Immunotherapy Weekly articles from December 2003

Immunotherapy Weekly archives from December 2003

Antisense blockade of Stat5a/b promotes the apoptosis of lymphoid cells.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antisense blockade of Stat5a/b promotes the apoptosis of lymphoid cells. "Stat5a and Stat5b exhibit 96% homology and are required for normal immune function. The present studies examined Stat5a/b...

Heart risk tied to blood vessel cell death.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mass suicide by protective cells that line every blood vessel in the body may be to blame for the increased risk of heart and vascular disease faced by patients with the autoimmune disease known as...

Delta BAFF is an alternate splice isoform of BAFF that regulates B cells.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Follicular B cell survival and autoimmunity are both tied to BAFF; BAFF appears to be regulated by its alternative splice form, deltaBAFF. According to a study from the United States, "the tumor...

New drug treats autoimmune disease that weakens eye and body muscles.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Under a new $4.7 million grant from the U.S. National Eye Institute, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland hope to develop in 5 years...

Free-living amoebic pathogen P. acanthamoeba replicates in macrophages.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Free-living amoebic pathogen P. acanthamoeba replicates in macrophages, induces apoptosis. "Parachlamydia acanthamoeba is an obligately intracellular bacterium that naturally infects free-living...

Copper, zinc are shuttled by prion protein from membrane to endosomes and Golgi.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The noninfectious, normal isoform of prion protein, PrPC, appears to internalize and transport copper and zinc to endosomes and Golgi. According to a study from the United States, "the cellular...

Acquired factor VIII inhibitor-related can occur with myelodysplastic disorder.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acquired factor VIII inhibitor can occur with myelodysplastic disorder, hemorrhage; therapy was able to resolve it. According to published research from England, "we report a 71 yr old man who...

Growth hormone therapy may kill; monocytes produce IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNFalpha.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Septic shock, uncontrolled infection, and death of adults given growth hormone while ill may be due to its effect on LPS-activated PBMC: It makes them produce increased IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNFalpha. ...

Eprex induces reversible antierythropoietin antibodies and red cell aplasia.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eprex induces reversible antierythropoietin antibodies and red cell aplasia. "We describe a patient with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) who developed anti-erythropoietin (anti-EPO) antibodies and...

Domestic animals may be bioterrorism targets; broad health, economic damage possible.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Domestic animals may be bioterrorism targets; broad health, economic damage possible. According to a study from France, "after a brief historical introduction, the authors describe a list of...

Induced sputum can be used in PCR to assay for cytokines in airway inflammation.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Induced sputum having few cells can be used to assay for cytokines by PCR, to monitor airway inflammation noninvasively. According to recent research from France, "sputum examination is being...

Study reveals dramatic rise in allergic diseases.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dramatic increases in hospital admissions for allergic diseases have occurred in England over the last decade, finds a new study. Researchers in London used national hospital discharge statistics...

FDA approval granted for loratadine.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Andrx Corporation (ADRX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the marketing of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for its loratadine orally disintegrating...

Improved diagnosis of fungal infections no longer requires preventive therapy.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Improved diagnosis of fungal infections no longer requires preventive therapy. According to recent research published in the journal Annals of Hematology, "invasive fungal infections are a primary...

Bis-eugenol protects against inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bis-eugenol, a eugenol ortho dimer, exerted a protective effect on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated nuclear factor kappa B activation and inflammatory cytokine expression in macrophages. According to...

Company updates positive clinical data on multiple antisense drugs.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIS) announced positive data from clinical trials of four antisense drugs for the treatment of four diseases. Final results from phase II studies of ISIS 104838 in...

Air pollutants alone may cause asthma attacks.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers have shown for the first time that diesel exhaust particles alone may be enough to induce acute asthma attacks. A new testing method used in...

Smooth muscle cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae increase MMP-1, MMP-3.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smooth muscle cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae increase MMP-1, MMP-3; not MMP-2, MMP-9, or TIMPs. According to recent research published in the journal Fems Immunology and Medical...

Myxoma of the right atrium could be due to fusion of giant cells.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myxoma of the right atrium could be due to fusion of giant cells. "Myxoma is the commonest primary tumor of the heart, arising more frequently in the left than the right atrium," researchers in...

Iloprost therapy given once a month at maximal dose improves systemic sclerosis.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Iloprost therapy given once a month at maximal dose improves systemic sclerosis. According to recent research published in the journal Hautarzt, "systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of...

Methanol extract of Bacopa monniera is antioxidant, protects from DNA damage.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Methanol extract of Bacopa monniera is antioxidant, protects from DNA damage. According to a study from Italy, "Bacopa monniera L. (family Scrophulariaceae) (BM) is an Ayurvedic medicine, clinically...

