We ve often discussed the safety and benefits of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. We ve stressed how effective it is in preventing cervical cancer, as well as anal and oral cancer and genital warts in both men and women.

The number of children visiting the emergency room (ER) with a sports-related concussion has jumped by nearly 60 percent over the last decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Whether this is because kids are getting hurt more often or because parents are have become more vigilant about seeking treatment for their children is not clear, but the report underscores the importance of having a child evaluated following a head injury.

Screening healthy men for prostate cancer with a PSA blood test does more harm than good, a major government health panel has decided. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), whose recommendations are usually followed by most medical groups and insurers, will next week release its draft recommendation stating that healthy men over 50 should no longer receive the test.

If the New York City Department of Education were graded on its provision of proper physical education for city students, it would receive a big fat F.

Lisa R. Lauve is the new sheriff at Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, and her first order of business is to cut down on third-hand smoke. Starting July 1 of next year, the entire hospital campus will be subject to an anti-tobacco policy such that current staff members who smoke will have one year to make whatever adjustments they need in order to quit smoking or at least forgo the habit while at work.

In an article for The New York Times, columnist Mark Bittman lauds the Danish government for its most recent implementation: an excise tax on foods high in saturated fat. At a rate of slightly under $3 per kilogram of saturated fat content, the new regulation means that a half-pound of butter will now cost 15 cents more.

About four million Americans admitted to operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol at least once in 2010, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For a paper published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a team of researchers compiled data on drinking and driving behaviors from a national telephone survey.

A healthful diet may actually lower a woman s risk of having a child with serious birth defects, reports a study now online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Typically, a patient who undergoes a coronary angioplasty is monitored overnight at the hospital just in case of complications. However, a study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that this may not be necessary for many low-risk patients.

Elderly men with naturally high levels of testosterone seem to be less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than their peers with lower levels of the hormone, reports a study just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study, led by a doctor at a university hospital in Sweden, measured the testosterone levels and cardiovascular health of 2,400 Swedish men in their 70s and 80s.