Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Castro’s Condition Unknown After Intestinal Surgery

The condition of Cuban leader Fidel Castro was still unknown late Tuesday after he had surgery to repair what a statement called a “sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding.”

The statement, read Monday night on state television by Castro’s secretary Carlos Valenciaga, said the 79-year-old leader’s condition was caused by stress from a heavy work schedule during recent trips to Argentina and eastern Cuba, the Associated Press reported.

“The operation obligates me to undertake several weeks of rest,” Castro said in the statement. He said extreme stress “had provoked in me a sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obligated me to undergo a complicated surgical procedure.”

It’s not known when or where the surgery took place. But the Venezuelan government, Cuba’s closest ally, said Cuban officials reported Castro was “advancing positively.” Leftist Argentine lawmaker Miguel Bonasso said Castro aides told him the leader was resting peacefully.

Castro’s last public appearance was on Wednesday at a ceremony to mark the 53rd anniversary of the July 26 barracks attack that launched the Cuban Revolution. Castro appeared thinner than normal and somewhat weary during a pair of long speeches, AP reported.

Before the surgery, Castro announced that he was temporarily turning over the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul.

—–

Senators Grill Acting FDA Chief About Morning-After Pill

Monday’s surprise announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would revive its consideration of over-the-counter (OTC) sales of the Plan B morning-after pill was not a political maneuver, acting FDA head Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said Tuesday at his confirmation hearing.

He said the decision to consider allowing women 18 and older to have easier access to the emergency contraceptive was based on science, the Associated Press reported.

Some people regarded Monday’s announcement as an attempt to make things easier for von Eschenbach — President Bush’s nominee to head the FDA — at his confirmation hearing. If that was the case, it didn’t work, the wire service added.

At Tuesday’s hearing, senators went after von Eschenbach about the timing of Monday’s announcement and grilled him on why a decision on OTC sales of Plan B has spent so long on the FDA’s back burner, the AP reported.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has put a hold on von Eschebach’s nomination until the FDA makes a final decision about Plan B. She said her hold was meant to “draw a line” against “politicizing the FDA.”

“This companies is a slippery, dangerous slope we are on, doctor, and we are looking to you to make a decision,” Clinton said.

—–

Bush ‘Fine’ After Annual Physical

President George W. Bush emerged from a nearly four-hour annual physical exam on Tuesday, saying he was in good health but had put on a few pounds since his last checkup.

“Doing fine. Health’s fine. Probably ate too many birthday cakes,” said Bush, who celebrated his 60th birthday at numerous occasions in July, NBC News reported.

Bush had his annual exam at the National Naval Medical Center in suburban Washington. His last physical, on July 30, 2005, revealed he weighed 191.6 pounds, eight pounds less than his previous exam in December 2004. He’s nearly 6 feet tall.

According to a four-page medical summary issued by the White House a year ago, Bush — an avid mountain biker — is in the “superior” fitness category for a man of his age, the Associated Press reported.

—–

Anastrozole Bests Tamoxife