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

Beijing Quarantines Hundreds to Prevent SARS Spread

More than 600 people have been isolated in Beijing as the Chinese government attempts to prevent the current SARS outbreak from widening, Channel News Asia reported Tuesday.

In the past week, health officials have identified two confirmed cases and six suspected cases of SARS in the capital city and in Anhui province. One of the confirmed cases is said to be recovering.

All of the current cases are thought to stem from an infection among two workers at the nation's Center for Disease Control in Beijing. One of them reportedly spread the virus to a nurse, who then is believed to have infected several family members in Anhui. The World Health Organization said it is investigating the all-but-certain lapses in lab security that led to the initial infections.

Government officials are increasingly concerned about the week-long May Day holiday period that begins this weekend, when millions of Chinese typically travel across the country, Channel News Asia reported. Last year's May Day observances were significantly curtailed in response to the initial SARS outbreak that began in late 2002.

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Cholesterol Levels Vary With Seasons: Study

Winter, spring, summer and fall, a person's cholesterol levels appear to vary with the season, results of a new study show.

University of Massachusetts Medical Center scientists concluded that blood levels peak during the winter. The change was greater in women than in men, and it was also greater in people with higher levels of cholesterol, the researchers reported in the April 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Over the course of the one-year study, men's cholesterol levels increased by 3.9 mg/dL, peaking in December, and women's increased by 5.4 mg/dL, peaking in January, HealthDay reported. In addition, these increases were greater in those who had high cholesterol levels at the start of the study.

The researchers suggest that since blood volume increases in the summer and decreases in the winter, cholesterol may be diluted during the summer and more concentrated in winter.

Based on these findings, the scientists said doctors may need to measure cholesterol at different times during the year to determine the effectiveness of an anti-cholesterol treatment.

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KFC: We Do Chicken Roast

KFC plans to add a number of roasted chicken products to its traditional menu of fried fare, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The company, once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, will join fellow fast fooders McDonald's and Burger King in offering a healthier menu, the newspaper said. While the fried food will remain, newer offerings will include oven-roasted chicken in boneless strips, chicken wraps, and entree salads.

The changes follow a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission about now-canceled KFC ads, which suggested that fried chicken could be a healthier part of a high-protein, low-carb diet. Neither the company nor the FTC would comment on the complaint, the newspaper said.

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Diabetes Will Become a Global Health Crisis: Report

Diabetes, already rising at epidemic-like rates in the United States, is projected to become a global health threat in the coming decades. An estimated 366 million people -- 4.4 percent of the world's population -- will have the blood sugar disease by 2030. That compares to 171 million people -- or 2.8 percent of the global population -- in 2000.

The increase will be due primarily to demographic changes, including a rise in the number of people over age 65, according to USA Today.

India, China and the United States will have the greatest number of diabetics, said the newspaper, citing a study in the May issue of Diabetes Care.

In the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had predicted 29 million diagnosed cases of diabetes by 2050. But the new study calls for a faster rise -- to 30.3 million -- by 2030, the newspaper reported.

"The human and economic costs of this epidemic are enormous," the researchers said, noting that diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and other health problems. "A concerted, global initiative is required to address the diabetes epidemic."

Maintaining a healthy weight, eating properly, and getting plenty of exercise are proven ways to help prevent diabetes in many people.

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Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea on the Rise

U.S. health officials will announce this week that common antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea are no longer effective and other drugs should be used, according to the Associated Press.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will announce the new treatment guidelines on Thursday, but spokeswoman Jessica Frickey declined to provide additional details, the news service said.

The class of antibiotics commonly used to treat gonorrhea, including ciprofloxacin ("Cipro"), is no longer effective, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, deputy health officer and director of STD Prevention and Control Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

In its place, the CDC will recommend use of the antibiotic ceftriaxone, which is less convenient because it is administered through shots rather than pills, the APsaid.

Cipro-resistant cases of gonorrhea have been growing in Hawaii and California in recent years. But the resistant gonorrhea has apparently moved eastward, with cases identified among men in Seattle, Chicago, New York City and other areas in recent months. The finding is prompting the CDC to review its national recommendations for gonorrhea treatment, said Dr. H. Hunter Handsfield, director of the STD Control Program for Public Health-Seattle and King County.

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