Does Circumcision Protect Against H.I.V.?

Male circumcision has been shown to protect men from acquiring H.I.V. infection during sex with women - it has reduced female-to-male transmission rates by 48% to 60% in sub-Saharan Africa - but that protective effect appears less reliable among men who have sex with men, according to a new meta-analysis published Oct. 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (J.A.M.A.).

The review is the most comprehensive analysis of the subject to date. It encompasses data from 15 studies conducted in seven countries, involving more than 53,000 men, most of whom were Caucasian and approximately half of whom were circumcised. The authors concluded that being circumcised reduced a man's risk of acquiring H.I.V. by 14%. That finding was statistically nonsignificant, but the authors say it should be regarded as a launching point for future trials. "This study gives us a more complete picture than we've ever had before," says Gregorio Millett, the study's lead author and a senior behavioral scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The next step is to design better quality studies to see if there is an association we aren't detecting."

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Largest study of US children to begin in January

The largest study of U.S. children ever performed — aiming to track 100,000 from conception to age 21 — will start recruiting mothers-to-be in North Carolina and New York in January.

The ambitious National Children's Study aims to learn how the environment and other factors affect youngsters' health, especially development of such conditions as autism, asthma, learning disabilities, diabetes and obesity. Scientists will examine a range of factors, from the diets of pregnant women and young children to the effects of chemicals used in plastics.

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Jenny McCarthy Slams Amanda Peet Over Vaccines

Actress and new mom Amanda Peet referred to parents who choose not to vaccinate their children as “parasites” in a recent interview. But despite her public apology aimed at parents of autistic children who believe that vaccines may have caused the illness, Jenny McCarthy hasn’t forgiven or forgotten.

"She (Peet) has a lot of [nerve] to come forward and be on that side, because there is an angry mob on my side, and I like the fact that I can say she's completely wrong,'' McCarthy (whose 6-year-old son has autism) tells the upcoming issue of Spectrum magazine, which hits stands Wednesday.

“I look at (Peet) now and say to myself, 'That was me before I had autism in my life,’ and until she walks in our shoes, she really has no idea," McCarthy added.

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Make ice cream from breast milk, says PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has urged US ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's Homemade to replace cow's milk in ice cream products with breast milk. "PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 per cent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the animal rights group said.

PETA officials say a move to breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their calves on factory farms and benefit human health.

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," PETA spokeswoman Tracy Reiman said.

"Everyone knows that the breast is best, so, Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favour by making the switch to breast milk."

Ben & Jerry's said: "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."

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Drinking in early pregnancy tied to cleft lip

Women who binge drink in the first three months of pregnancy have an increased risk of having infants with cleft lip and cleft palate, according to findings in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"Some evidence exists that women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely than nondrinkers to have infants with facial clefts," Dr. Lisa A. DeRoo and colleagues write, "but summarizing previous findings is hampered by different categories of drinks and time points of reference across studies."

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Tainted baby milk powder claims lives of two Chinese infants

Chinese state media said Monday a second baby has died from drinking contaminated milk powder, after one fatality was confirmed earlier.

As of Saturday night, two babies had died in northwest Gansu province after developing kidney stones from drinking milk powder produced by the Sanlu Group, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of babies in China sickened after drinking contaminated milk powder has now risen to about 580, state media has also reported, citing a senior official.

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Too posh to push? Iran seeks to curb C-sections

Shirin does not consider herself too posh to push, but she is against natural childbirth. Like many other women in Iran, the 32-year-old has opted to have her baby by Caesarian section.

Medical officials say 40 percent of children in Iran are born by C-section on average, but the percentage in Tehran is as high as one in every two deliveries -- and it is greater than 60 percent in Isfahan and Gilan provinces.

"The World Health Organisation recommends a Caesarean section rate of 10 to 15 percent," said gynaecologist Nasrin Changizi, who heads the mothers' health bureau in the Iranian health ministry.

Shirin, a secretary in a construction company, said it was the thought of the pain during labour and the damage she feared could be inflicted on her body that encouraged her to choose a "planned" delivery.

"Why shouldn't I enjoy the benefits of science when it is available?" she asked in a Tehran clinic, as she waited along with a dozen other women to have a colour 3-D ultrasound of her baby.

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DWTS' Tony Dovolani Welcomes Twins

It's a boy and a girl for Dancing with the Stars pro Tony Dovolani and his wife, Lina. The couple welcomed the little ballroom pair early Monday morning at a hospital near their Connecticut home.

