Today's Globe: Pembroke Hospital alleged rape, ex-smokers gains, VA centers, medical-examiner suit, rocket-fuel toxin, heparin probe

Pembroke Hospital, a private psychiatric facility that was the subject of a state investigation a year ago for alleged patient mistreatment and a variety of staff infractions, was the scene last week of an alleged nighttime rape of one patient by another.

Women who stop smoking can enjoy major health benefits within five years, but it can take decades to correct respiratory damage and lower their risk of lung cancer, Harvard School of Public Health researchers reported yesterday.

Local veterans welcomed yesterday the US Department of Veterans Affairs decision to maintain its four Boston-area campuses, saying the centers offer critical and accessible services to people who are often distressed.

The state's highest court is set to consider whether Governor Deval Patrick had grounds to fire Massachusetts' former chief medical examiner. Dr. Mark Flomenbaum (left) was fired last year after his office lost a body that was later found buried in the wrong grave (fifth item).

An EPA official said yesterday there is a distinct possibility the agency will not take action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has contaminated public water supplies around the country. The toxin interferes with thyroid function and poses developmental health risks, particularly to fetuses.

China's drug safety agency yesterday accused the United States of blocking Beijing's inquiry into the blood thinner linked to 81 deaths by refusing to provide details on victims and specifics about production. Two Chinese experts who attended a conference on heparin in suburban Washington, D.C., last month said the United States determined a contaminant was likely to blame without considering other possible factors.