Autoimmune disorders are conditions in which a person’s immune system attacks the body’s own cells, causing tissue destruction. Autoimmunity is accepted as the cause of a wide range of disorders, and it is suspected to be responsible for many more. Autoimmune diseases are classified as either general, in which the autoimmune reaction takes place simultaneously in a number of tissues, or organ specific, in which the autoimmune reaction targets a single organ.
Results show women report more stress, stress decreases with age, and the recent economic downturn mostly affected white, middle-aged men with college educations and full-time jobs – Women report more stress, stress decreases with age, and the recent economic downturn mostly affected white, middle-aged men with college educations and full-time jobs, revealed by Carnegie Mellon researchers.
How stress influences disease: Carnegie Mellon study reveals inflammation as the culprit – Can removing stress from my environment make me healthy & happier? Yes, it is proven by a recent research that shows how stress influences disease and our health.
Surgical removal of the tonsils and appendix associated with risk of early heart attack — But because of the young age of participants, the absolute risk differences were small – The surgical removal of the appendix and tonsils before the age of 20 was associated with an increased risk of premature heart attack in a large population study performed in Sweden. Tonsillectomy increased the risk by 44% (hazard ratio 1.44) and appendectomy by 33% (HR 1.33).
Researchers discover genetic link between immune system, Parkinson’s disease – A team of researchers has discovered new evidence that Parkinson’s disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. “Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson’s disease” appears online in Nature Genetics.
FDA: Cancer Warnings Required for TNF Blockers – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring stronger warnings in the prescribing information for a class of drugs known as TNF blockers or TNF inhibitors.
World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic, says WHO. – On the basis of available evidence and expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. The Director-General of WHO has therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.
The research could lead to development of new drugs that turn off the immune system in patients with autoimmune diseases ? such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. – University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a new way to turn genes off in human T cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight infections. Turning off genes, through a process known as mRNA decay, is important for regulating the body’s immune response after fighting infection.
