Immune System News and Research

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New drug CellCept far more effective in treating kidney problems in lupus patients

A new study has shown that the drug CellCept is just as good at fighting kidney complications from the debilitating disease lupus with far fewer side effects than standard treatment using the cancer drug Cytoxan.

24 Nov 2005

Nanotechnology and biochemistry provide new way to study T cell signaling

Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley, combining nanotechnology with biochemistry, have created unique synthetic membranes that, for the first time ever, enable them to directly control signaling activity in living T cells from the immune system. Already their experiments have yielded surprising results.

21 Nov 2005

American physicians may be too liberal in their use of blood transfusions

In an analysis of some 24,000 patient records, the researchers found that Americans rushed to the hospital with heart attack symptoms have significantly higher rates of bleeding and transfusions after treatment than similar patients throughout the world.

21 Nov 2005

When Mum's stressed at work kids feel it too

Researchers say that children whose mothers do not enjoy their jobs also suffer increased stress.

21 Nov 2005

Women more sensitive to chronic stress than men

"It's generally understood that females respond more strongly to acute (immediate, short-term) stress than males," said Helmer Figueiredo, PhD, of UC's department of psychiatry. "Our research shows that this may also be the case in more clinically relevant chronic-stress conditions."

20 Nov 2005

Valproic acid (Depakote) may help treat lupus

A common anti-seizure drug may be effective against certain conditions associated with lupus, according to animal research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

20 Nov 2005

Sweets may decrease the production of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that eating or drinking sweets may decrease the production of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid--which has been linked to obesity and decreased immune response.

20 Nov 2005

Study reveals how T cells analyze and react to the signals of infection at the immunological synapse

The immune system is highly complex. The cast of characters alone required to marshal an immune response to a foreign invader can number in the millions as the body's soldiers, T cells, are called into action.

20 Nov 2005

First nationwide study of pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatic disease

The first nationwide study of pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatic disease confirms that they experience greater pregnancy risks and longer hospital stays than the average pregnant woman.

20 Nov 2005

New genes that regulate longevity

In an effort to understand the molecular mechanisms that control aging, Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers and their colleagues have now uncovered 10 new genes that regulate longevity in yeast. The studies also suggest a new model for how aging is slowed when caloric intake is restricted.

20 Nov 2005

Stem cells to repair heart tissue soon after a heart attack

Stem cells derived from human heart tissue develop into multicellular, spherical structures called cardiospheres that express the normal properties of primitive heart tissue, smooth muscle and blood vessel cells, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

20 Nov 2005

Six gene variants predict heart muscle damage after cardiac surgery

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that patients with six specific variants of genes involved in the body's immune response are significantly more likely to suffer damage of heart tissue after cardiac surgery.

16 Nov 2005

Pancreatic cancer vaccine extends survival

In a long awaited positive development, an experimental pancreatic cancer vaccine seems to be extending survival rates higher.

16 Nov 2005

Feeling stressed? reach for the sugar!

Researchers are now saying that reaching for a sugary snack in times of stress may not be such a bad idea after all.

16 Nov 2005

FLT-1 blockers, cutting the legs of leukaemia

Leukaemia is characterised by an uncontrolled growth of abnormal blood cells in the bone marrow (BM).

14 Nov 2005

Edifoligide no better than placebo for clogged veins

A new drug, edifoligide, designed to prevent the clogging of veins used in coronary bypass surgery was no more effective than a placebo, according to the results of a Phase III clinical trial led by researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

14 Nov 2005

Mayo Clinic provides new strategy for designing better treatments for juvenile dermatomyositis

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with colleagues at the University of Minnesota and University of Pittsburgh, are the first to describe a new role for a specialized cell of the immune system in children suffering from a rare muscle-damaging disease known as juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

14 Nov 2005

Bright light therapy may aid patients with depressive and bipolar disorders

A report in the November Cell Metabolism reveals powerful effects of light on the adrenal glands, a finding that might explain the broad benefits of bright light therapy for a variety of conditions, including sleep and depressive disorders, according to researchers.

14 Nov 2005

Why the bird flu virus H5N1 is so deadly to humans

A study published today in the open access journal Respiratory Research reveals that, in human cells, the virus can trigger levels of inflammatory proteins more than 10 times higher than the common human flu virus H1N1.

14 Nov 2005

People taking highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection remain susceptible to tuberculosis

...though the risk is lower than for HIV-infected patients not on HAART, according to an article in the Dec. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

13 Nov 2005