ANN ARBOR–The same proteins that moderate nicotine dependence in the brain may be involved in regulating metabolism by acting directly on certain types of fat cells, new research from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute shows. IMAGE: ILLUSTRATION OF THERMOGENESIS IN MICE BEIGE FAT CELLS IN RESPONSE ACETYLCHOLINE STIMULATION Previous research by LSI research assistant professor Jun Wu and others identified a new...
Category: <span>Immunology</span>
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Immune cells hold promise in slowing down ALS
Recent research from Houston Methodist Hospital showed that a new immunotherapy was safe for patients with ALS and also revealed surprising results that could bring hope to patients who have this relentlessly progressive and fatal disease. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nervous system disorder in which nerve cells that...
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Hotter bodies fight infections and tumours better—researchers show how
The hotter our body temperature, the more our bodies speed up a key defence system that fights against tumours, wounds or infections, new research by a multidisciplinary team of mathematicians and biologists from the Universities of Warwick and Manchester has found. The researchers have demonstrated that small rises in temperature (such as during a fever) speed up the speed...
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Neuron guidance factor found to play a key role in immune cell function
Macrophages are white blood cells involved in a variety of biological functions, from destroying infectious pathogens to repairing damaged tissue. To carry out their different roles, macrophages must first be activated and transformed into different subtypes. However, the mechanisms that lead to macrophage activation are not fully understood. Now, researchers at Osaka University have identified a new...
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Patients’ sex may impact efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer treatment
Different immune responses between men and women, and potential interaction with hormones might impact how men and women benefit from immunotherapy drugs, authors propose. A patient’s sex might impact on the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer treatment, according to a new meta-analysis of 20 randomised trials in over 11000 patients with advanced cancer published in The Lancet...
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New strategy to cure chronic hepatitis B infection
Scientists from Karolinska Institutet and Hannover Medical School have published two studies that provide insights into how the immune system responds and helps to clear a hepatitis B infection after treatment interruption. The findings offer a framework for future tailored treatment strategies and are published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and Journal of Hepatology. Chronic hepatitis B...
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Blocking anti-aging enzymes makes cancer die of old age
At the cellular level, aging and cancer are two sides of the same coin. The mechanism that limits a cell’s lifespan can be slowed down, but that can turn them cancerous, as they divide unchecked. Now, scientists at EPFL have found a way to manipulate that mechanism to effectively turn off cancer’s immortality, letting it...
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Beyond killing tuberculosis
How can we tolerate an infection without eliminating a pathogen? IMAGE: THIS IS A COLORED X-RAY OF A PATIENT'S CHEST SHOWING DISSEMINATED, OR MILIARY, TUBERCULOSIS (TB) IN THE LUNGS AND IF LEFT UNTREATED, IT HAS ALMOST 100 PERCENT MORTALITY RATE. Montreal, May 11 2018 — Historically, our view of host defense against infection was that we...
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Sirtuin-1 levels linked to lupus
The Cardiometabolic and Kidney Risk ResearchGroup, in collaboration with the Genomic and Genetic Diagnosis Unit of the Health Research Institute of Valencia’s Hospital Clínico, INCLIVA, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Valencia University and the Hospital Clínico’s Internal Medicine Department, have proven that the levels of messenger RNA and proteins of the enzyme Sirtuin-1 in urine...
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Does HPV vaccination prevent the development of cervical cancer?
Electron micrograph of a negatively stained human papilloma virus (HPV) which occurs in human warts. New evidence published today in the Cochrane Library shows that human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines protect against cervical lesions in young women, particularly in those who are vaccinated between the ages of 15 and 26. It also summarizes findings on harms that...