- Fewer Chinese Children in Hospital for Melamine Illness
- Cell Phones Linked to Face, Ear Rashes
- Religious Belief Reduces Teen Pot Use
- Cheney Treated for Abnormal Heart Beat
- Nancy Reagan Breaks Pelvis in Fall
- Bottled Water No Cleaner Than Tap Water: Study
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Fewer Chinese Children in Hospital for Melamine Illness
The number of children being treated in hospital after consuming melamine-tainted milk products has decreased from about 11,000 a week ago to 5,824, Chinese officials said Thursday.
China's Ministry of Health said six of the children still hospitalalized are in serious condition, according to state news agency Xinhua.Agence France Presse reported that the ministry also said a total of 43,603 children have recovered and been discharged from hospitals since the melamine scandal erupted in September.
Of the more than 53,000 children who became sick after consuming melamine-tainted milk products, four have died. Many of those who became ill suffered from kidney stones and vomiting. Melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, has been found in fresh milk, powders, yogurt and other goods made with Chinese-produced milk.
On Wednesday, Chinese officials ordered all dairy products made before Sept. 14 to be pulled from store shelves. All the products will be tested for melamine, AFP reported.
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Cell Phones Linked to Face, Ear Rashes
Nickel on the casings and buttons of cell phones can cause allergic rashes on the faces and ears of people who spend long periods of time on the phones, warns the British Association of Dermatologists.
Women who suffer allergic reactions to nickel in jewelry have a higher risk of suffering a rash from phone use, said the association, which noted that several studies have identified a link between facial/ear rashes and cell phones, BBC News reported.
Anyone who develops a face rash, which could be caused by prolonged cell phone use, should see a doctor, advised the association, which noted that many such cases go unreported or untreated.
A U.S. study published earlier this year found nickel in 10 of 22 popular-brand cell phones, BBC News reported.
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Religious Belief Reduces Teen Pot Use
Religious teens are half as likely to use marijuana as other teens and also less likely to smoke or drink, says a U.S. study that asked more than 18,000 adolescents how often they attended church and how important religion was to them, United Press International reported.
"The power of peers is less among youths who are religious. Meaning if you are religious, the pressure from peers to use drugs will not have as much effect," study co-author Stephen Bahr, a sociology professor at Brigham Young University, said in a news release.
The protective effect of religious belief supplements the influence of parents, suggested study co-author John Hoffmann, a sociologist at BYU, UPI reported.
"Parents shouldn't force it, but they can encourage spirituality and religion in their families, which in itself becomes a positive influence in their children's lives," Hoffmann said.
The study appears in the Journal of Drug Issues.
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Cheney Treated for Abnormal Heart Beat
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was treated for an irregular heart beat Wednesday afternoon, which was diagnosed earlier in the day by his physician, the Associated Press reported.
Cheney, 67, underwent an outpatient procedure at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, which returned his heart to normal rhythm.
He went home after the procedure, which a spokesman described as an electric shock.
"During a visit with his doctors this morning, it was discovered that the vice president is experiencing a recurrence of atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm involving the upper chambers of the heart," said his spokeswoman, Megan Mitchell.
Cheney was treated for the same problem in November 2007, the wire service said. An electric shock was administered to the vice president's heart to restore normal rhythm.
The vice president has had four heart attacks, the first when he was age 37. He's also had quadruple bypass surgery and two other procedures to clear clogged arteries. Seven years ago, he had a pacemaker implanted, and last year, the device was surgically replaced, the AP said.
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Nancy Reagan Breaks Pelvis in Fall
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was recovering at a Los Angeles hospital Wednesday after breaking her pelvis in a fall at her Bel-Air home, the Associated Press reported.
Reagan, 87, fell last week after getting up in the middle of the night and twisting on her leg, AP reported. She decided to visit Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center because of lingering pain.
Although no surgery will be needed, it's unclear how long Reagan will be hospitalized, said her spokeswoman, Nancy Drake.
Reagan was hospitalized in February after a similar accident, although tests at the time to determine whether she had broken her hip proved negative, the AP said.
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Bottled Water No Cleaner Than Tap Water: Study
Leading brands of bottled water in the United States contain many of the same contaminants as tap water, according to a study released Wednesday by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group.
The 10 brands of bottled water included in the two-year study were found to contain 38 impurities, including bacteria, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals, the radioactive element strontium and the pain reliever acetaminophen, the Associated Press reported.
"In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better," said study co-author and environmental engineer Jane Houlihan.
While all the bottled water brands met federal health standards for drinking water, two of them violated a California state standard for chlorine. Those two brands were Sam's Choice sold by Wal-Mart and Acadia of Giant Food supermarkets.
These "alarmist" findings are based on the faulty premise that a contaminant is a health concern "even if it does not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been set," Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, told the AP.
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