(September 27, 2007 - Insidermedicine) From New York - More than 300 thousand pounds of frozen ground beef hamburger patties, manufactured by the Topps Meat Company, have been recalled because they may be contaminated with the bacteria E. coli. Six people living in New York state have become ill after eating the patties. A sample of the meat has tested positive for the bacteria which can cause cramps, bloody diarrhea, and more rarely, death.

From Washington - If you take acetominophen, you may need to be careful careful about how much coffee you drink. Research performed on bacteria that were modified to act like liver cells showed that when exposed to large doses of caffeine, toxic byproducts accumulated. These byproducts can destroy human liver cells and can lead to liver failure.

From Sydney - HDL, or the "good" type of cholesterol, is very important in preventing heart attack death in those with coronary artery disease. In a study of nearly 10,000 patients, those with low LDL, or bad, cholesterol levels but high HDL levels had a 25% lower risk of having a heart attack or dying from their heart disease.

And finally from Barcelona - Herceptin, when given with chemotherapy prior to surgery, lowers the risk of a breast cancer sufferer needing a mastectomy. A study showed that women treated with the combination treatment were 3 times less likely to need a mastectomy. This research is good news for the 25-30% of those women with breast cancer who have HER-2 positive cells.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.