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

Medicare Chief Broke No Law in Threatening Employee: Probe

An internal investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that former Medicare chief Thomas Scully threatened the program's chief accountant if the subordinate told Congress that the landmark prescription drug benefit would cost more than the White House had projected, according to The New York Times.

But the investigators concluded that Scully broke no laws in ordering that the information be withheld. The report reflected the U.S. Department of Justice's finding that Scully had "the final authority to determine the flow of information to Congress," the newspaper reported.

Scully's order to chief actuary Richard Foster came as Congress was considering historic changes to Medicare. Foster estimated that the drug benefit would cost up to $600 billion over 10 years, while White House estimates given to Congress said the cost would not exceed $400 billion over the same span, the Times said.

As a result of Scully's order, Foster's estimate did not become known until after the legislation was passed last year, according to the Times.

Scully resigned last December to become a health care company lobbyist. The HHS probe speculated that Scully might be subject to disciplinary action for possibly violating departmental ethical standards if still working for the federal government, the newspaper said.

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Avian Flu May Be Spread by Wild Birds, China Says

Wild birds may have sparked the return of avian flu to China's poultry industry, the Beijing government speculated Wednesday. The new cases, confirmed among chickens in China's eastern Anhui province, involve the same bird flu strain that led to the deaths of tens of millions of Asian birds and 24 people earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Thailand has ordered the mass slaughter of thousands of chickens near two provincial farms that also appear to be affected by new outbreaks, the AP said.

The Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health said it supported the Beijing government's theory that migratory birds may have reintroduced the disease to chickens.

The organization said more than 8,000 birds had already been slaughtered in Anhui in an attempt to keep the disease from spreading, according to the AP.

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FDA Approves Appendicitis Diagnostic Test

About half of the 700,000 cases of suspected appendicitis in the United States each year lack the condition's telltale symptoms -- lower abdominal pain and fever, according to nuclear medicine researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved the researchers' diagnostic test that they say should make it easier for doctors to spot and treat these elusive cases.

The NeutroSpec system involves use of a radioactive antibody that binds to the type of infection-fighting white blood cell that is often present in people who have inconclusive symptoms of appendicitis, the researchers said. Doctors can then locate the antibody and infection site by using a device called a gamma camera.

In human trials, NeutroSpec was 60 percent accurate in detecting appendicitis in less than five minutes, and nearly 100 percent accurate in diagnosing the condition within an hour, the researchers said in a statement.

The test could significantly reduce the 15 percent to 30 percent of all appendectomies that prove unnecessary because the organ is actually normal, the scientists said.

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Brain Enzyme Activity May be Linked to Teen Suicide

Reduced activity levels of a brain enzyme called protein kinase C -- believed to affect mood -- may be linked to teen suicide, says a University of Illinois at Chicago study.

Researchers compared the brains of 34 dead teenagers -- 17 of them suicide victims -- and found that protein kinase C (PKC) activity levels were much lower in the brains of the teens who'd committed suicide, BBC News Online reported.

These PKC abnormalities may explain why some teens commit suicide, the researchers said. They added that PKC may prove to be a target for drugs to treat people with suicidal behaviors.

The study appears in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

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More Older Women Suffering Eating Disorders

Doctors in the United States are noticing more and more women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who have eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, The New York Times reported.

Many of these older women have much in common -- loneliness, poor self-esteem, isolation, and a drive for perfection -- with teenagers with eating disorders.

It's unclear how many older American women suffer with eating disorders. Experts suspect that many older women who develop eating disorders have fretted about their body image and weight for most of their lives, the Times reported.

Middle-aged women may not be able to endure the physical effects of eating disorders as well as younger women. Osteoporosis, easily bruised skin, thinning hair, and heart problems are among the health problems caused by anorexia.

Bulimia can lead to complications such as severe tooth decay and gastrointestinal problems.

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Faulty Hunting Stands Recalled

Hunting tree stands that can detach from the tree and cause hunters to fall are being recalled, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The recall affects about 78,000 Big Foot Series and Lite Foot Series hunting stands made by Rivers Edge/Ardisam, Inc., of Cumberland Wis.

If the strap mounting bracket on the stand loosens or rotates, the strap hook can release and cause the stand to detach from the tree. The company has received three reports of people falling when their stands detached. Two of the people suffered serious injuries, including broken bones.

The stands were sold in hunting stores and through catalogues beginning in January 1998. They sold for between $60 and $120.

Anyone with one of these stands should stop using it immediately and contact the manufacturer at 1-800-204-7435 to receive free replacement hardware.

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