National Institutes of Health scientists have discovered that the activation of immune cells called basophils causes kidney damage in a mouse model of lupus nephritis. These findings and the team’s associated research in humans may lead to new treatments for this serious disease, a severe form of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that affects the kidneys and is difficult to treat.

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  1. Systemic lupus erythematosus: From mouse models to human disease and treatment On Sept. 2-3, 2010, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) will convene a two-day conference on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: From Mouse Models to Human Disease and […]...
  2. MedicareCard.com, Experimental Immune, Boosting Drug Worsens TB in Mice An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online....
  3. Medicare Card: Gene Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Plays Key Role in Cell Survival Scientists have discovered that a gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease may play a beneficial role in cell survival by enabling neurons to clear away toxic proteins. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene is essential to the function of […]...
  4. Medicare, After 40 Years, NIH-Supported Researchers Identify Possible New Treatment for Severe Vasculitis Investigators have made a major advance in treating people with a severe form of vasculitis, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, a rare but devastating disease of blood vessels. In a six-month study, a new treatment strategy provided the same benefits as the current standard of care used for more than 40 years but required less […]...
  5. Medicare, Study of MicroRNA, Helps NIH Scientists, Unlock Secrets of Immune Cells With the rapid and continuous advances in biotechnology, scientists are better able to see inside the nucleus of a cell to unlock the secrets of its genetic material. However, what happens outside of the nucleus has, in many ways, remained a mystery. Now, researchers with the National Institutes of Health are closer to understanding how […]...
  6. Medicare, Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health....
  7. Medicare Medical Care, Rapid Development of Drug-Resistant, 2009 H1N1 Influenza Reported in Two Cases Two people with compromised immune systems who became ill with 2009 H1N1 influenza developed drug-resistant strains of virus after less than two weeks on therapy, report doctors from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Doctors who treat prolonged influenza infection should be aware that even a short course of antiviral treatment may lead to drug-resistant virus, say the authors, and clinicians should consider this possibility as they develop initial treatment strategies for their patients who have impaired immune function....
  8. MedicareCard.com, Meeting Announcement, The NIMH Annual International Research Conference, Role of Families in Preventing and Adapting to HIV/AIDS The NIMH Annual International Research Conference on the Role of Families in Preventing and Adapting to HIV/AIDS is a three-day conference addressing the importance of family in the fight against HIV/AIDS....
  9. Medicare Card News: NIH Researchers Explore How Healthy, Young Adults View the Role Genetics Plays in Improving Health Most healthy young adults place greater emphasis on health habits than on genetic risk factors when considering what causes common diseases, a research team from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit has found. The study, based on a survey of 25- to-45-year-olds, was released June 8, […]...
  10. MedicarCard.com Update – NIH Study Offers Hope to Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis A daily dose of a specific form of vitamin E significantly improved the liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health...
  11. Medicare, Aiming for Near-Normal, Blood Sugar Did Not Delay Combined Risk of Diabetic Damage for People With Long-standing Diabetes, NIH-Sponsored Trial Finds In people with longstanding type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for heart attack and stroke, lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels did not delay the combined risk of diabetic damage to kidneys, eyes, or nerves, but did delay several other signs of diabetic damage, a study has found. The intensive glucose treatment was […]...
  12. Scientists Identify Brain Circuits Related to the Initiation and Termination of Movement Sequences in NIH-Supported Study In humans, throwing a ball, typing on a keyboard, or engaging in most other physical activities involves the coordination of numerous discrete movements that are organized as action sequences. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Gulbenkian Institute in Portugal have identified brain activity in mice that can signal the initiation and termination […]...
  13. Medicare Card What is Lupus? Medicare Card What is Lupus?...
  14. MedicareCard.com – NIH Study Confirms Location of Stem Cells Near Cartilage-Rich Regions in Bones Working with mice, a team of researchers has pinpointed the location of bone generating stem cells in the spine, at the ends of shins, and in other bones. The team also has identified factors that control the stem cells’ growth. The research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions....
  15. Medicare Card, Scientists Identify Markers, Human Breast Cancer Cells, Linked to Development of an Aggressive, But Less Common Form of Breast Cancer Scientists have identified a group of surface markers on cells linked to an aggressive type of breast cancer called estrogen receptor-negative cancer. In this preliminary study, estrogen-negative breast cancer developed when three markers, CD44+, CD49fhi, and CD133hi were present simultaneously on the surface of human cells taken from breast cancer patients and transplanted into a […]...