Inflammation News and Research

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NIEHS grant renewal opens next chapter in 18-year research effort into brain injury biomarker

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant extension to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to fund research into the function of a biomarker for brain injury called Translocator Protein 18 kDa, better known as TSPO, in order to better understand its function in brain injury and inflammation and discover targets for therapy.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers develop new variety of corked microbottle for drugs

Sustained-release formulations that release drugs over longer periods of time are not the final step in the evolution of “intelligent” drug delivery systems. Modern pharmaceuticals are being designed to be released only in a specific, diseased organ; on cues from our circadian rhythm; or under specific physiological conditions.

17 Sep 2013

Understanding essential role of gut microbes in immune system

A new understanding of the essential role of gut microbes in the immune system may hold the key to dealing with some of the more significant health problems facing people in the world today, Oregon State University researchers say in a new analysis.

17 Sep 2013

Researchers identify gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at The Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has identified a gene mutation linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 50.

17 Sep 2013

Gene variations predict breast cancer sleep disturbance

Researchers have identified cytokine gene variations in women with breast cancer that may help to identify those at increased risk for sleep disturbance following surgery.

16 Sep 2013

Flights are major risk factors for bouts of inflammation in IBD patients

Patients with a chronic intestinal inflammation often experience bouts of inflammation after a journey. The main cause of this is not the stress of travelling, but the lack of oxygen experienced in an aircraft or during high altitude stays in the mountains.

16 Sep 2013

LifeSensors receives U.S. patent for development of novel DUB substrates

LifeSensors, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge technologies for studying the ubiquitin pathway, has been awarded a U.S. patent for the development of novel, fluorescent di- and poly-ubiquitin deubiquitinase substrates (US 8,518,660).

16 Sep 2013

Study evaluates effectiveness of new meningitis serogroup A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a mass vaccination campaign with a new meningitis serogroup A vaccine, PsA-TT, in sub-Saharan Africa found that it had a dramatic impact on cases of serogroup meningitis and on carriage of the disease-causing bacteria in the throat, according to new research published in The Lancet.

13 Sep 2013

Scottsdale Healthcare, TGen initiate Thunder God vine clinical trial in pancreatic cancer patients

Taking a page from Chinese herbal medicine, Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute today initiated the first-in-human clinical trial for pancreatic cancer patients using a compound derived from a plant known as "Thunder God vine."

13 Sep 2013

Scientists uncover how bacterium responsible for periodontal disease worsens RA

Does gum disease indicate future joint problems? Although researchers and clinicians have long known about an association between two prevalent chronic inflammatory diseases - periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis - the microbiological mechanisms have remained unclear.

13 Sep 2013

Proper precautions may help people with allergies enjoy the beautiful fall weather

As summer comes to a close, kids head back to school and preparation for fall begins, don't' forget to consider fall allergies. An estimated 35 million Americans suffer from allergies, which in the fall begin in late August and peak in September. For those with fall allergies, three triggers typically occur - ragweed, indoor allergens and infections.

12 Sep 2013

Astragaloside IV contributes to sciatic nerve regeneration

Astragaloside IV, the main component of the traditional Chinese medicine astragalus membra-naceus, has been shown to inhibit inflammation, oxidation, and apoptosis, and exerts immu-noregulatory effects. Xiaohong Zhang and colleagues from School of Pharmacutical Sciences, Jilin University investigated whether astragaloside IV could promote the repair of injured sciatic nerve.

12 Sep 2013

Study: Atorvastatin reduces inflammation, thrombogenesis in patients with acute ischemic stroke

The population of northeastern China has a high incidence of ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that intracranial large-artery atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of ischemic stroke, and that the mechanisms are related to inflammation and thrombosis of the affected arteries.

12 Sep 2013

Study shows fat transplantation may treat inherited metabolic diseases

Transplanting fat may treat such inherited metabolic diseases as maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) by helping the body process the essential amino acids that these patients cannot, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

12 Sep 2013

Astrazeneca Licenses Merck's Cancer Candidate MK-1775

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11 Sep 2013

Improved lung function in patients with moderate asthma severity observed with investigational Tiotropium

Boehringer Ingelheim will present a pooled analysis of new data from the Phase 3 UniTinA-asthma® program at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress 2013 in Barcelona. The data from the individual MezzoTinA-asthma® Phase 3 studies (NCT01340209 and NCT00565266), from which the pooled data are derived, show the addition of tiotropium delivered via the Respimat® inhaler to medium-dose maintenance inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy (defined as 400-800 µg budesonide/day or equivalent) improved lung function and provided sustained bronchodilation over 24 hours in patients with moderate asthma and airflow limitation. Tiotropium is being investigated to determine the medicine’s efficacy in treating asthma patients and is not currently approved for this indication.

11 Sep 2013

Better ways to combat mosquitoes

In an advance toward providing mosquito-plagued people, pets and livestock with an invisibility cloak against these blood-sucking insects, scientists today described discovery of substances that occur naturally on human skin and block mosquitoes’ ability to smell and target their victims.

11 Sep 2013

Interferon-alpha 2b and ribavirin treatment may be effective for MERS-CoV infection

Treatment with two common drugs reduced viral replication and lung damage when given to monkeys infected with the virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The condition is deadly pneumonia that has killed more than 100 people, primarily in the Middle East.

10 Sep 2013

Astrazeneca, Hadasit Launch Drug Discovery Alliance

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10 Sep 2013

Parasites could be potential key to treating autoimmune diseases

There is a new weapon in the fight against autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and lupus, the common trait of which is an immune system that attacks its own organs and tissues.

10 Sep 2013