http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—Inflammation is an important response in the body - it helps you to kill off invaders such bacteria that could cause a harmful infection. But if it's chronic or uncontrolled, inflammation can also cause trouble in conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and a potentially fatal immune reaction to infection called sepsis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-inflammation.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 14 May 2013 09:48:06 EST news287743679 "Borreliosis" or "Lyme disease" is caused by the bacterium "Borrelia burgdorferi". In Austria approximately 16,000 people fall ill with borreliosis annually following a tick bite. Roughly every fifth tick in Austria carries the pathogen. Borreliosis can be treated effectively with antibiotics, however a prophylactic vaccination is not available. In a current multicentre study, in which the MedUni Vienna participated, the reliable effectiveness of a possible vaccine against borreliosis has now been proved. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-effective-vaccination-borreliosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 14 May 2013 08:53:29 EST news287740400 An experimental drug has shown promise in treating influenza, preventing lung injury and death from the virus in preclinical studies, according to University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers publishing in the journal Nature on May 1. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-potential-treatment-influenza.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 May 2013 16:04:45 EST news286643077 Scientists are a step closer to developing vaccines for a range of diseases that affect 200 million people, mainly in tropical south-east Asia, Africa and Central America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-immune-aids-quest-vaccines-tropical.html Immunology Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:00:01 EST news282498431 Genetic abnormalities accrued by tumor cells lead to inappropriate production of proteins at the wrong time or place, or even the synthesis of unusual hybrid proteins not found in normal cells. Such abnormalities can serve as 'red flags' that alert the immune system that something has gone awry, triggering proliferation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that can recognize and destroy defective cells based on these protein signatures.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reprogrammed-immune-cells-doctors-edge.html Cancer Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:50:02 EST news281348556 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers in Japan have injected induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from mice back into genetically identical mice and report that doing so caused no immune reaction. This contradicts the results of an earlier study that showed using the technique could lead to an immune response that destroyed the injected cells. In this new research, the team, as they report in their paper published in the journal Nature, injected iPSCs into a mouse embryo, then transplanted tissue from the grown mice into genetically identical mice, with no apparent immunity response. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-refutes-ipscs-prone-immune-response.html Medical research Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:50:01 EST news277023910 (Medical Xpress)—Free-floating pieces of DNA in a cell's watery interior can mean bad things: invading viruses, bacteria, or parasites, ruptured cellular membranes, or disease. Genetic material is meant to be contained in a cell's nucleus or key organelles, and when it's loose, it's a sign for the immune system that something is wrong. Now, Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have discovered the molecular pathway responsible for detecting loose bits of DNA outside a cell's nucleus in the cytosol and setting off the resulting immune reaction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-scientists-mechanism-triggers-immune-responses.html Medical research Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:35:16 EST news275294102 Julien Diana and Yannick Simoni of the "Immune Mechanisms in Type 1 Diabetes," Inserm/Université Paris Descartes, directed by Agnès Lehuen, have just published the results of their work on type 1 diabetes in the Nature Medicine journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-role-innate-immune-cells-diabetes.html Diabetes Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:42:08 EST news275139717 A study published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (21:8), now freely available on-line, reports that a team of researchers in South Korea have successfully engineered islet cell clusters (ICCs) that will improve pancreatic islet transplantation and offer promise for curing diabetes mellitus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-islet-cell-advancement-impact-transplantation.html Medical research Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:54:58 EST news273239689 Excessive immune reactions against the body's own skin cells can lead to painful and even chronic dermatitis. An international team of researchers at the MedUni Vienna, the MedUni Graz and the Salk Institute in California, led by Herbert Strobl, has now unencrypted the mechanism that contributes towards this unwanted autoimmune reaction being suppressed. This may in future lead to common conditions such as chronic allergic dermatitis or psoriasis being halted as they develop and treated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-dermatitis-suppressed.html Immunology Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:43:01 EST news271669367 Manning the gates of our immune system are toll-like receptors (TLR)—tiny hairs that stick out of the cell membrane, recognize foreign bodies, and rally an organism's defense mechanisms. The molecular building blocks of TLRs are present in bacteria and plants, and are believed to be one of the most ancient, conserved components of the immune system. These tiny receptors and other molecular messengers play a big role in human health as well. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-key-genes-infection-resistance.html Immunology Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:36:44 EST news267089773 (HealthDay) -- Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have increased free light chain (FLC) concentrations, particularly those with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), according to a study published online July 5 in Allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-free-chains-chronic-rhinosinusitis.html Immunology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:30:01 EST news261679092 (Medical Xpress) -- Non-infectious proteins of the species of bacteria that causes Lyme disease can remain in the body for a long time after antibiotic therapy, and are capable of causing an inflammatory immune reaction that could contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant arthritis, Yale researchers have found. The study appears in the online Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-lyme-disease-perpetuate-inflammation.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 26 Jun 2012 07:23:37 EST news259914197 Scientists from across Europe investigated the allergic potential of pollens from the three main triggers of hay fever in Europe: Birch, grass and olive. As the Hialine study researchers have found, the allergenicity of the pollens varies. Depending on the time of year and region, the pollens produce different quantities of protein compounds, these being ultimately responsible for the allergic immune reaction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-pollens-aggressive.html Immunology Mon, 21 May 2012 11:28:58 EST news256818512 Transplantation of a whole pancreas or isolated insulin-producing beta cells are the only therapy to cure type I diabetes. However, the shortage of organ donors limits this approach to only few patients. LMU researchers have now shown that beta cells from genetically modified pigs can effectively restore pancreas function and can protect porcine beta cells from immune rejection in animal models. