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

Insulin Pumps Linked to Deaths, Injuries Among Young People

Between 1996 and 2005, there were 13 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries reported among young people using insulin pumps to treat type 1 diabetes, says a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study. The pumps offer an alternative to multiple daily injections of insulin by syringe.

The researchers didn't advise against the use of the pumps, but called for more safety studies of the popular devices and urged parents to be vigilant in monitoring their children's use of the pumps, the Associated Press reported.

In some cases, the insulin pumps malfunctioned, and in other cases users were careless or took risks, according to the study of young people, aged 12 to 21. The findings are published in the May issue of the journal Pediatrics.

"Parental oversight and involvement are important. Certainly teenagers don't always consider the consequences," said lead author Dr. Judith Cope, the AP reported.

For example, some teens didn't know how to use the pumps correctly, while others didn't take care of the pumps or dropped them, the study found.

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Report Lists Patients Who Should Be Left to Die During Disaster

A proposed list of seriously ill patients who would be left to die during a flu pandemic or other major health disaster has been compiled by a U.S. task force that included members from universities, medical groups, the military and government agencies, the Associated Press reported.

The list includes patients at high risk of death and a remote chance of long-term survival, including:

  • People with severe trauma, which could include those with critical injuries from traffic crashes and shootings.
  • People older than 85.
  • Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer's disease.
  • Severely burned patients older than 60.
  • People with a severe chronic disease, such as poorly controlled diabetes or advanced heart failure or lung disease.

The proposed guidelines, published in the May issue of the journal Chest, are meant to be a blueprint for hospitals "so that everybody will be thinking in the same way" if there's a widespread health disaster, said task force report lead writer Dr. Asha Devereaux, a critical care specialist in San Diego.

Devereaux and colleagues said the guidelines are designed to ensure that resources are used in a uniform, objective way, the AP reported.

"If a mass casualty critical care event were to occur tomorrow, many people with clinical conditions that are survivable under usual health care system conditions may have to forgo life-sustaining interventions owing to deficiencies in supply or staffing," the task force wrote.

Public health law expert Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University called the report an important initiative but also "a political minefield and a legal minefield." The recommendations would probably violate federal laws against age discrimination and disability discrimination, said Gostin, who was not on the task force, the AP reported.

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Body's Fat Cell Numbers Set in Adolescence: Study

The number of fat-hoarding cells in people's bodies are set during adolescence and no amount of dieting will alter that number later in life, according to a study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The researchers tested hundreds of patients who lost large amounts of weight and found little change in the overall number of fat cells, BBC News reported.

"It explains why it's so difficult to lose weight and to keep it off -- those fat cells aren't going anywhere and they're crying out for more," said lead researcher Dr. Kristy Spalding.

The finding, published in the journal Nature, provide a "firm foundation" for further research into obesity, said Dr. Paul Trayhurn of the University of Liverpool. He was not involved in the study.

"It would be nice if we could find a way to lose fat by manipulating the numbers of fat cells, but there are a lot of other options higher up in the queue than that, such as diet and exercise," Trayhurn told BBC News. "The real benefit of this (study) is that it gives us solid evidence that we can use in future research into obesity and its causes."

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286,000 Pounds of Prepared Meat Products Recalled

Complying with a U.S. government alert that there is a "reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death," a New York City company that sells processed foods has recalled 286,000 pounds of prepared beef, pork and poultry, The New York Times reported.

The danger is from the bacterium listeria, which causes listeriosis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the newspaper said. It is the second time in three months that Gourmet Boutique of Jamaica, Queens, has been cited for possible listeria contamination., the Times said. So far, no incidents of illness have been reported, the newspaper said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, listeriosis symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. Nervous system symptoms can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. The disease can also cause miscarriage.

The bacterium was discovered by USDA food inspectors in Florida, the Times reported, and the company voluntarily issued the recall.

Gourmet Boutique's products are sold in supermarkets nationwide under the following names: Gourmet Boutique Curry Chicken Salad, Gourmet Boutique Turkey Club Twister and Jans Buffalo Bob tortilla wrap sandwiches, according to the Times.

Frozen foods recalled included Archer Farms mini beef burritos, pulled-pork burritos and chicken burritos. There were also salad products in the recall, the Times reported, and they were produced between April 19 and April 24, according to the USDA. The frozen products were produced between Oct. 23, 2007, and April 23, 2008, the USDA said.

The fresh food products had sell-by dates of May 2 and May 3.

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Deadly Children's Virus in China Shows Signs of Spreading

A virus that has killed 24 children in one city alone and spread to thousands of China's youngest residents has prompted that country's health ministry to issue a nationwide alert calling for increased efforts to keep the disease from spreading, the Associated Press reported.

The city of Fuyang in central China was described by health officials as having a "relatively large" outbreak of Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), a type of hand, foot and mouth disease, the wire service reported. In addition to the 24 deaths, 3,321 cases of the virus had been reported as of last Thursday, and almost 1,000 people remained hospitalized, the AP said.

There are signs the disease is spreading, according to the wire service, with at least one other death attributed to EV-71 in another province. The disease strikes children, usually under age 10, and while affecting the feet and mouth, is not related to foot and mouth disease found in animals.

Symptoms include fever, mouth sores and rash. EV-71 is spread by direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat.

Keeping in mind the expected large influx of people from other countries for the 2008 Olympics in August, the Chinese government said preventing the spread of EV-71 was necessary "to guarantee the smooth staging of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics and to practically preserve social stability," the AP reported.