Son Adrian Driton Dovolani showed up first. at 3:14 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. Daughter Adriana Dovolani arrived 14 minutes later, weighing s7 lbs., 10 oz.

"We are so happy, I can't stop smiling," an emotional Dovolani told People magazine. "Lina was such a champ, and she looks incredible right now."

This is the third child for the couple, who have been married for eight years. Daughter Luana turned three in August.

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Doctor Fired For Allegedly Drinking On The Job

A Massachusetts doctor has been fired and lost the right to renew his medical license for allegedly trying to give a pregnant woman an epidural while drunk.

The state Board of Registration in Medicine says 39-year-old Robert Dolan was drinking from a bottle of bourbon he brought to work when he was called to perform the procedure at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center last November.

Dolan, an anesthesiologist, called another resident for help, who noticed he appeared drunk. The attending physician then called security. He was fired by the hospital a few days later.

Dolan's license to practice medicine lapsed in January and he will not be allowed to renew it unless he can stay sober for 18 months.

The board said Dolan accepted its version of events.

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David Spade Becomes a Dad

David Spade is the father of a baby girl born last week in Missouri to Playboy Playmate Jillian Grace, the actor's rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"David and Jillian have been in close contact throughout her pregnancy and he plans to go see the baby during his first break from shooting Rules of Engagement," Spade's rep, Meredith O'Sullivan, tells People magazine.

The actor, 45, announced in January that he had a brief relationship with Grace, and if proven to be the child's biological father, he would accept responsibility. The baby was born Aug. 26.

No other details, including the baby's name, were provided.

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Sarah Palin's Teenage Daughter Pregnant

In yet another surprising development in the Republican presidential campaign, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin confirmed in a statement Monday that her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant.

Alaska governor Palin, who was selected to be John McCain's vice president last week, said, "Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."

Bristol plans to marry the father of the child, 18-year-old Levi Johnston, Palin continued in the statement. "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family."

The 44-year-old governor released the statement to combat a rumor that Bristol may have been the mother of Palin's youngest son, Trig, who was born in April.

The McCain campaign confirmed it was aware of Bristol's pregnancy before it selected Palin and said it did not affect McCain's choice.

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Risk Of SIDS Is Twice-Linked To Smoking During Pregnancy

In a first ever experimental study to compare breathing reflexes of preemies born to smokers with those born to non-smokers, researchers in Canada found that premature babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are likely to be at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than premature infants whose mothers did not.

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Disposable Diaper Breaks Fall, Saves Child's Life

A disposable diaper has saved the life of an 18-month-old boy, breaking his fall from a third-floor apartment window, officials said Thursday.

Caua Felipe Massaneiro survived a 30-foot (10-meter) fall because his diaper snagged on a security spike embedded in the concrete wall around his apartment building in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife.

The boy dangled from the spike for a moment, then "the diaper opened and the baby fell to the ground, but at a much slower speed," a police officer said. "The diaper obviously lessened the impact of the fall and saved the baby's life."

"It was a miracle," said the officer who declined to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the press. "He could also have been killed by one of the spikes."

The child was treated for minor fractures at the Hospital Memorial Sao Jose, where spokesman Gilberto Tenorio said he was in stable condition.

Police have opened an investigation to determine how the toddler fell out the window and "if parental negligence was one of the causes," the police officer said.

The Folha de S. Paulo newspaper quoted Caua's father, 23-year-old Alexandre Cesar Massaneiro as saying that his son climbed onto a sofa underneath the window he fell from - "something he had never done before."

"It wasn't the diaper that saved him," Massaneiro told the newspaper. "It was God."

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Kids follow parents' lead on fruits and vegetables

Parents who want their preschoolers to eat their fruits and vegetables should probably practice what they preach, a new study suggests.

In a study of more than 1,300 families, researchers found that when parents boosted their own consumption of fruits and vegetables, so did their young children.

The findings, reported in the journal Preventive Medicine, point to the importance of parents "modeling" a healthy diet for their preschoolers. They also suggest that educating parents on nutrition early on could help address the problem of childhood obesity, the researchers say.

Read the full story here.

61-year-old Woman Gives Birth In Japan

A 61-year-old Japanese woman gave birth to her own grandchild, using an egg donated by her daughter, a clinic said Thursday.

Surrogate births are extremely rare in Japan and banned by industry groups, but they are not illegal. The Suwa Maternity Clinic in Nagano, northwest of Tokyo, refused to provide information such as the date of the birth or gender of the baby. News reports said the baby was born last year.

