http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Hair dye and smoking both increase the risk of progressive liver disease, suggests research involving around 5000 people published in the journal Gut. http://phys.org/news188630061.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:50:01 EST news188630061 Pediatric researchers analyzing DNA variations in type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease have found a complex interplay of genes. Some genes have opposing effects, raising the risk of one disease while protecting against the other. In other cases, a gene variant may act in the same direction, raising the risk for both diseases. http://phys.org/news188484395.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:46:55 EST news188484395 Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists at the University of Leicester have made a new advance in understanding how the body fights certain types of cancer and other disease such as Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. http://phys.org/news187531958.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:40:01 EST news187531958 A non-pathogenic bacterium is capable to trigger an autoimmune disease similar to the multiple sclerosis in the mouse, the model animal which helps to explain how human diseases work. This is what a group of researchers from the Catholic University of Rome, led by Francesco Ria (Institute of General Pathology) and Giovanni Delogu (Institute of Microbiology), have explained for the first time in a recently published article on the Journal of Immunology. http://phys.org/news186384324.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:40:01 EST news186384324 Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study. http://phys.org/news185539008.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:37:19 EST news185539008 University of Adelaide researchers in Australia are finding new ways to block the movement of cells in the body which can cause autoimmune diseases and the spread of cancer. http://phys.org/news185021232.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:47:42 EST news185021232 Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the virulent food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response. The studies offer insight into host-pathogen interactions and suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, tuberculosis and autoimmune diseases. http://phys.org/news184308360.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:20:01 EST news184308360 Two studies published online on February 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine reveal that patients with a rare autoimmune disease produce antibodies that attack microbe-fighting immune proteins called cytokines. These findings may help explain why these patients suffer recurrent yeast infections. http://phys.org/news184243945.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:53:05 EST news184243945 (PhysOrg.com) -- Death is messy, especially in the developing nervous system. During embryonic development, more nerve cells (neurons) are produced than we will ever need or use. About half of those unnecessary neurons die through a pre-programmed "suicide” mechanism called apoptosis. http://phys.org/news183998895.html Medicine & Health Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:48:38 EST news183998895 The links between autoimmune diseases, infections, genetics and the environment are complex and mysterious. Why are people who live near airports more susceptible to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus? How do hormones in meat trigger the onset of a disease? http://phys.org/news183645350.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:36:38 EST news183645350 (PhysOrg.com) -- The pressures of human evolution could explain the apparent rise of disorders such as autoimmune diseases and autism, researchers say. Some adaptations may even help such ailments persist. http://phys.org/news182420161.html Biology Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:30:01 EST news182420161 A cell type that causes significant scarring in lung disease appears to have a similar effect in Graves' disease, University of Michigan Health System researchers have found. The cells, called fibrocytes, are present at a higher than normal frequency in patients with Graves' disease, according to a new study, the first to associate fibrocytes with this autoimmune disease. http://phys.org/news182184396.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:00:01 EST news182184396 (PhysOrg.com) -- Unlike Hawaii and other island groups, no native bird has gone extinct in the Galapagos Islands, although some are in danger. But University of Utah biologists found that finches - the birds Darwin studied - develop antibodies against two parasites that moved to the Galapagos, suggesting the birds can fight the alien invaders. http://phys.org/news181978559.html Biology Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:36:43 EST news181978559 Genomic switches can predispose an individual to one set of autoimmune disorders but protect the same person against another set of them, scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have found. http://phys.org/news180787044.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:00:03 EST news180787044 Identical twins look the same and are nearly genetically identical, but environmental factors and the resulting cellular changes could cause disease in one sibling and not the other. In a study published online in Genome Research, scientists have studied twins discordant for the autoimmune disease lupus, mapping DNA modifications across the genome and shedding light on epigenetic changes that may play a role in the disease. http://phys.org/news180638306.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:10:04 EST news180638306 New research by the University of Adelaide could help explain why some people are more prone to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other autoimmune diseases. http://phys.org/news180267101.