Previous Seasonal Flu Infections May Provide Some Level of H1N1 Immunity Nov 18, 2009
The research team also looked at the immune system's antibody-producing B cell response to the H1N1 virus ... B cells, and their ability to produce antibodies that remember a virus, are the basis for vaccines to protect against subsequent infections by similar viruses. (Science Daily)
* The effects of war on health Nov 15, 2009
The US Department of Veterans Affairs recently accepted that Vietnam War veterans may have developed B cell leukemias, Parkinsons disease and ischemic heart disease as a result of exposure to a blend of herbicides known as Agent Orange, a defoliating agent sprayed by US warplanes to deprive their enemies of cover. Similarly, ionizing radiation from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 led to medical complications such as cancers, nausea, hair loss, bleeding into the skin,... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Approved Lymphoma Drug Shows Promise In Early Tests Against Bone Cancer Nov 9, 2009
9, 2008) Patients respond well to a new three-drug combination for indolent B cell lymphoma that also spares them prolonged, potentially lethal, suppression of blood production in the bone marrow, researchers. (July 9, 2008) A new study indicates that the incidence of mantle cell lymphoma, an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is on the rise, most frequently striking men, Caucasians and older. (Science Daily)
Is a raspy voice a common chemo side effect? Nov 5, 2009
My husband just completed six cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy for his non-Hodgkin's diffuse large B cell lymphoma in his upper stomach. Compared with what we've heard others have endured, his side effects were relatively mild. (CNN -- Health)
Sars patients can provide therapy Nov 1, 2009
A team from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland, focused on a type of immune cell called a B cell. These cells make the proteins, or antibodies, that target the Sars virus for attack by the immune system. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
Patrick Carney » Oct 27, 2009
"Nick's No. 27 jersey permanently hangs in the high school locker room. During the HEADstrong tournaments in Nick's honor, and in youth games throughout the area, players of all teams lace up with lime green shoelaces for their cleats. Lime green represents the exact disease Nick suffered from -- mature B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is one of the lacrosse community's ways of remembering Nick.For Tierney, during the annual trip to the tournament in Folsom, Pa., he teaches his new players... (ESPN -- College Sports)
Kauai veterans October news Oct 22, 2009
The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson s disease; and ischemic heart disease. The secretary s decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Genetic effect of CysLTR2 polymorphisms on its mRNA synthesis and stabilization Oct 20, 2009
We measured CysLTR2 protein and mRNA expression in EB virus-infected B cell lines from asthmatics having ht1+/+ and ht2 ... We found that the expression of CysLTR2 protein was higher in B cell lines of asthmatics having ht2+/+ than in those having ht1 ... PMA/ionomycin induced higher mRNA expression of CysLTR2 in B cell lines from ht2+/+ asthmatics than those from ht1+/+ asthmatics. (BioMed Central)
New therapy for vasculitis will help patients avoid infertility and cancer Oct 18, 2009
Researchers have identified that Rituxan, a drug previously approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's B cell lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis, can treat severe ANCA-associated vasculitis as effectively as cyclophosphamide, the current standard therapy. The news will be presented October 18 at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Philadelphia. (EurekAlert!)
SCID Kids Leading Healthy, Normal Lives 25 Years After 'Bubble Boy' Oct 14, 2009
Investigators found that 58 percent of the children needed periodic antibody therapy because of inadequate B cell function, and about one-third required antibiotics. In addition, about 10 percent had some sort of developmental delay and about 20 percent had attention deficit disorder, often due to the lack of an enzyme called adenosine deaminase, one of the causes of SCID. Other conditions appearing in a minority of the patients include diarrhea, rashes and HPV infection. (Science Daily)
New aging studies improving vaccine efficacy for the elderly Oct 6, 2009
(The immune system contains a number of different cell types including B cells, which manufacture antibodies, and multiple classes of T cells. CD4 T cells are a type of helper cell that stimulates B cell production and many other components of immunity. (EurekAlert!)
