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New study finds how African immigrants stigmatized during recent Ebola crisis

The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa also took its toll socially on one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, African immigrants. Guy-Lucien Whembolua, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of Africana studies, leads an analysis of national news coverage of the Ebola scare in a poster presentation on Nov. 2, at the 143rd American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, in Chicago.

4 Nov 2015

Elderly women should take more vitamin D supplementation during the wintertime, suggests researchers

Osteoporosis is one of the chief reasons why the elderly often suffer broken bones from relatively minor injuries. Postmenopausal women in particular experience a relatively rapid loss in bone mass due to a reduced concentration of oestrogen, which is responsible for strong bone growth during youth. Maintaining bone mass requires physical exercise and vitamin D, which is mainly produced in the skin with the help of UVB radiation. This is why, especially in the wintertime, many elderly women are prescribed a vitamin D supplement by their doctor to maintain bone mass.

4 Nov 2015

New clinical trial uses aggressive treatment method for patients with pancreas cancer

Pancreas cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. In the United States, it accounts for only three percent of all diagnosed cancers but it causes almost seven percent of all cancer deaths. A pancreas cancer diagnosis often comes after age 50 and after the cancer has spread, making it difficult to remove surgically.

4 Nov 2015

Review of haemodynamics in stent development shows spiral flow may be key to improving peripheral arterial stent performance

Vascular Flow Technologies, the medical device company using proprietary Spiral Laminar Flow (SLF™) technology to replicate natural blood flow for enhanced patient outcomes, today announces that 'Haemodynamics and Flow Modification Stents for Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Review’, co-authored by VFT’s non-executive Medical Director Graeme Houston, has been published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. The paper reviews the importance of haemodynamics in stent development as a method of improving patency and longevity of the stent.

4 Nov 2015

Misleading symptoms confuse management of older patients with post-HSE relapse

Research shows that teenagers and adults with immune-mediated relapse after herpes simplex encephalitis rarely display the symptoms typically seen in children, delaying the initiation of vital immunotherapy.

3 Nov 2015

VUMC, UCSF investigators awarded $6 million NIH grant to develop implantable artificial kidney

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $6 million grant to investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of California at San Francisco to develop an implantable artificial kidney.

3 Nov 2015

HIV, Ebola appear to be of animal origin

The hepatitis A virus can trigger acute liver inflammation which generally has a mild course in small children but which can become dangerous in adults.

3 Nov 2015

Hypersexual disorder can be linked to hyperactive stress systems

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that hypersexual disorder - known popularly as sex addiction - can be linked to hyperactive stress systems. In a stress regulation test using the cortisone drug dexamethasone, men with hypersexual disorder showed higher levels of stress hormones than controls, a finding that the researchers hope will contribute to improved therapy for this patient group.

3 Nov 2015

Experts call on U.S. and Mexican governments to reduce risk of Chagas disease

Chagas disease -- the third most common parasitic infection in the world -- affects approximately 7.5 million people, mostly in Latin America. To help reduce outbreaks of this disease in their countries, the United States and Mexican governments should implement a range of programs as well as fund research for the development of Chagas vaccines and treatments, according to a new policy brief by tropical-disease and science policy experts at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

3 Nov 2015

Findings suggest potential metabolic pathway against cancer

When cancer cells compete with immune cells for glucose, the cancer wins. As a result, the immune T cells are not healthy and don't have the weapons to kill the cancer.

3 Nov 2015

Study highlights importance of sex-specific differences in complex biological processes

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that male and female mice respond differently to inflammation at the cellular level. Specifically, in male mice the spleen acts as a source of white blood cells, while in females this is not the case. This discovery suggests that human studies are necessary to determine if current medical practices, which treat men and women generally the same, should be altered to reflect sex-specific differences.

3 Nov 2015

Small subtype of immune cells appears to prevent obesity

We tend to think of the immune system as guarding us against bacteria, viruses and assorted foreign invaders, but this system has some other surprising roles. Weizmann Institute researchers have now identified a small subtype of immune cells that appears to prevent metabolic syndrome: obesity, high blood pressure, and high levels of blood sugar and cholesterol.

