NIH Researchers Discover Brain Area Crucial for Recognizing Visual Events
NIH researchers report that a brain region in the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS) is crucial for processing and making decisions about visual information. The findings could provide clues to treating visual conditions from stroke.
Pregnant Women in Third Trimester Unlikely to Pass Covid-19 to Newborns
Pregnant women who are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, during the third trimester are unlikely to pass the infection to their newborns, suggests an NIH-funded study.
Study Links Metabolic Syndrome to Higher Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Psoriasis
Psoriasis has long been known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attack and stroke. Now, researchers have identified a key culprit: the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn).
Study Finds Surge of Teen Vaping Levels Off, But Remains High
Findings released in December from the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among U.S. teens indicate that levels of nicotine and marijuana vaping did not increase from 2019 to early 2020, although they remain high.
Cataract Surgery in Infancy Increases Glaucoma Risk
Children who undergo cataract surgery as infants have a 22 percent risk of glaucoma 10 years later, whether or not they receive an intraocular lens implant. The findings come from the NEI-funded study.
Covid-19 Home Test Receives Over-the-Counter Authorization
The FDA recently granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for an innovative Covid-19 viral antigen test developed with technical support from NIH’s RADx Initiative, managed by NIBIB. The rapid, at-home test is available without a prescription.
Envision Color: Activity Patterns in the Brain Are Specific to the Color You See
Researchers at NEI have decoded brain maps of human color perception. The findings open a window into how color processing is organized in the brain, and how the brain recognizes and groups colors in the environment.
Study of ‘Exceptional Responders’ Yields Clues to Cancer, Potential Treatments
In a comprehensive analysis of patients with cancer who had exceptional responses to therapy, researchers have identified molecular changes in the patients’ tumors that may explain some of the exceptional responses. The results demonstrate that genomic characterizations of cancer can uncover genetic alterations that may contribute to unexpected and long-lasting responses to treatment.
NIH Research Contributed to First FDA-Approved Treatment for Progeria
Nearly two decades of NIH research helped lead to the first FDA-approved treatment for progeria, a rare and fatal pediatric disease, characterized by dramatic, rapid aging beginning in childhood. The new treatment was made possible thanks in part to the work of NHGRI researchers, led by NIH director and NHGRI senior investigator Dr. Francis Collins.
NIH-Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Promising Interim Results
An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) overseeing the phase 3 trial of the investigational Covid-19 vaccine known as mRNA-1273 shared its interim analysis on Nov. 15. This review of the data suggests that the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in adults.