risk of having a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, may be raised by as much as 45 percent in middle-aged people whose brother or sister has had such an event.

Dec 29, 2005
Health

Researchers Discover Molecular Differences between Low-, High-Grade Ovarian Cancers

A new study suggests that ovarian tumors classified as serous borderline or low malignant potential (LMP) are not early precursors in the development of aggressive ovarian cancer, but may instead be part of an entirely different class of tumors. Furthermore, genes that were identified in this study as being expressed, or active, in these different classes of tumors could help identify targets for more specific diagnostics and therapies to treat this disease.

Nov 15, 2005
Health

Researchers develop portable device that can detect heart and gum disease instantly

Someday in the not-too-distant future patients may visit a doctor's office, provide a sample of saliva or blood, and know in minutes if they are prone to heart disease, gum disease, or cancer. There would be no sending samples to off-site labs for analysis and waiting days to obtain the vital information. A five-pound, hand-held medical diagnostic device being developed at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories promises to be this ticket to better health for millions of Americans.

Feb 7, 2005
Health

Decreased Sensitivity in the Brain to Estrogen May Help Explain Menopausal Changes

A new study suggests that age-related changes in how the brain responds to the female sex hormone estrogen may be involved in a woman’s transition through menopause. The study provides new clues about hormonal influences on hot flashes and night sweats experienced by some women in the menopause transition. The findings are reported in the December 22/29, 2004, Journal of the American Medical Association* and are based on data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multi-site survey of women going through the menopause transition. This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dec 28, 2004
Health

Mutation causes progressive changes to cell structure in children with rapid agi

Researchers today announced that a mutation of the Lamin A gene gradually causes devastating effects on cellular structure and function in children with Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS or Progeria). The study was published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Progeria is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children.

Jun 8, 2004