Inflammatory

Not only do ticks suck your blood, but they're able to do so for a long time, undetected. Scientists have now synthesized the protein that lets them get away with it, and it may have life-saving medical applications.

New research has found an old drug, used for over half a century to treat alcoholism, could be repurposed as a useful anti-obesity medication. The animal study saw the drug prevent obesity and improve metabolic health in mice fed a high-fat diet.

A study is offering new evidence of a link between ALS and the gut microbiome. One researcher described the discovery as “remarkable”, finding genetically identical mice displayed different health outcomes determined by their gut microbiome.

Eating whatever we want and staying slim is many people’s dream come true – and new research may have brought it a step closer. By blocking a gene in certain immune cells, scientists have prevented mice from becoming obese, even on a high-fat diet.

A study carried out at Australia’s Peter Mac Cancer Centre has provided a possible new pathway forward in treating a host of diseases, revealing that drugs under development to treat cancer could be altered to temper inflammation in a powerful way.

A “cytokine storm” is a dangerous kind of immune overreaction that can be triggered by infection or other treatments. Now, MIT researchers have engineered proteins that show early promise in mopping up these overzealous immune cells.

A new study indicates that proteins regulating glucose metabolism and the anti-inflammatory activity of brain immune cells are linked with Alzheimer’s pathology, and could point researchers toward new treatment and diagnostics.

A trio of studies are investigating the role our brain’s immune cells play in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are revealing these cells can contribute to neurodegeneration, and how they may be harnessed to prevent neuron damage.

A new imaging study has found neuroinflammation may be more common in neurodegenerative diseases than previously suspected. The Cambridge research revealed brain inflammation to be a common thread across three different types of dementia.

New Stanford University research has homed in on two specific gut bacteria-produced metabolites that may protect against the intestinal inflammation associated with diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s.

A new study has found a plaque-identifying toothpaste can potentially lower levels of systemic inflammation – which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke and hypertension – by improving a person’s brushing efficacy.

Inflammation can get out of hand, causing pain and contributing to diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes. A molecular “switch” in mice that could effectively turn off that reaction, possibly reversing these conditions and maybe even aging itself.