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UrduSt. Jude immunologists are researching how effector and killer T cells can be controlled to destroy cancer cells that resist treatment.
Tag: Immunity
Story Tips from Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19
NEWS STORIES IN THIS ISSUE:
-Physician and Musician: Johns Hopkins Doctor Brings Passion for Music to Medicine During Pandemic
-Rapid, At-Home Blood Test Could Confirm COVID-19 Vaccination in Minutes
-What to Expect and Prepare for As You Return to Regular Health Care Appointments
-Study Suggests Sudden Hearing Loss Not Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination
-Vaccination May Not Rid COVID-19 Risk for Those with Rheumatic, Musculoskeletal Diseases
Low on Antibodies, Blood Cancer Patients Can Fight off COVID-19 with T Cells
Antibodies aren’t the only immune cells needed to fight off COVID-19 — T cells are equally important and can step up to do the job when antibodies are depleted, suggests a new Penn Medicine study of blood cancer patients with COVID-19 published in Nature Medicine.
Research Uncovers How ‘Non-professional’ Cells Can Trigger Immune Response
Researchers are finding new details on the complex dynamics involved in how organisms sense an infection from pathogens. The researchers found that worms can sense changes in their metabolism in order to unleash protective defenses, even if they don’t directly sense an incursion from pathogens.
Australia accelerates new COVID-19 vaccine to fight mutant strains
A leading South Australian immunologist has been awarded $3 million from the Federal Government to accelerate work on a locally developed Covid-19 vaccine, in what’s anticipated to be the second line of defence against the virus.
Higher Pollen Levels Correlated With Increased Coronavirus Infection Rates
New Brunswick, N.J. (March 9, 2021) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick allergy specialist Leonard Bielory is available for interviews on a study he co-authored that correlates higher airborne pollen concentrations with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. High-risk individuals should wear particle filter…
Researchers map metabolic signaling machinery for producing memory T cells
Discovery of a metabolic pathways that inhibit memory T cell production has potential for enhancing the immune system’s ability to fight infections and cancers.
The Original Antigenic Sin: How Childhood Infections Could Shape Pandemics
A child’s first influenza infection shapes their immunity to future airborne flu viruses – including emerging pandemic strains. But not all flu strains spur the same initial immune defense, according to new findings published today by University of Pittsburgh virologists.
New study finds reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 in healthy young adults is common
MEDIA ADVISORY Paper title: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent infection risk in healthy young adults: a prospective cohort study Corresponding Author: Stuart C. Sealfon, MD, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Bottom Line: Although…
Healthy sleep and immune response to COVID-19 vaccination
Healthy sleep is integral to a strong immune system, and as COVID-19 vaccines are distributed, it’s important that people continue to get sufficient sleep for optimal immune response. Sleep loss is associated with changes in several immune processes. Poor sleep…
Antibiotics for C-sections Effective After Umbilical Cord Clamped
Antibiotics for cesarean section births are just as effective when they’re given after the umbilical cord is clamped as before clamping – the current practice – and could benefit newborns’ developing microbiomes, according to Rutgers co-authored research. The study, by far the largest of its kind and published in the journal Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, challenges current recommendations for antibiotic use. Administering antibiotics after clamping does not increase the risk of infection at the site of C-section incisions, the study concludes.
Pre-existing influenza immunity impacts antibody quality following seasonal infection and vaccination
New research by scientists at the University of Chicago suggests a person’s antibody response to influenza viruses is dramatically shaped by their pre-existing immunity, and that the quality of this response differs in individuals who are vaccinated or naturally infected. Their results highlight the importance of receiving the annual flu vaccine to induce the most protective immune response.
COVID-19 Immunity May Last Six Months or More
People who have recovered from coronavirus can make potent antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 that evolve in the months after infection. These antibodies may be evolving in response to residual viral antigen hidden in the gut.
New lab test clarifies the potential protective effects of COVID-19 antibodies
Scientists have developed a new lab testing procedure for the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that gives results more quickly than existing assays and specifically identifies so-called “neutralizing” antibodies.
Herd immunity an impractical strategy, study finds
Achieving herd immunity to COVID-19 is an impractical public health strategy, according to a new model developed by University of Georgia scientists. The study recently appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Study takes us a step closer to a universal antibody test for COVID-19
A study released by Houston Methodist Sept. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation takes researchers closer to developing a uniform, universal COVID-19 antibody test. The multicenter collaboration tested alternative ways to measure COVID-19 antibody levels that’s faster, easier and can inexpensively be used on a larger scale to accurately identify potential donors for plasma therapy with the best chance of helping patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Pregnant mother’s immunity tied to behavioral, emotional challenges for kids with autism
Children with autism born to mothers who had immune conditions during their pregnancy are more likely to have behavioral and emotional problems, a UC Davis Health study has found. Offspring sex may also interact with maternal immune conditions to influence outcomes, particularly in terms of a child’s cognition.
Mount Sinai Researchers Discover Treatment Option for Rare Genetic Disorder
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine used a novel genetic sequencing technology to identify the genetic cause of—and a treatment for—a previously unknown severe auto inflammatory syndrome affecting an 18-year-old girl since infancy.
