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UrduAntibodies from recovered patients recognize a lesser-known site on the pandemic coronavirus and block infection in lab studies
Tag: IMMUNOLOGY/ALLERGIES/ASTHMA
Study finds inflammatory mechanism responsible for bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis
In a study of the effects of cigarette smoking on exacerbation of the disease, scientists at a FAPESP-supported research center identified a novel pathway in the inflammatory process relating to bone damage
Vaccines alone may not be enough to end pandemic
WASHINGTON — Even as vaccines are becoming more readily available in the U.S., protecting against the asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 is key to ending the pandemic, say two Georgetown infectious disease experts. In…
Scientist gets $2 million grant to study how inflammation, gut microbiota promote metabolic syndrome
ATLANTA–Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a four-year federal grant just over $2 million to study how inflammation and altered gut microbiota, the microorganisms living in the intestine, influence…
Common antibiotic can safely be given to most surgery patients despite penicillin allergy
A meta-analysis confirms that cefazolin can be given to most patients who self-report a penicillin allergy because dual allergy to both penicillin and cefazolin was just 0.7%
Immune receptor protein could hold key to treatment of autoimmune diseases
Scientists show how a receptor protein plays a role in the immune response, yielding a potential therapeutic target for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis
Cellular benefits of gene therapy seen decades after treatment
An international collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital, the UCL GOS Institute for Child Health and Harvard Medical School has shown that the beneficial effects of gene therapy can be seen decades after the transplanted blood stem cells has been…
New study points to novel drug target for treating COVID-19
Cleveland Clinic Florida researchers publish findings in Nature Microbiology
Squishy white blood cells quickly become highly stiff and viscous in response to a threat
Like a well-trained soldier, a white blood cell uses specialized abilities to identify and ultimately destroy dangerous intruders, including creating a protrusion to effectively reach out, lock-on, probe, and possibly attack its prey. Researchers reporting March 16 in Biophysical Journal…
Combination therapy may provide significant protection against lethal influenza
Targeting a receptor involved in exaggerated immune response to influenza infection improves survival in animal models, investigators report in The American Journal of Pathology
Research shows how mutations in SARS-CoV-2 allow the virus to dodge immune defenses
The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity–such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases–can become chronically infected. As a result, their weakened immune defenses continue to attack the virus without…
In severe COVID, cytokine “hurricane” in lung attracts damaging inflammatory cells
NEW YORK, NY (March 15, 2021)–A cytokine “hurricane” centered in the lungs drives respiratory symptoms in patients with severe COVID-19, a new study by immunologists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons suggests. Two cytokines, CCL2 and CCL3,…
Comparative adjuvant trial evaluates Army-developed ALF in HIV vaccine regimens
The first vaccine has been administered in a comparative adjuvant trial of DNA prime/protein boost HIV vaccine regimens in Kericho, Kenya
Community-based study links skin rashes to COVID-19
Previous studies conducted in hospitals reported that COVID-19 patients presented with unusual skin rashes. This study, which is published in the British Journal of Dermatology , analyzed information provided by 336,847 individuals in the community who used the COVID Symptom…
SARS-CoV-2 jumped from bats to humans without much change
How much did SARS-CoV-2 need to change in order to adapt to its new human host? In a research article published in the open access journal PLOS Biology Oscar MacLean, Spyros Lytras at the University of Glasgow, and colleagues, show…
Release of serotonin from mast cells contribute to airway hyperresposivness in asthma
In asthma, the airways become hyperresponsive. Researchers from Uppsala University have found a new mechanism that contributes to, and explains, airway hyperresponsiveness. The results are published in the scientific journal Allergy . Some 10 per cent of Sweden’s population suffer…
Vaccine-induced antibodies may be less effective against several new SARS-CoV-2 variants
Researchers at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard and at Massachusetts General Hospital find that neutralizing antibodies raised by COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective at neutralizing some new, circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants
Combining public health and environmental science to develop pollen forecasting
Combining healthcare data with ground-breaking ecological techniques, could set a roadmap for refining pollen forecasts in the future
Researchers test using environmental DNA to monitor grass pollen levels
Grass pollen is a major outdoor allergen, responsible for widespread and costly respiratory conditions including allergic asthma and hay fever (rhinitis). Now, researchers re-porting in the journal Current Biology on March 11 suggest that environmental DNA could help to better…
Immunogenicity of Ad26.COV2.S vaccine for COVID-19
What The Study Did: In this phase 1 study, a single immunization with Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) vaccine induced rapid binding and neutralization antibody responses as well as cellular immune responses. Two phase 3 clinical trials are currently underway to determine…
Probiotics increase gut bacteria diversity in extremely preterm infants
Extremely preterm infants can suffer from a life-threatening inflammation of the gut. A new clinical study has shown that supplements of a lactic acid bacterium may have positive effects by increasing the diversity of intestinal bacteria in these infants. The…
NCCN provides new COVID-19 treatment advice; updates vaccine guidance for cancer patients
Leading cancer and infectious disease experts analyze latest data and FDA approvals to create evidence-based expert consensus recommendations for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19 for people with cancer
HPV vaccine may not be cost-effective in adult populations aged over 26 years
Study suggests vaccinating men and women aged over 26 years is expensive with limited health benefits
Discovery of new protein with an important role in atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the underlying condition that causes heart attacks and strokes. Researchers at Radboudumc in the Netherlands have discovered a protein that appears to play an important role in atherosclerosis. The protein is called Prosaposin, and its role in atherosclerosis…
Researchers boost potency of an HIV-1 antibody, tracing new pathways for vaccine development
LAWRENCE — Much like coronavirus, circulating HIV-1 viruses mutate into diverse variants that pose challenges for scientists developing vaccines to protect people from HIV/AIDS. “AIDS vaccine development has been a decades-long challenge partly because our immune systems have difficulty recognizing…
Rare VEXAS disease affecting only men is found to be more common than first thought
A rare disease first identified in 2020 is much more common than first thought, say researchers at the University of Leeds investigating its origins. VEXAS syndrome is a serious inflammatory condition which develops in men over 50, causing them to…
MUSC is first in nation to enroll kids in trial of novel MIS-C therapy
Using an investigational cell therapy, Medical University of South Carolina pediatricians successfully treated two patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but life-threatening complication of COVID-19.
