The study had enrolled about 2,500 people, mostly gay men, in 19 cities. Half received an experimental vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health, and half received dummy shots.

A safety review this week found that slightly more volunteers who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV. It's not clear why.

The NIH said Thursday that it is stopping vaccinations, but will continue to study the volunteers' health.

Multiple attempts at creating an AIDS vaccine have failed over the years. But researchers continue to try, pointing to modest success in a 2009 study in Thailand.

The Reds shrugged off the absence of injured captain James Horwill and a disappointing draw to the lowly Western Force a week ago, notching up four tries and a bonus point six minutes before halftime at Lang Park.

Winger Rod Davies scored a brace of tries, with the Faingaa twins, hooker Saia and inside centre Anthony, scoring one each for the 2011 champion Reds.

The shell-shocked Sharks restored some pride with second-half tries for winger Piet Lindeque and replacement flanker Derick Minnie, but the Reds coasted home to give outgoing coach Ewen McKenzie his first win over the Durban-based South Africans.

The five-point victory also ensured the Reds kept the heat on the rival ACT Brumbies who lead the Australian conference in the southern hemisphere competition with seven rounds left before the playoffs.

"Very happy, we spoke all week a bit more about playing a bit more expansive rugby, a bit more creative rugby," scrumhalf and stand-in skipper Will Genia said in a pitchside interview.

"We weren't too disciplined in our structures in the second half... All credit to them for forcing their way back into the game."

Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper boosted his chances of selection in the Wallabies squad for the upcoming tour against the British and Irish Lions, booting three conversions and two penalty goals and having a hand in all of the Reds' tries.

The New Zealand-born pivot set up Saia Faingaa for the Reds' first try in the sixth minute and was the first link in a magical second to Davies 10 minutes later.

Starting behind the Reds try-line, Cooper ran the ball out of defence rather than booting it to safety, setting up a blistering run down the left wing by centre Chris Feauai-Sautia.

Feauai-Sautia gave the ball off to livewire winger Digby Ioane, who cut back inside and sent it to Genia.

Rather than risk passing the ball forward to Davies, who was streaming down the right wing, the pint-sized scrumhalf grubbed a kick along the ground that bounced up perfectly for the winger to gather and carry across the line.

Cooper then set up Anthony Faingaa for the Reds' third try five minutes later, dispatching a flat pass to put the inside centre over at the left corner.

The Reds had their fourth try and a bonus point six minutes before the break with Cooper dribbling a kick behind the Sharks' 22-metre line, and Davies enjoying the spoils of a ruthless clean-out by his team mates.

The bamboozled Sharks headed for the sheds trailing 29-3, but emerged a different side after halftime.

They had their first try within five minutes of the break when flyhalf Patrick Lambie fed Lindeque at the right corner.

Minnie gave the Sharks faint hope of snatching victory when he sneaked away from a line-out drive to cross for his team's second try, trimming the lead to 12 with 14 minutes left.

Cooper, however, calmly slotted home his second penalty kick to release the pressure in the 73rd minute, allowing his team to coast to a confidence-building win ahead of their tough road trip to South Africa.

TORONTO (Reuters) - The National Hockey League (NHL) has been preparing for years for the first gay player to come out in public and that groundwork may be about to pay off after the NBA's Jason Collins opened the door to a new era.

Collins, a veteran basketball player, stepped into the national spotlight on Monday when became the first male athlete in a major U.S. professional league to publicly reveal he is gay. That is expected to be the first of many similar announcements in the coming months in major sports leagues.

The deputy commissioner of the NHL, composed of U.S. and Canadian teams, said he was not personally aware of any gay players in the league but made it clear the NHL is treating any coming out as a high priority.

"Certainly this is something that is very important to the National Hockey League, it has been and I think our partnership with 'You Can Play' is demonstrative of that," Bill Daly told a Toronto radio station on Monday. "I applaud (Collins) and my guess is you are going to see more of that going forward."

The NHL says it is committed to becoming not only North America's but the world's most inclusive professional sports league.

While it has dragged its feet on several issues, such as anti-doping and drug-testing, the NHL has sought to take the lead in fighting discrimination on the ice and in the stands, particularly when it comes to a player's sexuality.

As far back as 2005, the NHL and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) included article 7.2 in their collective bargaining agreement that says member clubs cannot discriminate against a player because of his sexual orientation.

