Health News: Singing's secret power ♦ Why many alcohol drinkers also are smokers ♦ Let your head do the talking

Singing's secret power: The Ice-breaker Effect A study with adult learners showed groups doing singing bonded faster than others. The study looked at how people attending adult education classes grew closer over seven months. The conclusion -- singing groups bonded more quickly than creative writing or craft classes.

New finding helps explain why many alcohol drinkers also are smokers Alcohol and nicotine use have long been known to go hand in hand. Previous research shows that more than 85 percent of US adults who are alcohol-dependent also are nicotine-dependent. Now, researchers have found that nicotine cancels out the sleep-inducing effects of alcohol. It's a finding that sheds light on the reason alcohol and nicotine usage are so closely linked.

Let your head do the talking When people talk or sing, they often nod, tilt or bow their heads to reinforce verbal messages. But how effective are these head gestures at conveying emotions? Very effective.

Intestinal worms 'talk' to gut bacteria to boost immune system Researchers have discovered how intestinal worm infections cross-talk with gut bacteria to help the immune system. Intestinal worms infect over 2 billion people across the world, mostly children, in areas with poor sanitation. But despite causing serious health problems, worms can actually help the immune system of its host as an indirect way of protecting themselves.

Cancer Research:Titanium, gold based compound fights kidney cancer ♦ More precise cancer therapies ♦ Promising drugs turn immune system on cancer

'Remote control' of immune cells opens door to safer, more precise cancer therapies

A molecular "on switch" that allows tight control over the actions of T cells, immune system cells that have shown great potential as therapies for cancer, has been developed by a group of researchers.

Antidepressants plus blood thinners cause brain cancer cells to eat themselves in mice

Antidepressants work against brain cancer by excessively increasing tumor autophagy (a process that causes the cancer cells to eat themselves), new research shows. The scientists next combined the antidepressants with blood thinners -- also known to increase autophagy -- as a treatment for mice with the first stages of human glioblastoma. Mouse lifespan doubled with the drug combination therapy, while either drug alone had no effect.

Promising drugs turn immune system on cancer

A class of experimental drug treatments already in clinical trials could also help the body’s immune system to fight cancer, according to a study

Titanium, gold based compound fights kidney cancer cells

The findings of a new study may provide a new way of treating kidney cancer, opening the potential for more potent and less toxic therapies that would give cancer patients a better quality of life.

.Immune Research; Immunity study signals new ways to treat liver failure ♦ Old vaccine trains immune system ♦ Novel role of mitochondria identified in immune function

Immune cells take cue from animal kingdom: Together, everyone achieves more Much like birds fly in flocks to conserve energy and ants create complex nests to protect their queens, immune cells engage in coordinated behavior to wipe out viruses like the flu. Scientists discovered that cells called neutrophils arrive at the site of injury within an hour of infection and leave a chemical 'trail' behind them. Killer immune cells called T cells use this trail to find the site of injury and destroy the invader

Immunity study signals new ways to treat liver failure Patients with liver failure could benefit from a treatment that helps the immune system to combat infections linked to the condition, research suggests. A study in mice has revealed that treatment with an immune-boosting molecule called CSF-1 helps to trigger the body's natural defense mechanisms in the liver.

Novel role of mitochondria identified in immune function A new role for an enzyme involved in cell death has been discovered by scientists. Their study shows how the enzyme, called RIPK3, relays signals between the cell’s mitochondria “powerhouses” and the immune system

Old vaccine trains immune system Not only the acquired immune system but also the innate immune system has a memory. And the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis can stimulate this memory, researchers report. After a BCG vaccination, the innate immune system responds better to a wide range of other infections

Health Research: How language shapes our ability to process information ♦ Advance toward more effective, long-lasting flu vaccine ♦ Antibiotic use linked to type 2 diabetes diagnosis

Bilingualism and the brain: How language shapes our ability to process information In an increasingly globalised world, there are many practical benefits to speaking two languages rather than one. Even in the US, which is largely monolingual, more than 20 percent of the population is now thought to speak a second language

Major advance toward more effective, long-lasting flu vaccine Medical researchers have found a way to induce antibodies to fight a wide range of influenza subtypes -- work that could one day eliminate the need for repeated seasonal flu shots.

Flu vaccinations make sense for elderly, study suggests Amid debate about whether flu vaccination really helps the elderly, a new study provides fresh evidence that it does. Researchers found vaccines well matched to the year's flu strain significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations compared to when the match is poor, suggesting that vaccination indeed makes a difference. They project that well-matched vaccines saves thousands of lives every flu season.

