Sleep Curriculum Developed

As high school students throughout the country return to their classrooms this fall, many will have to adjust their sleep habits considerably if they hope to make it to school on time. To help parents and their children understand and fully appreciate the importance of sleep, the NHLBI and the NIH Office of Science Education developed a supplemental curriculum for use in high school biology classes. The free curriculum, Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms, encourages students to explore the scientific processes of sleep, the importance of adequate sleep, and the negative consequences of not getting enough sleep.

Teaching young people about the importance of adequate sleep is an educational priority of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR), which is part of the NHLBI. Experts recommend at least nine hours of sleep per night for all school-aged children. “Inadequate sleep not only makes us tired, but also can make it difficult for us to concentrate, to learn, and to control our impulses and emotions,” said Dr. Carl Hunt, Director, NCSDR.

Additional information on the curriculum supplement is available at Sleep Curriculum. To learn about other curriculum supplements available from the NIH, visit Educational Supplements.

Spotlight on Our Web Site

A new Web resource for health information is available for patients and the public. Developed by the NHLBI, the Diseases and Conditions Index (DCI) provides information on diseases and conditions related to heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders. New topics are being added and, when completed, the DCI will feature more than 300 diseases and conditions. To explore this easy-to-use resource, visit DCI.

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 www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/inits/index.htm or the Web page that is linked each initiative number.

Clinical Centers for a Clinical Research Network for the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

• Initiative Number: RFP-NHLBI-HR-05-04
• Applications due: October 8, 2004
• Objective: To develop and conduct clinical trials in the intensive care unit to prevent, treat, and improve the outcome of patients with ALI/ARDS and other related critical illnesses.

Community-responsive Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in American Indians and Alaska Natives

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-023
• Applications due: October 22, 2004
• Objective: To test behavioral interventions for cardiovascular health promotion in Native communities.

Exploratory and Developmental Research Grants for Investigations in Rare Diseases (R21)

• Initiative Number: PA-03-171
• Objective: To encourage new approaches to understanding, treating, and preventing rare heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

Improved Therapy for Hemophilia and Hereditary Bleeding Disorders

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-032
• Applications due: January 14, 2005
• Objective: To stimulate research to improve therapy and enhance understanding of immune response and safety issues related to new gene transfer, cell-based, or other therapies for bleeding.

Mechanisms of HIV-related Pulmonary Complications

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-031
• Applications due: March 16, 2005
• Objective: To encourage innovative research on the roles of co-infections, immune factors, and genetic predisposition in the pathogenesis of HIV-related pulmonary diseases.

NHLBI Clinical Proteomics Programs

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-019
• Applications due: October 14, 2004
• Objective: To promote systematic, comprehensive, large-scale validation of existing and new candidate protein markers that are appropriate for routine use in the diagnosis and management of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.

Novel Targets and Therapy Development for Ischemic Stroke

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-05-004
• Applications due: January 11, 2005
• Objective: To develop safe and effective therapies to improve clinical management of stroke patients.

Pathogenesis and Treatment of Lymphedema and Lymphatic Diseases

• Initiative Number: PA-04-071
• Applications are accepted for February 1, June 1, and October 1 deadlines each year.
• Objectives: To identify the developmental, molecular, and cellular mechanisms that contribute to lymphedema and develop effective therapeutic interventions.

Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity in Primary Care Settings

• Initiative Number: RFA-HD-04-020
• Applications due: November 23, 2004
• Objective: To improve dietary and physical activity behaviors with the goal of preventing excessive weight gain in at-risk children and/or promoting weight loss in obese children.

Specialized Centers for Cell-based Therapy for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Data and Coordinating Center

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-017
• Applications due: September 21, 2004
• Objective: To foster multidisciplinary research on cell based therapies that will enable basic science findings to be more rapidly applied to clinical problems.

Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) in Hemostatic and Thrombotic Diseases

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-016
• Applications due: September 21, 2004
• Objective: To foster multidisciplinary research that enables basic science findings to be more rapidly applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of thrombotic and bleeding disorders.

SCCOR in Transfusion Biology and Medicine

• Initiative Number: RFA-HL-04-018
• Applications due: September 21, 2004
• Objectives: To support the development and application of new knowledge essential for improved safety, efficacy, and availability of blood, blood components, and plasma derivatives, and to transfer these findings into clinical evaluation and application.

Need More Information?

We are always interested in receiving comments and suggestions from the community. If you or your organizations have questions for me or for the Institute, please contact me at alvingb@nih.gov or Dr. Carl Roth at rothc@nih.gov.

For information on specific issues, the following contacts may be helpful:

For health related questions and publications, please contact the trained information specialists at the NHLBI Information Center (NHLBIinfo@nhlbi.nih.gov) or write to the Information Center at P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105.

For communications pertaining to NHLBI policies and priorities, contact the NHLBI Office of Public Liaison, (nhlbi.listens@nih.gov).

For additional information regarding NHLBI events, consult the references provided or NHLBI Calendar. Most other NIH Institutes and Centers also maintain calendars on their Web sites. Links to their Web pages are at NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices.

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