Immune System News and Research

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High fat diet linked to exacerbation of asthma

In a new study researchers have found a connection between exacerbation of bronchial asthma and high calorie burgers and fries. Diet and lifestyle have been linked to asthma for some time now but this is the first real evidence. With the advent of unhealthy diets the incidence and prevalence of asthma is on the rise. In 2007, about 34.1 million Americans had asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. From 1980 through 1994, the prevalence of asthma increased by 75 percent.

17 May 2010

Asthma patients need to avoid heavy, high-fat meals: New research

People with asthma may be well-advised to avoid heavy, high-fat meals, according to new research. Individuals with asthma who consumed a high-fat meal showed increased airway inflammation just hours after the binge, according to Australian researchers who conducted the study.

17 May 2010

Researchers design new technique to quickly distinguish between people with active and dormant TB

An emerging technique designed to quickly distinguish between people with active and dormant tuberculosis may help health professionals diagnose the disease sooner, thereby potentially limiting early exposure to the disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

17 May 2010

Athersys presents data supporting MultiStem programs

Athersys, Inc. today presented data supporting its MultiStem® programs in cardiovascular disease, neurological disease and immune system modulation, and highlighted advancements in other areas, including progress in its drug development program in the area of obesity.

15 May 2010

HSPH researchers succeed in locking malaria parasites within infected blood cells

Harvard School of Public Health researchers and colleagues seeking to block invasion of healthy red blood cells by malaria parasites have instead succeeded in locking the parasites within infected blood cells, potentially containing the disease.

15 May 2010

UC researchers explore dynamics of bacterial evolution

Researchers found that as dominant members of the population surrendered to host immune defenses, they were replaced by a hyperaggressive, mutant minority population that thrived and took over the abandoned community to become the new majority.

15 May 2010

Scientists look for new ways to fight TB

Scientists looking for new ways to fight tuberculosis have their sights set on a structure essential to the bacterium's survival. Disabling this structure could kill the microbes in the infected host and thwart TB infections. In a study appearing online May 11, 2010, in EMBO J, the journal of the European Molecular Biology Organization, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University, and Weill Cornell Medical College describe new features of how this structure, known as a proteasome, is put together and how it works.

14 May 2010

Poorly designed clinical trials adversely affect medical advances

In a paper published this week in Science, experts caution that important ethical issues in the testing of new therapies like stem cells may not be receiving the attention they deserve. Carnegie Mellon University's Dr. Alex John London (Dept. of Philosophy) joined McGill University's Dr. Jonathan Kimmelman (Faculty of Medicine) and University of Wisconsin-Madison's Marina Emborg (Dept. of Medical Physics) to examine the way scientists, physicians, and regulators evaluate risk and benefit when testing new drugs in human beings for the first time.

14 May 2010

NanoViricides signs research and development agreement with Dr. Ken S. Rosenthal's laboratory

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that it has signed a research and development agreement with Dr. Ken S. Rosenthal's laboratory at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

14 May 2010

Each melanoma cell capable of cancer stem cell behavior: Study

Scientists at The Wistar Institute offer a new explanation for the persistent ability of melanoma cells to self-renew, one of the reasons why melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer. The concept of the "dynamic stemness" of melanoma can explain why melanoma cells behave like both conventional tumor cells and cancer stem cells.

14 May 2010

Novel vaccines for deadly diseases to be presented at AAPS' NBC

Novel vaccines for diseases ranging from the flu to HIV highlight a week's worth of biotechnology research at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' National Biotechnology Conference. Scientists from academia, industry, and government will gather at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square Sunday, May 16 -Thursday, May 20 to share research and advances in biotherapeutics.

14 May 2010

Smoking, obesity and alcohol use associated with poorer survival of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

A new study led by researchers from Mayo Clinic in collaboration with six other U.S. institutions has found that patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who smoked, consumed alcohol or were obese before their cancer diagnosis had poorer overall survival, compared to patients who did not have these risk factors.

