Health Highlights: Aug. 6, 2012

HealthDay – 57 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Chemotherapy Might Backfire, Spur Cancer Growth: Study

In a surprise finding, scientists say that chemotherapy might prompt tumors to emit a substance that helps maintain malignancy and boost resistance to drug therapy.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle tested a form of chemotherapy on prostate cancer tissues and found that healthy cells damaged by the cancer therapy secreted more of a protein called WNT16B, which seems to boost the survival of cancer cells.

"The increase in WNT16B was completely unexpected," study co-author Peter Nelson told Agence France-Presse. "WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with nearby tumor cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent therapy,"he explained.

The findings, published Aug. 5 in Nature Medicine, were later confirmed in breast and ovarian tumors. The study authors say the insight might help explain why cancer often develops resistance to chemotherapy over time. It might also point to treatments that might help block that resistance.

"For example, an antibody to WNT16B, given with chemotherapy, may improve responses (kill more tumor cells)," Nelson told AFP.

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Possible Listeria Contamination Spurs Salad Products Recall

Over 13,000 pounds of meat and poultry salad products distributed nationwide are being recalled due to possible contamination of diced onions with the listeria bacterium.

In a notice on its website posted Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that Garden Fresh Foods of Milwaukee, Wis., is recalling about 13,600 pounds of salad products. "The salads contain diced onions that are the subject of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall by Gill Onions, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes," the USDA said.

No reports of illnesses linked to consumption of the salads have yet been reported, the agency said.

The products include -- but are not limited to -- specific lots of "Finest Traditions Spiral Pasta and Chicken Salad," "Garden Fresh All White Meat Chicken Salad With Cranberries" and "Garden Fresh Reduced Fat Chicken Salad" (among others). The salads were produced between July 10 and July 16, 2012 and distributed to retailers and institutions across the United States, the USDA says.

For a full list of the recalled products, including product codes and lot numbers, head to the website of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service at www.fsis.usda.gov.

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Health Highlights: Aug. 2, 2012

HealthDay – 2 mins 30 secs ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

FDA Approves Ingestible Medical Sensor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved an ingestible medical sensor that reports vital information on a patient's health back to his or her doctor.

The device, from Proteus Digital Health Inc., is only about the size of a grain of sand and had already been approved by European health officials last year, CBS News reported. Once swallowed, it sends out information on whether patients are taking their medications as instructed, as well as data on vital signs.

The sensor is designed so that it can be placed inside a pill or other consumable and it is powered by stomach fluid, CBS said. It transmits information to a patch on the patient's stomach, and that data is then relayed to a cell phone app to the patient and, with his or her permission, to their caregiving team.

"About half of all people don't take medications like they're supposed to," Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla,Calif., told the journal Nature.

"This device could be a solution to that problem, so that doctors can know when to rev up a patient's medication adherence," said Topol, who is not affiliated with the device's maker.

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Free Contraception, Well-Woman Visits Tied to Health Care Reform Begin

Starting Wednesday, up to 47 million American women can now gain free access to contraception, well-woman visits, STD screening and other benefits linked to the Affordable Care Act, CBS News reported.

"Women deserve to have control over their health care," Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote on a blog posted on Healthcare.gov. "Too often, they have gone without preventive services, worrying about what even a $20 insurance co-pay would mean to their families' budgets and choosing to pay for groceries or rent instead. But now, thanks to the health care law, many women won't have to make that choice."

Starting Aug. 1, women will not have provide a co-pay for well-woman visits (including annual check-ups or more if doctors deem necessary); contraceptives and contraception counseling; HPV testing every three years for women aged 30 or over; annual sexually transmitted disease counseling, including HIV screening/counseling; domestic violence screening and counseling; screening for gestational diabetes and breast-feeding support, supplies and counseling.

The new benefits currently only apply to women who are enrolled in a health insurance plan, CBS News notes, although more uninsured women are expected to be included as health care reform is fully implemented.

The free services that kick in Wednesday join other no-fee, preventive health measures, such as mammography screening, cervical cancer screenings (via the Pap smear) and prenatal services, that are already covered by the Affordable Care Act.

Not everyone supports the changes, however. According to CBS News, Catholic groups have filed 12 lawsuits in 43 courts across the country to block the provision to supply contraception free of charge.

"The implementation of this policy marks the beginning of the end of religious freedom in our nation," Christen Varley, executive director of Conscience Cause, said in a statement.

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Health Highlights: July 31, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 50 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

U.S. Blood Supply Critically Low, Red Cross Warns

The level of U.S. blood donations is at its lowest point in 15 years and the shortfall is such that some patients may have to have elective surgeries canceled, the American Red Cross reports.

"People will put off having knee replacements, hip replacements and other elective surgery," Danny Cervantes, a donor recruitment director for United Blood Services in Las Vegas, told NBC News.

The shortfall appears due to a number of factors. Kim Talkington, regional director of donor recruitment for the Red Cross in Wichita, Kan., told NBC News that there's a high demand for blood in summer because it's high season for travel and road accidents.

On the donor side, the supply from college students -- who typically make up about one-fifth of donations -- falls by about half in the summer months, according to Quincy, Ill., donor recruitment representative Beth Forbes.

This summer has been especially tough for the blood supply because storms have upped demand in the East and Midwest, even as they helped dry up the supply, according to Rodney Wilson, another Red Cross representative based in Ohio.

"The power outages and storms we experienced earlier in the month caused dozens of blood drives to be canceled," Wilson told NBC News. "We normally try to keep a three-day supply on hand locally, and we are down to a one-day supply."

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Devices Not Enough to Save Children Left in Overheated Cars: Report

Devices aimed at preventing kids from dying in overheated cars may not work well enough to keep children from harm, a new review finds.

Parents shouldn't rely on special seats and other devices to stop them from accidently leaving children in cars, David Strickland, administrator for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said in a Monday press briefing, NBC News reported.

"While these devices are very well-intended, none of them are a full or complete solution for making sure a parent never leaves a baby behind in a hot car," Strickland said.

According to NHTSA, about 38 children die each year of heat stroke after being left in cars. The new report reviewed 18 commercial products, including pads that sense if a child is in a car seat; devices that can tell if a seatbelt is buckled and alarms that remind parents to check.

