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

South Korean Researcher Retracts Anti-Aging Papers

Two papers on anti-aging technology published in international journals have been retracted by a professor at a South Korean technical university after it was discovered that he fabricated evidence, the Associated Press reported.

Officials at the state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said biotechnology professor Kim Tae-kook admitted that he used forged data in a 2005 paper on anti-aging technology published in the journal Science, and in a follow-up 2006 paper published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

Kim has been suspended from teaching and conducting research at the institute, which is still investigating whether to impose additional disciplinary measures, the AP reported. It's not clear if Kim will face criminal charges.

In the 2005 paper, Kim claimed to have found a way to use magnetic nanoparticles to find target proteins in the human body, a discovery he claimed could lead to the development of anti-aging drugs. In the 2006 paper, Kim said he had used the technology to identify target proteins and had developed two chemical substances that could slow aging.

In 2005, it was revealed that leading South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk faked evidence in what had been hailed as breakthrough stem cell research.

-----

Microwave Popcorn Chemical Damages Airways: Study

Inhalation of a chemical used in microwave popcorn artificial butter flavoring damaged the airways of mice, which developed a condition that can lead to a life-threatening lung disease, says a study by researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

Mice exposed to diacetyl vapors for three months developed lymphocytic bronchiolitis, a precursor to obliterative bronchiolitis (popcorn lung). None of the mice developed the more serious disease, said ConsumerReports.org.

"This is one of the first studies to evaluate the respiratory toxicity of diacetyl at levels relevant to human health. Mice were exposed to diacetyl at concentrations and durations comparable to what may be inhaled at some microwave popcorn packaging plants," study co-author Daniel L. Morgan, chief of the Respiratory Toxicology Group at the NIEHS, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues concluded that workplace exposure to diacetyl contributes to the development of obliterative bronchiolitis, but noted that more research was needed. The study was published online in the journal Toxicological Sciences.

Obliterative bronchiolitis has been noted in microwave popcorn packaging plant workers who have inhaled significant concentrations of artificial butter flavoring. Late last year, a number of leading popcorn makers said they planned to eliminate diacetyl from their products, ConsumerReports.org said.

-----

Officials Investigating Possible CJD Deaths in Quebec

Health officials are investigating whether two people who died in Quebec in the last few months had a form of neurodegenerative Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), CBC News reported.

The two deaths in the Saguenay-Lac St. Jean region -- one in December and another in February -- are being treated with extreme caution by Canadian health authorities, who said it generally takes a few months to get test results in such cases. They refused to release any details.

So-called classic CJD appears only in humans, while variant CJD is believed to occur in humans who have eaten beef from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), otherwise known as mad cow disease. Both forms are fatal. Classic CJD kills one in a million Canadians each year.

The two Quebec cases were made public in a story first aired Wednesday by CKRS-FM radio in Chicoutimi, CBC News reported. The radio story noted that two patients have never died of CJD within such a short period of time in one area of Canada.

-----

More Americans Getting Colorectal Cancer Screenings

The percentage of Americans age 50 and older who had a colorectal cancer screening test increased from 53.9 percent to 60.8 percent between 2002 and 2006, a new report found.

However, while rates of colorectal cancer screening increased among all racial and ethnic groups, minority groups continued to have lower screening rates than whites. In addition, rates continued to be lower among those with no health insurance, low income, and less than a high school education.

The findings are reported in the March 14 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Lack of awareness of the need for colorectal cancer screening, lack of doctor recommendations for screening, lack of health insurance, and lack of a usual source of health care are among the factors that may contribute to disparities in colorectal cancer screening rates, the study authors said.

Previous studies found that men were more likely than women to be checked for colorectal cancer, but data in this new study suggest a narrowing of that gender gap.

"While we are encouraged to see an increase in colorectal cancer screening rates, certain groups are still not getting screened as recommended," report lead author Dr. Djenaba A. Joseph, medical officer in the CDC's division of cancer prevention and control, said in a prepared statement. "We need to ensure that all adults have access to these life-saving tests because there is strong evidence that screening can prevent colorectal cancer deaths."

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2004, nearly 145,000 people in the country were diagnosed with the disease and more than 53,000 died from it, the CDC said. Regular colorectal cancer screening is recommended for everyone age 50 and older.

-----

Violence-Related Injuries Led to 308,200 Hospitalizations in 2005

In 2005, U.S. hospitals treated 308,200 people for attempted suicide, assault, rape, abuse, and other violence-related trauma, at a cost of $2.3 billion, says the latest News and Numbers report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The number of violence-related hospitalizations increased by 24,000 between 2002 and 2005, the report said. In 2005, about 23 percent of violence-related hospitalizations involved uninsured patients and 27 percent involved Medicaid recipients.

Among the other findings:

  • About 66 percent of all violence-related hospital patients had attempted suicide or injured themselves on purpose; about 31 percent were victims of attempted murder, fights, rape or other assaults; and about four percent were victims of sexual or other abuse.
  • More than half the patients admitted for self-inflicted injuries had mixed or overdosed on drugs.
  • Crushing and internal injuries, skull and facial fractures, and head injuries were the main reasons for admitting half of the assault victims.
  • Nearly 52 percent of abuse cases involved children. About one-third of them were victims of child neglect, physical and psychological abuse, or physical assault such as shaken baby syndrome.

-----

Toy Sundae Sets Pose Choking Hazard

A potential choking hazard has prompted the recall of about 22,000 Play Wonder toy sundae sets distributed by Battat Inc. of Plattsburgh, N.Y., and sold at Target stores from December 2006 through December 2007.

The recalled toy includes six wooden scoops of ice cream, three cherries that attach to the top of the ice cream scoops, banana slices, a spoon and bowl. The wooden cherries pose a choking hazard to young children, said the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall affects model number DPCI-204-12-0526, which can be found on the packaging.

There have been no reports of injuries, the CPSC said.

Consumers with the recalled toy sundae sets should take them away from children and return the toy to any Target store for a full refund. For more information, phone Battat Inc. at 1-800-247-6144.