Interleukin 6 News and Research

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Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "IL6" gene. IL-6 is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine. It is secreted by T cells and macrophages to stimulate immune response to trauma, especially burns or other tissue damage leading to inflammation.

Scientists discover potent trigger of inflammatory disease

Institute scientists have revealed a potent inflammatory molecule released by dying cells triggers inflammation during necroptosis, a recently described form of cell death linked to inflammatory disease.

22 Feb 2017

First breath of newborn shapes lifelong immunological milieu of lungs

The lung is an important interface between the body and the outside environment: with each breath, a surface of roughly 100 square meters exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide. More than 10,000 liters of air pass adult lungs every day and with this come numerous viruses, bacteria and pollutants, which need to be prevented from entering the body.

22 Feb 2017

Research may show new ways to repress inflammation at outset

Researchers at the University of Tübingen, working with colleagues in other parts of Germany and in the United States, have identified an enzyme as a kind of biological gauge regulating inflammation in the human body.

21 Feb 2017

Penn scientists find cytokine as key to fighting and treating viral infection in the lungs

Viral infections that occur in a patient's lungs are a significant cause of hospitalization and death among children and the elderly.

3 Feb 2017

Sleep may be regulated by several brain-based immune proteins, study reveals

Sleep -- one of the most basic, yet most mystifying processes of the human body -- has confounded physicians, scientists and evolutionary biologists for centuries.

2 Feb 2017

Study to investigate effectiveness of novel combination treatment for eradicating HIV

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has received a $2.5 million grant from Gilead Sciences, a California-based biopharmaceutical company, to see if two so-far separately-used AIDS treatments are even more effective when used as a pair.

1 Feb 2017

Novel approach for imaging immune cell movements identifies initial steps in inflammatory arthritis

Using a novel approach for imaging the movement of immune cells in living animals, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases have identified what appear to be the initial steps leading to joint inflammation in a model of inflammatory arthritis.

20 Jan 2017

Every meal triggers short-term inflammatory responses in healthy individuals

When we eat, we do not just take in nutrients - we also consume a significant quantity of bacteria. The body is faced with the challenge of simultaneously distributing the ingested glucose and fighting these bacteria.

17 Jan 2017

Researchers discover autophagy-dependent secretory system

Autophagy has long been considered as a physiological process solely for degradation, but its secretory role has recently emerged

10 Jan 2017

Researchers uncover two factors that play crucial role in chronic autoimmune disorders

Researchers from Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have uncovered two factors responsible for the chronic, lifelong nature of autoimmune disorders, which tend to "flare up" intermittently in affected patients.

4 Jan 2017

Scientists pinpoint specific molecular events that may cause allergic reactions to air pollution

Scientists at the Immunology Frontier Research Center at Osaka University, Japan have pinpointed a specific molecular events that could explain allergic reactions to air pollution.

22 Dec 2016

Studies show how overactive immune response may contribute to heart disease in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis is well-known for causing too many skin cells on elbows, knees, and across the body, but people living with psoriasis may also be at an increased risk of heart disease.

9 Dec 2016

Cluster signaling mechanism causes T cells to turn pathogenic in multiple sclerosis, research shows

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the patient's own cells.

1 Dec 2016

Inflammatory marker detected in blood tests can better predict risk of death, study suggests

A new study looking at deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease and all causes suggests that an inflammatory marker detected in blood tests in middle-aged adults can better predict the risk of death compared with another similar biomarker.

29 Nov 2016

New anti-inflammatory drug reduces death of existing brain cells then repairs damage after stroke

Researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered that a potential new drug reduces the number of brain cells destroyed by stroke and then helps to repair the damage.

25 Nov 2016

Tissue damage plays crucial role in cell reprogramming

Cell reprogramming does not happen exactly as we thought. In the pages of the journal Science, a team from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre has shown that tissue damage is a relevant factor for cells to go back to an embryonic state.

24 Nov 2016

New cell reprogramming mechanism could pave way for potential therapies to boost tissue repair

Researchers have identified a mechanism by which cells undergo reprogramming in live mice, a phenomenon that had previously been poorly understood.

24 Nov 2016

Omega-3 fatty acids can stimulate activation of brown and beige adipose tissues, study finds

Omega-3 fatty acids are able to stimulate the activation of brown and beige adipose tissues, a discovery that would promote the development of new therapies for obesity and other metabolism diseases, according to a research study published in the journal Nature Communications under the supervision of Professor Francesc Villarroya, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine and the Biomedical Research Center Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) of the Institute of Health Carlos III.

21 Nov 2016

Results of high-impact clinical trials could improve kidney-related medical care

The results of numerous high-impact clinical trials that could affect kidney-related medical care will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2016, November 15-20 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.