http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Scientists have discovered that fat cells in the knee secrete a protein linked to arthritis, a finding that paves the way for new gene therapies that could offer relief and mobility to millions worldwide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-fat-triggers-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Wed, 08 May 2013 08:42:27 EST news287221341 A team of basic and clinical scientists led by the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre's (CRCHUM) Dr. Nathalie Arbour has opened the door to significantly improved treatments for the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In a study selected as among the top 10% most interesting articles published in the Journal of Immunology, the team identifies the elevated presence in MS patients of a type of white blood cell (CD4 T cell) that expresses NKG2C, a highly-toxic molecule harmful to brain tissues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-multiple-sclerosis-treatments.html Immunology Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:22:48 EST news282918158 A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has identified epigenetic mechanisms that connect a variety of diseases associated with inflammation. Utilizing molecular analyses of gene expression in macrophages, which are cells largely responsible for inflammation, researchers have shown that inhibiting a defined group of proteins could help decrease the inflammatory response associated with diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer and sepsis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mechanisms-inflammation-diabetes-cancer.html Immunology Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:21:16 EST news281359263 Scientists at The University of Manchester have made important advances in understanding why our immune system can attack our own tissues resulting in eye and kidney diseases. It is hoped the research will pave the way for the development of new treatments for the eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the kidney condition atypical Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-molecular-basis-tissue-specific-immune.html Immunology Wed, 20 Feb 2013 07:52:05 EST news280569115 A team, headed by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schamel from the Institute of Biology III of the University of Freiburg and Prof. Dr. Balbino Alarcón from the Center for Molecular Biology Severo Ochoa of the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, has succeeded in explaining an important step in the activation of the so-called T-cells in the immune system. In humans and mice, T-cells are responsible for deciding whether a defense reaction should be activated to combat foreign substances. Scientists want to prevent the receptor of the T-cells (TCR) from mistakenly also identifying the body's own tissue as a foreign substance to be fended off, because this can lead to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In order to do so, it is first necessary to elucidate the individual steps of TCR activation. Alarcón and Schamel published their findings on the exposure of the proline-rich region, an amino acid sequence in the TCR, in the current issue of the Journal of Immunology. The American Association of Immunologists selected this publication as a highlight of the issue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-team-important-t-cells-immune.html Immunology Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:49:39 EST news279456568 Though a small group of proteins, the family called Ras controls a large number of cellular functions, including cell growth, differentiation, and survival. And because the protein has a hand in cellular division, mutated Ras, which can be detected in one-third of all tumors, contributes to many human cancers by allowing for the rapid growth of diseased cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-immune-melanoma-proteins-cancer-cells.html Cancer Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:35:27 EST news279200113 Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that two proteins which are believed to play a key role in controlling the body's immune response are found in lower levels in T lymphocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-body-immune-response.html Immunology Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:50:49 EST news274539026 Periodontitis, a form of chronic gum disease that affects nearly half of the U.S. adult population, results when the bacterial community in the mouth becomes unbalanced, leading to inflammation and eventually bone loss. In its most severe form, which affects 8.5 percent of U.S. adults, periodontitis can impact systemic health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-strategy-halt-periodontal-disease.html Medical research Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:20:47 EST news274108785 Deciphering what causes the brain cell degeneration of Parkinson's disease has remained a perplexing challenge for scientists. But a team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has pinpointed a key factor controlling damage to brain cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. The discovery could lead to new targets for Parkinson's that may be useful in preventing the actual condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-potential-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:51:33 EST news272566120 Researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark, have now discovered an important mechanism behind one of our most fundamental lines of immune function. The discovery has been published in the esteemed scientific journal, The Journal of Immunology, where it has been highlighted as a top story. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-immune-pathway.html Immunology Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:51:21 EST news271417870 Magnesium sulfate is given to many pregnant women to treat preterm labor and preeclampsia and was recently shown to prevent cerebral palsy; however little is known about how it works. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine recently discovered the mechanism by which magnesium reduces the production of cytokines. Cytokines are molecules responsible for regulating inflammation; they play a key role conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, asthma, and alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis. Although the study related to pregnancy, inflammation is the culprit of many conditions and learning more about individual's magnesium levels may help a much broader patient population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-preterm-labor-powerhouse-therapy-inflammatory.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:43:32 EST news269016204 New research from the laboratory of Dr. Andrea Cooper at the Trudeau Institute, just published in the European Journal of Immunology, holds promise for the improved prevention and treatment of bacterial infections and the life-threatening complications of chronic inflammation that can result from them. The publication title is "Nitric oxide inhibits the accumulation of CD4+CD44hiTbet+CD69lo T cells in mycobacterial infection". http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-unforeseen-anti-bacterial-immune-response.html Immunology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:36:46 EST news265376195 A DNA-covered submicroscopic bead used to deliver genes or drugs directly into cells to treat disease appears to have therapeutic value just by showing up, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-delivery-gene-therapy-arthritis.html Immunology Tue, 15 May 2012 03:30:02 EST news256271396 Untangling the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been a difficult task for immunologists, as decades of research has pointed to multiple culprits in our immune system, with contradictory lines of evidence. