EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

New England Journal of Medicine
NIH scientists develop monkey model to study novel coronavirus infection
National Institutes of Health researchers have developed a model of infection in rhesus macaques that will help scientists around the world better understand how an emerging coronavirus, first identified in Sept. 2012, affects people. The virus has so far infected at least 17 people in the Middle East and Europe, killing 11 of them.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

Nature
NIH scientists, grantees map possible path to an HIV vaccine
In an advance for HIV vaccine research, scientists have for the first time determined how both the virus and a resulting strong antibody response co-evolved in one HIV-infected individual. The findings could help researchers identify which proteins to use in investigational vaccines to induce antibodies capable of preventing infection from an array of HIV strains.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 2-Apr-2013

Cell Metabolism
Targeting cholesterol buildup in eye may slow age-related vision loss
Targeting cholesterol metabolism in the eye might help prevent a severe form of age-related macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness in older Americans, according to indications in a study in mice, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH/National Eye Institute

Public Release: 2-Apr-2013
New NIH funding for 2 Autism Centers of Excellence
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.3 million in initial one-year funding to the latest two recipients of the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program. With these awards, announced on World Autism Awareness Day, these and nine other ACE centers around the country are now being funded for up to five years. The program was created in 2007 to launch an intense and coordinated research effort aimed at identifying the causes of autism spectrum disorders and finding new treatments.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 27-Mar-2013

American Journal of Epidemiology
Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, NIH network study finds
Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional, or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health network study.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 22-Mar-2013

American Journal of Psychiatry
Delay in shifting gaze linked to early brain development in autism
At seven months of age, children who are later diagnosed with autism take a split second longer to shift their gaze during a task measuring eye movements and visual attention than do typically developing infants of the same age, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Mar-2013

New England Journal of Medicine
NIH study shows people with serious mental illnesses can lose weight
People with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression can lose weight and keep it off through a modified lifestyle intervention program. Over 80 percent of people with serious mental illnesses are overweight or obese, which contributes to them dying at three times the rate of the overall population. Lifestyle modifications such as diet and exercise should work for these patients, yet they are often left out of weight loss studies.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 20-Mar-2013

Science Translational Medicine
NIH-supported researchers identify new class of malaria compounds
A group of researchers from 16 institutions around the world has identified a new class of anti-malarial compounds that target multiple stages of the malaria parasite's life cycle. These compounds could potentially be developed into drugs that treat and prevent malaria infection.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 19-Mar-2013

Journal of Neural Engineering
Wireless, implanted sensor broadens range of brain research
A compact, self-contained sensor recorded and transmitted brain activity data wirelessly for more than a year in early stage animal tests, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Public Release: 7-Mar-2013

PLOS Pathogens
NIH study sheds light on role of climate in influenza transmission
Two types of environmental conditions -- cold-dry and humid-rainy -- are associated with seasonal influenza epidemics, according to an epidemiological study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center. The paper, published in PLOS Pathogens, presents a simple climate-based model that maps influenza activity globally and accounts for the diverse range of seasonal patterns observed across temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 4-Mar-2013

20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
Daily-use HIV prevention approaches prove ineffective among women in NIH study
Three antiretroviral-based strategies intended to prevent HIV infection among women did not prove effective in a major clinical trial in Africa. For reasons that are unclear, a majority of study participants -- particularly young, single women -- were unable to use their assigned approaches daily as directed, according to findings presented today by one of the study's co-leaders at CROI in Atlanta.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 4-Mar-2013

20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
Toddler 'functionally cured' of HIV infection, NIH-supported investigators report
A two-year-old child born with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral drugs beginning in the first days of life no longer has detectable levels of virus using conventional testing despite not taking HIV medication for 10 months, according to findings presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 3-Mar-2013

Nature Genetics
7 genetic risk factors found to be associated with common eye disorder
An international group of researchers has discovered seven new regions of the human genome -- called loci -- that are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 27-Feb-2013

