An emerging class of long-lasting flu vaccines could do more than just save people the trouble of an annual flu shot. Princeton University-based researchers have found that the "universal" vaccine could for the first time allow for the effective, wide-scale prevention of flu by limiting the influenza virus' ability to spread and mutate. Universal, or cross-protective, vaccines... (read more)
The molecular response of an organism -- be it mouse or man -- to pathogenic invasion is controlled by circadian rhythms, researchers found. In mice exposed to infection at the highest and lowest time of activity in the 24-hour light-dark cycle of an immune protein known as toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), those whose exposure was at the nadir of TLR9 expression had much more severe sepsis, according to Erol Fikrig, MD, ... (read more)
A protein called SAMHD1 has been found to starve HIV in cells so that it cannot do anything, thus making the cell resistant to HIV infection, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center reported in Nature Immunology. The authors explained that their discovery could pave the way for new therapeutic research at halting or slowing the HIV's progression to AIDS. Research co-leader, Nathaniel R. Landau, PhD., said: ... (read more)
Some people who undergo organ transplants lose their hearing as a side-effect of the antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs they have to take. And while cochlear implants that restore hearing can raise the risk of getting ear infections and are thus not normally considered for patients with weakened immune systems, Kenneth Charles Iverson and Brian John McKinn... (read more)
Immunological diseases, such as eczema and asthma, are on the increase in westernised society and represent a major challenge for 21st century medicine. A new study has shown, for the first time, that growing up on a farm directly affects the regulation of the immune system and causes a reduction in the immunological responses to food proteins. The research, led by the U... (read more)
The discovery by researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of a molecule that is key to malaria's 'invisibility cloak' will help to better understand how the parasite causes disease and escapes from the defences mounted by the immune system. The research team, led by Professor Alan Cowman from the institute's Infection and Immunity division, has identified one of the crucial molecules that instructs th... (read more)
A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study includes some unexpected findings about the immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients. Contrary to expectations, patients who died from their injuries had lower inflammatory responses in their lungs than patients who survived. "Perhaps a better understanding of this early pulmonary immune dysfunction will allow for therapies that further ... (read more)
Researchers of VIB and UGent have discovered a new approach to preventing septic shock, an often fatal extreme inflammatory reaction of the body. It is the most frequent cause of death at intensive care departments in hospitals. In sepsis, acute inflammation is attended by low blood pressure and blood clots, causing the organs to stop working. Only recently, the Brazilian f... (read more)
Regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are part of the body's immune system, downregulate the activity of other immune cells, thus preventing the development of autoimmune diseases or allergies. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have now found the activation steps that are blocked by Tregs in immune cells. Since Tregs can also suppress the body's immune defense against ca... (read more)
An analysis of lung and spleen tissue from patients who died of sepsis revealed certain biochemical, cellular and histological findings that were consistent with immunosuppression, according to a study in the December 21 issue of JAMA. "Sepsis is responsible for more than 225,000 deaths annually in the United States. Developing new therapies for sepsis has been particularly challen... (read more)
Treatment with a recombinant poxviral vaccine showed a positive response in both metastatic breast cancer and ovarian cancer, according to a trial published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "With this vaccine, we can clearly generate immune responses that lead to clinical responses in some patients," said lead researcher James Gulle... (read more)
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how one of our body's own proteins helps stop the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in its tracks. The study, carried out by researchers at The University of Manchester and the Medical Research Council's National Institute for Medical Research and published in Nature, provides a blueprint for the design of new drugs to treat HIV infection, say the ... (read more)
A new study shows that organ transplant patients double their risk of developing 32 different types of cancer compared to the rest of the population. Originally reported by HealthDay News, the study from the U.S. National Cancer Institute shows that while cancer risk is heightened by receiving a transplanted organ, benefits of the procedure far outweigh the risk. “People need to understand that transplantation is o... (read more)
Two drug companies are testing formulations of universal flu vaccine in hopes of bringing a successful version to market in the coming years. Such a shot may work for several years, possibly replacing the annual flu shot. It's an annual autumn rite for many: trooping to the doctor's office or pharmacy for the jab that might stave off sniffles and aches during the flu season. Scientists would love to make this ri... (read more)
A study published online in the journal Reproductive Sciences sheds light on possible causes of pre-eclampsia. This complication, often starting early on in pregnancy, leads to a rise in blood pressure and is dangerous for both mother and unborn child. While pre-eclampsia effects one in twenty pregnancies, its cause remain a mystery to physicians. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have now hypothesized that... (read more)
Britain's health-cost watchdog said the country's publicly funded national health insurer shouldn't cover a new skin-cancer treatment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. because the therapy isn't cost-effective. The preliminary decision Friday by Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence may mark an early example of payer resistance to the high costs of a new wave of cancer treatments, tho... (read more)
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy cells and tissues in order to function properly. Detection is complicated as pathogens can evolve rapidly, and adapt to avoid the immune system and allow the pathogens to successfully infect their hosts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_System
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