Average Age

Most patients diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer will live just as long if they simply watch their cancers rather than have them surgically removed, according to the results of a landmark clinical trial that could upend the medical approach to a disease that affects 1 in 6 men. The study, which focused on cancers still confined to the prostate, should reassure patients who want to avoid distressing side effects of surgery - such as urinary incontinence...

Gloria Hale rose at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, as usual, to swim laps before work. Active though she is, however, the 55-year-old Orange County woman was a bit stunned to learn the latest advice from researchers regarding exercise -- that women should work out 60 minutes a day, seven days a week, to maintain a normal weight over their lifetime. "Most people are going to say, 'No way. I don't have time for that,' " said Hale, a trim 5-foot-5 and 138 pounds. The 60-minute-a-day recommendation, released online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

A study on how people use social networking websites such as Facebook confirms what many of us suspected. Women who post loads of photos of themselves on their sites are conveying some strong personal characteristics, according to new research. These women are more likely to base their self-worth on appearance and use social networking to compete for attention. The study involved 311 men and women with an average age of 23. In order to better understand aspects of social networking behavior, the researchers looked at the amount of time subjects spent managing profiles, the number of photos they shared, the size of their online networks and how promiscuous they were in terms of “friending” behavior.

Recently, one of my colleagues, a pediatric gastroenterologist, told me about a teenage boy who had come to see him because of severe stomach pain he'd had for about two months. The boy had been referred by his primary care doctor, who had evaluated him for several possible causes, including infections and ulcers. That doctor had also recommended or prescribed a variety of medications to relieve the pain, but to no avail. The specialist performed an endoscopy, in which a camera is inserted into a patient's esophagus and down into the stomach and upper part of the small intestine.

Old-timers, take heart. For every U.S. mutual fund manager in his or her 20s, there's at least one in his or her 50s. That's the conclusion reached Tuesday by researchers at Morningstar Inc., who found that the average age of about 1,000 managers in the firm's database is about 44. "It's a myth that the fund industry is overpopulated with managers in their 20s," said Morningstar analyst Scott Cooley.

When Microsoft Corp. announced recently that it was starting a big push to grow its market in Africa, it cited the continent's big growth opportunities, calling Africa a "game changer in the global economy. " Similarly, IBM Corp., Google Inc., Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and other tech companies in recent years also have expanded their presence in Africa. As the growth of tech hardware, software or services flattens or declines in mature markets such as the U.S. and Western Europe, and markets in China, India and Russia grow increasingly competitive, many of the largest tech companies are looking to Africa.

Americans are getting married at ever-older ages, and a new report says this trend may be partly responsible for the shrinking of the middle class. On average, brides are 26.5 years old and grooms are 28.7 when they head to the alter, according to the authors of the report, “Knot Yet,” which was released Friday by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and collaborators. Those ages represent historic highs. For college-educated men and women, delaying marriage has paid off - literally.

Americans are increasingly saying “I do” to living together before marriage, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, cohabitation is now more common among younger women than living with a spouse or living alone. The report, released Thursday, is based on data from the CDC's National Survey of Family Growth . More than 12,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 took part in the survey between 2006 and 2010. (So did more than 10,000 men, but the new study focuses on the women.)

Is Mercury headed for the junkyard? Speculation is mounting that Ford Motor Co., preoccupied with reviving its Ford and Lincoln brands, might decide to retire the Mercury nameplate rather than spend scarce resources trying to restore its former luster. Despite denials from Ford, the conjecture got a boost last week when Jerome York, a former auto executive and advisor to billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, said shedding the brand would be a smart move for the struggling automaker.

Sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium, Steve Bergmann began checking out nearby women he might hit on. But his eyes weren't scanning the seats — they were fixed on his smartphone. Bergmann tapped into an app that uses GPS to locate prospective dates in the vicinity. He scrolled through photos and profiles till one young woman caught his eye, then shot her an instant message. Half an hour later, Bergmann and Meg Riely, both 25, were sipping beers together at a concession stand.