Viruses can get into cells in several ways. Figuring out how to stop them from entering in the first place is a key to developing better vaccines and stopping future pandemics.
When immune cells become overactive, your immune system itself can cause disease.
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Dietary supplements claim to be able to ‘boost your immune system’ to combat disease. But attaining immune balance through a healthy lifestyle and vaccination is a safer bet to keep in good health.
Use a tissue and wash your hands after a booger explosion.
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Itch-sensing neurons in your skin are intertwined with your immune cells. Counterintuitively, the molecule that connects them triggers responses that both worsen and improve skin conditions.
Blocking viruses from replicating their RNA is one way antivirals work.
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The human body has been making antivirals for eons, long before scientists did. A protein in your cells called viperin produces molecules that work similarly to the COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir.
The black-legged tick is the vector that spreads Lyme disease. Its bite can infect humans with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium.
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The bacterium that causes Lyme disease is a master of disguise, changing its appearance to evade the immune system as it moves from the ticks that carry it to humans or animals.
Being feverish is unpleasant, but it can help your body overcome invading pathogens.
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The heat and chills that come with fever are not only uncomfortable but also metabolically costly. Increased body temperature, however, can make all the difference when you’re sick.
Women are more likely to develop chronic diseases driven by the immune system.
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. This fungus can cause a number of disorders in people with compromised immune function or other lung diseases.
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Africa is suffering from a silent, but costly, epidemic of fungal infections.
Addressing the increased risks of certain diseases among those with Down syndrome could help improve their quality of life.
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Joaquin Espinosa, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
People with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome 21. Understanding the effects of those triplicated genes could help improve the health of those with Down syndrome and other medical conditions.
Recent research has shown there’s a link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr virus. A new study brings us closer to understanding the nature of this connection.
Endometriosis can cause a range of painful symptoms.
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Here are some simple things you can do everyday to help your immune system fight off infections.
In this November 1918 photo, a nurse tends to a patient in the influenza ward of the Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Md.
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During the 1918 flu pandemic, white people died at similar rates to Black Americans, according to a new study – a very different pattern than what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nasal vaccines for COVID-19 are still in early development.
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An effective nasal vaccine could stop the virus that causes COVID-19 right at its point of entry. But devising one that works has been a challenge for researchers.
Asymptomatic sensitization may lead people to continue consuming food allergens, causing hidden neurological issues.
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Inflammation is a complicated and important part of how the immune system responds to threats to the body. But when the inflammatory response goes awry, it can lead to serious problems.
Director, Children’s Health and Environment Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Children’s Health and Environment, The University of Queensland