Immune Response News and Research

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Scientists discover new cause of fatal brain injury from acute viral meningitis

In a November 16 advance, online publication of the journal Nature, the researchers say their discovery revamps common beliefs about how such potentially lethal infections may be ravaging the brain and suggests the possibility of new treatments.

17 Nov 2008

Blood exosomes shown to contain tumor-specific genetic information for brain cancer

Tiny vesicles called exosomes released into the bloodstream from aggressive brain tumors contain genetic signatures that may help guide future diagnosis and treatment of this deadly disease.

17 Nov 2008

Microvesicles released from glioblastoma cells carry information that may guide treatment

Microvesicles - tiny membrane-covered sacs - released from glioblastoma cells contain molecules that may provide data that can guide treatment of the deadly brain tumor.

16 Nov 2008

Plastic surgeons warn of malnutrition in body contouring patients

Identifying malnutrition before surgery in massive weight loss patients seeking body contouring will significantly decrease surgical complications, accelerate wound healing, improve scar quality and boost patient energy levels, according to a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

16 Nov 2008

Gene chip technology used to rapidly and accurately detect pneumonia in ICU Patients on ventilators

Even seasoned doctors have a difficult time diagnosing pneumonia in hospitalized patients breathing with the assistance of a ventilator.

16 Nov 2008

Analyses of Merck's HIV vaccine 'Step' study

Results from the Step study, a test-of-concept efficacy study of a Merck & Co., Inc. HIV vaccine candidate, were published online in two papers in The Lancet.

12 Nov 2008

Breakthrough in rheumatoid arthritis research

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself.

12 Nov 2008

New report shows high Clostridium difficile infection rates in U.S. hospitals

Consumers Union called on hospitals today to take more aggressive steps to protect patients from Clostridium difficile (C.-diff.) infections in light of a new report showing that they are much more common than previous estimates had indicated. As the rate of hospital acquired C.-diff. infections has jumped in recent years, an increasing number of patients have developed antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection that are more difficult to treat and more deadly.

11 Nov 2008

T-cell-based strategy for HIV-1 vaccines still viable option

The question of whether or not to continue to pursue the development of T-cell-based HIV-1 vaccines has been a source of controversy following last year's widely publicized failure of the field's most promising candidate, a vaccine developed by Merck known as V520.

10 Nov 2008

Scientists engineer immune cells to act as "bionic assassins" that see through HIV's many disguises

HIV is a master of disguise, able to rapidly change its identity and hide undetected in infected cells.

10 Nov 2008

Scientists engineer T cells to recognize HIV-1 strains that have evaded the immune system

The findings of the study, published online in the journal Nature Medicine, have important implications for developing new treatments for HIV, especially for patients with chronic infection who fail to respond to antiretroviral regimens.

10 Nov 2008

Calcitriol - active form of vitamin D - may protect us from radiation

Radiological health expert Daniel Hayes, Ph.D., of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene suggests that a form of vitamin D could be one of our body's main protections against damage from low levels of radiation.

8 Nov 2008

Novel concept in chronic lymphoid leukemia treatment

Mayo Clinic researchers say they have moved closer to their goal of providing personalized care for a common blood cell cancer.

7 Nov 2008

Gene research sheds light on T-cell production

New research, just published by researchers from the University of Georgia, provides the first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to maintaining the production of the thymus and its disease-fighting T-cells after an animal's birth.

7 Nov 2008

Proteomics provides clues to how tuberculosis thwarts the immune system

A link between the immune system and the self-cleaning system by which biological cells rid themselves of obsolete or toxic parts may one day yield new weapons in the fight against tuberculosis and other deadly infectious diseases.

6 Nov 2008

H5N1 protein hides in tiny tubules

A protein found in the virulent avian influenza virus strain called H5N1 forms tiny tubules in which it "hides" the pieces of double-stranded RNA formed during viral infection, which otherwise would prompt an antiviral immune response from infected cells, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in an online report in the journal Nature.

6 Nov 2008

Anti-brain tumor agent derived from herpes virus passes next hurdle

An anti-brain tumor agent developed from a genetically engineered herpes simplex virus has been shown to be safe when given in two doses and injected directly into the brain of patients with malignant glioma.

6 Nov 2008

Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response

Vitamin D is essential to good health but needs to be activated to function properly in the human body.

5 Nov 2008

Study shows how HIV-1 vaccine trial could have enhanced HIV infection

In September 2007, a phase II HIV-1 vaccine trial was abruptly halted when researchers found that the vaccine may have promoted, rather than prevented, HIV infection.

4 Nov 2008

Persistent bacterial infection exploits killing machinery of immune cells

A new study reveals an important and newly discovered pathway used by disease-causing bacteria to evade the host immune system and survive and grow within the very cells meant to destroy them. This discovery may lead to new treatments and vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and certain other chronic bacterial and parasitic infections.

3 Nov 2008