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Scientists study fundamentals of tumour surveillance by immune system in mice models

The body's defences detect and eliminate not only pathogens but also tumour cells. Natural killer cells (NK-Cells) are specifically activated by chemical messengers, the Cytokines, to seek and destroy tumour cells.

20 Jun 2016

Legions of immune cells play complex role to destroy Legionella bacteria

Immunologists and microbiologists from the University of Melbourne's Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity - a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital - have led a study that defined a new cell type responsible for turning the attack back on the bacteria.

17 Jun 2016

Infection may trigger development of Alzheimer's disease

A growing body of research on Alzheimer's disease suggests an infectious trigger for the development of the disease. According to Brian Balin, PhD, professor of pathology and chair of bio-medical sciences at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, this could be the key to stopping the destructive process of Alzheimer's before it even starts.

2 Jun 2016

New understanding of neurotransmitter transporter mechanism gives hope for treating depression, addicition

When nerve cells have to communicate with each other in our brains, it involves release of small signal molecules, the so-called neurotransmitters, which act as chemical messengers in specific points of contact between nerve cells, called synapses.

27 May 2016

Researchers find new clue to understanding 'chemo brain' in cancer patients

During and after chemotherapy, many cancer patients describe feeling a mental fog, a condition that has been dubbed "chemo brain." Why this happens is unclear, but researchers have found a new clue to understanding this syndrome.

26 May 2016

DKFZ researchers develop new methods to study disease-relevant changes in production of oxidants

There are many false beliefs and myths about the role of oxidants and antioxidants in the human body. Traditionally, oxidants are presented as harmful and antioxidants as health-promoting. However, scientists have known for many years that endogenous oxidants are essential chemical messengers that help keep up the functions of the organism.

20 Apr 2016

HDAC inhibitors could improve activity of immunotherapeutic antibodies in lung cancer patients

Several new immunotherapeutic antibodies that inhibit checkpoint receptors on T cells to restimulate the immune system to target tumors have been approved to treat advanced stage lung cancer and melanoma; however, only 20 percent of lung cancer patients show a response to these agents.

2 Apr 2016

Researchers explore problem of obesity from the inside out

In the last 40 years, obesity has more than doubled around the world. In the United States, the average American is more than 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Washington are studying the problem of obesity from the inside out.

16 Mar 2016

Biological change in mosquito mating could be used to fight mosquito-borne diseases

Genetic cues from male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes passed on during sex affect which genes are turned on or off in a females' reproductive tract post-mating, including genes related to blood feeding, egg development and immune defense, according to new Cornell research.

14 Mar 2016

People with sleep apnea have low levels of GABA and high levels of glutamate

One in 15 adults has moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person's breathing is frequently interrupted during sleep -- as many as 30 times per hour.

12 Feb 2016

Neutrophils promote cardiac repair

Following an acute heart attack, immune cells called neutrophils coordinate an inflammatory response which can exacerbate the damage to the organ. Now researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have shown that neutrophils also promote cardiac repair.

11 Feb 2016

Vanderbilt study offers a glimmer of hope to alcoholics suffering from depression

A study by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is offering a glimmer of hope to alcoholics who find it hard to remain sober because their abstinence is hounded by stubborn, difficult-to-treat depression.

1 Feb 2016

Study provides better understanding of familial risk for depression

Building on a 30-year, three-generation study of depressed individuals, their children and offspring, a study published in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging provides a better understanding of the familial risk for depression and the role neuroplasticity might have in increasing the risk of developing depression.

21 Jan 2016

Inflammation associated with elevated glutamate in the brain could guide depression treatments

Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine.

13 Jan 2016

New footage shows how AIDS vaccine candidate recruits immune cells to destroy infected cells

Using innovative technology, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm have filmed in vivo the process by which an AIDS vaccine candidate, developed by the French Vaccine Research Institute and the ANRS, triggers the immune response.

23 Dec 2015

Genetic variations associated with increased risk for osteonecrosis in young ALL patients

Variations in genes involved in normal bone development are associated with an 8- to 15-fold increased risk for osteonecrosis in young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Children's Oncology Group investigators.

7 Dec 2015

Researchers successfully create infinitely reproducing tissue cultures

Most cases of small cell lung cancer are only diagnosed after the tumour has already formed metastases. Until now it has not been possible to investigate the reasons for this rapid metastasis, because of a lack of sufficient tumour material from patients. Now, the group of researchers led by Gerhard Hamilton, University Department of Surgery at Medical University of Vienna has succeeded in creating infinitely reproducing tissue cultures.

22 Nov 2015

Researchers find mechanism to repair communication between neurons

A team of researchers led by professor Patrik Verstreken (VIB/KU Leuven) has exposed the fine details of a mechanism that provides more insight in the communication between neurons. The research has clarified how damaged synapses - the connection points between neurons - are repaired to keep communication between neurons at an optimal level.

19 Nov 2015

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

A study led by the University of Utah School of Medicine provides new insights into how the subtle changes within cells, caused by disruptions in a gene called Kirrel3, could underlie some types of intellectual disability and autism.

18 Nov 2015

Inner ear damage brain warnings from nerve cells

Some nerve cells in the inner ear can signal tissue damage in a way similar to pain-sensing nerve cells in the body, according to new research from Johns Hopkins.

10 Nov 2015