PLOS ONE
First grade math skills set foundation for later math ability
Children who failed to acquire a basic math skill in first grade scored far behind their peers by seventh grade on a test of the mathematical abilities needed to function in adult life, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Feb-2013

Science
US government to announce new policies for dual use research
The US government today released two new documents to guide researchers in carrying out dual use research of concern.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Feb-2013
NIH-funded researchers begin trial of Shigella vaccine candidates
Researchers have launched an early-stage human clinical trial of two related candidate vaccines to prevent infection with Shigella, bacteria that are a significant cause of diarrheal illness, particularly among children. The Phase I clinical trial, funded by NIAID, part of NIH, will evaluate the vaccines for safety and their ability to induce immune responses among 90 healthy adults ages 18 to 45 years.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 20-Feb-2013

NIH Consensus Development Conference: Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Independent panel to present findings on diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus
To better understand the benefits and risks of various gestational diabetes mellitus diagnostic approaches, the National Institutes of Health is convening a Consensus Development Conference Mar. 4-6, 2013 to assess the available scientific evidence. An impartial, independent panel will hold a press telebriefing after the conference to discuss their findings and implications for the public.

Public Release: 15-Feb-2013
NIH study shows big improvement in diabetes control over past decades
More people are meeting recommended goals in the 3 key markers of diabetes control, according to a study conducted and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public Release: 14-Feb-2013

American Journal of Public Health
Prevention efforts focused on youth reduce prescription abuse into adulthood
Middle school students from small towns and rural communities who received any of three community-based prevention programs were less likely to abuse prescription medications in late adolescence and young adulthood. The research, published today in the American Journal of Public Health, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Mental Health, all components of the National Institutes of Health.

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 13-Feb-2013

JAMA Psychiatry
Threat bias interacts with combat, gene to boost PTSD risk
Soldiers preoccupied with threat at the time of enlistment or with avoiding it just before deployment were more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in a study of Israeli infantrymen. Such pre-deployment threat vigilance and avoidance, interacting with combat experience and an emotion-related gene, accounted for more than a third of PTSD symptoms that emerged later. Computerized training that helps modify such attention biases might help protect soldiers from the disorder.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 10-Feb-2013

Nature Medicine
NIH scientists discover promising target to block Staphylococcus infection
National Institutes of Health scientists have identified a promising lead for developing a new type of drug to treat infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that frequently resists traditional antibiotics. The researchers discovered a system used by S. aureus to transport toxins that are thought to contribute to severe staph infections. These toxins -- called phenol-soluble modulins -- have gained much attention in recent years, but their multitude and diversity have hindered efforts to target them for drug development.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 8-Feb-2013

2013 International Stroke Conference

New England Journal of Medicine
Imaging acute ischemic stroke patients' brains did not lead to improved outcomes
The use of advanced imaging shortly after the onset of acute stroke failed to identify a subgroup of patients who could benefit from a clot-removal procedure, a study has found. The randomized controlled trial known as Mechanical Retrieval and Recanalization of Stroke Clots Using Embolectomy was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, and was published online Feb. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Public Release: 7-Feb-2013

2013 International Stroke Conference

New England Journal of Medicine
Clot-retrieval devices failed to improve stroke-related disability
A stroke survivor's chances of living independently after 90 days are not improved by the use of devices inserted into the artery to dissolve or remove a stroke-causing clot shortly after the onset of symptoms, according to a controlled trial. The study, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will be presented at the International Stroke Conference 2013 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and published online Feb. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Public Release: 5-Feb-2013
3 NIH-sponsored clinical trials test influenza treatments
Three clinical trials that seek to find more effective treatments for influenza are enrolling volunteers with influenza at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., and at several dozen other domestic and international sites.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 5-Feb-2013

Journal of Neuroscience
Reflex control could improve walking after incomplete spinal injuries
A training regimen to adjust the body's motor reflexes may help improve mobility for some people with incomplete spinal cord injuries, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke