https://medicalxpress.com/common-illnesses-prevention-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Common Illnesses & Prevention A team has developed a new self-disinfecting cotton fabric capable of eliminating bacteria, fungi and viruses in hospital settings using visible light. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-disinfecting-fabric-bacteria-fungi-viruses.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:19 EDT news710696761 The pathogen Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is naturally present in the intestines of many people. When present in small numbers, it usually causes no symptoms. Treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics can severely disrupt the balance of the healthy gut microbiome, allowing the bacterium to multiply unchecked. The result is acute intestinal inflammation, which can also become chronic. Such infections with C. difficile (CDI) are among the leading causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Since the bacteria release toxins that can lead to dangerous, sometimes life-threatening intestinal inflammation with high relapse rates, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-natural-compound-difficile-largely-healthy.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:20:04 EDT news710693581 Gold has a reputation for being chemically untouchable. But according to Western University chemist Yolanda Hedberg, that reputation is a little misleading—gold is not unreactive so much as selective about what it reacts with. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-allergic-gold-jewelry-lab-reveal.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:20:19 EDT news710685713 Andrea Romanos-Nanclares, Ph.D., of the Channing Division of Network Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, is the lead author of a paper published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health titled "The Nurses' Health Studies: a half-century of discovery in women's health." A. Heather Eliassen, ScD, of Mass General Brigham and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the senior author. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-women-health-reveal-lessons-disease.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:40:18 EDT news710673663 Oxidized lipids—fats structurally altered by enzymes, oxygen or free radicals—are double-edged swords that can both quell and ignite systemic inflammation, according to a new comprehensive review aimed at sharpening the overall understanding of an intricate class of highly reactive molecules. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-rogue-lipids-routine-cellular-stress.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:40:01 EDT news710594139 A common bacterium found in the mouth and airways may help the lungs better defend themselves against pneumonia, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-common-airway-bacterium-lungs-pneumonia.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:40:16 EDT news710611441 Vaccination against a common respiratory virus during pregnancy lowers the risk of severe disease in babies by 74%, but uptake in many countries remains low, a new review suggests. The report also reveals evidence of lower uptake of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine among some socioeconomic and ethnic groups, those with reduced access to health care and younger mothers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-global-stark-differences-maternal-rsv.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:18 EDT news710592421 Receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of major pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, with a greater reduction in risk seen among women vaccinated at an earlier age, according to a large Swedish study published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hpv-vaccination-pregnancy-linked-preterm.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:07 EDT news710588281 Sometimes you can solve a mystery with a fish but not a mouse. Sometimes you can see a biochemical process happening, but you can't study it in detail until you identify the underlying players. Sometimes separate streams of inquiry turn out to be part of the same story. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-mice-zebrafish-scientists-decades-mystery.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:50:01 EDT news710612161 For millions of years, parasitic worms have had to survive inside animals without being destroyed by their hosts' immune systems. To do that, they have evolved remarkably effective ways of dampening the immune response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-parasitic-worms-key-immune-diseases.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:20:04 EDT news710596981