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

FDA Set to Crack Down on 'Andro' Producers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to order manufacturers of the controversial supplement androstenedione -- made famous by retired baseball slugger Mark McGwire -- to stop producing the product unless they can prove it's safe, the Associated Press reports.

The agency is expected to tell the manufacturers on Thursday to stop selling the supplement, commonly known as "andro," unless they can demonstrate it's not dangerous, the news agency says.

Andro is what's known as a steroid precursor, meaning the body uses it to make testosterone. And that means it poses the same health risks as an anabolic steroid, the FDA is expected to say in warnings to 23 manufacturers of the supplement, the AP says.

Anabolic steroids are controlled substances that build muscle. But andro -- because it is a precursor, not a steroid itself -- has long been marketed as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, the AP says.

The use of andro took off dramatically after McGwire said he used it in 1998 while hitting a then-record-setting 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals. He has said he later quit the supplements.

Tests have shown that andro raises testosterone levels. Side effects of elevated testosterone include acne, baldness, and a drop in the so-called good cholesterol that could lead to heart disease.

For these reasons, critics of the supplement say it should be banned because of the potential impact on children going through puberty, the AP says.

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Patients Given Possibly Incorrect HIV Test Results

An estimated 460 patients at Maryland General Hospital may have been given incorrect hepatitis and HIV test results over a 14-month period and were not notified of the problem by the hospital, the Baltimore Sun reports.

State officials say that during the 14-month period of incorrect test results, which ended in August 2003, some people may have been told they were HIV-negative when they were actually HIV-positive. Others may have been informed they had a positive result on their HIV test when it was actually negative, the newspaper says.

A complaint filed by a former hospital worker led to an investigation by state officials. They found that personnel in the hospital's laboratory overrode controls in the testing equipment that indicated the test results might be wrong. The laboratory staff then mailed the results to the patients, the Sun reports.

The hospital's general president told the newspaper that hospital executives didn't know about the testing problem until they were notified by the state in January.

The hospital is notifying the patients and urging them to come to the hospital for a free re-test.

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EPA Investigates Microwave Popcorn Chemicals

The type and amount of chemicals released into the air when microwave popcorn is popped or opened are being studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A rare lung disease contracted by popcorn factory workers in four states has been linked to exposure to vapors from butter flavoring in microwave popcorn, the Associated Press reports.

But health officials say the popcorn poses no health threat to consumers who pop popcorn in their microwaves.

The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety has said it suspects the workers' health problems were caused by the chemical diacetyl. The EPA plans to study about 50 brands, batches and flavors of microwave popcorn.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it considers butter popcorn flavoring to be safe for consumers.

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Minors Hang Around Alcohol Web Sites: Study

Web sites run by alcohol companies have turned into a "cyber playground" for minors who are too young to drink, a new study concludes.

Alcohol company Web sites received nearly 700,000 visits from underage people from last July through December, according to Georgetown University's Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. These sites regularly offer features like video games, music downloads, and alcohol-themed icons, according to the center's director, cited by the Associated Press.

The findings come despite past pledges from the industry not to target minors. "If a liquor store were this ineffective in policing underage visits, the community would be up in arms," center director Jim O'Hara tells the wire service.

Spokesman Frank Coleman of the Distilled Spirits Council calls the study a publicity stunt. He says industry ads and marketing materials have been reviewed and approved as targeting adults by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

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Who's to Blame If You're Too Fat?

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill limiting the ability of obese consumers to file lawsuits claiming that fast-food restaurants are responsible for their burgeoning waistlines, CNN reports.

The legislation, approved 276-139 late Wednesday, is part of a larger Republican effort to limit so-called "frivolous" lawsuits of all kinds. Rep. Ric Keller (R-Fla.), one of the bill's authors, says trial lawyers see the fast-food industry as the next target, mimicking big tobacco.

The federal government on Tuesday said overeating could soon replace smoking as the top preventable cause of death.

Democrats who opposed the bill countered that the courts, not legislators, should decide which lawsuits are frivolous based on their merits. They voiced concern that the entire industry would be, in effect, exempt from negligence, CNN reports.

The bill's introduction came as the industry is pressured to reduce "super-size" offerings aimed at calorie-hungry consumers. Last week, McDonald's announced it would curtail its larger-size fare.

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States Offer Murky Assessments of Great Lakes' Safety

State anti-pollution and enforcement regulations are so scattershot that it's difficult to assess whether the Great Lakes offer clean water and a safe place to swim, the nonprofit Environment Integrity Project concludes.

"Until the states and [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] get serious about water quality monitoring, the public will be flying blind when it comes to potentially grave risks to their health," EIP spokesman Ilan Levin says in a statement.

The group says potential hazards include ingesting toxins from fish consumption, and exposure to water-borne germs among swimmers and boaters. It alleges that the EPA simply compiles conflicting state data without imposing any standards or performing much analysis.

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