Immune System News and Research

RSS

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

Oral vaccine prevents prion disease in mice

An oral vaccine can prevent mice from developing a brain disease similar to mad cow disease, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston.

4 May 2007

Honey for diabetic ulcers

The sore on Catrina Hurlburt's leg simply wouldn't heal. Complications from a 2002 car accident left Hurlburt, a borderline diabetic, with recurring cellulitis and staph infections.

4 May 2007

Gene-for-gene interactions help bacteria kill their host

Scientists have discovered that a cousin of the plague bacterium uses a single gene to out-fox insect immune defences and kill its host.

4 May 2007

Nutrient "floodgate" protects against inflammatory immune response

After every meal, the body must prevent the immune system from launching an all-out fight against food.

4 May 2007

Should hyperthyroidism patients consider combining Chinese and Western medicine?

It might not be a bad idea for people with overactive thyroids to supplement their standard treatment with Chinese herbal medicine, a new review suggests.

4 May 2007

Renewal of Echinacea and St John's Wort research

A five-year-old research center dedicated to understanding and improving Echinacea and Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) has received $4.4 million in continuation funding from the National Institutes of Health. The renewal is for three years.

4 May 2007

Study shows effectiveness of Peramivir in mouse model of H5N1 virus infection

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has announced that investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, reported favorable results evaluating peramivir treatment in an animal model of influenza using a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus (an avian influenza strain that had caused fatal human infection in Viet Nam).

4 May 2007

Prenatal toxicity linked to immune dysfunctions in later life

A Cornell researcher and his wife have conducted the first comprehensive review of later-life diseases that develop in people who were exposed to environmental toxins or drugs either in the womb or as infants.

4 May 2007

Scientists discover molecular mechanism that keeps HSV-1 activation restricted to a single gene for months or even years

By adulthood, most people have suffered at least one bout of painful cold sores brought on by the Herpes simplex virus 1, also known as HSV-1.

4 May 2007

New study on cat allergens and babies

The study published by Chih-Mei Chen et al. in the May edition of the distinguished Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology did not approve earlier papers, according to which contact with cat allergens during the first few months of a child's life has a protective effect.

4 May 2007

Strong link between domestic violence and asthma

The link between environmental exposures and asthma has been clearly described, but a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds a strong association between domestic violence and asthma.

2 May 2007

Phenoxodiol, an investigational drug shows promise for ovarian cancer

A new study further supports the unique mechanism of action of phenoxodiol, an investigational drug being studied for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

2 May 2007

Rituximab reduces disease activity in multiple sclerosis

A new drug under investigation shows a reduction in disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to two studies that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston. The drug reduced disease activity as indicated by MRI scans.

2 May 2007

Ultra fast and ultra active: the strange life of the extraocular muscles

The eye, often called the window to the soul, may become a window to the mysteries of muscular dystrophy, a debilitating muscle disease that often leads to death in early adulthood.

2 May 2007

New class of nontoxic cancer treatments

A new class of compounds developed by two University of Kentucky researchers shows promise as a nontoxic treatment of some cancers previously treated with toxic chemotherapy, the researchers report today.

2 May 2007

Cancer Research Technology licenses therapeutic antibodies to Peptech

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, today announces it has licensed rights to a panel of cancer therapeutic antibodies to Peptech Limited.

2 May 2007

Protecting Americans against a smallpox outbreak

In the event of a smallpox outbreak in the United States, how long would it take for a vaccine to start protecting Americans by stimulating an immune response? A new national study led by Saint Louis University School of Medicine will attempt to answer this question.

1 May 2007

More research needed to involve families in psychosocial interventions

Family-oriented psychosocial interventions seem to be beneficial in improving the mental and physical well-being of both patients with chronic illness and their family members, but the results aren?t as robust as researchers had hoped.

1 May 2007