Experimental Drug Lets B Cells Live And Lymphoma Cells Die Oct 5, 2009
Lymphocytes include B cells, workhorses of the immune system that attach to invaders (e ... In NHL, B cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally, and most patients are diagnosed too late to benefit from conventional chemotherapy ... "We believe we have found a subtle, precise mechanism that shortens the lifespan of many kinds of cancer cells while enabling normal B cells to live on.". (Science Daily)
New Chemically-activated Antigen Could Expedite Development Of HIV Vaccine Oct 1, 2009
"In nature, microbial antigens stimulate antibody synthesis when they bind antibodies on the surface of B cells by weak noncovalent forces. In the case of HIV, noncovalent binding of its cell attachment site induces a state of B cell tolerance, permitting infection to proceed unchecked. Our covalent vaccination approach breaks the tolerance and stimulates production of antibodies that inactivate the virus.". The tolerance signal is converted to a stimulatory signal because strong covalent... (Science Daily)
The Many Causes Of Immune Deficiency Sep 18, 2009
To fight these off successfully, the body will need to resort to what is called the adaptive immune system (consisting of white blood cells of T cells and B cells) ... B cell deficiencies, which usually take a milder course, can be treated by regular administration of antibody preparations from the blood of healthy plasma donors to reduce susceptibility to infection dramatically ... Finally, boundaries between immunodeficiency diseases and autoimmune diseases are blurred, because a number of T... (Science Daily)
Allergy: Solving The Mystery Of IgE Sep 15, 2009
In the recent past he and others have described several B cell specific control mechanisms that indicate a tight control of the IgE response. The understanding of these mechanisms, combined with the analysis of the biological function of the IgE molecule during an immune response are the prerequisite for the establishment of new systemic IgE targeted therapeutic strategies in the future. (Science Daily)
Multiple Sclerosis Reversed In Mice Aug 12, 2009
Multiple Sclerosis Successfully Reversed In Mice: New Immune-suppressing Treatment Forces The Disease Into Remission. Multiple Sclerosis Successfully Reversed In Mice: New Immune-suppressing Treatment Forces The Disease Into Remission. (Science Daily)
Gene Shut-down May Offer Early Warning Of Chronic Leukemia Aug 8, 2009
16, 2005) For years, doctors and scientists believed that B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was a static disease of long-lived lymphocytes -- that the leukemia cells were both immortal and born at a. (Aug. (Science Daily)
Bcl6 gene sculpts helper T cell to boost antibody production Jul 24, 2009
Tfh cells work in structures that are hotbeds for B cell genetic mutation. HOUSTON - Expression of a single gene programs an immune system helper T cell that fuels rapid growth and diversification of antibodies in a cellular structure implicated in autoimmune diseases and development of B cell lymphoma, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today in Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science ... In the adaptive immune system, B... (EurekAlert!)