Transgenic work shows lack of lambda5 doesn't fully impair pro-B cell maturation.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Transgenic mouse work shows absence of lambda5 does not fully impair pro-B cell maturation, thus altering previous views on molecular interactions required for maturation to pre-B cells. "Pre-B...

Nocardia puris characterized as a new species that can produce abscesses.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nocardia puris is characterized as a new species that can produce abscesses in humans. "A bacterial isolate (IMMIB R-145(T)) from a human abscess was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study....

Unresponsive thrombocytopenia patients may have GPIX mutation, Bernard-Soulier.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unresponsive thrombocytopenia patients may have GPIX mutation, Bernard-Soulier. "Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a rare inherited disorder with giant platelets, thrombocytopenia, and a prolonged...

IL-1, B7 protein families expanded due to sequence search; function is needed.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IL-1, B7 protein families expanded due to sequence search; function is needed. "Remarkable advances in our knowledge of the genome sequence have led to the creation of databases that afford the...

Bordetella pertussis CyaA binds CD11b at different site than catalytic one.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The CyaA toxin of Bordetella pertussis binds CD11b/CD18 at a site different from the catalytic domain. According to published research from France, "adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) is one of the...

Canadian study confirms women with implants require more medical care.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study by epidemiologists at the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health, finds that Canadian women with breast implants use much more medical services than other women of the same...

Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia can occur in immunocompetent patients.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prior aspergilloma or Aspergillus infection may influence immunocompetent patients to develop Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia. "A 69 yr old man developed an episode of severe community-acquired...

Tumoral immune resistance based on tryptophan degradation by enzyme.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have found evidence for a tumoral immune resistance mechanism based on tryptophan degradation by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. According to a study from Belgium, "T lymphocytes undergo...

Trypanosoma cruzi antigens elicit strong humoral immune response in mice.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunization with the cytoplasmic repetitive antigen and flagellar repetitive antigen of Trypanosoma cruzi elicited a strong humoral immune response in mice. According to recent research published...

Substance P regulates Th1-type colitis in IL-10 knockout mice.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Substance P regulates Th1-type colitis in IL-10 knockout mice. "Substance P (SP) is a proinflammatory molecule that interacts with a neurokinin 1 receptor (NK-1R), which is on T cells and helps...

Medarex announces achievement of milestone in agreement.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medarex, Inc., (MEDX) has achieved a significant milestone under its 1999 agreement with Amgen, Inc. The achievement of this milestone will trigger an undisclosed payment to Medarex. "We are...

Miikana Therapeutics inks strategic alliance for antibody development.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Miikana Therapeutics, Inc., and NovImmune, SA, have established a collaboration to develop fully human antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. The resulting...

High expression of CD55 by colorectal cancers is predictive of low survival.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High expression of CD55 by colorectal cancers is predictive of low survival and recurrence. According to research published in the journal Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, "this study prospectively...

Cytology smears retain best antigen reactivity if directly fixed in 95% ethanol.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cytology smears retain best antigen reactivity if directly fixed in 95% ethanol. According to a study from the United States, "as an extension of a previous study, we evaluated interference in...

Candidates for immunization regimens using DNA vaccines described.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have published a list of candidates for immune modulation and immunization regimens using DNA vaccines in a recent issue of Methods. According to recent research from the United States,...

DNA vaccine induces protective capsular polysaccharide antibody response.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A multi-epitope DNA vaccine encoding a peptide mimic of meningococcal serogroup C capsular polysaccharide induced a protective capsular polysaccharide antibody response. According to a study from...

Heat shock protein-mediated antigen targeting increases DNA vaccine potency.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Secretory heat shock protein-mediated antigen targeting increases DNA vaccine potency. "In an effort to enhance the potency of DNA vaccines, we have developed a new strategy to increase antigen...

Mucosal immunization with DNA vaccines reviewed.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers review mucosal immunization with DNA vaccines in a recent issue of the journal Methods. According to a study from England, "DNA vaccines represent a new approach to the control of...

Technical issues in construction of nucleic acid vaccines reviewed.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers review the technical issues in construction of nucleic acid vaccines in a recent issue of the journal Methods. "Delivery of antigen-encoding genes by nucleic acid vaccine vectors offers...

CD11b+ DC from Peyer patch induce the highest B cell IgA secretion via IL-6.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CD11b+ DC from Peyer patch induce the highest B cell IgA secretion via IL-6 production; spleen cell DCs can be induced by IL-6 to also induce some B cell IgA. "Peyer patch (PP) dendritic cells (DCs)...

Nonresponsive bullous pemphigoid may be bullous scabies.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nonresponsive bullous pemphigoid may be bullous scabies. "Scabies is an infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, characterized by polymorphous lesions that may include burrows, papules, nodules,...

Vesicular pemphigoid in children and teens may mimic herpes infection.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vesicular pemphigoid in children and teens may mimic herpes infection. "We describe a case of a 16 yr old African-American boy with bullous pemphigoid (BP), an acquired autoimmune blistering disease...

