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Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. It could be because of surgery or cancer treatments. Or maybe they have a blood disorder or have lost a lot of blood. Whatever the reason, there’s always a need for donated blood. Even a single donation can save lives. Blood gives us energy by bringing oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells. It also carries waste products to the liver and…

Ever wonder what it’s like to visit the NIH campus? A new web-based tour lets you “visit” NIH’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland with an interactive map and a range of helpful resources. You can make 20 virtual stops. Each stop features interviews with NIH staff and scientists who share information about their work.

Dogs share our homes and environments. They grow up with us and grow old with us. And as they age, dogs tend to get many of the same health problems that we do—conditions like obesity, heart problems, cancer, and mental decline. Most of the [qtip:genes|Stretches of DNA you inherit from your parents that define features, like eye color or your risk for certain diseases.] found in dogs are also…

Most people have felt picked on, put down, or left out by peers at some point in their life. Conflict between children, even friends, can be a normal part of development. But some aggressive behaviors cross the line into bullying. “Bullying is a type of aggression,” says Dr. Jamie Ostrov, a psychologist who studies child development at the University at Buffalo. “But not all aggression is…, A Cycle of Hurt, Kids who are seen as different from their peers in some way are more likely to be the target of bullying behaviors. Being bullied can cause lasting harm. Kids who experience bullying are at higher risk for mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety, and for dropping out of school. The reasons why some kids bully others are numerous. Some kids who bully may be dealing with aggression or…, Stepping In, What can you or your kids do if a child is being bullied? For kids who witness bullying, speaking up in the moment can feel risky, says Dr. Michele Ybarra, a child mental health expert at the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. “Kids don’t want to be the next target—that’s a real fear,” she says. But there are other things kids can do if they want to help someone. “If it feels too big,…, Preventing Bullying, Ybarra and Espelage are testing a new anti-bullying program for schools to use. For their study, they’re sending texts about how to handle bullying to kids outside of school hours. “This way, kids get to interact with the content on their phone, on their own, when and where it’s safe for them,” Ybarra explains. The research team is currently testing a nine-week program in a group of middle-school…

A condition called POTS can have a huge impact on a person’s life. People with POTS often feel lightheaded or dizzy when standing up from a lying position. Their heart tends to race. They may even faint. Other symptoms can include extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and trouble thinking. “POTS can be quite debilitating. It can make it hard to do everyday activities, like attending work or…

Brain injuries can arise from hits to the head during contact sports like football or soccer. Repeated brain injuries can lead to a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is a serious issue for American football players. It can lead to dementia later in life and even premature death. An NIH-funded research team is working to learn which types of head impacts are most risky…

Weather affects where we live, what we do, and when we can do it. It can also impact our health. Temperature extremes, hot or cold, can harm our bodies in different ways. Harsh conditions and storms may lead to other health dangers, too. Over the last few years, wildfires began increasing in frequency and size. Smoke from wildfires contains a mix of complex chemicals, and exposure can cause…

Everyone can play a role in preventing suicide. Help spread the word about how to make a difference. Share these graphics and multimedia messages about the warning signs of suicide and how to get help for someone in crisis.

You’ve likely had countless cuts and scrapes in your life. Normally, when you get a small skin wound, your body can repair it quickly. But sometimes, the repair process doesn’t work properly. If this happens, even a tiny tear in the skin can have trouble healing. That can lead to pain and distress and pose a risk for dangerous—or even deadly—infections. Wounds that don’t heal for three months or…, Rebuilding Skin, When you have an open wound, blood can get out of the body, and germs can get in. “So the body’s goal is to seal that wound as quickly as possible,” says Dr. Maria Morasso, a skin biology researcher at NIH. This normally involves an orderly series of steps. First, a clot forms over the wound to prevent blood loss. Next, cells from the [qtip: immune system| The system that protects your body from…, Roadblocks to Healing, There are different ways the wound-healing process can go wrong. For example, too little or too much inflammation can lead to problems, Morasso explains. Too much inflammation can damage nearby tissue. It can also prevent immune cells in a wound from working the way they’re supposed to. If immune cells aren’t working properly or if there’s too little inflammation, new tissue may not form over the…, Finding New Treatments, Researchers are working to develop new ways to treat chronic wounds. Morasso and her team are comparing mouth wounds—which heal very rapidly—with normal skin wounds and nonhealing wounds. Her team’s recent study showed that diabetic foot ulcers lacked two proteins that are found in wounds that heal normally. Because the proteins were missing, immune cells weren’t able to move into the wounds. “If…

Bacteria are found nearly everywhere. They’re in your food, recreational waters, and even the air. Some bacteria help keep you healthy. But some can make you very sick. If you’re healthy, your body may fight off harmful bacteria on its own. But sometimes you need antibiotics. These are drugs that kill bacteria or stop them from growing. They can be critical for preventing or fighting a life-…, [qtip:genes|Stretches of DNA that define an organism’s characteristics.]. , Sometimes antibiotics don’t stop all the bacteria in an infection. Any bacteria that survive will continue to multiply. They may gain further drug resistance. This makes it even more difficult to control them with antibiotics. Drug-resistant infections pose many dangers. Bacteria that are resistant to one drug may still be treatable with stronger drugs. But these backup drugs can have more…, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria. These bacteria tend to spread in hospitals and other health care settings. They’re often resistant to many antibiotics. Fowler’s team is testing whether phages can be used to treat people with the infection. They’re also working on a rapid test that can tell the difference between infections caused by bacteria and those caused by viruses. Doctors could use the test to decide how to…