Today, we received this official statement from the American Psychiatric Assn. on the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings:

“The American Psychiatric Association is saddened and shocked by the events at Fort Hood on Thursday, November 5. Our hearts are with the soldiers, the families, and all the members of the Fort Hood and military community affected by this tragedy.”

Couldn't the same be said of most people's reactions -- and the location of their hearts? Here's what the position looked like in its entirety.

And last week, there was this from the National Women's Law Center on the gang rape of a 15-year-old California girl who'd attended a dance:

“The circumstances reported about this brutal assault, as well as the shocking inaction of those who stood by and watched it happen, are shocking – and should be widely condemned."

Again, society didn't seem to need much urging.

If you're going to make a statement, then do so. Here's one this week from the National Right to Life Committee on a legislative move in the House:

"The Ellsworth language is a political fig leaf made out of cellophane -- it directs the federal Secretary of Health to hire a contractor to deliver to abortion providers the payments for elective abortions, payments that are explicitly authorized by the bill [on page 110].  This is a money-laundering scheme -- a federally funded 'bag man' will deliver government funds to abortionists.  This is federal funding of elective abortion."

Here is that statement in its entirety.

Whether you think the statement is an accurate reflection or a grotesque parody of the current political debate, at least there's a point in saying it.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Sometimes the point isn't what is said, just that something is said.

Credit: Los Angeles Times

Such is the case with a gonorrhea medication developed in the 1930s. Preliminary evidence published this week shows that the substance, called acriflavine, may work as a cancer therapy. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University discovered that the drug has the ability to stop the growth of new blood vessels, which may then curb tumor growth. Mice who were engineered to develop cancer showed no tumor growth when they were injected with acriflavine daily. The study showed that acriflavine inhibits the function of a protein called HIF-1, which promotes new blood vessel formation.

"Mechanistically, this is the first drug of its kind," Jun Liu, an author of the paper and a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences, said in a news release. "It is acting in a way that is never seen for this family of proteins."

Researchers at Johns Hopkins continue to explore new uses for old drugs in the school's expansive drug library.

"The more drugs you have, the more possibilities, the higher the chance you rediscover something that will help," Liu said. "Oftentimes, we are surprised that a drug known to do something else has another hidden property."

The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Advanced Cell Technology Inc.

Following a complaint, the FDA investigated the product and found that it contains sulfoaildenafil, an analog of sildenafil -- the active ingredient in Viagra -- that has not been approved. Sulfoaildenafil may interact with prescription drugs called nitrates, including nitrogylcerin, producing dangerously low blood pressure.

The product is distributed on Internet sites and at retail stores by Impulsaria LLC of Grand Rapids, Mich. "Because this product is labeled as an 'all natural dietary supplement,' consumers may assume it is harmless and poses no health risk," said Deborah M. Autor, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Office of Compliance. "In fact, this product is illegally marketed and can cause serious complications."

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

CPR performed by paramedics is a combination of chest compressions (to pump blood through the body) and rescue breathing. Lay people are encouraged to use only chest compressions until paramedics arrive.

Paramedics treat about 350,000 people with cardiac arrest, in which the heart stops beating, in the United States each year, but fewer than 10% of patients survive. In the majority of cases, the patient's heart had simply stopped beating for too long before paramedics were summoned and arrived. But health officials had hoped the new techniques could provide some improvement in survival rates.

In one arm of the trial, paramedics performed CPR for only 30 to 90 seconds before checking to determine whether defibrillation was indicated. In the other arm, they performed it for at least three minutes before checking. Small trials have given different results, with some showing that a short delay is better and others showing the long delay is preferable. But the new trial's Data and Safety Monitoring Board concluded that neither was more effective than the other. "Both techniques appear to be equally beneficial," said Dr. Ian Stiell of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canda, the principal investigator.

The ITD is a small hard-plastic device, about the size of a fist, that is attached to the face mask or breathing tube during CPR. It is designed to improve circulation by enhancing changes in pressure within the chest during CPR. In animal studies and small studies in humans, the device was found to markedly increase blood flow to the heart and raise blood pressure. Researchers had hoped that would improve retention of neurological function in patients who survived. Some patients whose heart stops for prolonged periods have severe neurological impairment that interferes with their quality of life.

