December 22, 2008
Research Matters 2008 Recap
NIH has nearly 6,000 NIH staff scientists and supports more than
325,000 researchers with competitive grants to all 50 states, the
territories and more than 90 countries around the world. Here's
just a small sampling of the accomplishments made by NIH-supported
scientists in 2008.
Clinical Breakthroughs
Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Disease
Dietary
Supplements Fail to Prevent Prostate Cancer
Two large NIH-funded clinical trials found that taking vitamin
E, vitamin C or selenium does not reduce the risk of prostate
cancer or other cancers in older men, as some previous studies
had suggested. The results highlight the fact that dietary supplements
can sometimes seem beneficial in small observational studies,
but large, carefully controlled trials are needed to test whether
they really live up to their hoped-for benefits.
Research
Matters | PubMed-selenium
and vitamin E | PubMed-vitamins
E and C
Intensive
Blood Sugar Control in Type 2 Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes need to keep their blood sugar from
getting too high. But a large NIH-funded clinical trial found
that tighter control isn't always better. A therapeutic strategy
designed to aggressively control blood sugar in adults with diabetes
who are also at high risk for cardiovascular disease not only
failed to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events; it
actually raised patients’ risk of death.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Smokers
Band Together and Quit Together
Spouses, friends, siblings and co-workers usually decide
to light up or stub out their cigarettes for good around the
same time, an NIH-funded study found. Married couples seemed
to exert the greatest influence on each other. When one spouse
quit smoking, the other’s likelihood of smoking dropped
by nearly 70%. A better understanding of how social ties affect
smoking behavior may lead to more effective ways to prevent or
reduce smoking.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Treatment
Lowers Preterm Infants’ Risk for Cerebral Palsy
Preterm infants born to mothers receiving intravenous magnesium
sulfate—a common treatment to delay labor—are less likely to
develop cerebral palsy than those whose mothers don’t receive
it, according to NIH-supported research. The study, involving
more than 2,200 pregnant women, is the largest, most comprehensive
effort to date to examine the link between the often-used drug
and cerebral palsy.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Laser
Treatment Best for Diabetic Macular Edema
Traditional laser therapy proved more effective than newer steroid
injections for treating people with diabetes who have abnormal
swelling in the eye, a condition called diabetic macular edema.
About 700 patients were studied in the NIH-funded clinical trial,
which showed that laser therapy protected against vision loss
and had far fewer side effects than the corticosteroid treatments.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Wide
Waists Boost Mortality Risk
Even if your weight is in the normal range, your risk
of death increases if your waist is wide, according to research
by NIH scientists. The investigators studied nearly a quarter-million
people over age 50. Those with the largest waists had about a
25% higher mortality risk than those with a normal-sized waist.
Normal-weight people with large waists had a 20% higher risk
of death than those with both a normal weight and waist size.
Research
Matters| PubMed
Children’s
Physical Activity Drops from Age 9 to 15
Physical activity levels sharply declined in a large
group of American children between the ages of 9 and 15, according
to a long-term study by NIH-supported scientists. At ages 9 and
11, more than 90% of the children met recommended activity levels—at
least 60 minutes of physical activities most days of the week.
By age of 15, however, only 31% met the recommended level on
weekdays, and only 17% on weekends.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Increased
Allergen Levels in Homes Linked to Asthma
A little housecleaning may help to reduce asthma symptoms in
people who have both asthma and allergies, suggests a study by
NIH scientists and their colleagues. A survey of more than 2,500
people showed that allergy-triggering substances, called allergens,
were common in most homes. Households with asthmatic people were
more likely to have higher levels of multiple allergens, including
those from dog, cat, mouse and dust mite.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Promising Medical Advances
Findings with Potential for Enhancing Human Health
Gene
Variations Linked to Kidney Disease in African Americans
For the first time, researchers have identified genetic variations
that are strongly associated with certain kidney diseases that
disproportionately affect African Americans. The results of this
NIH-funded research may eventually lead to new therapies or diagnostic
tools to identify people at higher risk various types of kidney
disease.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Artificial
Connections Restore Movement to Paralyzed Limbs
For the first time, scientists have shown that a direct artificial
connection from the brain to muscles can restore wrist movement
in monkeys whose arms have been temporarily anesthetized. The
results of this NIH-funded study have promising implications
for prosthetic design, although clinical applications are still
probably at least a decade away.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Genome-Wide
Studies Shed Light on Several Disorders
In 2008, NIH-funded scientists identified genetic variations
that put people at risk for several common and complex disorders,
including breast
cancer, gout, lung
cancer, schizophrenia, glioblastoma and blood
cholesterol and lipid levels. Their successes relied on genome-wide
association studies (GWAS), which scan the genomes of large numbers
of people to find genetic variations associated with a particular
disease. By analyzing hundreds or thousands of genomes, GWAS
analyses can detect infrequent but significant links to disease
that might be obscured in smaller studies. One NIH-funded GWAS
even examined the genetic make-up of smokers.
The results suggested that certain genetic variants can affect
smokers’ chances for successful quitting and may also help determine
which type of treatment would be most likely to help them quit.
