Trusted Health Information from the National Institutes of Health NIHMedlineFALL 2016 Plusthe magazine Kathy Bates American Horror Story actress copes with lymphedema and speaks out on behalf of those with the disease. Living With Lymphedema Understanding the Opioid Myths and Facts for Finding Good Health Overdose Epidemic Future Moms and Dads Information Online A publication of the NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH and the FRIENDS of the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE Dr. Patricia Flatley Brennan Takes Oath as New NLM Director On September 12, Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, raised her right hand and became the first nurse and first woman to be sworn in as director of the 180-year-old U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). Hundreds gathered in person with hundreds more tuned in online to witness the historic occasion that NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, called a “great day for NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, swears in Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, NIH.” Deputy Director and former PhD, as the Director of the NLM. Her sister, Jean Flatley McGuire, is Acting Director of NLM Betsy holding the Constitution for her. Humphreys called Dr. Brennan the Photo: Ernie Branson, NIH Photo: Ernie Branson, right choice at the right time. Dr. Brennan, a nurse and an industrial engineer, joined the Library from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was the Lillian S. Moehlman-Bascom Professor, School of Nursing and College of Engineering. The U.S. National Library of Medicine is the largest biomedical The U.S. Constitution used by Dr. Collins to administer the oath of office to Dr. Brennan. It is the commemorative library in the world. The Library is copy presented to the Hon. Claude Pepper, author of dedicated to accelerating scientific the legislation creating the NLM National Center for Photo: Caffeine Photography Photo: discovery, delivering information, Biotechnology Information, at the 200th anniversary of the Dr. Brennan makes remarks at her and improving health. The Library signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia, 1987. swearing-in ceremony at the Lister Photo: Kathy Cravedi, NLM Photo: Kathy Cravedi, is supported and promoted by Hill Center Auditorium. the Friends of the National Library of Medicine, which publishes NIH MedlinePlus magazine. Glen P. Campbell, Chairman Friends of the National Library of Medicine www.fnlm.org Photo: Caffeine Photography Photo: Photo: Caffeine Photography Dr. Brennan outside of NLM’s Lister Hill Center with Dr. Brennan greets well-wishers members of her family who attended the event. following her swearing-in. contents Volume 11 Number 3 Fall 2016 NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE at the NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 www.nlm.nih.gov 2 Cancer Moonshot www.medlineplus.gov Aims to Double Pace Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD of Research Director, NLM Betsy L. Humphreys, MLS Living With Deputy Director, NLM 4 Kathleen Cravedi Lymphedema Director, Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL), NLM Vasculitis Patricia Carson 9 Special Assistant to the Director, NLM Fedora Braverman 4 MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español teams, NLM ▲ Actress Kathy Bates has lymphedema and Kathryn McKay urges those with the disease to be seen and heard. Writer-Editor, NLM Elliot Siegel, PhD Understanding the Outreach Consultant, NLM 12 Selby Bateman Opioid Overdose Senior Editor Epidemic Christopher Klose Contributing Editor Clinical Trials and You Peter Reinecke 16 16 Strategic Advisor ▲ The START study on arthritis is just one Donations and Sponsorships 20 Healthy Pregnancy If you are interested in providing a sponsorship or example of NIH-supported clinical trials. other charitable donation to support and extend the reach of this publication, please contact Friends of the NLM Finding Good Health (202) 679-9930 24 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 500 Information Online Bethesda, MD 20814 Friends of the NLM Officers Glen P. Campbell, Chairman 28 HealthLines: Barbara Redman, PhD, RN, President H. Kenneth Walker, MD, Research News Executive Committee Chairman Naomi C. Broering, MLS, MA, Secretary Dennis Cryer, MD, Treasurer 29 Contact Us NIH MedlinePlus magazine is published by 20 Friends of the NLM in conjunction with ▲ The Human Placenta Project is part of Photos: (cover and top) Keith Munyan; research efforts to promote healthy pregnancies. (center) Mike Shaw, Wake Forest University; (bottom) NICHD 407 Norwalk St., Greensboro, NC 27407 (336) 547-8970 The National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the Nation’s Medical Research Agency—includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a part of the U.S. Bill Moore, President Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH Richard Krisher, Senior Editor and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. Terri Poindexter Smith, Managing Editor Jan McLean, Creative Director/Designer Linda Lowe, Web Designer/Developer Traci Marsh, Production Director Follow us on Facebook Articles in this publication are written by professional journalists. All scientific and medical information is reviewed for accuracy by representatives of the National Institutes of Health. However, person- www.facebook.com/mplus.gov al decisions regarding health, finance, exercise, and other matters should be made only after consultation with the reader’s physician or professional advisor. