Immune System News and Research

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Alcohol intoxication perturbs immune system of aged individuals

The immune system in the elderly is dysfunctional and infections are more prevalent, more severe, and harder to defeat. Drinking alcohol has a variety of damaging effects on the immune system and organs - like the gut, liver and lung - which can be worsened by pre-existing conditions as well as consumption of prescription and over-the-counter medications that aged individuals often take.

28 Jun 2016

Researchers find new way for treating GBS infection in neonates

Researchers have discovered how the bacteria Group B streptococcus (GBS) avoids detection by the immune system during pregnancy.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists develop computational method to map cancer progression

A team of scientists has developed a computational method to map cancer progression, an advance that offers new insights into the factors that spur this affliction as well as new ways of selecting effective therapies.

28 Jun 2016

Deficiency in NMD could cause inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) — masses of immune cells— are benign, but poorly understood. Current IMT treatments often have side effects and surgery is sometimes not an option due to the tumor's proximity to vital organs.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists find link between makeup of individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer

In a sample study, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found an association between the makeup of an individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer, a finding that potentially advances the quest for faster and more accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy.

28 Jun 2016

Why does appetite loss occur during illness? An interview with Prof. Conti and Prof. Francesconi

Appetite, as a word, come from the Latin appetitus, meaning "desire for.” Therefore, appetite can be defined as a pleasurable sensation or the desire to eat. This sensation is coordinated by several brain areas associated with reward processing such amygdala, hippocampus, ventral pallidum, nucleus accumbens and striatum, and others.

28 Jun 2016

High levels of zinc may lead to kidney stone formation

David Killilea, PhD, a staff scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute- the research arm of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland - co-authored a study into the causes of kidney stones.

28 Jun 2016

Virus-like elements within human genome linked to development of lupus and Sjogren's syndrome

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have uncovered a potential genetic trigger of systemic autoimmune disease.

28 Jun 2016

Study offers array of new insights into nature of Plasmodium vivax

A team of scientists has uncovered the global, evolving, and historic make-up of Plasmodium vivax, one of the five species of malaria that infect humans.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists explain how engineered anthrax toxin proteins could help eliminate cancerous tumors

Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute all parts of the National Institutes of Health, describe how combining engineered anthrax toxin proteins and existing chemotherapy drugs could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors.

28 Jun 2016

Scientists detect biological markers of chronic fatigue syndrome in gut bacteria

Physicians have been mystified by chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition where normal exertion leads to debilitating fatigue that isn't alleviated by rest. There are no known triggers, and diagnosis requires lengthy tests administered by an expert.

28 Jun 2016

Disrupted fetal immune system increases later risk of neurodevelopmental diseases

Disrupted fetal immune system development, such as that caused by viral infection in the mother, may be a key factor in the later appearance of certain neurodevelopmental disorders.

28 Jun 2016

Strengthening immune defence system may provide treatment alternative for tuberculosis

Researchers at Linköping University have made a discovery that could contribute to developing new vaccines and treatment alternatives for tuberculosis in the future. The results have been published in Scientific Reports, a sister journal to the highly respected periodical Nature.

27 Jun 2016

Scientists discover link between two genes involved in PD and autoimmune diseases

A study publish in the journal CELL indicates that two genes associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) are key regulators of the immune system, providing direct evidence linking Parkinson's to autoimmune disease.

27 Jun 2016

Health-promoting bacteria may protect women from breast cancer

Bacteria that have the potential to abet breast cancer are present in the breasts of cancer patients, while beneficial bacteria are more abundant in healthy breasts, where they may actually be protecting women from cancer, according to Gregor Reid, PhD, and his collaborators.

25 Jun 2016

Researchers tune into previously unknown cross talk between estrogen and progesterone receptors

One of the first clues pathologists look for in tissue from a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient is the estrogen receptor, a nuclear protein that converts hormonal messages in the bloodstream into instructions for the cell about how to behave

24 Jun 2016

HMC signal could be used to detect diseases and to personalize medication

Common diseases like allergy, diabetes and other immune diseases have increased dramatically in recent decades. This indicates that the environment may have a more important role than genes in explaining this increase.

24 Jun 2016

New ultra-fast molecular method can help detect mycobacterial pathogens in the lungs

What used to take several weeks is now possible in two days: Thanks to new molecular-based methods, mycobacterial pathogens that cause pulmonary infections or tuberculosis can now be detected much more quickly.

24 Jun 2016

Research shows enveloped viruses could survive on toys long enough to cause infection

Certain viruses, such as influenza, could survive on children's toys long enough to result in exposures, placing children at risk for getting infectious diseases, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

24 Jun 2016

Taking ipilimumab, nivolumab drugs may increase risk of developing rheumatologic diseases

Case reports on 13 cancer patients suggest that a small number of cancer patients taking the immunotherapy drugs ipilimumab and nivolumab may be at some higher-than-normal risk of developing autoimmune joint and tissue diseases, including inflammatory arthritis, according to a preliminary study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers.

24 Jun 2016

Immune System News and Research

Alcohol intoxication perturbs immune system of aged individuals

Researchers find new way for treating GBS infection in neonates

Scientists develop computational method to map cancer progression

Deficiency in NMD could cause inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

Scientists find link between makeup of individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer

Why does appetite loss occur during illness? An interview with Prof. Conti and Prof. Francesconi

High levels of zinc may lead to kidney stone formation

Virus-like elements within human genome linked to development of lupus and Sjogren's syndrome

Study offers array of new insights into nature of Plasmodium vivax

Scientists explain how engineered anthrax toxin proteins could help eliminate cancerous tumors

Scientists detect biological markers of chronic fatigue syndrome in gut bacteria

Disrupted fetal immune system increases later risk of neurodevelopmental diseases

Strengthening immune defence system may provide treatment alternative for tuberculosis

Scientists discover link between two genes involved in PD and autoimmune diseases

Health-promoting bacteria may protect women from breast cancer

Researchers tune into previously unknown cross talk between estrogen and progesterone receptors

HMC signal could be used to detect diseases and to personalize medication

New ultra-fast molecular method can help detect mycobacterial pathogens in the lungs

Research shows enveloped viruses could survive on toys long enough to cause infection

Taking ipilimumab, nivolumab drugs may increase risk of developing rheumatologic diseases

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