Immunological perspectives of islet transplantation reviewed.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have reviewed the immunological perspectives of islet transplantation in a recent issue of Current Opinion in Immunology. "Clinical trials of islet transplantation are showing...

Guidelines for assessing immunotoxicity released.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Several countries have released guidelines for assessing immunotoxicity. "Over the last couple of years the assessment of immunotoxic potential of human pharmaceuticals has drawn considerable...

In organ transplant complications, histology is often needed to assess cause.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In organ transplant complications, histology is often needed to assess cause. According to recent research published in the journal Springer Seminars in Immunopathology, "immunopathology techniques...

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells express different genes in kidney cancer.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells have predictor genes and express certain proteins differently in renal cell carcinoma patients. "Expression profiling has demonstrated that transcriptomes of...

Tumor oxygen use, hypoxia, can be observed by MRI with FREDOM.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tumor oxygen use, hypoxia, can be observed by MRI with FREDOM. The MRI FREDOM (Fluorocarbon Relaxometry Using Echo Planar Imaging for Dynamic Oxygen Mapping) measures oxygen tension; variability in...

Research agreement supports computer-assisted molecular design of medicines.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Shionogi & Co., Ltd., has entered into a joint research agreement with Professor Shin-ichiro Nishimura of the Hokkaido University Faculty of Science to use carbohydrate-related functional bioinformatic...

Company announces results of clinical trial with HE2200.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals (HEPH) announced preliminary results of an exploratory phase II clinical trial with the company's investigational immune regulating hormone, HE2200, in patients with...

Borrelia burgdorferi induces inflammatory cytokines during erythema migrans.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inflammatory cytokines are induced in PBMC of newly infected patients with erythema migrans from Borrelia burgdorferi. According to recent research from the United States, "in a study of cytokine...

Human mucins 1, 3, 6 normal in fetal kidney; MUC3, MUC6 absent in diseased organ.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Human mucins 1, 3, 6 normal in fetal kidney; MUC3, MUC6 absent in diseased organ. "Human mucin (MUC) genes encode large O-glycoproteins, which are expressed in various epithelial tissues. The...

E. faecalis gains entry into enterocytes by means of Asc10 functional domain.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enterocytes internalize Enterococcus faecalis by means of the functional domain of aggregation substance, not the RGD motifs. "Aggregation substance (AS), a surface protein encoded on the...

Skin aging is an area of concern in developed countries; therapy is available.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Skin aging is an area of concern in developed countries; therapy is available. "In developed countries, interest in cutaneous aging is in large part the result of a progressive, dramatic rise over...

Severe pneumonitis, cerebral hemorrhage is a risk with Epstein-Barr virus.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Severe pneumonitis, cerebral hemorrhage is a risk with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), even in apparently healthy individuals. According to a study from Switzerland, "EBV is a ubiquitous human...

Actimmune maker announces third quarter financial results.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InterMune, Inc., (ITMN) announced results from operations for the third quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2003. For the third quarter of 2003, InterMune recorded total net product sales of...

Biopharma company announces third quarter 2003 financial results.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GenVec, Inc., (GNVC), a biopharmaceutical company, announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2003. GenVec reported higher revenues and a lower net loss through the first...

Genaera announces third quarter 2003 financial results.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genaera Corp. (GENR) announced its financial results for the 3 and 9 months ended September 30, 2003. Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the 3 months ended September 30, 2003, was...

Immunology-focused company reports third quarter losses.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. (LJPC) reported a net loss for the third quarter ended September 30, 2003, of $6.9 million, or $0.15 per share (on 47.1 million weighted average shares), compared to a net...

Inflammatory diseases drug maker files resale registration statement with SEC.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AtheroGenics, Inc., (AGIX) announced that it has filed a resale registration statement on Form S-3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pertaining to its Convertible Notes issued on...

Interleukin Genetics acquires equity interest in British start-up.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interleukin Genetics, Inc., (ILGN) announced that it has acquired approximately 5% of the outstanding equity of Molecular SkinCare, Ltd., a start-up biotechnology company located in Sheffield, England,...

Amount and type of shadecovers slows degradation of insecticide carbaryl.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The amount and type of shadecovers affect the speed of degradation of insecticide carbaryl on pakchoi, creating a range of 4-18 days. According to a study from the United States, "The effect of...

The Bacillus subtilis strain used in biological control can infect cabbages.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bacillus subtilis strain BB, used in biological control, can infect Brassica vegetables internally. "The ability of Bacillus subtilis, strain BB, to colonize cabbage seedlings endophytically was...

Ravuconazole, voriconazole, and albaconazole are active against Chaetomium.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antifungals ravuconazole, voriconazole, albaconazole, but not micafungin, are active against Chaetomium. "Chaetomium is an unusual etiological agent of human infections, but the mortality rate...

