http://medicalxpress.com/immunology-news/ en-us Medical Xpress Team Medical Xpress provides the latest research news on immunology (Medical Xpress)—The body's most powerful immune cells may have a radical way of catching their prey that could backfire on people who are overweight and others at risk for cancer, diabetes and chronic inflammation, suggests a new Cornell study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-expelled-dna-toxins-backfire-obese.html Immunology 2013-06-18T07:10:02-07:00 (HealthDay)—Although spring arrived late this year in parts of the United States, the summer allergy season will still be strong, according to a sinus expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-seasonal-allergies.html Immunology 2013-06-17T18:19:40-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—A team of Canadian researchers has found that platelets in mice liver collaborate with special types of white blood cells to help capture bacteria. In their paper published in the journal Nature Immunology, the team reports that they found platelet collaboration while conducting microscopy studies of Kupffer cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-platelets-collaborative-role-eradicating-blood.html Immunology 2013-06-17T10:41:20-07:00 When a strain of bacteria invades a human body, the immune system responds by generating antibodies to neutralize the threat. However, during subsequent infections by a similar bacterium, the immune system has a tendency to fall back on its memory, generating the same old antibodies again, even if they're not up to the task of the fighting the new invaders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-mystery-tiny.html Immunology 2013-06-13T08:40:01-07:00 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues report that the herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1), which affects an estimated 50 to 80 percent of all American adults, exploits an immune system receptor to boost its infectivity and ability to cause disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-herpes-virus-exploits-immune-response.html Immunology 2013-06-06T15:41:25-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—The ability to predict and implement preventative measures for common diseases, such as diabetes and asthma, even before a baby is born, is one step closer following a breakthrough by University of Sydney researchers, their findings published in The Journal of Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-unravel-developmental-immune-disease.html Immunology 2013-06-05T07:41:02-07:00 More evidence has surfaced that supports the war on smoking, especially if smokers have an infant in their household. A study published today in the June issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), found that infants with a family history of allergic disease with lower respiratory tract infections, who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk for longer hospital stays. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-secondhand-longer-hospitalization-infants-respiratory.html Immunology 2013-06-04T09:28:17-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues, have discovered that a gene called BACH2 may play a central role in the development of diverse allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, asthma, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and type-1 diabetes. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks normal cells and tissues in the body that are generally recognized as "self" and do not normally trigger immune responses. Autoimmunity can occur in infectious diseases and cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-scientists-link-allergic-autoimmune-diseases.html Immunology 2013-06-04T09:00:04-07:00 The human immune system is remarkably efficient, but sometimes its attack is misdirected, leading to allergies, autoimmune diseases and rejection of transplant organs and therapeutic drugs. Current immune suppressants have major drawbacks, but a team from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has demonstrated a new technique that may lead to a better way to selectively repress unwanted immune reactions without disabling the immune system as a whole. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-scientists-technique-dampen-immune-responses.html Immunology 2013-06-03T12:00:01-07:00 A protein called c-FLIP-R is critical to immune cell survival: If this molecule is missing, the cells kill themselves – and are thus no longer able to perform their job fighting off invaders. Now, scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) Braunschweig and at the Otto von Guericke University (OvGU) Magdeburg have published their findings in the renowned European Journal of Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-die-protein-immune-cell-suicide.html Immunology 2013-05-31T11:42:12-07:00 Kate O'Reilly's spring allergy survival kit includes the usual stuff - nasal sprays, allergy pills and a box of tissues. This season, she's added a new weapon to her line of defense: an app on her smartphone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-pollen-apps-smartphones.html Immunology 2013-05-24T14:00:01-07:00 Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to examine individual cells and their activity directly in the tissue. The development of new microscopes and fluorescent dyes in recent years has brought this scientific dream tantalisingly close. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now presented not one, but two studies introducing new indicator molecules which can visualise the activation of T cells. Their findings provide new insight into the role of these cells in the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS). The new indicators are set to be an important tool in the study of other immune reactions as well. