Immune System News and Research

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3D structure of enzyme helps defend against bacteria

An essential weapon in the body's fight against infection has come into sharper view. Researchers at Princeton University have discovered the 3D structure of an enzyme that cuts to ribbons the genetic material of viruses and helps defend against bacteria.

3 Mar 2014

Deficient hygiene routines make it difficult to eradicate multi-resistant bacterium

A previously unknown multi-resistant bacterium has been sticking around at a Swedish University Hospital for ten years.

3 Mar 2014

Sunburn causes melanoma through direct and indirect processes

Melanoma is particularly dangerous because it can form metastases in vital organs such as the lungs, liver or brain. UV radiation is considered to be the most significant triggering factor.

3 Mar 2014

Same food may trigger both allergies, say experts

Some children who outgrow one type of food allergy may then develop another type of allergy, more severe and more persistent, to the same food. A new study by pediatric allergy experts suggests that health care providers and caregivers carefully monitor children with food allergies to recognize early signs of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a severe and often painful type of allergy that has been increasing in recent years.

3 Mar 2014

Food allergy increases among black children, say researchers

Children's food allergies are gradually increasing, but they may be as much as doubling among black children. According to a study published today in the March issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), self-reported food allergy nearly doubled in black children over 23 years.

3 Mar 2014

Washington University professor to receive AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) will present Robert D. Schreiber, Ph.D., Alumni Endowed Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Professor of Molecular Microbiology, and Director of the Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., with the second annual AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, to be held in San Diego, Calif., April 5-9.

3 Mar 2014

Scientists find certain species of nontuberculous mycobacteria in water that cause infection in humans

Brisbane's water supply has been found to contain disease carrying bugs which can be directly linked to infections in some patients, according to a new study by QUT.

3 Mar 2014

Researchers identify new way of treating people with hearing disabilities

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a biological circadian clock in the hearing organ, the cochlea. This circadian clock controls how well hearing damage may heal and opens up a new way of treating people with hearing disabilities.

28 Feb 2014

Scientists develop new anti-viral drugs that may be effective against flu virus

New analysis of the influenza A virus by scientists at the University of Hertfordshire shows potential for developing new anti-viral drugs which are more likely to be universally effective against the flu virus originating from avian, swine or human virus strains.

28 Feb 2014

Penn research team discovers new cost-effective way to fight rare blood disorder

A University of Pennsylvania research team has defined a possible new way to fight a disease that is currently treatable only with the most expensive drug available for sale in the United States.

28 Feb 2014

Obesity, contraceptives pills may increase risk of developing MS in later stages, says study

The role of the so-called "obesity hormone" leptin and hormones used for birth control in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) is examined in two new studies released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.

28 Feb 2014

TSRI scientists describe severe immune overreaction caused by flu infections

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have mapped key elements of a severe immune overreaction—a “cytokine storm”—that can both sicken and kill patients who are infected with certain strains of flu virus.

28 Feb 2014

Researchers examine whether vitamin D deficiency occurs during early stage of type 1 diabetes

Low levels of vitamin D are commonly found in people with type 1 diabetes. But even children who have multiple positive islet autoantibodies without manifest type 1 diabetes have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood.

28 Feb 2014

Vaccine targeting tumors could initiate immune response to fight cancer

Cincinnati Cancer Center (CCC) and UC Cancer Institute researchers have found that a vaccine, targeting tumors that produce a certain protein and receptor responsible for communication between cells and the body's immune system, could initiate the immune response to fight cancer.

28 Feb 2014

Exposure to very low concentrations of BPA by pregnant females can cause fetal abnormalities in primates

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as resins used to line metal food and beverage containers, thermal paper store receipts, and dental composites.

28 Feb 2014

Penn researchers identify possible new way to fight rare blood disorder

A University of Pennsylvania research team has defined a possible new way to fight a disease that is currently treatable only with the most expensive drug available for sale in the United States. In a study published this month in Blood, the Penn team describes the strategy, based on the oldest part of the human immune system - called "complement" -- that could turn out to be less costly and more effective for the majority of patients with a rare blood disorder.

27 Feb 2014

Scientists reveal two regulatory mechanisms that keep the body's immune response in check

A Keck Medicine of USC-led team of microbiologists has identified previously unknown interactions between critical proteins in the human immune response system, uncovering two independent regulatory mechanisms that keep the body's immune response in check. Their findings appear in the February 2014 edition of Cell Host & Microbe, the top peer-reviewed scientific journal that focuses on the study of cell-pathogen interaction.

27 Feb 2014

Dampening immune response may encourage lung transplant rejection

Organ transplant patients routinely receive drugs that stop their immune systems from attacking newly implanted hearts, livers, kidneys or lungs, which the body sees as foreign.

27 Feb 2014

Vitamin A may play key role in combating TB, says study

Tuberculosis is a major global problem, affecting 2 billion people worldwide and causing an estimated 2 million deaths annually. Western countries are once again tackling the disease, with recent outbreaks in Los Angeles and London.

27 Feb 2014

"Sprouted" garlic has more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than fresher, younger bulbs

"Sprouted" garlic - old garlic bulbs with bright green shoots emerging from the cloves - is considered to be past its prime and usually ends up in the garbage can. But scientists are reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that this type of garlic has even more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than its fresher counterparts.

27 Feb 2014

Immune System News and Research

3D structure of enzyme helps defend against bacteria

Deficient hygiene routines make it difficult to eradicate multi-resistant bacterium

Sunburn causes melanoma through direct and indirect processes

Same food may trigger both allergies, say experts

Food allergy increases among black children, say researchers

Washington University professor to receive AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology

Scientists find certain species of nontuberculous mycobacteria in water that cause infection in humans

Researchers identify new way of treating people with hearing disabilities

Scientists develop new anti-viral drugs that may be effective against flu virus

Penn research team discovers new cost-effective way to fight rare blood disorder

Obesity, contraceptives pills may increase risk of developing MS in later stages, says study

TSRI scientists describe severe immune overreaction caused by flu infections

Researchers examine whether vitamin D deficiency occurs during early stage of type 1 diabetes

Vaccine targeting tumors could initiate immune response to fight cancer

Exposure to very low concentrations of BPA by pregnant females can cause fetal abnormalities in primates

Penn researchers identify possible new way to fight rare blood disorder

Scientists reveal two regulatory mechanisms that keep the body's immune response in check

Dampening immune response may encourage lung transplant rejection

Vitamin A may play key role in combating TB, says study

"Sprouted" garlic has more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than fresher, younger bulbs

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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