Low-dose CT chest scans could help detect pneumonia in at-risk patients while exposing them to only small amounts of radiation, a new study has found. The research, published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, shows that ultra-low-dose scans can effectively detect pneumonia in patients with compromised immune systems, enabling doctors to treat the infection before it becomes life-threatening. According to the researchers, these scans expose patients to just 2% of the radiation dose used in a standard CT scan.

"This study paves the way for safer, AI-driven imaging that reduces radiation exposure while preserving diagnostic accuracy,” lead researcher Dr Maximiliano Klug, a radiologist with the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, said in a news release. He added that CT scans are the gold standard for detecting pneumonia but there are concerns regarding the risk posed by repeated exposure to radiation. There is a solution- ultra-low-dose CT scan. However, the problem is that these scans can be grainy and hard to read, researchers said.

Study Gives Solution To This

To overcome that, Klug's team developed an AI program that could help "de-noise" low-dose scans, making them sharper and easier to read. Between September 2020 and December 2022, 54 patients with compromised immune systems who had fevers underwent a pair of chest CT scans -- a normal dose scan and an ultra-low-dose scan. The AI program cleaned up the low-dose scan, and then both sets of images were given to a pair of radiologists for assessment. Radiologists had 100% accuracy in detecting pneumonia and other lung problems with the AI-cleaned low-dose scans, but 91% to 98% accuracy in examining the scans that hadn’t been improved through AI, results show.

"This pilot study identified infection with a fraction of the radiation dose," Klug said. "This approach could drive larger studies and ultimately reshape clinical guidelines, making denoised ultra-low dose CT the new standard for young immunocompromised patients.

How Can You Detect Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes the air sacs in the lungs to fill with fluid or pus and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The symptoms can range from milk to severe, which includes:

Coughing with or without cough

Fever

Chills

Trouble breathing

Chest pain, especially when breathing deeply or coughing

Sweating or chills

Rapid heart rate

Loss of appetite

Bluish skin, lips, and nails

Confusion.

How to detect Pneumonia in coughing newborns and toddlers?

Pneumonia can severely affect newborns and young children as their lungs are comparatively more sensitive. As per Dr Goyal, young children can cough for various reasons including seasonal infections and tonsillitis, which is very common in this age group. But if they look visibly irritable and have poor sleep patterns, then parents must reach out to an expert. "I am not saying that parents must visit a hospital but any local paediatrician would be able to detect pneumonia in your kid.

As many as 500 newborns at Albany Medical Center in New York received hepatitis B vaccine doses that had been stored at an improper temperature in a refrigerator.

While the improperly stored doses pose no health threat to the infants who received them, the hospital said the storage lapse may have compromised the vaccines' effectiveness. The newborns may now need repeat doses to ensure they are protected against hepatitis B.

State Department of Health workers reviewing refrigeration logs ahead of a hospital site visit found that the vaccines had been stored below the manufacturer's recommended temperature range, The Times Union reported.

Why Repeat Hepatitis B Vaccine Doses May Be Needed

Also read: Hepatitis B Infections Could Rise 83% If US Changes Newborn Vaccine Policy: Study

The improper storage may have affected the vaccines' effectiveness, meaning the infants who received them may not have developed adequate protection against hepatitis B and could need repeat doses.

Albany Medical Center said it has sent letters to affected parents and their children's doctors explaining that repeat doses may be necessary. A hospital spokesperson added that the Center has also apologised for the error and has implemented additional safeguards.

Hepatitis B vaccines require strict temperature control to maintain their effectiveness. Immunize.org recommends storing all hepatitis B-containing vaccines between 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F) and cautions against freezing them.

According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, vaccine storage errors must be assessed individually in consultation with health authorities. Doses found to be expired or nonviable generally cannot be counted as valid, and non-live vaccine doses may need to be repeated as soon as possible.

Why Hepatitis B Birth Dose Is Important For Newborns

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The universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation was introduced in the US in 1991. The first dose provides early protection, including in cases where maternal infection is missed or a child's exposure risk is not recognised.

Newborns typically receive their first hepatitis B vaccine dose shortly after birth, often before they leave the hospital. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that newborns receive the first dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by a second dose within two months. School-aged children must receive three doses in total.

The vaccine protects against a virus that can cause serious liver disease. In New York, about 90% of children complete the full three-dose vaccine series before age three, according to Kaiser Family Foundation figures cited in The Times Union report.

What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver and spreads through infected blood and certain bodily fluids, including during childbirth.

An infection acquired during infancy is particularly concerning because it is more likely to become chronic. Over time, chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer.

In December 2025, the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended replacing universal vaccination at birth with shared decision-making for infants whose mothers test negative for hepatitis B.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted this approach in January 2026. Babies born to mothers who test positive or whose infection status is unknown continue to be recommended to receive the birth dose promptly, along with hepatitis B immune globulin when indicated.

Colorectal cancer rates are rising across nearly all age groups in the United States, reversing more than two decades of decline, according to a new study.

The disease is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths overall in the US and the leading cause among adults younger than 50. The latest findings, published in the journal NEJM Evidence, show that the increase now extends to older adults.

“This is the first time that we have seen an increase in the overall rate in more than 20 years,” said Caitlin Murphy, professor of pediatrics and public health sciences at the University of Chicago.