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute announce that it takes a diverse array of regulatory T cells (a specialized subset of white blood cells) to prevent the immune system from generating the tissue-specific inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease. Regulatory T cell diversity, the researchers say, provides a cumulative protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis. When that diversity is not present, it allows the immune system to attack joints. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-regulatory-immune-cell-diversity-tempers.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 08 May 2012 14:52:26 EST news255707478 New research from the Trudeau Institute addresses how the human body controls gamma-herpesviruses, a class of viruses thought to cause a variety of cancers. The study, carried out in the laboratory of Dr. Marcia Blackman, awaits publication in The Journal of Immunology. Led by postdoctoral fellow Mike Freeman, with assistance from other laboratory colleagues, the study describes the role of white blood cells in controlling gamma-herpesvirus infections and has implications for the treatment and prevention of certain cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-implications-cancers-viruses.html Immunology Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:01:15 EST news250790469 Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered specific molecular and signaling events by which vitamin D inhibits inflammation. In their experiments, they showed that low levels of Vitamin D, comparable to levels found in millions of people, failed to inhibit the inflammatory cascade, while levels considered adequate did inhibit inflammatory signaling. They reported their results in the March 1, 2011, issue of The Journal of Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-vitamin-d-inhibits-inflammation.html Immunology Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:40:54 EST news249205231 Scientists have discovered a molecular mechanism that could help explain how multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases can be exacerbated by the onset of an infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-inflammation-ms.html Immunology Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:16:23 EST news248699773 (Medical Xpress) -- One in five Americans suffers from autoimmune disease, in which the immune system goes off-track and attacks the body's own cells. Cornell researchers have identified a signaling mechanism in immune-system cells that may contribute to this mistake, opening the door for possible new therapies for autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-unchecked-alarms-autoimmune-disease.html Medical research Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:50:02 EST news241760991 New research from the Trudeau Institute may help in the ongoing fight against tuberculosis. Dr. Andrea Cooper's lab has discovered a connection between the development of new lymphoid tissue within the lung and protection against the disease. The new data will be published in the November 1 print issue of The Journal of Immunology (Vol. 187, Num. 10) and is available now online ahead of print. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-latest-discovery-tuberculosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:37:02 EST news238149372 Researchers have turned off a life-threatening allergic response to peanuts by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't a threat to the body, according to a new preclinical study from Northwestern Medicine. The peanut tolerance was achieved by attaching peanut proteins onto blood cells and reintroducing them to the body -- an approach that ultimately may be able to target more than one food allergy at a time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-peanut-allergy-immune.html Medical research Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:49:10 EST news237552538 The research shows that in addition to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, which present the antigen vaccine to the immune cells, genetic factors, that control some immune cells, influence the quality of response to vaccinations. The results could make it possible to prevent neuroinflammatory reactions, which are major obstacles preventing the use of the vaccination in humans. This study has just been published in the Journal of Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-safer-vaccination-alzheimer-disease.html Medical research Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:39:18 EST news237551936 Some of the newest therapies in the war on cancer remove the brakes cancer puts on the immune system, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cancer-therapies-multi-task-tumors.html Cancer Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:52:13 EST news235385521 (Medical Xpress) -- In lab studies, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have effectively reprogrammed cells of the innate and adaptive immune system to overcome a key cancer defense mechanism and develop long-lasting memory to reject breast cancer cells and guard against tumor relapse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-barrier-cancer-immunotherapy.html Cancer Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:26:40 EST news234174367 Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered a new mechanism controlling ageing in white blood cells. The research, published in the September issue of the Journal of Immunology, opens up the possibility of temporarily reversing the effects of ageing on immunity and could, in the future, allow for the short-term boosting of the immune systems of older people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-possibility-temporarily-reversing-aging-immune.html Medical research Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:22:25 EST news232705333 New research from the Trudeau Institute may help to explain why anticoagulant therapies have largely failed to extend the lives of patients with sepsis. The study was led by Deyan Luo, a postdoctoral fellow in Stephen Smiley's laboratory. It shows that fibrin, a key product of the blood clotting process, is critical for host defense against Yersinia enterocolitica, a gram-negative bacterium that causes sepsis in humans and experimental mice. The new data will be published in the August 15 issue of The Journal of Immunology and is available now online ahead of print. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-discovery-sepsis.html Medical research Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:36:24 EST news229606573 Researchers from the Smiley lab at the Trudeau Institute have now identified a single component of the plague causing bacterium that can be used as a vaccine. This single "subunit" could potentially be used to create a safer form of a T cell-stimulating plague vaccine. The new data is featured in the July issue of The Journal of Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-discovery-plague-bacterial-pneumonias.html Medical research Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:30:22 EST news228389412 Researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a way to amp up the power of killer T-cells, called CD8 cells, making them more functional for longer periods of time and boosting their ability to multiply and expand within the body to fight melanoma, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-scientists-amp-power-killer-cells.html Medical research Tue, 10 May 2011 09:10:57 EST news224237408