In the trial, patients were randomized to receive either the ITD or a nonfunctional device that looked the same. Researchers found that survival was the same in both groups, as was retention of neurological function, suggesting that standard CPR was as effective as CPR with the device.

Patients in both arms of the trial will be studied for another six months to determine if there are any long-term effects.

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

Photo: An instructor teaches CPR. Credit: Los Angeles Times

About 91 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine have also been shipped, and manufacturers expect to ship a record 114 million doses before the season is over, she said.

Widespread influenza activity is being seen in 48 states "and virtually everything is H1N1," she noted. Influenza-like illnesses last week accounted for 7.7% of visits to doctors' offices last week, down slightly from 8% the week before. "That's way higher than we would normally see at this time of year."

More than half of the hospitalizations continue to be in people under are 25, and 90% of the deaths are in people under 65, she said. In a typical flu season, the vast majority of deaths are in those over 65. There have now been 129 pediatric deaths from laboratory-confirmed swine flu, an increase of 15 since last week. There have been others who have died from flu but typing wasn't done, Schuchat said. About two-thirds of the children had underlying conditions that increased their risk -- particularly severe neurological problems such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, and asthma.

The CDC said Thursday that it is ordering 10,000 treatment courses of the intravenous antiviral drug peramivir for its national stockpile, at a cost of $22.5 million. The Food and Drug Administration two weeks ago approved emergency use of the experimental drug for severely ill patients who for one reason or another cannot use the oral or intranasal antivirals. Schuchat said the agency has so far disbursed about 300 courses of treatment to physicians around the country.

New York City health officials have been under fire in recent days for allocating doses of the swine flu vaccine to several large companies, particularly Wall Street companies such as Goldman Sachs. New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley on Friday defended that decision, saying that the companies received only 6% of the vaccine allocation and that such companies have traditionally been distributors of flu shots. Schuchat appeared to defend his actions: "The workplace is a very common place for adults to get vaccinated," and there are many priority groups there, including pregnant women, adults with underlying medical conditions and caretakers of young children. "State and local health departments are in the best position to make such decisions."

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

In a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a national registry of patients who suffered a stroke between 2005 and 2007 has found that nearly 40% used private transportation to get to a hospital emergency room rather than calling 911.

Bad decision, because as every neurologist will tell you: Time is Brain.

Only about 20% got to a hospital within two hours of the onset of stroke symptoms -- which include weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden vision problems, confusion and difficulty in speaking or understanding or a sudden bout of extreme dizziness or severe headache with no known cause. (See all the symptoms -- and memorize them! -- right here.) That delay is particularly important because the treatment most effective in reducing death and disability from strokes caused by a blockage of a blood vessel -- tissue plasminogen activator (or tPA) -- must be administered no later than three hours after the onset of symptoms to be effective. Other stroke treatments also drive down death and disability, but are most effective when given promptly.

(A study published last month may offer some reprieve from that timetable. The study, published in the British journal Lancet, suggested the window within which tPA could be administered might safely be expanded to 4 1/2 hours. But if you are experiencing stroke symptoms, don't count on it -- call 911 immediately.)

But getting to the hospital in time, apparently, is no assurance that tPA will be administered. Just under 40% of patients who fit the criteria for getting the clot-busting drug actually received it during the study period, which tracked patients from Georgia, Massachusetts, Illinois and North Carolina. Many hospitals and physicians do not have access to tPA or the expertise to administer it, and the drug's fearsome risk -- of bleeding in the brain, particularly if it is administered after the prescribed window has closed -- discourages many from using it.

Each year, 795,000 in the United States suffer a stroke, and for 610,000 of them it is their first. You don't want to be one of them. Quit smoking, maintain a normal weight, take your blood pressure medications in you have 'em. If you or a loved one could be a victim, learn the signs. And if you see them, don't dally: Call 911.