14 May 2010

Mild-mannered organelles can detect virus invasion signals: Researchers

Within cells, an ancient antiviral duo can deliver a one-two knockout to thwart invading viruses, report researchers who have just unmasked the cellular sidekick that throws the first punch. The findings mean scientists must rethink the design of antiviral immunity and how the body fends off viruses of all types, including influenza and HIV.

14 May 2010

Phase IIb trail results of epratuzumab in lupus patients to be presented at EULAR 2010

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today announced that clinical trial results on epratuzumab, the anti-CD22 humanized monoclonal antibody licensed to UCB SA, Brussels, for autoimmune disease indications, from the Phase IIb study in patients with lupus, will be presented in four posters sessions and one published abstract.

14 May 2010

HIV disease tends to progress at faster rate in infected individuals who consume more alcoholic drinks

HIV disease tends to progress at a faster rate in infected individuals who consume two or more alcoholic drinks a day, according to an important new paper in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

14 May 2010

Daily consumption of probiotic cheese helps tackle age-related changes in immune system: Research

Scientists in Finland have discovered that cheese can help preserve and enhance the immune system of the elderly by acting as a carrier for probiotic bacteria. The research, published in FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, reveals that daily consumption of probiotic cheese helps to tackle age-related changes in the immune system.

13 May 2010

Research article focuses on how IECs respond to probiotic strain B. lactis HN019

Probiotics are a group of live microorganisms administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host. This bacterial community plays a pivotal role in human nutrition and health by promoting the supply of nutrients, preventing pathogen colonization and shaping and maintaining normal mucosal immunity.

13 May 2010

Researchers develop new approach to immunotherapy of cancer

Harnessing the immune system is emerging as one of the most promising new ways to fight cancer. Most cancer cells are eliminated by the immune system; however, over a lifetime, a few may escape this immune surveillance and lead to tumors and metastases. Hence a formidable opportunity has been to find ways to make the immune system recognize the tumor as a foreign body and trigger a response.

13 May 2010

Research sheds light on prenatal heart formation, chromosome 22q.11 deletion syndrome

Researchers studying the common genetic disorder chromosome 22q.11 deletion syndrome have identified key proteins that act together to regulate early embryonic development. One protein is essential to life; in animal studies, embryos without the protein do not survive past the first few days of gestation.

13 May 2010

Sex can affect frequency and severity of adverse effects of vaccination

Biological differences between the sexes could be a significant predictor of responses to vaccines, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined published data from numerous adult and child vaccine trials and found that sex is a fundamental, but often overlooked predictor of vaccine response that could help predict the efficacy of combating infectious disease.

13 May 2010

Immune System News and Research

High fat diet linked to exacerbation of asthma

Asthma patients need to avoid heavy, high-fat meals: New research

Researchers design new technique to quickly distinguish between people with active and dormant TB

Athersys presents data supporting MultiStem programs

HSPH researchers succeed in locking malaria parasites within infected blood cells

UC researchers explore dynamics of bacterial evolution

Scientists look for new ways to fight TB

Poorly designed clinical trials adversely affect medical advances

NanoViricides signs research and development agreement with Dr. Ken S. Rosenthal's laboratory

Each melanoma cell capable of cancer stem cell behavior: Study

Novel vaccines for deadly diseases to be presented at AAPS' NBC

Smoking, obesity and alcohol use associated with poorer survival of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Mild-mannered organelles can detect virus invasion signals: Researchers

Phase IIb trail results of epratuzumab in lupus patients to be presented at EULAR 2010

HIV disease tends to progress at faster rate in infected individuals who consume more alcoholic drinks

Daily consumption of probiotic cheese helps tackle age-related changes in immune system: Research

Research article focuses on how IECs respond to probiotic strain B. lactis HN019

Researchers develop new approach to immunotherapy of cancer

Research sheds light on prenatal heart formation, chromosome 22q.11 deletion syndrome

Sex can affect frequency and severity of adverse effects of vaccination

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