NIH Research Matters

Researchers found that the enzyme telomerase, which is active in most tumor cells, may also protect healthy adult cells from becoming cancerous.

When emergency departments closed, people treated for a heart attack at nearby crowded hospitals had worse outcomes.

Scientists identified a gene that causes people to naturally sleep less than six and a half hours each night without any apparent ill effects.

Gene mutations related to human stuttering also caused vocalization defects and a loss of brain cells called astrocytes in mice. The findings reveal insight into the neurological mechanisms.

Common air pollutants were associated with increases in emphysema over a decade of follow-up. The results may help explain why some people who never smoked develop emphysema.

Researchers gained key insights into brown fat’s effects on the body’s metabolism. The findings reveal targets for developing new treatments for obesity and diabetes.

Evidence of infection with an enterovirus was found in about 80% of people with the rare but serious condition called acute flaccid myelitis.