Today's Globe: colon tests, tainted formula, MGH cuts, flu shots, autism study

A long-awaited federal study of an X-ray alternative to the dreaded colonoscopy confirms its effectiveness at spotting most cancers, although it was far from perfect.

The Chinese government was dispatching thousands of inspectors to monitor producers as officials reported yesterday that the number of babies sick from tainted milk formula had climbed dramatically, to nearly 6,200 from 1,200 a day earlier.

In an effort to contain rising costs, Massachusetts General Hospital plans to cut nearly 200 positions, or about 1 percent of its workforce, mostly through attrition.

Pregnant women can protect their newborns against deadly influenza infections by getting a flu shot, a study found.

The National Institute of Mental Health has dropped plans for a study of chelation, a controversial treatment for autism, that critics had called an unethical experiment on children (second item).