"The devices were inconsistent and unreliable in their performance," the researchers wrote in their report. "They often required adjusting of the position of the child within the child restraint, the distance to activation varied across trials and scenarios, and they experienced continual synching/unsynching during use."

The report also notes that "devices which integrate into a child restraint would not be applicable in scenarios where the child is playing and gets locked in the vehicle (30 percent of fatalities) or in a scenario where the parent/caregiver intentionally leaves the child in the vehicle (17 percent of fatalities)."

According to Strickland, parents can help ensure tragic heat stroke accidents in cars don't happen by using a few simple precautions. These include leaving a child's toy in the front seat as a reminder, putting a purse or briefcase in back seat so that the driver is forced to look in the back before exiting the car, or setting an alarm on the cellphone to remind yourself to check on a child's whereabouts.

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Health Highlights: Aug. 1, 2012

HealthDay – 2 hrs 40 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Free Contraception, Well-Woman Visits Tied to Health Care Reform Begin

Starting Wednesday, up to 47 million American women can now gain free access to contraception, well-woman visits, STD screening and other benefits linked to the Affordable Care Act, CBS News reported.

"Women deserve to have control over their health care," Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote on a blog posted on Healthcare.gov. "Too often, they have gone without preventive services, worrying about what even a $20 insurance co-pay would mean to their families' budgets and choosing to pay for groceries or rent instead. But now, thanks to the health care law, many women won't have to make that choice."

Starting Aug. 1, women will not have provide a co-pay for well-woman visits (including annual check-ups or more if doctors deem necessary); contraceptives and contraception counseling; HPV testing every three years for women aged 30 or over; annual sexually transmitted disease counseling, including HIV screening/counseling; domestic violence screening and counseling; screening for gestational diabetes and breast-feeding support, supplies and counseling.

The new benefits currently only apply to women who are enrolled in a health insurance plan, CBS News notes, although more uninsured women are expected to be included as health care reform is fully implemented.

The free services that kick in Wednesday join other no-fee, preventive health measures, such as mammography screening, cervical cancer screenings (via the Pap smear) and prenatal services, that are already covered by the Affordable Care Act.

Not everyone supports the changes, however. According to CBS News, Catholic groups have filed 12 lawsuits in 43 courts across the country to block the provision to supply contraception free of charge.

"The implementation of this policy marks the beginning of the end of religious freedom in our nation," Christen Varley, executive director of Conscience Cause, said in a statement.

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U.S. Blood Supply Critically Low, Red Cross Warns

The level of U.S. blood donations is at its lowest point in 15 years and the shortfall is such that some patients may have to have elective surgeries canceled, the American Red Cross reports.

"People will put off having knee replacements, hip replacements and other elective surgery," Danny Cervantes, a donor recruitment director for United Blood Services in Las Vegas, told NBC News.

The shortfall appears due to a number of factors. Kim Talkington, regional director of donor recruitment for the Red Cross in Wichita, Kan., told NBC News that there's a high demand for blood in summer because it's high season for travel and road accidents.

On the donor side, the supply from college students -- who typically make up about one-fifth of donations -- falls by about half in the summer months, according to Quincy, Ill., donor recruitment representative Beth Forbes.

This summer has been especially tough for the blood supply because storms have upped demand in the East and Midwest, even as they helped dry up the supply, according to Rodney Wilson, another Red Cross representative based in Ohio.

"The power outages and storms we experienced earlier in the month caused dozens of blood drives to be canceled," Wilson told NBC News. "We normally try to keep a three-day supply on hand locally, and we are down to a one-day supply."

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Health Highlights: July 30, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 7 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Ugandans Urged to Avoid Physical Contact as Ebola Kills 14

As a lethal outbreak of Ebola spreads in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni urged citizens to avoid physical contact to limit the spread of the disease.

According to BBC News, 14 people, including one in the capital city of Kampala, have died from Ebola since the outbreak began three weeks ago in the western part of the country. Ebola is one of the most virulent and lethal infectious diseases in the world and is spread person to person.

Museveni said health officials are trying to identify and quarantine those people who've had contact with victims. He said people should avoid everyday contacts such as shaking hands, kissing or having sex to avoid passing the disease on.

Burials of people known to have died from Ebola should also be handled by health workers, Museveni said.

According to the BBC, Uganda has faced three Ebola outbreaks over the past 12 years, with the deadliest occurring in 2000 when 425 people were infected and more than half died.

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Recall Issued for Kitty Treats

A voluntary recall has been issued for a brand of chicken treats for cats because of possible contamination with high levels of propylene glycol, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recall was issued by Los Angeles-based treat maker Arthur Dogswell LLC late Friday, NBC News reported. It applies to the Catswell Brand VitaKitty Chicken Breast with Flaxseed and Vitamins treats, and comes on the heels of recent reports of more than 1,800 dogs getting sick after eating chicken jerky treats that were made in China.

Slightly more than 1,000 cartons of the treats will be pulled off the market, NBC News reported. The high levels of propylene glycol could cause anemia and oxidative damage in cats, although no illnesses have been reported, the company said.

Dogswell spokesman Brad Armistead told NBC News late Friday that the company hopes to return the products to the marketplace in the near future.

"We have voluntarily withdrawn a small number of chicken products for cats. This is an isolated situation and does not affect any other products for cats or dogs," Armistead said in a statement. "We are committed to providing safe and healthy products to our customers and their pet companions."

The FDA has repeatedly said it has tested pet treats in the United States for the presence of many toxins, including propylene glycol, but agency officials said they found no levels high enough to urge a product recall, NBC News reported.

Cat owners who bought the VitaKitty products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund, the company said. If the product was purchased online, consumers should contact the Internet retailer to pursue a specific return and refund.

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Health Highlights: July 26, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 12 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

CPSC Tries to Stop Sales of Buckyballs

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has filed an administrative complaint against New York-based Maxfield and Oberton in an effort to force the company to stop selling high-powered desktop magnetic toys called Buckyballs.

The product is meant for adults, but the CPSC says at least a dozen children have swallowed the magnets since 2009 and some of them have required surgery, the Associated Press reported.

Thursday's move was taken because the company refused to recall the product, according to the CPSC. The agency has persuaded about 10 retailers, including Amazon.com, to stop selling Buckyballs.

