- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- 'Safe' Ozone Levels May Not Be for Some
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory
- Garlic Yields Up Its Health Secret
- Cranberries May Help Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- BONES & JOINTS
- New Clues to How Fish Oils Help Arthritis Patients
- Alcohol Abuse Can Damage Bones
- Body Fat, Muscle Distribution Linked to RA Disability
- CANCER
- Red Meat No No No But Oily Fish Yes Yes Yes
- Smokeout '08: The Perfect Time to Quit
- Meditation May Reduce Stress in Breast Cancer Patients
- CAREGIVING
- Depression, PTSD Common Among Lung Transplant Patient Caregivers
- Caring for Aging Loved Ones Can Be a Catch-22
- Babies Born in High Pollen Months at Wheezing Risk
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Bad Marriages Harder on Women's Health
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Salt Boosts Blood Pressure in High-Risk Patients
- COSMETIC
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Laser Technology Spots Cavities Before They Start
- Health Tip: At Risk for Gingivitis
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- DIABETES
- Study Shows Turmeric May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics
- Out-of-Control Blood Sugar May Affect Memory
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Occaisonal Dieting May Cut Breast Cancer, Study Says
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
- To Feel Better, Low-Fat Diet May Be Best
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Air Pollution Exposure May Slow Fetal Growth
- Common Pesticide Tied to Development Delays in Kids
- Radiation Exposure Linked to Aggressive Thyroid Cancers
- EYE CARE, VISION
- When Corks Fly, Watch the Eyes
- Statin Drugs Cause Eye Disorders
- Impotence Drugs Don't Harm Vision: Study
- FITNESS
- Consciousness Helps the Mind and Body Work Together
- Antioxidants Blunt Exercise Benefit, Study Shows
- Good Warm-Ups Could Halve Sports Injuries
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Swine Flu May Pose Problems for Pregnant Women
- Lack of Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fish Oil Supplements Help With Heart Failure
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- Obese People Seem to Do Better With Heart Disease
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- KID'S HEALTH
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- Older People at Greater Risk of Swine Flu Death
- Teen Stress May Have Roots in First Three Years of Life
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Chocolate a Sweet Pick-Me-Up for the Depressed
- Musicians' Brains Tuned to Emotions in Sound
- Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes
- PREGNANCY
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- Pre-Pregnancy Weight Linked to Babies' Heart Problems
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- SENIORS
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- Laughter Can Stimulate a Dull Appetite
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
Healthy adults have potential autoimmune disease-causing cells
By eHolistic.com Published: 12/22/2008
(HealthDay News) -- Healthy adults have potential autoimmune disease-causing cells, but these cells stay in an "off" state, a U.S. study shows.
Immune cells that attack the body cause autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Whether the switched-off cells in healthy adults are true precursors of the self-attacking immune cells and, if so, what prevents them from causing disease in certain people, isn't known, the researchers said.
J. Andrew Duty, of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and colleagues found that anergic (dormant) autoimmune disease-causing cells account for 2.5 percent of immune B-cells circulating in the blood of healthy adults.
These anergic cells don't appear to cause problems in healthy adults, but did produce self-reactive antibodies when exposed to a strong stimulus in lab experiments. This means these anergic cells may contain the precursors for the self-attacking B-cells in patients with autoimmune disease, the researchers said.
In previously healthy people, anergy may somehow break down and allow self-attacking B-cells to cause autoimmune disease.
The study was published in the Dec. 22 online issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
More information
The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center has more about autoimmune diseases.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Rockefeller University Press, news release, Dec. 22, 2008
Last Updated: Dec. 22, 2008
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