Immune System News and Research

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UAB issues updated guidelines for childhood and teen immunization schedule

The co-director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases is a member of the committee that this week issued updated guidelines for childhood and teen immunizations to include formal recommendations that children older than 6 months get the H1N1 influenza vaccine to guard against swine flu, and that combination vaccines are generally preferred over separate injections.

7 Jan 2010

Tel Aviv University finds Mozart's music induces weight gain in premature babies

The music they listen to doesn't have any lyrics that tell them to grow, but new research from Tel Aviv University finds that premature babies who are exposed to music by 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gain weight faster -- and therefore become stronger -- than those who don't.

7 Jan 2010

Rituximab treatment reduces patients' response to pneumonia vaccine

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University determined that immune responses to the tetanus vaccine were not changed when rituximab in combination with methotrexate (MTX) was compared with MTX alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

7 Jan 2010

Researchers seek to defeat Alzheimer's disease by modifying mice's immune system

Using laboratory mice that had been bred to have brain changes similar to Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reduce two characteristic features of the disease by modifying the mice's immune systems with a special peptide (MOG45D) related to the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells and nerve fibers. As a result, anti-inflammatory cells were recruited from the blood into the brain, dampening the local inflammatory response.

7 Jan 2010

Flu vaccine safe but ineffective for RA patients treated with rituximab

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are partially protected by the influenza vaccine 6-10 months after treatment with rituximab. Researchers determined that while the flu vaccine is safe, it is ineffective for RA patients in the first 6 months following rituximab treatment.

7 Jan 2010

Toxic chemicals make us susceptible to a wide range of diseases

From the Industrial Revolution and onward, the world has become an environment that is overflowing with dangerous toxins. Mass manufacturing has resulted in thousands of chemical pollutants being released in the atmosphere, water, and soil. As well, there has been a widespread increase of chemicals being added to almost every type of food and retail product.

6 Jan 2010

Innexus Biotechnology designs new psoriasis product

InNexus Biotechnology Inc. (TSX.V: IXS) (www.ixsbio.com), a drug development company commercializing the next generation of antibodies based on its groundbreaking Dynamic Cross Linking (DXL™) technology, today announced the development of a new psoriasis product based on its proprietary dermal permeating Transmab™ technology.

6 Jan 2010

NXT Nutritionals Holdings provides 2010 outlook for investors

NXT Nutritionals Holdings, Inc. (“NXT Nutritionals”) developer and marketer of SUSTA™ Natural Sweetener, the great tasting, all-natural, healthier sweetener, today released a Letter to Shareholders from Michael McCarthy, president and Chief Executive Officer, providing investors and the investment community with its outlook for 2010.

6 Jan 2010

Health Canada approves Zyclara Cream for multiple actinic keratoses

Health Canada has approved Zyclara™ (imiquimod) Cream 3.75%, a topical prescription treatment for multiple actinic keratoses (AK) located on the face or balding scalp in adults. Actinic Keratosis is a common skin condition that can lead to squamous cell carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, if left untreated.

6 Jan 2010

Cancer Research UK and CRT to undertake phase I clinical trial of DI-B4

CANCER RESEARCH UK and Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the charity's development and commercialisation arm, are to undertake a phase I clinical trial of an investigational monoclonal antibody1 drug from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, called DI-B4 - it is announced today (Monday).

6 Jan 2010

Circumcision lowers HIV risk; changes bacterial community on penis microbiome

Circumcision, which substantially lowers HIV risk in men, also dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, according to a study led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Johns Hopkins University and published Jan. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

5 Jan 2010

Phase 2 study evaluating VBL Therapeutics' lead compound VB-201 initiated

VBL Therapeutics today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 efficacy and safety study evaluating lead compound VB-201 for the treatment of patients with psoriasis. VB-201 is poised to be a first-in-class, orally-administered immune response modifier expected to reduce inflammation in a broad range of conditions such as psoriasis.

5 Jan 2010

Fish oil supplement now available in water-soluble drink

Nordic Naturals, the industry leader in omega-3 fish oil, introduces Omega-3 Effervescent, an innovative way to enjoy fish oil supplementation via a water-soluble drink mix containing EPA and DHA in a delicious orange flavor.

5 Jan 2010

Annelie Wendeberg presents protocol for identification of environmental microbes

Metagenomics, the study of DNA isolated from samples of naturally occurring microbial populations, is rapidly growing. Improvements to cloning and sequencing techniques are allowing researchers to study microorganisms in environmental samples, and new knowledge of species interactions and community dynamics is emerging.

5 Jan 2010

Study confirms link between GI and autism

An article published today in the journal Pediatrics confirms what parents and advocacy organizations have been saying for years: many individuals with autism suffer from gastrointestinal disease that can contribute to behaviors and symptoms associated with autism.

5 Jan 2010

"Nanoworms" and doxorubicin loaded hollow nanoparticles to fight cancer

A team of researchers in California and Massachusetts has developed a "cocktail" of different nanometer-sized particles that work in concert within the bloodstream to locate, adhere to and kill cancerous tumors.

5 Jan 2010

Protein interaction linked to AMD

Researchers at University College London say they have gleaned a key insight into the molecular beginnings of age-related macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of vision loss in the elderly, by determining how two key proteins interact to naturally prevent the onset of the condition.

5 Jan 2010