Latest Microchimerism Stories

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A small amount of male DNA can be found in the brains of women, something researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) believe may be the result of leftover DNA in the mother’s body by a male fetus, which occurs relatively frequently. In a first-of-its-kind study, William Chan, PhD, Department of Biochemistry at University of Alberta, and J. Lee Nelson, senior author at FHCRC, looked at microchimerism--the...

Some mothers literally carry pieces of their children in their bodies A pregnant woman's blood stream contains not only her own cells, but a small number of her child's, as well, and some of them remain in her internal organs long after the baby is born. Understanding the origin and identity of these cells is vital to understanding their potential effects on a mother's long-term health. For example, fetal cells have been found at tumor sites in mothers, but it is unknown whether the cells...

Study is first to find possible causative link but biological reasons are unknown For the first time, scientists have found what could be a causative link between the concentration of circulating Y-chromosome fetal cells in women who gave birth to children of either sex and their risk of later developing breast cancer and colon cancer. The findings show that the presence of fetal cells is a double-edged sword: Women with the lowest concentration of fetal cells were 70 percent less likely...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For the first time ever it is shown that human fetal immune system arises from a completely different source than the adult immune system, and is more likely to tolerate than fight foreign substances in its environment.This finding could lead to a better understanding of how newborns respond to infections and vaccines, and may explain some mysteries as to why many infants of HIV-positive mothers are not infected with the disease before birth. In addition, it could help...

UCSF researchers have shown for the first time that the human fetal immune system arises from an entirely different source than the adult immune system, and is more likely to tolerate than fight foreign substances in its environment.The finding could lead to a better understanding of how newborns respond to both infections and vaccines, and may explain such conundrums as why many infants of HIV-positive mothers are not infected with the disease before birth, the researchers said.It also could...