-- Melissa Healy

The research, published in the November issue of Tobacco Control, analyzed survey data from about 31,000 smokers who were asked whether they had switched to a milder or low-tar brand of cigarettes and the reasons for the switch. They were queried about whether they had tried to give up smoking and if they could currently call themselves nonsmokers. Those who switched brands were 58% more likely to have attempted to give up smoking than those who stayed with one brand but were 60% less likely to successfully quit.

It's not clear why switching to light cigarettes backfires, said the authors, from the University of Pittsburgh. Switchers may have changed their behavior in ways that made quitting harder. The switchers could also be the group of people who have the most trouble quitting. Or it's possible these people decided that smoking light cigarettes was a good alternative to quitting.

Low-tar cigarettes deliver amounts of tar, nicotine and other substances that are comparable with regular cigarettes, the authors said. These so-called light products make up 84% of the market.

"Previous research has shown that smokers interpret the term 'light' to mean less toxic, an association that manufacturers have sought to exploit in advertising," the lead author of the study, Dr. Hilary Tindle, said in a news release.

People who want information on the proven, best methods for quitting can peruse the smoking cessation resources page at the National Institutes of Health.

- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Will Wintercross  /  Bloomberg News

There is a “compelling case for taking public health action” to curb consumption of sweetened soft drinks, said the researcher, Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. He is among those who have proposed a tax on sodas.

The hearing, at Los Angeles City Hall, was called jointly by the state Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes and the Senate Health Committee.

“There is near unanimity that we are facing an obesity epidemic in America,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), chairman of the select committee, said to open the hearing. Sixteen million Californians are overweight or obese, and those rates have tripled among teenagers in the last three decades, he said. The annual cost – in healthcare, workers’ compensation and lost productivity -- runs in the billions of dollars, he added.

Padilla said the senators wanted to hear ideas from experts and did not have a plan in mind yet. Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose), chairwoman of the health committee, cited research that 62% of adolescents and 41% of children ages 2 to 11 drink soda everyday. “This just has to stop,” she said.

Several researchers testified about sweetened-beverage marketing and consumption, about diabetes and dental health and about whether consumption can be linked to obesity. Brownell said a number of studies show “a very strong” relationship between sweetened-beverage consumption and obesity.

“Adults who drink soda every day are 27% more likely to be obese,” said Susan Batey, a researcher at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. A study from that center prompted today’s hearing.

Representatives from Coca-Cola Co. and from the American Beverage Assn. also testified.

Maureen Storey, a vice president at the beverage association, cited research showing that 5.5% of calories come from sweetened beverages. And she said that a lack of exercise and other foods also contribute to obesity. A narrow focus on soft drinks will fail to solve the problem, she said. She said the UCLA study also showed that half of adults who don’t drink soda are also overweight.

And Margaret Leahy, director of health and wellness science at Coca-Cola, also talked about the “totality” of the diet. She said that as the grandmother of four, she cares “deeply about the health of our nation. But it’s “unlikely” that one food is the answer to the obesity problem. “We cannot blame overweight or obesity on soft drinks,” she said.

Padilla told the industry representatives that he found their testimony disappointing.

Said Alquist: “To be told that all calories are equal, that sweetened soda pop is not contributing to obesity ... the public is not stupid. We know you can do better.”

Another senator, Dean Florez, told the hearing room: “I would like to end the Pepsi Generation.” He compared the marketing of soft drinks to cigarette marketing and said he thinks a soda tax is needed.

California has taken some actions already to require nutrition labeling on menus and to regulate foods sold at schools.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

California Dried Plum Digestive Health Month (that's January). National Boost Self-Esteem Month (that's February).

This month, you should be focusing your awareness on: adoption, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Indian heritage, aviation history, diabetic eye disease, epilepsy, family caregivers, family stories, gluten-free diets, inspirational role models, life-writing, long-term care, lung cancer, the military family, peanut butter, pet cancer, pomegranates, prematurity, roasting, scholarship, vegans. And pecans, if you're in Georgia. It's also national animal shelter appreciation week, radiologic technology week, Dear Santa letter week and national care week.

For next year, hooray, there's a new awareness event, just announced: International Omega-3 Awareness Day, the first of which will be held on March 3, 2010. Read all about it at www.Omega3Day.com. (I'll tie a knot in my handkerchief.)

