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

U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Improve Safety of Children's Products

A public database of consumer complaints and new safety standards for toys are among the measures included in a U.S. Senate bill meant to improve the safety of children's products made outside the United States.

The bill, approved Thursday by a 79-13 vote, would also ban lead in children's goods, boost the ability of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to certify the safety of foreign-made goods, and increase the civil penalty cap for safety violations, the Associated Press reported.

The Senate bill also calls for a ban on phthalates -- chemicals in plastic believed to be a health threat to youngsters -- from children's products.

In December, the House of Representatives passed its own version of a children's product safety bill. Negotiators from each chamber will now try to reconcile their differences.

These moves by U.S. lawmakers are in response to recalls last year of millions of Chinese-made toys that posed a health and safety threat to children, the AP reported.

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Companies Charged in Connection With Tainted Toothpaste

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed criminal charges against a company alleged to have imported and distributed nearly 90,000 tubes of Chinese-made toothpaste that contained diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance used in antifreeze and as a solvent.

Selective Imports Corp. sold the toothpaste to distributors across the United States between December 2005 and May 2007, according to prosecutors, who have also charged a wholesaler, Vernon Sales Inc., of buying some of the toothpaste and reselling it to Los Angeles-area stores, the Associated Press reported.

The misdemeanor charges against the companies and their top executives were filed Monday. Selective Imports, its president Frahad Nazarian and vice president Yones Ghermezi each were charged with two criminal counts of receiving, selling and delivering products containing diethylene glycol (DEG). Vernon Sales, its president Kamyab Toofer and vice president Pejman Mossay each were charged with 14 criminal counts of receiving, selling and delivering an adulterated drug.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, the AP reported.

DEG has been used by some Chinese manufacturers as a cheaper alternative to glycerin, which is used to thicken toothpaste. Exposure to DEG can cause kidney and liver damage over time, the news service said.

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Soy, NSAIDs May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk: Studies

Women with the highest levels of genistein, a compound found in soybeans, were one-third less likely to develop breast cancer than those with the lowest levels, says a Japanese government study that followed about 25,000 women, ages 40-69, for an average of 10.5 years, Agence France-Presse reported.

In Japan, traditional soybean-based foods include tofu, miso soup or fermented beans known as natto. In this study, the women with the highest concentrations of genistein in their blood consumed 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of tofu or 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of natto per day. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

However, the researchers at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo warned that excessive intake of genistein -- especially through supplements -- may actually increase the risk of breast cancer, AFP reported.

In related news, another study suggests that taking aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may reduce the risk of breast cancer. British researchers reviewed 21 studies conducted over the past 27 years and found that the use of NSAIDS cut breast cancer incidence by 20 percent, AFP reported.

"NSAIDs may well offer significant protection against developing breast cancer in the first place and may provide a useful addition to treatment currently available to women who already have the disease," said study author Professor Ian Fentiman of Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital in London.

The findings were published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

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U.S. Agrees to Make Payment in Vaccine Injury Case

U.S. health officials have agreed that childhood vaccines given a young Georgia girl worsened an underlying disorder that led to autism-like symptoms and say she should be compensated from a federal vaccine-injury fund, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The decision is significant because, while the government has not conceded that vaccines cause autism, parents and advocates for children with the disorder see the decision as a victory that may help thousands of other families with claims that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once widely used in vaccines, may cause autism.

The government "has not conceded that vaccines cause autism," Linda Renzi, the lawyer representing U.S. officials, told the AP. Federal health officials have consistently maintained that childhood vaccinations are safe, and several studies have discounted any link between thimerosal and autism, despite other pending claims.

According to documents obtained by the AP, five vaccines the girl received on one day in 2000 aggravated a previous condition, predisposing her to problems that manifested as worsening brain function "with features of autism spectrum disorder." The term "autism spectrum disorder" was created in the 1990s to encompass autism and a group of milder, related conditions.

The documents, the AP said, do not address whether it was the thimerosal -- or something else in the vaccines -- that was at fault.

The compensation fund, which is run by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, lists problems with brain function, such as the girl had, as a rare side effect of certain vaccines. Those problems are enough by themselves to warrant compensation, the AP reported, even without autism-like symptoms. The fund has already made payouts in such cases, the wire service added.

The girl's parents have declined to comment, because the case is not final, and the payment amount has not been set, the AP said.

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Patterns Vary Among States

There are wide variations between states in behaviors such as illicit drug use, underage drinking and psychological distress, says a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report released Thursday.

For example, past month underage drinking (by those ages 12-20) ranged from a high of 38.3 percent in Vermont to a low of 21.5 percent in Utah. However, Utah had the highest level of adults reporting serious psychological distress in the past year (14.4 percent), while Hawaii had the lowest rate (8.8 percent).

The State Estimates of Substance Use report is based on data from the 2005-06 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Among other findings in the report:

  • Past month underage binge drinking was highest in North Dakota (28.5 percent) and lowest in Georgia (15.2 percent).
  • Past month use of illicit drugs for people age 12 or older was highest in Rhode Island (11.2 percent) and lowest in North Dakota (5.7 percent).
  • Utah had the lowest past month use of marijuana among people age 12 or older (4.3 percent), while Vermont had the highest (9.7 percent).
  • Oklahoma had the highest rate (6.7 percent) of past year use by people age 12 or older of pain relievers for non-medical reasons, while Hawaii, New Jersey, and South Dakota had the lowest rate (3.9 percent).
  • The District of Columbia had the highest rate (12.3 percent) of substance abuse disorders (either drug or alcohol dependence or abuse), while New Jersey had the lowest (7.5 percent). The highest rate of illicit drug dependence or abuse was in the District of Columbia (4.3 percent) and the lowest was in Iowa (2.1 percent). The highest rate of alcohol dependence or abuse was in Montana (10.8 percent), while the lowest was in Kentucky (6.3 percent).
  • Nevada had the highest rate of people age 18 or older reporting at least one major depressive episode in the past year (9.4 percent), while Hawaii had the lowest (5.0 percent).

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Falls a Serious Health Threat for Older Americans

In 2006, about 5.8 million Americans age 65 and older reported falling at least once in the previous three months, and 1.8 million reported sustaining some type of fall-related injury that required a visit to a doctor or restricted activity for at least a day, according to this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The authors said the statistics reinforce the need to raise awareness and to provide effective interventions for falls, which can cause injuries that can seriously impair older adults' quality of life and add a significant burden to the health care system.

The report also found that while there was no difference in the percentage of men and women who reported falling, about 36 percent of women sustained injuries from their falls, compared to about 25 percent of men.

To help older adults lead independent, healthy lives, the CDC offers two free publications.

One is called Preventing Falls: What Works. A Compendium of Effective Community-Based Interventions From Around the World. The other publication is called Preventing Falls; How to Develop Community-Based Falls Prevention Programs for Older Adults.

Both publications are available on the CDC Web site at http://cdc.gov.