Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/immune_system/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156241.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156241.php A trio of genome-wide studies - collectively the largest to date - has pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods. "These new results recommend a fresh look at our diagnostic categories," said Thomas R. Insel, M.D. Schizophrenia Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156252.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156252.php A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men. The study found that both interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels varied with sleep duration in women following multiple adjustments for a number of confounding factors. Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156401.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156401.php US researchers said that undiagnosed cases of celiac disease, where the immune system has a strong adverse reaction to the protein found in wheat and other grains, appear to have increased dramatically in the last 50 years. They also found, over a 45 year follow up, that people with undiagnosed celiac disease have a nearly four-fold increased risk of premature death from any cause. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156368.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156368.php A team from MIT and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found a genetic explanation for why the new H1N1 "swine flu" virus has spread from person to person less effectively than other flu viruses. The H1N1 strain, which circled the globe this spring, has a form of surface protein that binds inefficiently to receptors found in the human respiratory tract, the team reports in the July 2 online edition of Science. Swine Flu Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156267.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156267.php Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced its initial agreement to license its proprietary, recombinant virus-like-particle (VLP) vaccine technology to ROVI Pharmaceuticals (Madrid: ROVI) of Spain. Flu / Cold / SARS Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156237.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156237.php Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Gastroenterology. The study also found that subjects who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects to have died during the 45 years of follow-up. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156225.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156225.php HIV-infected infants risk contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis from the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, instead of receiving protection against the disease, according to research published today in the international public health journal, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. While the BCG vaccine is given to approximately 75% of newborn babies worldwide, a South African study has found that its harm may outweigh the benefits for HIV-infected infants. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156197.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156197.php Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disease, thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Because there is no biochemical test that can identify the disorder, physicians rely upon the recognition of its symptoms - which can include auditory hallucinations and paranoia - in order to make their diagnosis. Schizophrenia Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156121.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156121.php HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG A three-year study in South Africa found that babies who were born HIV-positive had a higher risk of contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis if given the widely used BCG vaccine, the HIV / AIDS Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156050.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156050.php Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is recognized as a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Most TB cases develop as a result of reactivation of a latent TB infection, and health authorities worldwide recommend screening for latent TB and treating patients before initiating anti-TNF treatment. Tuberculosis Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156051.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156051.php The potential role of periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the gums, in the risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic stroke, has received growing attention during the last decade. A new study is the first prospective cohort study to use clinical measures of periodontitis to evaluate the association between this disease and the risk of cerebrovascular disease. Stroke Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155979.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155979.php A spokesperson from the vaccine manufacturer Roche confirmed reports Monday that a Denmark patient with H1N1 (swine flu) developed resistance to the antiviral Tamiflu, a drug known to decrease the spread and severity of the virus, Reuters reports (Cage/Arnold, 6/29). According to the Swine Flu Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155923.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155923.php Otitis media, more commonly known as an ear infection, is the most frequently diagnosed illness in children less than 15 years of age in the United States and is the primary cause for emergency room visits. More than 80 percent of children will experience at least one ear infection before their third birthday. Much research has been dedicated to preventing this common childhood disease at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Ear, Nose and Throat Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155941.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155941.php Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today it has established a new collaboration with the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the University of Pennsylvania to further evaluate Inovio DNA vaccine candidates against swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. Swine Flu Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155904.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155904.php Helicobacter pylori survives in the body by manipulating important immune system cells. This is shown in a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy. The discovery may lead to new treatments against the common peptic ulcer bacterium. About half of the world's population carries Helicobacter pylori, mainly in the stomach. Most infected individuals never experience any symptoms, but around 10% get peptic ulcers and around 1% develop stomach cancer. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155870.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155870.php New data presented at the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) annual meeting demonstrate that Grazax® is the first tablet treatment to provide sustained disease control in patients with grass pollen rhinoconjunctivitis (hay fever) after the treatment period ended. This is the first time disease modification by sublingual allergy immunotherapy tablets has been achieved; effectively re-setting the immune system to reduce future allergic reactions to grass pollen. Allergy Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155894.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155894.php The more than 1.5 million Americans with systemic lupus erythematosus (or lupus) suffer from a variety of symptoms that flare and subside, often including painful or swollen joints, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, fever, and kidney problems. Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have now identified the main trigger for the development of this disease. Lupus Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155864.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155864.php Ablynx [Euronext Brussels: ABLX], a pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, announced that it has advanced ALX-0061, a new Nanobody®-based therapeutic programme, into preclinical development for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. ALX-0061 is a selective, low molecular weight biologic, binding to the IL6 receptor (IL6R). Immune System / Vaccines Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155881.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155881.php There is no way to know how the newest strain of the H1N1 influenza virus will behave in the future. But scientists, notably those working at the intersections of epidemiology, mathematics, modeling and statistics, are monitoring it closely to identify anomalies on its pattern of spread while evaluating ways of mitigating its impact. Swine Flu Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155797.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155797.php The CDC convened a national vaccine advisory committee Friday to discuss the best response to the spread of H1N1 (swine flu) with an estimated 6,000 new cases in the U.S. last week alone, Reuters reports. "The key point is this new infectious disease is not going away," despite the fact the flu season in North America has passed, Dr. Swine Flu Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155794.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155794.php Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), today announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest's personalized therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine, is available on a named-patient (compassionate-use) basis in Europe. Lymphoma / Leukemia Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155748.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155748.php Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Swine Flu Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155669.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155669.php Researchers in Berlin, Germany have ameliorated inflammation of the brain in mice caused by immune cells. A receptor they discovered on the surface of T cells in the central nervous system (CNS) plays the key role. The researchers showed that this bradykinin receptor 1 (B1) controls the infiltration of immune cells into the CNS. When they activated B1 in mice with encephalitis, they were able to slow down the crossing of the immune cells through the blood-brain-barrier into the CNS. Neurology / Neuroscience Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155673.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155673.php The University of Queensland has produced the first Australian batch of a new candidate vaccine against the H1N1 "swine flu" virus. Professor Anton Middelberg, from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, said the vaccine matched the virus found in the first US case of swine flu, a 10-year-old boy in San Diego. Swine Flu Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155677.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155677.php Radiant Research, Inc. announced that it is actively recruiting subjects and establishing operational plans for upcoming H1N1 vaccine trials. The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 influenza outbreak a pandemic, and the CDC has shipped virus samples to several manufacturers with the hope of having vaccine available to the general public by the fall. Manufacturers will need to complete clinical trials prior to release of vaccine to the public. Swine Flu