immune system

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Breakthrough Raises Hope for HIV Vaccine

Antibodies could help scientists combat elusive virus' defenses

(Newser) - Researchers have found two antibodies that neutralize the AIDS virus more successfully than any identified in the past, resurrecting hopes that it may be possible to develop an effective vaccine, Time reports. The new antibodies are effective against a broad range of HIV variants, neutralizing the virus’ most effective defense:...

Image Rehab: Appendix Is Good for Something After All

Long-neglected organ is far from useless, researchers say

(Newser) - The human appendix has been assumed to be useless since Charles Darwin first suggested it was a vestigial organ—an evolutionary remnant from the time when our predecessors ate leaves and other now-indigestible foods. But new research suggests the organ had a much more vital function, LiveScience reports. It stored...

As Probiotics Expand, Confusion Sets In

Many questions linger about 'friendly' bacteria

(Newser) - Probiotics are branching out of the dairy aisle and into all types of food—from pizza to cereal—as marketers try to sell the health benefits. Seems like good news. The so-called friendly bacteria is supposed to help with digestion and boost the immune system, among other things. The problem...

Docs Corral Immune System to Battle Cancer

(Newser) - After decades of false starts, doctors are tapping the immune system to help stave off cancer, USA Today reports. Using proteins from patients' tumors, American researchers have created a vaccine that can put off lymphoma relapses by 14 months. In one study, a cocktail of the vaccine and two other...

Swine Flu Hits Hardest Among Young Adults

Excessive immune reaction may be at fault in Mexican deaths

(Newser) - The swine flu sweeping through Mexico is wreaking havoc among young adults in particular, reports the Washington Post, with the entire death toll as of yesterday comprised of those between 25 and 50. Some believe the trouble for young adults is an overpowering immune reaction that ravages throat and lung...

Lose Sleep, Catch a Cold
 Lose Sleep, Catch a Cold 
Jan 13, 2009 4:06 AM CST

Lose Sleep, Catch a Cold

Little sleep makes us vulnerable to colds

(Newser) - Mom was right: get a good night's sleep. Researchers have discovered a direct link between lack of sleep and vulnerability to disease, Reuters reports. Study volunteers who slept less than seven hours a night for just two weeks were three times more likely to come down with cold symptoms after...

Leukemia Drugs Cure Mouse Diabetes
Leukemia Drugs Cure Mouse Diabetes
Nov 18, 2008 5:37 AM CST

Leukemia Drugs Cure Mouse Diabetes

Common cancer treatment sent disease into rapid remission

(Newser) - Two common leukemia drugs prevented or halted mouse diabetes in a new study, Reuters reports. The drugs prevented mice predisposed to Type 1 diabetes from developing the disease, and sent 80% of mice who already had it into remission within weeks. Scientists say the mice maintained normal blood sugar levels...

Less Sleep Linked to Cancer
  Less Sleep Linked to Cancer 
Nov 18, 2008 2:07 AM CST

Less Sleep Linked to Cancer

Less than 7 hours a night tied to 47% hike in cancer risk

(Newser) - Sleep and exercise may play an important role in cancer risk, according to a new US study. Researchers confirmed earlier studies that exercise appears to protect against cancer—but discovered that physically active women who slept less than seven hours a night had a 47% higher risk of developing cancer....

Assassin Cells Slay Hidden HIV
 Assassin Cells Slay Hidden HIV 
Nov 10, 2008 4:02 AM CST

Assassin Cells Slay Hidden HIV

Human trials set next year

(Newser) - A promising new treatment for AIDS may be in the works, with the discovery that genetically engineered immune cells can detect and destroy HIV even when the virus tries to hide by mutating. The so-called “assassin” cells, created from the T-cells of an HIV patient, have worked their magic...

Study: Drug Reverses MS Brain Damage

Doctors hail 'major breakthrough' in treatment

(Newser) - Doctors are hailing what appears to be a huge breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the BBC reports. A drug used to treat leukemia reversed some of the brain damage caused by MS, researchers found, leaving sufferers less disabled at the end of the 3-year study than they had...

