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Weill Cornell reports new findings from IVIG Phase 3 trial in Alzheimer's disease at AAIC 2013

Weill Cornell Medical College neurologist Dr. Norman Relkin reported new findings today from the Phase 3 clinical trial of IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston, Mass.

16 Jul 2013

White blood cells and the spread of cancer: an interview with Drs. Lorenzo Ferri and Jonathan Cools-Lartigue, McGill University

As surgeons who take care of cancer patients, we have observed a troubling association between patients who suffer from infections after surgery and the rapid spread of their cancer. We have reported this in lung cancer patients, and others have made these observations in a variety of different cancers. However, the mechanisms responsible for this association are still poorly understood.

16 Jul 2013

Researchers identify genes that allow animal hepatitis E virus strains to infect humans

X.J. Meng, a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech and a virologist at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a four-year, nearly $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to better understand the genetic elements that allow hepatitis E virus to transfer from animals to people.

16 Jul 2013

Specific types of intestinal bacteria are major contributors to lymphoma

Researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have discovered that specific types of bacteria that live in the gut are major contributors to lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells that are part of the human immune system.

16 Jul 2013

New influenza vaccine options for upcoming flu season

The next flu shot season will include several new vaccine options for consumers, Mayo Clinic vaccine expert Gregory Poland, M.D., says. Fearful of needles? There's now an influenza vaccination just for you. Allergic to eggs? It won't stop you from getting a flu shot. The new choices move influenza vaccinations closer to the personalized approach long sought by immunologists including Dr. Poland, but they may also prove bewildering to patients, he says.

16 Jul 2013

Cranberry consumption may prevent chronic infections

Consuming cranberry products has been anecdotally associated with prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs) for over 100 years. But is this popular belief a myth, or scientific fact?

16 Jul 2013

Researchers distinguish viral and bacterial infections in children with fever

In children with fever but no other symptoms of illness, it is difficult to know whether a child has a viral infection that will resolve on its own or a potentially serious bacterial infection that requires antibiotics.

16 Jul 2013

Vitamin D supplementation can improve patient's immunological status

Vitamin D influences many other physiological processes, including muscle function, cardiovascular homeostasis, nerve function, and immune response. Furthermore, accumulated evidence suggests that vitamin D also mediates the immune system response to infection. Infections are very common in patients from neurosurgical intensive care unit.

16 Jul 2013

Proteins involved in immunity produce cancer-causing DNA mutations, study finds

A set of proteins involved in the body's natural defenses produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, according to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that these naturally produced mutations are just as powerful as known cancer-causing agents in producing tumors.

15 Jul 2013

Scientists uncover mechanism that controls cell death processes

Scientists have uncovered the mechanism that controls whether cells that are able to suppress immune responses live or die.

15 Jul 2013

Infrared light allows characterization of pathogens

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is commonly found in nature and frequently colonizes the skin and the upper respiratory tract of humans. A healthy immune system can fight the microorganism but once the immune system is weakened the pathogen can spread and lead to life-threatening diseases of the lungs, the heart and other organs.

15 Jul 2013

Scientists successfully transplant insulin-producing cells from one species to another

In the first step toward animal-to-human transplants of insulin-producing cells for people with type 1 diabetes, Northwestern Medicine- scientists have successfully transplanted islets, the cells that produce insulin, from one species to another. And the islets survived without immunosuppressive drugs.

15 Jul 2013

Researchers discover that APOBEC3B is important cancer mutagen

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered that a human antiviral enzyme causes DNA mutations that lead to several forms of cancer.

15 Jul 2013

Research: Sharp edged graphene sheets can easily pierce cell membranes

Researchers from Brown University have shown how tiny graphene microsheets - ultra-thin materials with a number of commercial applications - could be big trouble for human cells.

12 Jul 2013

Seven scientists to receive Annual Klerman and Freedman Prizes from Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Seven young scientists will be recognized by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation at its presentation of the Annual Klerman and Freedman Prizes on Friday July 26, 2013 at Le Parker Meriden Hotel, New York, NY.

12 Jul 2013

Antibodies boost immune system to fight childhood cancer, shows study

Researchers in the Antibody and Vaccine Group have developed two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) called anti-4-1BB and anti-CD40 and investigated a third called anti-CTLA-4. Each of these antibodies binds to a different target molecule in the immune system, potentially heightening the body's own immune response to cancer.

12 Jul 2013

UC Riverside professor receives grant to study potential treatment for age-related macular degeneration

A University of California, Riverside bioengineering professor has received a two-year, $120,000 grant to search for chemical compounds that have the potential to treat age-related macular degeneration.

12 Jul 2013

New discoveries about skin cancer

We've heard the warning many times before: wear sunscreen or cover up before going out into the sun. It's an alert worth paying attention to; the American Cancer Society expects 460 new cases to be diagnosed in 2013 in New Mexico alone. Now Marianne Berwick, PhD, and her international team of melanoma researchers support these warnings with some interesting discoveries about skin cancer.

11 Jul 2013

New study evaluates effectiveness of radioimmunotherapy in lymphoma patients

A new treatment option for patients with relapsing follicular, mantle cell and other indolent B-cell lymphomas has been determined safe and feasible by researchers exploring the potential of a low energy beta-emitter radiopharmaceutical.

11 Jul 2013

Researchers identify new cellular source for disease-fighting protein

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report the identification of a new cellular source for an important disease-fighting protein used in the body's earliest response to infection.

11 Jul 2013