Neutrophils News and Research

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White blood cells are picky about sugar

Biology textbooks are blunt - neutrophils are mindless killers. These white blood cells patrol the body and guard against infection by bacteria and fungi, identifying and destroying any invaders that cross their path. But new evidence, which may lead to better drugs to fight deadly pathogens, indicates that neutrophils might actually distinguish among their targets.

11 Jul 2007

Gene test not needed if cancer drug irinotecan given in low dose

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown that when the cancer drug irinotecan is given in low doses for multiple days, it eliminates the need to delay treatment to perform costly genetic testing that determines if the patient is at risk for serious treatment side effects, such as neutropenia.

20 Jun 2007

Potential therapeutic target for autoimmune vasculitis

A potential therapeutic target for autoimmune vasculitis has been identified by researchers of the Franz Volhard Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases (FVK) of the Charity – University Medicine Berlin/HELIOS-Klinikum and the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch.

16 May 2007

How inhaled anthrax paralyzes the body's defenses

University of Florida researchers have revealed how the inhaled form of anthrax paralyzes the body's defenses and prevents immune cells from reaching the site of infection.

8 May 2007

Molecule that destroys bone also protects it

An immune system component that is a primary cause of bone destruction and inflammation in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis actually protects bone in the oral cavity from infectious pathogens that play a major role in periodontal disease in humans, research at the University at Buffalo has shown.

7 May 2007

Tailored interventions based on sputum eosinophils versus clinical symptoms for asthma in children and adults

A new review suggests that asthma treatment based on tests of fluid coughed up from the lungs could reduce the frequency and severity of flare-ups in adult asthma patients.

19 Apr 2007

Gender differences and skin cancer

Inherent gender differences – instead of more sun exposure – may be one reason why men are three times more likely than women to develop certain kinds of skin cancer, say researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center.

2 Apr 2007

Effect of gender on the development of UVB-induced skin cancers

Inherent gender differences "instead of more sun exposure" may be one reason why men are three times more likely than women to develop certain kinds of skin cancer, say researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center.

2 Apr 2007

Dipeptidyl peptidase I critical for early growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Surgery is the only treatment for an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a weak spot in the body's main artery that dilates dangerously over time.

13 Feb 2007

Lung neutrophils produce histamine in significant quantities

In a surprise finding, scientists have discovered that histamine, the inflammatory compound released during allergic reactions that causes runny nose, watery eyes, and wheezing, can be produced in large amounts in the lung by neutrophils, the white blood cells that are the major component of pus.

14 Jan 2007

Why organs fail following massive trauma

Massive trauma, say from a sabertooth tiger attack, meant immediate death for the primitive human.

17 Oct 2006

New hope for patients with lung and joint disease

People who suffer from inflammatory conditions such as chronic diseases of the lung, joints and other organs could benefit from a new discovery by scientists at the University of Edinburgh.

4 Sep 2006

How does the immune system isolate and destroy intruders?

Dendritic cells are the body's "watchdogs". They recognize and then degrade pathogens, isolating characteristic fragments that are recognized by the immune system thus triggering targeted responses.

25 Jul 2006

Aggressive cancer treated successfully in mice

White blood cells from a strain of cancer-resistant mice cured advanced cancers in ordinary laboratory mice, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported.

9 May 2006

Lipoxin A4 regulates bronchial epithelial cell responses to acid injury

Doctors are gaining new leverage in the fight against lung injury caused by acid reflux. The paper by Bonnans et al., "Lipoxin A4 regulates bronchial epithelial cell responses to acid injury," appears in the April issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary.

3 May 2006

New finding provides researchers with renewable source for macrophages and neutrophils

A new approach to generating large quantities of two types of white blood cells that are critical for destroying invading bacteria, viruses and other pathogens in humans has been developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

19 Apr 2006

Viagra could cure Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder which causes ulcerations in the gut and can make digesting food painful.

27 Feb 2006

Research points to a novel approach to treating serious Strep infections

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered that so-called flesh-eating "Strep" bacteria use a specific enzyme to break free of the body's immune system, a finding which could potentially lead to new treatments for serious infections in human patients.

24 Feb 2006

New molecular target for potential drugs to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have identified a molecular target, or receptor, for potential drugs to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a sudden and life-threatening failure of the lung.

23 Feb 2006

Scientists discover why lung, but not skin, anthrax infections are lethal

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin discovered why lung, but not skin, anthrax infections are lethal. As reported in the newest issue of PloS Pathogen (November 2005) Neutrophils, a form of white blood cells, play a key role in anthrax infections.

13 Nov 2005