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

Slaughtering Chickens Might Boost Bird Flu Risk to Humans

Fighting the bird flu epidemic that's sweeping Asia by slaughtering millions of chickens could inadvertently mutate the virus into one that's far more dangerous to people, United Nations health experts tell the Washington Post.

The contact that comes between the poultry and the people involved in their slaughter increases the risk that the bird flu will merge with the genes of ordinary human flu, the experts say.

The disease has spread to fowl in 10 Asian countries, including China, the world's most populous nation. And two more human deaths from the virus -- a pair of sisters -- were reported by Vietnam on Wednesday. Their deaths bring the confirmed human toll to 10, in addition to several more fatalities that are being investigated for links to bird flu, the Associated Press reports.

Some 15,000 people in Vietnam are involved in the slaughter of chickens, and U.N. officials suspect most wear little or no protective clothing, the Post reports. While this strain of the virus hasn't been transmitted by person-to-person contact, it has been passed to humans through contact with infected birds. Several health officials and agencies have warned that bird flu could become even more dangerous to people than SARS.

In its first warning to U.S. citizens on bird flu, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says doctors should keep a careful eye out for people with flu-like symptoms who recently traveled to Asia, reports the AP. The agency says it can test people with signs of influenza A for the H5N1 bird flu strain.

People who travel to countries reporting outbreaks should avoid areas near poultry farms, live animal markets, and surfaces contaminated with bird droppings, the CDC says. No cases of bird flu among animals or people have been reported so far in the United States.

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Parkinson's-Like Nerve Disorder Identified

Doctors may be frequently misdiagnosing a recently discovered genetic nerve disorder as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's, HealthDayNews reports of a new study.

The illness is called fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, or FXTAS (pronounced fax-tass). It typically affects men over age 50, causing tremors, balance problems and dementia, which all progressively worsen over time, much like Parkinson's and related conditions. People afflicted by the genetic flaw appear normal through childhood and much of their adult life.

FXTAS is closely related to fragile X syndrome, the leading cause of inherited mental retardation. But unlike those with fragile X, people with FXTAS are usually very smart and very productive, according to the University of California researchers who conducted the study.

The study is published in the Jan. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Checks Reveal Dangers of Imported Drugs, U.S. Says

The second in a series of federal checks of illegally imported drug shipments from Canada, Mexico and other countries found potentially dangerous problems, U.S. officials say.

The checks, done in November at the Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle mail facilities and at the Memphis and Cincinnati courier hubs, identified 1,728 unapproved drugs.

These included so-called "foreign versions" of FDA-approved drugs, recalled drugs, drugs the require special storage, drugs that require close physician monitoring, and drugs containing addictive controlled substances.

An FDA news release says these findings provide more evidence of the serious risks posed by the illegal importation of prescription drugs.

In this latest blitz check, inspectors examined 1,982 parcels that appeared to contain drug products. The first blitz was conducted last summer.

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Air Pollution, Secondhand Smoke a Dual Threat to Fetuses

High levels of air pollution combined with secondhand smoke can be a threat to developing fetuses, says a study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health.

The study found that babies exposed in the womb to both high levels of urban air pollution and secondhand smoke showed a 7 percent reduction in birth weight and a 3 percent reduction in head circumference, compared with babies who were exposed to low air pollution levels while they were fetuses, The New York Times reports.

"The effects we see, reduced fetal growth and lower birth weight, have been linked to later problems in learning and school performance in childhood. These are warning signs that we should take seriously," senior study author Dr. Frederica P. Perera told the Times.

The study will be published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in April.

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Female Heavy Drinkers Have Increased Heart Disease Risk

Women who are heavy drinkers have an significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease, says a University College London study.

The study of 3,374 women found that those who drink more than the recommended safe limit of 21 units a week increase their risk of coronary heart disease by 57 percent, BBC News Online reports.

One unit of alcohol is: a small glass of wine; a half a pint of ordinary strength beer; or a pub measure of spirit.

The study also found that overall death rates were seven times greater among women who drank two or more times a day than those who drank less than three drinks a week.

Interestingly, women who did not drink at all had an 80 percent greater risk of heart disease, compared to women who had a couple of drinks a week.

The study was published in the journal Addiction.

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U.S. Issues New Mad Cow Safeguards

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it's banning the use of cattle blood in livestock feed in an effort to prevent additional cases of mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

A series of new rules issued Monday by the FDA and its parent, the Department of Health and Human Services, also includes a ban on cow-derived material from diet supplements and cosmetics used by people. There's also a ban on chicken waste and restaurant scraps from use in cattle feed.

"Today's actions will make strong public health protections against BSE even stronger," HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a news release announcing the new rules. "Small as the risk may already be, this is the time to make sure the public is protected to the greatest extent possible."

Farmers sometimes use feed containing cow blood to calves as a substitute for cow's milk, which is more valuable for human consumption. "Recent scientific evidence suggests that [cow] blood can carry some infectivity for BSE," the HHS statement concedes.

A lone Holstein cow identified last month in Washington state is the first-ever and only case of mad cow in the United States.

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