Genetic Hiccup Causes Obesity In Mice: Study

Evolutionary relic in humans could be fixed by drug or gene therapy

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered an immune system pathway in the brain that they think is the root cause of diseases related to obesity, Reuters reports. When mice were overfed, the hypothalamus secreted a compound that suppressed the conversion of food into energy, and led to inflammation associated with heart disease and...

Women on Pill Choose the 'Wrong' Man

Oral contraceptives twists choice based on smell

(Newser) - The pill skews women's choice of partners because the contraceptive disrupts the sense of smell, according to new research. Women usually seek partners who have an odor that indicates dissimilar genes. That's important because a gene mix tends to produce healthier offspring. But research shows women using the pill tend...

How Did Bernie Mac Slip Away?
 How Did Bernie Mac
Slip Away?
Aug 10, 2008 8:10 AM CDT

How Did Bernie Mac Slip Away?

Lung disease, immune-suppressing meds were factors

(Newser) - Suffering from a rare lung disease, Bernie Mac was on medication to suppress his immune system—and that that made him vulnerable to the pneumonia that ended his life, his sister-in-law told People. He was hospitalized 8 days earlier than reported with a fever and trouble breathing, and “was...

Mac's Illness Spotlights Sarcoidosis

Immune disorder could be behind comedian's hospitalization

(Newser) - Bernie Mac is in the hospital, and although his publicists deny it, the pneumonia for which the comedian's being treated may have something to do with sarcoidosis, the Chicago Tribune reports. The rare immune system disorder has been in remission since 2005.

Tobacco May Help Cure Cancer
 Tobacco May Help Cure Cancer 
Jul 22, 2008 5:39 PM CDT

Tobacco May Help Cure Cancer

Plant's robust immune system makes it a viable vaccine factory

(Newser) - Scientists are trying to use the tobacco plant to produce a cancer vaccine, Newsweek reports. Ironic though it may be, the plant could someday offer fast and cheap production of antibodies personalized for individual’s tumor cells. In the first study of its kind, scientists found that the plant-based vaccine...

Melanoma Cured by Cloning Patient's Own Immune Cells

Immune system boost wipes out tumors

(Newser) - Scientists eliminated a man's late-stage melanoma by giving the body's own defenses a massive boost, Scientific American reports. They removed infection-fighting white blood cells from the patient's body, cloned them in the lab until they numbered in the billions, and injected them back into the patient. He was tumor-free 2...

Pregnancy Stress Ups Kid's Asthma Risk

Babies' immune systems respond to pressures on moms

(Newser) - Stress an expectant mother experiences can increase her child’s predisposition to allergies and asthma, Reuters reports. Mothers-to-be with high stress levels gave birth to babies with high levels of an immune compound involved in the allergenic response, Harvard researchers found—even when their environmental exposure to allergens was low.

For Infections, Try Gator-cillin

Scientists probe reptile's impressive immune system

(Newser) - Scientists are trying to harness the power of alligator blood to fight disease, bacterial infections, and even HIV, Cox News reports. Proteins in the reptiles' blood have antibiotic properties thanks to the animals' long evolution and frequent exposure to bacteria; their exceptionally effective immune systems can fight off invaders without...

Scientists Build Immune System in Test Tube

Breakthrough could make it easier, and safer, to test vaccines

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to produce tiny artificial human immune systems, Time reports, a breakthrough that could transform vaccine research. The process—called Modular Immune In Vitro Construct—will allow researchers to test budding medicines as never before and possibly make faster progress against AIDS and other killers. 

Vegan Diet May Help Arthritis
 Vegan Diet May Help Arthritis 
Mar 18, 2008 10:25 AM CDT

Vegan Diet May Help Arthritis

Small Swedish study offers hope for patients

(Newser) - Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis may be able to ease their painful symptoms and cut down on their risk of heart attacks by switching to a vegan, gluten-free diet. The new findings from a Swedish study offer hope for patients of the disease, which has no cure but can be...

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