Immunology

What Does Your Gut Microbiome Have To Do With Your Immune System?

The bacteria living in your gut have more to do with your immune system than you might think. Shutterstock Your intestines are home to many different kinds of bacteria (and some non-bacterial organisms as well). Together they’re called the “gut microbiome ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 15 2015 - 1:00pm

Added Sex Benefit: It Makes Us Less Prone To Disease Over Time

There are many hypotheses about genetic advantages of sexual reproduction but none have been proven in humans. The researchers of a new study say they have done so, showing how humanity’s predispositions to disease gradually decrease the more we mix our ge ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 16 2015 - 9:49pm

African-Americans May Not Trust Flu Vaccines

A survey asking if people took a flu vaccine revealed some interesting statistics- if their physician specifically recommended it, they were far more likely to have gotten one and vaccination rates among African-Americans was a low 62 percent. 90 percent o ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 23 2015 - 5:05pm

LEAP Study: Eating Peanuts Early Prevents Peanut Allergy In High-Risk Infants

New evidence finds that the majority of infants at high-risk of developing an allergy to peanuts are protected from peanut allergy at age 5 years if they eat peanut frequently starting within the first 11 months of life.  ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 23 2015 - 6:07pm

Bubonic Plague Linked To Climate Change In Asia

Credit: L. Sabetelli / Wellcome, CC BY The Black Death struck Europe in 1347, killing 30-50% of the European population in six violent years. It wasn’t a one-off epidemic: it signaled the start of the second plague pandemic in Europe that lasted for hundr ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 24 2015 - 11:16am

Pediatricians Under Pressure From Parents To Spread Out Vaccine Schedule

In 2008, President Obama suggested vaccines might be causing autism. In 2009, during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, there was quickly a vaccine shortage, because the government refused to allow adjuvants, to boost vaccine effectiveness and use less raw mater ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 2 2015 - 9:25am

You Probably Don't Have The Flu

If you ask doctors what the biggest myth about the flu is, they will tell you that it's people thinking they have the flu. Flu-like illness can be caused by many pathogens, and most people don't go to the doctor for it, making it difficult to ass ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 3 2015 - 6:52pm

Two Of Four Known AIDS Virus Groups Originated In Gorillas

Two of the four known groups of human AIDS viruses (HIV-1 groups O and P) originated in western lowland gorillas, according researchers who conducted a comprehensive survey of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in African gorillas. HIV-1, the vi ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 3 2015 - 9:41pm

Medieval Latrine In Jerusalem Provides Window Into Spread Of Infectious Diseases

A medieval cesspit in the old city of Jerusalem has revealed the presence of a number of ancient parasite eggs, which gives researchers a glimpse into the nature and spread of infectious diseases in the Middle East during the 15th century.  Scientists foun ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 19 2015 - 11:07am

India Must Address Its TB Epidemic

Effective tuberculosis control in India needs political will and commitment. Unless this happens, TB will continue to be India's silent epidemic and a death sentence for poor people, warns consultant physician and public health specialist, Zarir Udwad ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 23 2015 - 8:55pm