Immune System News and Research

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Correlation between HCV viral load and severity of liver disease

The significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) serum titers (HCV viral load) has been examined in several clinical situations. There is much evidence that patients with a lower viral load have better response rates to anti-viral therapy compared to those with higher levels.

9 Aug 2004

Self-recovery from Hep C infection linked to genes that suppress action of killer immune cells

In a study to be published in Science online Aug. 6, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that genes involved in suppressing the body's defensive "killer" immune cells are a potential key factor in spontaneous recovery from hepatitis C.

5 Aug 2004

First evidence of the molecular link between inflammation and cancer

The investigators found that a gene called I-kappa-B kinase (IKK beta), a pro-inflammatory gene, acts differently in two cell types to cause cancer. When IKK beta was deleted, the cancer incidence and tumor growth in mice was decreased by nearly 80 percent.

5 Aug 2004

Experimental vaccine against ricin

Scientists have developed an experimental vaccine against ricin, a potential biological threat agent, which fully protected mice from aerosol challenge with lethal doses of the toxin.

5 Aug 2004

One-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine

More than one-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine such as herbal supplements and other therapies, showed in a nationwide survey by NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine published in May 2004.

2 Aug 2004

College freshmen, beware of dorm diseases

High school graduates have more in common with newborn babies than one would think. Although departing the proverbial family nest, incoming college freshmen need vaccinations, too.

2 Aug 2004

New approach to cancer vaccines may eradicate skin cancer tumors

Mayo Clinic and British researchers have developed a new approach to cancer vaccines that purposely kills healthy skin cells to target the immune system against tumors. The new approach has eradicated skin cancer tumors in mice.

2 Aug 2004

Up to 220 young children a day could be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of pesticides from eating fruit

New research by Friends of the Earth, published in a peer-reviewed journal this weekend, shows that up to 220 young children a day could have been exposed to potentially dangerous levels of pesticides just from eating a single apple or pear.

2 Aug 2004

New glycan arrays discover autoimmunogenic activities of SARS-CoV

Researchers in New York City and Guangzhou, China applied the rapidly-developing carbohydrate microarray technology to study an inactivated SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) vaccine and discovered autoimmunogenic activity of this newly identified human viral pathogen.

2 Aug 2004

West Nile Virus found in Toronto

Health officials in Toronto have reported that mosquitoes found in the city have tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

31 Jul 2004

Study shows blood transfusions during heart surgery appear to increase death risk

Patients who received blood platelet transfusions during coronary bypass surgery were more likely to have prolonged hospital stays, longer surgeries, more bleeding and higher risk of infection, stroke and death, according to an international study led by the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

29 Jul 2004

Drug to fight virus from the herpes family in transplant patients moves forward in trials

A drug once considered for cancer chemotherapy is advancing in clinical trials to test its effectiveness in fighting a virus from the herpes family that threatens transplant patients.

29 Jul 2004

Adenosine triphosphate is a culprit in causing the devastating damage of spinal cord injury

ATP - adenosine triphosphate, the vital energy source that keeps our body’s cells alive, runs amok at the site of a spinal cord injury, pouring into the area around the wound and killing the cells that normally allow us to move, scientists report in the cover story of the August issue of Nature Medicine.

29 Jul 2004

Misfiring proteins linked to sick feeling of type 2 diabetics

After a series of studies in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory Freund, a clearer picture is emerging: A disruption of signaling proteins in the immune system may be responsible for the inflammation that makes someone with type 2 diabetes feel sick and increases the risk of serious complications.

29 Jul 2004

Molecular pathway in the brain may explain why some patients suffering from inflammatory diseases develop depression

Feeling sick can be "all in the head" for people with inflammatory disorders or for those receiving immunotherapy, say Robert Dantzer and Keith Kelley, professors in the department of animal sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

29 Jul 2004

Researchers have shown that an experimental vaccine can reduce the amount of neurodegeneration in a mouse model for Parkinson's disease

The finding suggests that a similar therapy might eventually be able to slow the devastating course of Parkinson's disease in humans.

29 Jul 2004

Proof of principle that it is possible to deliver new genes body-wide to all the muscles of an adult animal

MDA-supported researchers at the University of Washington-Seattle have delivered the gene for the dystrophin protein to all voluntary muscles with a single intravenous injection in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

29 Jul 2004

Transplanted cells are capable of surviving in the brain of immunosuppressed stroked rats

Human neural stem cells proprietary to StemCells, Inc. have been used in a Stanford University study in a preclinical stroke model.

29 Jul 2004

Researchers discover a carbohydrate with an unusual structure in the cell walls of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis

Even though we have lost much of our fear of tuberculosis in the industrialized countries, according to the WHO about 2 million people worldwide die each year of this infectious disease.

28 Jul 2004

California's first human death from West Nile virus (WNV)

West Nile virus (WNV) has claimed the life of a 57-year old Orange County man, making him the first to die in California from the virus, Dr. Richard Joseph Jackson, state public health officer, announced today.

26 Jul 2004

Immune System News and Research

Correlation between HCV viral load and severity of liver disease

Self-recovery from Hep C infection linked to genes that suppress action of killer immune cells

First evidence of the molecular link between inflammation and cancer

Experimental vaccine against ricin

One-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine

College freshmen, beware of dorm diseases

New approach to cancer vaccines may eradicate skin cancer tumors

Up to 220 young children a day could be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of pesticides from eating fruit

New glycan arrays discover autoimmunogenic activities of SARS-CoV

West Nile Virus found in Toronto

Study shows blood transfusions during heart surgery appear to increase death risk

Drug to fight virus from the herpes family in transplant patients moves forward in trials

Adenosine triphosphate is a culprit in causing the devastating damage of spinal cord injury

Misfiring proteins linked to sick feeling of type 2 diabetics

Molecular pathway in the brain may explain why some patients suffering from inflammatory diseases develop depression

Researchers have shown that an experimental vaccine can reduce the amount of neurodegeneration in a mouse model for Parkinson's disease

Proof of principle that it is possible to deliver new genes body-wide to all the muscles of an adult animal

Transplanted cells are capable of surviving in the brain of immunosuppressed stroked rats

Researchers discover a carbohydrate with an unusual structure in the cell walls of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis

California's first human death from West Nile virus (WNV)

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Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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