Craig Zucker, the founder of Maxfield and Oberton, said Buckyballs are marketed to people 14 and older and carry clear warning labels to keep them away from children. In a statement, the company called the CPSC's actions "unfair, unjust and un-American," the AP reported.

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New Public-Private Partnership Targets Health Care Fraud

In an effort to reduce tens of billion of dollars in losses to health care fraud, the Obama administration has announced a new large scale public-private partnership with state investigators and private insurers.

This cooperative effort "puts criminals on notice that we will find them and stop them," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

Details of the partnership remain to be finalized, but could include sharing information on new fraud schemes as they appear, using computer analysis to detect emerging patterns of fraud, and analyzing claims data to identify scams.

It's estimated that fraud costs Medicare about $60 billion a year. This is the latest in a number of Obama administration efforts to stop it, the AP reported.

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Petition Calls for New FDA Rules on Painkillers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to introduce new measures to reduce the overuse and abuse of prescription painkillers, a group of about 35 doctors said in a citizens petition sent Wednesday.

Specifically, the doctors wants the FDA to limit the use of narcotic painkillers (opioids) to treatment of severe pain in patients other than those with cancer. They also want labeling changes that instruct doctors to limit doses of the drugs when they're used to treat noncancer pain and to limit the length of time they are used, The New York Times reported.

Currently, narcotic painkillers are FDA-approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain.

"Overprescribing of opioids is harming many chronic pain patients," Edward Covington, director of the Neurological Center for Pain at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a statement, The Times reported.

The doctors who signed the petition include Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the commissioner of the Department of Health in New York City, and Dr. Nirav R. Shah, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Health.

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Mexico Launches Large Poultry Vaccination Effort

About 10 million poultry will be vaccinated in Mexico to protect them against an outbreak of the highly contagious H7N3 bird flu strain.

The outbreak has already resulted in the deaths of five million birds, which either became ill or were slaughtered, Agence France-Presse reported.

The crisis was first detected June 20 in the western state of Jalisco and a national animal health emergency was declared in early July.

The United Nations says the H7N3 virus has occasionally affected people in various parts of the world, but is not easily transmittable between humans, AFP reported.

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Ecstasy Linked to Memory Loss: Study

The street drug Ecstasy may cause memory loss, according to a new study.

German researchers tracked more than 100 recreational Ecstasy users for a year and found that their performance on a series of memory tests declined during that time, ABC News reported.

The greatest effect was seen in associative memory. For example, people who used Ecstasy might have trouble remembering where they left their keys.

The Ecstasy users in the study took an average of 32 pills over the year, which is slightly more than one pill every other weekend, ABC News reported.

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Health Highlights: July 25, 2012

HealthDay – 6 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Vaccine Protects Against 3 of 4 Dengue Virus Strains

An experimental vaccine against dengue protected children against three of the four strains of the mosquito-borne virus, according to drug maker Sanofi.

The trial of 4,000 children in Thailand found that the vaccine generated antibody responses against all four strains of dengue, but only protected against three. Sanofi said the data is being analyzed in an effort to understand the discrepancy, Bloomberg News reported.

There is no specific treatment for dengue and these test results "represent a key milestone" in efforts to prevent the disease, according to a Sanofi official.

Dengue affects as many as 100 million people worldwide each year. The worst form of the disease can cause severe flu-like symptoms and fatal bleeding. Dengue is common in more than 100 countries and has started to appear in the continental U.S., Bloomberg reported.

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Health Care Law Repeal Would Increase U.S. Deficit: Analysis

Repealing the U.S. health care law would boost the federal deficit by $109 billion over 10 years, according to an analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

The repeal of several tax increases within the health care law would be the primary reason for the deficit increase between 2013 and 2022, concluded the CBO assessment of the health care repeal bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month, ABC News reported.

The repeal bill, which is not expected to become law under the current Congress, would reduce federal spending by $890 billion over the 10 years, but would also cut more than $1 trillion in new taxes.

The health care law was passed in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in June.

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Man Believed Cured of AIDS Says He's Still HIV-Free

Reports that he still has the HIV virus are false, says a man believed to be the first person to have been cured of AIDS.

At a news conference Tuesday, Timothy Ray Brown said doctors have told him he's "cured of AIDS and will remain cured," CBS News/The Associated Press reported.

Brown had both HIV and leukemia when he received a blood stem cell transplant in 2007 in Berlin, Germany. The stem cells came from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that provides natural resistance to HIV. Soon after the blood stem cell transplant, Brown's doctors declared him HIV-free.

However, researchers recently found traces of HIV in Brown's tissues. At the news conference, Brown said any remnants of the virus still in his body are dead and can't replicate, CBS News/AP reported.

Brown made his comments Tuesday at the International AIDS conference in Washington, D.C.

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Springsteen Reveals Long Struggle With Depression

Bruce Springsteen has fought a long battle with depression, the musician says in an interview with The New Yorker magazine.

Springsteen, 62, said he's been in therapy since 1982 when depression made him suicidal just as he was on the verge of superstardom, the New York Daily News reported.

However, Springsteen also said his internal demons have actually helped drive his legendary live performances, which are a product of "pure fear and self-loathing and self-hatred."

"You think, I don't like anything I'm seeing, I don't like anything I'm doing, but I need to change myself, I need to transform myself. I do not know a single artist who does not run on that fuel," the New Jersey native told The New Yorker, the Daily News reported.

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More Than 220,000 Peg Perego Strollers Recalled

About 223,000 Peg Perego strollers are being recalled due to the risk that babies could become trapped and strangle, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Infants who are not harnessed in the stroller can pass through the opening between the stroller tray and seat bottom, but their head and neck can become trapped by the tray, putting them at risk for strangulation.

In 2004, a 6-month-old boy from California died of strangulation after his head was trapped between the seat and tray of his stroller. In 2006, a 7-month-old girl from New York City nearly strangled when the same thing happened to her, the CPSC said.

The recall involves two different older versions of the Peg Perego strollers, Venezia and Pliko-P3, which were sold nationwide between January 2004 and September 2010. Consumers with the recalled strollers should stop using them immediately and contact Peg Perego USA Inc. for a free repair kit.

