https://medicalxpress.com/common-illnesses-prevention-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Common Illnesses & Prevention Despite widespread COVID-19 infection in the Tsimané and Moseten populations of Bolivia, the mortality rate in these remote Indigenous groups was the lowest ever recorded for any population or region. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-tsiman-moseten-peoples-lowland-bolivia.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:40:07 EDT news706199161 Northwestern Medicine scientists have uncovered a previously hidden immune environment in the thymus that may help drive myasthenia gravis (MG), a chronic autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and fatigue, mainly affecting women younger than 40 and men older than 60. Using the largest known cellular and spatial map of the MG thymus ever assembled, scientists identified specialized immune cells and survival signals that may help sustain the disease, opening new avenues for future research and treatment. The study is published in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-hidden-immune-environment-uncovered-thymuses.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:40:05 EDT news706192921 When a blockbuster album drops, streaming numbers may not be the only thing that spikes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-music-streaming-linked-traffic-deaths.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:40:12 EDT news706188956 Approximately 65% of U.S. adults report consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages every day. Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute researchers found that consuming these drinks daily was associated with an increased risk of developing gastric cancer, while artificially sweetened beverages were not associated with an increased risk. Results are published in the journal Gastro Hep Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-people-consume-sugar-sweetened-beverages.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:40:11 EDT news706189144 Beginning in the late 1990s, air pollution declined in New York City following the implementation of clean air and climate policies. According to new research by scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, as prenatal exposures to air pollution declined, subsequent measures of children's cognitive development improved. The findings are published in the journal Environmental Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-air-policies-linked-cognition-york.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:20:09 EDT news706185062 Of more than 500 occupations in the United States, flight attendants and pilots have the highest and second-highest proportions of radiation-related cancer deaths, a new study has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-flight-greater-cancer-death.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:00:08 EDT news706181341 Wearable sensors coupled with AI can generate blood pressure readings nearly as accurately as the invasive and risky arterial lines relied on in intensive care units and operating rooms, new work by Johns Hopkins University researchers demonstrates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wearable-sensors-ai-blood-pressure.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:00:06 EDT news706176122 Exposure to common forms of outdoor air pollution may be linked to structural changes in brain regions that are especially vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study led by researchers from the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-air-pollution-linked-distinct-brain.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:00:03 EDT news706179182 Bedbugs are sometimes called the vampires of the insect world—hiding during the day and coming out at night to feast on human blood. Generations of children have been told: "Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-bedbugs-people-blood.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:06:42 EDT news706111582 Recent Cyclospora outbreaks have renewed public attention to foodborne parasites, but they also highlight a broader reality: These diseases continue to affect millions of people around the world and remain a significant global public health challenge. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-fourteen-foodborne-parasites-million-illnesses.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:04 EDT news705983184 Measuring waist size may be one of the simplest and most effective ways to detect obesity-related health risks, according to a study by Rutgers Health researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-waist-size-powerful-indicator-health.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news705933541 Every year, lung cancer kills more than 100,000 people in the United States. Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, but other environmental exposures can also contribute to the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-drug-inflammatory-enzyme-lung-cancer.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:06 EDT news705921421 Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Germany: Around 1 in 8 women will develop it during their lifetime. In around 5% to 10% of cases, the condition is caused by a hereditary predisposition. Thirteen risk genes have currently been identified for genetic testing, including the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Variations (mutations) in these genes are associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-genome-analysis-uncovers-candidate-genes.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:20:04 EDT news705928442