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

Researchers Exposed to Anthrax

A possible shipping mistake in late May resulted in at least half a dozen researchers at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute being exposed to live anthrax.

Some of the researchers, working on an anthrax vaccine, handled the live anthrax bacterium and others were present at the time. So far, none have shown any signs of illness. Seven of the workers are taking the antibiotic Cipro as a precautionary measure, the Oakland Tribune reported.

State health officials said there is no risk to other staff or residents living in the area.

The researchers believed they were handling a dead sample of the anthrax bacterium. However, according to hospital officials, the researchers were mistakenly sent live anthrax by the supplier, Southern Research Institute of Frederick, Md.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the incident.

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Many Black Men Have Untreated Dental Problems

A new report finds that 51 percent of black American men have untreated dental problems, which means they have a greater risk than all other Americans of problems such as gum disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer.

In comparison, 28 percent of white men have untreated dental problems, said the report released Thursday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Health Policy Institute.

It noted that black American men have the lowest survival rate of any group once cancerous oral lesions are detected, the Washington Post reported.

Having bad teeth can also have negative social consequences.

"In this society, your appearance and ability to communicate matter greatly in getting a keeping a job. Oral disease and untreated dental problems rob you of both," Eddie N. Williams, the center's president, told the Post.

Black American males, especially those on low incomes, are a particularly neglected group when it comes to dental care and health, the report said.

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U.S. Alcohol Abuse Increases, Dependence Declines

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism among American adults increased from 13.8 million (7.41 percent) in 1991-92 to 17.6 million (8.46 percent) in 2001-02, says a new study from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

The study found that while the rate of alcohol abuse increased over that time from 3.03 percent to 4.65 percent, the rate of alcoholism declined from 4.38 percent to 3.81 percent.

Alcohol abuse is characterized by drinking-related failure to fulfill major obligations at work, home or school, drinking in hazardous situations, and interpersonal social and legal problems, the NIAAA said.

Alcoholism, also called alcohol dependence, is characterized by impaired control over drinking, compulsive drinking, preoccupation with drinking, tolerance to alcohol, and/or withdrawal symptoms when a person stops drinking.

The study found that rates of alcohol abuse and dependence in 2001-02 were much higher in men than in women and younger adults. Alcohol abuse was more common among whites than among Hispanics, blacks and Asians.

Alcohol dependence was more common among Native Americans and Hispanics and whites than among Asians. The study appears in the current issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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Guantanamo Detainees' Medical Files Shared

Interrogators at the U.S. detention base in Guantanamo Bay have been given access to prisoners' medical records in what critics call a violation of patient confidentiality and international medical standards.

The Washington Post reported that the files, which contain individual medical histories and other personal information about the detainees, were made available to the interrogators over the objections of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Sources told the newspaper that, upon learning of the practice in mid-2003, the Red Cross stopped sending medical evaluation teams to Guantanamo for six months.

Ethicists said that standards bar the sharing of information to interrogators in an attempt to prevent them from squeezing information out of prisoners by withholding medicine.

"The role of health-care workers in any facility should be solely looking after the health of patients," Arthur L. Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Post. "Anybody who is not involved in that should not have access to medical records."

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Obesity in Pregnancy Raises Birth Defect Risk

Women who are obese during pregnancy put both themselves and their babies at risk, according to experts.

Newsday reported that experts are linking obesity to serious pregnancy complications for the mother as well as a disabling birth defect called spina bifida for the baby.

"Almost every horrendous complication that can occur during pregnancy is greater with obesity: hypertension, preeclampsia, diabetes, gestational diabetes," and blood clots, the paper quoted Dr. Laura Riley, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive pathology at Harvard Medical School, as saying. "They're horrendous [for the mother], but they also influence what happens to the baby."

Citing statistics from the March of Dimes, Newsday reported that more than half of all women 20 to 34 years old are overweight, with 25 percent of those classified as obese.

Normal-weight women should gain 25 to 35 pounds during their pregnancy, Riley said, but overweight women should gain only 15 to 25 pounds and obese women less than 15 pounds.

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Most Stressful Jobs Involve Public Contact

A survey by business psychologists finds that the most stressful jobs are held by those who deal directly with the public.

The BBC reports that the survey of 25,000 British workers in 26 jobs finds that employees who are in contact with the public were more likely to suffer from stress than their bosses.

According to the BBC, paramedics had the most stressful jobs among those surveyed, followed by teachers and social workers.

Bosses were more likely to enjoy good health and job satisfaction and experience less stress. According to the survey, business managers, who often don't have direct contact with the public, were least likely to suffer from stress.

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