Medical Bulletin 20/August/2026 - Video

Here are the top medical news for today:

COVID-19 May Awaken Dormant Viruses, New Research Reveals Potential Link

A new study published in Nature suggests that COVID-19 may reactivate viruses that have remained hidden in the body for years. Researchers found evidence of viral reactivation in nearly half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including people without obvious immune suppression.

Some viruses remain in the body after an initial infection but stay largely inactive under immune control. Herpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) are examples. Severe illness or changes in immune activity can allow these viruses to become active again, a process known as viral reactivation. Importantly, reactivation does not necessarily mean a new infection.

The researchers analyzed 1,154 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across 20 US hospitals between May 2020 and March 2021. They examined blood, nasal swabs and, in some mechanically ventilated patients, airway samples for genetic evidence of viruses other than SARS-CoV-2.

Overall, 47.9% of participants with available data showed evidence of at least one viral reactivation during acute COVID-19.

EBV tended to reactivate earlier during illness, while HSV-1 and CMV were more likely to appear later. Researchers also detected viruses from the Anelloviridae family, which are common in humans but remain poorly understood.

Several viral signals were associated with greater COVID-19 severity and complications. Some were also linked to poorer long-term outcomes in certain severely ill patients.

However, the researchers emphasized that the findings show associations, not cause and effect. The study cannot establish whether viral reactivation directly worsens COVID-19 or contributes to long COVID.

The findings nevertheless suggest that severe COVID-19 may disturb the body's balance with previously controlled viruses. Understanding these interactions could eventually help scientists identify biomarkers of severe disease and uncover new pathways involved in long COVID.

REFERENCE: Maguire, C., Chen, J., Rouphael, N. et al. Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10740-z

Paying Attention to Your Body May Influence Your Immune Response: Study

A new study, published in Nature Human Behaviour. suggests that paying attention to inflammatory sensations may actually help the body regulate its immune response, while deliberately distracting oneself could produce a stronger inflammatory reaction.

Researchers led by neuroscientist Liron Rozenkrantz of Bar-Ilan University studied 57 healthy volunteers using a standard histamine skin-prick test. Participants were asked either to focus closely on sensations from the inflamed skin or to distract themselves with engaging videos or abstract shapes.

Although participants reported greater discomfort when focusing on the inflammation, their actual immune response was smaller. In the first experiment, the average wheal measured 3.5 millimeters during focused attention, compared with 5.0 millimeters during distraction. The surrounding redness, or flare, measured 10.6 millimeters versus 14.0 millimeters, respectively.

Around 90% of participants showed a larger inflammatory response when distracted. After 20 minutes, nearly 90% of those focusing on the sensation had a wheal that was stable or shrinking, compared with 46% in the distraction condition.

A second experiment produced similar results, suggesting that the effect was linked to where participants directed their attention rather than the specific task used.

The researchers also tested whether sensory signals were responsible by numbing the skin with lidocaine. This weakened the attention-related effect but did not eliminate it. Measurements of heart-rate variability suggested that internal attention may also engage parasympathetic, or vagal, pathways involved in regulating inflammation.

The findings provide evidence that attention can influence immune regulation. However, the study involved a small group and examined only a temporary skin reaction. It does not show that focusing on symptoms can treat infections, autoimmune diseases, or chronic inflammation.

Still, the results offer new insight into how the brain and immune system communicate and suggest that attention may be an active component of the body's inflammatory regulation.

REFERENCE: Mizrachi, N., Rottem, M. & Rozenkrantz, L. Voluntary attention regulates acute immune responses in humans. Nat Hum Behav (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02541-1

Drinking Orange Juice Daily May Change Activity of Thousands of Genes: Study

A daily glass of pure orange juice may influence the body at a molecular level, with research suggesting potential effects on inflammation, metabolism, blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

In a recent study, Published in Molecular Nutrition, adults consumed 500 ml of pure pasteurized orange juice daily for two months. After 60 days, researchers observed changes in the activity of thousands of genes in immune cells. Several genes associated with inflammation and blood-pressure regulation, including NAMPT, IL6, IL1B, NLRP3 and SGK1, became less active.

These findings may help explain earlier research linking regular orange juice consumption with modest improvements in cardiovascular risk markers. One possible contributor is hesperidin, a flavonoid naturally found in citrus fruits that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The effects also appeared to vary according to body size. Participants with higher body weight showed greater changes in genes involved in fat metabolism, while leaner individuals demonstrated stronger changes in inflammation-related pathways.

Previous evidence has also suggested potential metabolic benefits. A systematic review of 15 controlled trials involving 639 participants found that regular orange juice consumption was associated with lower insulin resistance and blood cholesterol. Research in overweight and obese adults has additionally reported modest reductions in systolic blood pressure and increases in HDL cholesterol.

Orange juice may also influence the gut microbiome. In one study, blood orange juice consumption increased bacteria capable of producing short-chain fatty acids, compounds involved in maintaining blood-pressure regulation and controlling inflammation.

However, the evidence is not entirely consistent, and many studies are relatively small or short-term. The findings also do not mean orange juice should replace whole fruit, which provides substantially more dietary fiber.

Overall, research suggests that moderate consumption of 100% orange juice may have biological effects extending beyond its sugar content, potentially influencing inflammation, vascular function and metabolic health. Larger and longer-term studies are still needed to determine how these molecular changes translate into meaningful reductions in cardiovascular disease risk.

REFERENCE: Layanne Nascimento Fraga, et al.; A Global Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Body Weight‐Specific Molecular Responses to Chronic Orange Juice Consumption in Healthy Individuals. Molecular Nutrition, 2025; 69 (24) DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.70299