Monthly Archives: October 2007

The International HapMap Consortium today published analyses of its second-generation map of human genetic variation, which contains three times more markers than the initial version unveiled in 2005. In two papers in the journal “Nature”, the consortium describes how the higher resolution map offers greater power to detect genetic variants involved in common diseases, explore the structure of human genetic variation and learn how environmental factors, such as infectious agents, have shaped the human genome. Continue reading →

Schizophrenia may occur, in part, because of a problem in an intermittent
on/off switch for a gene involved in making a key chemical messenger
in the brain, scientists have found in a study of human brain tissue.
The researchers found that the gene is turned on at increasingly
high rates during normal development of the prefrontal cortex,
the part of the brain involved in higher functions like thinking
and decision-making — but that this normal increase may not
occur in people with schizophrenia. Continue reading →

Launch of Vulvodynia Awareness Campaign to raise awareness about vulvodynia, a chronic unexplained
pain or discomfort of the vulva. While a number of causes
have been proposed, researchers still don’t know why vulvodynia
happens to some women. An estimated 14 million American women
may have vulvodynia at one point in their lives. However,
many health care providers are not aware of the condition,
so they aren’t always able to diagnose it. As a result, many
women may go for a long period of time without a diagnosis.
This campaign is designed to raise awareness of the condition
that is frequently not discussed, but can greatly affect
the lives and personal relationships of women of all races,
ethnic groups and ages. Continue reading →

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
welcomes five new members to its National Advisory Neurological
Disorders and Stroke Council. The Council serves as the principal
advisory body to the NINDS, a component of the National Institutes
of Health and the nation’s primary supporter of basic, translational,
and clinical research on the brain and nervous system. Continue reading →

Determining how thousands of chemicals found in the environment
may be interacting with the genes in your body to cause disease
is becoming easier because of a new field of science called toxicogenomics.
A new report issued today by the National Academies of Sciences
(NAS) recognizes the importance of toxicogenomics in predicting
effects on human health and recommends the integration of toxicogenomics
into regulatory decision making. The NAS report was commissioned
by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a leader in
the development of toxicogenomic technologies. Continue reading →

October 15, 2007, marks the fifth annual National Latino AIDS
Awareness Day. On this day, the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) pledges to continue working toward
reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community in the
United States. We commemorate everyone who has been lost to the
disease and recognize those committed individuals who promote HIV/AIDS
education and awareness in all communities. Continue reading →

October 15, 2007, marks the fifth annual National Latino AIDS
Awareness Day. On this day, the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) pledges to continue working toward
reducing the burden of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community in the
United States. We commemorate everyone who has been lost to the
disease and recognize those committed individuals who promote HIV/AIDS
education and awareness in all communities. Continue reading →

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements
can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically
exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic
element that is naturally present in some soils and water. Arsenic-contaminated
drinking water is currently a significant public health problem
in at least 70 countries, including several developing countries
and also parts of the United States. Chronic arsenic exposure is
associated with increased risk for skin, liver and bladder cancers,
skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, and other adverse health
outcomes. The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Continue reading →

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements
can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically
exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic
element that is naturally present in some soils and water. Arsenic-contaminated
drinking water is currently a significant public health problem
in at least 70 countries, including several developing countries
and also parts of the United States. Chronic arsenic exposure is
associated with increased risk for skin, liver and bladder cancers,
skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, and other adverse health
outcomes. The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Continue reading →

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the establishment
of two new centers to address the most critical ethical, legal
and social questions faced by researchers and patients involved
in genetic and genomic research. Continue reading →