LAURAN NEERGAARD Medical Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - The label for a bottle of melatonin pills is seen in New York on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

A study questions melatonin use and heart health but don’t lose sleep over it

November 7, 2025

Don’t lose sleep over headlines linking melatonin to heart failure. That’s the message after some scary-sounding reports about a preliminary study involving the sleep-related supplement. A study being presented at an American Heart Association meeting used international electronic health records to track people with prescriptions for long-term melatonin use, rather than more typical short-term use for jet lag. The study isn’t the kind that can prove cause-and-effect — and doctors not involved with the work stress that too little or interrupted sleep by itself raises the risk of heart disease. Specialists advise talking to your doctor as well as getting better sleep by avoiding too much light at night.

FILE - Surgeons at NYU Langone Health prepare to transplant a pig's kidney into a brain-dead man in New York on July 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum, File)

First clinical trial of pig kidney transplants gets underway

November 3, 2025

The first clinical trial is getting underway to see if transplanting pig kidneys into people might really save lives. United Therapeutics, a producer of gene-edited pig kidneys, announced Monday that the study’s initial transplant was performed successfully at NYU Langone Health. It’s the latest step in the quest for animal-to-human transplants. A second U.S. company, eGenesis, is preparing to begin a similar trial in the coming months. A handful of experiments led up to these more rigorous studies. The longest-lasting known so far was 271 days, when a New Hampshire man resumed dialysis as his declining pig kidney was removed.

New Hampshire man resumes dialysis after record 271 days living with a pig kidney

October 27, 2025

A New Hampshire man lived with a pig kidney for a record 271 days before surgeons removed it last week as the organ’s function declined. Doctors at Mass General Brigham said Monday that Tim Andrews is resuming dialysis after the Oct. 23 surgery, and called him a “selfless medical pioneer.” Andrews is among a handful of people who’ve received experimental transplants of gene-edited pig organs, which researchers hope might one day help alleviate a shortage of donated organs. Two U.S. companies are preparing to begin rigorous clinical trials of pig kidney transplants.

FILE - A healthcare worker prepares a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

October 22, 2025

The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients by boosting their immune systems to help fight tumors. Research reported Wednesday in the journal Nature found that people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system’s response. Now the research team is preparing a more rigorous study of the potential connection, to see if mRNA vaccines should be deliberately paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors.

A pharmacist gives a patient a flu shot in Miami on Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)

It’s time get a flu vaccination. Here’s who needs one and why

October 1, 2025

It’s flu vaccine time again. After last winter, when the U.S. saw the highest number of flu-related child deaths in 15 years, pediatricians are urging the public to get them. October is the ideal month, as flu typically begins climbing in November. The U.S. recommends a yearly flu vaccination for just about everyone age 6 months and older. And a first this year, certain people can vaccinate themselves at home, if they qualify for a shipment of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist. Flu is particularly dangerous for older people, pregnant women and young children — plus anyone with a chronic health problem such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease.

Researchers turn human skin cells into eggs — but not yet usable ones

September 30, 2025

Oregon scientists used human skin cells to create fertilizable eggs, a step in the quest to develop lab-grown eggs or sperm to one day help people conceive. But the experiment resulted in abnormalities in chromosomes, prompting the Oregon Health & Science University team to caution it could take a decade of additional research before such a technique might be ready for trials in people. They are already working to improve the technique. The work was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. It may offer lessons as scientists try to learn to create eggs and sperm for the infertile or to help same-sex couples have children genetically related to both partners.

President Donald Trump speaks while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump about autism, Tylenol and pregnancy

September 23, 2025

President Donald Trump has announced his administration is recommending women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless necessary. He claims Tylenol is linked to autism, but experts criticize this as unfounded. Trump also made several erroneous statements including incorrectly stating the history of autism rates and that vaccines play a role. Additionally, medical professionals emphasize that Tylenol is safe during pregnancy when needed. They warn that untreated fevers can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

What we know about autism’s causes

September 22, 2025

A White House announcement about autism is expected Monday afternoon. President Donald Trump claimed over the weekend that “I think we found an answer” to the developmental disorder. But brain experts say they already know there is no single cause. They say the rhetoric appears to ignore decades of science into the genetic and environmental factors that can play a role. Autism rates are rising, but that’s largely about an expanded definition, more awareness and more screening.

FILE - Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

Trump administration to close Miami organ donation group it calls ‘failing’

September 18, 2025

The Trump administration is moving to shut down a Miami nonprofit that recovers organs from deceased donors. The Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency is one of 55 organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, that coordinate the recovery and matching of donated organs to patients on the transplant waiting list. Officials cited unrecovered organs and unspecified unsafe practices. Life Alliance can appeal Thursday’s decision. Meanwhile, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said would-be donors should be reassured the donation and transplant system is safe.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as President Donald Trump listens at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans' access to their medical records in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

What to know about mRNA vaccines

August 6, 2025

Research shows mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now scientists are using that Nobel Prize-winning technology to try to develop vaccines and treatments against a long list of diseases including cancer and cystic fibrosis. But this week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, canceled $500 million in government-funded research projects to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses that might trigger another health emergency. That dismays infectious disease experts who note that mRNA allows faster production of shots than older vaccine-production methods, buying precious time if another pandemic were to emerge.

FILE - Surgical instruments are arranged during an organ procurement surgery June 15, 2023, in Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

US organ donation system faces scrutiny and changes after reports of disturbing near-misses

July 22, 2025

The U.S. is developing new safeguards for the organ transplant system after a government investigation found a Kentucky group continued preparations for donation by some patients who showed signs of life. A House subcommittee Tuesday asked how to repair trust in the transplant network for potential organ donors and families, some of whom have opted out of donor registries after these cases were publicized. One initiative underway is to develop new national policies making clear that anyone – family, hospital staff or organ donation staff – can call for a pause in donation preparations any time there are concerns about the patient’s eligibility.

Researchers try new ways of preserving more hearts for transplants

July 16, 2025

Two university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand access to the lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies. They aim to overcome some barriers to retrieving hearts donated after circulatory death, when the heart stops beating after withdrawal of life support. Surgeons at Duke and Vanderbilt universities say they’ve separately devised some simpler approaches. In the New England Journal of Medicine, they describe small but early successes, transplanting an infant at Duke and three men at Vanderbilt. These are the kinds of transplantable hearts that too often aren’t retrieved depending on how would-be organ donors die.

FILE - President Donald Trump, from left, speaks as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during an event in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, May 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Judge rules some NIH grant cuts illegal, saying he’s never seen such discrimination in 40 years

June 16, 2025

A federal judge says it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health. The grants were deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion, and Judge William Young of Massachusetts said Monday the NIH’s cancellation process was “arbitrary and capricious.” The judge went on to say the case raises serious questions about racial discrimination by the government. His written ruling is expected soon but is an interim step as the Trump administration is expected to appeal.

LAURAN NEERGAARD Medical Writer.