by Trust Diya, The Conversation We know that carrying excess fat is bad for us and can contribute to a number of diseases, such as diabetes. But not all fat is created equal. While certain types of fat cells can accumulate in our bodies and cause health problems, other types have evolved to turn fuel...
Tag: <span>Immune system</span>
How do you stay safe now that states are reopening? An expert explains how to assess risk when reconnecting with friends and family
How do you stay safe now that states are reopening? An expert explains how to assess risk when reconnecting with friends and family May 18, 2020 8.20am EDT Author Ryan Malosh Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan Disclosure statement Ryan Malosh receives salary support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the...
COVID-19 PUTS KIDS AT GREATER RISK THAN WE THOUGHT
Children, teens, and young adults have a greater risk for severe complications from COVID-19 than previously thought, a new study shows. The study, the first to describe the characteristics of seriously ill pediatric COVID-19 patients in North America, also shows kids with underlying health conditions have an even greater risk. “The idea that COVID-19 is...
Critical window for re-infection with HIV after stem cell transplantation
Some people with HIV need to undergo an allogeneic stem cell transplantation in order to treat different types of blood cancer. Most of the patient’s immune cells are eliminated during these transplantations. Stem cells from a healthy donor are then used to replace the patient’s damaged bone marrow and restore their immune system. “In the...
Brain disease treatment shows promising signs
by Michael Addelman, University of Manchester Early results for a potentially revolutionary brain disease therapy given under compassionate use to a two-year-old has shown promise, a University of Manchester scientist will tell an international conference on Wednesday (13 May). Professor Brian Bigger will tell the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy that the safety...
How blocking iron drives the lung immune system to control infection
by Ciara O’shea, Trinity College Dublin Although COVID-19 commands the headlines today, tuberculosis (TB) remains the biggest infection killer in the world and multiple drug resistant TB, which does not respond to regular antibiotics, continues to be a major threat to global health. TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the...
Mice with patchy coats lay bare how stem cells endure
Whether we like it or not, our hair continually grows. Its regenerative powers reside deep inside each hair follicle, in a cluster of dividing stem cells—some of which will specialize and eventually give rise to new hair while others will produce new stem cells. Scientists have delineated numerous mechanisms that guide stem cells toward particular...
Could a drug combination prevent people with the eye disease uveitis lose their sight?
Two in 10,000 people are at risk of serious sight loss from a form of eye inflammation known as uveitis. A new clinical research study, led by the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), will evaluate a drug combination treatment for the eye disease thanks to the funding...
Study shows how memory function could be preserved after brain injury
by Iqbal Pittalwala, University of California – Riverside A study examining the effect of the immune receptor known as Toll-like Receptor 4, or TLR4, on how memory functions in both the normal and injured brain has found vastly different cellular pathways contribute to the receptor’s effects on excitability in the uninjured and injured brain. Further,...
Malaria vaccine: Could this ‘ingredient’ be the secret to success?
by University of Melbourne This ingredient is an essential component of the malaria parasite, a protein known as RPL6, which makes the parasite “visible” to a type of immune cells, the T cells, in the liver. The researchers added the protein to their existing vaccine strategy, known as ‘prime and trap’, and tested their discovery...