Speaking of Science

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The Puzzle of Precocious Puberty Apr 07, 2025

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The average age for the start of puberty has been dropping for decades. It's a global trend that could be signaling a public health threat to the physical and psychological development of younger, more vulnerable swaths of the population. Still, there's no clear culprit for early puberty; it's a complicated puzzle with many scattered pieces. At the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), pediatric neuroendocrinologist Dr. Natalie Shaw has been assembling the pieces together and recently found a new lead hiding in plain sight.

Defying Dengue Sep 23, 2024

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This year has seen a record number of dengue cases all over the world. It might not be a fluke, as climate change expands the areas where the mosquito that transmits the tropical disease can thrive. New measures for treatment and protection are necessary, but there's something peculiar about the way dengue infects the body that has stumped scientists for decades. That is, until now. Dr. Leah Katzelnick, Dr. Camila Odio and Dr. Stephen Whitehead from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are digging into dengue and coming up with ways to defy it.

Devon Valera and Dr. Jacqueline Vo — Dismantling the Myth of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander Populations as a Monolith May 28, 2024

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Historical failings, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that restricted immigration from China for 61 years, have cast a shadow of prejudice and discrimination over Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations. Its effects continue to loom heavy, often reducing these groups to a single racial-ethnic category and masking major differences that exist between them, even when it comes to their health. In this episode, Devon Valera, from the Office of NIH History, breaks down how history has shaped AANHPI experiences and perceptions, and Dr. Jacqueline Vo from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), explains why science is now calling to dismantle the myth that these populations are a monolithic group.

Dr. Michael Ombrello — The Rare Case of Beverly Gage Apr 01, 2024

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Beverly Gage came to the NIH with a condition that had never been observed before. A mysterious genetic mutation that caused her chronic joint pain and inflammation led her to Dr. Michael Ombrello, an expert in rare inflammatory diseases at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Where their paths cross shows us the current challenges of diagnosing, treating, and living with a disorder that is new to science.

Dr. Sadhana Jackson — Breaking Through the Blood-Brain Barrier Jan 18, 2024

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The blood-brain barrier keeps bad actors like toxins, viruses, and bacteria from entering the brain. But in the case of brain cancer when the danger is already inside, the blood-brain barrier can work against a person's health by shutting out the medications meant to eliminate the threat. Dr. Sadhana Jackson from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) works to figure out ways to selectively get cancer treatments through the blood-brain barrier to treat patients with certain types of brain tumors known as gliomas.

Learn more about Dr. Jackson work at https://irp.nih.gov/pi/sadhana-jackson.

Dr. Meredith Shiels — Health in Numbers Oct 26, 2023

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Epidemiologists are the watchful guardians of public health. They collect and analyze data to track the status quo. When there are deviations, they crunch the numbers to understand who is getting sick, where, how, and why. Dr. Meredith Shiels is an epidemiologist and senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) studying cancer mortality rates to discern what populations might be at higher risk, figure out ways to mitigate those risks, and evaluate whether those measures are working.

Learn more about Dr. Shiels's research at https://irp.nih.gov/pi/meredith-shiels.

Dr. Veronica Alvarez and Dr. Bruno Averbeck — On the Pulse of Compulsive Behaviors Jun 06, 2023

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Despite negative consequences and the desire to stop, millions of people with compulsive behaviors can't break the self-destructive cycles that disrupt their daily lives. Dr. Veronica Alvarez and Dr. Bruno Averbeck from the National Institute of Mental Health run the Center on Compulsive Behaviors (CCB) which brings together NIH scientists to understand what drives these repetitive and often detrimental behaviors. The CCB strives to decipher the neural circuitry that leads to compulsive behaviors in hopes of improving treatments and designing new interventions.

Learn more about the CCB at https://research.ninds.nih.gov/researchers/center-compulsive-behaviors-ccb.

Dr. John Hanover — The Bittersweet Study of Glycobiology Feb 28, 2023

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Sugars, also referred to as carbohydrates, aren't just substances we add to make coffee taste less bitter or food sweeter; they are an entire class of molecules necessary for life. The study of these carbohydrates is called glycobiology. Dr. John Hanover is a glycobiologist and the chief of the laboratory of cell and molecular biology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). His work is advancing scientists' understanding of the sugar structures responsible for rare diseases and genetic transgenerational inheritance.

Dr. Sharon Milgram — Making the Most of the Trainee Experience Dec 12, 2022

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None of the groundbreaking research taking place in the IRP would be possible with the hard work and dedication of trainees. While they work to support the NIH's mission to turn discovery into health, the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) works to supports trainees in their professional pursuits. Dr. Sharon Milgram is the director of OITE and a strong proponent that good training begets good science. In this episode, she talks about the many ways OITE supports students and fellows so that they can achieve their best work and make the most of their experience in the IRP.

Dr. Steve Holland — Sussing Out Susceptibility to Sickness Oct 18, 2022

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For Dr. Steve Holland, the mystery of why some people are more prone to disease is as much a curiosity as it is a calling. Dr. Holland is the scientific director and chief of the immunopathogenesis section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) where he searches for signs to explain differences in susceptibility to certain infections. In this episode, he discusses how the immune system can thwart its own defenses by producing antibodies that block the chemical signals it needs to put up a fight.

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