The NIH Clinical Center is the world's largest hospital entirely devoted to clinical research. It is a national resource that makes it possible to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease.
Clinical research is at the heart of the Clinical Center's mission.
Over 1,600 clinical research studies are conducted at the NIH Clinical Center, including those focused on cancer, infectious diseases, blood disorders, heart disease, lung disease, alcoholism and drug abuse. Most of these studies are sponsored by the Institutes and Centers at NIH.
Here is a sample of abstracts from the clinical research conducted at the NIH Clinical Center and published in a peer reviewed medical journal this year. Links to the full text and video formats are provided if available.
2024
Expanding the reach of commercial cell therapies requires changes at medical centers.
Published in: Journal of Translational Medicine (February 2024)
Once restricted to academic medical centers, cell therapies are increasingly used to treat cancer, immune deficiencies and other diseases. In a commentary, researchers suggest ways to address the many logistical challenges and necessary standards of practice to improve access to these therapies at community medical centers.
Read the article.
Trends in Patient Transfers from overall and Caseload-Strained US Hospitals During the COBID-19 Pandemic
Published in: JAMA Network (February 2024)
This study investigates whether hospitals were able to increase patient transfers when they experienced overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, there was a decrease in overall patient movement and an inability to increase transfers in overcrowded rural hospitals. The study points to vulnerabilities in patient safety and access to hospital care with implications for the future.
Read the article.
Catastrophic Sports Injuries: Causation and Prevention
Published in: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (January 2024)
New research suggests catastrophic sports injuries caused by direct contact have declined over the past 40 years, thanks to effective rule changes in high-risk sports. However, nontraumatic catastrophic sports injuries have increased and require cost-effective tools to screen for heart conditions and sickle cell traits, among other interventions.
Read the article.
Training Paradigms in Critical Care Cardiology: A Scoping Review of Current Literature
Published in: JACC: Advances (January 2024)
This study explores the evolving landscape of critical care cardiology (CCC) training, noting an unmet need to further integrate critical care medicine training into cardiovascular fellowship programs. To accomplish this and advance patient care in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) environment, the authors discuss the need for developing standardized CCC competencies based on CICU levels of complexity and the needs of their patient populations.
Read the article.
Ultrasound Pressure-Dependent Cytokine and Immune Cell Response Lost in Aged Muscle
Published in: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (January 2024)
Ultrasound is a noninvasive procedure currently used to treat damaged muscle tissue. Researchers treated mice with low- or high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound to understand the subsequent immune response. Based on age, ultrasound has the potential to be used to achieve distinct goals within different populations.
Read the article.
Read more articles about research in the NIH Clinical Center in 2024.