Today’s daily briefing

Keep up-to-date with the latest health headlines. Every day, you’ll find links to the newest articles on medicine, health and wellness -- the information you need to stay informed.

(LAT)

Accreditation council’s move against the medical university is tied to its affiliated hospital’s impending loss of Medicare funding.

The discoveries suggest ways the potentially deadly bacteria may have tainted fields and sickened more than 200. Testing is continuing.

Study Finds Little Evidence to Support U.S. Flu Vaccine Policy (Bloomberg News)

The present U.S. policy of encouraging people to get seasonal flu shots is supported only by thin medical evidence, a study found. Research on the efficacy of vaccines on either children or the elderly, two main targets of the policy, are either flawed or don’t show a clear benefit, according to the study, published today in the British Medical Journal. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its Web site says getting a shot is “the single best way to protect against the flu.”

E. coli Threat May Force New Practices on California Farmers (Bloomberg)

About 10,000 cows owned by Joseph Gallo Farms crowd dirt-floor feeding pens in California’s Salinas Valley, bulking up to produce milk that will eventually be turned into cheese.

Obesity pill may treat diabetes (Reuters)

A new obesity pill that helps to control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes could provide a novel way to treat the illness, a team of international researchers said on Friday. They found that the Sanofi-Aventis drug Acomplia, which is also known as rimonabant, also reduced risk factors for heart disease in patients with Type 2 diabetes who had not responded to standard treatments.

Actor Fox sparks debate, support for stem cells (Reuters)

Actor Michael J. Fox on Thursday defended political ads he filmed for candidates who support stem cell research ahead of tight congressional elections, saying he did not want to be pitied because he suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Stark campaign ads in which Fox’s body jerked uncontrollably were criticized by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who accused Fox of acting or deliberately not taking his medication.