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

Lung Association: 38 States Flunk Tobacco Prevention

The majority of U.S. states have failed to adequately apply funds gained from landmark tobacco settlements to smoking-prevention programs, the American Lung Association says.

In the group's annual report that monitors smoking prevention progress, steps to protect people from second-hand smoke, and other tobacco-related issues, 38 states and the District of Columbia received an "F" in financing smoking-prevention programs.

"How many more preventable deaths must occur and how many more children must become addicted to cigarettes before we say enough," asks the association's CEO and President, John Kirkwood, in a prepared statement.

The report also finds:

• 35 states and the District of Columbia received an "F" in passing smoke-free air laws.
• 13 states got an "F" for sufficiently raising tobacco taxes.
• 23 states received an "F" when it came to passing laws limiting youth access to tobacco.

The association says these failures help illustrate why 440,000 Americans still die each year from smoking-related ills, and why smoking costs the United States some $75 billion in direct medical costs annually.

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Large Study Finds Autism Drug Ineffective

The experimental drug secretin fares no better than a placebo in improving the lives of children with autism, the largest clinical study of its kind concludes.

The drug was discovered a few years ago by the mother of an autistic boy and licensed to a small biotech company led by the father of two autistic girls, The New York Times reports. Despite "study after study" that concluded the drug has no measurable effect on young people with the mysterious disorder, some parents who are staunch supporters are horrified to learn they may lose access to the medication, the newspaper reports.

Secretin is a natural hormone that stimulates production of pancreatic juices that help the body digest food. The disappointing results of the most recent clinical trials were announced Monday by the drug's manufacturer, Repligen, of Waltham, Mass.

Smaller studies sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health came to virtually the same negative conclusion, the Times reports.

There are no approved drugs to treat autism, an often debilitating condition that affects about 100,000 children in the United States. Its victims have difficulty communicating and forming relationships, and often engage in repetitive, sometimes self-destructive behavior.

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Brain Mapping Could Guide Depression Treatment

Scientists have been able to observe visual differences in how the brain recovers from depression when cognitive behavioral therapy is used, compared with antidepressant drugs, the Boston Globe reports.

Using sophisticated brain scanning techniques, researchers at the University of Toronto were able to observe significantly different changes in the pattern of brain activity between the two therapies, the newspaper reports.

The findings may ultimately help scientists determine which patients are better candidates for psychological counseling, and which may benefit more from medication. That decision is now mostly based on trial and error, the study's researchers say.

They also say the findings could induce wider use of cognitive behavioral therapy, in which a person receives concentrated, short-term psychological training in recognizing and dealing with negative thoughts.

The researchers found that some areas in the brain's cortex -- associated with higher functions like thinking -- appeared to become less active with behavioral therapy. With antidepressants, these areas became more active, the newspaper reports.

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U.S. to Destroy 450 Calves Linked to Mad Cow Case

U.S. agriculture officials say they'll destroy 450 calves in a dairy herd in Washington state that includes an offspring of the Holstein cow diagnosed last month with mad cow disease.

Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian, said Monday that the month-old calves are to be slaughtered this week at an undisclosed facility that is not being used, the Associated Press reports.

The herd is one of three in Washington that have been quarantined due to possible connections with the stricken cow. The other herds contain cows that probably are from the same Alberta, Canada, farm that produced the 6 1/2-year-old Holstein, the news service says.

Agriculture Department officials decided to kill all month-old calves in the Sunnyside, Wash., herd because they can't determine which one was born to the infected Holstein. The officials have said contaminated feed was the probable source of infection, but they can't rule out transmission of the disease from mother to calf, the AP says.

DeHaven added that meat from the calves won't be allowed in the U.S. food supply.

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Docs Call for Restricting Soda Sales in Schools

The most influential group of child doctors in the United States recommends soft drink sales in schools be severely restricted.

A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that sweetened drinks -- including fruit drinks as well as soft drinks -- are now the main source of added sugar in the daily diets of children. According to the pediatricians, between 56 percent and 85 percent of children in school consume at least one soft drink daily, HealthDay reports.

The statement appears in the January issue of the academy's publication, Pediatrics.

Over the past 20 years, consumption of soft drinks has surged by 300 percent, while sizes have grown from 6.5 ounces in the 1950s to 20 ounces in the late 1990s. Each 12-ounce serving of a carbonated, sweetened soda has 150 calories and the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar and has been associated with a 60 percent increase in the risk of obesity.

Obesity, which is one of the main health problems facing today's youth, is just one issue associated with sugared drinks. Each soft drink consumed means less milk is being taken in. As milk is the principal source of calcium for most Americans, this raises the specter of future osteoporosis and fractures. There's also the likelihood of more cavities and enamel erosion.

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