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:40:02 EST news180267101 A study led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist describes a new, highly pragmatic approach to the identification of molecules that prevent a specific type of immune cells from attacking their host. The findings add a powerful new tool to the ongoing search for potential treatments for autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as blood cancers, such as myeloid leukemia. http://phys.org/news178824314.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:00:01 EST news178824314 Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://phys.org/news178264218.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:10:02 EST news178264218 A small group of patients with severe Graves' eye disease experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms — and improved vision — following treatment with the drug rituximab. Inflammation around their eyes and damage to the optic nerve were significantly reduced. The same patients had not previously responded to steroids, a common treatment for Graves' eye disease. http://phys.org/news176737372.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:43:30 EST news176737372 (PhysOrg.com) -- A study into the relationship between antibodies and proteins in people with Lupus could mean earlier diagnosis of kidney disease in such patients, and lead the way for earlier diagnoses for other autoimmune diseases. http://phys.org/news176661020.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:31:29 EST news176661020 Currently, 5-8% of the U.S. population is afflicted with an autoimmune disease. Many of these are chronic and require life-long care. Moreover, different autoimmune diseases aggregate within a single family, suggesting they are caused by disruptions in common biological pathways. http://phys.org/news176047087.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:00:01 EST news176047087 The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released new data today showing that a staggering 285 million people worldwide have diabetes. The latest figures from the IDF Diabetes Atlas indicate that people in low and middle-income countries (LMCs) are bearing the brunt of the epidemic, and that the disease is affecting far more people of working age than previously believed. http://phys.org/news175257091.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:50:01 EST news175257091 Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice that, if disrupted, causes a lupuslike autoimmune disease. http://phys.org/news175093362.html Medicine & Health Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:03:19 EST news175093362 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mercury, the silvery liquid formerly used in thermometers, is now known to be highly toxic. The worst of the toxins are organic mercury compounds, such as methylmercury. Most previous analytical procedures for the detection of methylmercury were technically difficult and could only be carried out in a laboratory. http://phys.org/news174822407.html Chemistry Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:03 EST news174822407 More studies that directly compare the effectiveness of different biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are needed, say Cochrane Researchers. The researchers reviewed all previous Cochrane Systematic Reviews assessing the effectiveness of biologic disease-modifying drugs for treatment of RA and found that although all were very effective, there was little data on direct comparisons between the drugs that could help doctors decide which to prescribe. http://phys.org/news174112238.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:00:02 EST news174112238 Abatacept, a member of a new class of drug that targets immune cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is effective against RA, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The review examines recent trials to assess safety and efficacy of the drug. http://phys.org/news174077828.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:30:02 EST news174077828 Today, The Lewin Group, a national health care consulting firm, issued recommendations on ways to overcome the barriers that have obstructed lupus drug development resulting in no new drug approval for this disease in more than 50 years - since the Eisenhower Administration. The recommendations are included in the report, "Overcoming Barriers to Drug Development in Lupus," which is the outcome of a 9-month study commissioned by the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA). The recommendations highlight the need for a national collaborative and coordinated effort among key stakeholders, including the FDA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers and scientists from academia, the LFA, and industry, to implement a range of initiatives that would create a path forward to develop a robust arsenal of safe, effective, and more tolerable treatments for this difficult to treat and devastating disease. http://phys.org/news173941754.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:40:02 EST news173941754 (PhysOrg.com) -- The master gene that causes blood stem cells to turn into disease-fighting 'Natural Killer' (NK) immune cells has been identified by scientists, in a study published in Nature Immunology today. The discovery could one day help scientists boost the body's production of these frontline tumour-killing cells, creating new ways to treat cancer. http://phys.org/news172072752.html Medicine & Health Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:50:03 EST news172072752 University of Michigan scientists say they have uncovered a fundamentally new mechanism that holds in check aggressive immune cells that can attack the body's own cells. The findings open a new avenue of research for future therapies for conditions ranging from autoimmune diseases to organ transplants to cancer. http://phys.org/news171028780.html Chemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:10:02 EST news171028780 UCSF researchers have identified the two key circuits that control a cell's ability to adapt to changes in its environment, a finding that could have applications ranging from diabetes and autoimmune research to targeted drug development for complex diseases. http://phys.org/news170136477.html Biology Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:30:02 EST news170136477