Immunology

Natural Papain Enzyme In Cosmetics Can Act As Allergen

Papain, found naturally in papaya and ioften referred to as a “plant-based pepsin”, is an important industrial protein-degrading enzyme for the food and cosmetic industries. The cosmetic industry uses papain in exfoliating treatments to remove dead surface ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 10 2015 - 3:40pm

Human Norovirus Might Infect Dogs, Can They Infect Us Back?

Human norovirus can cause an immune response in dogs so it leads to obvious concern over whether or not dogs can transmit it to other people. Norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, is extremely contagious among humans. It infects 19-21 million Ame ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 11 2015 - 8:00am

How Salmonella Survives Macrophage's Acid Attack

Macrophages destroy bacteria by engulfing them in intracellular compartments, which they then acidify to kill or neutralize the bacteria. Some pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella enterica, have evolved to exist and even grow within these acidified com ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 17 2015 - 8:30am

Signaling Pathway Of Rare Form Of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Discovered

A systematic review of the genomes of patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a particularly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, shows that many cases of the disease are driven by alterations in the JAK/STAT3 cell sig ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 15 2015 - 8:23am

Macrophages As T-Cell Immune Response Primers

A new study demonstrates that macrophages can effectively substitute for so-called dendritic cells as primers of T-cell-dependent immune responses. They instead stimulate a broader-based response. The immune response, the process by which the adaptive immu ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 15 2015 - 2:58pm

LEM- Newly Discovered Protein Boosts Immunity To Cancer

A newly discovered protein plays a central role in promoting immunity to viruses and cancer, according to experiments in mice and human cells.  The hitherto unknown protein, which the researchers named lymphocyte expansion molecule, or LEM, modulates the p ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 16 2015 - 4:53pm

Stomach Ulcers In Cattle

Scientists at the Vetmeduni Vienna investigated whether stomach ulcers in cattle are related to the presence of certain bacteria. For their study, they analyzed bacteria present in healthy and ulcerated cattle stomachs and found very few differences in mi ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 18 2015 - 6:00pm

Household Pets Can Transmit Infections To People

Household pets can transmit infection to people, especially those with weak immune systems, young children, pregnant women and seniors, according to a new study. Health care providers and pet owners should be aware of this risk to prevent illness in vulne ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 26 2015 - 1:00pm

Yogurt Does Not Improve Health

Western dietary guidelines support the consumption of dairy but how much of the specific ratios is cultural versus evidence-based has always been a debate. One thing that has never been debate is if there is anything special about yogurt. Though it has be ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 21 2015 - 9:17am

Why Do We Have Allergies?

For me, it was hornets. One summer afternoon when I was 12, I ran into an overgrown field near a friend’s house and kicked a hornet nest the size of a football. An angry squadron of insects clamped onto my leg; their stings felt like scorching needles. I ...

Article - Carl Zimmer - May 1 2015 - 10:51am