The clinic said it performed the procedure because the woman's daughter has no uterus, but didn't give details on why she had that condition. The surrogate mother used a fertilized egg donated by her daughter.

"Both surrogate mother and baby were fine," said Chihiro Netsu, a spokeswoman for the clinic.

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Babies, babies everywhere!

• Ricky Martin is a father to twin boys born via a surrogate, his rep confirms to People magazine. "In recent weeks, Ricky Martin became a proud father by the birth of twin sons," his rep says. "The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky's full-time care," the rep said in a statement. "Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children." The boys' names and the location of their birth have not been released.

• It's another girl for Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, his rep tells People magazine. "Matt and Lucy Damon had a baby girl named Gia Zavala on Wednesday, Aug. 20th. Everyone's doing great," says Damon's rep, Jennifer Allen. "She is a healthy baby girl." The newest addition is the third little girl in the Damon household, joining big sisters Isabella, 2, and Alexia, 10. Damon recently joked about living with so many females, telling USA Today from his home in Miami, "I'm so outnumbered down here, it's crazy."

• Jennifer Garner has finally acknowledged her pregnancy. At an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Baby Einstein products in L.A. Wednesday, a USA Today reporter asked the actress, 36, about her upcoming projects. Garner then pointed to her baby bump and said with a smile, “This.” She wouldn’t reveal her due date, USA Today reports. "We're so excited, obviously," she told Access Hollywood. Garner and husband Ben Affleck — parents of daughter Violet, 2 — recently snapped up a $16 million house in the L.A.'s Brentwood neighborhood as they prep for their new baby.

Egyptian Woman Gives Birth To Septuplets

An Egyptian woman gave birth to septuplets early Saturday in the coastal city of Alexandria, a hospital director said.

Ghazala Khamis, 27, was in good condition at the hospital after having a blood transfusion during her Caesarean section due to bleeding, said Emad Darwish, director of the El-Shatbi Hospital where she gave birth.

The newborns, four boys and three girls, weigh between 3.2 pounds and 6.17 pounds and are in stable condition, Darwish said. They have been placed in incubators in four different hospitals that have special premature baby units, he said.

"This is a very rare pregnancy _ something I have never witnessed over my past 33 years in this profession," Darwish said.

Darwish decided to carry out the Caesarean section at the end of Khamis' eighth month of pregnancy due to the pressure on her kidneys.

Khamis, the wife of a farmer in the northern Egyptian province of Beheira, already has three daughters.

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Dear Parents: Your Child is Fat

School children across England will soon have their body mass index (BMI) tested as part of a new effort to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity.

Parents will be sent a letter telling them whether their child is underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or very overweight. The letter will also include leaflets giving advice on eating healthily, physical activities their child might do and the risks of being overweight.

So, are parents really failing to notice their little angels piling on the pounds? Yes, says the U.K.'s Department of Health.

Read the full story here.

Men more likely than women to adopt children

American men ages 18 to 44 are more than twice as likely as women in the same age group to have adopted a child, a new federal report says.

The report uses data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, which showed that more than 1.2 million men and 613,000 women had adopted children.

The exact reasons why more men adopt than women aren't outlined in the report, but it may be partly due to men getting married and adopting their spouse's children from a previous relationship, the report said.

The report found that:

• Among people who've ever been married, men were more than 2.5 times as likely as women to have adopted -- 3.8 percent vs. 1.4 percent. Overall, 2.3 percent of all men had adopted a child.
• More than one in four women ages 40 to 44 who had ever used infertility services had adopted a child.
• Never-married adults ages 18 to 44 were significantly less likely to have adopted a child compared to those who were currently married. About 100,000 never-married women and 73,000 never-married men had adopted a child.
• Compared with non-Hispanic white women, Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women were more likely to be currently seeking to adopt a child.

The report was released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Health Statistics.

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Question of the Week

Brace yourselves, this is one sad story.

Two women were charged with prostitution in Camden County on Thursday after they were arrested in a sting operation at a Lake Ozark hotel last week.

Two other women were also arrested, and three of the women are pregnant. Alexandra Wells and Allysia Waldrop were both charged on Thursday. Waldrop is pregnant, but is not known if Wells is also.

The undercover bust went down at a Lake Ozark area hotel after the sheriff's department received several reports that pregnant women were advertising prostitution on an internet advertising site.

One of the women arrested was eight months pregnant, another six months pregnant, and another was three months pregnant. They ranged in age from 18 to 22 years old.

Do you think these women should be given harsher punishments for their crime because they are expecting?