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

Asthma Drug Could Cause Liver Problems

The manufacturer of the anti-asthma drug Accolate has warned doctors and patients in Canada to keep an eye out for symptoms of liver problems, according to the Canadian Press (CP).

AstraZeneca Canada said signs of adverse reaction to the drug could include: feeling sick or tired, flu-like symptoms, loss of appetite, itchiness, pain on the right side of the stomach, yellow coloring of the skin and eyes, and dark urine. People on the medication who experience any of these symptoms should contact their doctor immediately, but should not stop taking the drug until so instructed, the wire service reported.

While no liver-related deaths from the medication have been reported in Canada, seven Accolate-related cases of fatal liver problems have been tallied worldwide, according to the CP. Additional reactions have included hepatitis and elevated liver enzymes.

Accolate (zafirlukast) is among a newer class of asthma treatments that block the action of leukotrienes, which are substances that cause inflammation, mucous secretion, and constriction of the lungs. A warning about potential liver problems already appears on its label.

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SARS-Causing Virus Found in More Animals

The civet cat isn't the only animal to carry the virus that causes SARS, according to United Press International. The coronavirus has also been discovered in foxes and house cats, UPI reported, citing a Chinese news broadcast.

The discovery was made after tests on thousands of people revealed that only a small percentage of those who had SARS antibodies in their blood has been exposed to civets.

In the midst of the initial SARS scare that began in November 2002, scientists discovered that civets -- a local delicacy -- were thought to be the "missing link" that accounted for the virus's jump from animals to people.

The new discovery was announced by a leading member of a SARS control research team on the Guangzhou Evening News, UPI reported.

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Hurricane's Health Effects May Linger

Eight months after Hurricane Isabel wreaked havoc on the Middle Atlantic coast of the United States, its effects could be more than just a memory, according to the Washington Post.

The thousands of trees uprooted in Isabel's swath have produced sizable waterlogged holes that could be breeding grounds for West Nile-laden mosquitoes, the newspaper reported. And the remaining ground debris could fuel dangerously stubborn forest fires, experts said.

Virginia officials have been urging landowners to fill in the holes and remove any leftover debris. As many as 1 million trees were downed in the state by Isabel, while Maryland experienced fewer trees lost and more flooding. Either way, the standing puddles of water in both states are expected to fuel an above-average mosquito breeding season, which should begin any time now and last until October, the Post reported.

Experts told the newspaper that these and other post-Isabel effects could linger for several years.

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Medicare Easing Sign-Up for Drug Discount Card

Medicare plans to allow some states to sign up low-income seniors automatically for Medicare-approved prescription drug discount cards and provide a standard application form.

The move was announced Saturday by Dr. Mark McClellan, the administrator of the Medicare program, and is intended to increase the availability of the new program to low-income Americans, the Associated Press reported.

"We intend to make it as easy as possible for Medicare beneficiaries to get the information they need and to enroll in the drug card program," McClellan said at a conference on aging in San Francisco.

State officials and organizations for the elderly had argued that the two actions would significantly increase the number of seniors who would receive the $600-a-year subsidy for the poor.

However, even with the changes, advocates for the elderly and administrators of state low-income drug plans said they doubt the government will achieve its goal of enrolling more than 4.5 million low-income seniors who are eligible for the subsidy.

Medicare recipients can sign up for the drug cards beginning May 3. Medicare will make the standard form available on its Medicare.gov Web site, eliminating the need for people going door-to-door trying to sign up seniors. The cards can be used starting June 1.They are intended as a temporary measure until prescription drug insurance under Medicare begins in 2006.

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Implanted Heart Defibrillators Faulty, Maker Warns

A manufacturer of implanted heart defibrillators has warned that some older models may not charge properly, which might make them fail to deliver the needed shock to the heart.

Medtronic Inc., of Minneapolis, said it had become aware of one injury and four deaths that may have been related to the failure of the equipment, the Associated Press reported.

The devices in question were implanted in 1997 and 1998 and are close to their normal replacement time. About 1,800 are thought to be still in use, the company said.

Medtronic said it is informing physicians that they should verify the charge time and battery voltage of each affected defibrillator, and it is working to notify all patients who have the device.

The problem involves Micro Jewel II Model 7223Cx and GEM DR Model 7271 implanted cardioverter-defibrillators. The Micro Jewel II is no longer sold, and the GEM DR has limited distribution.

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8 U.S. Medical Centers to Launch Major HRT Trial

U.S. researchers will launch a major new trial on hormone replacement therapy later this year because they suspect, despite a spate of recent negative studies, that the menopausal treatment may still have benefits for younger women.

The New York Times reported that the new study is expected to start in September, last five years, and include 720 menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 55 at eight medical centers around the country.

The researchers are hoping to find out whether hormones can protect against artery disease if women start treatment early in menopause; whether there is any advantage to giving estrogen by skin patches instead of the usual pills; and changing the schedule of the other hormone given with it, progesterone.

The hormones must be taken together because estrogen alone has been proven to cause uterine cancer; adding progesterone counters that risk.

The study, funded by the private, nonprofit Kronos Longevity Research Institute in Phoenix, will be led by Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, a Harvard professor of medicine and chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The seven other centers in the study, all major hospitals and teaching centers, will be announced Tuesday.

The new research hopes to answer some questions left open by the Women's Health Initiative, a major government study that was abruptly halted in July 2002 after Prempro, a widely used pill combining estrogen and progestin, was found to cause small but significant increases in breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. Since then, other studies have found similar problems.

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