For more information, contact Peg Perego at 1-888-734-6020 or go to the company's website.

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Health Highlights: July 23, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 40 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

U.S. Pledges More Funds to Fight HIV/AIDS

The United States is donating $80 million in new funding to help poor countries boost their efforts to prevent HIV infection in babies born to mothers with the virus that causes AIDS.

The new money will help get life-saving HIV drugs to women who currently don't receive them, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the International AIDS Conference Monday, the Associated Press reported.

Clinton also told the conference that the U.S. will invest millions more to identify the best ways to protect the highest-risk populations -- gay and bisexual men, sex workers and injection drug users -- in countries hard hit by HIV.

Also at the conference, leading U.S. AIDS researcher Dr. Anthony Fauci said science has provided the tools needed to greatly reduce the number of new HIV infections, but countries need to put these tools in place, the AP reported.

Those tools include better treatment of HIV-infected people, so that they're less likely to infect others.

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Cargill Recalls Ground Beef

Nearly 30,000 pounds of ground beef that may contain salmonella has been recalled by Cargill Beef, Hannaford Supermarkets is alerting consumers.

The 85-percent-lean ground beef was produced at Cargill's plant in Wyalusing, Pa. on May 25, the Associated Press reported.

The recall includes ground beef sold at Hannaford Supermarkets between May 29 and June 16. The company said that customers who return ground beef with those dates will receive refunds.

"Food borne illnesses are unfortunate and we are sorry for anyone who became sick from eating ground beef we may have produced," Cargill President John Keating says in a statement, the AP reported.

Consumers can find additional information at the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.

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Health Highlights: July 20, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 22 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Software Simulation of Entire Organism a First

U.S. scientists have created the first software simulation of an entire organism.

The researchers and outside experts said the model of a single-cell bacterium that lives in the human genital and respiratory tracts is a major advance toward developing computerized laboratories that could conduct complete experiments without the need for traditional instruments, The New York Times reported.

The team from Stanford University and the J. Craig Venter Institute said their simulation of the complete life cycle of the pathogen Mycoplasma genitalium was a "first draft," but added that it was the first time that an entire organism was modeled in such detail. The model included all 525 of the organism's genes.

"Where I think our work is different is that we explicitly include all of the genes and every known gene function," team's leader Markus W. Covert, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford, wrote in an e-mail to The Times. "There's no one else out there who has been able to include more than a handful of functions or more than, say, one-third of the genes."

The research was published Friday in the journal Cell.

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European Approval of Gene Therapy Would be a Milestone

A gene therapy called Glybera should be approved to treat a rare genetic disease called lipoprotein lipase deficiency, the European Medicine Agency has recommended.

If the European Commission follows the agency's advice, Glybera would become the first gene therapy to be approved in the Western world, The New York Times reported.

The approval could give a much-needed boost to the struggling field of gene therapy after more than two decades of failed expectations. Glybera was developed by the Dutch company uniQuire.

Lipoprotein lipase deficiency affects only several hundred people in the European Union and a similar number in North America. The disease is caused by a genetic mutation that prevents people from producing an enzyme required to break down certain fat-carrying particles that circulate in the bloodstream after meals, The Times reported.

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'Polypill' Could Slash Heart Attack, Stroke Rates: Study

A "polypill" that combines a cholesterol-lowering statin drug and three blood pressure drugs reduced patients' "bad" LDL cholesterol by 39 percent and their blood pressure by 12 percent, according to a new study.

The U.K. researchers said the pill could prevent a huge number of heart attacks and strokes each year and called for regulators to make the pill available to patients "as a matter of urgency," BBC New reported.

"The health implications of our results are large," Dr. David Wald of Queen Mary, University of London, said."If people took the polypill from age 50, an estimated 28 percent would benefit by avoiding or delaying a heart attack or stroke during their lifetime."

If half of the people over age 50 in the U.K. took the polypill daily, there would be 94,000 fewer heart attacks and strokes each year, according to the researchers.

The results from the study of 84 people over the age of 50 were published in the journal PLoS One.

While the pill's potential is interesting, medicines are not a substitute for healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise, good nutrition and not smoking, Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, told BBC News.

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Health Highlights: July 17, 2012

HealthDay – 2 hrs 1 min ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Annual Report Ranks Mass. General as Top Hospital in U.S.

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston knocked off long-time champion Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to take this year's title as top hospital in the United States.

Hopkins was first for 21 consecutive years in the annual rankings by U.S. News and World Report, the Associated Press said.

The first-place ranking is a "tribute to the more than 23,000" staff at MGH, hospital president Dr. Peter Slavin said. The competition was not with other hospitals, but rather with "disease, health care costs, accessibility of services, and social issues," Dr. David Torchiana, chairman of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, said.

MGH is a 950-bed facility that admits about 48,000 patients a year and delivers about 3,600 babies annually. The hospital was founded in 1811, the AP reported.

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U.S. Produce Testing Program Faces Uncertain Future

A produce-safety testing program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will continue for the rest of the year but then may shut down due to lack of funding.

The Microbiology Data Program screens thousands of produce samples a year and is the nation's largest produce-safety testing program. It has detected more than two dozen bacteria-contaminated samples that led to recalls of produce such as lettuce and tomatoes, the Associated Press reported.

Funding for the program -- which cost $4.3 million to run last year -- was slashed in President Barack Obama's proposed budget earlier this year and the House and Senate have not included money for it in their agriculture spending bills.

In order to keep the program operating until the end of the year, the USDA will use existing agreements with states.

Ending the program would leave the nation without a vital way to investigate outbreaks of foodborne illness, food safety advocated and public health officials say. The program could not easily be replaced by more modest federal sampling programs or by companies' internal tests, according to Dr. Robert Tauxe, the top food-germ investigator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP reported.

Last year, contaminated fruits and vegetables caused nearly one-third of major multistate foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S., the CDC says.

"It is unacceptable for this crucial, cost-effective program to be eliminated," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a longtime food safety advocate, the AP reported. She said she would continue to push for the program to keep operating beyond December.

In recent years, produce industry leaders have urged the federal government to eliminate the USDA program and have said they want the private sector to do more testing.