Read more about the science of omega-3 fatty acids.

--Rosie Mestel

Photo: Salmon (they're rich in omega-3 fatty acids) Credit: Ben Knight / Trout Unlimited

Ears. Mouth. Underarms. Private parts. More. This is an update on an earlier analysis by the same group, conducted by taking samples from several healthy adults (three females, six males), none of whom had taken antibiotics for the prior six months.

The new analysis, we're told, underscores the fact that body site is a better predictor of what will be growing where than the particular identity of a person or a person's age. (There are individual differences, however, as well as differences depending on when the samples were taken.)

Sites of especial diversity: The index finger, back of knee, forearm, palm and sole of foot.

Sites of less diversity: The forehead.

Sites where Staphylococcus bacteria seemed to thrive: armpits and soles of feet.

Sites where Corynebacterium species seemed to thrive: navel and backs of knees.

Lactobacillus species were the dominant microbes on the labia minora.

It seems the bacteria just plain seem to like those spots: The scientists conducted experiments in which they took bacteria from one spot on a body and placed them on another spot that had been disinfected. Alas, the microbes often did not thrive in the new locations. Greasy sites were particularly specific as to the critters they harbored.  "For example," the press materials inform us, "forearm microbes did not grow as well on the forehead, but forehead microbes grew just fine on the forearm."

Lord knows what it all means, but the scientists hope their cataloging will provide a baseline, so that what happens during disease can be better understood.

Here's a write-up of the findings BBC News. And a blog at Technology Review.

-- Rosie Mestel

Photo: Staphylococcus bacteria like living in our armpits. Credit: Visuals Unlimited

Researchers took yoga to racially diverse neighborhoods in Boston to see whether three months of steady practice would have any consequence on chronic low back pain. Although the condition is common, minorities may not always have adequate access to treatments such as pain relievers, physical therapy and surgery.

For this pilot study, 30 people, average age 44, were recruited from community health centers in Boston in low-income areas that were racially diverse. They were randomly split into two groups -- one did hatha yoga for 12 weeks, taking classes that included poses and breathing techniques. They were also encouraged to practice at home and were given a yoga CD and handbook, plus a mat, strap and block, and were told to continue their regular medical routine. Participants in the other group continued their usual treatment that included seeing their doctor and taking medication.

After the 12 weeks, those in the yoga group had far lower pain scores than the control -- their pain decreased by a third, compared with 5% in the control group. The yoga group also decreased their use of pain medication by 80%, while the control group's medication didn't change. At the end of the study, 73% of the yoga group said they had overall improvement in back pain, compared with 27% of the control group.

"Our pilot study showed that yoga is well-received in these communities and may be effective for reducing pain and pain medication use," said Dr. Robert Saper in a news release. Saper, the lead author of the study, is also an assistant professor of family medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and director of integrative medicine at Boston Medical Center. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo credit: Kate Brooks / For The Times

"At WHO, we remain concerned about the pattern we are seeing, particularly because a sizable number of people do develop serious complications and death," Dr. Keiji Fukuda, a special advisor to the WHO director-general on pandemic influenza, said at a news conference. "We anticipate seeing continued or increased activity during the winter period in the Northern Hemisphere. This also means we expect to see continued reports of serious cases and deaths."

The most recent figures available show that at least 5,700 people worldwide have died from swine flu, with 4,175 of those in the Americas.

Fukuda said that vaccinations against swine flu have started in 20 countries and that millions of doses have been delivered safely, with no adverse events. He complained, however, that the agency has yet to receive most of the 200 million doses of vaccine that were to be donated by 11 countries. Delays in production of the vaccine have led to shortages, and most countries, like the United States, have chosen to vaccinate their high-priority groups before making good on their pledges.

In other flu news:

-- Swine flu has struck the remote Yanomami tribe in Venezuela, showing that no one is safe from the virus. Seven people have died from the flu, out of a population of only 28,000. Several of the victims were babies, and one was a pregnant woman. Fukuda said the virus has also struck aboriginal populations in Australia severely, and it is not clear yet whether the high rate of infection is related to a genetic susceptibility or to poor healthcare.

