A protein with a role in sensing cell damage and viral infections is a new target for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, or increased blood pressure in the lungs, according to research led by Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. The disease can lead to heart failure because the heart must...
Tag: <span>Immune system</span>
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The dual and unknown function of the immune system
CNIC researchers have discovered that the immune system is important not only in the defense against disease but also for the day-to-day function of a healthy organism CENTRO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CARDIOVASCULARES IMAGE: FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ANDRÉS HIDALGO, MARIA SÁNCHEZ, ANDREA RUBIO, FRANCISCO MAYO, IVÁN BALLESTEROS, ALEJANDRA AROCA, GEORGIANA CRAINICIUC, SANDRA MARTÍN, JUAN QUINTANA, JOSÉ MARÍA ADROVER, ITZIAR COSSÍO, AND...
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Immune system’s balancing act keeps bowel disease in check
Australian researchers have uncovered clues in the immune system that reveal how the balance of ‘good’ gut bacteria is maintained. This information could help in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) WALTER AND ELIZA HALL INSTITUTE IMAGE: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SETH MASTERS AND DR ALAN YU. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, showed that the increased presence of...
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Newly found ‘micro-organ’ is immune response ‘headquarters’
We know that our bodies learn how to mount efficient defenses to disease and infection after exposure to such health hazards. In short, our bodies “learn” to identify the culprits and how to destroy them. Where is that “memory” activated and the response mounted? New research finally reveals where the immune response actually starts in the body....
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A dose of baking soda a day keeps autoimmune disease away
Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia (GA, USA) have evidence that a daily dose of baking soda may help the spleen to promote an anti-inflammatory environment. This could be therapeutic for the inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The results, published in the Journal of Immunology, suggest that baking soda could be...
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The best foods for boosting your immune system
By Lana Burgess A strong immune system helps to keep a person healthy. Can specific foods boost the immune system? The immune system consists of organs, cells, tissues, and proteins. Together, these carry out bodily processes that fight off pathogens, which are the viruses, bacteria, and foreign bodies that cause infection or disease. When the...
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Watching the immune system in action reveals what happens when things goes wrong
Scientists are unveiling how our immune system works – and malfunctions – thanks to an innovative technology that tracks immune cells. Image: ‘Timer’ protein fluorescence across time. Credit: Imperial College LondonThe technology has already been used to look at immune cells involved in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis and could provide valuable insights into autoimmune diseases. As immune cells travel...
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How the brain’s ‘immune memory’ may lead to Alzheimer’s
A new study shows that microglia, which are the immune cells of the central nervous system, can “remember” inflammation. This “memory” influences how the cells react to new stimuli and deal with a toxic plaque in the brain, a marker of Alzheimer’s disease. The brain’s immune cells remember previous inflammation. Microglia, sometimes referred to as...
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Bad antibodies made good: The immune system’s secret weapon uncovered
The ‘bad apples’ of the immune system are also its secret weapon, according to major Australian research published today in the world-leading journal Science. In a world first, scientists from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research have revealed how a population of ‘bad’ antibodies in the immune system – which are usually ‘silenced’ because they can...
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Immune system ‘double agent’ could be new ally in cancer fight
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have discovered that an enzyme called TAK1 functions like a “double agent” in the innate immune response, serving as an unexpected regulator of inflammation and cell death. The findings highlight TAK1 inhibition as a potential cancer treatment. TAK1 is a kinase known to promote inflammation. But Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D.,...