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California Sues Companies Over High Lead Levels in Costume Jewelry

California is expected to file a lawsuit Tuesday against 16 companies accused of selling and distributing costume jewelry containing dangerous levels of lead.

State investigators found that some of the items from the retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and distributors had lead levels more than 1,000 times the legal state limit, the Associated Press reported.

Along with being accused of violating lead safety standards, the state alleges that the companies engaged in deceptive practices by falsely advertising contaminated jewelry as lead-free.

The three-year investigation involved spot checks at stores and factories in which inspectors used hand-held X-ray devices to check for lead in items such as earrings, necklaces, tiaras and hair clips. Items with a high lead content were then sent to a laboratory for detailed analysis, the APreported.

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Health Highlights: July 11, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 2 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Billions Pledged for Family Planning in Developing Countries

Pledges made at an international summit Wednesday will direct more than $2.6 billion toward family planning in developing nations.

The goal of the summit in London was to secure new funding promises to provide an additional 120 million women and girls worldwide with access to birth control by 2020, Agence France-Presse reported.

The money was pledged by rich nations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The summit included more than 150 representatives from donor and developing countries, international agencies and the private sector.

"Enabling an additional 120 million women in the world's poorest countries to access and use contraception, something women in the developed world take for granted, will save millions of lives and enable girls and women to determine their own futures," said British International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, AFP reported.

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Climate Change Boosts Risk of Weather Extremes: Study

Human-created climate change makes major heat waves and other weather extremes around the world more likely, according to a new study.

For example, climate change made the severe heat wave that struck Texas last year 20 times as likely to happen as it would have been in the 1960s and made the extremely warm temperatures in Britain last November 62 times as likely, The New York Times reported.

For this study, researchers analyzed six weather events from 2011. The findings are to be published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

The research represents an increased effort by scientists to respond to public demand for information about what is happening to the world's climate, according to The Times.

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Republicans Continue Attack on Health Reform Law

They have no chance of succeeding, but House Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal the U.S. health care reform law.

It's the latest of more than 30 House Republican efforts to scrap the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But any House attempt to repeal the law is certain to be blocked in the Democrat-led Senate, and the White House told House leaders that President Barack Obama would veto such a measure, CNN reported.

Democrats say the issue was settled when the U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld the law's constitutionality, and that the House repeal vote is a waste of time and tax dollars. Republicans say the repeal vote is part of their effort to turn voters against the law and to defeat Obama in the November presidential election.

On Monday, the White House said repeal of the health care reform law "would cost millions of hard-working middle-class families the security of affordable health coverage and care they deserve," CNN reported.

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Deadly Illness in Cambodia Caused by Mix of Pathogens

A combination of pathogens caused the mysterious illness that killed more than 60 children in Cambodia over the past four months.

That's the conclusion to be announced by the World Health Organization and the Cambodian Ministry of Health, doctors familiar with the investigation told CNN on Wednesday.

The pathogens responsible for the outbreak include enterovirus 71, streptococcus suis and dengue, according to the doctors. They also said that inappropriate use of steroids, which can suppress the immune system, worsened the illness in many of the patients.

No new cases of the illness have been confirmed since last Saturday, Dr. Beat Richner, head of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals in Phnom Penh, told CNN.

The illness kills children so fast that nearly all of those infected with it die within a day or two of being admitted to hospital. Of the 66 patients cared for at Kantha Bopha, 64 died, CNN reported.

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Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Mexican Poultry Farms

More than 2.5 million birds have been killed at poultry farms in western Mexico over the past three weeks in an effort to contain an outbreak of the H7N3 bird flu virus, according to the agriculture ministry.

The United Nations says the virus has occasionally caused human disease in some parts of the world but is not easily transmissible between people, Agence France-Presse reported.

The virus has been confirmed at 31 of 148 poultry farms visited by officials, while tests at 34 farms have been negative and the results for the rest of the farms were not yet available.

The outbreak was first detected on June 20 in Jalisco state and a national animal health emergency was declared by the Mexican government on July 2. Officials say they have developed a vaccine and that four laboratories will produce more than 80 million doses initially, AFP reported.

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Health Highlights: July 9, 2012

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Criminalizing Gay Behavior Hinders Fight Against HIV/AIDS: Report

A new report says laws that criminalize gay behavior waste resources and interfere with efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law also slammed a number of other laws, such as those that deny youths access to sex education and make sex work a crime and prevent interventions, Agence France-Presse reported.

The report is based on "extensive research and first-hand accounts from more than 1,000 people in 140 countries," the commission said in a statement.

"Too many countries waste vital resources by enforcing archaic laws that ignore science and perpetuate stigma," commission chair and former president of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso said in a statement, AFP reported.

"We have a chance to free future generations from the threat of HIV. We cannot allow injustice and intolerance to undercut this progress," Cardoso said.

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Frozen Meatballs, Patties Recalled Due to Listeria Risk

Nearly 325,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat beef and chicken meatballs and patties are being recalled by New Jersey-based Buona Vita, Inc. due to possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says.

The packages of recalled products carry the establishment number "P-954" or "Est. 954" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The products were distributed nationwide.

The problem was discovered through tests conducted by FSIS and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. To date, there have been no reports of illnesses associated with the products, according to FSIS.

For more information about the recall, consumers can go to the USDA/FSIS website.

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Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Detected in Cambodian Outbreak

The virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease has been detected in an outbreak that has killed at least 52 children in Cambodia, health officials say.

But they noted that the investigation is ongoing and other illnesses, including dengue, have also been associated with some of the cases, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The outbreak began in early April and was first reported as an unexplained illness involving respiratory and neurological symptoms. Laboratory samples are not available for most of the cases because many victims died before samples could be collected, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.

But officials said that the virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease was present in a "significant proportion" of the samples that were collected from patients, WSJ reported.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious illness in infants and children. It typically causes symptoms such as fever, painful mouth sores and a skin rash.

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Health Highlights: July 2, 2012

HealthDay – 7 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Drug Giant GlaxoSmithKline Fined $3 Billion for Fraud

In what government officials say is the largest health-care fraud settlement in U.S. history, drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has been fined $3 billion for falsely promoting two drugs and failing to report important safety data on a third medicine.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday that the drug giant promoted the use of the antidepressant Paxil for children, even though it was not approved for people under the age of 18, the Associated Press reported.