Blood vessel cells help tumors evade the immune system A new study is the first to suggest that cells in the tumor blood vessels contribute to a local environment that protects the cancer cells from tumor-killing immune cells. The results can contribute to the development of better immune-based cancer therapies.

Antibiotic use linked to type 2 diabetes diagnosis People who developed type 2 diabetes tended to take more antibiotics in the years leading up to the diagnosis than people who did not have the condition.

Immune System Research: Vitamin A directs immune cells to intestines ♦ Role of microbiota in preventing allergies ♦ Scientists find molecular switch that creates long-term immunity

Organ transplant rejection may not be permanent Rejection of transplanted organs in hosts that were previously tolerant may not be permanent, report scientists. Using a mouse model of cardiac transplantation, they found that immune tolerance can spontaneously recover after an infection-triggered rejection event, and that hosts can accept subsequent transplants as soon as a week after. This process depends on regulatory T-cells, a component of the immune system that acts as a 'brake' for other immune cells.

Vitamin A directs immune cells to intestines A key set of immune cells that protect the body from infection would be lost without directions provided by vitamin A, according to a recent study. A team of researchers found retinoic acid is necessary for two of the three types of innate immune cells that reside in the intestine to find their proper place.

Role of microbiota in preventing allergies The microbiota is involved in many mechanisms, including digestion, vitamin synthesis and host defense. It is well established that a loss of bacterial symbionts promotes the development of allergies. Scientists have succeeded in explaining this phenomenon, and demonstrate how the microbiota acts on the balance of the immune system: the presence of microbes specifically blocks the immune cells responsible for triggering allergies.

Scientists find molecular switch that creates long-term immunity Researchers have identified a protein responsible for preserving the antibody-producing cells that lead to long-term immunity after infection or vaccination.

Health Effects of a Diet that Mimics Fasting

Dietary restriction has been shown in a variety of animal models to have many health benefits. Fasting, in which food isn’t consumed (but water is), represents the extreme form of restriction. Previous studies in animals and people suggested that periodic cycles of fasting may improve certain metabolic and immune functions. Fasting for 2 or more days, however, is difficult for many people, and can have adverse health effects.

Animal studies show that dietary restriction can have many health benefits, but how best to apply such diets in people is still under study. Image Credit: NastjaPungracic\iStock\Thinkstock.

A team led by Dr. Valter Longo at the University of Southern California studied diets designed to mimic the beneficial effects of fasting while minimizing the risks and difficulty associated with complete food restriction. The research was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA). Results were published inCell Metabolism on July 7, 2015.

The team first tested cycles of prolonged fasting in yeast, a single-celled organism. Yeast that were switched back and forth from a nutrient-rich environment to water for several cycles had a longer lifespan and were better able to survive toxin exposure—a marker of increased stress resistance—than yeast not exposed to periodic starvation.

The team next tested a very low-calorie, low-protein diet in mice. The diet was designed to mimic some of the beneficial effects of fasting, including improving markers of longevity and metabolism. Middle-aged mice (16 months old) were fed the diet for 4 consecutive days, followed by 10 days of unlimited access to food. The mice overate during these phases so that their overall calorie intake was similar to mice continuously fed a regular diet.

Mice fed the diet twice a month for several months had various metabolic changes, including lower blood glucose and insulin levels, than mice fed a control diet. These metabolic markers all returned to normal levels during periods of re-feeding. Mice fed the diet had less fat around their organs (known as deep or visceral fat) at 28 months of age. They also had greater bone density at old age and increased nerve cell development in the brain. At the end of life, mice on the diet had fewer tumors and skin lesions than control mice.

The team next conducted a pilot study in a small group of people. Nineteen healthy adults consumed a proprietary plant-based diet that provided between 34% and 54% of the normal caloric intake with at least 9–10% protein, 34–47% carbohydrate, and 44–56% fat. Participants consumed the diet 5 days a month for 3 months (3 cycles), resuming their normal diet at the end of each diet period. A control group of 19 adults ate a normal diet.

People on the diet had improvements in blood glucose and decreased body weight compared to the control group. Those with initially elevated C-reactive protein levels (a marker of heart disease risk) had lower levels, while those with normal levels had no change. Reports of side effects were low and included fatigue, weakness, and headache.

“Strict fasting is hard for people to stick to, and it can also be dangerous, so we developed a complex diet that triggers the same effects in the body,” Longo says. “It’s not a typical diet because it isn't something you need to stay on.”

