161,000 Volunteers Strive to Improve the Health of Women

Heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis are the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women of all races. Although great progress has been made in understanding how to diagnose and treat these diseases, more information is needed if we are to achieve our ultimate goal - prevention.

To give women and their physicians better information, over 161,000 female volunteers, aged 50-79, are participating in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) at 40 clinical centers throughout the country. Approximately 68,000 of these women have enrolled in clinical trials to address the effects of hormone replacement therapy, diet modification, and dietary supplements on disease prevention. Over 93,000 others are allowing their medical history and health habits to be tracked by scientists who are examining the relationships between lifestyle, health and risk factors, and specific diseases.

Community programs are another facet of WHI. The NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are supporting health promotion and disease prevention programs in seven states to develop community-based efforts encouraging healthful behaviors in women aged 40 and over.

The WHI is one of the largest U.S. prevention studies of its kind. It is in its ninth year and is expected to report its main results in 2005. It is administered by the NHLBI; other NIH institutes contribute their expertise by participating in the consortium that runs the program. To read more about the WHI, visit the WHI Web site.

New NHLBI Research Initiatives

From time to time, the NHLBI invites investigators to submit grant applications or contract proposals for specific research programs. We are currently soliciting applications for the programs described below. For a full details of these and other research initiatives, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/inits/index.htm or the Web page that are linked each initiative number.

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-00-012
• Applications are accepted for the following deadlines: September 11, December 11, 2000; March 9, June 11, September 10, December 10, 2001; and March 11, June 10, 2002.
• Objective: To promote cost-effective utilization of resources collected in the course of clinical trials.

• Initiative Number: PA-00-046
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To support applied research areas related to the sleep-related problems found in healthy and chronically ill individuals who have acute and chronic partial sleep deprivation.

• Initiative Number: PA-00-043
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To promote research in primary pulmonary hypertension with an emphasis on understanding the disease mechanism.

• Initiative Number: RFA-AI-00-013
• Applications are due on October 23, 2000.
• Objective: To elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in chronic allograft rejection; to implement new, or improve upon existing approaches to enhance graft survival; or, to develop new tools to aid in diagnosing the outcome of allograft transplant.

• Initiative Number: RFA-HG-00-002
• Applications are due on September 21, 2000.
• Objective: To generate a working draft sequence of the rat genome in two years.

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-00-013
• Applications are due on November 20, 2000.
• Objective: To promote the evaluation and communication of novel treatment management strategies for children with pediatric heart disease.

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-00-015
• Applications are due on June 15, 2001.
• Objective: To support molecular research of the etiology and pathophysiology of atherosclerosis.

• Initiative Number: PA-00-109
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To expand research on established self-management interventions, such as those used in treating blood disorders, and understand their implications in treating other chronic diseases.

Spotlight on Our Web Site

An Interactive Guide to Lowering Cholesterol

The NHLBI National Cholesterol Education Program has a Web page, "Live Healthier, Live Longer," at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/. The site, which is both for people who want to prevent heart disease and for those who already have coronary heart disease, includes interactive tests and quizzes and features such as Cyber Kitchen, Virtual Grocery Store, Create a Diet, and Virtual Fitness Room. The site has new tips for lowering cholesterol and a link to the Web-based version of the community kit sent to health planners for National Cholesterol Education Month. To help you lower your cholesterol or maintain an already heart-healthy lifestyle, the pages also contain tools to help you plan heart-healthy menus and cut down on saturated fat in your diet, and practical tips on relevant topics such as how to eat right when dining out or attending social events.

New Publication for Primary Care Physicians Available Online

The NHLBI National Center on Sleep Disorders Research has announced the publication of "Restless Legs Syndrome: Detection and Management in Primary Care." Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common, underdiagnosed, and treatable condition. A neurological movement disorder, RLS is often associated with a sleep complaint. This publication provides science-based information about RLS and its assessment and management in the primary care setting. This new report can be obtained in PDF file format from www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/rls_gde.htm.

Need More Information?

For health related questions and publications, please contact the trained information specialists at the NHLBI Information Center.

For Web related matters pertaining to the online version of the FYI from the NHLBI, contact the FYI from the NHLBI's Web Editor.