A state of resistance to an agent, the pathogen, that normally produces an infection. Pathogens include microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, as well as larger parasites.
The US nonprofit nutrition watchdog urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on that and other deceptive ?structure/function? claims increasingly appearing on food labels. – US Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urges FDA to crack down on food frauds saying that Kraft, General Mills, Dole, & others ripping off consumers with bogus immunity claims.
Weight loss bariatric surgery for morbid obesity also prevents cancer, revealed by McGill/MUHC researchers. – The latest study by Dr. Nicolas Christou of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University shows that Weight loss bariatric surgery decreases the risk of developing cancer by up to 80 percent.
Children exposed to second hand tobacco smoke are more likely to get severe infectious diseases and have to be admitted to hospital, finds research published online ahead of print in Tobacco Control. – Second hand smoke decreases immunity in infants and thereby raises risk of infectious diseases and early hospitalization even in the first year of life in infants, revealed by researchers in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control.
New ‘OPAL Therapy’ presents simple, cost-effective method of treating HIV infection – Australian researchers have unveiled a new immunotherapy technique to help prevent the progression from HIV infection to AIDS. Details of the simple, cost-effective technique are published May 2nd in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Growth hormone (GH) treatment was found to increase the immunity in HIV patients. It increased the thymic mass, and increased the number of immune cells HIV patients had circulating in their blood. – Growth hormone helps boost the immune system of HIV patients, revealed by researchers. Growth hormone (GH) treatment was associated with increased thymic mass, and increased the number of immune cells HIV patients had circulating in their blood.
Low levels of gastric acid in the stomach can increase one?s likelihood of getting a foodborne infection. – A new study suggests that low levels of gastric acid in the stomach can increase one’s likelihood of getting a foodborne infection. The researchers from Australia report their findings in the February 2008 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.
Genetic breakthrough supercharges immunity to flu and other viruses; McGill researchers discover way to boost cells’ natural anti-virus defences. – Researchers at McGill University have discovered a way to boost an organism’s natural anti-virus defences, effectively making its cells immune to influenza and other viruses.
DNA sequencing establishes high throughput genetic sequencing as powerful tool for pathogen discovery; technology enables improvements in screening for transplant safety. – In the first application of high throughput DNA sequencing technology to investigate an infectious disease outbreak, link the discovery of a new arenavirus to the deaths of three transplant recipients who received organs from a single donor in Victoria, Australia in April 2007.
Consistent alcohol consumption can impair immunity functions following surgery. Study authors recommend that patients considering surgery control their drinking habits, and also be very honest with their doctors about their drinking habits, prior to surgery. – People who drink often have immune-function problems following surgery. For example, patients who consume alcohol long-term have a two- to five-fold greater chance of post-operation infection complications. A new rodent study has found that chronic consumption ? in this case, the equivalent of prolonged moderate drinking ? can result in a more severe form of pneumonia following surgery.
New Tel Aviv University (TAU) research links depression to loss of the sense of smell, suggesting that the blues may have biological roots. – Can’t smell the roses? Maybe you’re depressed. Smell too much like a rose yourself? Maybe you’ve got the same problem. Scientists from Tel Aviv University recently linked depression to a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands. It might explain why some women, without realizing it, wear too much perfume.
