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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY

H1N1: 'It Doesn't Look Like Transmission Is Declining at All'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last week that at least 1 million Americans have now contracted the H1N1 flu virus. Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its spread through the Southern Hemisphere.

A device that combines a defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization reduced deaths by nearly one-third in patients with mild heart failure in a study that was stopped early because of its success.

In other biomedical news, the first study of its kind found that doctors often fail to inform patients of abnormal cancer screenings and other test results. Few medical practices in the study had explicit methods for informing patients, leaving each doctor to come up with a system.

A chemical in urine closely associated with appendicitis in children could soon lead to a simple test to diagnose the condition, which represents the most common childhood surgical emergency.

And, finally, the Boston Globe looked at medical progress in overcoming the blood-brain barrier to deliver drugs to treat brain cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.