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Individuals vary their immune response according to age, sex and the costs
September 11, 2008Is it always good to respond maximally when pathogens or disease strike, or should individuals vary their immune response to balance immediate and future costs? This is the question evolutionary physiologists Oliver Love, Katrina Salvante, James Dale, and Tony Williams asked when they examined how a simple immune response varied at different life stages across the life-span of individual zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), in a study published in the September issue of the American Naturalist.
When transitioning from nest-bound juveniles to adults, female immune responses matured slowly whereas males showed dramatic variation potentially due to the costs of molting into their colorful sexually dimorphic plumage. Adult males showed little variation in immune response despite changes in resource quality. Likewise, when females laid eggs under high-quality resource conditions, immune responses were also consistent with those during non-breeding and similar to male responses.
However, when laying on reduced resources females reduced their immune response and their reproductive output consistent with a facultative (resource-driven) effect of reproductive effort on immunity. Moreover, even under high-resource conditions during the chick-rearing stage mothers showed reduced immune responses compared to fathers suggesting a residual energetic cost of egg-laying. Perhaps most importantly, immune responses of juveniles of both sexes did not predict their subsequent adult responses. Immune responses of adult females were only predictable when the quality of the environment remained constant; as soon as conditions deteriorated, individual females required flexibility in both the immune and reproductive systems. However, the degree of flexibility came at a cost as only individuals with high immune responses as non-breeders had the capacity to reduce responses when times became tough. These results underlie the fact that immunity is a highly plastic trait that can be modulated in a sex- and context-dependent manner. Given the need for individual flexibility in the immune system, this suggests that an immune response at one stage may provide limited information about immune response at future stages.
University of Chicago Press Journals
University of Chicago Press Journals
Immune Response Current Events and Immune Response News RSSMultiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive
A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic."
Exposure to both traffic, indoor pollutants puts some kids at higher risk for asthma later
New research presents strong evidence that the "synergistic" effect of early-life exposure to both outdoor traffic-related pollution and indoor endotoxin causes more harm to developing lungs than one or the other exposure alone.
Common pain relief medication may encourage cancer growth
Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells.
New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people.
Thoughtful words help couples stay fighting fit
Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.
Researchers mobilizing global resources to test new treatments for severe H1N1 infection
An important, ground-breaking initiative is unfolding in the global critical care community in response to the H1N1 pandemic.
People with less education could be more susceptible to the flu
People who did not earn a high school diploma could be more likely to get H1N1 and the vaccine might be less effective in them compared to those who earned a diploma, new research shows.
Scientists successfully reprogram blood cells
Researchers have transplanted genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells into mice so that their developing red blood cells produce a critical lysosomal enzyme -preventing or reducing organ and central nervous system damage from the often-fatal genetic disorder Hurler's syndrome.
UCI embryonic stem cell therapy restores walking ability in rats with neck injuries
The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries - a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage.
Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma
Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs.
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Source Naturals Aller-Response, Tablets, 90 tablets (Pack of 2) by Source Naturals Dietary supplement. Quercetin, Ginkgo & Synephrine. Aller-Response is a seasonal formula featuring quercetin. Human cell culture studies with quercetin demonstrated its capability to inhibit the release of histamines. Ginkgolide B, in human cell culture s |
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Understanding Hereditary Angioedema: A Mysterious Out-Of-Control Immune Response Directed By: Information Television Network | |
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Metabolic Maintenance L-Glutamine 500 mg 100 caps by Metabolic Maintenance L-Glutamine 500 mg 100 caps |
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Bedside Emergencies: Anaphylactic Shock (Volume 3) Also With: Concept Media (Primary Contributor) Describes the body's normal immune response and how it responds physiologically to allergens. Differentiates between anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions, describing signs and symptoms. Describes initial interventions to slow down or prevent reaction from becoming life-threatening, as well as more aggressive therapy for severe, progressive reactions. |
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Primer to The Immune Response by Tak W. Mak (Author), Mary Saunders (Author) Primer to The Immune Response is an invaluable resource for college students, university undergraduates and students in medicine and other health professions who need a concise but complete and understandable introduction to immunology. This book is written in the same engaging conversational style as the published reference book The Immune Response: Basic and Clinical Principles and conveys the same fascinating appeal of immunology. The authors bring clarity, readability and continuity of voice to an audience that requires only a brief survey of the most fundamental concepts in basic and clinical immunology. Primer to The Immune Response is beautifully illustrated with over 200 superb figures and 36 full color plates, and further enhanced by the inclusion of 60 tables and 6... |
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