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

California Man With West Nile Dies

A 75-year old California man diagnosed with West Nile virus has died, and if the virus was the cause of death, he will be the seventh victim nationwide to have succumbed to West Nile this year.

The Associated Press reports that the man, a Grand Terrace resident who was being treated for the virus, died Saturday. He would be the second California death this year from West Nile, if the autopsy confirms that cause. California ranks only behind Arizona in West Nile cases this year.

The latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta puts the total number of reported cases nationwide this year at 265, and 161 of them are in Arizona. That state has two reported deaths. California has 42 reported cases.

Mosquitoes spread West Nile virus to humans. Most people have no symptoms and don't become ill. But those who do first exhibit flu-like symptoms, which can eventually develop into diseases like meningitis or encephalitis.

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Here's Why You Don't Mess With Mom

Have you ever wondered why mothers of very young offspring are so fearless, even against overwhelming odds?

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison think they have discovered a link between a mother's lack of fear and her peptide level. Peptides are combinations of amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. The scientists say that studies of mice indicate that the lower the peptide level, the more aggressive protectiveness a mother will show.

Peptides are released from the brain during a stressful moment, directing caution and fear. But according to an article in the August issue of Behavioral Science, peptides don't reach the fear level in nursing mothers when they are threatened.

"We've known for a long time that fear and anxiety decrease with lactation," explains says Stephen Gammie, a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor of zoology and lead author of the recent paper in a university press release. "Maybe it's this decrease that allows mothers to attack during a situation that normally would evoke a fear response."

The scientists tested the levels of a peptide called CRH, which controls behavior. The more peptide the tested mice mothers received, the less aggressively protective they were when a strange male was introduced to the litter.

"When we put the male in the cage, some moms would just sit there. They weren't protective at all. If anything they were skittish. They showed a fear response," Gammie concluded.

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Bacterium Found in 4 Dead Premature Babies at Neonatal Center

A hardy bacterium not usually associated with infant death has been found in four premature infants who died during the past few days in a suburban New York City medical center. A total of seven babies had the germ, officials say.

The New York Times is reporting that officials at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., are trying to find the source of the germ, acinetobacter, a resilient bacterium found in soil, water, the home and in hospitals among older patients. The outbreak occurred over the past few days at the medical center's neonatal intensive care unit, the newspaper reports. All seven babies infected were premature, so their resistance to infection was lower than an infant with normal birth weight.

The three surviving infants were being treated with antibiotics, hospital officials told the Times. Dr. Michael Gewitz, the center's director of pediatrics, told the newspaper that because the infants were already in such fragile condition, it was not possible to say definitely that acinetobacter was the cause of death.

Hospital officials said that they believed the infection had not spread beyond the seven babies, and no other patient, visitor or staff member was in jeopardy.

Dr. Gewitz told the Times that officials suspect that one of the infants who was transported to the medical center from another facility had the bacteria, and that it was transmitted within the medical center. Just how that happened was still under investigation, the newspaper said.

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Soy Derivative Reduces Unwanted Proteins in Diabetics

The benefits of consuming soy products have received another boost.

Isolated soy protein the additive used in a variety of foods may help type 2 diabetics rid unwanted proteins from their urine and raise their good cholesterol levels.

Research findings, published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, reported on a study that used 14 military veterans, all in the advanced stages of type 2 diabetes. Isolated soy protein was added to their diets, and the study says this significantly lowered unwanted proteins in their urine and slightly raised desired HDL cholesterol levels in their blood.

The latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are that about 18 million Americans have diabetes, and 90 percent of them have type 2, or adult onset, diabetes.

While the results aren't conclusive enough to warrant a change of diet in people with advanced type 2 diabetes, the scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who conducted the tests, say more widespread testing is definitely worthwhile.

According to a university news release, the study participants were men ranging in age from 53 to 73 who were recruited at the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System in Danville, Ill. All of them were suffering from kidney disease.

The results: The veterans eating the soy protein had a 9.5 percent reduction in the excretion of urinary albumin, a protein that indicates worsening kidney function. Participants eating casein had an 11.1 percent increase of urinary albumin.

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FDA Warns About Counterfeit Mexican Drugs

Counterfeit versions of the drug Zocor (simvastatin) and carisoprodol were recently imported into the United States by individual Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers Friday.

Tests revealed that the counterfeit Zocor did not contain any active ingredients and that the counterfeit carisoprodol differed in potency from the authentic drug. People who use these drugs could face serious health risks, the FDA said.

Zocor is a cholesterol lowering drug and carisoprodol is used to treat painful musculoskeletal conditions.

The FDA said that the counterfeit drugs were bought at Mexican border town pharmacies. They were sold under the names Zocor, 40/mg (lot number K9784, expiration date November 2004) and carisoprodol, 350/mg, (lot number 68348A).

Anyone who's purchased these counterfeit drugs should consult their doctor and contact their nearest FDA office.

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Last Updated: Aug-01-2004