Health News

MAIT cell activation may play a role in fatal outcomes among severe COVID-19 cases

The mortality rate of COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation is 30-40%, however, the immunological factors associated with death in critically ill COVID-19 patients are poorly understood. A study published in PLOS Pathogens by Jonathan Youngs at St. George’s University of London, United Kingdom and colleagues suggests an association between systemic inflammation responses and increased mortality […]

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Maternal immune activation induces sustained changes in fetal microglia motility

Researchers at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine have revealed that alterations in fetal microglia resulting from maternal inflammation could contribute towards the onset of developmental and psychiatric disorders. The research team including Ph.D. student Ozaki Kana and Professor Yamada Hideto from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology observed that infant mice that were […]

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‘Patient activation’ may improve quality of life in individuals with kidney disease

Researchers previously demonstrated that online peer mentoring for individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) improves patient activation—or patients’ willingness and ability to take actions to manage their health and care—and quality of life (QOL). Now the investigators have looked at the correlation between QOL and patient activation among patients with CKD who participated in an […]

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Strong activation of anti-bacterial T cells linked to severe COVID-19

A type of anti-bacterial T cells, so-called MAIT cells, are strongly activated in people with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden that is published in the journal Science Immunology. The findings contribute to increased understanding about how our immune system responds against COVID-19 infection. “To […]