Justice officials also said the company encouraged Wellbutrin for purposes other than depression, the only condition for which it has received approval.

The government also charges that between 2001 and 2007, GlaxoSmithKline failed to report on two trials assessing the heart safety of its diabetes drug Avandia, the AP said.

The penalties include $1 billion for criminal fines and forfeitures and $2 billion for civil settlements with federal and state governments.

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Woman With Flesh-Eating Bacteria Leaves Hospital

Aimee Copeland, the young woman from Georgia who has waged a two-month-long battle against a flesh-eating bacteria, left the hospital Monday, CNN reported.

Copeland was discharged Monday morning from Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Ga., according to a hospital spokesman.

Copeland, 24, contracted the infection May 1 in a zip-lining accident in which she tore a gash in her left calf. Three days later she was admitted to the emergency department and was diagnosed as having been infected with necrotizing fasciitis caused by the Aeromonas hydrophilia bacteria.

Copeland had to have most of her hands, one leg and her remaining foot amputated as part of her ordeal and has had multiple skin grafts due to tissue being removed from her abdomen.

She is to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility prior to a return home.

According to her father, Andy Copeland, "Aimee is very excited, like a kid going off to college," CNN reported Monday. "But she also realizes that rehab will be arduous. But she says she will handle it."

Last week he told CNN that his daughter, "needs to be able to develop the autonomy to be able to transfer from her bed to a wheelchair to the shower to the bathroom or anywhere else in the house. And she can do it."

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Health Highlights: June 29, 2012

HealthDay – Fri, Jun 29, 2012 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Daily 'Quad' Pill Should Help Patients With HIV

A once-a-day pill that combines four different anti-HIV medicines may make it easier for patients to adhere to treatment and fight the virus that causes AIDS, researchers say.

Reporting June 28 in The Lancet, study author Paul Sax told BBC News that "Patient adherence to medication is vital, especially for patients with HIV, where missed doses can quickly lead to the virus becoming resistant to medication."

Patients infected with HIV often must take several pills a day, although some drugs have been combined into single pills. But the new four-in-one "quad" pill is the first to include a type of medication known as an integrase inhibitor, which blocks HIV from replicating.

Sax, who is clinical director at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, led a team that tested the new pill in 700 patients. He told the BBC that the drug did appear safe and effective, although people taking it had a higher risk for kidney problems.

Responding to the finding, Dr Steve Taylor, an HIV specialist at Birmingham Heartland Hospital in the U.K., told the BBC that, "We've come a long way from people taking up to 40 pills three times a day." He called the quad pill "great news" for people fighting HIV.

The study was funded by biotech company Gilead Sciences.

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CDC Launches Free Drugstore HIV Testing

Drugstore testing for HIV may someday become routine if a government-sponsored pilot program catches on across the United States.

Free rapid HIV tests -- like those used in doctor's office and health clinics -- are available now at seven sites around the country, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that it plans to add 17 more pharmacies and in-store clinics in cities and rural regions, the Associated Press reported.

"By bringing HIV testing into pharmacies, we believe we can reach more people by making testing more accessible and reduce the stigma associated with HIV," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's HIV prevention program, said in a statement.

The HIV saliva test, which involves swabbing the mouth, provides preliminary results in 20 minutes. Customers with positive results will be referred for laboratory testing and, if the results are confirmed, counseling and treatment, the AP said.

While gay men and injectable drug users are considered at highest risk, the CDC currently recommends all teenagers and adults up to age 64 get tested at least once. The agency estimates that one-fifth of the 1.1 million Americans infected with HIV don't know they carry the virus that causes AIDS.

CDC, which is training drugstore personnel to administer the tests, will review the program results next summer.

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Health Highlights: June 27, 2012

HealthDay – 31 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

CDC Launches Free Drugstore HIV Testing

Drugstore testing for HIV may someday become routine if a government-sponsored pilot program catches on across the United States.

Free rapid HIV tests -- like those used in doctor's office and health clinics -- are available now at seven sites around the country, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that it plans to add 17 more pharmacies and in-store clinics in cities and rural regions, the Associated Press reported.

"By bringing HIV testing into pharmacies, we believe we can reach more people by making testing more accessible and reduce the stigma associated with HIV," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's HIV prevention program, said in a statement.

The HIV saliva test, which involves swabbing the mouth, provides preliminary results in 20 minutes. Customers with positive results will be referred for laboratory testing and, if the results are confirmed, counseling and treatment, the AP said.

While gay men and injectable drug users are considered at highest risk, the CDC currently recommends all teenagers and adults up to age 64 get tested at least once. The agency estimates that one-fifth of the 1.1 million Americans infected with HIV don't know they carry the virus that causes AIDS.

CDC, which is training drugstore personnel to administer the tests, will review the program results next summer.

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Bagged Salads Recalled From Kroger, Wal Mart Stores

The Dole company is recalling fresh bagged salads from Kroger and Wal Mart stores across six states due to potential contamination with listeria, the company has announced.

No illnesses have yet been reported in the "precautionary" recall of 1,077 cases of bagged salads that were distributed in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The products under recall include Kroger Fresh Selections Greener Supreme coded N158 211B 1613 KR04 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91039; Kroger Fresh Selections Leafy Romaine coded N158 111B KR11 with Use-by date of June 19 and UPC 11110 91046; and Wal Mart Marketside Leafy Romaine coded N158111B with Use-by date of June19 and UPC code 81131 02781.

The Product Code and Use-by dates are located in the upper right-hand corner of the salads' packaging, and the UPC is found on the reverse side of the package.

Dole is asking that consumers who have these products discard them. Retailers and consumers can find out more by calling Dole at 1-800-356-3111.

Listeria monocytigenes can trigger illness with symptoms such as fever, muscle ache and gastrointestinal symptoms, with pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems most at risk for serious illness.

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Low Testosterone Not Part of Normal Aging: Study

Factors other than aging are likely responsible for the drop in testosterone some older men experience, a new study finds.

Researchers in Australia tracked the testosterone levels of more than 1,500 men, ages 35 to 80, who had their testosterone levels sampled at clinic visits spaced five years apart, UPI reported.

