Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2017

What Cancer Did Val Kilmer Have? A Look At Some Possibilities

Actor Val Kilmer recently revealed that he had cancer that left him with a swollen tongue, but exactly what type of cancer could have caused this symptom? On Wednesday, April 26, Kilmer took part in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything), and a user asked Kilmer about an incident last...

Apr 30, 2017

Carbs Could Cause Trouble for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

CHICAGO — The nutrients in the food you eat can worsen or lessen symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, a new study from Canada finds. Inflammatory bowel disease involves having chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. The two main types of the condition are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. An estimated...

Apr 30, 2017

Hepatitis C Cases Triple, and Opioid Crisis Is Mainly to Blame

New cases of hepatitis C have tripled over a five-year period, and the exploding opioid crisis may be largely to blame. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that 2,436 cases were diagnosed in 2015, compared with just 850 cases in 2010. However, that estimate...

Apr 30, 2017

3D-Printed Ovaries Offer Promise as Infertility Treatment

A female mouse with synthetic ovaries created on a 3D-printer conceived and gave birth to healthy offspring. Researchers said the study could lead to an infertility treatment for women with cancer. The ovary was created using a porous scaffold made from gelatin, according to the all-female research team, which described...

Feb 28, 2017

Bacteria-Enriched Lotion Battles Skin Infections

Human skin is home to a multitude of microbes, including some that are helpful and some that could potentially be harmful. Now, a small pilot study shows that it might be possible to harness the good bacteria, put them into a lotion and then spread that lotion onto the skin...

Feb 28, 2017

These 3 Superbugs Pose the Greatest Threat to Human Health

The World Health Organization is issuing a warning about a group of deadly bacteria: Recently, the WHO released its first-ever listof priority pathogens, a list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that the organization says pose the greatest threat to human health. The list is divided into three categories: critical-, high- and medium-priority....

Feb 28, 2017

Breast Implants Linked to Cancer: How Does It Happen?

Women with breast implants are at increased risk of developing a rare type of cancer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. But how do these implants increase the risk of cancer? On Tuesday (March 21), the FDA said that, in light of new data, the agency now recognizes that...

Feb 28, 2017

Nearly Two-Thirds of Cancers Are Due to Random DNA 'Mistakes'

Cancer is caused by mistakes in DNA, and a new study finds that in most cancer cases, these mistakes are completely random; they're not due to heredity or environmental factors, but rather the result of random errors. The mistakes, or mutations, cause cancer to happen because even a tiny error...

Jan 31, 2017

Immunotherapy: Could the Human Body Be Trained to Fight Cancer?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The human immune system is powerful and complex. It can identify and destroy invaders of nearly infinite variety, yet spare the more than 30 trillion cells of the healthy...

Jan 31, 2017

Are viruses alive?

Viruses are infectious, tiny and nasty. But are they alive? Not really, although it depends on what your definition of alive is, two infectious disease doctors told Live Science. Living beings, such as plants and animals, contain cellular machinery that allows them to self-replicate. In contrast, viruses are free forms...

Oct 31, 2018

Why You Shouldn't Worry About the New Study Linking Cellphones to Cancer

Concerns over whether cellphones can cause cancer have been around for years. Now, the issue is being raised yet again, as government researchers release the results of a major study that found evidence linking high levels of cellphone radiation exposure to certain types of cancer in rodents. But you probably...

Oct 31, 2018

College Athlete Dies of Rare Bacterial Illness Called 'Forgotten Disease'

A college student-athlete in Kansas died suddenly from a rare bacterial infection after thinking her symptoms were due to tonsillitis, according to news reports. The 23-year-old, Samantha Scott, was a top coxswain on the rowing team at Kansas State University, according to a statement from the university. But about two...

Oct 31, 2018

Scary 'New' Tick Has US Officials Worried

A species of tick native to Asia is spreading across the United States, according to a new report. This tick, known as the longhorned tick, or Haemaphysalis longicornis, was first identified in the U.S. in August 2017 when it was found on a sheep in New Jersey, according to the...

Sep 30, 2018

The HPV Vaccine Was Just Approved for Adults Up to Age 45. Should They Get It?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that Gardasil 9, the HPV vaccine, is now approved for use in people ages 27 to 45. The vaccine, which protects against several strains of a sexually transmitted infection called human papillomavirus, has been on the market for 12 years; however,...

Sep 30, 2018

Adenovirus Doesn't Usually Kill, So Why Did 7 Kids Die from the Virus in New Jersey?

This story was updated at 11:23 a.m. ET on Oct. 24 to reflect the most recent number of deaths at this time. Seven children at a New Jersey healthcare facility have died in an outbreak of adenovirus, a virus that can cause cold and flu-like symptoms, according to health officials....