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

Ireland Enacts World's Toughest Anti-Smoking Law

Ireland put into place Monday the world's toughest anti-smoking law, banning tobacco in all enclosed workplaces, as well as in pubs and restaurants.

The new law, which has the strong support of Health Minister Michael Martin, took effect at midnight. Companies that fail to comply with the ban, which extends to company cars, could be fined as much as 3,000 euros ($3,625), Bloomberg.com reports.

The law is part of a get-tough policy on smoking and unhealthy lifestyles across Europe. Measures have included restricting cigarette and alcohol advertising on TV, and promoting campaigns that urge people to exercise often and eat more fruits and vegetables.

"The fundamental rationale behind the ban is to protect the health of employees," Martin told reporters in Dublin. "This is about the rights of people to breathe fresh, clean air."

The Netherlands banned smoking on public transit systems and in offices on Jan. 1, and Norway and Sweden plan to outlaw smoking in bars and restaurants by early next year. New York City banned smoking in most workplaces in March 2003, the news service reports.

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Exercise Shows Its Muscle Against Cancers

Adding to mounting evidence that exercise can be a powerful weapon against cancer, new research finds that even modest levels of physical activity -- including walking to work and performing household tasks -- may cut a woman's risk for endometrial cancer by as much as 40 percent.

"Patterns of exercise participation were associated with a 35 to 40 percent reduction in endometrial cancer," said study author Charles E. Matthews, who presented his findings Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. "The public health message is that an active lifestyle, whether from exercise or other domains of your life, confers substantial benefit."

This benefit is apparently not restricted to endometrial cancer, which is cancer of the uterine lining. Two other studies found benefits of physical activity on surviving after breast cancer and on different biomarkers related to cancer survival and risk, HealthDay reports.

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Vitamin E May Cut Risk of Prostate, Bladder Cancers

An extra helping of vitamin E-containing nuts or seeds could help prevent cancers of the bladder and prostate, two separate studies conclude.

The bladder cancer research conducted by the state of Texas found that people who consumed the nutrient naturally or through vitamin E supplements were up to 40 percent less likely to contract the disease, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

In a separate study, Finnish men who took the recommended daily amount of 15 milligrams were up to 53 percent less likely to contract prostate cancer, the Sentinel reports.

While both sets of results show promise, experts say more research is needed before a scientifically proven link between vitamin E and cancer prevention is established. Other foods rich in the nutrient include whole-grain breads, beans, peas, and canola oil.

Both studies were released Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando, Fla.

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Lawsuits Begin Challenging Abortion Ban

The first in a trio of lawsuits began Monday that challenges the late-term abortion ban signed in November by President Bush.

The cases challenging the law banning so-called "partial-birth" abortions are to be heard in San Francisco, New York City, and Omaha, Neb. While the law's supporters argue the practice is inhumane, opponents say the law is so broadly written that it outlaws such procedures that are necessary to protect a woman's health, reports Newsday. They also allege that the law undermines the landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which legalized abortion nationwide.

In the now-outlawed procedure, generally performed in the second and occasionally the third trimester, the fetus is partially delivered before it is destroyed.

Late last week, two federal courts refused Justice Department requests for abortion records from hospitals in Chicago and Philadelphia. The department had sought the data to make sure that the institutions were adhering to the four-month-old law, officially called the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

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CDC: Stretching Won't Prevent Injuries

Athletes who stretch before they play may feel more limber, but the practice won't help prevent injuries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes from a new study.

"We could not find a benefit," Steven Thacker, director of the CDC's epidemiology program, told the Associated Press.

In analyzing combined results of five studies that explored ways to prevent training injuries, Thacker and four colleagues concluded that pulled muscles and similar injuries were just as likely to affect people who stretched as those who didn't.

Possible exceptions, Thacker told the wire service, might include gymnasts and dancers, whose activities require greater muscle flexibility.

Thacker said gentle stretching still isn't a bad idea, in case future research does find a benefit, the AP reports. However, he discouraged use of so-called "ballistic stretching," which involves sudden fast movements that could actually be harmful.

The CDC report appears in the March issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, published by the American College of Sports Medicine.

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Lack of Money Thwarts U.N. Effort to Combat AIDS

Ambitious plans to combat AIDS in poor countries are failing due to shortages of money and patent fights that have prevented antiretroviral drugs from reaching more than 90 percent of the people who need them, The New York Times reports.

That assessment comes three years after the United Nations announced a worldwide offensive against AIDS, the newspaper says.

The drugs have helped to dramatically cut death rates in the United States and other Western countries. But the campaign to distribute the medicines to needy nations has been hampered by a lack of financial contributions from wealthier nations, including the United States, to the U.N. fund created to finance the effort, the Times says.

The result: Only an estimated 300,000 people in the world's poorest countries are getting the drugs, while 6 million people need them, the Times says, citing World Health Organization figures.

The delays are likely to continue unless wealthy nations contribute much more money to the fund, the paper says.

Last Updated: Mar-29-2004