Thursday, March 28, 2024

Omega Fatty Acid Balance Can Alter Immunity And Gene Expression

For the past century, changes in the Western diet have altered the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids (w6, found in meat and vegetable oils)...

New Drug From MIT Cures Nearly All Viral Infections, Including Common...

Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza,...

Getting Less Sleep Associated With Lower Resistance To Colds

ndividuals who get less than seven hours of sleep per night appear about three times as likely to develop respiratory illness following exposure to a cold virus as those who sleep eight hours or more, according to a report in the January 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Studies have ...

Bone Marrow Plays Critical Role In Enhancing Immune Response To Viruses,...

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine for the first time have determined that bone marrow cells play a critical role in fighting respiratory viruses, making the bone marrow a potential therapeutic target, especially in people with compromised immune systems.

Retrovirus Might Be Culprit In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

People with the condition are much more likely than others to harbor a little-known pathogen. The long, fruitless search for the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome has taken a curious turn. Scientists report online October 8 in Science that an obscure retrovirus shows up in two-thirds of people diagnosed with the condition. The researchers also show...

Promise Of A New Lupus Treatment Is A Groundbreaking Achievement

Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced positive results from BLISS-76, the second of two large-scale phase III clinical trials of BENLYSTA™ (belimumab) for treating systemic lupus. A full presentation of results from BLISS-52 was recently shared at the 73rd Annual Scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Both trials succeeded in meeting their primary endpoints, which...

Leptin May Play A Role in Hearing And Vision Loss, Zebrafish...

Leptin -- commonly dubbed the "fat hormone" -- does more than tell the brain when to eat. A new study by researchers at The University of Akron and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) shows that leptin may play a role in hearing and vision loss. This discovery, made in zebrafish treated to produce low leptin, could ultimately help doctors better understand sensory loss in humans.

Many Hospitalized With Swine Flu Had Been Healthy

While the majority of people hospitalized with the H1N1 swine flu have chronic medical conditions, many were healthy before coming down with the disease, a U.S. health official said Tuesday. More than half of hospitalized adults had conditions such as asthma, chronic lung diseases, heart disease or immune system disorders, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during...

Flu Helps Spread Pneumonia

Bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with flu, says a scientist reporting at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. The work could have implications for the management of influenza pandemics and could help reduce incidence of pneumococcal infections in very young children, who are more susceptible to disease.

Acupuncture And Chinese Medicine Strongly Protect Us From Colds And Flu

Cold and flu season is upon us. Traditional Chinese Medicine has effective time-tested techniques which boost immunity and protect us from colds or the flu. Points can be needled and herbal formulas can be given to balance the body's energy, strengthen the body and even speed recovery if one does come down with symptoms.

Scientists Uncover Immune System’s Role In Bone Loss

Got high cholesterol? You might want to consider a bone density test. A new UCLA study sheds light on the link between high cholesterol and osteoporosis and identifies a new way that the body’s immune cells play a role in bone loss. Published Aug. 20 in the journal Clinical Immunology, the research could lead to ...

New Gut Bacteria Regulate Immunity

Another example of commensal microbes that affect host immunity may hold implications for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and other ailments. An abundant type of bacteria that resides in the intestines is critical for keeping the immune system of the colon in check, according to a study published online today (December 23) in ScienceExpress.