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Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic mutation that accounts for a perplexing condition found in people with an inherited immunodeficiency. Immunodeficiency disorders occur when the body's immune response is reduced or absent.
Nearly 24 million Americans age 20 or older, which is nearly eight percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes. Of these, nearly 6 million Americans do not know they have the diseases. Combined with the 57 million Americans age 20 and older who have a condition called pre-diabetes, the condition is a serious health concern.
Two strains of flu, seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu, are currently circulating in the United States. Most healthy people recover from the flu without problems, but certain people are at high risk for serious complications. One high risk group is pregnant women and initial results from an ongoing clinical trial show a good response to one dose of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine.
The National Human Genome Research Institute has launched the next generation of its online Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms providing students, teachers and the public a reliable online resource for more than 200 terms and basic concepts behind today's breakthroughs in genetics and genomics.
Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The study is the first successful, placebo-controlled demonstration of a vaccine against an illicit drug of abuse.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common non-invasive lesion of the breast, presents unique challenges for patients and providers largely because the natural course of the untreated disease is not well understood. Because most women diagnosed with DCIS are treated, it is difficult to determine the comparative benefits of different treatment strategies versus active surveillance, meaning systematic follow-up. An NIH panel is urging more research to determine which DCIS patients may be candidates for less-invasive therapy.
Scientists have identified the first long-term, effective treatment to improve vision and reduce vision loss associated with blockage of large and small veins in the eye. Two studies were part of the Standard Care vs. Corticosteroid for Retinal Vein Occlusion (SCORE) Study, a phase III clinical trial conducted at 84 sites and supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health.
This study identifies factors for differences in rates of breast cancer in black vs. white women that heretofore have been uncertain.
Early results from a trial testing a 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in children look promising, according to the trial sponsor, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Though most Americans are familiar with completing a questionnaire about their family health history when visiting health care providers, an independent panel was convened by the National Institutes of Health recently to critically assess exactly what we know and what we need to learn about how this process relates to improving health. The conference focused on the use of family history in the primary care setting for common diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease.
Two federal departments have joined forces to create a first-time collaborative funding project to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans and their families. Research will focus on war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The National Diabetes Education Program, a joint program of NIH and the CDC, translates the science and spreads the word that diabetes is serious, common, and costly, yet controllable and, for type 2, preventable. Studies show that people at high risk for diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their weight, if they are overweight—that's 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. 
 FREE MP3 audio reports from the National Institutes of Health, your reliable health information source. Questions? Contact: This page was last reviewed on
November 20, 2009
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