PubMed–breast
cancer | PubMed-gout
| PubMed–lung
cancer | PubMed1, PubMed2–schizophrenia
| PubMed1, PubMed2–glioblastoma
| PubMed–cholesterol
and lipids | PubMed–smokers
Quick
New Method Makes Human Antibodies that Flight Flu Virus
Researchers devised a fast new technique for producing human
monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that can roam the bloodstream to
target and destroy infectious microbes. Using the new method,
NIH-funded scientists created fully human influenza-fighting
antibodies in a matter of weeks, rather than the months typically
needed to generate mAbs.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Fat
Cell Numbers in Teen Years Linger for a Lifetime
After your teen years, the number of fat cells in your body probably
stays the same for the rest of your life, even if you gain or
lose weight, according to an NIH-funded study. The fat cells
simply get bigger or smaller as your weight changes. The findings
may help to explain why it can be so hard for some people to
drop pounds and keep them off.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Newly
Identified Compounds Can Block Parasitic Worms
NIH-supported scientists identified a molecule that holds promise
for treating schistosomiasis, a sometimes-deadly disease that
afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide. The new compound,
called furoxan, can destroy all 3 major species of the microscopic
parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis in humans. Furoxan
also blocked all stages of the Schistosoma worm's development
in infected mice.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Learning
How Cold Sore Viruses Hide
Once you’ve been infected with a herpesvirus, like the
virus that causes cold sores, it takes up permanent residence
in your body, hiding quietly in your nerve cells until the next
outbreak. NIH-funded scientists discovered tiny molecules, called
microRNAs, that seem to help the cold sore virus stay inactive
and protected. The finding may eventually lead to new strategies
for treating persistent herpesvirus infections.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Map
of Structural Variation in the Human Genome
NIH-funded researchers produced the first sequence-based map
of "structural" variations in the human genome, including
gains, losses and rearrangements of long stretches of DNA. Structural
variations have already been linked to HIV susceptibility, coronary
heart disease, schizophrenia and autism. The map will help researchers
better understand how these variations contribute to human health
and disease.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Insights from the Lab
Noteworthy Advances in Basic Research
Novel
Type of Antibody Inhibits HIV Infection
NIH scientists identified a small antibody fragment that’s
highly effective at neutralizing the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV). The antibody strongly binds to different versions of the
HIV envelope protein and prevents a wide range of HIV strains
from entering immune cells. The finding may ultimately lead to
new therapies against HIV and other viruses.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Making "Safer" Stem
Cells
NIH-funded scientists developed a new technique that converts
adult cells into versatile stem cells that can grow into a wide
variety of cell types. This approach uses a common cold virus
to insert 4 transformative genes into mouse cells. The new method
sidesteps the cancer-causing potential of a previously developed
technique, which used a different kind of virus to deliver the
stem cell-generating genes.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Rethinking
Metastasis
Most cancer deaths result from metastasis, the spread of cancer
from a tumor to other parts of the body. Researchers have long
thought that metastasis comes at a late stage of cancer. NIH-funded
studies of genetically altered mice now suggest that metastasis
may start long before that. Normal cells may travel to other
parts of the body early in the cancer process and then later
become malignant.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Human
Genes Associated With West Nile Virus Infection
Since West Nile virus first appeared in the United States a decade
ago, it’s become a seasonal epidemic that flares up each
summer. Unfortunately, our understanding of the virus on a molecular
level has been limited. A study by NIH-funded scientists identified
over 300 human genes that play a role in West Nile virus infection.
The findings reveal several potential targets for antiviral therapies.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Metabolic
Network Finds Disease Links
By building an extensive computer network of molecular relationships,
NIH-funded researchers uncovered completely unexpected connections
between diseases. The metabolic disease network pinpointed 193
pairs of diseases that are metabolically linked and tend to occur
together. This research broadens the study of disease by moving
beyond single genes to consider multiple genes or proteins at
the same time.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Adding "Color" to
MRI
NIH researchers and their colleagues have figured out how to
add the equivalent of color to MRI. The scientists engineered
different microscopic magnetic particles that give off distinct
signals in an MRI scan. Computers can convert these signals into
a rainbow of colors. With further development, the technique
may produce MRI scans that better distinguish between the body’s
internal structures and cell types.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Immune
Cells Help Tropical Parasites Evade Death
Tiny parasites that cause the tropical disease leishmaniasis
may take advantage of the body’s initial defenses by hiding
and surviving inside the fast-acting immune cells sent to devour
them, according to a study by NIH scientists. The
research provides a new view of the earliest stages of Leishmania infection,
which affects about 12 million people worldwide.
Research
Matters | PubMed
Cholesterol
Drug Makes Staph More Vulnerable
NIH-funded researchers discovered that an experimental
cholesterol-fighting drug may also prove useful as an antibiotic
that beats back staph infections. The scientists showed that
the cholesterol drug can strip Staphylococcus aureus bacteria
of their golden color, weakening bacterial defenses and making
them more to susceptible to killing by the immune systems of
mice.
Research
Matters | PubMed