NIH

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Prominent Lockdown Critic Chosen to Lead the NIH

Trump chooses Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who opposed COVID mandates

(Newser) - President-elect Trump has chosen health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the National Institutes of Health, the nation's leading medical research agency, reports the AP . Trump, in a statement Tuesday evening, said Bhattacharya, a 56-year-old physician and professor at Stanford University...

No Brain Injury Seen in 'Havana Syndrome' Patients
For 'Havana
Syndrome'
Patients, No Sign
of Brain Injury
new studies
Mar 18, 2024 11:46 AM CDT

For 'Havana Syndrome' Patients, No Sign of Brain Injury

Pair of NIH studies may not settle the debate, however

(Newser) - Two new studies by the National Institutes of Health found that US diplomats who suffered from mysterious "Havana syndrome" ailments show no sign of brain injuries, reports CNN . Don't expect this to settle the debate on the matter, however.
  • The tests: Scans of more than 80 patients found
...

For Long COVID Sufferers, Good News and Bad News
For Long COVID Sufferers,
Good News and Bad News
new study
Aug 1, 2023 1:53 PM CDT

For Long COVID Sufferers, Good News and Bad News

Researchers say it's like having the brain age 10 years; but NIH is rolling out treatment studies

(Newser) - For those battling the vague but debilitating condition that has come to be known as long COVID , it's a mix of good and bad news.
  • The bad: British researchers measured the cognitive impairment of those with the diagnosis and found that it's the equivalent of their brains aging
...

NIH Director Is Calling It Quits
NIH Director Is
Calling It Quits
Oct 5, 2021 1:08 AM CDT

NIH Director Is Calling It Quits

Francis Collins has served 12 years

(Newser) - The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S. Collins, says he is stepping down by the end of the year, having led the research center for 12 years and become a prominent source of public information during the coronavirus pandemic, the AP reports. “There comes a...

New US Variant May Be Behind Surge
New US Variant
May Be Behind Surge
Jan 8, 2021 4:20 PM CST

New US Variant May Be Behind Surge

White House task force warns strain could be 50% more transmissible

(Newser) - The UK variant of the coronavirus may not be the only new strain to be concerned about. The White House coronavirus task force has told states that the US might have its own new strain that's 50% more transmissible. That would partly explain the current surge in cases, the...

HIV Vaccine Trial Ends in Failure and 'Deep Disappointment'
Agency Calls Off 
HIV Vaccine Trial
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 8, 2020 10:30 AM CST

Agency Calls Off HIV Vaccine Trial

Results from South Africa show vaccine wasn't effective

(Newser) - "An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic, and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work," a US health agency said Monday. "Regrettably, it does not." With that, the clinical trial in South Africa was shut down, CNN reports; the vaccine was not found...

Head of Health Research Agency: No More 'Manels'

Francis Collins will boycott all-male speaking panels, he announces

(Newser) - If a scientific panel doesn't include women, it won't include the director of the National Institutes of Health as a speaker. Francis Collins posted his decision online, NBC reports. "Too often, women and members of other groups underrepresented in science are conspicuously missing in the marquee speaking...

When and How to Feed Your Baby Peanuts

Most should taste peanuts around 6 months: NIH

(Newser) - Most babies should start eating peanut-containing foods well before their first birthday, say guidelines released Thursday that aim to protect high-risk tots and other youngsters from developing the dangerous food allergy. The new guidelines from the National Institutes of Health mark a shift in dietary advice, based on landmark research...

Use More Female Lab Rats, Feds Tell Scientists

NIH says gender bias in research hurts women's health

(Newser) - If medical researchers want money from the National Institutes of Health, they'll have to put an end to the boys' club in the lab. The new NIH rules aren't talking about a gender bias among the scientists themselves, however, but among their test subjects—specifically animals and cells,...

Big Pharma Paid for Seat at FDA Advisory Table

Gave up to $25K per meeting on painkiller safety

(Newser) - Drug companies shelled out in a big way to get a seat at meetings between the FDA and an advisory panel, paying up to $25,000 per meeting, the Washington Post reports based on hundreds of emails. The panel, which was funded by the money, helped the FDA evaluate painkiller...

