News by Subject Medicine & Health

A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests. Female rats born to mothers exposed to an allergen during pregnancy acted more characteristically 'male' -- mounting other female rodents, for instance -- and had brains and nervous systems that looked more like those seen in typical male animals.

Researchers have described a new mechanism by which influenza A viruses (IAV) alter the host immune system and make them more or less susceptible to often deadly co-occurring bacterial infections.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found that type IgG antibodies play an unexpected role in atherosclerosis. A study on mice shows that the antibodies stabilize the plaque that accumulates on the artery walls, which reduces the risk of it rupturing and causing a blood clot. It is hoped that the results, which are published in the journal Circulation, will eventually lead to improved therapies.

Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have uncovered a new mechanism of lifespan extension that links caloric restriction with immune system regulation.

Pitt scientists find a viral anti-vaccination Facebook campaign wasn't 'all about autism,' but instead centered on four distinct themes.

Research from UT Austin highlights role of immunological imprinting -- or how the immune system fights the flu after previous exposure to the virus via infections or vaccinations -- in the elicitation of new antibodies.

Individuals with a history of infection had a two-fold increased risk of developing Sjögren's syndrome in a Journal of Internal Medicine study. Respiratory, skin, and urogenital infections were most prominently associated with this increased risk.

In newborn infants, gut microbiota is first conditioned by breast milk components. When solid food is introduced, gut microbiota develops and bacteria proliferate. Scientists have discovered that a key immune response is generated in mice when solid food is introduced and microbiota expands. But, above all, they have shown that this immune reaction is essential as it is involved in educating the immune system and leads to low susceptibility to inflammatory disorders in adulthood.