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Human Cells, Rodent Brains: Research published in Nature describes how scientists treated Parkinson’s disease in mice and rats by converting human embryonic stem cells into nerve cells that released the neurotransmitter dopamine, then transplanting the cells into the rodents’ brains, the WSJ reports. Further animal studies are necessary before the technique could be tested in humans, the paper says.

Nearly two in three people plan to get a flu shot this year and more health-care pros are recommending their patients get them, according to a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases survey released on Wednesday.

At a news conference in Washington D.C., public health officials and other medical experts provided coverage estimates for the seasonal flu vaccines this upcoming year and a snapshot of how many were inoculated last season.

Here’s a bit of good news for President Obama’s health law: it’s helping drive down the uninsured rate among young adults.

Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in the first quarter of 2011, the percentage of adults between ages 19 and 25 without health insurance fell 3.5 percentage points — to 30.4%. That translates to about an additional 1 million people that got coverage from the previous year.

By Timothy W. Martin

More flu shots than ever will be produced for the upcoming influenza season, as public-health officials keep trying to spur more Americans — particularly health-care workers and pregnant women –  to get vaccinated.

When you make drugs or other medical products, unwanted contaminants can fall into the mix — say, beetle parts (in baby formula) or glass flakes (in anemia drugs).

The latest pharma world example of wow-that-really-shouldn’t-be-in-there comes from Merck. As the WSJ reports, the company says charred bits of plastic shrink wrap have been found in vials of vaccines made at a big plant in West Point, Pa.

For the Health Blog, the major trauma of the chickenpox was breaking out in itchy blisters mere weeks before the senior prom. But in rare cases, chicken pox can actually kill people, and new research shows how vaccination has helped curb the number of annual deaths from the disease.

No, summer isn’t over yet. But preparations for the next flu season, which typically begins in October, have already started.

E-Cigarette Rules: The FDA will regulate electronic cigarettes as tobacco products — like regular cigarettes — rather than as drug devices, such as nicotine gum, Dow Jones Newswires reports. The FDA preferred the latter designation, which would have required the agency to review e-cigarettes before they could be sold, but said yesterday it won’t seek further review of a January court decision that classified the devices as tobacco products.

Endo Buys: Endo Pharmaceutical Holdings will pay about $2.6 billion in cash for American Medical Systems, which makes minimally invasive products to treat men’s and women’s pelvic health conditions, the WSJ reports. The purchase price includes the assumption of $312 million in debt.