The study found that testosterone levels didn't undergo a steep decline -- instead they only fell less than 1 percent per year. And certain health or lifestyle factors seemed linked to those slight declines.

"Men who had declines in testosterone were more likely to be those who became obese, had stopped smoking or were depressed at either clinic visit," lead author Dr. Gary Wittert, professor of medicine at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, said in a statement. "While stopping smoking may be a cause of a slight decrease in testosterone, the benefit of quitting smoking is huge."

Wittert and his team believe, therefore, that a drop in testosterone is not an inevitable part of the aging process in men.

The study was presented at the Endocrine Society's 94th annual meeting in Houston.

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Health Highlights: June 22, 2012

HealthDay – 1 hr 23 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Tumor Removed From Fetus in Groundbreaking Surgery

Twenty-month-old Leyna Gonzalez is healthy and happy today because doctors were able to remove a potentially fatal tennis ball-sized tumor from her mouth while she was still in the womb.

The rare congenital tumor, called an oral teratoma, was removed in May 2010 by surgeons at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, CBS News reported.

"The concern with these tumors is that they can grow very rapidly. And they can cause bleeding from the fetus -- from the baby -- into the tumor," fetal surgeon Dr. Ruben Quintero said Thursday during a press conference at the hospital. "That bleeding can cause the death of the baby."

He and his team used an endoscope guided by ultrasound to perform the first-of-a-kind surgery when Leyna was a 17-week-old fetus. She was born Oct. 1, 2010 at a healthy 8 pounds, 1 ounce, CBS News reported.

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Seizure Leads to U.S. Commerce Secretary's Resignation

A seizure suffered earlier this month has led U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson to resign from the Obama administration.

Bryson, 68, was found unconscious after he was involved in a series of traffic crashes in the Los Angeles earlier this month. A breathalyzer test did not detect any alcohol, the Associated Press reported.

In his resignation letter, Bryson said his decision was a "consequence of a recent seizure and a medical leave of absence."

He also wrote: ""I have concluded that the seizure I suffered on June 9th could be a distraction from my performance as secretary, and that our country would be better served by a change in leadership," the AP reported.

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Traffic Noise Increases Heart Attack Risk: Study

People who live near roads with high levels of traffic noise are at increased risk for a heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers followed more than 50,000 people in Denmark, ages 50 to 64, for 10 years and found that for every 10 decibel rise in traffic noise near a person's home, there was a 12 percent increased risk of a first heart attack, ABC News reported.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.

Previous research has found some association between traffic noise and heart health but study lead author Dr. Mette Sorensen said she was surprised to find such a direct link between traffic noise levels and heart attack risk, ABC News reported.

"Previously, there seemed to be no effect up to around 60 decibels," she said. "But I see increases at around 40 decibels up to the highest level, around 82 decibels. It doesn't seem to be a level where there are no effects."

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Health Highlights: June 21, 2012

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Seizure Leads to U.S. Commerce Secretary's Resignation

A seizure suffered earlier this month has led U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson to resign from the Obama administration.

Bryson, 68, was found unconscious after he was involved in a series of traffic crashes in the Los Angeles earlier this month. A breathalyzer test did not detect any alcohol, the Associated Press reported.

In his resignation letter, Bryson said his decision was a "consequence of a recent seizure and a medical leave of absence."

He also wrote: ""I have concluded that the seizure I suffered on June 9th could be a distraction from my performance as secretary, and that our country would be better served by a change in leadership," the AP reported.

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Traffic Noise Increases Heart Attack Risk: Study

People who live near roads with high levels of traffic noise are at increased risk for a heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers followed more than 50,000 people in Denmark, ages 50 to 64, for 10 years and found that for every 10 decibel rise in traffic noise near a person's home, there was a 12 percent increased risk of a first heart attack, ABC News reported.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.

Previous research has found some association between traffic noise and heart health but study lead author Dr. Mette Sorensen said she was surprised to find such a direct link between traffic noise levels and heart attack risk, ABC News reported.

"Previously, there seemed to be no effect up to around 60 decibels," she said. "But I see increases at around 40 decibels up to the highest level, around 82 decibels. It doesn't seem to be a level where there are no effects."

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Group Challenges Merck's Marketing of Children's Allergy Medicine

Drug maker Merck is using animated characters from the movie "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" to improperly market over-the-counter allergy medicine to children, public health advocates charge in a complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

The Public Health Advocacy Institute and 10 other groups say the marketing strategy for Children's Claritin is dangerous and deceptive. They point to the inclusion of Madagascar movie stickers in some boxes of the allergy medicine, activity books that parents can download for their children, and Merck's enlistment of a group of mothers who blog to hold Claritin-themed Madagascar viewing parties for their children and friends, The New York Times reported.

The complainants also noted that the same animated characters are used to promote other children's products such as candy and gummy snacks. This could lead children to confuse the grape-flavored Claritin tablets and syrup for candy, they warn.

Merck is reviewing the issue, spokeswoman Kelley Dougherty told The Times. But she added: "We advertised in appropriate venues to reach those parents of children who may benefit from the use of Claritin, and not to the children themselves."

The FTC will review the complaint, an official said.

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Fat-Free Salad Dressings Reduce Nutrient Intake: Study

Putting a fat-free dressing on your salad may actually reduce the amount of nutrients your body absorbs from the vegetables and fruits in your salad, a new study suggests.

Purdue University researchers found that some fat in dressings is essential to absorb compounds such as lycopene and beta-carotene, which have been linked with a reduced risk of illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The study was published online Wednesday in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

"If you want to utilize more from your fruits and vegetables, you have to pair them correctly with fat-based dressings," lead author Mario Ferruzzi, an associate professor of food science, said in a news release, The Times reported. "If you have a salad with a fat-free dressing, there is a reduction in calories, but you lose some of the benefits of the vegetables."

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New Dengue Fever Test Approved by FDA

A new test for dengue fever that was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The test can identify all four types of dengue virus types and will help diagnose dengue within the first seven days after symptoms of the illness appear, when is when most people are likely to see a doctor, the CDC said.

This is the first FDA-approved test that detects evidence of the virus itself and the test can be performed using equipment and supplies that many public health laboratories already use to diagnose influenza. Test kits will be available for distribution in early July.

