Immune System News and Research

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£20 million funding for stem cell research in the UK

Scientists at Oxford will benefit from a share of a £20 million cross-research council investment in stem cell research which was announced last month.

9 Jun 2004

Discovery could pave the way to smallpox Immunity

A team of scientists led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) international research scholar has discovered the immune system mechanism that causes some mice to be more susceptible to mousepox than others.

9 Jun 2004

Breakthrough could help protect against the use of smallpox by terrorists

Researchers at the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research have identified proteins that determine which mice succumb to mousepox and which do not. The new insights into the immune response of mice to the mousepox virus could enable scientists to improve treatment for poxvirus infections, including smallpox.

9 Jun 2004

Experimental human monoclonal antibody shows striking benefit in patients with advanced melanoma

Early testing of an experimental human monoclonal antibody showed a striking benefit in patients with advanced melanoma, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

7 Jun 2004

British people unaware that cervical cancer is linked to human papillomavirus (HPV)

Most people in the UK do not know that cervical cancer is linked to a common sexually transmitted virus, according to a Cancer Research UK study published on (Monday).

7 Jun 2004

Alfalfa sprouts recalled due to possible health risk

The Food and Drug Administration has been alerted that Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent Washington is recalling 2, 3, and 5 lbs. institutional trays of its raw alfalfa sprouts sent to various food institutions because they may be linked to a recent increase in Salmonellosis in Oregon and Washington State.

5 Jun 2004

Summer advice for allergy and asthma sufferers

Summer's arrival means getting outside for some fun in the sun. Whether hiking, camping or gardening, allergy and asthma sufferers can manage symptoms by taking the proper precautions, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

5 Jun 2004

Breakthrough in gene therapy

Despite a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs during the past 15 years, gene therapy has continued to attract many of the world's brightest scientists. They are tantalized by the enormous potential that replacing missing genes or disabling defective ones offers for curing diseases of many kinds.

3 Jun 2004

Disease-causing microbes found in baby food

Enterobacter sakazakii has been found in powdered infant formula before, but a new UK study is the first to detect it in dried infant food.

3 Jun 2004

Umbilical cord blood and bone marrow transplants slow the progression of many cancers

Umbilical cord blood and bone marrow transplants at Loyola University Health System, Maywood, Ill., are curing or slowing the progression of many cancers originating in the bone marrow (i.e., leukemia, myeloma) or lymphatic system (lymphoma).

3 Jun 2004

150 top scientists debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research

More than 150 top scientists, researchers and public health experts from around the world will meet in Switzerland next week to present, debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research and development, as well as vaccine policy and implementation.

3 Jun 2004

Positive benefits of sun exposure

There is no getting around the fact that sunlight is hard on your skin. But what about the positive benefits of sun exposure? The June Harvard Health Letter discusses the good and the bad of the sun.

2 Jun 2004

Studies suggest white tea help prevent staphylococcus and streptococcus infections

New studies conducted at Pace University, have indicated that White Tea Extract (WTE) may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that cause Staphylococcus infections, Streptococcus infections, pneumonia and dental caries.

2 Jun 2004

Research may help to reduce infection and multiple organ failure after injury

While physicians are able to treat patients who suffer blood loss after major injuries, a large number of these patients go on to develop infections or multiple organ failure, in which the functioning of the body vital organ systems, such as the lungs, heart, kidneys of liver, go awry.

2 Jun 2004

Research laboratory at the forefront of the science of metabolomics

A new $1.8 million research laboratory will catapult Iowa State University to the forefront of the science of metabolomics.

2 Jun 2004

Acne drug may help treat multiple sclerosis

Dr. Luanne Metz, an associate professor of neurosciences and physician-scientist in the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, has found that minocycline, a drug currently used to treat such conditions as acne, decreases the activity of lesions in the brains of people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).

2 Jun 2004

New therapy to send cancer-killing drugs directly to tumours

Disguising a molecule to get it past the body's immune system could greatly enhance the success of a groundbreaking new therapy, Cancer Research UK scientists report in the British Journal of Cancer this week.

2 Jun 2004

U.S. babies' health hurt by hunger

Infants and toddlers being raised in food insecure homes are more likely to suffer poor health, including illness severe enough to require hospitalizations, according to a new study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

2 Jun 2004

Chocolate is good for your heart

UCSF scientists are publishing sweet results of a study examining chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. The team reports that small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved blood vessels' ability to dilate, or expand.

1 Jun 2004

Microbes in your gut could be cause of allergies

Allergies making your life miserable? Tired of popping antihistamines like candy? Can't go anywhere without your inhaler? The real problem may not be your stuffed-up head. It could be the microbes in your gut.

1 Jun 2004