New compound targets enzyme linked to autoimmune disorders, severe COVID-19
When the body detects a pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, it mounts an immune system response to fight this invader. In some people, the immune system overreacts, resulting in an overactive immune response that causes the body to injure…
Outbreak of a rare, polio-like syndrome likely prevented, postponed by social distancing
Social distancing not only helped slow the spread of COVID-19 — it also may have prevented the transmission of an outbreak of a rare polio-like syndrome, according to Princeton University researchers. Though uncommon, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a critical…
How a receptor shapes the immune response
Immune cells specialize to ensure the most efficient defense against viruses and other pathogens. Researchers at the University of Basel have shed light on this specialization of T cells and shown that it occurs differently in the context of an…
Big shift seen in high-risk older adults’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination
Poll shows double-digit jumps since autumn in percentage of Black, Hispanic and chronically ill older adults who say they’ll get vaccinated — or already have
Spacing COVID-19 vaccine doses has benefits, but longer-term outcomes depend on robust immunity
Delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines should reduce case numbers in the near term. But the longer-term case burden and the potential for evolution of viral “escape” from immunity will depend on the robustness of immune responses generated by natural…
Covid-19 risk increases with airborne pollen
Increased pollen concentrations correlate with higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rates
Molecule with potential to treat multiple sclerosis passes toxicology testing in zebrafish
Study conducted at a FAPESP-supported research center shows that anti-inflammatory peptide TnP could lead to drug development. Zebrafish Danio rerio is a popular aquarium species widely used as a model for in vivo trials in drug development.
LJI research leads to promising combination therapy for type 1 diabetes
Phase 2 trial run by Novo Nordisk emphasizes the importance of translational research
Real world data reveal risks of allergic reactions after receiving COVID-19 mRNA vaccines
Study provides reassurances of the vaccines’ safety
Study of coronavirus variants predicts virus evolving to escape current vaccines
A new study of the U.K. and South Africa variants of SARS-CoV-2 predicts that current vaccines and certain monoclonal antibodies may be less effective at neutralizing these variants and that the new variants raise the specter that reinfections could be…
Time needed to sequence key molecules could be reduced from years to minutes
Research demonstrates potential for rapid, accurate glycan sequencing
COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on UCPH research ready for testing on humans
A few days from now the first human will be vaccinated with a Danish vaccine candidate against COVID-19. It is developed by a team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the companies AdaptVac, ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies and…
COVID-19: Biomarkers linked to severe forms of the disease
A team of researchers from the CHUM Research Centre has identified new biomarkers associated with the severity of COVID-19 in infected patients. Recent scientific literature has shown that the immune response plays a central part in the severity of COVID-19…
RCSI researchers discover new way to halt excessive inflammation
DUBLIN, Friday, 5 March 2021: RCSI researchers have discovered a new way to ‘put the brakes’ on excessive inflammation by regulating a type of white blood cell that is critical for our immune system. The discovery has the potential to…
WRAIR, Duke scientists find evidence of monoclonal antibodies activity against malaria
Scientists at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in a collaboration with Duke University, have confirmed that monoclonal antibodies can be an effective tool in the global fight against malaria. The study, led by Dr. Sheetij Dutta, chief of the…
SARS-CoV-2 mutations can complicate immune surveillance of human T-killer cells
The body’s immune response plays a crucial role in the course of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Moms need guidance on what to eat when their breastfeeding infant has a food allergy
Study shows 30% of moms got conflicting advice on eating the same food their infant is allergic to
SARS-CoV-2 mutations can complicate immune surveillance of human T-killer cells
The body’s immune response plays a crucial role in the course of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to antibodies, the so-called T-killer cells, are also responsible for detecting viruses in the body and eliminating them. Scientists from the CeMM Research…
COVID-19 in 2021
What The Article Says: Current best evidence about COVID-19 vaccines, immunity and whether SARS-CoV-2 will become an endemic or seasonal virus is summarized in this Viewpoint. Authors: Carlos del Rio, M.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta,…
Could catnip become the new DEET?
The common plant shows promise as a new natural insect repellent
A new strategy for pooling COVID-19 tests to detect outbreaks early
Novel protocol draws on mathematical models that account for false-negative test results
Equitably allocating COVID-19 vaccine
Study sheds light on vaccine acceptance among sexual and gender minorities
Engineered safety switch curbs severe side effects of CAR-T immunotherapy
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina–UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have successfully used an experimental safety switch, incorporated as part of a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, a type of immunotherapy, to reduce the severity of treatment side effects that…