Dengue viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes. Thousands of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands develop dengue every year, and dengue is a leading cause of fever in American travelers returning from Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Severe dengue infections can lead to hemorrhage, shock and death. There are no vaccines to prevent dengue or medicines specifically approved to treat the disease, but early medical care can greatly reduce the risk of death, the CDC said.

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Health Highlights: June 7, 2012

HealthDay – 54 mins ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Children's Vaccines Often Stored at Wrong Temperature: Report

Many providers of immunizations for low-income children store vaccines at improper temperatures, which could make them ineffective, says a U.S. government investigation.

A team from Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General checked the offices of 45 providers in five states who provided free immunizations under the federal government's Vaccines for Children program, ABC News reported.

The investigators found that 76 percent of the providers stored the vaccines at temperatures that were either too hot or too cold, and 13 percent of the providers stored expired vaccines with nonexpired vaccines.

Improper storage could reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines and put children at risk of contracting serious diseases, ABC News reported.

Nationwide, about 44,000 offices and clinics participate in the Vaccines for Children program.

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Introvale Birth Control Pills Recalled

Ten lots of Introvale birth control pills are being recalled after a consumer reported that the white placebo tablets were in the wrong row, drug maker Sandoz announced Wednesday.

The consumer found that the placebo tablets were in the ninth row (labeled "Week 9") of the 13-row blister card, rather than in the correct position in the 13th and final row.

While it is easy to distinguish the white placebo pills from the peach-colored active pills, there is the potential risk for an unintended pregnancy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The numbers of the recalled lots are: LF00478C, LF00479C, LF00551C, LF00552C, LF00687C, LF00688C, LF00763C, LF00764C, LF00765C and LF01261C. The lots were distributed only in the U.S. between January 2011 and May 2012.

Consumers who find a white placebo pill in any position other than the 13th and final row should immediately being using a non-hormonal form of birth control and contact their doctor, the FDA said.

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Sheryl Crow Has Benign Brain Tumor

After being diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow described it as a "bump in the road" and told fans not to worry about her.

"Please don't worry about my 'brain tumor,' it's a noncancerous growth. I know some folks can have problems with this kind of thing, but I want to assure everyone I'm OK," Crow wrote on her Facebook page, CNN reported.

She was diagnosed with meningioma a few months ago. She doesn't require surgery for this common type of brain tumor but will have periodic brain scans to monitor its growth.

"It's a tumor that typically grows between the outer layer of the brain and the brain itself. So it's not actually inside the brain," explained CNN Chief Medical Correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta.

Depending on the size, some people have this type of tumor removed immediately while others may never need surgery or treatment, Gupta said.

Crow is a breast cancer survivor.

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'Pink Slime' Rejected by Most School Districts

A beef product widely referred to as "pink slime" is off the menu in most school districts across the United States.

The vast majority of states that participate in the National School Lunch Program have decided to order ground beef that doesn't contain the filler product known as lean finely textured beef, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The USDA said only three states -- Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota -- ordered beef that may contain the filler, the Associated Press reported.

After a public outcry early this year, the USDA said in March that it would change its policy and offer schools the choice to purchase beef without the filler for the 2012-13 school year.

Lean finely textured beef is made of fatty beef chunks that are heated and then treated with ammonia to kill bacteria. The USDA says it's a safe, affordable and nutritious product, the AP reported.

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Health Highlights: May 30, 2012

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

New Tests for E. Coli in Beef to Begin Monday

Beginning Monday, U.S. food safety inspectors are scheduled to begin testing for six strains of potentially deadly E. coli bacteria that will not be permitted in certain cuts of raw beef.

The implementation of long-delayed federal regulations target a group of E. coli bacteria collectively referred to as "the Big Six," msnbc.com reported.

These strains of E. coli will be classified on the same level of danger as the better known E. coli O157:H7, which is often implicated in serious illnesses associated with hamburger.

The new strains of E. coli to be the subject of testing include E. coli O26, O111, O103, O121, O45 and O145, msnbc.com reported.

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Childhood Cancer DNA Research May Lead to New Treatments

The world's largest collection of genetic data on childhood cancers has been released by U.S. scientists in order to hasten the development of new treatments.

The U.S. Pediatric Cancer Genome Project team mapped the complete genome (all the DNA) of 260 young cancer patients and their work appears in the journal Nature Genetics, BBC News reported.

The data has already revealed a new treatment for a rare form of eye cancer called retinoblastoma and also provided new information about aggressive childhood cancers of the brainstem and blood.

"We have identified unusual, 'cryptic' changes in many patients' cancer cells that we would not have found using other methods," said Dr. Richard Wilson, head of the Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine, BBC News reported.

"We are pleased to be able to share this data with the research community in the hope that others can build upon our initial discoveries," Wilson added.

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Disease Could Wipe Out Gray Bats in U.S.

Gray bats in the United States could be wiped out within a few years due to white-nose disease, Fish and Wildlife Service officials said Tuesday.

The first cases of the highly contagious disease were confirmed in the endangered bat species this spring, the Washington Post reported.

White-nose fungus has killed millions of bats in the northeastern U.S. and could prove especially devastating to gray bats, which live in the southeastern part of the country. Ninety percent of the gray bat population is found in nine caves in five states. The bats live in the caves year-round, which could lead to a fast spread of the disease.

"They could potentially be wiped out in just a couple of years," Ann Froschauer, the Fish and Wildlife Service's national communications leader on white-nose syndrome, told the Post. "If the disease behaves in a similar way it has in the Northeast, we really could be looking at losing this species."

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Many Working-Age Veterans Lack Health Coverage: Study

A new study finds that more than 1.3 million working-age veterans in the United states don't have health insurance and are not taking advantage of health care available through Veterans Affairs.

Veterans ages 19-64 are more likely to have health insurance than people in the general population, but about 1 in 10 of the nearly 12.5 million veterans in that age group do not have any type of health coverage, msnbc.com reported.

Veterans under age 35 appear to have especially high rates of uninsurance, according to the study from researchers at the Urban Institute.

Their analysis of census data also showed that uninsured veterans also tended to have lower incomes and lower levels of education, and were less likely to have full-time jobs than veterans with health coverage, msnbc.com reported.

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Health Highlights: May 25, 2012

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