Silencing a Faulty Gene May Uncover Clues to Rare Forms of ALS
Using an experimental drug, researchers suppressed a mutated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) gene. Studies in mice demonstrate the therapy shows potential in treating rare, aggressive forms of ALS caused by mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene.
Signs of Mental Health Resilience in Youth During Pandemic
Survey data found that supportive relationships with family and friends and healthy behaviors—such as engaging in physical activity and better sleep—appeared to shield against the harmful effects of the pandemic on adolescents’ mental health.
Oral Immunotherapy Induces Remission of Peanut Allergy
An NIH clinical trial found that giving peanut oral immunotherapy to highly peanut-allergic children ages 1 to 3 safely desensitized most of them to peanut and induced remission of peanut allergy in one-fifth.
SARS-CoV-2 May Cause Fetal Inflammation
A small NICHD-led study showed that a SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may cause inflammatory immune responses in the fetus, even if the virus does not infect the placenta.
Survival Rate Increases for Extremely Preterm Infants
The survival rate of extremely preterm infants born from 2013 through 2018 in a large network of U.S. research centers improved to 78.3 percent.
Offering Buprenorphine to Inmates Has Hopeful Results
A study conducted in two rural Massachusetts jails found that people with opioid use disorder (OUD) who were incarcerated and received buprenorphine, a medication approved to treat OUD, were less likely to face re-arrest and reconviction after release.
Experimental HIV Vaccine Shows Promise
A team led by NIAID’s Dr. Paolo Lusso developed and tested an mRNA HIV vaccine in animals. Study results were published in Nature Medicine.
NIH Celebrates FDA Approval of Injectable Drug for HIV Prevention
The FDA recently approved a long-acting HIV prevention medication. Developed by ViiV Healthcare, cabotegravir is injected once every 2 months. FDA has approved the medicine for use by adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds who are at risk of sexually acquiring HIV.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Early Pregnancy Linked to Diabetes Risk
A small NIH-funded study has linked sleep-disordered breathing in early pregnancy with insulin resistance or difficulty clearing glucose from the blood. The results, which appear in Sleep, strengthen the link between sleep-disordered breathing, which includes pauses or slowing of breathing during sleep, and gestational diabetes.
Viagra May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
NIA-funded researchers have found that people who took the drug sildenafil, sold under the brand names Viagra and Revatio, were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sildenafil also enhanced growth and reduced Alzheimer’s biomarkers in cultured human neurons.