Tumor Necrosis Factor News and Research

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Kids with specific gene variant more at risk from passive smoking

When U.S. children who possess a variant gene are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes, they are at a substantially greater risk for developing respiratory illnesses that lead to school absences.

15 Dec 2005

Stress can raise a person's lipid levels

There is good evidence to show that stress can increase a person's heart rate, lower the immune system's ability to fight colds and increase certain inflammatory markers but can stress also raise a person's cholesterol?

28 Nov 2005

Long-term benefits of initial combination therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

A progressive, inflammatory disease affecting the joints and organs, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) claims more than two million Americans, mostly women over age 40, among its victims.

30 Oct 2005

Lab-made version of a human protein opens a new research avenue to better understand rheumatoid arthritis

A lab-made version of a human protein alleviates symptoms of both acute and chronic arthritis in mice and could be the basis for a new arthritis drug for people, report scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

3 Oct 2005

Cellular mechanism discovery could lead to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease

A major finding by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has identified a previously unknown cellular mechanism that acts as an off switch for immune system function.

12 Sep 2005

Depression may hasten the progression of heart disease

In a study of 32 people with heart failure, the 14 patients who felt the most depressed had nearly twice the levels of this protein in their blood.

7 Sep 2005

Adalimumab and methotrexate is about five times more effective than methotrexate alone for rheumatoid arthritis

For people with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis, combined treatment with the new "biologic" drug adalimumab and methotrexate is about five times more effective than methotrexate alone, according to a new systematic review of studies.

15 Aug 2005

Two studies reveal how plague disables immune system

Two studies by researchers at the University of Chicago show how the bacteria that cause the plague manage to outsmart the immune system and how, by slightly altering one of the microbe's tools, the researchers produced what may be the first safe and effective vaccine.

1 Aug 2005

Study links TNF to androgen deficiency in rheumatoid arthritis patients and suggest a novel pathway in inflammation

A protein involved in multiple cell functions, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is perhaps best known for provoking destructive inflammation. Recently, drugs blocking the action of TNF have shown promise in the early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

2 Jun 2005

Discovery of gene STAT6(B) may lead to new treatments for inflammatory diseases

In a paper featured in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), researchers from Boston University School of Dental Medicine report the discovery of a new gene, STAT6(B), that helps regulate production of the potentially deadly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) cytokine.

28 Mar 2005

Body fat may promote inflammation

Why does extra fat around the waist increase the risk of heart disease? A new study by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researchers and colleagues suggests that inflammation may be the key.

28 Mar 2005

Biologic therapies are changing the way dermatologists treat psoriasis

Recently approved and investigational biologic therapies are changing the way dermatologists treat psoriasis, a chronic disease that physically and emotionally challenges 4.5 million Americans. As more research is conducted into the effectiveness of these biologics, they are showing great promise for improving the health and well-being of patients with psoriasis.

20 Feb 2005

Trial of Etanercept for Wegners's disease shows no benefit against the autoimmune condition

A Johns Hopkins-led study designed to evaluate the ability of etanercept to maintain disease remissions in a serious autoimmune disorder has failed to show any benefit. Etanercept, also called Enbrel, is a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other types of joint inflammation.

26 Jan 2005

Promising new evidence for the optimal use of biologic therapies for rheumatoid arthritis

A major cause of pain and disability, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is also potentially the most treatable form of chronic arthritis. Researchers, doctors, and patients agree that a group of drugs called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can effectively reduce joint pain and stiffness.

7 Jan 2005

African Americans more likely to carry genetic variants known to stimulate inflammatory response

Specific variants in genes that encode proteins regulating inflammation may hold a key to explaining a host of disease processes known to cause increased risk of illness and death among African Americans, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH).

1 Dec 2004

Analysis shows Remicade reduces pain associated with Crohn's disease

According to a new sub-analysis from the ACCENT I (A Crohn's disease Clinical trial Evaluating infliximab in a New long-term Treatment regimen) trial patients who received a three-dose induction regimen of Remicade experienced a significantly greater reduction in pain as assessed by four different pain questions after ten weeks, compared with patients who received a single dose of Remicade.

2 Nov 2004

Scientists have uncovered a significant new link in the chain of immune system events through which estrogen prevents bone loss

Through research in mice, the scientists discovered that an immune signaling molecule called type b transforming growth factor (TGFb) is responsible for a cascade of events that leads estrogen to prevent bone loss.

29 Oct 2004

Interleukin-6 has potential as a therapeutic drug in treating metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis

For the most of the past century, researchers have searched for a muscle-contraction-induced factor, which mediates some of the exercise effects in other tissues and organs such as the liver and adipose tissue.

5 Oct 2004

Cancer vaccine based on listeria bacteria shows promise

An experimental cancer vaccine using defanged listeria bacteria is showing great promise in animal studies, successfully treating new cancers that have spread into the lungs of mice.

29 Sep 2004

New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy

A new strategy for cancer therapy, which converts the tumor-promoting effect of the immune system’s inflammatory response into a cancer-killing outcome, is suggested in research findings by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

20 Sep 2004