In large clinical trials conducted worldwide, full dose anti-coagulation (blood thinner) treatments given to moderately ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19 reduced the requirement of vital organ support—such as the need for mechanical ventilation. A trend in possible reduction of mortality was also observed and is being further studied. With...
The coronavirus pandemic has caused tragedy and turmoil for millions of people around the world, but it has been particularly unkind to one group whose health journey is often overlooked: Those with sickle cell disease. A growing number of studies now suggest that people with this painful genetic blood disorder who also are infected with SARS-CoV-2...
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt daily living, researchers are taking a closer look at one requirement for health that many people take for granted: sleep. And they’ve concluded, perhaps not surprisingly, that improving our sleep schedule and quality is an important part of coping with these stressful times and defending against...
NHLBI expands access to diverse genetic data, creating more possibilities for personalized medicine It was a big moment nearly four years ago when NHLBI’s Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program (TOPMed) released nearly 9,000 whole genomes to a limited group of researchers. The genomes—complete sets of people’s DNA—were the first the program had...
A new smartphone app could be a boon for adolescents, young adults When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug hydroxyurea to help reduce the excruciating pain suffered by people with sickle cell disease, the health care community was hopeful. The year was 1998, and the prospect of a drug that could offer significant relief from...
NHLBI-funded researchers tackle big questions with large study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 The doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic may be aware of the health impacts that face survivors of mass shootings or natural disasters, but the highly contagious virus—one of the deadliest in history—is forcing them to grapple...
In 2014 when the deadly Ebola virus was spreading like wildfire through parts of West Africa, Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., led a team of physicians, nurses, engineers, and safety inspectors to Monrovia, Liberia to help treat the thousands of patients who had been infected. As the chief medical officer for the U.S. Public Health Service (USHPS...
When doctors diagnosed Mary Douglas-Brown, 69, with breast cancer in 2004, she turned to her congregation at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Washington D.C. for support, only to learn that it did not have a ministry to provide health and lifestyle resources that might help her through her ordeal. So she did what any determined churchgoer would do:...
Multi-institute NIH study suggests that the HPV vaccine could protect women against new HPV infections after stem cell transplantation The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provides a safe, robust immune response against HPV in reproductive-aged women who have had a stem cell transplant. The results from the small study published in the Journal of...
Two doctors point the way to better heart health for midlife black women Spend a little time with Marilyn Gaston, M.D., and Gayle Porter, Psy.D., and it’s not hard to guess they’ve been pals for a long time—42 years to be exact. They finish each other’s sentences, can tell you everything about the other’s family and friends. They even live together...
NIH researchers can maintain image quality from different scanning systems while reducing or avoiding radiation exposure When doctors want detailed images of the lungs, more often than not they turn to chest CT scans . Over the years these scans have been particularly useful in diagnosing lung diseases—so useful, in fact, that in the United States,...