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-cell-multiple-sclerosis.html Immunology 2013-05-24T11:35:22-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at Emory Vaccine Center have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vaccine-blackjack-il-critical-viral.html Immunology 2013-05-23T07:46:40-07:00 Human breastmilk responds quickly to protect the child when there is an infection in mothers or babies, according to new international research led by The University of Western Australia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fast-acting-mothers-healthier-babies.html Immunology 2013-05-23T07:34:31-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune.html Immunology 2013-05-20T18:27:22-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at King's College London have discovered that Vitamin D has the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of asthma. The study, led by Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from the MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King's, was published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and highlights Vitamin D as a possible new treatment for the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vitamin-d-effective-treatments-asthma.html Immunology 2013-05-20T07:40:01-07:00 Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-protein-diabetes-tracks.html Immunology 2013-05-20T06:22:51-07:00 Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-stem-cell-based-strategy-boosts-immune-mice.html Immunology 2013-05-16T12:00:03-07:00 Researchers from CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and IRD have elucidated new molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to visceral leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic infection. They have shown that dectin-1 and mannose receptors participate in the protection against the parasite responsible for this infection, by triggering an inflammatory response, while the DC-SIGN receptor facilitates the penetration of the pathogen and its proliferation in macrophages. This work, conducted on both mice and humans and published on 16 May 2013 in the journal Immunity, opens new perspectives for the prevention and treatment of this disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-resistance-visceral-leishmaniasis-mechanisms-involved.html Immunology 2013-05-16T11:10:01-07:00 Women's immune systems age more slowly than men's, suggests research in BioMed Central's open access journal Immunity & Ageing. The slower decline in a woman's immune system may contribute to women living longer than men. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-women-immune-younger-longer.html Immunology 2013-05-14T20:00:01-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that protect boundary tissues such as the skin, the lining of the lung, and the lining of the gut from microbial onslaught. They also have shown they play a role in inflammatory disease, when the body's immune system is too active. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-newly-immune-cell-cells-similar.html Immunology 2013-05-14T07:10:01-07:00 (Medical Xpress)—Cytokines are molecules produced by immune cells that induce the migration of other cells to sites of infection or injury, promote the production of anti-microbial agents, and signal the production of inflammatory mediators. These events are important for fighting infections. However, sometimes this process goes unchecked, resulting in unwanted inflammation that can damage tissues and organs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cytokine-producing-cells.html Immunology 2013-05-13T07:48:16-07:00 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington scientists have identified a class of immune cells that reside long-term in the genital skin and mucosa and are believed to be responsible for suppressing recurring outbreaks of genital herpes. These immune cells also play a role in suppressing symptoms of genital herpes, which is why most sufferers of the disease are asymptomatic when viral reactivations occur. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-cells-suppress-genital-herpes.html Immunology 2013-05-08T13:00:01-07:00 An international team of researchers, led by physician-scientists at Johns Hopkins, reports that a once-daily tablet containing a high dose of a key ragweed pollen protein effectively blocks the runny noses, sneezes, nasal congestion and itchy eyes experienced by ragweed allergy sufferers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-once-a-day-pill-relief-ragweed-allergy.html Immunology 2013-05-07T11:22:42-07:00 (HealthDay)—A new Swedish study suggests that parents who want to protect their infants from developing allergies should try a simple approach to introducing their children to the wide world of microbes: Just pop their pacifiers into their own mouths before giving them back to their babies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-tots-allergies-pacifiers.html Immunology 2013-05-06T09:17:07-07:00 Young children who suffer from allergy to raw egg are being fed cake containing baked egg in a new study aimed at helping children to outgrow their allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-childhood-egg-allergy-piece-cake.html Immunology 2013-05-06T09:00:03-07:00 Allergy shots are commonly used to treat children with severe environmental allergies and asthma, but under-the-tongue drops may offer yet another beneficial—and stick-free—option for pediatric allergy sufferers, according to a Johns Hopkins Children's Center review of existing scientific evidence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-oral-kids-needle-free-relief-asthma.html Immunology 2013-05-06T05:10:02-07:00 (HealthDay)—For U.S. children aged younger than 18 years, the prevalence of allergies increased from 1997 to 2011, with age, race/ethnicity, and income all affecting the prevalence, according to a May data brief issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-allergies-children.html Immunology 2013-05-03T15:20:01-07:00 Parents are reporting more skin and food allergies in their children, a big U.S. government survey found. Experts aren't sure what's behind the increase. Could it be that children are growing up in households so clean that it leaves them more sensitive to things that can trigger allergies? Or are mom and dad paying closer attention to rashes and reactions, and more likely to call it an allergy? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-food-skin-allergies-children.html Immunology 2013-05-02T04:51:43-07:00 Using advanced genetic sequencing technology and analysis, Mayo Clinic vaccine researchers have identified 27 genes that respond in very different ways to the standard rubella vaccine, making the vaccine less effective for a portion of the population. The findings appear today in the online journal PLOS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-dont-rubella-vaccine.html Immunology 2013-05-01T17:00:11-07:00