-- Cold weather has brought an outbreak of swine flu in Mongolia, and the country has been requesting additonal doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to combat its spread. The country has confirmed 859 cases of swine flu and six deaths, but healthcare facilities have been struggling to cope with the surge in unconfirmed cases. Mongolia previously had a stockpile of 11,000 doses of Tamiflu, half provided by the WHO in May. The agency is now sending an additional 45,000 doses.

-- In  an effort to ease the burden on its healthcare system caused by swine flu, Norway has decided to allow sale of Tamiflu without a prescription. Health officials have feared that such sales would lead to indiscriminate use of the drug, increasing the risk of the virus developing resistance to what is currently the most valuable tool to fight infections. Fukuda, however, called the decision to allow over-the-counter sales "innovative and prudent."

-- An intense outbreak is occurring in Ukraine, with 500,000 cases of acute respiratory distress and 85 deaths, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Both the WHO and European officials have been sending in teams to help out.

-- As if Wall Street weren't already hated enough, recent news reports have said that at least 13 major companies, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase, have received allocations of swine flu vaccine. Such allocations are approved by state health officials, in this case New York, who generally approve shipments for use in high-risk groups. Critics charge that the companies are getting favorable treatment. "It seems safe to assume the vast majority of their employees are not pregnant women, infants and children, young adults up to 24 years old, and healthcare workers," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

-- A new McClatchy-Ipsos poll found that almost half of Americans are rejecting the swine flu vaccine. Only 52% said they were likely to get it, and only 33% said they are very likely to get it. The poll apparently did not ask why they were rejecting it, but many people have been concerned about the safety of the vaccine, despite repeated assurances that it is made exactly like the seasonal flu vaccine, which has proved safe in hundreds of millions of people.

-- Thomas H. Maugh II
 

Researchers have known that infants have the ability to mimic speech starting at around 12 weeks of age. They also show a preference for spoken language that mirrors the rhythm, melody and intensity patterns of their mother tongue.

But when they’re too young to control their vocal cords or the muscles that shape the mouth to make specific sounds, how can babies demonstrate that they’re tuned into the chatter around them? Through their cries, suggests a team of European scientists.

The researchers recorded the cries uttered by 30 French and 30 German newborns when they were hungry, having their diapers changed, or generally out of sorts. Though the babies were only 2 to 5 days old, they already cried in distinct patterns.

The wails of the French babies started out low and rose to a higher pitch, while those of their German counterparts started out high and fell to a lower pitch. The German babies also cried with more intensity than the French babies, the researchers found. These patterns matched the intonation patterns of spoken French (in which the pitch tends to rise over the course of several words) and German (in which the opposite occurs).

The scientists said babies start to pick up on the melody of ambient language during their third trimester in the womb. They can’t hear all the phonetic details of their mothers’ speech, but they can perceive the overall patterns or phrases and sentences. Imitating those patterns probably helps newborns endear themselves to their mothers, the researchers theorized.

The results were published online today by the journal Current Biology.

-- Karen Kaplan

Photo: Turns out the language of baby cries is not universal. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

None of the Booster Shots writers or readers appear to have any bad habits, so hear what the Technology folks have to say here: Crushing cigarettes in virtual reality may reduce smokers' nicotine dependency

-- Tami Dennis

The latest findings come in a study recently published in the journal Biology Letters, in which researchers analyzed the force with which amputee runners' feet hit the ground and also how fast they swung their legs, and determined that the special prosthetics gave no performance advantage over runners with biological legs.

The study participants were six elite sprinters who had one intact leg and one leg that had been amputated below the knee. Researchers decided to study these types of amputees because they could compare their affected leg to their unaffected leg.

The runners did a series of speed trials on treadmills both with and without lead strips attached to the forefoot of their prosthetics (some sprinters do this to give them a more balanced gait while running). Researchers determined that their force was on average 9% less on the prosthetic leg versus the biological leg on a range of speeds, including top speed. When they ran faster, the runners' step force increased in both legs, but that increase was greater with the biological leg.

