immune Archives - Pinfaves

Insulin can boost your immune system, here’s how

September 5, 2018 Loknath Dasboost, Can, Here's, How, immune, Insulin, System, Your

Insulin, a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets, boosts immune health, according to a new study. Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI) scientists have identified a specific insulin signalling pathway that, when activated, revs up the response of T cells in the immune system to divide rapidly and secrete cytokines, chemical messenger proteins that activate the rest of the immune system. A fast and effective immune response protects us against disease and life-threatening infections by destroying infected cells or microbes, while a wrong or inefficient one can…

Mums, take it easy. Maternal depression may affect child’s immune system

August 24, 2018 Loknath Dasaffect, child's, Depression, easy, immune, It, Maternal, May, Mums, System, Take

Turns out, depression in mothers may have long-term effects on their children’s stress and physical well-being. In a new study, researchers followed 125 children from birth to 10 years. At 10 years, mother’s and children’s cortisol (CT) and secretory immunoglobulin (s-IgA)–markers of stress and the immune system–were measured, mother-child interaction was observed, mothers and children underwent psychiatric diagnoses, and children’s externalizing and internalizing symptoms were reported. Depressed mothers had higher CT and s-IgA levels and displayed more negative parenting, characterised by negative effect, intrusion, and criticism. Children of depressed mothers…

Moms-to-be, take care of your health. Your immune system may influence baby’s brain

March 8, 2018 Loknath DasBaby's, Brain, Care, Health, immune, influence, May, moms-to-be, of, System, Take, Your

The state of a woman’s immune system during pregnancy may shape the connectivity of her child’s brain, suggests a study, emphasising the influence of maternal health on a child’s susceptibility to psychiatric disorders later in life. The findings showed that short and long-term brain functioning can be influenced by immune system activity during the third trimester of gestation. Infections, stress, illness, or allergies are commonly known to trigger immune responses. When the body’s immune system detects one of these factors, two proteins namely IL-6 and CRP are released as part…

Brain-based immune proteins may regulate sleep

February 5, 2017 SrijitaBrain-based, immune, May, Proteins, regulate, Sleep

Sleep may be regulated in parts by several brain-based immune proteins, says a study that could pave the way for new therapies to treat chronic sleepdisorders and sleep disturbances secondary to other diseases. The immune proteins — collectively called inflammasome NLRP3 — recruit a sleep-inducing molecule to trigger somnolence following sleep deprivation and exposure to a bacterial toxin, showed results of the study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Animals lacking genes for this protective immune complex showed profound sleep aberrations. “Our research points, for the first time,…

No Time to Sleep? You Could Be Hampering Your Immune System

January 30, 2017 Srijitabe, Could, Hampering, immune, No, Sleep, System, Time, to, You, Your

Why do we need to rest? There’s always so much to do and we have such little time. We have deadlines to meet and goals to achieve that we often convince ourselves that four to five hours of sleep time is more than enough. Now just ask yourself one question – do you want to be at the best of your health and live long? Living a healthy and balanced life takes dedication and effort, and you shouldn’t take it for granted. What we often fail to understand is that…

Doctors arm immune system to fight cervical cancer cells

January 25, 2017 Srijitaarm, Cancer, cells, Cervical, Doctors, Fight, immune, System, to

Doctors were bewildered when they went through the case sheet of a woman who was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer nearly 10 years ago. More than a year after a full dose of radiotherapy, cancerhad spread to the lung. By then the disease should have claimed her life. Yet, she continues to visit them for periodic checks. Tests show she is free of the ailment. When diagnosed with cancer, her oncologist at the Cancer Institute (WIA) here had included her name for an experimental treatment – immunotherapy. Rather than directly…