NIH-led scientific team defines elements of brain-based visual impairment in children

November 19, 2024 Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified five elements of a brain-based condition that has emerged as a leading cause of vision impairment starting in childhood in the United States and other industrialized nations. Known as cerebral (or cortical) visual impairment (CVI), some estimates suggest that at least 3% of primary school children exhibit CVI-related visual problems, which vary, but may include difficulty visually searching for an object or person or understanding a scene involving complex motion. Their report, based on evidence and expert opinion, was published today in Ophthalmology.

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Researchers uncover new role of mutant proteins in some of the deadliest cancers

November 12, 2024 Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators have discovered a new way in which RAS genes, which are commonly mutated in cancer, may drive tumor growth beyond their well-known role in signaling at the cell surface. Mutant RAS, they found, helps to kick off a series of events involving the transport of specific nuclear proteins that lead to uncontrolled tumor growth, according to a study published Nov. 11, 2024, in Nature Cancer.

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Salivary Enzyme Behind Our Carb Cravings May Have Unexpectedly Ancient History

November 7, 2024 Digestion involves much more than just your stomach. The digestive process that fuels your body begins in your mouth each time you take a bite of food and chew. An enzyme in your saliva, called amylase, then starts to break down complex carbohydrates—or starches found in many fruits, vegetables, and grains—into simpler sugars to give you their sweet flavor followed by a burst of energy.

Read more in this article by  Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli in NIH Director's Blog.

Why protective antibodies fade after COVID-19 vaccines

October 29, 2024 Researchers found that current COVID-19 vaccines fail to generate mature and durable antibody-producing cells in the bone marrow. The findings could help explain why protection tends to decline over time. Better understanding of long-term immune responses could lead to improved vaccines that provide enduring protection.

 From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH Research Matters.

New course: Pennsylvania: Child Abuse, Recognition and Reporting for Mandated Reporters, 3 units (331)

October 20, 2024 This online course is for healthcare providers and other professionals in Pennsylvania who are mandated to report suspected child abuse. 

Click here to access PA Child Abuse, 3 units.

Alzheimer’s disease may damage the brain in two phases

October 15, 2024 Alzheimer’s disease may damage the brain in two distinct phases, based on new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using sophisticated brain mapping tools. According to researchers who discovered this new view, the first, early phase happens slowly and silently — before people experience memory problems — harming just a few vulnerable cell types. In contrast, the second, late phase causes damage that is more widely destructive and coincides with the appearance of symptoms and the rapid accumulation of plaques, tangles, and other Alzheimer’s hallmarks.

Read more in this news release from NIH.

NIH launches large study to tackle type 2 diabetes in young people

October 9, 2024 In an effort to identify risk factors for youth-onset type 2 diabetes to improve prevention and treatment, the National Institutes of Health has launched a nationwide consortium to address the dramatic rise in youth diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over the past two decades, a trend that is expected to continue. 

Read more in this press release from NIH. 

After a rocky debut for new RSV tools, hopes are high as a new season approaches

October 4, 2024 RSV is a common virus that causes cold-like symptoms; it infects people at any age. But while most adults would probably write off an RSV infection as just a nasty cold, the illness triggered in older adults and babies is typically more severe. That is particularly true in young babies, whose lungs are still developing.

Read more in this article by Helen Branswell in STAT Health.

Millions of Americans want to quit smoking. Critics say drugmakers and the FDA are failing them

September 23, 2024 Of the roughly 15 million Americans who tried to quit smoking in 2022, 5 in 6 failed. It’s a jarring statistic — and an indictment of the treatment options for an addiction that kills 480,000 people in the U.S. each year.

The smoking-cessation drugs on the market don’t work well for the majority of people, and they come with side effects and reputations that keep some smokers from ever trying them. Despite this, there hasn’t been a new class of drug approved for the condition in nearly two decades. 

Read more in this article by Nicholas Florko in STAT Health.

