Immune Research: Protein suggests a new strategy to thwart infection ♦ Spouses, relatives of celiac disease patients at risk for autoimmune diseases ♦ Vitamin A supplementation may cause immune system to 'forget' past infections

Vitamin A supplementation may cause immune system to 'forget' past infections Although vitamin A supplementation can have profound health benefits when someone is deficient, new evidence is emerging to show that vitamin A supplementation above and beyond normal levels may have negative health consequences. A new research report may help to explain why too much vitamin A can be harmful.

Spouses, relatives of celiac disease patients at risk for autoimmune diseases Both spouses and first-degree relatives of patients with celiac disease are at increased risk of non celiac autoimmune disease. While the excess risk found in celiac first-degree relatives can be explained by genetics, the higher risk in spouses points to the impact of environmental factors. It is also possible that spouses share microbiome characteristics with their husband/wife, which might impact the risk of developing and diagnosing other autoimmune diseases.

Link found between autoimmune diseases, medications, dangerous heartbeat condition New research focuses on identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant medications.

Protein suggests a new strategy to thwart infection The newfound ability of a protein of the intestines and lungs to distinguish between human cells and the cells of bacterial invaders could underpin new strategies to fight infections. A new article describes the knack of a human protein known as intelectin to distinguish between our cells and those of the disease-causing microbes that invade our bodies.