New study finds heart attacks involve brain and immune system, not just heart
Arteries become clogged. Blood flow is restricted and oxygen is cut off. The result is a heart attack, the world’s leading cause of death.
Medical Xpress
How your life story leaves epigenetic fingerprints on your immune cells
The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection. How can two people infected by the same pathogen have such different responses? It largely comes down to…
Leftover COVID spike fragments kill crucial immune cells but are less deadly in omicron
New research shows that after the body’s defenses kill the virus behind COVID-19, leftover digested chunks of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can target specific immune cells based on their shape. The revelations could explain why certain populations of cells…
Inflammation and autoimmune-like dysfunction may play a role in heart failure
When the heart’s muscle is weakened or injured due to a heart attack, it can make it hard for the heart to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Over time, it can lead to heart failure, where the heart’s function drops below 40%. The condition af…
Li-Fraumeni syndrome: How the immune system may shape inherited cancer risk
Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a rare hereditary disease that significantly increases the risk of developing cancer. Almost all affected individuals receive a cancer diagnosis at least once in their lifetime. A new study suggests that the immune system is par…
Discrimination is linked to diminished immune system function
People who commonly experience everyday discrimination are more likely to have higher levels of “exhausted” white blood cells, suggesting that the chronic stress of discrimination may hamper the immune system, according to a new study by NYU School of …
In rare cases, autoantibodies can cause severe reactions to a discontinued Chikungunya vaccine
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that rare cases of brain inflammation linked to live-attenuated yellow fever and Chikungunya vaccines were due to autoantibodies carried in a small subset of the popu…
Pollen exposure linked to worse quality of life for chronic sinus infection sufferers
The results of a pilot study suggest that long-term exposure to higher pollen levels leads to worse symptoms and quality of life for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. For the 103 patients studied, levels of ragweed pollen exposure over a five-year …
Large genetic study uncovers 34 regions linked to allergic conjunctivitis risk
Itchy, red and watery eyes are familiar symptoms for many people, especially during the spring and summer pollen season. Allergic conjunctivitis is a very common condition, but its hereditary background has not previously been well understood. A new in…
Rapamycin helps protect immune cells against DNA damage
As people age, their immune systems deteriorate. This makes them more susceptible to infections and can mean that vaccines are less effective. New research carried out by Dr. Loren Kell at NDORMS shows that immune cells in older people have damaged DNA…