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Blueberries reduced blood vessel inflammation in mice, but only with gut microbes present

A preclinical study found that gut microbes help convert blueberry phytochemicals into circulating metabolites, including hippuric acid, that are associated with reduced vascular inflammation. In mice fed a high-fat diet, blueberry supplementation reduced inflammatory markers and monocyte adhesion to blood vessels, but these benefits disappeared following antibiotic-mediated gut microbial depletion.

3 Nov 2026

Myeloid immune cells play key roles in aortic health and disease

The aorta is often viewed primarily as the body's largest blood vessel-a durable conduit that delivers oxygen-rich blood from the heart to every organ.

30 Oct 2026

SGLT2 inhibitors reduce inflammatory cells linked to heart disease

For the first time in a human trial, a class of drugs known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, already known for their weight loss and glucose lowering benefits, has been shown to also reduce inflammatory cells in the blood known to cause cardiovascular disease.

6 Oct 2026

Existing drug could target neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's patients

Inflammatory conditions in the brain, including traumatic brain injury and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's could be targeted with an existing drug thanks to new research that shows it can work in brain cells.

5 Oct 2026

Could the gut be priming the body for a more severe stroke?

Gut bacteria may prime immune cells to worsen stroke damage

2 Oct 2026

Two-molecule blood test accurately identifies infections in febrile infants

A test that compares the levels of two molecules in the blood is able to accurately distinguish between bacterial and viral infections in newborn babies with fever in a small study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress today (Sunday).

27 Sep 2026

Refined starch activates immune pathways after low-carb weight loss

After substantial weight loss on a very-low-carbohydrate diet, participants who switched to a diet rich in refined starch showed greater activation of circulating immune and metabolic pathways than those who continued the low-carbohydrate diet or consumed a high-carbohydrate diet rich in added sugar. Mouse experiments suggested that activation of the complement immune pathway may help explain the inflammatory response associated with starch intake.

10 Sep 2026

Retinal immune cell gateway may unlock targeted uveitis treatments

As part of an effort to understand the molecules and mechanisms that regulate transendothelial migration in different vascular beds of the body, researchers focused on the blood vessels of the retina, part of the blood-brain barrier.

8 Sep 2026

Could the type of fiber children eat matter for their developing gut microbiome?

A recent study found that different dietary fibers can shape the composition and activity of the gut microbiome during early childhood, with xyloglucan, arabinoxylan, and pectin increasing short-chain fatty acid production in laboratory fermentation experiments. Some fibers also supported gut barrier measures and altered inflammatory responses, while observational data linked higher pectin intake with greater microbial diversity in young children.

31 Aug 2026

Newly discovered lung immune cells could transform future flu vaccine design

Influenza continues to cause major illness each year in the United States, leading to more than 35,000 deaths annually. Children, older adults, pregnant individuals, people with weakened immune systems, and those with chronic conditions such as heart disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer are especially vulnerable.

31 Aug 2026

Researchers traced lifelong obesity resistance in mice back to an early microbial encounter

Natural wild-derived microbiota protected mice against diet-induced obesity across sexes, genetic backgrounds, and age by increasing energy expenditure and promoting a thermogenic program in brown adipose tissue. The effect depended on the immune system’s initial encounter with the microbiota and required CCR2-associated myeloid activity, revealing a long-lasting microbiota-immune-brown fat pathway.

25 Aug 2026

Too little or too much iodine may push immunity off balance

This narrative review finds that adequate iodine supports thyroid hormone signaling, leukocyte metabolism, antioxidant defenses, and antimicrobial activity in humans and domesticated mammals. Both deficiency and sustained excess may impair immunity or promote thyroid inflammation, but precise immune-specific intake thresholds remain uncertain.

27 Jul 2026

Mitochondrial DNA mutations link to cardiometabolic parameters in metabolic syndrome

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability, especially heteroplasmy, is believed to affect cellular immunobiogenesis, particularly in monocytes in metabolic syndrome (MetS).

14 Jul 2026

Maternal diet may subtly shape breast milk immune signals

Research indicates that maternal dietary patterns can subtly affect the immune composition of breast milk, with implications for infant immune development.

9 Jul 2026

Gut-friendly diet linked to lower mortality risk in coronary heart disease

Using NHANES 2005-2018 data, researchers found that adults with coronary heart disease who had higher Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota scores had lower all-cause mortality risk. The association was nonlinear, strongest when scores reached 5 or higher, and remained observational rather than causal.

9 Jul 2026

Can ibuprofen improve drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment?

While ibuprofen reduced inflammatory markers in drug-resistant TB patients, it did not enhance treatment outcomes, indicating the need for further research.

3 Jul 2026

New method generates renewable supply of progenitor immune cells

In a paper published in Cell, a USC Stem Cell-led team reports a new way of generating a renewable and expandable supply of the progenitor cells that give rise to macrophages.

19 Jun 2026

Popular supplement creatine supercharges critical immune cells fighting cancer

Creatine, the organic acid that is popularly taken as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders, supercharges a critical class of immune cells that activate and prepare the body's key cancer-fighters, according to new UCLA research.

5 Jun 2026

Researchers uncover immune mechanisms behind polycystic kidney disease progression

A new review has illuminated a critical but often overlooked dimension of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)—its immune microenvironment.

24 May 2026

New imaging technique maps 38000 liver cells to solve fibrosis

The liver is often called a "silent organ," as it can sustain significant damage without obvious symptoms. But when injury is prolonged, whether from alcohol, poor diet, or chronic hepatitis virus infection, it triggers fibrosis: a progressive hardening and scarring of liver tissue.

14 May 2026