http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Tumor cells often express proteins that set them apart from their healthy neighbors. These very same proteins can also help the immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer. Several research groups and companies have already demonstrated proof-of-concept for antitumor therapeutic vaccines based on this principle, typically employing 'retrained' dendritic cells (DCs) harvested from a patient's own immune system. To date, however, such vaccines have demonstrated only limited effectiveness in beating back tumor progression. Shin-ichiro Fujii, Kanako Shimizu and colleagues from the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology have now revealed research that could supercharge the potency of future cancer vaccines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-two-pronged-approach-immune-vaccines-effectively.html Cancer Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:39:06 EST news286184340 (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 For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the response of natural killer (NK) cells is detrimental to glioblastoma virotherapy, a novel way of treating malignant brain cancer by injecting a virus into the tumor. A number of clinical trials are currently underway to test whether glioblastoma virotherapy will facilitate antitumor efficacy, but research led by E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and published in Nature Medicine, shows that in pre-clinical models, NK cells are killing off the virus – infected cells, thus rendering the therapy less effective. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-immune-response-detrimental-brain-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:10:39 EST news273845431 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 Doctors now use cancer-killing viruses to treat some patients with lethal, fast-growing brain tumors. Clinical trials show that these therapeutic viruses are safe but less effective than expected. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-patient-immune-cells-blunt-viral.html Cancer Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:00:06 EST news273067398 (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 (HealthDay)—For stable, preterm infants, daily massage therapy (MT) is positively associated with higher natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and weight gain, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-massage-therapy-immunity-preterm-infants.html Pediatrics Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:20:03 EST news272048422 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 Dendritic cells (DCs)—workhorses of the immune system—derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) may provide an economical way of generating off-the-shelf therapeutic vaccines against cancers, according to research led by Jieming Zeng and Shu Wang from the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-jump-starting-cheaper-cancer-vaccines.html Immunology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:04:56 EST news267872682 (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 Semi-invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells wage war against infectious threats, attacking microbial cells and generating signals that enable other immune cells also to respond aggressively. iNKT cells initially undergo activation in the thymus; after being 'switched on' via interaction with certain antigens, they undergo an initial population expansion and then migrate to peripheral immune sites where they proliferate further so they can mount an effective defense. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-lipids-thymus-immune-cells-boost.html Immunology Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:50:28 EST news266658616 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 (Medical Xpress) -- For years, researchers have known that obesity, type 2 diabetes and low-level inflammation are linked, but how they are connected has not been well understood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-killer-t-cells-counter-obesity-related-diabetes.html Diabetes Tue, 08 May 2012 06:30:01 EST news255676474 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 An international research team led by scientists from Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) under the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) discovered that a special class of fatty molecules is essential for activating a unique group of early-responding immune cells. This study sheds light on how recognition of fatty molecules by immune cells could protect from infection, allergic reactions, autoimmune diseases and cancer. More importantly, it offers new opportunities to exploit the use of these stimulatory fatty molecules in therapeutic interventions, such as the development of new vaccines and drugs targetted for autoimmune diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scientists-special-class-natural-fats.html Immunology Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:07:57 EST news252580068 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 While some scientists report engineering a super virulent strain of the H5N1 influenza virus, which could potentially wipe out a significant percentage of the human population, another group of researchers from the United Kingdom now reports a discovery that may one day help mitigate the deadly effects of all flu strains. This report, appearing in the March 2012 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, describes findings that may help prevent deaths from severe flu outbreaks, especially from seemingly healthy young people. Specifically, the researchers found that immune cells called, "natural killer T cells," may reduce the overwhelming numbers of another type of immune cell, called "inflammatory monocytes," which when present in large numbers, lead to lung injury at the end stage of severe flu infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-lung-injury-severe-flu.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:52:43 EST news249735151 Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have studied for the first time the response of human NK cells (Natural Killer) against porcine chondrocytes (cartilage cells). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-transplanting-pig-cells-regenerate-human.html Medical research Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:48:10 EST news249133680