Asthma :: Farm kids have lower risk of asthma, study
Farm children appear to have a lower risk of asthma than their urban counterparts or even those living in a nonagricultural rural environment, according to a University of Alberta study.
Immune system
DiGeorge Syndrome :: Reunion with patient inspires follow-up study on treatment for DiGeorge syndrome
More than 20 years ago, doctors at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA performed a successful bone marrow transplant on a baby girl who was born without a thymus gland and was suffering from severe immune deficiency. It marked the first time a bone marrow transplant, rather than a thymic transplant, had been used to treat the genetic condition known as DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS).
Allergy :: Animal food allergens unmasked
The relatedness of an animal food protein to a human protein determines whether it can cause allergy, according to new research by scientists from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich and the Medical University of Vienna.
Multiple Sclerosis :: Accentia announces investigational new drug application for Revimmune for refractory MS
Accentia Biopharmaceuticals announces that it met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September_26, 2007 for a scheduled pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) meeting on Revimmune™. The FDA has indicated its support for Accentia to submit an IND for a pivotal Phase 3 randomized controlled, multi-center clinical trial of Revimmune, the company’s potential therapeutic for refractory, relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Multiple Sclerosis :: Antibody leads to repair of myelin sheath in lab study of multiple sclerosis and related disorders
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a human antibody administered in a single low dose in laboratory mouse models can repair myelin, the insulating covering of nerves that when damaged can lead to multiple sclerosis and other disorders of the central nervous system.
Appendix :: Appendix is a safe house for beneficial bacteria in gut
Long denigrated as vestigial or useless, the appendix now appears to have a reason to be – as a “safe house” for the beneficial bacteria living in the human gut.
Immunity :: Mathematicians help unlock secrets of the immune system
A group of scientists, led by mathematicians, has taken on the challenge of building a common model of immune responses. Their work will radically improve our understanding of the human immune system by allowing all the scientific disciplines working on it to have a common reference point and language.
HIV :: NIH grant supports UCSF research exploring early HIV infection
A team led by researchers at the UCSF Positive Health Program has been named to receive $15 million over five years to expand understanding of the complex interactions between HIV and the immune systems of newly infected patients following HIV transmission.
Breast Cancer :: Women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer
The benefits of motherhood: Fetal Cell “Transplant” could be a hidden link between childbirth and reduced risk of breast cancer. Some benefits of motherhood are intangible, but one has been validated through biostatistical research: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer.
Cancer :: Re-educating immune system cells slows tumour growth
Immune system cells recruited by cancers to help them grow and spread could be ‘re-educated’ to attack the tumours instead of aiding them, Cancer Research UK scientists announced at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Conference in Birmingham.