Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Flu outbreak peak yet to come: Experts

Parents of kids returning to school in the UK after Christmas holidays have been warned of a surge in flu cases. Professor John Oxford, a leading virologist at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital explained that children returning to school in the past prompted a rise in the number of flu cases. “You tend to get a surge,” the professor said. “I would anticipate a surge, but how long that will last is difficult to say.” He added, “This virus is not going to go away next week. Even if it’s already peaked, it’s still going to be around for the next couple of weeks and it’s still worthwhile being vaccinated at this stage.”

4 Jan 2011

Los Angeles Magazine declares LA BioMed physicians as 2011 Southern California Super Doctors

A select 40 physician-researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center were named 2011 Southern California Super Doctors in the January issue of Los Angeles Magazine.

4 Jan 2011

Flu worries continue

The flu season continues to affect more people. Experts have warned the Britons are still at risk as the surge in flu cases has still not yet peaked. The cases would increase they warn, over the next two to four weeks. World Health Organization released figures that show the rate of influenza-like illnesses is still low across continental Europe but has risen dramatically in Britain since the flu season began in October.

3 Jan 2011

Flu worries continue

As number of cases of flu rise in the UK, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is under pressure to strengthen the flu vaccination campaign. He reinstated a public health “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” advertising campaign after he was warned by government advisers of the need to improve immunization rates which are at their lowest this winter for many years. It had been discontinued despite helping educate the public to adopt good hygiene habits during last year’s H1N1 swine flu epidemic at a cost of just £609,000. There were 12 more deaths in the last week from flu, bringing the total this winter to 39, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said today. Thirty-six were killed by H1N1 swine flu, which is the most virulent of the two main flu strains currently circulating. The others died after contracting Influenza B, the other strain. All except one of the 39 were under 65 and four were under five.

2 Jan 2011

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

A New Year's resolution to get in shape is good news for your health. But if you have allergies or asthma, the hidden triggers at the gym may be bad for your condition.

30 Dec 2010

Centocor Ortho Biotech files REMICADE sBLA for ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. announced today that it has filed a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the approval of REMICADE® (infliximab) for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in pediatric patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy.

29 Dec 2010

CFTR protein regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema, chronic lung diseases

A team of Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers has discovered that a protein involved in cystic fibrosis also regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema and may be responsible for other chronic lung diseases.

29 Dec 2010

Molecular interaction between structural HCV protein and protein critical to viral replication identified

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a molecular interaction between a structural hepatitis C virus protein (HCV) and a protein critical to viral replication. This new finding strongly suggests a novel method of inhibiting the production of the virus and a potential new therapeutic target for hepatitis C drug development.

29 Dec 2010

Good Clostridia prevents development of allergies and inflammatory bowel disease

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have discovered that specific gut-dwelling bacteria control key immune cells that combat allergies and autoimmune diseases. The paper describing these findings was published in today's issue of the journal Science, and technology originating from the work is being advanced by start-up Vedanta Biosciences.

24 Dec 2010

Janssen files abiraterone acetate NDS with Health Canada for metastatic, advanced prostate cancer

Janssen Inc. has filed a New Drug Submission (NDS) to Health Canada for the investigational drug abiraterone acetate administered with prednisone for the treatment of metastatic, advanced prostate cancer in patients who have received prior chemotherapy containing a taxane. Submissions for abiraterone acetate have also been filed with health authorities in the United States and Europe.

23 Dec 2010

Scientist discovers molecular switch controlling synthesis of ribosomes

A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a molecular switch that controls the synthesis of ribosomes. Ribosomes are the large machineries inside all living cells that produce proteins, the basic working units of any cell. These new findings offer a novel target for potential treatments for a range of diseases, including cancer.

23 Dec 2010

Discovery highlights potential to combat HIV/AIDS

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered how HIV binds to and destroys a specific human antiviral protein called APOBEC3F. The results suggest that a simple chemical change can convert APOBEC3F to a more effective antiviral agent and that shielding of a common feature shared by related proteins may yield a similar outcome.

23 Dec 2010

Researchers find 37° C body temperature is warm enough to ward off fungal infection

Two researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that our 98.6° F (37° C) body temperature strikes a perfect balance: warm enough to ward off fungal infection but not so hot that we need to eat nonstop to maintain our metabolism.

23 Dec 2010

New nanoparticle-based diagnostic platform provides rapid detection of sepsis

Blood poisoning can be fatal. If you suffer from sepsis, you used to have to wait as much as 48 hours for laboratory findings. A new diagnostic platform as big as a credit card will now supply the analysis after as little as an hour. This system is based on nanoparticles that are automatically guided by magnetic forces.

22 Dec 2010

LFB receives positive review feedback for closing of Willfact 1000 IU Mutual Recognition Procedure

LFB received from the German regulatory authority (Paul-Ehrlich-Institute) a positive review feedback for the closing of the Mutual Recognition Procedure (MRP) of Willfact® 1000 IU with Germany as the reference member state.

22 Dec 2010

Altering balance among immune system cells could hold potential for T2D-associated inflammation treatment

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that certain T cells require input from monocytes in order to maintain their pro-inflammatory response in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study also showed, for the first time, how a loss in homeostasis in this group of T cells most likely promotes chronic inflammation associated with T2D.

22 Dec 2010

Researchers present definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells destroy human liver

In the latest of a series of related papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Austria and elsewhere, present a new and more definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells form, multiply and eventually destroy the human liver, resulting in cirrhosis. In doing so, the findings upend the standing of a long-presumed marker for multiple fibrotic diseases and reveal the existence of a previously unknown kind of inflammatory white blood cell.

21 Dec 2010

New research sheds light on complex regulatory pathways for effective innate immune system

New research by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences reveals that the immune system has an effective backup plan to protect the body from infection when the "master regulator" of the body's innate immune system fails.

21 Dec 2010

Study finds second skin barrier structure may play a role in eczema development

Like a fence or barricade intended to stop unwanted intruders, the skin serves as a barrier protecting the body from the hundreds of allergens, irritants, pollutants and microbes people come in contact with every day.

20 Dec 2010

SAGE publishes first comprehensive textbook on psychology

Psychology for medicine, published today by SAGE, is the first comprehensive textbook on psychology for medical students that is relevant to all of their undergraduate studies.

20 Dec 2010

Immunology News and Research

Latest Immunology News and Research

Flu outbreak peak yet to come: Experts

Los Angeles Magazine declares LA BioMed physicians as 2011 Southern California Super Doctors

Flu worries continue

Flu worries continue

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

Centocor Ortho Biotech files REMICADE sBLA for ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients

CFTR protein regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema, chronic lung diseases

Molecular interaction between structural HCV protein and protein critical to viral replication identified

Good Clostridia prevents development of allergies and inflammatory bowel disease

Janssen files abiraterone acetate NDS with Health Canada for metastatic, advanced prostate cancer

Scientist discovers molecular switch controlling synthesis of ribosomes

Discovery highlights potential to combat HIV/AIDS

Researchers find 37° C body temperature is warm enough to ward off fungal infection

New nanoparticle-based diagnostic platform provides rapid detection of sepsis

LFB receives positive review feedback for closing of Willfact 1000 IU Mutual Recognition Procedure

Altering balance among immune system cells could hold potential for T2D-associated inflammation treatment

Researchers present definitive explanation of how fibrotic cells destroy human liver

New research sheds light on complex regulatory pathways for effective innate immune system

Study finds second skin barrier structure may play a role in eczema development

SAGE publishes first comprehensive textbook on psychology

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