3 Nov 2015

United Cannabis files utility and PCT patent applications related to unique specifications of cannabinoids

United Cannabis Corporation today announced that it moved its provisional patent application to the next phase by filing a utility patent application related to the unique combinations of pharmaceutically active cannabinoids used to treat disorders of the nervous system, immune system and cancer with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

3 Nov 2015

New initiative launched to accelerate search for effective HIV vaccine

A new 23 million euro initiative to accelerate the search for an effective HIV vaccine begins today. Financed by the European Commission, the European AIDS Vaccine Initiative (EAVI2020) brings together leading HIV researchers from public organisations and biotech companies from across Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA in a focused effort to develop protective and therapeutic HIV vaccines.

2 Nov 2015

Unique funding opportunity seeks countermeasures to protect healthy tissue from radiation exposure

Small U.S.-based companies developing countermeasures to protect healthy tissue from the effects of radiation exposures may be eligible for a unique funding opportunity offered through the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. NSBRI's Industry Forum is soliciting applications for its Space Medical and Related Technologies Commercialization Assistance Program (SMARTCAP).

31 Oct 2015

Resistance to CD19 CAR T-cell therapy can be caused by CD19 splicing alterations

Resistance to CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy that yields long-lasting remissions in many patients with B-cell leukemia, can be caused by CD19 splicing alterations, leading to loss of certain parts of the CD19 protein that are recognized by the CAR T cells.

31 Oct 2015

New research may offer strategies for developing toxoplasma-inactivated vaccine

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite which causes the development of fatal encephalosis or pneumonia in immunodeficient patients under treatment of AIDS or cancer.

31 Oct 2015

Blocking calcium-signaling pathway could inhibit Ebola virus and other sources of deadly infections

The Ebola virus acts fast. The course of infection, from exposure to recovery, or death, can take as little as two weeks. That may not leave enough time for the immune system to mount an effective response.

31 Oct 2015

Researchers discover key regulator that impacts survival of lymphoma patients

An important regulator that controls the ability of tumour cells to hide from the immune system in lymphoma patients, making them unlikely to respond to standard treatment, has been discovered by scientists at the University of Oxford.

31 Oct 2015

ISCT launches publication and reference guide on Use of Unproven Cellular Therapies

The International Society for Cellular Therapy, the global society of clinicians, researchers, regulators, technologists, and industry partners dedicated to the translation of cellular therapy into safe and effective therapies to improve patients’ lives, today announces the launch of its publication and reference guide on the Use of Unproven Cellular Therapies.

31 Oct 2015

Immune System News and Research

New study finds how African immigrants stigmatized during recent Ebola crisis

Elderly women should take more vitamin D supplementation during the wintertime, suggests researchers

New clinical trial uses aggressive treatment method for patients with pancreas cancer

Review of haemodynamics in stent development shows spiral flow may be key to improving peripheral arterial stent performance

Misleading symptoms confuse management of older patients with post-HSE relapse

VUMC, UCSF investigators awarded $6 million NIH grant to develop implantable artificial kidney

HIV, Ebola appear to be of animal origin

Hypersexual disorder can be linked to hyperactive stress systems

Experts call on U.S. and Mexican governments to reduce risk of Chagas disease

Findings suggest potential metabolic pathway against cancer

Study highlights importance of sex-specific differences in complex biological processes

Small subtype of immune cells appears to prevent obesity

United Cannabis files utility and PCT patent applications related to unique specifications of cannabinoids

New initiative launched to accelerate search for effective HIV vaccine

Unique funding opportunity seeks countermeasures to protect healthy tissue from radiation exposure

Resistance to CD19 CAR T-cell therapy can be caused by CD19 splicing alterations

New research may offer strategies for developing toxoplasma-inactivated vaccine

Blocking calcium-signaling pathway could inhibit Ebola virus and other sources of deadly infections

Researchers discover key regulator that impacts survival of lymphoma patients

ISCT launches publication and reference guide on Use of Unproven Cellular Therapies

Understanding the DNA Damage Response in Innate Immunity eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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