Discovery may help explain why women get autoimmune diseases far more often than men

Autoimmune Disease

Date:

April 19, 2019

Source:

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Summary:

New evidence points to a key role for a molecular switch called VGLL3 in autoimmune diseases, and the major gap in incidence between women and men. Building on past research showing that women have more VGLL3 in their skin cells than men, a team studied it further in mice. They show that having too much VGLL3 in skin cells pushes the immune system into overdrive, leading to an autoimmune response and symptoms similar to lupus.


 It's one of the great mysteries of medicine, and one that affects the lives of millions of people: Why do women's immune systems gang up on them far more than men's do, causing nine times more women to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus?

Undercooked Chicken Causes GBS

New Evidence Shows How Bacterium in Undercooked Chicken Causes GBS

This post demonstrates the importance of adequate cooking time for Chicken and Poultry in particular.


Newswise — A Michigan State University research team is the first to show how a common bacterium found in improperly cooked chicken causes Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS.

The federally funded research, now published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, not only demonstrates how this food-borne bacterium, known as Campylobacter jejuni, triggers GBS, but offers new information for a cure.

If chicken isn't cooked to the proper minimum internal temperature, bacteria can still exist.

FDA-Approved Drug Restores Hair in Patients with Alopecia Areata

 The number of people with Alopecia Areata is astonishing which is why I thought I'd share this article.  I hope the drug helps with this condition.

FDA-Approved Drug Restores Hair in Patients with Alopecia Areata