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WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Bacteria in the gut microbiome may be the key to why some patients survive pancreatic cancer long-term, despite its notoriously low survival rate.Only about 9% of pancreatic cancer patients survive past five years. Looking at the microbiomes of long-term pancreatic cancer survivors, a new study found several enriched bacterial species associated with enhanced tumor immune response. The term microbiome is used for a collection of microbes, or bacteria, that live on or in the human body.“There is emerging science suggesting that pancreas cancer survivors have a robust immune response in their tumors and data suggests the gut microbiome can influence immune response,” said co-author Dr. Jordan Kharofa, a University of Cincinnati Cancer...

WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New mothers who gave birth early in the pandemic filled far more opioid prescriptions than American women did previously, raising concerns about the potential for narcotic misuse.About 38% of more than 460,000 women who gave birth from July 2018 through December 2020 were prescribed opioids for postpartum pain management, according to the University of Georgia study.But there was a nearly 3 percentage point increase in the number of opioid prescriptions filled after March 2020 — when a national emergency was declared in the United States — than before the health crisis began.The opioids these mothers were prescribed were also higher strength, the researchers noted.“A lot of women receive opioids for treatment of pain during the...

WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A new study shows that money, or lack of it, can stand in the way of follow-up testing after an abnormal mammogram result.Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay.Of 714 women who responded when asked if they’d have follow-up imaging if they had to pay for all or part of it, 21% said they would skip imaging, 59% said they would not skip imaging and 19.5% were undecided.“Currently, there is no out-of-pocket payment or co-payment for screening mammography since it’s covered under the ACA [Affordable Care Act],” said study lead author Dr. Michael Ngo, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center. “However, any follow-up diagnostic...

WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- We know that stress can take a toll on the body, but many may not realize it can produce a rash. “Stress can increase the level of the hormone cortisol, increasing inflammation in your body, which can lead to hives, acne, eczema, and hair loss, among other symptoms," dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Farhat said in a recent article.Typically, hives are caused by an allergic reaction but can actually be triggered by stress. According to Scripps, you are more likely to develop a stress rash if you have experienced asthma, eczema, rosacea or allergies. Here is everything you need to know to manage a stress rash.What does stress rash look like?According to the Cleveland Clinic, hives can appear on your face, hands and neck. The hives will look like...