Long COVID remains a major diagnostic and treatment gap today. Millions of Americans battle severe and persistent symptoms each day.

Recent research shows a hidden change could drive these symptoms. Researchers assessed blood samples from Long COVID patients. They found abnormal changes in microscopic blood structures linked to common symptoms like brain fog and fatigue.

These findings could guide future therapies that address this gap. The study found strong links between these biomarkers and Long COVID. The biomarkers appear connected to thrombo-inflammatory activity in the body.

Thrombo-inflammatory activity involves blood clots triggered by inflammation. Inflammation can develop due to disease and immune responses.

[Read more…]

Exercise offers many proven health benefits for people. A recent study claimed daily walking could increase lifespan by over ten years. New benefits of exercise continue to appear through ongoing research. One new benefit relates to immune system improvement.

Researchers found exercise may improve immune responses to inflammation. Immune cells handled inflammation better when it appeared in the body. The study focused on older adults who used endurance exercise routines. Endurance exercise included running, biking, swimming, rowing, and walking.

Natural killer cells, or NK cells, are white blood cells. They detect and destroy infected, diseased, or mutated cells. NK cells can also help the body fight cancer. These cells showed changes in regularly exercising adults.

NK cells in active adults adapted better to disease threats. They produced lower levels of inflammation during immune responses. They also used energy more efficiently during normal function.

[Read more…]

Many people believe the Black Death spread quickly across Asia. This idea claims the disease raced to Europe at unprecedented speed. Many say this rapid spread created the deadliest outbreak ever recorded. However, the real story of Yersinia pestis transmission is far more complex.

This myth about rapid spread comes from a single medieval poem. Ibn al-Wardi wrote this poem in the 14th century. It was always intended as fiction that described the plague’s emotional impact. Yet it became the foundation for centuries of speculation and misunderstanding.

Ibn al-Wardi’s poem uses a wandering trickster as its framing device. The trickster represents the plague as a roaming, deceptive presence. This literary style shaped how later readers imagined the disease. It was never meant to serve as scientific or historical evidence.

[Read more…]

Tuberculosis bacteria are like pests that burrow underground and vanish. When pesticides hit, they harden into shells and hide in the soil. They look dead, but later, they erupt and devour everything. A quiet field becomes a feeding ground all over again.

New research published in npj Vaccines shows TB uses similar tricks. The bacteria “play dead” to survive attacks from the immune system. After vaccination, TB changes its behavior to escape destruction. It becomes quiet, stops growing, and hides from immune cells.

Later, the bacteria can wake up and spread inside the host. This reactivation can cause lung disease and infect other people. The tactic helps TB remain the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Each year, TB kills around 1.25 million people worldwide.

[Read more…]

The human body, like other organisms, is always fighting to survive. It needs resources and strong defenses to function and stay alive.

New research published in Nature has revealed a hidden messenger. This discovery changes what we know about how the body fights its ongoing battle.

T cells, which help the immune system, were once thought to avoid the brain. Scientists believed they only entered during illness or injury. But the new study found T cells in healthy brains of mice and humans. Researchers located the cells in the subfornical organ, deep in the brain.

This small region helps control hunger, thirst, and other survival needs. T cells here may act as messengers between the gut and the brain. These cells could send real-time signals that shape behavior and appetite. Scientists think they may carry updates on gut health and nutrition.

[Read more…]