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  • New mechanism behind adaptive immunity revealed: It could impact how we design vaccines

    New mechanism behind adaptive immunity revealed: It could impact how we design vaccines

    Germinal centers are high-speed evolution machines. Tiny clusters in the lymph nodes, germinal centers refine antibodies through mutation and expansion until they produce high-affinity B cells adapted to keep different pathogens in check. But rapid evolution should come at a cost. Most mutations are deleterious, so constant mutation during every cell division, coupled with unchecked proliferation, should be a recipe for disaster. How B cells somehow rapidly mutate and improve all at once was…

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    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • New understanding of B cell mutation strategies could have implications for vaccines

    New understanding of B cell mutation strategies could have implications for vaccines

    A vaccine’s ability to generate long-lasting, high-affinity antibodies hinges on a delicate balance. Upon exposure to a vaccine or pathogen, B cells scramble to refine their defenses, rapidly mutating in hopes of generating the most effective antibodies. But each round of this process is a roll of the genetic dice—every mutation has the potential to improve affinity; far more often, however, it degrades or destroys a functional antibody. How do high-affinity B cells ever beat the odds?

    New…

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    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • Classifying childhood brain cancers by immune response may improve diagnostics and treatments

    Classifying childhood brain cancers by immune response may improve diagnostics and treatments

    Researchers and pediatric neurosurgeons at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh developed a new way to profile brain cancers in children, paving the way for improved diagnostics and treatments.

    Today in Science Translational Medicine, researchers describe a diagnostic platform that could classify brain tumors based on the body’s cancer-fighting immune response. This approach, which is complementary to traditional microscopic and genetic…

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    News Source: www.sciencedaily.com

  • A child in Gaza watched his mother burn alive. Then he died too. – Mondoweiss

    A child in Gaza watched his mother burn alive. Then he died too. – Mondoweiss

    On Tuesday night, in the Qarara area east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, brothers Muhammad and Ibrahim Hamidi decided to take their children and flee to a less dangerous location east of the city. The sound of heavy gunfire from tanks stationed near their home after a brutal night of nonstop shelling and bombardment pushed them to head toward the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, the same coastal stretch of land that had served as a so-called “safe zone” throughout the war.

    The…

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    News Source: mondoweiss.net

  • The ‘Big Bet’ Changing How America Eats

    The ‘Big Bet’ Changing How America Eats

    Herman Johnson never imagined that something as simple as fruits and vegetables could change his life. A retired Army veteran from Houston, Texas, Johnson had struggled with weight issues for years, tipping the scales at over 300 pounds. His diet— like that of so many army veterans— was heavy on processed foods and light on fresh produce. But under a new pilot…

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    News Source: www.forbes.com

  • Trump Administration Sends Mixed Messages On Vaccines

    Trump Administration Sends Mixed Messages On Vaccines

    In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the policy uncertainty around vaccines, sex differences in GLP-1 drug side effects, the challenges of using AI to predict epidemics and more. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.

    One of the major concerns expressed by Senators during Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation hearings was his longstanding activism against vaccines, and how that might affect his tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services….

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    News Source: www.forbes.com

  • Now that Israel has resumed bombing Gaza, Itamar Ben-Gvir is back in the Netanyahu government – Mondoweiss

    Now that Israel has resumed bombing Gaza, Itamar Ben-Gvir is back in the Netanyahu government – Mondoweiss

    Israel has renewed its pummeling of Gaza, having killed well over 400 Palestinians in a matter of hours. 

    This marks a definitive end to a ceasefire which Israel had kept violating. Israel had closed off all of Gaza two weeks ago in violation of the ceasefire agreement, ostensibly because Hamas refused to accept Israel’s unilateral changes to the agreement. Israel’s demands would have delayed its withdrawal from Gaza and postponed the cessation of hostilities, or possible…

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    News Source: mondoweiss.net

  • The Relationship Between Waist-to-Hip Ratio, Diet Quality, and Brain Health

    The Relationship Between Waist-to-Hip Ratio, Diet Quality, and Brain Health

    Maintaining cognitive health as we age is a growing concern, with researchers continuously exploring factors that influence brain function and neurodegeneration. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has investigated the relationship between long-term diet quality, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and brain health, seeking to understand whether dietary habits and changes in body composition from middle age onward affect brain…

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    News Source: www.labroots.com

  • Cigna Closes $3 Billion Medicare Business Sale To Big Blue Cross Plan

    Cigna Closes $3 Billion Medicare Business Sale To Big Blue Cross Plan

    The Cigna Group has closed the…

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    News Source: www.forbes.com

  • Measles cases are on the rise − here’s how to make sure you’re protected

    Measles cases are on the rise − here’s how to make sure you’re protected

    The measles outbreak that started in Texas in late January continues to grow. As of March 18, 2025, confirmed cases in the outbreak, which now spans Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, reached 321, surpassing the number of confirmed cases recorded for all of the U.S. in 2024. The vast majority of cases are in people who are not vaccinated. Meanwhile, a lack of clarity from health authorities is leaving people with questions about whether they need to get revaccinated.

    In a Q&A with The…

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    News Source: theconversation.com