Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- Injections of vitamin K are the routine treatment for newborns who suffer from a disease that can lead to potentially fatal episodes of spontaneous internal bleeding. Although some research suggested that the treatment could increase the risk of childhood cancer, parents can now relax: a definitive new study says there's no such risk.

-- An experimental treatment for rheumatoid arthritis -- oral doses of & collagen extracted from chicken cartilage -- can reduce and even eliminate swelling and joint pain, with no major side effects. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues--in this case, collagen-rich cartilage. Doctors theorize that the collagen treatments desensitize immune cells and stop the attacks.

THE BAD NEWS

-- Women who smoke appear to be twice as likely to get lung cancer as their male counterparts, according to a new report. The reason is a mystery.

-- More than 99.5% of heart-attack victims who don't respond to aggressive treatment on the scene won't respond after being rushed to the hospital either. The U.S. spends about $1 billion a year on such doomed patients.

-- The laparoscope -- a flexible tube that lets doctors examine internal organs and even perform surgery through small, quick-healing incisions -- has driven down the cost of gallbladder surgery. But total spending on the operation is up because many more are now performed - too many, according to public health experts, who say doctors should prescribe the procedure more prudently.