News & Comment

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), molecules that recognize molecular components of microbes, have taken center stage in immunologists' view of how innate immunity is triggered. A study in people genetically deficient for MyD88, a molecule central to TLR signaling in mice, should now spur a reexamination of simple views of TLR biology, as Rino Rappuoli and his colleagues explain. Delphine J. Lee and Robert L. Modlin examine how TLR9 recognition of self DNA, instead of microbe DNA, may prompt autoimmunity.

Two big challenges of transplantation biology are controlling the reaction of the graft to the host after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and preventing rejection of donor organs by the host. Raewyn Broady and Megan K. Levings discuss the first challenge, examining studies suggesting that statins might be helpful to control graft-versus-host disease. Kathryn Wood tackles the second challenge in the context of the 'Edmonton protocol', a procedure that can restore the ability to control blood glucose in people with type 1 diabetes—but only in the short term.

Smoke is a solid. Whether from cigarettes, cooking fires or other sources, it is comprised of tiny particles that injure the lung and can lead to lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, characterized by laborious breathing. Steven D. Shapiro and his colleagues take a look at imaging data in people suggesting that these two conditions have more in common mechanistically than was previously thought. Both diseases seem to stem in part from the ability of inhaled particles to trigger inflammation, a process examined by Robert M. Senior and his colleagues.

Smoke is a solid. Whether from cigarettes, cooking fires or other sources, it is comprised of tiny particles that injure the lung and can lead to lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, characterized by laborious breathing. Steven D. Shapiro and his colleagues take a look at imaging data in people suggesting that these two conditions have more in common mechanistically than was previously thought. Both diseases seem to stem in part from the ability of inhaled particles to trigger inflammation, a process examined by Robert M. Senior and his colleagues.

The complexity of factors that regulate bleeding and coagulation has long confounded researchers. Andrew Wei and Shaun Jackson help clear the air by examining clinical findings pointing to a mechanistic basis for a common bleeding disorder, immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Mark Kahn tackles two research studies that could lead to improved therapies for a coagulation syndrome that hits people with severe sepsis.

Endocannabinoids are versatile molecules, regulating a variety of functions in the body. Daniele Piomelli explores how recent clinical trials testing rimonabant, an inhibitor of endocannabinoid signaling, for weight loss emerged from studies of individuals with schizophrenia; such trials have spurred basic research into how endocannabinoids affect both energy use and mood. Beat Lutz and Krisztina Monory examine how rimonabant might prove useful for preventing the development of adult epilepsy in response to fever-induced seizures in infants and young children.