http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Continuing analysis of an HIV vaccine trial undertaken in Thailand is yielding additional information about how immune responses were triggered and why the vaccine did not protect more people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-antibodies-limited-hiv-vaccine-trial.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 06 May 2013 15:00:32 EST news287059115 In a study using mice, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that a hormone, adrenomedullin, plays a crucial role in preventing the pregnancy complication preeclampsia. Surprisingly, this hormone protects women from preeclampsia when emitted by the fetus, not the mother, during the most critical times in pregnancy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-baby-fetuses-emit-hormone-crucial.html Medical research Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:01 EST news286624849 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists from the Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR) have discovered why a particular cancer drug is so effective at killing cells. Their findings could be used to aid the design of future cancer treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-video-reveals-cancer-cells-achilles.html Cancer Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:22:08 EST news286017597 (Medical Xpress)—Oral supplementation of glutathione is effective in increasing the body's stores of the antioxidant, said Penn State College of Medicine researchers in study results presented at a conference today (April 22). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-oral-supplement-body-storage-antioxidant.html Medical research Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:58 EST news285926450 Using the same strategy that a common virus employs to evade the human immune system, researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine have modified adult stem cells to increase their survival – with the goal of giving the cells time to exert their natural healing abilities. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-common-virus-fortify-adult-stem.html Medical research Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:09:35 EST news284051343 Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital are on the brink of the next treatment advancement that may spell relief for the nearly nineteen million adults and seven million children in the United States suffering from asthma. The scientists discovered two new drug targets in the inflammatory response pathway responsible for asthma attacks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-scientists-molecule-duty-asthma.html Inflammatory disorders Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:00:05 EST news281190194 (Medical Xpress)—Natural killer cells – a vital part of the immune system – have a dual role in protecting against infection and ensuring reproduction. Scientists suggest that the multi-tasking ability of these cells helped humans to spread out of Africa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-natural-killer-cells-vital-role.html Immunology Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:29:32 EST news279530965 Natural killer cells, as part of the body´s immune system, can effectively fight cancer. Unfortunately, they quickly lose their aggressiveness and hence are unable to reject solid tumors. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have now discovered a cocktail consisting of three different immune mediators that leaves NK killer cells active over a long period of time. In mice, cocktail-boosted NK cells let tumors shrink. The cocktail -was able to persistently activate human NK cells, too. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-cocktail-boosts-immune-cells-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:49:52 EST news274013382 Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TRSI) are fueling the future of cancer treatment by improving a powerful tool in disease defense: the body's immune system. By revealing a novel but widespread cell signaling process, the scientists may have found a way to manipulate an important component of the immune system into more effectively fighting disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-potential-therapies-cancer-diseases.html Medical research Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:35:54 EST news273252942 (Medical Xpress)—In the first of its kind, a translational study undertaken at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research has revealed that boosting the activity of a rare type of immune cell could be an effective way to vaccinate patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) against their own cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-boosting-immune-responses-leukaemia.html Cancer Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:48:22 EST news272710049 A hormone-like substance produced by the body to promote inflammation can cause an aggressive form of leukemia when present at high levels, according to a new study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-chronic-inflammation-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:00:09 EST news271941278 To transport substances from the site of their production to their destination, the body needs a sophisticated transport and sorting system. Various receptors in and on the cells recognize certain molecules, pack them and ensure that they are transported to the right place. One of these receptors is Sortilin. It is present in the cells of the nervous system, the liver, and the immune system. Studies by Stefanie Herda and Dr. Armin Rehm (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch and Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin) and the immunologist Dr. Uta Höpken (MDC) have now shown that the receptor Sortilin plays an important role in the function of the immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-elucidate-pathway-immune-substances.html Immunology Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:00:10 EST news269775338 Scientists at the University of Southampton are to investigate the best way to use natural killer cells (NK) to target the most common form of liver cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-combat-common-liver-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:29:17 EST news269256550 (Medical Xpress)—Why do many heavy smokers evade lung cancer while others who have never lit up die of the disease? The question has vexed scientists for decades. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-key-immune-cell-role-lung.html Cancer Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:01:27 EST news267429678 Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a new "first response" mechanism that the immune system uses to respond to infection. The findings challenge the current understanding of immunity and could lead to new strategies for boosting effectiveness of all vaccines. The study, conducted in mice, published online today in the journal Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-early-immune-response-vaccines.html Immunology Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:25:43 EST news265551934 (HealthDay)—A treatment regimen that is effective in preventing diabetes in a mouse model of the disease leads to worsening disease in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published online June 20 in Diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-experimental-combo-treatment-worsens-diabetes.html Diabetes Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:00:02 EST news265027635 Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System are helping to quell parents' worry about why infants seem to get sick so often. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-infants-sick-reveal-cell-growth.html Immunology Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:50:29 EST news263555420 Both innate and adaptive immune responses play an important role in controlling influenza virus infection, according to a study, published in the Open Access journal PLoS Computational Biology, by researchers from Oakland University, Michigan, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, USA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-innate-immune-responses-critical-influenza.html Medical research Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:32:23 EST news260123465 University of Georgia scientists have discovered a new flu-fighting role for a well-known component of the immune system. Kimberly Klonowski, assistant professor of cellular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and her colleagues found that administering a cell-signaling protein known as IL-15 to mice infected with influenza reduces their peak viral load by nearly three times. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-reveals-flu-fighting-role-well-known-immune.html Medical research Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:07:40 EST news259924052 Researchers at Michigan State University have shown a prebiotic may help the body's own natural killer cells fight bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, greatly decreasing the risk of colon cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-prebiotic-severity-colitis.html Medications Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:03 EST news255261164 Medical scientists at Trinity College Dublin in conjunction with researchers in Paris have investigated the consequence of natural killer cell deficiency in six related patients and identified a new genetic disorder which is responsible for this immune defect. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-natural-killer-cell-deficiency.html Medical research Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:44:55 EST news251023443 Cold and flu symptoms have a significant impact on our economy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-aged-garlic-ease-cold-symptoms.html Health Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:02 EST news250772280 Breast cancers expressing the protein HER2 have a particularly poor prognosis. Treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) benefits some patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, but it is not as effective as had been hoped. Researchers are therefore seeking ways to enhance the effectiveness of trastuzumab. In this context, a team of researchers led by Ronald Levy, at Stanford University, Stanford, has identified a sequential treatment regimen that enhances the effectivenss of trastuzumab in xenotransplant models of breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-effectiveness-breast-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:37:37 EST news248362643 One of the things that makes inhalational anthrax so worrisome for biodefense experts is how quickly a relatively small number of inhaled anthrax spores can turn into a lethal infection. By the time an anthrax victim realizes he or she has something worse than the flu and seeks treatment, it's often too late; even the most powerful antibiotics may be no help against the spreading bacteria and the potent toxins they generate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-natural-killer-cells-key-anthrax.html Medical research Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:27:33 EST news238937236 Scientists have discovered more about the intricacies of the immune system in a breakthrough that may help combat viral infections such as HIV. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-unraveling-mysteries-natural-killer.html Medical research Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:47:11 EST news238672023 (Medical Xpress) -- A molecule normally implicated in restraining immune responses is also capable of stimulating defences against virus infection, according to new research, by promoting the survival of a population of immune cells known as natural killer cells. The finding has important implications for the design of vaccine strategies and immune therapies to combat viral pathogens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-role-suppressive-cytokine-antiviral-immune.html Medical research Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:41:31 EST news235291215 A new study shows for the first time that natural killer (NK) cells, which are part of the body's first-line defence against infection, can contribute to the immune response against HIV. In an article in the August 4 issue of Nature, a research team based at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard reports that the HIV strains infecting individuals with particular receptor molecules on their NK cells had variant forms of key viral proteins, implying that the virus had mutated to avoid NK cell activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-natural-killer-cells-contribute-immune.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:00:04 EST news231594168 After eight years of work, researchers have unearthed what has been a well-kept secret of our immune system's success. The findings published online on June 9th in Immunity offer an explanation for how specialized immune cells are able to kill infected or cancerous cells without killing themselves in the process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-killer-immune-cells.html Medical research Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:02:57 EST news226846959 Pregnant women who are obese are less able to fight infections than lean women, which could affect their baby's health after birth and later in life, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-obesity-pregnancy-hinders-women-ability.html Health Sun, 01 May 2011 05:29:15 EST news223446544 A molecule that lies dormant until it encounters a cancer cell, then suddenly activates and rouses the body's immune system to fight cancer cells directly, marks the latest step in scientists' efforts to tap the body's own resources to fight the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-pacman-strategy-boost-immune-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:56:50 EST news221824597