Rates Rise Across Age Groups

Also read: 3-Time Colon Cancer Survivor Reveals First Symptom She Noticed At 14

Researchers analyzed National Cancer Institute data from 2000 to 2023. The age-adjusted incidence rate fell from 55.2 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 36.7 in 2022, before rising to 38.3 in 2023.

The sharpest increase was seen among adults aged 45–49, with rates rising 12.76% annually from 2019 to 2023. Researchers attributed this partly to increased screening after US guidelines lowered the starting age from 50 to 45.

Currently US guidelines recommend that adults at average risk begin screening at 45 and continue through 75.

“That means that screening is doing as we intend it to do—it’s catching cancer earlier,” Murphy said.

However, screening alone does not explain the broader trend. Rates are also rising among adults aged 65–69 and have plateaued among those aged 70–74, despite about 80% of these groups being up to date with screening. The findings suggest unknown risk factors may be offsetting its benefits.

Birth Cohort Effect May Explain the Rise

Murphy described a possible “birth cohort effect,” in which people born in the 1960s and later face higher risks as they age.

“As people born around the same time move through time and age together, we’re going to see more colorectal cancers being diagnosed,” she said.

The researchers also examined whether COVID-19 disruptions contributed to the increase. However, the trend persisted after data from 2020 and 2021 were excluded, making the pandemic an unlikely explanation for the rise in 2023.

Read More: Aspirin & Colon Cancer: Lancet Study Explains Why It Could Help At An Earlier Stage But Not After Spread

Environmental Chemicals Likely Reason

Researchers have yet to identify the drivers, but environmental chemical exposures are one possible contributor.

The team plans to measure thousands of exposures in small blood samples, then use organoids—specialized models of colon tissue—to study the effects of chemicals warranting further investigation.

American Cancer Society statistics show that incidence among adults aged 20–49 increased by 3% annually from 2013 to 2022.

Sonia Kupfer, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic at UChicago Medicine, said identifying the causes could help researchers pinpoint and potentially reduce risk factors.

Screening Remains Key

The American Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. Colorectal cancer impacts around 1.9 million people every year, noted the World Health Organization (WHO) as per its 2022 data.

It is a disease of large bowel and a type of cancer that originates from the rectum or colon. A person's colon, cecum, rectum and anus make up the large intestine.

The researchers called for continued monitoring as cancer registry data are updated annually. If the trend continues, rising diagnoses could increase demand for treatment and survivorship care.

Colonoscopy remains the gold standard, while blood-based and home-based stool tests offer alternatives. Adults younger than 45 who are not eligible for routine screening should watch for blood in the stool, changes in bowel habits and unexplained weight loss, and seek medical attention if these occur.

In January 2025, Los Angeles was ravaged by wildfires, which reportedly exposed an estimated 7 million people to lead concentrations more than 80 times higher than normal levels. The findings were published in Science Advances.

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) found that smoke from the Eaton Fire contained excessive concentrations of toxic metals and other chemicals than smoke from a wildfire that burned mainly vegetation. The findings highlight the health risks caused when fires spread through populated areas and burnt homes, vehicles and electronic equipment.

The lead exposure for an estimated 24-hour period across the Los Angeles metropolitan area was more than 80 times typical levels. The researchers also found that the fire plume contained 50 times more lead, three times more arsenic and seven times more chlorine and bromine than the smoke.

LA Wildfire Smoke Was Highly Toxic

Wildfire smoke is releases particulate matter from the burning of trees, grass and other vegetation. However, when fires spread deeper into cities, they can also burn building materials, paint, vehicles, plastics and electronic devices, releasing more toxic pollutants.

The Eaton Fire began on January 7, 2025, and ravaged communities in and around Altadena, California. As the fire burned homes and vehicles, concentrations of toxic metals in the atmosphere increased drastically.

The researchers compared the chemical composition of the Eaton Fire plume to measurements from the 2024 Airport Fire in Southern California, which predominantly burned vegetation. They found that the urban fire plume had a completely different chemical composition.

“Urban fire plumes are chemically distinct from those of wildfires. Now that we have these observational data about how they differ, we can go back and adjust our models to more accurately estimate how smoke might affect people,” said Haroula Baliaka, the study’s lead author, in a statement released by Caltech.

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Health Risks Of Lead And Arsenic Exposure

Lead is a toxic metal that can damage the nervous system. In children, exposure can impair brain development and lower IQ. In adults, it can cause high blood pressure and other health problems.

Arsenic exposure is also connected to several cancers. Chlorine and bromine are halogens that can be released when certain materials burn.

However, scientists have not established the full health consequences of the short-term, high-concentration lead exposure estimated in the study. The findings establish that millions of people may have encountered elevated levels of toxic pollutants, but they do not show how many developed health problems as a result.

Urban Fire Smoke Needs Stricter Monitoring

Wildfire smoke threatens populated areas. Smoke can travel beyond the fire zone, exposing people who may not face an immediate risk from flames.

Researchers and outside experts have called for better monitoring of smoke composition, better public alerts and emergency responses that account for toxic pollutants as well as fire danger.

The study also points to a gap in current understanding of air quality models that are based on wildfire emissions. They may not be fully be able capture the chemical hazards from fires that burn buildings and vehicles.

“Smoke travels; it's not just about the burn area. What does a plume mean for people who are miles away from a fire but receive the smoke? We evacuate for fire, but we don't evacuate for smoke exposure,” Baliaka said according to CBS Los Angeles.