Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 21 / Friday, January 31, 1997 / Notices 4777

Ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other technological

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

request more information on the

proposed project or to obtain a copy of

the data collection plans and

instruments, contact Barbara Wassell,

Project Clearance Liaison, Division of

Grants Policy, Office of Policy for

Extramural Research, NIH, Rockledge II

Building, Room 2189, 6701 Rockledge

Drive, Bethesda, MD 2089–7730, or call

non-toll-free number (301) 435–0937 or

E-mail your request, including your

address to:

<wassellb@odrockml.od.nih.gov>.

COMMENTS DUE DATE: Comments

regarding this information collection are

best assured of having their full effect if

received within 60-days of the date of

this publication.

Dated: January 23, 1997.

Ruth L. Kirschstein,

Deputy Director, NIH.

[FR Doc. 97–2484 Filed 1–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

Consensus Development Conference

on Management of Hepatitis C

Notice is hereby given of the NIH

Consensus Development Conference on

‘‘Management of Hepatitis C,’’ which

will be held March 24–26, 1997, in the

Natcher Conference Center of the

National Institutes of Health, 9000

Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland

20892. The conference begins at 8:30

a.m. on March 24, at 8 a.m. on March

25, and at 9 a.m. on March 26.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major

cause of both acute and chronic

hepatitis in the United States. Hepatitis

C, previously know as ‘‘non-A, non-B

hepatitis,’’ affects between 1 and 2

percent of Americans, and chronic

infection with HCV is probably the

single most important cause of chronic

liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer

in the Western world. Not all cases of

hepatitis C are severe or progressive.

Many patients are asymptomatic and are

only diagnosed when they are found to

have abnormal liver tests following a

blood donation or routine evaluation of

another problem. Yet, chronic hepatitis

C can be insidious and slowly

progressive and lead to cirrhosis and

liver failure after years or decades of

infection.

At present, there are no specific

means of prevention of hepatitis C, and

the only therapy of proven benefit is

alpha interferon. Interferon treatment,

however, is far from satisfactory.

Therapy is expensive, often poorly

tolerated, and results in a favorable

long-term response in only a minority of

patients. Given the uncertainties

regarding hepatitis C, patients with this

disease and their doctors face difficult

decisions.

To address the most important and

controversial clinical issues in hepatitis

C, the NIH has organized this 21⁄2 day

conference to bring together national

and international experts in the fields of

virology, epidemiology, natural history,

prevention, and therapy of hepatitis C,

as well as representatives from the

public.

Following 11⁄2 days of presentations

and audience discussion, an

independent, non-Federal consensus

panel will weigh the scientific evidence

and write a draft statement that it will

present to the audience on the third day.

The consensus statement will address

the following key questions:

—What is the natural history of

hepatitis C?

—What is the most appropriate

approach to diagnose and monitor

patients?

—What recommendations can be made

to patients to prevent transmission?

—Which patients should be treated?

—What is the most effective approach to

therapy?

—What are the most important areas for

future research on hepatitis C?

The primary sponsors of this

conference are the National Institute of

Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney

Diseases and the NIH Office of Medical

Applications of Research. The

conference is cosponsored by the

National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases; the National Heart,

Lung, and Blood Institute; the National

Institute on Drug Abuse of the National

Institutes of Health; and the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

Advance information on the

conference program and conference

registration materials may be obtained

from Rose Salton, Technical Resources

International, Inc., 3202 Tower Oaks

Blvd., Suite 200, Rockville, Maryland

20852, (303) 770–3153, or by sending email to confdept@tech-res.com.

The consensus statement will be

submitted for publication in

professional journals and other

publications. In addition, the statement

will be available beginning March 24,

1997, from the NIH Consensus Program

Information Center, P.O. Box 2577,

Kensington, Maryland 20891, phone 1–

888–NIH–CONSENSUS (1–888–644–

2667) and from the NIH Consensus

Development Program site on the World

Wide Web at http://consensus.nih.gov.

Dated: January 21, 1997.

Ruth L. Kirschstein,

Deputy Director, NIH.

[FR Doc. 97–2483 Filed 1–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

National Eye Institute; Notice of Closed

Meeting

Pursuant to Section 10(d) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as

amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice

is hereby given of the following

National Eye Institute Special Emphasis

Panel (SEP) meeting:

Name of SEP: Clinical Research.

Date: February 27, 1997.

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: National Eye Institute, Executive

Plaza South, Suite #350, 6120 Executive

Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892–7164.

Contact Person: Andrew P. Mariani, Ph.D.,

Executive Plaza South, Room 350, 6120

Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892–7164,

(301) 469–5561.

Purpose/Agenda: Review of Grant

Applications.

The meeting will be closed in accordance

with provisions set forth in sections

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5, U.S.C.

Applications and/or proposals and the

discussions could reveal confidential trade

secrets or commercial property such as

patentable material and personal information

concerning individuals associated with the

applications and/or proposals, the disclosure

of which would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.867, Vision Research:

National Institutes of Health.)

Dated: January 23, 1997.

Paula N. Hayes,

Acting Committee Management Officer, NIH.

[FR Doc. 97–2472 Filed 1–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute; Notice of Meeting of the

Sleep Disorders Research Advisory

Board and its Education and Sleep

Research Subcommittee

Pursuant to Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given of the meetings of

the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory

Board, and its Subcommittees, National

Center on Sleep Disorders Research,

National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute, March 11–12, 1997. These

meetings will be held at the National

Institutes of Health, Building 31, C

Wing, Conference Rooms 6, 7, and 8,

respectively, 9000 Rockville Pike,

Bethesda, Maryland 20892.