Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Makers of fraudulent breast implants on trial in France
MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Five French executives went on trial on Wednesday to jeers from victims for supplying women with hundreds of thousands of substandard breast implants and triggering a global health scare. More than 300,000 women around the world were fitted over a decade with implants from the French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), and the trial includes 5,000 civil plaintiffs and 300 lawyers.
No poultry contact in some Chinese bird flu cases : WHO
GENEVA/BEIJING (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that a number of people who have tested positive for a new strain of bird flu in China appear to have had no contact with poultry, adding to the mystery about a virus that has killed 17 people to date. Chinese authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed some live poultry markets to try to slow the rate of human infection, but many questions remain unsolved, including whether the H7N9 strain is being transmitted between people.
Doctors order fewer tests when they know prices: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors order fewer laboratory tests during a patient's hospital stay if they know how much the tests cost, according to a new study. Researchers found that doctors at one U.S. hospital ordered about 9 percent fewer lab tests - such as blood work - when their computerized records system displayed the price.
World experts to help China with bird flu investigation
GENEVA (Reuters) - An international team of flu experts will go to China this week to help with investigations into the deadly H7N9 virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday. Chinese authorities said eight more people were infected with the new strain of avian flu that has killed 14 people among 71 confirmed cases, state news agency Xinhua said. The new cases were in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it said.
Computer tool may not boost mammograms' accuracy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using a computer tool to help doctors analyze mammography images increases the number of early, non-invasive breast cancers that are caught, but also means more women without cancer have to undergo follow-up ultrasounds and biopsies, according to a new study. Researchers found use of so-called computer-aided detection, or CAD, has spiked in recent years. CAD was used in more than 60 percent of screening mammograms performed among women on Medicare in 2006.
FDA advisory panel backs Glaxo/Theravance lung drug 2013-04-17T201407Z_4_BRE93G0YR_RTROPTC_0_US-GLAXOSMITHKLINE-THE RAVANCE.XML () -
Lilly to acquire Alzheimer's imaging agents from Siemens
CHICAGO (Reuters) - In a move to shore up its lead in Alzheimer's diagnostics, Eli Lilly and Co on Wednesday said it will acquire two imaging agents from Siemens designed to light up brain deposits of tau, an Alzheimer's protein linked with cell death. The two agents are radiopharmaceutical tracers, which are used with positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to highlight specific proteins in the brain. Terms of the deal with the conglomerate's Siemens Medical Solutions USA unit were not disclosed.
St. Jude Medical profit tops view, forex to hurt revenue 2013-04-17T161621Z_1_BRE93G0QA_RTROPTC_0_US-STJUDE-EARNS.XML () -
Hospital program improves antibiotic prescribing
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A quality improvement program at a single children's hospital succeeded in cutting back inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, in a new study. Researchers found within six months of introducing new electronic and educational tools, doctors were meeting national guidelines for treatment of childhood pneumonia in 100 percent of patients.
Quest profit misses estimates, deals to drive growth 2013-04-17T165119Z_1_BRE93G0S8_RTROPTC_0_US-QUESTDIAGNOSTICS-RE SULTS.XML () -