At faster speeds, the runners swung their legs more quickly and had less contact time on the ground. However, that didn't differ between the two legs. Also, adding the lead strips didn't substantially alter the leg swing time at top speed for either leg, nor did it significantly change the runners' absolute top speed. With the weights, the average force was much less in the prosthetic leg than the biological leg.

In the study, the authors wrote, "Because the fastest biological-limb sprint-runners are those who can apply greater forces to the ground...a significant force impairment for the [affected leg] probably limits the ability of amputees to achieve top speeds compared with non-amputee sprinters. Our data strongly suggest that the [running-specific prosthesis] or muscle weakness/impairment due to the prosthesis limit force production rather than some other physiological factor."

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo of runner Oscar Pistorius: Andreas Solaro / AFP/Getty Images

The vaccine is targeted against a condition called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, a precursor of vulvar cancer in which lesions appear on the vulva. About three-quarters of the growths are caused by the strain of virus called HPV-16. Existing treatments include topical chemotherapy, laser removal or surgery, but all are frequently unsuccessful. Such lesions progress to cancer in about 3,200 American women each year, killing about 800.

Dr. Gemma Kenter of Leiden University in the Netherlands and her colleagues have been  studying a vaccine composed of synthetic peptides (amino acid chains or fragments of proteins) encompassing specific sites on HPV-16. The peptides are added to an adjuvant that stimulates a stronger immune response to the peptides when they are injected into the body.

Twenty women were vaccinated three or four times each with the preparation. The lesions disappeared completely in nine of the 20 women, including one patient who had been carrying the lesions for 10 years. They had not returned after two years of monitoring. The growths shrank by at least 50% in six of the women. One woman died of an unrelated heart attack. Two of the other women went on to develop full-fledged cancer, and one who showed significant improvement had a relapse.

The primary side effect was the occurrence of bumps at the injection site. Some of the bumps persisted for as long as two years.

The team now plans to test the vaccine in larger numbers of patients. They are also working to develop vaccines that are more potent and that target other strains of HPV as well.

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

Historically, surgeons performing coronary artery bypass graft, commonly known as CABG (pronounced cabbage), for blocked arteries would stop the heart, using a heart-lung bypass machine to keep the patient alive during the procedure. In recent years, however, who's known as the beating-heart procedure, in which the heart is allowed to continue working, has become more popular. Cardiologists assumed that using the heart-lung machine increased the risk of stroke and of mental impairment after the surgery. Turns out that, in most cases, those concerns were misplaced and the machine is better.

CABG, in which a healthy vein is removed from a leg or elsewhere and used to bypass a blocked coronary artery, is the most common surgical procedure in the world. An estimated 253,000 Americans undergo the procedure each year at a cost upwards of $30,000 -- although beating-heart surgery is generally about 25% cheaper, another argument in its favor. (Another 1 million or more undergo balloon angioplasty in which a catheter is inserted through a vein in the groin and an inflatable balloon is used to compress the blockage, allowing blood to flow again.)

A team led by Dr. Frederick Grover of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver studied 2,203 patients at 18 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers who needed bypass surgery. They were randomly selected to receive either the conventional technique or the beating-heart procedure.

The team reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine that initial results of the two procedures were comparable. At one month, no differences were observed in deaths or other complications following the surgery. But a year later, the story was different. About 2.7% of those receiving beating-heart surgery had died, compared with only 1.3% of those hooked up to the heart-lung machine. Overall, when deaths, strokes, heart attacks or the need for another bypass were included, problems were observed in 10% of those who received beating-surgery surgery compared to 7% of those on the machine. Some of the patients were given mental acuity tests before and after the procedures, and no differences were observed between the two types of surgery.

There were limitations to the study. All of the patients were male and younger and healthier overall than typical bypass patients. Some studies have suggested that the beating-heart procedure is better for women, the elderly and those with other illnesses. That possibility will have to be addressed in other studies.

Grover said he suspects many surgeons who prefer the beating-heart procedure will keep right on doing it. But for himself, he said he would be more conservative in deciding which patients should receive it.

