Research advances from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program (IRP) often make headlines. Read the news releases that describe our most recent findings:
Saxophonist Joey Berkley was living his dream: he was playing jazz in New York City. But about 20 years ago, he noticed his left hand wasn’t cooperating. It got worse and worse.
“As soon as I picked my horn up and touched — literally just touched my horn — my hands would twist into pretzel shapes,” Berkley recalled in a conversation with Morning Edition host A Martinez.
Berkley was experiencing focal dystonia, a movement disorder marked by involuntary muscle contractions.
He said he “muscled through it” as best he could. But that meant he wasn’t just pressing down on the keys of his sax — he was crushing them. “My fingers would literally be bleeding afterwards,” he said. “I had to quit playing.”
Joey Berkley learned of an experimental procedure at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, that involved placing an electrode directly into his brain.
Researchers have developed a method to label transplanted cells so they can be tracked by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the future, as cell therapies become a more integral part of regenerative medicine and tumor treatment, there could be increased need to measure how many transplanted immune or stem cells reach their target.
Christine Grady, Ph.D., was recently named chief of the Department of Bioethics of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. Grady has served as deputy director of the department since 1996 and served as acting chief since September 2011. Her research focuses on clinical research subject recruitment, incentives, vulnerability, consents, and international research ethics.
An online tool launched today by the National Institutes of Health will make it easier to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of genetic tests. The free resource, called the Genetic Testing Registry (GTR), is available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/.
NIH seeking thousands more oil spill workers to find potential health effects of spill
Nearly two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 10,000 cleanup workers and volunteers have enrolled in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) STUDY, a national effort to determine if the oil spill led to physical or mental health problems. Reaching the GuLF STUDY's target goal of 55,000 participants would make it the largest health study of its kind.
On the fifth annual Rare Disease Day, the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, joins patients and organizations around the world to raise awareness of rare diseases, celebrate advances in treatment, and pledge continued support of rare disease research. In the United States, a disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans. Scientists have identified more than 7,000 rare diseases. Some rare diseases affect only a few hundred people. But considered together, rare diseases affect 25 million Americans, which means about 1 in every 10 people has a rare disease.
A new, easy-to-read website on drug abuse designed for adults with a low reading literacy level (eighth grade or below) was launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The site, which provides plain language information on neuroscience, drug abuse prevention and treatment, is also a resource for adult literacy educators. It has a simple design with a large default text size, motion graphic videos and other features that make it easy to read and use.
The National Institutes of Health will celebrate the Fifth Annual Rare Disease Day February 29 with a day-long celebration co-sponsored by the Office of Rare Diseases Research-National Center for Accelerating Translational Research, and the NIH Clinical Center. The event will recognize rare diseases research activities supported by several government agencies and advocacy organizations.
A new study shows that Kineret (anakinra), a medication approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is effective in stopping the progression of organ damage in people with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID). This rare and debilitating genetic disorder causes persistent inflammation and ongoing tissue damage. The research was performed by scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Higher blood levels of cadmium in females, and higher blood levels of lead in males, delayed pregnancy in couples trying to become pregnant, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other academic research institutions.
The National Institutes of Health has created a new website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You to help people learn more about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. From the first cure of a solid tumor with chemotherapy to the use of nitroglycerin in response to heart attacks, clinical research trials — or research studies involving people — have played a vital role in improving health and quality of life for people around the globe.
