Reference Terms
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Pathogen
A pathogen or infectious agent is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host. The term is most often used for agents that disrupt the normal physiology of a multicellular animal or plant. However, pathogens can infect unicellular organisms from all of the biological kingdoms. There are several substrates and pathways whereby pathogens can invade a host. The human body contains many natural defenses against some of common pathogens in the form of the human immune system and by some "helpful" bacteria present in the human body's normal flora. Some pathogens have been found to be responsible for massive amounts of casualties and have had numerous effects on afflicted groups. Today, while many medical advances have been made to safeguard against infection by pathogens, through the use of vaccination, antibiotics and fungicide, pathogens continue to threaten human life. Social advances such as food safety, hygiene, and water treatment have reduced the threat from some pathogens.
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Health & Medicine News
October 6, 2026
Oct. 6, 2026 Colorectal cancer in young people is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, with researchers finding most patients age 21 or younger already had Stage III or IV disease. Because symptoms like rectal bleeding, weight loss, abdominal pain, and bowel ...
Oct. 6, 2026 Scientists have found a surprising way to regrow damaged knee cartilage by blocking a protein that becomes more abundant with age. In old mice, the treatment restored naturally lost cartilage and ...
Oct. 6, 2026 Couples who exercise together report better communication, healthier conflict resolution, and lower marital stress than those who work out alone. Even something as simple as taking a walk together may create valuable opportunities to talk, listen, ...
Oct. 6, 2026 New mothers paired with patient navigators were much more likely to receive postpartum care, depression screening, preventive testing, and ongoing primary care. By helping with barriers such as transportation, childcare, scheduling, and confusing ...
Oct. 6, 2026 In a small study, sleeping near the scent of Hinoki root essential oil was linked to fewer nighttime awakenings, better morning alertness, and brain-wave changes associated with smoother sleep onset. The findings suggest an overlooked forestry ...
Oct. 5, 2026 A ketogenic diet increased small-intestinal tumors in cancer-prone mice while reducing tumors in the colon, revealing a strikingly different response within neighboring parts of the gut. Researchers traced the increased risk not to ketones, but to ...
Oct. 5, 2026 Scientists found that prolonged fasting triggers major changes throughout the body, but many of the most interesting effects only appeared after about three days without food. The results suggest fasting may influence health in ways that go beyond ...
Oct. 5, 2026 A new nanoparticle therapy reduced lung tumors in mice while also targeting cachexia, the severe muscle wasting that can accompany cancer. By delivering follistatin mRNA directly to tumors, the ...
Oct. 5, 2026 Scientists have discovered a human gene with a remarkable double life: it appears to play an important role in brain cells while still retaining the ability to jump around the genome. Called BC200, the gene evolved millions of years ago from a ...
Oct. 5, 2026 Cancer immunotherapy can lose its punch when tumor-fighting T cells become exhausted, but researchers may have found a way to keep them going longer. Scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center identified a signaling molecule called MEK ...
Oct. 4, 2026 Scientists have discovered that E-cadherin, a protein best known as the “glue” holding cells and tissues together, has a surprising second job: helping epithelial cells swallow nearby dead cells. Using live zebrafish and mouse embryos, ...
Oct. 4, 2026 Researchers found that just 20 minutes of comfortable walking can rapidly stimulate the gut. Within one to two minutes after exercise, bowel sounds became stronger, more frequent, and lasted longer, ...
Latest Headlines
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Oct. 4, 2026 A UCLA study links faster brain aging to specific gut bacteria and chemical byproducts, with older-looking brains also associated with poorer memory, focus, and mood. The findings suggest that ...
Oct. 4, 2026 High-dose vitamin B3 is showing intriguing early promise as an addition to standard glioblastoma treatment, with 82% of patients in a small trial remaining progression-free after six months. ...
Oct. 3, 2026 A vitamin D analog may help break down pancreatic cancer’s protective defenses, potentially making tumors more vulnerable to chemotherapy and immune attack. A small clinical trial found encouraging ...
Oct. 3, 2026 A two-year randomized clinical trial involving 493 adults with overweight or obesity found that diet soft drinks were essentially as effective as water for long-term weight loss and weight ...
Oct. 3, 2026 Scientists have identified an enzyme that may act as a natural defense against the worsening of fatty liver disease, which affects an estimated 100 ...
Oct. 3, 2026 The essential amino acid leucine can boost cellular energy production by protecting key proteins on mitochondria from being destroyed. The discovery reveals a new connection between nutrition and ...
Oct. 3, 2026 Scientists have linked a gut bacterial compound called ImP to greater Alzheimer’s risk, harmful brain protein buildup, and faster cognitive decline. The finding raises the possibility that reducing ...
Oct. 3, 2026 Vitamin C may do more than support the immune system. In a phase 2 trial of people with precancerous or low risk blood cancers, daily vitamin C did not slow abnormal cell growth, but it was linked to ...
Oct. 2, 2026 Nearly 6 in 10 people with high blood pressure in a large England study had never been diagnosed or treated, and half of those already taking medication still had elevated readings. Researchers say a ...
Oct. 2, 2026 High-risk MDS stem cells appear to have an unexpected “energy addiction,” relying far more heavily than healthy blood-forming cells on a molecule ...