TCR gene rearrangement can occur outside thymus, in the human small intestine.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TCR gene rearrangement can occur outside thymus, in the human small intestine. "Two new 5'-untranslated region (5'UTR) exons were identified in the human gene for the lymphocyte-specific...

Oral immunization with Giardia duodenalis protein inhibits shedding of cysts.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oral immunization of BALB/c mice with Giardia duodenalis recombinant cyst wall protein inhibited the shedding of cysts. "The process of encystation is a key step in the Giardia duodenalis life...

Gene vector for HIV cleared to begin phase I/II trial.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enzo Biochem, Inc., (ENZ) announced that Enzo Therapeutics, its wholly owned subsidiary, has been cleared to proceed with a phase I/II study of its Stealth Vector HGTV43 gene construct for HIV infection...

Preclinical development program initiated for new HIV vaccine candidate.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Immune Response Corporation (IMNR) has initiated a preclinical development program with IR103, a new vaccine candidate for the prevention and treatment of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The...

Novel molecular HIV test has single-copy sensitivity for viral RNA.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel molecular HIV test has single-copy sensitivity for viral RNA. According to published research from the United States, "More sensitive assays for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)...

IL-7 safely stimulates T-cell renewal in SIV-infected macaques.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interleukin (IL)-7 safely stimulates T-cell renewal in macaques infected with the simian version of HIV (SIV). "The main failure of antiretroviral therapy is the lack of restoration of HIV-specific...

HIV Nef signaling - but not trafficking - underlies impaired T-cell development.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV Nef signaling - but not trafficking - underlies Nef-induced inhibition of T-cell development "The HIV-1 gene nef is important for progression toward AIDS and cellular depletion of the infected...

HIV Nef's ability to downregulate MHC-I molecules key to viral immune escape.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV Nef's ability to downregulate MHC-I molecules plays a key role in viral immune escape. "Nef is an HIV-1 protein that is absent in most retroviruses, yet its reading frame is highly maintained...

HIV Tat interacts with distinct proteasomal alpha and beta subunits.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV Tat interacts with distinct cellular proteasome alpha and beta subunits. "The human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) Tat protein was previously reported to compete the association of PA28...

HAART effective for pediatric HIV patients.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is effective for pediatric HIV patients. According to published research from Spain, "An observational study was performed involving 95 children with...

Negative effects of saquinavir hard gel treatment subside over time.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The negative effects of saquinavir hard gel treatment on the overall outcome of HIV therapy subside over time. "Saquinavir hard gel capsule (hgc), the first human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)...

Rituximab shows promise for HIV patients with Castleman disease.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab shows promise for the treatment of Castleman disease in HIV patients. According to a study from France, "To assess the clinical benefit of rituximab for...

Attenuated FIV vaccine protects against systemic or mucosal challenge.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An attenuated FIV vaccine provided protection from an intraclade challenge administered systemically or mucosally. "Feline immunodeficiency virus (FM) infection of domestic cats represents a...

Pale retina inclusions in dementia with Lewy bodies may cause hallucinations.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pale retina inclusions in dementia with Lewy bodies may cause hallucinations. According to recent research from France, "visual hallucinations are a core feature of dementia with Lewy bodies. Their...

Hantavirus in Brazilians may be asymptomatic or cause cardiopulmonary syndrome.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Equal amounts of rural and urban population in a Brazilian county are seropositive for hantavirus; prevalence is not associated with disease in most. "Hantaviruses are the causative agents of severe...

Role of immune processes in diabetic macrovascular disease reviewed.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have reviewed the role of immune and inflammatory processes in the development of macrovascular disease in diabetes in a recent issue of the journal Frontiers in Bioscience. "Diabetes...

Toxigenic and nontoxigenic H. pylori outer membrane vesicles increase IL-8.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gastric epithelial cells respond to Helicobacter pylori outer membrane vesicles with IL-8 production, proliferation, whether a toxigenic strain or not. "Helicobacter pylori infection, which is...

Keeping DC immaturity may induce tolerance for transplant of hematopoietic cells.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Continuing dendritic cell immaturity stage may be enough to induce a tolerogenic state for transplant of hematopoietic cells. "Recent evidence suggests that recipient as well as donor dendritic...

Cytokines are recognized by gp130 by thermodynamics, independent of structure.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A thermodynamically plastic, nonstructurally dependent binding site characterizes Gp130, a joint receptor for structurally differing cytokines. "Gp130 is a shared cell-surface signaling receptor for...

Non-hemophiliacs can have acquired, temporary hemorrhagic factor VIII syndrome.
December 3, 2003... 2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Non-hemophiliacs can have acquired, temporary hemorrhagic factor VIII syndrome. According to a study from Poland, "we describe the case of a previously healthy 8 yr old non-hemophilic boy who...