Men exposed to Agent Orange during their military service had a modestly increased risk for bladder cancer, results of a retrospective study of Vietnam veterans showed. “This study was the largest retrospective cohort study to date from the largest equal access system in the U.S. and found a modest association between Agent Orange and bladder cancer risk,” said Dr. Stephen B. Williams, the study’s lead author and director of urologic oncology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Many other national news organizations reported the findings of this study.

According to Dr. Alfred Lea at the University of Texas Medical Branch, the rotting sargassum found on beaches can emit both ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gasses, which can irritate your nose and throat, or cause breathing difficulties if you have asthma or other sensitivities. But the breezes at most beaches will naturally dilute these gasses, he said, greatly reducing the risk.

In their Vaccine Smarts column, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explained why some vaccines are only given once while others must be repeated.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel wrote about the flu, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 in Medical Discovery News. 

Dr. Sally Robinson detailed what life expectancy means, how being rich can help it and that it has been getting shorter in the United States, not longer.

Aloe does more than heal sunburns. Dr. Samuel Mathis discussed other medical uses for the plant’s gel. “What I find works best is to keep a small planter with an aloe vera plant at home,” he wrote.