Immune System News and Research

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Immune system may target some brain synapses

A baby's brain has a lot of work to do, growing more neurons and connections.

14 Dec 2007

Zebrafish study shows key enzyme in gut is a peacemaker

University of Oregon scientists, using zebrafish to study the gastrointestinal tract, say that an enzyme long assumed to be involved in digestion instead is a detoxifying traffic cop, maintaining a friendly rapport between resident gut bacteria and cells.

13 Dec 2007

Blood transfusions linked to surgery complications in women

Women die and get infections more often than men after heart surgery because they tend to receive more blood transfusions, which boost the risks of bad outcomes, according to a study published in the December Journal of Women's Health.

13 Dec 2007

Great-grandparent of all the cells of the blood identified

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have isolated a human blood cell that represents the great-grandparent of all the cells of the blood, a finding that could lead to new treatments for blood cancers and other blood diseases.

13 Dec 2007

PET/CT imaging proves golden for detecting cancer in children

PET/CT imaging exhibits significantly higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy than conventional imaging when it comes to detecting malignant tumors in children, according to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

13 Dec 2007

Milk and egg allergies persist well into the school years and beyond

Considered “transitional” a generation ago, milk and egg allergies now appear to be more persistent and harder to outgrow, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

13 Dec 2007

Shingles virus and vaccination

When a vaccine to prevent shingles was approved for use in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration recommended the vaccine for people age 60 and older who previously had chickenpox.

13 Dec 2007

Immune compound blocks virus' ability to hijack antibodies

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a controversial phenomenon known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection is suppressed by C1q, a blood-borne immune system compound.

13 Dec 2007

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strips away immune system's defensive measures

When the alert goes out that a virus has invaded the body, cells that have yet to be attacked prepare by "armoring" themselves for combat, attaching specific antiviral molecules to many of their own proteins to help resist the invader.

13 Dec 2007

Carbamazepine based drugs to include new advice for patients with Asian ancestry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the manufacturers of drugs containing the active ingredient carbamazepine have agreed to add to the drugs' labeling a recommendation that, before starting therapy with the drugs, patients with Asian ancestry get a genetic blood test that can identify a significantly increased risk of developing a rare, but serious, skin reaction.

13 Dec 2007

Extracts from fungi show potential as prostate cancer treatment

A new development in the fight against cancer: Recent research at the University of Haifa found that molecules found in common fungus Ganoderma lucidum aid in suppressing some of the mechanisms involved in the progression of prostate cancer.

13 Dec 2007

Velcade, lenalidomide and dexamethasone combo show promise for multiple myeloma

A new combination of bortezomib (Velcade) and two other drugs is showing a very high response rate in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a team headed by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

13 Dec 2007

Epigenomic test that could improve treatment for specific gastric cancers

A study by researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center in a recent issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology identifies activation of the enzyme COX-2 in gastric cancer tumors as a prognostic indicator for poor outcome.

12 Dec 2007

SEBIA joins EDMA corporate membership

EDMA , the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association welcomes SEBIA as new corporate affiliate, bringing the Association's overall membership up to 33 major IVD companies and 21 National Associations.

12 Dec 2007

BioMS Medical's phase III U.S. multiple sclerosis trial receives positive safety review

A leading developer in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has reviewed data from the Company's on-going MAESTRO-03 U.S. pivotal phase III clinical trial of MBP8298 for the treatment of secondary progressive MS and recommended that the trial continue.

12 Dec 2007

Addition of antibiotics to MS therapy could slow down progression of the disease

Researchers from Louisiana State University in the U.S. are suggesting that the addition of antibiotics to standard drug therapy for multiple sclerosis, may slow down the progress of the disease.

11 Dec 2007

Vaccine shows promise in preventing glandular fever

A new study suggests that a vaccine targeting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may prevent infectious mononucleosis, commonly known as "mono" or "glandular fever".

10 Dec 2007

Researchers uncover delicate protein balance behind the immune system response

A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has identified the protein interactions involved in the immune system process that fights infection yet, in certain inflammatory diseases, runs amok and attacks friendly tissue.

10 Dec 2007

Mild chemo before stem cell transplant causes long-term remission of follicular lymphoma

Treating relapsed follicular lymphoma patients with a milder chemotherapy regimen before they receive a blood stem cell transplant from a donor resulted in long-term complete remission for 45 of 47 patients in a clinical trial, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

10 Dec 2007