Blood Test Can Predict Melanoma Recurrence

A new blood test can help predict if melanoma survivors will have a future bout with skin cancer, researchers say.

The test looks for DNA fragments that are shed by tumors and float free in a person’s bloodstream.

About 80% of later-stage melanoma patients who had detectable levels of these DNA fragments before cancer treatment...

Brisk Walking Lowers Risk Of Heart Rhythm Disorders

Long brisk walks might lower a person’s risk for heart rhythm problems, a new study says.

Folks who stride faster than 4 miles per hour have a 43% lower risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm, compared with those who amble at a pace of less than 3 miles an hour, researchers reported April 15 in the journal Heart.

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Timing Might Be Everything With Asthma Inhalers

Folks with asthma might better control their symptoms by precisely timing when they use their inhaler, a new study says.

A single daily preventive dose of inhaled corticosteroid is best taken at mid-afternoon for effective asthma control, researchers reported April 15 in the journal Thorax.

That timing will suppress the usua...

Gene Test Predicts Urinary Problems From Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat prostate cancer, but it can cause embarrassing urinary problems in some men.

But a new genetic test appears capable of sussing out which men are at greater risk of urinary side effects from radiation treatment, a new study says.

The test, PROSTOX, successfully predicted which men would even...

Pfizer Ends Testing of Obesity Pill After Possible Liver Injury

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Pfizer has stopped developing a once-daily pill to treat obesity after a person in a clinical trial showed signs of a possible liver injury.

The company said the injury went away after the person stopped taking the drug, called danuglipron, The Associated Press reported.

The p...

Pig Kidney Removed After Historic Transplant in Alabama Woman

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doctors have removed a genetically modified pig's kidney from an Alabama woman after her body rejected the organ, NYU Langone Health reported.

Towana Looney, 53, had the transplanted organ for 130 days — the longest anyone has ever tolerated an organ from a genetically altered...

New Antibiotic May Be Effective in Treating Gonorrhea

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A newly approved antibiotic to treat urinary tract infections may also help fight drug-resistant gonorrhea, a new study shows.

The medication, called gepotidacin, could become the first new gonorrhea treatment since the 1990s. In an international study of more than 600 people, researchers fo...

Smart Shirt Might Predict Heart Problems

A “smart shirt” equipped with an electrocardiogram (ECG) can help identify folks who are at higher risk of heart disease, a new study says.

The shirt monitors people’s heart rate recovery after exercise, tracking the time it takes for their heart to return to a normal rhythm.

“The heart’s response to exe...

Gun Violence Leads To Skipped Dental Visits, Lost Teeth

Gun violence is bad for dental health, a new study says.

More specifically, people are less likely to go to the dentist in neighborhoods with higher levels of firearm violence, researchers report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

These neighborhoods subsequently experience higher rates of tooth loss.

And ...

ERs Treat A Gunshot Wound Every Half-Hour

U.S. emergency room doctors treat a gunshot wound every half-hour, a new study has found.

What’s more, firearm injuries appear to follow specific patterns throughout the year, with gun violence occurring more often at certain times, according to research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Firearm in...

Miscommunication Between Health Workers Puts Patients At Risk Regularly

Miscommunication between hospital staff regularly puts patients at risk, a new study says.

Poor communications between health care workers contributed to 25% of hospital incidents that put patients’ safety at risk, researchers reported April 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

What’s more, miscommunication was...

In-Hospital Addiction Consultations Put Opioid Users On Path To Recovery

People hospitalized for opioid use can better fight their addiction if their path to recovery begins in the hospital, a new study says.

Opioid users who receive addiction consultation services during their hospital stay are significantly more likely to start taking addiction meds and enter a treatment program, researchers reported in J...