inflammation tagged posts

Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma, with extension of the tumour beyond the lymph node. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia

The high amounts of dietary sugar in the typical Western diet may increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The findings, demonstrated dietary sugar’s effect on an enzymatic signaling pathway known as 12-LOX (12-lipoxygenase).

“We found that sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased tumor growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet,” said Assistant Prof. Peiying Yang, Ph.D. “This was due, in part, to increased expression of 12-LOX and a related fatty acid called 12-HETE.”
Previous epidemiological...

People who regularly drank moderate amounts of coffee daily –less than 5 cups per day — experienced a lower risk of deaths from cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, Type 2 diabetes and suicide. The benefit held true for drinking caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting it’s not just the caffeine providing health perks but possibly the naturally occurring chemical compounds in the coffee beans. Credit: Copyright American Heart Association

Drinking a second or third cup of coffee may do more than get you through a long day – it may also reduce your risk of death from heart disease and other illnesses.

Highlights •MYSM1 inhibits PRR pathways for pro-inflammatory and type I IFN gene induction •MYSM1 transiently accumulates in the cytoplasm upon microbial challenge •MYSM1 interacts with and inactivates TRAF3 and TRAF6 via its SWIRM and MPN domains •MYSM1 protects against sepsis but renders mice more susceptible to viral infection

Our immune system is vital to us and can sometimes overreact causing chronic illnesses, such as for instance rheumatism and allergy. Now, researchers have identified a molecular switch – MYSM1 – that can suppress such an overreaction and avoid inflammation.

“The discovery of MYSM1 is a major milestone in our understanding of how our immune system works, and how its response could be controlled in order to prevent inflammatory diseases such as sepsis,” ...

Confocal fluorosence microscopy: human aortic smooth muscle cells infected with P. gingivalis

A team has shown a periodontal pathogen causes changes in gene expression that boost inflammation and atherosclerosis in aortic smooth muscle cells. The circumstantial evidence that led to this study was ample. The periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, has also been found in coronary artery plaques of heart attack patients. And in 2 species of animal models, P. gingivalis has been shown to cause and accelerate formation of coronary and aortic atherosclerosis.

They began by culturing human aortic smooth muscle cells, and infecting them with P. gingivalis. They found that gingipains, virulence factors produced by P...