Immune System News and Research

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Females' immune system edges out males but at a cost of higher autoimmune risk

A review article highlights how two X chromosomes in females influence immune system composition and function, leading to faster infection clearance and stronger vaccination responses but also a higher risk of autoimmune diseases.

22 Feb 2024

New immunotherapy target activin receptor 1C shows promise against cancer

Drugs that target a receptor on immune cells called activin receptor 1C may combat tumor-induced immune suppression and help patients' immune systems fight back against cancer, according to a study by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

22 Feb 2024

Ginseng enhances muscle recovery and reduces fatigue in athletes

Ginseng is one of the most popular food supplements in the world. It is made out of various plants and herbs and is thought to provide many benefits, with numerous studies pointing at possible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits as well as anti-cancer effects.

22 Feb 2024

Persistent COVID-19 could drive virus evolution, new study suggests

Study reveals the prevalence of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK, showing its potential role in viral evolution and the emergence of new variants, with implications for long-COVID and public health strategies.

22 Feb 2024

Study: Early advanced therapy significantly improves Crohn's disease outcomes

A large-scale clinical trial of treatment strategies for Crohn's disease has shown that offering early advanced therapy to all patients straight after diagnosis can drastically improve outcomes, including by reducing the number of people requiring urgent abdominal surgery for treatment of their disease by ten-fold.

22 Feb 2024

Major discovery improves the understanding of brain fog associated with Long COVID

Today, a team of scientists from Trinity College Dublin and investigators from FutureNeuro announced a major discovery that has profound importance for our understanding of brain fog and cognitive decline seen in some patients with Long COVID.

22 Feb 2024

The correlation between adopting unhealthy dietary habits and migraine severity

A recent study aimed to study the correlation between migraine severity and adopting unhealthy dietary habits. It also sought to identify specific foods that could trigger particular subtypes of migraine.

22 Feb 2024

Link between gut microbiome and premature aging unveiled in chronic HIV patients

The Wistar Institute's associate professor Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Ph.D., has demonstrated, with his lab and collaborators, a connection between viral damage to the gut and premature biological aging.

22 Feb 2024

COVID-19's neurological effects linked to immune response, not direct viral attack

Study identifies neurocognitive symptoms in COVID-19 patients as a reaction to systemic infection rather than direct brain infection, highlighting changes in the brain's immune response and synaptic organization.

21 Feb 2024

Scripps Research scientists develop an antibody that blocks lethal snake toxins

Scripps Research scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of a wide variety of snakes found throughout Africa, Asia and Australia.

21 Feb 2024

Study highlights an immunological mechanism underlying Long COVID

SARS-CoV-2 triggers the production of the antiviral protein IFN-γ, which is associated with fatigue, muscle ache and depression.

21 Feb 2024

Cycles of a diet that mimics fasting can reduce signs of immune system aging, as well as insulin resistance and liver fat

A recent study showed that three cycles of a fasting-mimicking diet in adults were associated with lower pre-diabetes markers, lower hepatic fat, and a higher lymphoid-to-myeloid ratio, which is an indicator of the aging of the immune system.

21 Feb 2024

New mechanism discovered: B cells' contribution to immune tolerance in thymus gland

Immune cells must learn not to attack the body itself. A team of researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) has discovered a previously unknown mechanism behind this: other immune cells, the B cells, contribute to the "training" of the T cells in the thymus gland.

21 Feb 2024