Monthly Archives: October 2007

A team of scientists is expanding efforts to develop a detailed picture of immune system function with a new $51 million, five-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The research builds on a project originally funded by NIAID in 2003, and will continue to be led by Richard Ulevitch, Ph.D., of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The contract will also involve scientists from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle; Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.; and the Australian National University, Canberra. Continue reading →

Stress can play a major role in the development of several mental
illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Researchers have long wondered why some people are resilient
to stress while others aren’t. A new mouse study may have brought
them a step closer to the answer. Continue reading →

Researchers have developed a combination treatment using two drugs that selectively blocks pain in rats without impairing movement or other sensations such as touch. The technique may lead to new pain treatments for people. Continue reading →

Sticking to a low-fat diet for at least 4 years can reduce an
older woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer by about 40%,
according to a new study. The results are the most promising
to date from a large clinical trial that’s examining how low-fat
diets can affect the health of postmenopausal women. Continue reading →

On October 1st, 2007, Elias Zerhouni, Director of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), and Arnold Migus, Director General
of CNRS, signed a Letter of Intent for the creation of a program
for young scientists entitled “NIH-CNRS Research Career Transition
Award” at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. Continue reading →

The National Institutes of Health today is hosting the launch
of the Council of Science Editors’ global theme issue on poverty
and human development, to coincide with the publication of related
research by more than 230 journals worldwide. Seven of the most
outstanding articles examining interventions and projects to improve
health and reduce health-care inequities among the poor are being
presented at the event. The diverse topics include childbirth safety,
HIV/AIDS, malaria treatment, food insufficiency and sexual behavior,
interventions to improve child survival, physician brain drain
from the developing world, and influenza’s impact on children. Continue reading →

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected six individuals
to serve as members of the Director’s Council of Public Representatives
(COPR), the advisory committee to the NIH Director on issues important
to the public. Continue reading →

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
(NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and
Technology of the Republic of India, have entered into a bilateral
agreement to develop low-cost health-care technologies aimed at
the medically underserved. The agreement is based on a shared commitment
to improve the health and well-being of the people of both countries
by encouraging collaborations and cooperation on the development
of diagnostic and therapeutic medical technologies that are inexpensive
and operate at the initial point of physician contact, or point
of care. Continue reading →

Results of a new study may one day help scientists learn how to
enhance a naturally occurring mechanism in the brain that promotes
resilience to psychological stress. Researchers funded by the National
Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
found that, in a mouse model, the ability to adapt to stress is
driven by a distinctly different molecular mechanism than is the
tendency to be overwhelmed by stress. The researchers mapped out
the mechanisms — components of which also are present in
the human brain — that govern both kinds of responses. Continue reading →

NIH is hosting a free, public event to launch the Council of Science Editors’ Global Theme Issue on poverty and human development, to coincide with the publication of related research by more than 230 journals worldwide. Seven of the most outstanding articles examining interventions and projects to improve health and reduce health-care inequities among the poor will be presented at this event. Subject areas include: childbirth safety, HIV/AIDS, malaria treatment, food insufficiency and sexual behavior, interventions to improve child survival, physician brain drain from the developing world, and influenza’s impact on children. Continue reading →