A Myc-regulated transcriptional network controls B-cell fate in response to BCR triggering Jul 17, 2009
The B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is a signaling complex that mediates the differentiation of stage-specific cell fate decisions in B lymphocytes ... Here we define the transcriptional changes that underlie BCR-induced apoptosis and proliferation of immature and mature B cells, respectively ... We further investigated the Myc-dependent molecular mechanisms and found that Myc promotes a BCR-dependent clonal expansion of mature B cells by inducing proliferation and inhibiting differentiation. (BioMed Central)
HIV-1 Damages Gut Antibody-producing Immune Cells Within Days Of Infection Jul 15, 2009
The study is the first to examine what happens to B cells in the gut in the earliest stage of HIV-1 infection. Researchers say the findings may shed light on one of the big mysteries in HIV: why the B cell, or antibody response, is so slow to arise - and so weak when it finally does, that it is unable to offer any kind of meaningful defense ... B cells that make antibodies against invading microbes are born in the bone marrow but migrate out and mature in different locations throughout the body.... (Science Daily)
Why Some Tumors Don't Respond To Radiation And Chemotherapy Jul 8, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 7, 2009) A tightly controlled system of checks and balances ensures that a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 keeps a tight lid on unchecked cell growth but doesn't wreak havoc in healthy cells. In their latest study, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest just how finely tuned the system is and how little it takes to tip the balance. (Science Daily)
HIV-related Death: Predicting Fatal Fungal Infections Jul 5, 2009
Dr. Pirofski and her colleagues counted the number of immune cells known as IgM memory B cells in the bloodstream of three groups of individuals: people infected with HIV who had a history of fungal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans; people infected with HIV but with no history of the disease; and those with no history of either HIV infection or the disease. "We were astounded to find a profound difference in the level of these IgM memory B cells between the HIV-infected groups," said... (Science Daily)
Sars patients can provide therapy Jul 5, 2009
A team from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland, focused on a type of immune cell called a B cell. These cells make the proteins, or antibodies, that target the Sars virus for attack by the immune system. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
DNA Mutation That Occurs At Beginning Point Of T-cell Lymphoma Identified Jul 1, 2009
There are two types of lymphoma: B cell lymphomas and T cell lymphomas. Both B cells and T cells perform vital functions in the immune system by creating antibodies and destroying virus-infected cells ... The paper follows a similar study, published in the December issue of the journal Cell, in which Lieber and colleagues determined how the most common chromosomal translocation in B cell lymphoma occurs. (Science Daily)
Pushmi-pullyu Of B-cell Development Discovered Jun 27, 2009
ScienceDaily (June 26, 2009) Although every cell in the body carries the genes necessary to function as an antibody-producing B cell, only a small proportion of stem cells mature into those important immune-system cells. James Hagman, PhD, Professor of Immunology at National Jewish Health and his colleagues have identified two "molecular motors" that work in opposing directions to control the development of B cells ... "We found that these two chromatin remodeling complexes' work in a sort of... (Science Daily)
New Treatment Strategy Offers Hope To Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Who Failed All Other Therapies Jun 19, 2009
Although the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not complete understood, it is believed to involve B cells (part of the immune system) that become abnormal and cause the immune system to attack the joints. Rituximab works by killing B cells, removing the cause of the inflammation ... B cells are gradually replaced over the next 6 to 12 months by new cells from the bone marrow. (Science Daily)
What Is The Function Of Lymph Nodes? May 27, 2009
T and B cells (immune cells) carrying the matching antigen-receptors on their surface will be stimulated by the concentrated antigen now present in these lymph nodes. T cells will then go on and orchestrate the defensive response against the invaders, whereas B cells will transform into antibody-producing cells flooding the body with antibodies which act against the hostile microorganisms ... The new paper shows that in the mouse T cell function is unperturbed in the absence of lymph nodes,... (Science Daily)
A kinase dead knock-in mutation in mTOR leads to early embryonic lethality and is dispensable for the immune system in heterozygous mice May 21, 2009
mTOR +/kd mice exhibited normal T and B cell development and unaltered proliferative responses of splenocytes to IL-2 and TCR/CD28. In addition, heterozygousity for the mTOR kinase-dead allele did not sensitize T cells to rapamycin in a CD3-mediated proliferation assay. (BioMed Central)
Computer Simulation Captures Immune Response To Flu May 21, 2009
In lymph nodes, helper T cells, in turn, cause the second major player in the adaptive response, the B cell, to start mass-producing antibodies, proteins that glom onto and eliminate them from the body. The new model predicts how rapidly the T and B cells respond to influenza type A virus infection ... Depending on the pathogen at hand and a given patient's past exposure, either T cell or B cell responses may play a larger role in clearing the virus. (Science Daily)
Recent developments at Burnham Institute for Medical Research, May 2009 May 13, 2009
In collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Mark Ginsberg in the department of pharmacology at UCSD, Dr. Robert Rickert and colleagues in the Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center at Burnham reported an essential role for the beta integrin-associated molecule CD98 in B cell proliferation. B cells in mice lacking CD98 are unable to respond to any mitogenic stimuli, resulting in a failure to generate antibody-secreting cells ... These findings, reported in the current issue of Nature... (EurekAlert!)
