Researchers at Children's Discover Connection between Allergic Diseases and Autoimmune DiseasesApril 04, 2007A new study by researchers at Children's and the University of Washington (UW) identifies a connection between allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, and autoimmune diseases. The study was published in the April 1 edition of Nature Immunology. Approximately 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in women, most frequently during the childbearing years. These diseases also comprise a significant portion of chronic childhood disorders. Autoimmune disease refers to a group of more than 80 serious, chronic illnesses including diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems as well as skin and other connective tissues, eyes, blood, and blood vessel. In all of these diseases, the underlying problem is similar—the body's immune system (including B and/or T immune cells) becomes misdirected, attacking the very organs it was designed to protect. "Our study implies that allergic and inflammatory diseases may actually trigger autoimmune diseases by relaxing the controls that normally eliminate newly produced, self-reactive B cells. This is important because many autoimmune diseases are caused by self-reactive antibodies produced by such B cells" said Dr. David Rawlings lead researcher and section head of Immunology at Children's Hospital and the UW.
Researchers at Children's are now trying to discover specifically where the "relaxation" in the control of B cell autoimmunity takes place. "In association with other UW laboratories, we also have begun to study drugs that can counter some of these effects. One such drug helps to prevent autoimmune kidney disease in a related animal model," said Rawlings. In addition to Dr. David Rawlings, other authors of the study included Alexander Astrakhan, Thuc Nguyen, MD and Shirly Becker-Herman, PhD. For a complete copy of the study, please visit http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ni1452.html;jsessionid=0BFCABAFF538691D08AC7EABF55F0146 or http://www.nature.com/ni/index.html Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Autoimmune Diseases Current Events and Autoimmune Diseases News Articles Melatonin may save eyesight in inflammatory disease Current research suggests that melatonin therapy may help treat uveitis, a common inflammatory eye disease. The related report by Sande et al., "Therapeutic Effect of Melatonin in Experimental Uveitis," appears in the December issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Researcher tricks immune system in diabetic mice The body's immune system hates strangers. When its security patrol spots a foreign cell, it annihilates it. JDRF funded research shows promise for prevention, reversal of type 1 diabetes Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have reported that two common cancer drugs have been used to block and reverse type 1 diabetes in mice. Penn Scientists Show How Body Determines Optimal Amount of Germ-Fighting B Cells Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine can now explain how the body determines whether there are enough mature B-cells in the blood stream at any one time. These are the cells that produce antibodies against germs to fight infections. Previously unknown immune cell may help those with Crohn's and colitis The tonsils and lymphoid tissues in the intestinal tract that help protect the body from external pathogens are the home base of a rare immune cell newly identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response Vitamin D is essential to good health but needs to be activated to function properly in the human body. Until recently, this activation was thought to happen primarily in the kidneys, but a new University of Iowa study finds that the activation step can also occur in lung airway cells. Type-1 diabetes not so much bad genes as good genes behaving badly, Stanford research shows Investigators combing the genome in the hope of finding genetic variants responsible for triggering early-onset diabetes may be looking in the wrong place, new research at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests. Geisinger research: Antimalarial drug prevents diabetes in arthritis patients The use of an antimalarial medication may prevent the onset of diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, new Geisinger research shows. Are bone marrow mononuclear cells effective in reducing hepatic lesions? Liver fibrosis occurs in the setting of chronic injury caused by different etiologies constituting a serious worldwide public health problem. In addition to schistosomiasis, hepatopathies due to alcohol, viral hepatitis, drugs, metabolic and autoimmune diseases, and congenital abnormalities are important causes of liver fibrosis. Green tea may delay onset of type 1 diabetes A powerful antioxidant in green tea may prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. More Autoimmune Diseases Current Events and Autoimmune Diseases News Articles |
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