Stopping Tests on Chimps Hurts ... Chimps

NIH move is bad for animals in the long run: research center chief

(Newser) - The NIH is drastically reducing its research on chimps, a move that animal rights advocates hail as humane and long overdue. They've got it exactly backward, writes the director of a research center affected by the move. What they fail to consider is that chimp research doesn't just...

NIH May Soon Retire Almost All Its Research Chimps

New recommendations would keep just 50 on hand

(Newser) - The National Institutes of Health could soon be letting most of its 451 research chimpanzees retire in sanctuaries, if new recommendations are put into effect. The NIH Council of Councils approved a report yesterday that unanimously recommends almost all the chimps should no longer be used for research, with just...

NFL Donates $30M to Study Brain Injuries

It's the league's biggest ever donation

(Newser) - The NFL is putting money behind its pledge to get a handle on brain injuries after years of taking relatively little action. The league gave $30 million to the National Institutes of Health today to fund research and "lead the way" on the issue, said NFL chief Roger Goodell....

'Superbug' Killed 6 at NIH Hospital Last Year

 'Superbug' Killed 6 
 at NIH Hospital 
 Last Year 
in case you missed it
Aug 25, 2012 7:00 PM CDT

'Superbug' Killed 6 at NIH Hospital Last Year

Maryland breakout highlights dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

(Newser) - A "superbug"—deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium—rampaged through a Maryland hospital last year, killing six patients. The revelation was not made public until today, notes the Washington Post . It all began in June 2011, when a patient harboring the superbug known as Klebsiella pneumoniae checked into the National Institutes...

Cancer Research Held Back by ... Wrong Labels?

Cell lines used in study are often misidentified: Wall Street Journal

(Newser) - As many as one-third of cancer cell lines used by scientists around the world could be wrongly labeled, undermining huge amounts of medical research, reports the Wall Street Journal . For basic biology research, the problem is probably not so serious. But for the study of specific cancers and treatment, wrongly...

Feds Halt Chimp Research

NIH's temporary measure follows critical report

(Newser) - A new report suggests that the use of chimpanzees in health research is rarely justified, and the National Institutes of Health has taken it to heart. The organization has placed a temporary ban on using chimps in new research, "effective immediately," the Washington Post reports. A committee will...

Erin Brockovich Carcinogen Runs Rampant in US Tap Water

Industrial pollutant hexavalent chromium found in 31 of 35 cities surveyed

(Newser) - Those who thought Erin Brockovich was just a decent movie might want to check their drinking water: An environmental group has found the probable carcinogen featured in the film in the tap water of 31 of 35 US cities it analyzed—the first such study of hexavalent chromium to be...

Vitamin D's Grade: A+, or Incomplete?

'Sunshine vitamin' can stave off disease, but may be risky too

(Newser) - Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin," has been getting plenty of good press lately, leading some to ask why more people aren't guzzling it to help stave off heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. But as the government looks to update its guidelines, many experts warn that bombarding people with...

Alzheimer's Less Prevalent Than Suspected

Study finds 10% of Americans over 71 afflicted

(Newser) - A new study estimates that 2.4 million people, or 9.7% of Americans over age 71, have Alzheimer's disease, fewer than originally suspected. Unlike prior studies, which have focused on a small region or select cities, researchers assessed seniors in 42 states to arrive at the "best" estimates...

NIH Won't Breed Chimps for Research
NIH Won't Breed Chimps for Research
May 25, 2007 6:21 AM CDT

NIH Won't Breed Chimps for Research

Agency cites financial reasons; rights activists thrilled anyway

(Newser) - The National Institutes of Health will stop breeding chimpanzees for use in medical testing, the agency announced yesterday. The practice is being abandoned for financial reasons, NIH says; because chimpanzees live upwards of 50 years in captivity, their lifelong upkeep costs $500,000.

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