July 1, 2024
Despite widespread belief that sex hormones are important to women's brain health, little work has considered how these hormones in women relate to white matter hyperintensities (WMH), a major indicator of cerebral small vessel disease. We considered relations of estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to WMH in midlife women. Higher E2 and E1 were associated with lower whole-brain WMH volume (WMHV), and higher FSH with higher whole-brain WMHV. Associations of E1 and FSH, but not E2, to WMHV persisted with adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. Findings underscore the importance of E2 and FSH to women's cerebrovascular health.
Reproductive hormones in relation to white matter hyperintensity volumes among midlife women
June 26, 2024
The injectable antiretroviral drug lenacapavir was safe and 100% effective as long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among cisgender women in a Phase 3 clinical trial, according to top-line findings released by Gilead Sciences, Inc., the study sponsor. Lenacapavir is administered every six months, making it the most durable HIV prevention method to have shown efficacy in this population. NIAID applauds the study sponsor, investigators, study staff, and—most importantly—the participants in South Africa and Uganda, for contributing to this scientific advance for cisgender women, a population for whom biomedical HIV prevention evidence has been limited to date. We look forward to the release of additional data from this pivotal study, as well as the outcomes of companion studies of lenacapavir in other populations, to inform regulatory decisions on this novel PrEP method.
NIH Statement on Preliminary Efficacy Results of Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women
June 24, 2024
If you’re a cancer researcher looking to build artificial intelligence (AI) models that predict cancer treatment response, there’s a new resource available! A team led by Dr. Eytan Ruppin and Dr. Alejandro Schäffer developed an AI-driven tool called PERsonalized single-Cell Expression-based Planning for Treatments in ONcology (PERCEPTION).
Predicting Cancer Treatment Responses with AI Tool PERCEPTION
June 21, 2024
Oncologists and researchers increasingly focus on how to predict, treat and monitor for cardiovascular problems that develop before and after treatment.
June 20, 2024
The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and Office of AIDS Research (OAR), in partnership with multiple NIH institutes and centers (ICs) including NIAID, have issued a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research Opportunities Centering the Health of Women Across the HIV Research Continuum to invite HIV-related research that explicitly and intersectionally center the health needs of cisgender women and girls, and gender-diverse people.
New Initiative Shines a Spotlight on Women’s Health in HIV Research Continuum
June 18, 2024
Are you looking for a better way to biopsy for cancer, especially in deep tissue areas such as the lung and brain that aren’t readily accessible? In a study funded by NCI, researchers used machine learning to find a potential new biomarker that may someday help.
Seeking a Better Biopsy? NCI-Funded Researchers Are Using Machine Learning to Identify Exosome Biomarkers
June 10, 2024
Scientists have developed a blood test that can accurately detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, according to results from a large study. The test is a liquid biopsy, a type of test that uses blood or other bodily fluids to detect or monitor cancer. For the vast majority of people with pancreatic cancer, their cancer is found when it has already crept into other organs and can’t be removed with surgery. That’s because early-stage disease doesn’t cause obvious symptoms, and there aren’t any reliable tests to check for it.
June 3, 2024
In a proof-of-concept study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that uses routine clinical data, such as that from a simple blood test, to predict whether someone’s cancer will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy drug that helps immune cells kill cancer cells. The machine-learning model may help doctors determine if immunotherapy drugs are effective for treating a patient’s cancer. The study, published June 3, 2024, in Nature Cancer, was led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Center for Cancer Research and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health.
NIH scientists develop AI tool to predict how cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy
May 14, 2024
Many people who are being treated for cancer experience symptoms of depression, pain, and fatigue. But scientists are still studying how best to manage these symptoms in people with cancer. One approach is to integrate the assessment and treatment of symptoms as a part of routine cancer care. With this approach, people who need support are offered weekly cognitive behavioral therapy sessions from a trained counselor and/or medicine for their symptoms provided by their medical teams. The strategy, called integrated screening and stepped collaborative care, has now shown promise in a large clinical trial involving people with different types and stages of cancer.
New Approach May Help People with Cancer Better Manage Depression, Pain, and Fatigue
May 7, 2024
In people's early- to mid-20s, they reach what is called peak bone mineral density, which is higher for men than it is for women, according to researchers. This peak is one of the main determinants of fracture risk later in life. After reaching this peak, a person's bone density remains roughly stable for a couple of decades. Then, when women enter the menopausal transition, they experience accelerated bone loss. Men also experience bone density decline as they age. Sleep patterns also evolve over time.