More research will be needed to determine the long-term impact of the diet on human health and provide information on when and how such a diet might be applied.

—by Carol Torgan, Ph.D.

Immune System Research: New genetic immune disorder identified ♦ Keeping a lid on inflammation ♦ Rare disorder found to have a common form

Rare disorder found to have a common form A hereditary autoimmune disease that was thought to be exceedingly rare may have a less severe form that affects one in 1,000 people or even more, according to new research. The results of this research suggest that a number of different autoimmune diseases and syndromes may be tied to mutations in a single gene. Among other things, these findings may help provide new means of diagnosing and treating autoimmune disorders.

Keeping a lid on inflammation Although critically important for shaping the immune response and maintaining self-tolerance, how regulatory T cells (Treg cells) hold on to their immunosuppressive powers had remained unclear. Now, for the first time, researchers have identified a molecular pathway that maintains the stability and function of Treg cells.

New genetic immune disorder identified A new immune disorder has been identified -- DOCK2 deficiency -- named after the mutated gene responsible for the disease. An international team of collaborators studied five children, four boys and one girl, from different ethnic backgrounds who had experienced debilitating infections early in life. The children were diagnosed with combined immunodeficiency, which refers to a group of inherited disorders distinguished by defects in immune system cells called T cells. CIDs also may affect other cells of the immune system, including B cells

Too exhausted to fight, immune system may harm the body they are supposed to protect An 'exhausted' army of immune cells may not be able to fight off infection, but if its soldiers fight too hard they risk damaging the very body they are meant to be protecting.

Health News: Third of Brits at risk of food poisoning ♦ Five salmonella outbreaks food inspectors didn't see coming ♦ Bacteria contribute to immune suppression in skin

Third of Brits at risk of food poisoning from deadly chickens  Campylobacter is found on raw chicken and is the most common cause of food poisoning in Britain, causing an estimated 100 deaths annually. Currently, over 280,000 people contract food poisoning a year. FSA director Nina Purcell said: "More than a quarter of a million people – 280,000 – fall ill each year due to campylobacter food poisoning.

Five salmonella outbreaks food inspectors didn't see coming  Federal inspectors are inside every meat and poultry processing plant in this country. The problem is, their efforts sometimes fail to identify salmonella — a potentially deadly pathogen that sickens more than a million Americans each year, about 200,000 from contaminated poultry.

Genome-wide DNA study shows lasting impact of malnutrition in early pregnancy  Children whose mothers were malnourished at famine levels during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy had changes in DNA methylation known to suppress genes involved in growth, development, and metabolism documented at age 59.

Bacteria contribute to immune suppression in skin after repeated schistosome exposure Our two square meters of skin act as a defensive barrier against environmental pathogens but is also covered by beneficial commensal bacteria. A study explores this delicate balance and reports that when schistosome parasites repeatedly penetrate the skin, they are cloaked in skin bacteria, leading to a tightly controlled and limited immune response, due in part to this cloaking mechanism.

Losing weight can reduce risk of death, ventilator use in lung transplant patients Obesity is a complicating factor for many surgical patients.Researchers have shown that losing weight can have a positive impact on outcomes for lung transplant patients.

Health News: New Ebola treatment effective three days ♦ Overcoming drug-resistant malaria ♦ Impact study of chronic pain conditions

Stressed-out parasites: Overcoming drug-resistant malaria Drug resistance to the critical antimalarial therapeutics of the artemisinin family has emerged in Southeast Asia, highlighting the need to understand how these drugs work and how they can be used more effectively. Artemisinins may function by chemically damaging the malaria parasite's proteins, causing them to activate a cellular stress response

Discovery could impact study of chronic pain conditions Researchers have uncovered the critical role in pain processing of a gene associated with a rare disease. Their breakthrough paves the way for a better understanding of chronic pain

Missing genetic link found in a challenging immune disease In the largest genome-wide analysis to date of common variable immunodeficiency disorder, scientists have identified a gene that may be a 'missing link' between overactive and underactive immune activity.

Finding effective, cost-effective treatments for complex wounds Two new papers identify which of the hundreds of available treatments for complex wounds are most likely to be effective and which are most likely to be cost-effective. Complex wounds are a significant burden on patients and on the economy, costing the North American health-care system $10 billion a year.

New Ebola treatment effective three days after infection  A post-exposure treatment that is effective against a specific strain of the Ebola virus that killed thousands of people in West Africa has been developed. The treatment uses a sequence specific short strand of RNA, known as siRNA, designed to target and interfere with the Ebola virus, rendering it harmless.