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily and those of the National Library of Medicine. www.facebook.com/ Follow us on medlineplusenespanol @medlineplus FEATURE: CANCER RESEARCH Cancer Moonshot Aims to Double Pace of Research During his State of the Union address in January, President Obama announced the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative to speed up cancer research. The initiative aims to make more therapies available to more patients sooner. It also seeks to improve our ability to prevent cancer and detect it Dr. Dinah Singer, co-chair of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative Blue Ribbon Panel at an early stage. NIH Photo: Bill Branson, NIH MedlinePlus magazine sat down with What should the public know about the goals of the Dinah Singer, PhD, one of the three co-chairs Moonshot? of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative’s Blue The President’s memo outlined three goals. One is to speed up Ribbon Panel and Director of the National progress regarding cancer. Number two is to help all parts of the cancer community join forces—from academics to the private sector Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Biology, and government agencies. The third goal is to increase data sharing to learn about its progress. across these sectors. We have been charged with speeding up our knowledge of cancer—the basis of the disease and how it progresses. This will depend on expanding and supporting new research. The President’s memo says we should do in five years what we’d normally do in 10. We ended up having more than 150 people from the cancer community involved in making an action plan of research options that would benefit cancer patients to better prevent, diagnose, and 2 Fall 2016 NIH MedlinePlus treat cancer. What areas have been identified for early companies will want to share some of their data to be able research under this new initiative? to work with scientists. The idea is to link everyone up and promote data sharing. Rather than look at specific types of cancer, we’re looking more broadly at global barriers. For instance, we’re looking at access to clinical trials. Today, only about five percent of all What else can you tell us about clinical trials? cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials. One of the The idea is to have a network where cancer patients can recommended actions is to develop a network that will register. In terms of clinical trials, immunotherapy is an engage patients directly and increase their access to studies. exciting new tool in the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapy That way, any patient anywhere in the country can register, is a treatment designed to boost the body’s natural defenses have their tumor genotyped, and be pre-registered for a to fight cancer. clinical trial for which they are eligible. This creates a database I’ve been watching its development for 30 or 40 years. It has of research and clinical information to help us learn more had a quantum leap in the past few years. We’ll need a lot of about the different kinds of cancers. clinical trials to understand the tumors that respond and the tumors that don’t respond to this treatment. Many times, patients respond well to a standard of care. “It takes all cancer patients to Other times, they’ll respond and then relapse. The question again is why? Can we predict who will respond and benefit cure one patient.” from therapy and who will not? The action here is having –Dr. Dinah Singer, co-chair, tumors biopsied, storing those samples, and analyzing them in future research. These would be small clinical trials Cancer Moonshot Initiative Blue Ribbon Panel because they would be very focused. But they would be very Another recommendation proposes to screen cancer good at helping us find which patients are going to benefit patients for the presence of genes that predispose them to from what therapy. cancer. If the patient is a carrier, we could offer their close relatives a chance to be screened for that gene and allow early As someone who has been in cancer research detection of a cancer. This has the potential to save hundreds for more than four decades, what does the of thousands of lives. Cancer Moonshot mean to you? Other cancers that we focus on are those in people who The way our knowledge has exploded has offered so many don’t have a cancer-related gene.