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

Air Force Study Finds Agent Orange, Cancer Link

A new study sponsored by the U.S. Air Force finds increased risks of prostate and skin cancers among Vietnam veterans who sprayed the defoliant Agent Orange, the Associated Press reports.

The rates of prostate cancer and melanoma among these vets was found to be 1.5 to 2.3 times higher than the average person, according to the Air Force panel that has been studying the Agent Orange issue for more than 20 years. Its findings will be published in the February edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Between 1962 and 1971, the Air Force used some 11 million gallons of the chemical to defoliate jungles in Vietnam. American veterans and many Vietnamese have attributed a number of health problems to the spraying, including nerve disorders, cancers, and birth defects. The U.S. government continues to maintain that there's no proven direct link between the chemical and many of these problems, the AP reports.

The Air Force study is to be reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences, which will report its findings to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the wire service adds.

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Human Cases of Bird Flu Spread to Thailand

Human cases of the same bird flu strain that has already killed five people in Vietnam have now been confirmed in Thailand, the Bangkok government says.

The Thai health minister says the disease has been detected in two boys in provinces west of the capital city, reports the French wire service Agence France-Presse (AFP). Other wire reports say a Thai man may have already died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

In addition to the two boys, several other Thais are being tested for the virus, and people who may have been exposed to the confirmed human cases have been ordered quarantined for 10 days, AFP says.

The country has ordered an immediate halt to its billion-dollar poultry export business. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denies claims that the government covered up the human cases for several days, saying he wanted to be sure the cases were confirmed and wanted to avoid public panic, AFP reports.

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NIH Ends Drug-Firm Consulting Practices

Top officials from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer accept consulting fees and stock options from drug companies, director Elias Zerhouni pledged during a Senate hearing Thursday.

"As of this moment, no director has any outside biotechnology or pharmaceutical relationship," the Los Angeles Times quotes Zerhouni as saying before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, and education.

Last month, the newspaper disclosed paid arrangements between senior NIH scientists and major drug and biomedical companies. The agency represents the federal government's center of human medical research, and its top scientists are among the government's highest-paid employees, the Times reports.

Zerhouni pledged to form a special task force to investigate cases of possible conflict of interest. Senate subcomittee chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he was prepared to seek changes in the law that has exempted 94 percent of NIH's highest-paid workers from having to disclose payments from any outside employers, the newspaper reports.

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Flu Activity Continues to Wane

The wave of influenza that struck the United States early and -- by anecdotic measures -- hard this season has now been on the wane for the third straight week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, as of Jan. 17, flu activity is widespread in five states -- 75 percent fewer than the previous week and a far cry from the third week of December, when flu was widespread in 45 states.

Activity was reported as "regional" in 31 states in the week ending Jan. 17, according to the Jan. 23 issue of the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The week before, that figure stood at 24 states.

The CDC also reports that outpatient visits for flu-like illnesses decreased across the U.S. in the last week.

As of Jan. 20, the flu has killed 111 children 18 years or younger in 31 states, according to the CDC.

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FDA Launches Painkiller Safety Campaign

Over-the-counter painkillers and fever-reducing medications are safe when used as directed, but an accidental overdose or use in combination with other drugs can lead to serious health problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.

The agency has begun a national campaign focusing on products containing acetaminophen and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDSs), which include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and ketaprofen.

Many drugs for different uses may contain the same active ingredient, which makes the possibility of overdose easier than many people think, the FDA says. A cold remedy can contain the same painkiller as a headache relief medication, for example. The agency says to avoid taking multiple medications like this at the same time.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is found in more than 600 OTC and prescription remedies, the FDA points out. Taking too much over time can lead to life-threatening liver damage, especially among people who drink alcohol while on the medication.

NSAIDs can cause stomach bleeding, especially among seniors and people taking steroids. These drugs could also increase the risk of kidney problems, the agency says. It advises consumers to check with their doctors or pharmacists, who can advise if these medications can be used safely.

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New Parkinson's Device Limits Surgery

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a simplified, somewhat less invasive brain stimulation device for people with Parkinson's disease, according to the product's manufacturer.

Medtronic's Kinetra Neurostimulator stimulates both sides of the brain with a single implanted device instead of the once-required two. This reduces the amount of surgery needed.

This type of device is designed to stimulate structures deep within the brain that influence motor control and to block brain signals that cause Parkinson's symptoms, including shaking movements, stiffness, and slowness of motor function, Medtronic says in a prepared statement.

The company cites a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine which concluded that Parkinson's patients receiving this type of brain stimulation therapy over five years showed improvement of 49 percent to 54 percent in motor function and being able to perform "activities of daily living."

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