Heart :: Possible link between oral health and heart health
The billions of bacteria and other microscopic critters that live in the mouth unquestionably influence the health of teeth and gums.
Immune system
Stem Cell :: New drug therapy to combat GVHD in stem-cell patients shows significant reduction in deaths
Gastrointestinal graft-vs.-host disease is a common and potentially deadly side effect for patients who undergo an allogeneic stem-cell transplant to treat certain blood cancers.
Diabetes :: Cells passed from mother to child may be first step in developing new treatments for type 1 diabetes
For the first time, scientists have discovered that cells passed from mother to child during pregnancy can differentiate into functioning islet beta cells that produce insulin in the child.
HIV :: Selenium supplements may contribute to reduced HIV viral load
Taking daily selenium supplements appears to increase the level of the essential mineral in the blood and may suppress the progression of viral load in patients with HIV infection – Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA/Archives journal.
Pregnancy :: Cells passed from mother to child during pregnancy live on and make insulin
A Bristol team has looked for maternal cells in children with type 1 diabetes, an immune-mediated disorder, and found that around 20 percent of these children have unusually high levels of maternal DNA in their circulation.
WHO :: UN health agency stresses multi-disease prevention strategy
The United Nations health agency outlined its ambitious goals of expanding the integrated delivery of immunization and preventive treatment against a whole host of diseases.
Gene :: Genes responsible for autoimmune diseases
Researchers identify the gene control circuitry that enables the body to prevent a wide range of autoimmune diseases.
HIV :: Will Synthetically Engineered Immune Cells Stop AIDS?
Twenty years after its introduction, gene therapy still holds great promise as a way to harness the insidious power of viruses such as human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV). But scientists have yet to solve a vexing problem: developing an efficient transport system that is capable of delivering therapeutic payloads to specific cells.
Bacteriology :: Cbl-b resists Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection
Infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major problem for patients in hospital, who are at increased risk of infection because they often have a weakened immune system, as well as individuals with cystic fibrosis. One of the things that makes P. aeruginosa so virulent is the expression of a number of proteins that function as a type III secretion system.
Influenza :: HHS Funds Advanced Development of H5N1 Influenza Vaccines
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced today that the department has awarded contracts totaling $132.5 million to three vaccine makers for the advanced development of H5N1 influenza vaccines using an immune system booster called an adjuvant. An adjuvant is a substance that may be added to a vaccine to increase the body?s immune response to the vaccine?s active ingredient, called antigen.