Use of metformin in adults with diabetes linked to lower risk of long COVID

September 17, 2024 Large NIH-funded study supports previous studies showing potential benefit. Adults who use the prescription drug metformin to treat their type 2 diabetes have a lower risk of developing long COVID or dying after a COVID-19 infection than people with diabetes who take other anti-diabetes medications, according to a large study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Experimental blood test predicts risk for developing COPD, other severe respiratory diseases

September 10, 2024 A scientific team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a preclinical blood test to identify adults most likely to develop severe respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

 From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH. 

Doctors use problematic race-based algorithms to guide care every day. Why are they so hard to change?

September 3, 2024 Pediatrician Alexandra Epee-Bounya had had enough. In her 20 years caring for children in Boston, she had seen hundreds of kids with suspected urinary tract infections. Each time, she’d turn to a calculator, used by all Boston Children’s Hospital clinicians, to judge the youngest children’s risk. Did the infant have a high fever? Add a point. Was she a girl? Add two points. 

As she went down the list, one of the factors tripped her up every time: Was the child Black? If not, add a point. The more points, the higher the risk of a UTI, which meant the child would get follow up testing. How could it be that the color of a child’s skin dictated their care? 

Read more in this article by Katie Palmer and Usha Lee McFarling in STAT.

Cannabis and hallucinogen use among adults remained at historic highs in 2023

August 29, 2024 Reports of vaping nicotine or vaping cannabis in the past year among adults 19 to 30 rose over five years, and both trends remained at record highs in 2023. 

From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Self-adjusting brain pacemaker may help reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms

August 20, 2024 A small feasibility study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that an implanted device regulated by the body’s brain activity could provide continual and improved treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in certain people with the disorder. 

From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH.

NIH launches program to advance research led by Native American communities on substance use and pain

August 15, 2024 Many Tribal Nations have developed and continue to develop innovative approaches and systems of care for community members with substance use and pain disorders. During NIH Tribal Consultations in 2018 and 2022, Tribal leaders categorized the opioid overdose crisis as one of their highest priority issues and called for research and support to respond. They shared that Native communities must lead the science and highlighted the need for research capacity building, useful real-time data, and approaches that rely on Indigenous Knowledge and community strengths to meet the needs of Native people.

Read more in this news release for NIH. 

Routine lab tests are not a reliable way to diagnose long COVID

August 12, 2024 NIH-supported study suggests novel biomarkers that distinguish the condition from other ailments are needed. A National Institutes of Health-supported study has found that routine lab tests may not be useful in making a long COVID diagnosis for people who have symptoms of the condition. The study, part of NIH’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery Initiative and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, highlights how challenging it can be to identify and diagnose a novel illness such as long COVID.

From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Medicaid vision coverage for adults varies widely by state

August 6, 2024 NIH-funded study finds lack of coverage, copays, restrictive policies barriers to vital eye care for adults. A study supported by the National Institutes of Health shows that 6.5 million Medicaid enrollees (12%) lived in states without coverage for routine adult eye exams; and 14.6 million (27%) resided in states without coverage for eyeglasses. The study based on 2022-23 coverage policies, published in Health Affairs, is among the first to provide a comprehensive, state-by-state analysis of adult Medicaid benefits for basic vision services in both fee-for-service and managed care.

From NIH

Read more in this news release from NIH.

NIH researchers discover potential therapeutic target for degenerative eye disease

Study reveals cellular pathology of “dry” AMD.

July 26, 2024 Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered the source of dysfunction in the process whereby cells in the eye's retina remove waste.

From NIH

A report by scientists at NIH and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, details how alterations in a factor called AKT2 affects the function of organelles called lysosomes and results in the production of deposits in the retina called drusen, a hallmark sign of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the researchers, the findings suggest drusen formation is a downstream effect of AKT2-related lysosome dysfunction and points to a new target for therapeutic intervention.