Cancer Research: Sweeping prostate cancer review ♦ Tumor sanctuaries ♦ Stress management techniques improve quality of life for women with breast cancer + more

Sweeping prostate cancer review upends widely held view on radiation  Two new studies have upended the widely held view that it's best to delay radiation treatment as long as possible after the removal of the prostate in order to prevent unwanted side effects. The findings inject hard facts into a debate Continue Reading

Cancer therapy 'tumor sanctuaries' and the breeding ground of resistance  Tumors acquiring resistance is one of the major barriers to successful cancer therapy. Scientists use mathematical models to characterize how important aspects of tumor microenvironment can impair the efficacy of targeted cancer therapies. Continue Reading

Stress management techniques improve long-term mood and quality of life for women with breast cancer  A new study shows that providing women with skills to manage stress early in their breast cancer treatment can improve their mood and quality of life .Continue Reading

New potential for personalized treatments in bowel cancer  Genetic changes in bowel tumors are linked to the way the body’s immune system responds to the cancer. Scientists can now start looking at what causes a weak immune Continue Reading

Immune markers discovered that can predict ovarian cancer patients' response to treatment  A biomarker that will help lead to better predictions of the success of chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients has been discovered by researchers. This discovery could lead to better treatment options in the fight against ovarian cancer  Continue Reading

Potential Vaccine against early Childhood Pneumonia and Bronchiolitis

An experimental vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of illness and hospitalization among very young children, elicited high levels of RSV-specific antibodies when tested in animals, according to a report in the journal Science.

Early-stage human clinical trials of the candidate vaccine are planned. The scientist built on their previous findings about the structure of a critical viral protein to design the vaccine. The team was led by Peter D. Kwong, Ph.D., and Barney S. Graham, M.D., Ph.D.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for a common chidhood illness. There is no vaccine available to prevent RSV infection.

In the United States, RSV infection is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia in children less than one year old and the most common cause for hospitalization in children under five. Worldwide, it is estimated that RSV is responsible for nearly 7 percent of deaths in babies aged 1 month to 1 year; only malaria kills more children in this age group. Others at risk for severe disease following RSV infection include adults over age 65 and those with compromised immune systems.

“Many common diseases of childhood are now vaccine-preventable, but a vaccine against RSV infection has eluded us for decades,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “This work marks a major step forward. Not only does the experimental vaccine developed by our scientists elicit strong RSV-neutralizing activity in animals, but, more broadly, this technique of using structural information to inform vaccine design is being applied to other viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS.”

Viruses are made of proteins.For a vaccine to work there need to be a protein that is the same shape as the virus but will not cause illness. When The immune system comes in contact with the vaccine it learns to attack this protein. That way your immune system will attack the virus when it comes in concact with them.

“Here is a case in which information gained from structural biology has provided the insight needed to solve an immunological puzzle and apply the findings to address a real-world public health problem,” said Dr. Graham. He and the VRC scientists are continuing to refine the engineered F glycoproteins and hope to launch early-stage human clinical trials of a candidate RSV vaccine as soon as clinical grade material can be manufactured, a process that takes about 18 to 24 months.

“Previously, structure-based vaccine design held promise at a conceptual level,” said Dr. Kwong. “This advance delivers on that promise and sets the stage for similar applications of structure-guided design to effective vaccines against other pathogens.”

Dr. Fauci added, “This latest advance underscores the advantages of the VRC’s organizational design, where experts in RSV virology, vaccinology and clinical studies, such as Dr. Graham, are in daily contact with Dr. Kwong and others who are experts in structural biology. Such close collaboration across disciplines allows for rapid testing of new approaches to a given problem.”

Source NIH

New Immune System Found In Humans and Animals

At San Diego State University they discovered a previously unknown  immune system that is in both humans and animals. There is a protective layer of mucus in all animals including humans. The Mucus starts in the mouth and goes through the gut. On the top layer of the mucus are sugar molecules. Bacteriophage attach themselves to the sugar molecules.

Bacteriophage, Phage for short, are viruses that infect bacteria. To kill the bacteria the phage  

injects its DNA into a bacteria. The phage reproduces itself 50 times or more inside the bacteria. Then it explodes the bacteria killing the bacteria. and sending more Phage into the gut to kill more bacteria.

To test this they put E coli and phage on cells that didn’t make mucus. They found that the E coli produced three times the damage compared to the cells that produced mucus.This is the first time that a symbiotic relationship was found between Phage and animals. Hopefully this research will help get phage therapy used as medicine.