The recent announcement of the first uterine transplant (UT) to take place in the United States is the latest success in an exciting saga of medical progress. Uterine transplantation is a surgical procedure whereby a healthy uterus is transplanted into a woman whose own uterus is infertile or who was born without a uterus. FBR has compiled a […]
A new study in mice is proving that inflammation triggers colon cancer to spread and metastasize. Prostaglandin E2, or PGE2 is a pro-inflammatory bioactive fat, or lipid, found in colon, lung, breast, head and neck cancers. When high levels of PGE2 are found in cancer, it often indicates a poor prognosis. PGE2 normally activates when […]
If you have allergies, you’ve heard me tell you that you need a tapeworm to give your immune system something to do, but a new study in rats shows tapeworm infestation may actually improve brain function. In this crazy antibacterial world we live in the immune system can evolve without infection exposure and produce abnormal responses. […]
Ok, let’s talk biology for a minute. Chronic pain, stress, immune system, mood and emotions are all controlled by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal pathway otherwise known as the HPA Axis. The adrenal glands, in particular, are responsible for releasing cortisol into the blood stream in times of stress. Long term stress and higher cortisol levels can lead […]
A key vitamin in cell growth, Vitamin A, or retinoids, has been used to treat every thing from skin maladies to leukemia. This antioxidant is found the things we eat including animal and plant forms. The plant version is known as beta-carotene. Most of the time we eat enough Vitamin A rich foods to satisfy […]
Yet more evidence continues to support the use of probiotics connected to learning, memory, and now anxiety. Researchers at the University of Cork in Ireland have compared two different types of Bifidobacterium and how they affect mouse behavior. In skill tests of object recognition, and spatial learning and memory, the mice that were given Bifidobacterium […]
What you see in the picture is a structural rendition of a Y shaped antibody. The lower stem (Fc domain) is really where the action starts in activating the immune system and one that plays a vital role in getting rid of cancer. Antibodies have been used in cancer therapies for about 20 years now […]
Calling all IBD sufferers; you know, those with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. That miserable feeling could be due to missed connection by a protein called MyD88. Researchers at the University of Utah are looking into how mice with IBD get sicker when they are without active signals from MyD88. Classic symptoms of inflammation and […]
Three hundred and fifty thousand-the number of people who have end stage renal disease (ESRD) and require dialysis 2-3 times a week. That’s a lot of time spent “out of commission” attached to a pump. A life-saving measure to cleanse the blood, but it’s double edged sword. The process itself can activate the immune system […]
If you know me, then you’ve heard me preach a thousand times not to live in an antibacterial world. Your immune system works well and it needs a job. Humans are all too eager to pop antibiotics when ill. Researchers from the University of British Columbia have conducted a study in newborn mice to show how early […]