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September is National Cholesterol Education Month

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) is pleased to present the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Month Kit. Research has shown that lowering cholesterol reduces the risk of developing heart disease and having a heart attack. The new Adult Treatment Panel III, or ATP III, guidelines released earlier this year echo these findings and call for more aggressive cholesterol-lowering treatment and better identification of those at high risk for heart disease. Accordingly, the theme for this year's National Cholesterol Education Month is "Know Your Cholesterol Numbers – Know Your Risk."

The kit materials explain key changes in the new guidelines and provide educational materials and tools to implement them. For example, the kit includes

• An article that discusses the new ATP III guidelines.
• Links to heart-healthy recipes, including African American, Latino, and Stay Young at Heart favorites.
• Ideas to help you promote National Cholesterol Education Month.
• A Track your progress - Reach your goal worksheet to help you keep track of your cholesterol numbers.

None of the materials are copyrighted, so please feel free to format and reproduce them for use in your current or future projects (but please cite NHLBI as the source).

Be sure to check out NCEP's popular interactive Web site, Live Healthier, Live Longer. The site, which was recently updated to reflect the new ATP III guidelines, contains information about cholesterol lowering for persons who want to reduce their risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and for persons who already have CHD.

New Resources to Help Consumers Control Their Blood Pressure

The National High Blood Pressure Education Program has integrated the latest research findings of the effect of salt and sodium on blood pressure into several new resources to help consumers and their clinicians better control their blood pressure. Visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp for tips on maintaining a healthy weight, interactive quizzes and tools, information on medications, real-life examples, and recipes to help manage high blood pressure.

You also can download an updated brochure describing the DASH diet. It includes a form to track eating habits before starting the plan, a chart to help with meal planning and food shopping, a week's worth of sample menus, and recipes for some of the heart-healthy dishes featured in the menus.

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.

Ancillary Studies in Heart, Lung, and Blood Disease Trials

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-00-012
• Applications are accepted for the following deadlines: March 9, June 11, September 10, December 10, 2001; and March 11, June 10, 2002.
• Objective: To conduct mechanistic studies by utilizing patients and patient materials from clinical trials related to heart, lung, and blood diseases.

Biobehavioral Research for Effective Sleep

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

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Primary Pulmonary Hypertension

• 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 mechanisms.

Functional Tissue Engineering for Heart, Vascular, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Disorders and Diseases

• Initiative Number: PAR-01-006
• Phase I and II applications applications are accepted for the following deadlines: March 13, 2002 (Phase I and II applications), March 13, 2003 and March 12, 2004 (Phase II applications only).
• Objectives: To stimulate engineering of biological substitutes for damaged tissues and organs and to promote the development of novel tissue regeneration and remodeling approaches.

NHLBI Innovative Research Grant Program

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-01-016
• Applications are accepted for October 18, 2001, February 16, 2002, June 18, 2002 deadlines.
• Objective: To facilitate innovative studies not readily supported by other funding mechanisms that require the use of existing data sets or specimen collections.

Novel Biomarkers of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-02-005
• Applications are due February 26, 2002.
• Objective: To promote examination of associations between specific aspects of COPD and novel biomarkers that are measured by minimally invasive methods.

Pathogenesis and Treatment of Lymphedema

• Initiative Number: PA-01-035
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To stimulate research on the biology of the lymphatic system, to characterize the pathophysiologic mechanisms that cause the disease, and to discover new therapeutic interventions.

Physical Activity and Obesity Across Chronic Diseases

• Initiative Number: PA-01-017
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objectives: To examine relationships between physical activity and obesity, to improve methodology of assessment of physical activity and energy balance, and to test intervention approaches that incorporate physical activity for obesity prevention or treatment related to chronic diseases.

Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

• Initiative Number: PA-01-086
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To enhance understanding of and develop treatments for restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder.

SBIR/STTR Technologies for Monitoring and Performing Resuscitation

• Initiative Number: PA-01-054
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objective: To foster better systems and methods for monitoring of genetic, molecular, biochemical, physical or metabolic derangements associated with circulatory, hypoxemic, or traumatic arrest and for elucidating the unique pathophysiology of irreversible injury following multiple organ or whole-body ischemia and reperfusion.

Self-Management Strategies Across Chronic Diseases

• Initiative Number: PA-00-109
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objectives: 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.

Sleep and Sleep Disorders in Children

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-01-006
• Applications are due October 16, 2001.
• Objectives: To understand children's sleep requirements; define pathophysiological mechanisms underlying childhood sleep disorders; and identify determinants of childhood sleep patterns.

Treatment of HAART-Associated Metabolic Changes in Patients with HIV Infection

• Initiative Number: RFA-DK-02-06
• Applications are due March 21, 2002.
• Objective: To develop strategies for treating cardiovascular complications of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients.

Trials Assessing Innovative Strategies to Improve Clinical Practice Through Guidelines in Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-01-011
• Applications are due October 12, 2001.
• Objective: To improve implementation of national, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for treating heart, lung and blood diseases and conditions.

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