Thema: ScienceDaily

Prolonged illnesses like cancer and chronic infections often leave the immune system in a state of exhaustion, where its frontline defenders -- T cells -- lose their ability to function effectively. Researchers have identified a rare type of immune cells, called stem-like T cells, that holds the key to maintaining powerful, long-term immune responses.

A new method of scanning lungs is able to show in real time how air moves in and out of the lungs as people take a breath in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and patients who have received a lung transplant. It enables experts to see the functioning of transplanted lungs and could enable medics to identify sooner any decline in lung function.

A new, non-invasive nasal swab test for kids that diagnoses specific asthma subtype, or endotype, could help clinicians prescribe medications more precisely and pave the way for research toward better treatments for lesser-studied asthma types, which have been difficult to diagnose accurately until now.

Findings of a new study into severe allergic reactions offer a sobering warning to people allergic to tree nuts and, more broadly, could lead to quicker diagnoses in emergency care for people with all anaphylactic allergies.

Researchers have shown that people 60 years or older with weakened immunity do not respond as strongly to vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as people in the same age group with normal immune function.

A recent trial finds an injection given during some asthma and COPD attacks is more effective than the current treatment of steroid tablets, reducing the need for further treatment by 30%.

A research team has uncovered a molecular strategy employed by worm parasites (helminths) to evade host immune defenses. This discovery opens new avenues for the development of innovative vaccines and therapies. The study offers promising solutions for addressing major infectious diseases, allergies, and asthma by leveraging the unique immune-regulatory properties of helminths.

Effective immunity hinges on the ability to sense infection and cellular transformation. In humans, there is a specialized molecule on the surface of cells termed MR1. MR1 allows sensing of certain small molecule metabolites derived from cellular and microbial sources; however, the breadth of metabolite sensing is unclear. Researchers have identified a form of vitamin B6 bound to MR1 as a means of engaging tumor-reactive immune cells.

Researchers have developed a patch for easier and more effective treatment of psoriasis. The method may also be used in treatment of other inflammatory skin diseases.