Immune System News and Research

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FDA follows up on Salmonella outbreak

As a follow-up to the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting an extensive inspection of ConAgra's Sylvester, Georgia processing plant.

1 Mar 2007

Hepatitis B found in sweat of Olympic athletes

A researcher in Turkey says hepatitis B may be contracted by means of sweat during contact sports.

1 Mar 2007

Steroid use fails to boost pregnancy rates in infertility treatments

There is no clear benefit from a hormone commonly prescribed to enhance the effectiveness of infertility treatments, according to a new review of studies.

1 Mar 2007

Chemoimmunotherapy versus chemotherapy for metastatic malignant melanoma

The addition of immunotherapy to chemotherapy for malignant skin cancer that has spread does not improve survival rates, researchers have found, and patients have more serious side effects, such as anemia, when the two treatments are combined.

1 Mar 2007

New clues may explain why Graves' disease attacks muscle tissue behind eyes

UCLA researchers have uncovered new clues that may explain why Graves' disease (GD) attacks the muscle tissue behind the eyes, often causing them to bulge painfully from their sockets, as in the late actor Marty Feldman.

1 Mar 2007

Further study of past flu pandemics key to future preparedness

Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 "Spanish Flu," for insight into pandemic planning.

28 Feb 2007

New Crohn's disease treatment Humira promises to reduce symptoms

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given it's approval for the use of the drug Humira (adalimumab) to treat adults suffering from Crohn's disease.

28 Feb 2007

Bird flu vaccine offers limited protection but 'better than nothing'

Despite evidence it will not protect most people, a panel of health advisers have recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States approve the first vaccine against bird flu.

28 Feb 2007

U.N. representative ordered to leave Gambia after questioning President's claims of HIV/AIDS cure

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has ordered United Nations representative Fadzai Gwaradzimba to leave the country after she questioned Jammeh's claim that he can cure HIV/AIDS with an herbal remedy, VOA News reports.

28 Feb 2007

Benefits of breast-feeding might outweigh risk of vertical HIV transmission in developing countries

A series of studies presented Monday at the 14th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Los Angeles suggest that the benefits of breast-feeding in developing countries might outweigh the risk of vertical HIV transmission, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

28 Feb 2007

FDA approves Humira (adalimumab) for Crohn's disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Humira (adalimumab) to treat adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, which affects an estimated one million Americans.

27 Feb 2007

Smoking increases risk of tuberculosis infection

People who smoke have a greater risk of becoming infected with tuberculosis (TB) and of having that infection turn into active TB disease, according to an analysis by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

27 Feb 2007

Psychological depression contributes to worse medical outcomes for patients with heart failure

Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is marked by the inability of the heart muscle to pump enough oxygen and nutrients in the blood to the body's tissues.

27 Feb 2007

Gene therapy shows promise as treatment for diseased lower limbs at risk for amputation

New research suggests that gene therapy is a safe treatment method to explore in patients whose lower limbs are at risk for amputation because of poor circulation caused by blocked blood vessels.

27 Feb 2007

Stimuvax investigational lung cancer vaccine phase III study starts

Merck KGaA today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its global Phase III clinical study, START (Stimulating Targeted Antigenic Responses To NSCLC), assessing the efficacy and safety of Stimuvax (BLP25 liposome vaccine) as a potential treatment for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

26 Feb 2007

New bird flu vaccine not such a sure bet

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S., in clinical trials the nation's first bird flu vaccine is not as effective as was initially expected.

26 Feb 2007

Statements on peanut butter Salmonella

Statement from FDA - Product testing by several states has now confirmed that Peter Pan peanut butter and certain Great Value brand peanut butter are the sources of the foodborne illness outbreak of Salmonella Tennessee that began in August 2006. To date 329 individuals have become ill from consuming the contaminated peanut butter, and 51 of those persons were hospitalized.

25 Feb 2007

Gambian President claims to cure HIV/AIDS

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh since January has claimed that he can cure HIV/AIDS with an herbal remedy, prompting concern among some public health workers in Africa who already are "struggling against faith healers dispensing herbal remedies," the AP/Monterey County Herald reports.

25 Feb 2007

FDA confirms peanut butter the source of salmonella outbreak affecting over 300

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has confirmed that an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning was caused by contaminated peanut butter.

25 Feb 2007

microRNA directly regulates a gene implicated in human cancers

MicroRNAs are tiny snippets of RNA that can repress activity of a gene by targeting the gene's messenger RNA (which copies DNA information and starts the process of protein production).

22 Feb 2007