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-xenotransplantation-therapy-diabetes-pig-beta.html Diabetes Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:12:56 EST news254401966 Cardiologists have long grappled with how to best manage patients with coronary artery disease who report skin hypersensitivity to nickel or other metal components found in stents -- small tubes placed in narrowed or weakened arteries to help improve blood flow to the heart. But new Mayo Clinic research, published in the April 16, 2012, issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, may help allay these concerns. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-coronary-stents-patients-history-metal.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:01 EST news253799988 In an organ transplant the recipient protects himself with an immune reaction against the alien organ. This reaction is counteracted long-term with the use of immunosuppressants. In future this medication might no longer be necessary. If bone marrow belonging to the donor is also transplanted, no immune reaction occurs. However, this is still associated with undesirable side effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-bone-marrow-transplantation-donated.html Surgery Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:50:02 EST news252660692 Many children with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis who received treatment through ImproveCareNow, a national quality improvement and research network, ceased to have symptoms and no longer needed to take steroids for disease management. These are the findings from a study appearing in Pediatrics that examined the ImproveCareNow network's quality improvement efforts and their impact on outcomes. In this study, the proportion of children with Crohn's disease who were in remission increased from 55 percent to 68 percent, with a similar improvement in ulcerative colitis patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-network-approach-outcomes-ibd-lack.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:11:34 EST news250780283 Scientific advances at The Scripps Research Institute have led to a new drug Surfaxin (lucinactant), approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat infant respiratory distress syndrome. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-scripps-discoveries-newly-drug-infant.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:22:27 EST news250334529 Gene therapy for congenital blindness has taken another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. After receiving the same treatment in their other eye, the patients became better able to see in dim light, and two were able to navigate obstacles in low-light situations. No adverse effects occurred. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-gene-therapy-inherited-patients-eye.html Medical research Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:01 EST news247919918 A study carried out by Eric Vivier and Sophie Ugolini at the Marseille-Luminy Centre for Immunology has just reveal a gene in mice which, when mutated, can stimulate the immune system to help fight against tumors and viral infections. Whilst this gene was known to activate one of the body's first lines of defense (Natural Killer, or 'NK' cells), paradoxically, when deactivated it makes these NK cells hypersensitive to the warning signals sent out by diseased cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-immune-infection.html Medical research Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:36:17 EST news246285367 Investigators in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Systems Biology have discovered a previously unknown type of immune cell, a B cell that can produce the important growth factor GM-CSF, which stimulates many other immune cells. They also found that these novel cells may help protect against the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-newly-immune-cell-important-protector.html Immunology Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:10:01 EST news245595518 Kids with Pompe disease fail because of a missing enzyme, GAA, that leads to dangerous sugar build-up, which affects muscles and movement. An enzyme replacement treatment pioneered at Duke University has saved many lives, but some children with Pompe disease produce an immune reaction that blocks the benefits of the life-saving enzyme treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-cancer-drugs-hardest-cases-pompe.html Genetics Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:26:38 EST news245006772 Many premature infants suffer a life-threatening destruction of intestinal tissue called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-life-threatening-condition-preemies-linked-blood.html Medical research Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:53:44 EST news241116813 A drug-coated balloon inserted in a narrowed bare metal stent is a promising therapy for restoring blood flow, according to research (Abstract 10244) presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-drug-eluting-balloons-tool-treatment-narrowed.html Cardiology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:43:52 EST news240659023 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say that losing the ability to make a particular kind of sugar molecule boosted disease protection in early hominids, and may have directed the evolutionary emergence of our ancestors, the genus Homo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-sexual-sugar-molecule-human.html Medical research Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:00:08 EST news237465492 Imagine a single drug that would treat most, if not all, autoimmune disorders, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and Lupus. That might not be so hard to do thanks to a team of researchers who have discovered a molecule normally used by the body to prevent unnecessary immune reactions. This molecule, pronounced "alpha v beta 6," normally keeps our immune systems from overreacting when food passes through our bodies, and it may be the key that unlocks entirely new set of treatments for autoimmune disorders. This discovery was recently published in research report appearing the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-scientists-master-key-treatments-autoimmune.html Medical research Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:15:18 EST news236513710 Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have found a novel mechanism by which certain viruses such as influenza trigger a type of immune reaction that can severely sicken or kill those infected. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-scientists-treatable-mechanism-responsible-deadly.html Medical research Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:00:01 EST news235308160 A team of researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem says it has found a way to block a group of fatal bacterial toxins that have to date resisted all attempts to arrest them through the use of conventional drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-path-blocking-fatal-toxins.html Medical research Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:56:02 EST news235155349 For the first time, blood vessels created in the lab from donor skin cells were successfully implanted in patients. Functioning blood vessels that aren't rejected by the immune system could be used to make durable shunts for kidney dialysis, and potentially to improve treatment for children with heart defects and adults needing coronary or other bypass graft surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-patients-lab-grown-blood-vessels-donor.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:00:01 EST news228392650