Health

Some of the nation's most sophisticated military submarines are based in the chilly waters of Puget Sound, an inlet of islands, peninsulas and harbors that is worryingly vulnerable to terrorist attack from a furtive diver or brazen suicide swimmer. But the Navy's plan to use a squadron of highly trained dolphins and sea lions to patrol and protect the submarine fleet is running into opposition from those who fear the glacier-fed waters of the sound are too frigid for warm-water dolphins.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg went home from the hospital Friday with an encouraging lab report that found no sign her cancer had spread. The 75-year-old had surgery a week ago to remove a tumor on her pancreas. A 1-centimeter pancreatic lesion spotted by CT scan last month proved benign, according to her surgeon.

President Obama receives strong grades for his first full month in office, as large majorities of Americans support his $787-billion economic stimulus package and the recently unveiled $75-billion plan for stemming mortgage foreclosures, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly 70% believe Obama is bringing change to Washington, the poll found; 80% say he is meeting or exceeding their expectations. But bipartisan support has eroded.

Cuba's ailing former leader Fidel Castro, not seen in public for almost three years, appeared on the streets of Havana and people cried when they recognized him, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez spent several hours with Castro in Cuba last weekend and said Friday that Castro, 82, was in his best health since surgery for an unspecified intestinal problem in July 2006.

In a stunning improvement in children's health, far fewer kids have high lead levels than 20 years ago, government research shows -- a testament to aggressive efforts to get lead out of paint, water and soil. Lead can interfere with developing nervous systems and cause permanent problems with learning, memory and behavior. Children in poor neighborhoods have generally been more at risk because they tend to live in older housing and in industrial areas. Federal researchers found that just 1.

Former First Lady Barbara Bush underwent successful open heart surgery Wednesday to replace her aortic valve, a family spokesman said. The surgery at the Methodist Hospital lasted about 2 1/2 hours and was scheduled last week after she experienced shortness of breath, spokesman Jim McGrath said. Doctors determined the aortic valve had started to harden, McGrath said. Dr.

With AIDS vaccine efforts at an impasse, microbicides -- virus-blocking gels inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse -- have risen from their own string of setbacks to once again offer hope of preventing HIV infections, at least in women. Microbicides blocked the primate form of the virus in monkeys in studies reported online Wednesday in the journal Nature and last month at an AIDS meeting.

Extensive studies of two toxic chemicals found in children's bath and personal care products suggest that if they pose a health hazard, it is likely to be extremely small and probably incalculable, a review of scientific research shows. The two chemical compounds -- 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde -- were found in trace quantities in children's shampoos, bath gels, lotions and wipes in a study conducted by the consumer group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

By the time she reached the hospital, Adela Gutierrez was gasping for breath, the tips of her fingers blue. She had been sick for several days, had seen a couple of neighborhood doctors, but by the Thursday before Easter her condition was grave. Gutierrez was admitted into intensive care at Oaxaca's main state-run hospital, but four days later she died. She would eventually be identified as the first fatality in Mexico of the unique strain of swine flu now being found across the globe.

Stroll around this city for long and a gnawing sensation grows. The children are missing. This is a place where, normally, children are noisy, abundant, doted upon. In an instant, they seem to have disappeared. The swine flu outbreak in Mexico City has achieved the seemingly impossible: It has stilled this clamorous megalopolis of 20 million people. The streets are suddenly emptier, safer to cross, but lonelier. The parks seem bigger without the children.