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The FDA has approved a two-drug combination for advanced melanoma patients. The combo, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is expected to cost $250,000 for one year. Expected gain in life is measured in months, but some subsets may experience a dramatic benefit. The real question is: Who are those patients?

When a mild fever strikes healthy kids or adults, that small temperature rise is usually followed with a move towards the medicine cabinet. But there's a broad body of research that indicates that so-called over-the-counter remedies are simply unnecessary, because the body is perfectly designed to handle this physiological intrusion.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce insulin. But Belgian researchers have come up with a potential solution: reprogramming pancreatic cells to produce insulin and respond to glucose. They announced this week that it's working well in models, with study in humans to hopefully take place.

There have been many advances in women's contraception over the past few decades, but the same cannot be said for men. The search for an oral male contraceptive has been a bust thus far, but researchers believe there may be a solution in this area in the not-too-distant future.

Though stress may sometimes be beneficial when performance is enhanced due to the positive effects of anticipatory anxiety prolonged stress, especially stemming from childhood, may lead to long-term chronic physiological issues.

Sen. Barbara Boxer was once a fervent supporter of revising the 39-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act. But today California's senior senator is seen, not as backing an update of a law that's inadequate to deal with modern chemical science, but instead as someone who is holding up the works.

Activists in California announced this week that they were not able to garner enough signatures to put the new, tighter school vaccine requirements on the 2016 ballot, in an effort to overturn them. This is a significant win for public health, but it also reveals something about how thin California's anti-vax movement really is.

A study purporting to support the policy of drastically reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes as a strategy for encouraging cessation actually shows little or nothing of value, given it's short duration of just six weeks.

What would happen to drug prices in the U.S. if Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration, plus all other federally-funded health care facilities, could negotiate a single price for every drug they buy? We all know the answer: they would come down.

Early detection of melanoma, the dangerous skin cancer, is essential to survival. Instructing high-risk patients, defined as those who previously had a melanoma, on skin self-exam with a partner-trainee may help in earlier detection.

The World Health Organization is changing its tune on treatment for HIV, for the better. It now says that those diagnosed with HIV should be treated immediately. This may sound like a no-brainer, but treatment was formerly withheld and for good reason.

Nail salon workers endure some terrible working conditions, which include inadequate ventilation from constant exposure to harmful chemicals. But now New York City is finally taking smart, corrective action, setting up a pilot program to measure how much workers are being exposed to.

The hygiene hypothesis has some new data. Researchers believe they have evidence that a lack of four bacteria genera early in life leads to a high risk of asthma. However, the study is small and the data is anything but conclusive.

Red wine has largely been considered to deliver health benefits, if consumed in moderation. But a new article that pulls together conclusions from dozens of related studies reports that these benefits can also be attributed to alcohol consumption in general, if not done to excess.

A.D.H.D., once thought of as a disorder that affects only children and young adults, may not fade nor disappear in adulthood, which is why a doctor at Johns Hopkins believes it may affect the elderly as well.

To bottle feed or breast feed a newborn baby has been a point of contention for new mothers for generations, especially from the standpoint of whether it affects intelligence. But a new study says there's no significant difference in the intelligence of a breast-fed baby, as compared to one that's bottle fed.

Women diagnosed with cancer while pregnant have plenty to worry about. A new study may help reduce that burden, since it shows that typical cancer treatments may have no significant adverse effect on their fetus or newborn.

A new systematic review of published calcium articles reveals new findings on what to expect from different types of calcium and their correlation to bones.

When it comes to vaccines, the non-issue of harm to children should have been put to bed long ago. However, this faux concern continues to surface. Alex Berezow, from RealClearScience, puts another nail in a coffin that already full of nails, delivering a piece that's a must-read.

The politicization of science was on display during the last Republican presidential debate, and former network news anchor Dan Rather took to the internet to criticize the candidates on their science positions. But surprisingly, Rather had equal scorn for targets on both ends of the political spectrum.

The FDA and CDC are expressing concerns about the potential for rising rates of transfusion-associated infections, with both agencies calling for more testing and precautions. Cash-strapped blood banks are not nearly so concerned.

Mommy-bloggers paid by the organic industry have been generating fear campaigns of late with "if you love your children ... " guilt trips, pressing consumers to buy organic. In response, David Zaruk says this nutty movement has challenged him to come up with reasons not to.

Someone, somewhere, sometime ago came up with the feel-good idea which has been widely accepted that spring was the perfect time to give the house a good, comprehensive cleaning. But when you stop to think about it, and challenge that notion with a bit of logic, don't we have it backwards?

CVS recently announced that its stores are expanding over-the-counter access to Naloxone in 12 states, widening its availability to 14 states overall. The life-saving drug reverses opiate overdose.

With help from a team of doctors and researchers from UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Orange, a paralyzed young man can walk once again using a non-invasive device that links neuronal signals to his lower extremities. Virtual reality technology assisted in the medical advance.