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

More Underweight Babies Being Born in U.S.

The percentage of underweight babies born in the United States in 2005 was 8.2 percent, the highest level since 1968, says the annual Kids Count report released Thursday.

Mississippi had the highest rate (11.8 percent), while Alaska, Oregon and Washington had the lowest rate (6.1 percent). The rate of low-weight births was 13.6 percent for blacks, 7.3 percent for whites, and 6.9 percent for Hispanics, the Associated Press reported.

Low-birthweight babies (weighing less than 5.5 pounds) are at increased risk of dying in infancy or having long-term disabilities.

The nationwide rise in low-weight births was due to an increase in multiple births as more older women use fertility treatments to conceive, said Laura Beavers, coordinator of the Kids Count project for the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, the AP reported.

The Kids Count report examined 10 categories of children's health and well-being, finding that New Hampshire, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Utah ranked highest overall, while Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama and South Carolina ranked lowest.

There were nationwide improvements in the child death rate, teen death rate, teen birth rate, high school dropout rate, and teens not in school and not working. Four areas worsened: low-birthweight babies, children living in poverty, children in single-parent families, and children living with unemployed parents.

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Marijuana Potency Increasing

In 2007, marijuana potency reached its highest level in more than 30 years, according to a new report from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Researchers at the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project analyzed levels of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) in samples seized by law enforcement agencies from 1975 through 2007, the Associated Press reported.

The average amount of THC in the samples was 8.75 percent in 2006 and 9.6 percent in 2007, compared to just under 4 percent in 1983. These increasing levels of THC pose greater psychological, cognitive and respiratory risks to people who use marijuana, according to John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Sophisticated growing techniques used by marijuana producers in the United States and Canada are behind the increased potency of the drug, according to the White House office.

While federal officials expressed concern over the increased potency of marijuana, one expert said marijuana users generally adjust to the level of potency and smoke it accordingly, the AP reported.

"Stronger cannabis leads to less inhaled smoke," said Dr. Mitch Earleywine, who teaches psychology at the State University of New York in Albany and serves as an adviser for marijuana advocacy groups.

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Lack of Sleep Increases Snacking

Lack of sleep can lead to excessive snacking, according to a University of Chicago study.

It included 11 healthy volunteers who each completed two 14-day laboratory studies at least three months apart. The participants had 5.5-hour or 8.5-hour sleep sessions and ad lib food intake, United Press International reported.

When their sleep times were limited to 5.5 hours, the participants consumed more energy from snacks and their carbohydrate content of snacks also increased, the study found.

This type of snacking may contribute to the increased risk of weight gain and obesity associated with inadequate sleep, said study leader Dr. Plamen Penev, UPI reported.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

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U.S. Life Expectancy Hits New High

Life expectancy in the United States hit a record high in 2006 of 78.1 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Life expectancy rose to new highs for white males (76), black males (70), white females (81) and black females (76.9).

In addition, the age-adjusted death rate fell to 776.4 deaths per 100,000 people from 799 in 2005, the agency said in a prepared statement. Death rates for many of the leading causes of death fell significantly in 2006, including a 12.8 percent drop in deaths from flu and pneumonia.

Deaths from lower respiratory disease fell 6.5 percent from 2005 to 2006, cases of stroke fell by 6.4 percent, heart disease by 5.5 percent, diabetes by 5.3 percent, and deaths from HIV/AIDS declined 4.8 percent from 2005.

The preliminary infant mortality rate for 2006 fell to 6.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 2.3 percent drop from the 2005 figure of 6.9, the CDC said.

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AP: Paul Newman Has Cancer

Actor Paul Newman has cancer, the Associated Press reported, citing Newman's longtime business partner.

"I know that it's a form of cancer," the wire service quoted writer A.E. Hotchner as saying, although he didn't specify the type of cancer. He said Newman was still undergoing treatment.

Newman put out a statement Tuesday that he was "doing nicely," but didn't address speculation that he had cancer.

Appearing last month at a practice for the Indianapolis 500 car race, Newman appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight, the AP said.

In the 1980s, Hotchner partnered with Newman to start "Newman's Own," a salad dressing company that has branched out to other food products. By 2007, the company had contributed more than $200 million in profits to charity, according to the "Newman's Own" Web site.

Hotchner told the AP that Newman had an operation a few years ago "somewhere in the area of the lung."

"Everybody is hopeful," he said of Newman's prognosis. "That's all we know."

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American Tab for Allergy Sufferers: $11 Billion

It may be nothing to sneeze at, but $11 billion is how much Americans spent on doctor bills, prescription drugs, and other medical costs to fight allergy symptoms, the federal government revealed Wednesday.

The total for 2005, the most recent year evaluated, was nearly double the $6 billion spent five years earlier, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said.

The analysis from the agency, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also found:

  • Some 22 million Americans visited a doctor, got a prescription drug, were hospitalized, or received home health care for allergy symptoms in 2005.
  • Some $7 billion was spent on prescription drugs, and the remaining $4 billion was divided among doctor visits and hospital outpatient care.
  • From 2000 to 2005, the annual average cost of allergy treatment rose from $350 per person to $520.

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Hong Kong, Fighting Bird Flu Outbreak, Orders Mass Chicken Cull

Hong Kong has begun culling all chickens in its markets and retail outlets after finding the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu among fowl in a total of seven markets, the Bloomberg news service reported Wednesday.

The outbreak was first detected at four markets last week, and the virus has since been found at three additional markets. Poultry imports from mainland China were suspended on June 7.

Some 3,500 chickens were to be slaughtered at about 470 locations, Bloomberg reported. Additional testing at bird farms will determine if more culls are needed, the government said.

So far, it has been difficult for the virus to pass between fowl and people, but experts have long feared that the germ would mutate and spark a human flu pandemic.

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Kids' Pajamas Recalled for Excessive Lead

Some 28,000 sets of camouflage child pajamas are being recalled because the screen print on the shirt contains excessive lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

Made in Vietnam, the pajamas were sold at The Children's Place retail stores nationwide between December 2006 and January 2008. They also were sold on the retailer's Web site during the same period for $15 to $17.

No injuries have been reported. Consumers should immediately take the pajamas away from children and return them to any The Children's Place store for a full refund.

For more information, contact the retailer at 877-752-2387.