Asthma is a widespread respiratory condition that affects people of all ages. It is marked by inflammation that leads to airway problems. The main treatment involves inhaled corticosteroids, but these have their limits. To find better treatments, scientists are looking into the tiny details of how asthma works at the cellular level. In a recent study, researchers cr...

Ever heard of a tiny bacteria that can change how your body handles cancer? Meet Parvimonas micra (Pm), a germ that usually hangs out in your mouth. Scientists have found that Pm can mess with the immune system in a way that helps colorectal cancer (CRC) grow faster. Pm works by changing special immune cells in your body called macrophages. These macrophages are lik...

Potassium channels, like Kv1. 3, are crucial for immune cell functions, but their role in osteoarthritis (OA) isn't well-known. Surprisingly, this channel is upregulated in macrophages exposed to LPS and in human OA synovium compared to non-OA samples. Scientists found that blocking Kv1. 3 with Stichodactyla toxin (ShK) significantly reduced cartilage damage and syn...