Immune System News and Research

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Study sheds new light on the immune system response to COVID-19

A team of immunology experts from research organizations in Belgium and the UK has come together to apply their pioneering research methods to put individuals' COVID-19 responses under the microscope.

16 Nov 2020

Baricitinib drug can reduce mortality in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19

The rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib can block viral entry and reduce mortality in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, according to translational research by an international team coordinated by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

16 Nov 2020

Difference in antibody evolution could predict COVID-19 outcomes

For COVID-19, the difference between surviving and not surviving severe disease may be due to the quality, not the quantity, of the patients' antibody development and response, suggests a new Cell paper published by Galit Alter, PhD, a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard.

16 Nov 2020

Study confirms link between gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Still incurable, it directly affects nearly one million people in Europe, and indirectly millions of family members as well as society as a whole.

16 Nov 2020

Study reveals key role of IL-33 signaling molecule in parasite infections, other health conditions

De'Broski Herbert has a philosophy that's guided his career researching helminths, or parasitic worms, and their interaction with their hosts' immune systems: "Follow the worm."

15 Nov 2020

Arthritis drug may improve COVID-19 survival among elderly patients

A type of arthritis drug may reduce the risk of dying for elderly patients with COVID-19.

15 Nov 2020

Promising MS drug may make the debilitating disease worse

A drug that has shown promise for treating multiple sclerosis may actually make the debilitating disease worse, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

15 Nov 2020

Antidepressant may prevent worsening of COVID-19 infection, study suggests

The antidepressant fluvoxamine appears to prevent COVID-19 infections from worsening and may help keep patients out of the hospital, a trial based on research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

15 Nov 2020

Inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a (SNG001) helps COVID-19 patients recovers

Now, a team of researchers at the Synairgen Research, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom, has found that inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a (SNG001), a drug used for multiple sclerosis, helped COVID-19 patients have greater odds of improvement and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

15 Nov 2020

Dopamine-release mechanisms in the brain may play a major role in SARS-CoV-2 infection

The study, which appeared in the Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, shows that the SARS-CoV-2 may behave akin to the CNS pathogenic mechanism of JEV and HIV during the early stages of infection.

15 Nov 2020

SARS-CoV-2 immunity may last over six months through antibody evolution and B cell memory

With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic infecting over 52.7 million people around the world, and killing over 1.2 million, a large amount of research has tried to better understand immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

15 Nov 2020

Research looks at aerobiomes, trees and implications for public health

In a recent bioRxiv preprint paper, Jake M. Robinson and colleagues study the dynamics of 'aerobiome' - the collection of microorganisms in a given airspace, with respect to the height from the ground level.

12 Nov 2020

Convalescent plasma in COVID-19 can be effective, especially early in disease

A team of researchers in the United States have conducted an extensive literature review looking at the usage of convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those with an impaired immune system. Their study, titled “Therapeutic use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients with immunodeficiency: A systematic review,” has been released on medRxiv*, the preprint server.

12 Nov 2020

Antidepressant drug fluvoxamine may prevent some serious complications of COVID-19

In a preliminary study of COVID-19 patients with mild-to-moderate disease who were attempting to recover in their homes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the drug fluvoxamine seems to prevent some of the most serious complications of the illness and make hospitalization and the need for supplemental oxygen less likely.

12 Nov 2020

Human coronaviruses cause processing body loss

Researchers continue to expand their knowledge of coronaviruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen. Now, a new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in November 2020 describes a vital mechanism whereby the novel SARS-CoV-2 pathogen can restrict the human host response. In doing so, the study explores how this novel feature of SARS-CoV-2 works and how it results in a reshaping of the human host's immune response.

11 Nov 2020

Researchers find a better way to block asthma triggers

Every day, ten Americans die from asthma. While quick-acting inhalers and medications can reduce inflammation during an asthma attack, people with asthma have few tools to prevent the next attack from coming.

11 Nov 2020

Host genetic "super-variants" may increase COVID-19 death risk

Researchers at Yale University have identified genetic variants among people of white British ancestry that may increase the risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – the illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

11 Nov 2020

Five important questions about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer's announcement on Monday that its COVID-19 shot appears to keep nine in 10 people from getting the disease sent its stock price rocketing. Many news reports described the vaccine as if it were our deliverance from the pandemic, even though few details were released.

11 Nov 2020

Researchers identify new prognostic markers for colon cancer

The gut-associated lymphoid tissue represents an integral part of the immune system. Among the powerful players of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue are isolated lymphoid structures (ILSs).

11 Nov 2020

Effectiveness of vitamin C against COVID-19 depends on its natural transporter levels

High doses of vitamin C under study for treating COVID-19 may benefit some populations, but investigators exploring its potential in aging say key factors in effectiveness include levels of the natural transporter needed to get the vitamin inside cells.

11 Nov 2020