Read more in this news release from NIH.

Over half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to middlemen and others.

July 24, 2024 There’s a long line of middlemen profiting when you get your medicine. In fact, over half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to health insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), big pharmacies, and others. They are driving up costs for patients.

Read more in this post from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

As GLP-1 sales surge, insulin users fear Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly will move on without them

July 17, 2024 Around the world, patients suddenly can’t find enough of the insulins made by companies they have long relied on to do so.

In the U.S., Novo Nordisk’s recent decision to discontinue a product has left patients with fewer options. At the same time, patients are encountering shortages of other products from Novo and Eli Lilly. For months, pharmacies have been running out of vials of certain insulins that patients use to fill the pumps they wear on their body.

Read more in this article by Elaine Chen in STAT Health. 

About Cultural Competence in Nevada, 4 units

July 1, 2024 The intention of this training is to better understand and treat patients and clients who have diverse cultural backgrounds. This includes patients or residents who fall within one or more of the categories included in Nevada Resource Code 449.103.

This course is approved by the Nevada State Board of Nursing. Access the course here.

Most Americans don’t know that primary care physicians can prescribe addiction treatment

June 28, 2024 “Primary care is often people’s first point of contact in the health care system and can serve as a crucial setting to talk about addiction and receive lifesaving medications,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “We need to provide education and support so that patients feel empowered to seek help from their primary care physician, and their doctors feel prepared to help them.”

Read more in this news release from NIH.

What Long COVID Looks Like in Children and Young Adults

May 30, 2024 At least 15 million kids have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but it is unclear how many of them have had or are living with long COVID. The ailment includes symptoms that linger after COVID-19 or symptoms that come back after an absence of weeks or months. A person might feel short of breath, lose their sense of smell, be unable to think clearly, be tired all the time, or have other maladies that can be traced back to COVID-19.

 From NIH

Read more in this article from National Institutes of Health.

High H5N1 influenza levels found in mice given raw milk from infected dairy cows

May 24, 2024 Mice administered raw milk samples from dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza experienced high virus levels in their respiratory organs and lower virus levels in other vital organs, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results suggest that consumption of raw milk by animals poses a risk for H5N1 infection and raises questions about its potential risk in humans.

 From NIH

Read more in this media advisory from National Institutes of Health.

Over 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl seized by law enforcement in 2023

May 13, 2024 “Fentanyl has continued to infiltrate the drug supply in communities across the United States and it is a very dangerous time to use drugs, even just occasionally,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “Illicit pills are made to look identical to real prescription pills, but can actually contain fentanyl. It is urgently important that people know that any pills given to someone by a friend, purchased on social media, or received from any source other than a pharmacy could be potentially deadly – even after a single ingestion.”

 From NIH

Read more in this news release from National Institutes of Health. 

Researchers review findings and clinical messages from the Women’s Health Initiative 30 years after launch

May 1, 2024 Data from influential study underscore the importance of personalized and shared decision-making to support the health of postmenopausal women.

 From NIH

Read more in this media advisory from National Institutes of Health.

Covid ignited a global controversy over what is an airborne disease. The WHO just expanded its definition

April 18, 2024 In the chaotic first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, stores faced shortages of all kinds — toilet paper, canned food, and especially, cleaning supplies. With everyone scrubbing their groceries, mail, even library books, good luck finding antibacterial wipes or disinfectant sprays back then. That’s because public health advice in early 2020 focused on sanitizing surfaces, not protecting against a virus that could be spread through the air.

 From NIH

Much of that guidance could be traced back to the World Health Organization, which stated early on, and unequivocally, that Covid-19 was not an airborne disease. Even as evidence grew that coronavirus-laced particles could linger in the air indoors and infect people nearby, and researchers raised the alarm about the risks this posed to health care workers and the general public, the WHO didn’t acknowledge that Covid was airborne until late 2021.

Read more in this article by Megan Molteni in STAT Health.