Study reveals current multi-component vaccines may need reworking May 8, 2009
Sant argues that understanding immunodominance has become even more important in light of recent publications that show strong T cell responses to a peptide have a role in the reactions that causes B cells to start mass producing antibodies as well. Activated T cells move into "the B cell area" of the lymph node and encourage B cells to start making antibodies ... "Evolution may have chosen kinetic stability as the way in which it decides which pieces of disease-causing invaders activate a full... (EurekAlert!)
Examining TLR4 influences of B cell response May 6, 2009
Known as B cells they are the cornerstone of the body's antibody production system ... The link between TLR4 activity and periodontal disease, and the importance of B cells in oral immunity prompted a team of Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers, led by Barbara Nikolajczyk, an associate professor of microbiology and medicine, and her co-investigator, Lisa Gnaley-Leal, an assistant professor of medicine and microbiology, to question whether B cells respond to chronic... (EurekAlert!)
Potential Preventative Therapy For Type 1 Diabetes May 5, 2009
The body's immune cells, or white blood cells, include B cells and T cells. B cells make antibodies and present 'antigens' to T cells, allowing them to recognise, and kill, invaders ... In previously published studies about Type 1 diabetes, Mari;o and Grey showed that groups of B cells migrate to the pancreas and pancreatic lymph nodes, presenting specific insulin antigen to T cells. (Science Daily)
Citizens held as illegal immigrants Apr 13, 2009
Some citizens being held as illegal immigrants. The crackdown on illegal immigrants is netting those with right to be here. (MSNBC -- Crime)
Stopping autoimmunity before it strikes Mar 25, 2009
Munthe, Bogen, and colleagues will utilize this new model "for studies on early intervention, e.g. drug treatment, to prevent or treat autoimmune disease", and for studies of the development of B cell lymphoma. . (EurekAlert!)
A natural approach for HIV vaccine Mar 16, 2009
Their immune systems' memory B cells produce high levels of antivirus antibodies, but until now, researchers have known little about the antibodies or how effective they are ... "It's the first time that anyone has defined what is really happening in the B cell response in these patients," says Scheid. (EurekAlert!)
Busy B's: Lymphocyte Uses Multiple Mechanisms To Shape Immune Response Mar 10, 2009
The study, published by Cell Press online in the journal Immunity on 26 February, provides some intriguing insight into the variety of mechanisms implemented by B cells to protect the host from infection ... B cells are critical cells of the immune system that produce antibodies (Abs) to help rid the body of harmful pathogens ... Research has shown that B cells do not just produce Abs but can regulate the immune response in many other ways as well. (Science Daily)
Protein helps immune cells to divide and conquer Mar 9, 2009
However, when B cells grow unchecked, it can lead to immune cell cancers such as multiple myeloma or, when they grow to attack the wrong targets, to autoimmune disease ... While deletion of the protein didn't impair early B cell activation, it did inhibit later activation of elements along the signaling pathway that push the cell forward to divide ... "Since B cells can't rapidly divide and replicate without CD98hc, perhaps by blocking this protein we could stop the unchecked growth of B... (EurekAlert!)
Key protein in immune cells division identified Mar 9, 2009
The discovery of the role of the CD98hc protein may help find new therapy targets for diseases such as multiple myeloma that are caused by unchecked B cells growth ... The researchers speculated that by blocking the CD98hc protein they could stop the unchecked growth of B lymphocyte cells that can result in cancer or block misdirected B cell attacks that can cause certain autoimmune diseases ... By replacing normal CD98hc in B cells with a version that lacked one or the other of these two... (Xinhuanet, China)
