Immune System News

September 9, 2016

Can the Body Make HIV-Neutralizing Antibodies?

Vaccine Against 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria?

Why Pneumococci Affect Primarily Humans

Amish Farms Protect Kids Against Asthma

Latest Headlines

updated 12:32am EDT

The Influence of Fat When Gut Bacteria Is Reduced by Antibioticsm

Sep. 8, 2016 — Additional insight has been shed on how bacteria in the gut, or lack thereof, influences intestinal mast cells (MMC) activation and perhaps fat absorption. Mast cells are intimately involved with the ... read more

Steroid Treatment for IVF Problems May Do More Harm Than Good

Sep. 8, 2016 — Researchers are urging doctors and patients to refrain from using a specific steroid treatment to treat infertility in women unless clinically indicated, because of its links to miscarriage, preterm ... read more

Other Layers of Immunity in TB/HIV Co-Infections Discovered

Sep. 6, 2016 — Researchers found some monkeys whose immune systems are depleted by the simian strain of HIV have a second line of defense against tuberculosis. The discovery could have ... read more

Intestinal Bacteria Influence Food Allergies

Sep. 7, 2016 — Countless microorganisms live in the intestinal tract. Researchers have been able to demonstrate that intestinal bacteria also play a role in determining the strength of anaphylactic reactions to ... read more

Common Bacteria Show Promise for Treating Celiac Disease

Sep. 6, 2016 — Researchers have isolated an enzyme from bacteria present in human saliva that has potential as a therapy for celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune disorder that causes severe digestive and other health ... read more

Gut Bacteria Affect Immune Recovery in HIV Patients, Study Finds

Sep. 5, 2016 — Gut bacteria also play their role in the immune recovery of HIV patients, an international study has found. The implications of this finding are that new complementary therapies could be developed ... read more

Key Substance for Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis Identified

Aug. 25, 2016 — Stimulating the production of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), one of the cytokines released by cells of the immune system, can be an effective strategy for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, ... read more

Hereditary Diseases Are the Price of Protection Against Infections

Sep. 2, 2016 — Balancing selection is responsible for helping us fend off pathogens, but also for the occurrence of mutations in our genome that predispose us to hereditary ... read more

CrossFitters Need Rest Too, Study Finds

Sep. 1, 2016 — Are you a fitness enthusiast? If so, moderation and appropriate rest periods may be the key to healthier exercise, as consecutive CrossFit-style workouts could impair the immune system by affecting ... read more

Immune Cells as Biomarkers for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Sep. 2, 2016 — Researchers have discovered that the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) is increased in the blood of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The higher the number of MDSC, ... read more

'Super-Spaghetti' Formulated With Barley

Microsoft Project Aims to Identify Pathogens Carried by Mosquitos

Doctors Aren't Washing Their Hands As Thoroughly As They Should Be

'Superbugs' Could Kill 10 Million People A Year By 2050

Stealth Pig Cells May Hold the Key to Treating Diabetes in Humans

Sep. 8, 2016 — In preclinical work begun this year, stealth insulin-producers — pancreatic islets from pigs or mice coated with thin bilayers of biomimetic material — are being tested in vivo in a mouse model ... read more

Researchers Take Step Toward Eliminating Cancer Recurrence

Sep. 1, 2016 — Scientists have made an important step toward eliminating cancer recurrence by combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy. Specifically, they found that chemotherapy alone leads to two types of ... read more

One More Reason to Swear Off Tobacco: The Inflammatory Trap Induced by Nicotine

Sep. 1, 2016 — A new link between nicotine and inflammation has been revealed by researchers who report that nicotine strongly activates immune cells to release DNA fibers decorated with pro-inflammatory molecules, ... read more

Serendipitous Finding Leads Scientists to Propose Mechanism to Explain Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Sep. 1, 2016 — Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects about half of men between 51 and 60 years of age, and nine out of 10 men older than 80. How BPH happens, however, is still open for debate. A new report outlines ... read more

Researchers Gain New Understanding of How Neutrophils Latch Onto Vessel Walls to Protect from Infection, Clean Up Injured Tissue

Aug. 31, 2016 — As an arm of the innate immune system, white blood cells called neutrophils form the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Neutrophils spend most of their lives racing through the ... read more