The season of West Nile virus is upon us and, accordingly, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports that the virus has been identified in mosquito pools (standing water such as that in discarded tires and birdbaths) in all New York City boroughs except Manhattan.

Where does a chemical go to get its reputation back? an editorial in Wednesday s The Wall Street Journal asks. The question is posed amid the recent release of credible scientific reports that have all determined that bisphenol A (BPA) the chemical that lines cans to prevent food-borne illness and is found in certain plastics is safe, despite inflammatory anti-BPA campaigns initiated by chemophobic activist groups and eagerly spread by complicit media and demagogic politicians.

It turns out that, for heart attack patients, one is indeed the loneliest number. A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that, four years after suffering a heart attack, people who lived alone had a 35 percent higher risk of death compared to those who lived with others.

Approved in April 2010, Dendreon Corp. s prostate cancer drug Provenge is revolutionary in that it uses the patient s own cells to stimulate the immune system to fight off the disease. Despite its projected success, however, physicians are hesitant to prescribe the treatment because they are encountering too many reimbursement obstacles a particularly strong disincentive, given its cost.

For those who wish to adhere to the new U.S. dietary guidelines, a new study published in the journal Health Affairs finds that eating the recommended amount of nutrients such as potassium, fiber, and vitamin D can add a substantial amount to the yearly grocery bill.

Malaria has long been endemic to the country of Kenya a fact that s not helped by the population s low compliance with treatment guidelines. But because cell phone use happens to be about as widespread as malaria, some enterprising researchers decided to take advantage of this concurrence by using text-messaging to remind health workers to adhere to national malaria treatment guidelines.

Unfortunately, an alarmist report from a group called the Ecology Center may have some parents hesitating before they fasten their child into a car seat. The Center is spreading the word that 60 percent of child car seats contain allegedly dangerous chemicals. Bromine, chlorine, lead, other heavy metals, and allergens topped their list, as did the risk of allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer upon exposure.

Publishers and marketers of most children s books are finally being spared the headache that the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) caused U.S. manufacturers of children s products.

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives caving to the demands of several colleagues from salmon-producing states voted to prohibit the FDA from investigating the benefits and risks of allowing genetically modified Aquabounty salmon onto the market. As we noted at the time, the detractors argued despite evidence to the contrary that the GM fish would decimate wild salmon populations and cause allergies in humans.

These days, already-hurting pharmaceutical companies are fighting a new uphill battle obtaining insurance reimbursement for newly approved drugs. Not only must companies prove to the FDA that their medications are safe and effective, but they now must demonstrate to insurance companies that these drugs are worth paying for.