New research indicates that cholesterol-reducing drugs could have a detrimental effect on a person’s response to a flu vaccine, and may even affect the vaccine’s effectiveness. A new pair of studies, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, may have implications for flu vaccine recommendations, guidelines for statin use around the time of vaccination, and… Continue reading Statins May Negatively Affect Vaccination
Tag: immune system
A Key to Fighting Severe Viruses
Scientists seem to have figured out a way to attack a protein that many viruses rely on to replicate. It has been difficult to treat viruses that cause severe disease because there are few options for effective treatment. Many viral infections, such as the common cold, cause mild illnesses that the body’s immune system eventually… Continue reading A Key to Fighting Severe Viruses
How Nature Can Heal Us
Spending time in nature does more than make us happy: It has been proven to help protect against a startling range of diseases, including depression, diabetes, obesity, ADHD, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Now, a scientists may have discovered the reason why. After reviewing hundreds of studies examining nature’s effects on health, University of Illinois environment… Continue reading How Nature Can Heal Us
Pet-Transmitted Diseases: How to Avoid Them
Researchers are now making recommendations on how people can minimize the transmission of disease from pets. Investigators from The Ohio State University and partner institutions have compiled information for more than 500 studies worldwide to make the recommendations. The study was published in CMAJ, The Canadian Medical Association Journal. Among the nearly 20 diseases people… Continue reading Pet-Transmitted Diseases: How to Avoid Them
A Tougher Defense Against Dangerous Inflammation
A compound that’s produced by the body when dieting or fasting can block a part of the immune system involved in several inflammatory disorders such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study from the Yale School of Medicine. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, focuses on how the… Continue reading A Tougher Defense Against Dangerous Inflammation
Nature, Art & Religion Boost Immune System
Taking in such spine-tingling wonders as the Grand Canyon, Sistine Chapel ceiling or Schubert’s “Ave Maria” may give a boost to the body’s defense system, according to research done at the University of California, Berkeley and published in January 2015 in the journal Emotion. A release from the university explains that the researchers have linked… Continue reading Nature, Art & Religion Boost Immune System
The Protein That Zaps Toxins
Researchers from Ohio State have discovered how a small protein in the immune system can disable dangerous bacterial toxins. The toxins have surfaces that help the bacteria to stay alive. At the same time, though, the pliability of the surfaces make the toxins vulnerable to the immune-system proteins called defensins. Defensins, peptides that consist of… Continue reading The Protein That Zaps Toxins
Cancer, the Flu and You
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, living with cancer increases your risk for complications from influenza, more commonly known as the flu. If you have cancer now or in the past, the CDC cautions, you are at higher risk for complications from seasonal flu or influenza. And those complications can include hospitalization and… Continue reading Cancer, the Flu and You
A Protein to Help The Immune System
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University have found that the enzyme SPPL3 activates T cells, which defend the immune system. Because the enzyme’s structure is similar to that of presenilin enzymes, which have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, a university news release said, the researchers’ finding could shed more light on how presenilin functions, in… Continue reading A Protein to Help The Immune System
A New Understanding: Why the Immune System Doesn’t Always Fight Back
Researchers have drawn closer to understanding why the immune-system process can go wrong. The investigators, from Johns Hopkins, focused on how the immune system chooses bits of protein to turn into so-called dominant epitopes. In a typical immune-system reaction, white blood cells are programmed to fight dominant epitopes. To further understand that process, a team… Continue reading A New Understanding: Why the Immune System Doesn’t Always Fight Back
Nanobodies: A Smaller Weapon in Fighting Disease
A new system developed by researchers at Rockefeller University promises to make nanobodies, proteins that flag diseased cells for destruction, more accessible for various kinds of research. Nanobodies are “cousins” to antibodies and can perform similar tasks such as marking molecules for research or discovering diseased cells. They are much simpler to produce than antibodies,… Continue reading Nanobodies: A Smaller Weapon in Fighting Disease
Immune System Affects Cognitive Decline
Scientists have discovered that cognitive decline over the years may be connected to a weakening immune system. The study, by researchers from the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel, breaks new ground in the understanding of a connection between the brain and the immune system. Until recently, scientists believed that the barrier between blood and brain prevents… Continue reading Immune System Affects Cognitive Decline