Coronavirus antibodies fall dramatically in first 3 months after mild cases of COVID-19
A study by UCLA researchers shows that in people with mild cases of COVID-19, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes the disease — drop sharply over the first three months after infection, decreasing by roughly half every 73 days. If sustained at that rate, the antibodies would disappear within about a year.
Eye Injury Sets Immune Cells On Surveillance To Protect The Lens
The discovery further challenges the accepted scientific dogma that the lens is shut out from the immune protection.
Nutrition Researchers Say There is Nothing to Eat to Protect Against Covid-19
Global ILSI organized a science webinar with experts from the U.K. on nutrition and immunity.
University of Kentucky Researchers Leading Study of COVID-19 Immunity
University of Kentucky researchers have launched antibody testing that will help to understand what immunity to COVID-19 really means.
New University of Kentucky study could change what we know about platelets
The $6.6 million study will focus on how platelets function when they form clots in blood vessels and when they sense circulating pathogens, like viruses.
Webinar: COVID-19, Nutrition in Immune Response Against Viral Infection
ILSI hosts a free public webinar on COVID-19, nutrition and immune response.
Impaired Immunity, Gene Expression May Explain Higher COVID-19 Risk in People with Diabetes
The behavior of previous coronaviruses together with physiological characteristics of diabetes may help explain why people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Ending the Pandemic
As scientists forge ahead to piece together a comprehensive profile of the new coronavirus fueling a historic pandemic, they are focusing their efforts on six areas: epidemiology, diagnostics, pathogenesis, clinical disease management, treatment and vaccines.
Learning from the Recovered
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are adapting an antibody-detection tool to study the aftermath of infections by the novel coronavirus that is causing the current global pandemic.
Scientists May Have a Way to Let Preemies Breathe Easier
The continuing epidemic of pre-term birth includes this stark reality: tiny, fragile babies are born with underdeveloped lungs and prone to lifelong respiratory infections and related chronic illnesses. Cincinnati Children’s researchers report in Immunology the discovery of a complex biological process could in the development of cost effective treatments to help babies develop lifelong pulmonary resistance to respiratory infections.
Brain links to embryonic immunity, guiding response of the “troops” that battle infection
Researchers have discovered that the brains of developing embryos provide signals to a nascent immune system that help it ward off infections and significantly improve the embryo’s ability to survive a bacterial challenge. Viable brainless frog embryos can survive for some time, but exhibit chaotic and ineffective responses.
Study results will inform immunization programs globally
The results of the B Part of It study – the largest meningococcal B herd immunity study ever conducted – are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A MOTHER’S BUGS
-Newborn mice derive protective antibodies from their mothers’ microbiota
-Antibodies derived from mothers’ microbiota ward off both localized and widespread systemic infections by the bacterium E. coli
-Study points to the role of maternal microbes in offspring protection and neonatal immunity
-Findings can inform development of microbe-based therapies against infectious diarrhea in infants
MORE THAN A WATCHDOG
Study in mice shows the nervous system not only detects the presence of Salmonella in the gut but actively stops the organism from infecting the body
Nerves in the gut prevent Salmonella infection by shutting the cellular gates that allow bacteria to invade the intestine and spread beyond it
As a second line of defense, gut neurons help avert Salmonella invasion by maintaining the levels of key protective microbes in the gut
Findings reveal prominent role for nervous system in infection protection and regulation of immunity
Researchers Find Common Measures of Immune Status, Inflammation Can Predict Mortality
News release about a new collaborative study led by Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals finding that commonly used clinical indicators of immune status and inflammation can predict mortality in the general population.
HOW MEASLES WIPES OUT THE BODY’S IMMUNE MEMORY
Study shows measles wipes out 20 to 50 percent of antibodies against an array of viruses and bacteria, depleting a child’s previous immunity
Measles-ravaged immune system must “relearn” how to protect the body against infections
Study details mechanism and scope of this measles-induced “immune amnesia”
Findings underscore importance of measles vaccination, suggesting those infected with measles may benefit from booster shots of all previous childhood vaccines
Creatine powers T cells’ fight against cancer
The study, conducted in mice, is the first to show that creatine uptake is critical to the anti-tumor activities of killer T cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system.
Harvard Medical School Announces Media Fellows for Second Thematic Track of 2019
Harvard Medical School has selected the 2019 media fellows for the second of its two thematic tracks this year: Immunity and Inflammation: A friend, a foe (Nov. 4-8).
Gut Immunity More Developed Before Birth Than Previously Thought
The first comprehensive look at the immune system of the fetal gut shows that it is far more developed before birth, and could help develop new maternal vaccines and understand if we are predisposed to autoimmune diseases before birth.
Blocking a Hormone’s Action in Immune Cells May Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Blocking the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)—a protein that helps maintain normal levels of salt and water in the body—in immune cells may help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by improving blood vessel health. The study will be presented today at the American Physiological Society (APS) Aldosterone and ENaC in Health and Disease: The Kidney and Beyond Conference in Estes Park, Colo.
Baking Soda Boosts Immunity, Impairs Insulin Response in Type 2 Diabetes
Researchers learn insulin response connected to alkaline load, not inflammation Charlottesville, Va. (June 24, 2019)—Early research suggests that the common pantry staple baking soda affects inflammation and insulin handling in type 2 diabetes. The findings will be presented today at…