-- Thomas H. Maugh II

Photo: Dr. Kathy E. Migliato, the first female heart surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, completes a triple bypass. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

This week, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston remind us that glass mercury thermometers are a relic of the past and a needless risk in most homes. Some states, including California, have banned the sale of mercury thermometers. But many still remain in use. Mercury exposure isn't the only danger from the thermometers, according to the new study, published in the October issue of Pediatric Emergency Care. Researchers found 33 children were admitted to the Children's Hospital Boston emergency room from October 1995 to October 2007 with thermometer-related injuries, and 84% had broken-glass injuries to the mouth or rectum. Some of the injuries required surgical excision of the glass.

Glass mercury thermometers are favored by some people because of their accuracy. But pinpoint accuracy is not necessary for most home uses, the authors said. Some thermometers are still marketed that are made of glass but contain a chemical other than mercury. Those, too, should be avoided, they said. Parents of young children should use non-glass, non-mercury thermometers.

Information on how to properly dispose of a glass mercury thermometer can be found on the Web page for California's Mercury Reduction Act.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

On boxes of Rice Crispies and Cocoa Crispies was the claim: "Now helps support your child's immunity." (The whole thing was in a bright yellow banner, with "immunity" rivaling the size of the product name.)

-- Then came the criticism and, of course, the media attention.

Here's Sunday's USA Today story: Critics blast Kellogg's claim that cereals can boost immunity. Said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, in that story: "By their logic, you can spray vitamins on a pile of leaves, and it will boost immunity."

And said the Boston Globe in an editorial today:  "Even if Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies were helpful against the flu, the side effects would be unacceptable in a nation where obesity is epidemic among children. Kellogg’s deserves no immunity from public scorn."

Apparently, the San Francisco city attorney got the ball rolling with a letter demanding some explanation. Here's "City takes aim at Kellogg's advertising," from the San Francisco Examiner.

-- Now comes the pullback.

Says today's press release: "Kellogg Company today announced its decision to discontinue the immunity statements on Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereals. ... While science shows that these antioxidants help support the immune system, given the public attention on H1N1, the Company decided to make this change. The communication will be on pack for the next few months as packaging flows through store shelves. We will, however, continue to provide the increased amounts of vitamins A, B, C and E (25% Daily Value) that the cereal offers."

Perhaps smaller companies can get away with such things.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: All that's missing is the immune-boosting breakfast cereal. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Called Scrubs (as in the uniforms most nurses wear), it's being touted as the first lifestyle magazine for nurses. That's right, nurses have a lifestyle, and this new magazine, debuting Nov. 15, celebrates that.

"There are many things nurses have in common," says Michael Singer, who came up with the concept for the magazine. Some of those shared issues are working crazy hours, being in careers that are physically and emotionally demanding, and constantly being in a caregiving role. "We also found that nurses were doing so many incredible things but were really under-appreciated in so many ways," he adds. "So many nurses go out of their way to help patients, and that was a real source of inspiration for us. We felt like there were stories that really needed to be told."

Singer is chief executive of the Chatsworth-based company Strategic Partners Inc., also the magazine's founding sponsor. The company designs, manufactures and distributes medical and nursing apparel and footwear.

Stories in the premiere issue include an article on makeup strategies for 12-hour workdays, how to prepare fast and inexpensive gourmet meals, profiles of people who have switched careers to become nurses, and how to cope with stress. Cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong pens a piece on a particular nurse who was integral in his recovery. A companion website offers fresh content.

One thing readers won't see are stories with a clinical bent--editorial director Catherine Ettlinger (formerly editor in chief of Elle and the U.S. prototype of Marie Claire) says that's addressed on other nursing-related websites, magazines and journals. "We’re going to cover all categories from food to fashion, fitness and nutrition, the balance of work and family, all of that."

While the magazine is primarily geared to women, Ettlinger says the smaller cadre of male nurses will be addressed. Scrubs will also speak to the nursing profession's ethnic population.

The magazine plans on publishing thrice yearly, and will be available in nursing apparel stores nationwide.

"I came into this not knowing very much about nursing," Ettlinger says. "I'm finding these nurses are so smart and such compelling human beings, and they're so compassionate and caring. It's really been a pleasure meeting them."

-- Jeannine Stein