Health

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NIH scientists find microbes on the skin of mice promote tissue healing, immunity

Insights may inform wound management techniques.

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Immunofluorescent image of immune cells surrounding a skin wound, enriched in the beneficial bacteria S. epidermidis.

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Dramatic increase in ADHD prescriptions filled by reproductive-age women

Study highlights need for clinicians, patients to understand safety of these medications during pregnancy

The number of privately insured U.S. women ages 15-44 years who filled a prescription for a medicine to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increased 344 percent between 2003 and 2015, according to a report in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

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Smoking is down, but almost 38 million American adults still smoke

Cigarette smoking remains high among certain groups

Overall, cigarette smoking among U.S. adults (aged ≥18 years) declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.5 percent in 2016. Yet, nearly 38 million American adults smoked cigarettes (“every day” or “some days”) in 2016, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on January 18.

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Zika infection during pregnancy may disrupt fetal oxygen supply

NIH-funded study observes virus-induced placental damage in monkeys.

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A female Aedes mosquito.

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Hold the salt: gut reaction may impair the brains of mice

NIH-funded study suggests impaired blood flow and dementia can result from a high-salt diet.

We are often warned of the dangers of high levels of salt in our diet, yet the risks of salt consumption and the effects of salt on the body, including the brain, are not entirely clear. In a new mouse study, scientists link changes in the gut caused by a high-salt diet to impaired blood flow in the brain. This reduced blood flow can eventually lead to impaired cognition that could be reversed by changing back to a normal diet.

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Memory gene goes viral

NIH-funded research reveals novel method for transferring genetic material between neurons

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Memory gene acts like a virus: Two independent teams of NIH-funded researchers discovered that the Arc gene can package its genetic material in a virus-like shell for delivery to nearby cells.

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New study offers insights on genetic indicators of COPD risk

Researchers have discovered that genetic variations in the anatomy of the lungs could serve as indicators to help identify people who have low, but stable, lung function early in life, and those who are particularly at risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because of a smoke-induced decline in lung function. The results of the study, which was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Scientists synthesize nanoparticle-antioxidants to treat strokes and spinal cord injuries

An international science team has developed an innovative therapeutic complex based on multi-layer polymer nano-structures of superoxide dismutase (SOD). The new substance can be used to effectively rehabilitate patients after acute spinal injuries, strokes, and heart attacks.

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An international science team has developed an innovative therapeutic complex based on multi-layer polymer nano-structures of superoxide dismutase (SOD). The new substance can be used to effectively rehabilitate patients after acute spinal injuries, strokes, and heart attacks.

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Bangladesh: UN agencies working to vaccinate half a million children against diphtheria

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UNICEF is on the ground in Bangladesh, immunizing Rohingya refugee children to fight the spread of disease, and delivering life-saving nutrition to the tens of thousands of children who are malnourished.

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The coming of age of gene therapy: A review of the past and path forward

No longer the future of medicine, gene therapy is part of present-day clinical treatment.

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Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a T lymphocyte. The engineering of lymphocytes, white blood cells, can be used in the targeted killing of cancer cells.