Lymphatic System News and Research

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Lymph is clear or white fluid that travels through vessels, moves within tissues and work to keep all the parts of the body clean.
After passing through the channels of the lymphatic system they drain into the lymph nodes.
The lymph nodes act as filters along the lymphatic system. These nodes trap germs like bacteria, viruses, toxins as well as cancer cells and ensure that these are removed from the body.

People with filariasis show two to three-fold increased risk for HIV

Since the start of the HIV epidemic, there have been speculations as to why HIV and the immunodeficiency syndrome it causes have spread so much more in Africa than in other countries around the world.

3 Aug 2016

Blood cancer is associated with considerably higher healthcare costs than other cancers

Health economics studies, published today in The Lancet Haematology, report that the cost of treating blood cancers is twice that for treating other cancers. This is largely because they require more complex treatment regimens that necessitate longer hospital stays.

22 Jul 2016

Researchers find immune system directly affects, controls social behavior

In a startling discovery that raises fundamental questions about human behavior, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined that the immune system directly affects - and even controls - creatures' social behavior, such as their desire to interact with others.

14 Jul 2016

Prognostic factor could help identify tumor recurrence after surgery for prostate cancer

Slightly more than 10% of all patients who undergo successful surgery for prostate cancer have an elevated risk of tumor recurrence afterwards - especially as metastases.

27 Jun 2016

New, portable molecular imaging system combines optical imaging and scintigraphy

Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to a new and surprisingly portable molecular imaging system that combines optical imaging at the surface level and scintigraphy, which captures the physiological function of what lies beneath, announced developers at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

15 Jun 2016

Researchers identify lymphatic endothelial lineage that shows potential for new anti-cancer treatment

Identifying the cell of origin is crucial to understanding how a tumor develops and metastasizes and for developing targeted therapies.

8 Jun 2016

Cornell researchers develop nanoparticle-based drug delivery mechanism for combination cancer therapy

A team of researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York demonstrated a drug delivery mechanism that utilizes two independent vehicles, allowing for delivery of chemically and physically dis-tinct agents.

23 May 2016

Enzyme previously thought beneficial could pose threat to developing embryos

A pair of Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists have discovered that an enzyme previously thought only to be beneficial could, in fact, pose significant danger to developing embryos. The new research could have implications not only for prenatal development but also for treating lymphedema and liver damage resulting from acetaminophen overdose.

5 May 2016

Pediatric researchers develop minimally invasive techniques to treat plastic bronchitis

Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.

22 Apr 2016

Inserm study reveals potential of secondary system to improve heart function

Heart failure affects over one million people in France. Although the blood system is the first to have been explored for the purpose of improving heart function, a study by Inserm has revealed the potential of a secondary system that had previously received scant attention.

13 Apr 2016

PATH and SD/Alere announce commercial availability of two diagnostic tools for NTDs

PATH and Standard Diagnostics/Alere announced today the commercial availability of two rapid diagnostic tools for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Designed for use in disease surveillance, the antibody-based tests are part of a suite of diagnostic innovations intended to support the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of illnesses that affect more than a billion people worldwide.

12 Apr 2016

Mice with lymphatic defects develop obesity late in life

Lymphatic vessels play multifaceted roles in the body, including the absorption of dietary lipid in the intestines as well as the movement of immune cells throughout the body. Previous work by Guillermo Oliver and colleagues showed that mice with lymphatic defects due to loss of one copy of the Prox1 gene developed obesity late in life.

27 Feb 2016

Higher body weight, taller stature during adolescence increase NHL risk

A new analysis indicates that higher body weight and taller stature during adolescence increase the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer of the lymphatic system. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

22 Feb 2016

Most stage III melanoma patients do not benefit from interferon treatment

Final results for the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial, published online this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that thanks to current diagnostic techniques, most stage III melanoma patients do not benefit from treatment with interferon.

15 Feb 2016

African-American pediatric lymphoma patients have inferior outcomes compared to white and Hispanic peers

Researchers from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine today published a study showing that African-American pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients have inferior overall survival to their white and Hispanic peers.

25 Jan 2016

New NYUCN study examines validity of symptoms for detecting breast cancer-related lymphedema

Many are aware that hair loss is a common side effect associated with chemotherapy. However, another albeit common late side effect of cancer treatment is the abnormal swelling of one or more limbs, known as lymphedema. Lymphedema is most commonly the result of an obstruction or disruption of the lymphatic system that occurs immediately after cancer treatment or 1-5, even 20 years after.

20 Dec 2015

Study explores link between obesity and breast-cancer related lymphedema

Each year, about 1.38 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. Advances in treatment have facilitated a 90% five-year survival rate among those treated. Given the increased rate and length of survival following breast cancer, more and more survivors are facing life-time risk of developing late effects of cancer treatment that negatively impact long-term survival. In particular, Breast cancer-related lymphedema is one of the most distressing and feared late effects.

18 Dec 2015

New three-drug delivery system shows promise for treatment of metastatic melanoma

Researchers have developed a new three-drug delivery system for cancer treatment, especially metastatic melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer - and shown that the system may have particular value with cancers like this that often spread through the lymphatic system.

9 Dec 2015

Advanced pneumatic compression device reduces cellulitis episodes, saves money for lymphedema patients

Lymphedema patients saw a nearly 80 percent reduction in their cellulitis episodes just by using an advanced pneumatic compression device at home, according to a study in JAMA Dermatology co-authored by Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Professor Sheila Ridner, PhD, MSHSA, FAAN, and University of Minnesota School of Public Health Associate Professor Pinar Karaca-Mandic, PhD.

8 Oct 2015

New gene mutation linked to fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies

Scientists have discovered a new gene mutation that causes potentially fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies. Identifying the gene is the first step toward a future diagnostic test and targeted treatment for this condition.

23 Sep 2015