CHICAGO (Reuters) – Academic failure appears to trouble teen-age girls more deeply than boys, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said adolescent girls who are expelled, suspended or drop out of high school before they graduate are more likely to have a serious bout of depression by age 21 than boys with similar experiences.

Day care babies gain more weight: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Infants cared for by someone other than mom or dad are more apt to be exposed to ”unfavorable” feeding practices and to gain more weight during their first year of life, a new study shows, which could contribute to childhood weight problems. “Parents may want to have enough communication with child care providers about when, what and how to feed their babies during their stay in day care, which is important to avoid potential risk of overfeeding or underfeeding at home,” Dr. Juhee Kim of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Reuters Health.

Parasitic worms may help fuel AIDS epidemic: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People infected with parasitic worms may be much more susceptible to the AIDS virus, according to a study published on Tuesday that may help explain why HIV has hit sub-Saharan Africa particularly hard. The study involving monkeys demonstrated how a type of parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis, which affects 200 million people globally, may make HIV infection more likely.

Viagra helps depressed women get satisfaction, too

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Viagra, a popular anti-impotence pill, may help some women on antidepressants have better sex, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. They found women on antidepressants who took Viagra had fewer sexual side effects than those who took a placebo. Sexual dysfunction can prompt many people to stop taking drugs to treat depression.

Laser resurfacing fixes wrinkles, study finds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Laser treatment can remove wrinkles better than some newer procedures, dermatologists reported on Monday. Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing was very effective and while there were some side-effects, such as lightening or darkening of the skin, they almost always cleared up, Dr. Daniel Ward and Dr. Shan Baker of the University of Michigan reported.

Busy start heralds bruising Atlantic hurricane season

MIAMI (Reuters) – The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is already a month ahead of schedule, portending a rough year for tropical storms for the United States, Caribbean and Central America although most likely not a repeat of the devastating 2005 season. On average, the fourth storm of the six-month season does not occur until August 29. This year, the fourth, Dolly, formed on July 20 and was on the cusp of becoming a hurricane on Tuesday as it churned through the oil and gas-rich Gulf of Mexico.

Remains of vast Neolithic site found in south China

BEIJING (Reuters) – Thousands of ancient artifacts and wooden poles more than 3,000 years old have been unearthed in China's southern Yunnan province, possibly the world's largest site of a Neolithic community, local media reported on Tuesday. The poles, found standing 4.6 meters underground, were used as part of building structures for an ancient community that may have covered an area of 4 square km, the China Daily reported, citing Min Rui, a researcher at Yunnan Archaeological Institute, who is leading the excavation team.

Germans find Olympic course where Nero raced chariot

ATHENS (Reuters) – German archaeologists using radar technology believe they may have discovered the ancient horse racing track at Olympia where Roman Emperor Nero bribed his way to Olympic laurels. The whereabouts of the racecourse is one of the last remaining mysteries of Olympia, the holy site where the ancient Greeks founded the Olympic Games in the eighth century BC.

British study links IMF loans to tuberculosis

LONDON (Reuters) – Austerity measures attached to International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans may have contributed to a resurgence in tuberculosis in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, researchers said on Tuesday. Governments may be reducing funding for health services such as hospitals and clinics to meet strict IMF economic targets, the British researchers said.