Four New Members Appointed to National Neurological Disorders and Stroke Advisory Council

February 4, 2010 | by

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) announced that four new members have joined its National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. The council serves as the principal advisory body to NINDS regarding the Institute’s research program planning and priorities.

“I am delighted to welcome these distinguished new appointees to the advisory council,” said NINDS Director Story Landis, Ph.D. “They include a world-renowned stroke investigator and leader in thrombolytic therapy, a specialist in pediatric neurology and neonatal brain disorders, a neurologist and director of multi-disciplinary research in evidence-based treatment, and a long-time advocate for neurological research who helps families affected by serious diseases.”

NIA Funds Roybal Centers for Translational Research in Aging

February 4, 2010 | by

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced that it has renewed funding for nine Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology and designated four new centers. The goal of the centers is to move promising social and behavioral research findings out of the laboratory and into programs and practices that will improve the lives of older people and help society adapt to an aging population. The centers focus on a range of projects, including maintaining mobility and physical function, enhancing driving performance, understanding financial and medical decision making, and sharpening cognitive function.

NIH Scientists Identify Maternal and Fetal Genes That Increase Preterm Birth Risk

February 4, 2010 | by

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery. The DNA variants were in genes involved in the regulation of inflammation and of the extracellular matrix, the mesh-like material that holds cells within tissues.

“A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that inflammatory hormones may play a significant role in the labor process,” said Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., acting director of the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). “The current findings add evidence that individual genetic variation in that response may account for why preterm labor occurs in some pregnancies and not in others.”

NHLBI Funds Preclinical Tests on Devices for Infants and Children with Congenital Heart Defects

February 4, 2010 | by

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded four contracts totaling $23.6 million to begin preclinical testing of devices to help children born with congenital heart defects or those who develop heart failure. The four-year program is called Pumps for Kids, Infants, and Neonates (PumpKIN).

Each year in the United States, nearly 1,800 infants die as a result of congenital heart defects and another 350 develop heart disease, which leads to heart failure for many. Approximately 60 infants and children under 5 years old who are placed on the heart transplant waiting list die each year before receiving one. Mechanically assisted circulatory support could be used to sustain these young patients as they seek to recover or wait to receive a heart transplant.

SIDS Linked to Low Levels of Serotonin

February 2, 2010 | by

The brains of infants who die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) produce low levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that conveys messages between cells and plays a vital role in regulating breathing, heart rate, and sleep, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

SIDS is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday that cannot be explained after a complete autopsy, an investigation of the scene and circumstances of the death, and a review of the medical history of the infant and of his or her family. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, SIDS is the third leading cause of infant death, claiming more than 2,300 lives in 2006.

Infant sleeping