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Health Highlights: Aug. 14, 2006

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

Dell Recalls Laptop Batteries That Could Catch Fire

Dell Inc. is recalling 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they might pose a fire hazard in what the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says is the largest computer-related recall in its history, The New York Times reported Monday.

Dell has documented six instances since last December in which laptops have overheated or caught fire, the Times said.

The move follows a series of smaller recalls of the lithium-ion batteries. Affected laptops were sold between April 2004 and July 2006 -- some 2.7 million units in the United States and the rest overseas. Consumers are advised to stop using these products immediately.

The batteries were produced by a unit of Sony Corp. and were not unique to Dell, the Times reported. The newspaper said additional manufacturers might have to issue recalls.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in a host of electronic devices including cellphones, power tools, camcorders and digital cameras. The potential for these batteries to catch fire "has been acknowledged for years," the Times reported. Renewed scrutiny of the technology has come after a number of recent fires, some aboard planes, the newspaper said.

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U.S. Swans Have Bird Flu, But Not Deadly H5N1 Form

The type of bird flu found in two swans in Michigan is not the deadly virus spreading in Asia, U.S. officials said Monday.

Initial tests on the two wild mute swans from a southeastern Michigan nature preserve found that they have a mild form of avian flu that's been detected at least twice before in North America, the Bloomberg news service reported.

Additional tests are being run to determine if this form of bird flu could kill young chickens. It will take 7 to 10 days for those results.

"This is not the highly pathogenic avian influenza that has spread in other parts of the world. We do not believe that this represents a threat to human health," Ron DeHaven, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said at a news briefing.

The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has infected 238 people in 10 countries, killing at least 139. Most of the people were infected through direct contact with poultry. H5N1 hasn't been found in North America, Bloomberg reported.

Celt War Paint Rich in Anti-Cancer Compound

A plant called Woad -- which the Celts used to get blue dye for their war paint -- contains high levels of an anti-cancer compound called glucobrassicin, says an Italian study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Woad belong to the same plant family as cauliflower and broccoli. This study found that woad contains 20 times more glucobrassicin than broccoli -- and damaging the plant increases the compound's concentration, BBC News reported.

Being able to extract enough glucobrassicin from woad to test its effects may make it easier to perform studies on the compound's ability to protect against cancer.

"The availability of glucobrassicin in good amounts and at low cost could finally permit studies to be performed in order to clarify the anti-cancer role of glucobrassicin-rich vegetables, like broccoli, in the human diet," said researcher Dr. Stefania Galletti of the University of Bologna.

Derivatives of glucobrassicin have anti-tumor properties and are effective against breast cancer, BBC News reported. Research suggests that glucobrassicin flushes cancer-causing compounds from the body.

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Ariel Sharon's Condition Worsens

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's condition has taken a sharp downturn, Sheba Medical Center officials said Monday.

The hospital said an MRI scan showed deterioration in Sharon's brain function and his urine output "declined significantly during the last 24 hours," the Jerusalem Post reported.

Sharon, 78, has developed pneumonia in both lungs, and is listed in serious condition. The medical team looking after him decided to administer powerful antibiotics and steroids in an effort to halt his decline.

A hospital spokesperson said an update would be issued if there's a significant change in Sharon's health, the Post reported. He's been in a coma since a stroke on Jan. 4.

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Report Suggests Wider Use of Prisoners in Drug Research

The U.S. government should ease laws that severely restrict the testing of pharmaceuticals on prison inmates, says a report by an influential panel of medical experts.

The practice was all but halted three decades ago after cases of abuse were revealed, The New York Times reported.

The current rules, passed in 1978, permit prisoners to take part in federally funded biomedical research if it poses no more than "minimal" risk to the participants. This new report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommended that research with greater risks should be allowed if it has the potential to benefit prisoners.

All such studies should be subject to an independent review, said the report, which was given to federal officials earlier this month.

Critics of the proposed changes questioned whether prisoners can truly make un-coerced decisions, expressing doubts about the merits of testing pharmaceuticals on prisoners, who often lack basic health care, The Times reported.

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Pills or Microbicides to Prevent HIV Infection Urgently Needed: Gates

Science and industry need to boost efforts to develop pills or microbicides that can prevent the transmission of HIV, Bill and Melinda Gates said as they opened the 16th International AIDS Conference Sunday in Toronto, Canada.

"We want to call on everyone here and around the world to help speed up what we hope will be the next big breakthrough in the fight against AIDS," Bill Gates told conference delegates. "This could mark a turning point in the epidemic, and we have to make it an urgent priority."

The development of a pill or microbicide that can halt the transmission of HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- is urgent for a number of reasons, the Washington Post reported.

First, there's no indication that an AIDS vaccine will be developed soon and, second, AIDS treatments will become a serious drain on the world's resources if the rate of HIV infection is not reduced. A third factor is that a pill or microbicide that prevents HIV infection can be controlled by women and used without the knowledge or permission of men.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided more than $110 million in recent years for research on vaginal microbicides to prevent HIV infection during intercourse. The foundation has said it plans to increase such funding, the Post reported.