Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

May 15, 2023

A man's rare gene variant may have shielded him from devastating form of early Alzheimer's

A newly discovered genetic variant protects against a particularly devastating form of early Alzheimer's disease, raising scientists' hopes of finding treatments that can prevent or slow the progression of this and other forms of the disease. The discovery is only the second gene variant reported to protect against autosomal dominant...

May 24, 2023

'Groundhog Day' syndrome made a man feel like he was reliving the same events

A man in his 80s gradually started feeling that he was witnessing the same events again and again. This disturbing symptom, somewhat reminiscent of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, likely emerged as a rare complication of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report of the case. According to the report,...

Jun 5, 2023

Shingles vaccine may protect against dementia

People who are vaccinated against shingles in their 70s may reduce their risk of dementia over the next seven years, an analysis suggests. However, one expert told Live Science that the study is missing a key analysis, the omission of which casts some doubt on the strength of the findings....

Jul 4, 2023

Could vaccines prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease?

Despite decades of Alzheimer's research, scientists have not found a treatment that halts or dramatically slows the disease. Now, scientists are investigating if a completely new approach — so-called Alzheimer's vaccines — could alter the disease's course. The logic behind this effort? Much of the previous research has placed beta-amyloid...

Jul 18, 2023

'MIND diet,' intended to prevent dementia, doesn't offer significant brain benefit, trial suggests

The MIND diet — which is intended to guard against dementia, and is rich in fruits and veggies and low in saturated fats — has no short-term brain benefits beyond those seen in people who follow a standard, suboptimal diet, a three-year trial suggests. The trial's results, published Tuesday (July...

Sep 12, 2023

Gene variant carried by 1 in 5 people may guard against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, massive study finds

About 20% to 30% of people carry versions of an immune-related gene that may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, a massive new study across a diverse set of ethnic groups has found. In the study, people carrying a version of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene known as HLA-DRB1*04,...

Dec 8, 2023

Brain inflammation may drive mood changes in Alzheimer's

Extreme mood changes associated with Alzheimer's disease may be partially driven by brain inflammation, new research suggests. Historically, the prevailing theory for what causes Alzheimer's disease was that a gradual buildup of abnormal proteins called amyloid-beta and tau in the brain triggers a cascade of events, leading to nerve damage,...

Jan 24, 2024

Alzheimer's comes in at least 5 distinct forms, study reveals

Scientists have identified five subtypes of Alzheimer's disease, and they say the discovery represents the first step toward developing personalized treatments for the widespread condition. In a new study, scientists were able to sort more than 400 patients with Alzheimer's into five groups based on the levels of specific proteins...

Jan 29, 2024

Alzheimer's is transmissible in extremely rare scenarios

For the first time, scientists have identified people with Alzheimer's whose disease was likely triggered by a medical treatment — one that's now been banned for decades. Alzheimer's is caused partly by the gradual accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins in the brain, which trigger a cascade of events that...

Mar 5, 2024

Alzheimer's may be caused by immune cells thinking brain cells are bacteria, expert says

The pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's disease is becoming an increasingly competitive and contentious quest with recent years witnessing several important controversies. In July 2022, Science magazine reported that a key 2006 research paper, published in the prestigious journal Nature, which identified a subtype of brain protein called beta-amyloid...

Feb 12, 2016

30 Cases of Zika Now Confirmed in Puerto Rico

Healthcare workers have confirmed Zika virus infections in 30 people in Puerto Rico since November, according to a new report. The first locally transmitted case of Zika was reported there in late December. The report gives a detailed account of how the mosquito-borne virus' has been moving around the Caribbean...

Feb 17, 2016

Does Zika Cause Microcephaly? CDC Seeks More Answers

Right now, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating with researchers in Brazil studying Zika virus. The scientists aim to figure out definitively whether the rapidly spreading mosquito-borne virus is harming the developing brains of fetuses, leading to infants born with smaller heads and smaller...

Feb 17, 2016

Are Genetic Weapons the Best Tools to Fight Zika Virus? (Op-Ed)

David O'Brochta is a professor in the Department of Entomology at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research at the University of Maryland - College Park. He studies genetic technologies for use in insects and the application of those technologies to explore the physiology and genetics that make some mosquitoes...

Feb 18, 2016

Zika Virus Can Enter the Womb, Tests Confirm

New tests now officially confirm what doctors have long suspected: The Zika virus can cross the placental barrier in a pregnant woman and enter the amniotic fluid, the protective fluid that surrounds a developing fetus within the womb. However, the findings do not show that the Zika virus causes microcephaly,...

Feb 18, 2016

Zika Virus Vaccine Shows Promising Start in Mice

A new vaccine against the Zika virus shows promising results in mice, a pharmaceutical company announced in a statement yesterday (Feb. 17). The vaccine has induced robust and durable immune responses in mice, the vaccine maker, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement. Researchers are still working on the vaccine, called...