Health

Health :: MassTag PCR – new tool helps identify mysterious viruses – respiratory infection

A fast, sensitive and inexpensive diagnostic tool called MassTag PCR has been developed that can identify the specific pathogen that causes a particular case of respiratory infection, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research team ? headed by scientists in the Jerome L. and Dawn Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and their colleagues at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health ? used MassTag PCR to identify previously undiagnosed pathogens that caused influenza-like illnesses in New York State during the winter of 2004.

ADHD :: Preschoolers with ADHD Improve with Low Doses of Medication

The first long-term, large-scale study designed to determine the safety and effectiveness of treating preschoolers who have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate (Ritalin) has found that overall, low doses of this medication are effective and safe. However, the study found that children this age are more sensitive than older children to the medication?s side effects and therefore should be closely monitored. The 70-week, six-site study was funded by the National Institutes of Health?s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was described in several articles in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Health :: Novel Protein That Ties Disruption of a Critical Cellular Pathway to Birt-Hogg-Dub? Syndrome

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have linked specific genetic mutations to defects in cells that lead to a rare disease known as Birt-Hogg-Dub? syndrome. Building on previous clinical and genetic work spanning several years, the researchers discovered a novel protein that binds to the normal version, but not the mutant version, of the protein implicated in Birt-Hogg-Dub? syndrome. This new protein, which they named folliculin interacting protein 1 (or FNIP1), links Birt-Hogg-Dub? syndrome to disruptions in critical energy- and nutrient-sensing cellular pathways. The findings appear online October 2, 2006, in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was led by Masaya Baba, M.D., Ph.D., and a team of scientists from NCI’s Center for Cancer Research*.

Alzheimer’s Disease :: Antipsychotic Medications Used to Treat Alzheimer’s Patients Found Lacking

Commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications used to treat Alzheimer?s patients with delusions, aggression, hallucinations, and other similar symptoms can benefit some patients, but they appear to be no more effective than a placebo when adverse side effects are considered, according to the first phase of a large-scale clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health?s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The trial, known as the Clinical Antipsychotic Trial of Intervention Effectiveness study for Alzheimer?s disease (CATIE-AD), was published in the October 12, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Diabetes :: Plan Will Guide NIH Research in Type 1 Diabetes

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a long range plan that will help to guide research in type 1 diabetes for the next decade. Advances and Emerging Opportunities in Type 1 Diabetes Research: A Strategic Plan identifies goals and objectives to exploit recent scientific advances in combating this autoimmune form of diabetes.

Macular Degeneration :: Evaluating Effect of Antioxidants and Fish Oil on Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a nationwide study to see if a modified combination of vitamins, minerals, and fish oil can further slow the progression of vision loss from AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people over age 60. This new study, called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), will build upon results from the earlier Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). The original study results were released five years ago today. The study found that high-dose antioxidant vitamins and minerals (vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper), taken by mouth, reduced the risk of progression to advanced AMD by 25 percent, and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent.

Pregnancy :: Drug Misoprostol Prevents PostPartum Hemorrhage in Resource Poor Settings

The drug misoprostol provides a safe, convenient, and inexpensive means to prevent postpartum hemorrhage, a major killer of women in developing countries. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri, India?s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, the National Institutes of Health, and other institutions.

HIV :: NIAID Announces New Campaign To Raise Awareness of Preventive HIV Vaccine Research

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the launch of the ?Be The Generation? public awareness campaign, challenging young Americans to be the generation that ends AIDS through the discovery of a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine.

Prostate Cancer :: Prostate Cancer Among African American Men

Bethesda, Md. ? Researchers from 12 institutions, including the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the results of the first genome-wide linkage study of prostate cancer in African Americans. Using genetic markers, researchers identified several regions of the human genome that likely contain genes that, when altered, increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Allergy :: Experimental Ragweed Therapy Offers Allergy Sufferers Longer Relief with Fewer Shots

Americans accustomed to the seasonal misery of sneezing, runny noses and itchy, watery eyes caused by ragweed pollen might one day benefit from an experimental allergy treatment that not only requires fewer injections than standard immunotherapy, but leads to a marked reduction in symptoms that persists for at least a year after therapy has stopped, according to a new study in the October 5 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The research was sponsored by the Immune Tolerance Network, which is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), both components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.