More recently the NHL and NHLPA entered into a formal partnership with the You Can Play Project, an advocacy organization that fights homophobia in sports.

"We have always prided ourselves in being inclusive," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman when announcing the deal on April 11. "We believe diversity is strength and this is another step forward with respect to an important portion of the population and no matter what your national origin, what your color, what's your sexual beliefs and practices, we want you to feel comfortable being part of the NHL family.

"We don't want any segment of society to feel alienated from the game be the subject of slurs to feel uncomfortable whether as a fan or in the locker room."

The gay issue is one that hits close to home for the NHL.

The You Can Play Project was founded just over a year ago by Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke, son of former-Toronto Maple Leafs and 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team general manager Brian Burke, after his brother Brendan, an openly gay student athlete, was killed in a car accident.

You Can Play is not only committed to changing the locker room culture within the NHL but also educating fans and media to better prepare a welcoming environment for any player, from junior to professional, who decides they want to reveal their sexuality.

Last year the NHL and You Can Play, with the help from 60 players, developed a series of public service videos asking for tolerance and understanding from the fans.

You Can Play representatives will also appear at the league's rookie orientation program to educate incoming players about the NHL's inclusiveness policy.

"When an NHL player comes out, we will rely on You Can Play's expertise in this area in addition the myriad support systems that already were part of our structure and the NHLPA's to help that player in any way we can," NHL spokesman John Dellapina told Reuters in an email. "Our view is that we would do as much or as little as any player needs or wants. "

The NHL is also being helped by initiatives at the grassroots level.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reached out to the gay community offering support and assistance to the Toronto Gay Hockey Association, which claims to be the world's largest gay hockey league with over 10 teams and 150 members.

Craig Brownstein, the Washington based vice-president of media relations for Edelman, the huge public relations firm, turned his passion for Washington Capitals into a popular blog Puck Buddys blog ("for boys who like boys who like hockey").

The blog, developed with the help of Brownstein's longtime partner, gives a voice to gay NHL fans.

"We kind of write about the game from the gay perspective," Brownstein told Reuters, and gave credit to the NHL and the NHLPA for their partnership with You Can Play.

"Proud that it was my sport was the first one to take the step in doing this."

(Reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, the central figure in the Operation Puerto probe into a doping ring in cycling, got a one-year prison term on Tuesday as the judge ordered all evidence from the case to be destroyed.

Fuentes - who is unlikely to be jailed because sentences under two years in Spain are usually suspended - was convicted for crimes against public health, barred from practicing sports medicine for four years and fined.

However, judge Julia Santamaria's decision not to release case evidence, including bags of blood seized in police raids, to anti-doping authorities for further investigations hit hopes that the case would unmask athletes caught up in the doping program.

Fuentes's co-defendant Ignacio Labarta received a four-month jail term and was also barred from practice for four years, while Manolo Saiz, Vicente Belda and Fuentes's sister Yolanda were all cleared.

The Spanish anti-doping agency (AEA) said it would appeal the judge's ruling to destroy the evidence.

"It (the verdict) is positive, but clearly unsatisfactory," Ana Munoz, head of the AEA, told a news conference. "It isn't over yet."

"An option is an appeal against the decision... the AEA can and will start the process.

"It will ask for the bags of blood. We respect the sentence and the independence of the judge but we don't share her interpretation."

The Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) also disagreed with the judge's verdict because their request for access to the bags of blood had been denied.

"They would be necessary for the initiation of sporting disciplinary action," the federation said in a statement.

ACCESS TO EVIDENCE

The RFEC, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), International Cycling Union (UCI) and Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) were all represented in the three-month trial and have asked for access to the evidence.

They are keen to secure the names of athletes involved and to search for possible evidence of wrongdoing in other sports.

The Puerto case has attracted international attention because some of Fuentes's clients were successful professional riders, including American Tyler Hamilton who gave evidence in February.

Fuentes, who denied doping, said in his opening testimony he also had clients in sports including soccer, tennis, athletics and boxing.

The UK's anti-doping chief executive Andy Parkinson said: "We are disappointed in the decision by the Spanish authorities today.

"Dr Fuentes has admitted to having been involved in multiple prohibited doping activities, and linked with multiple unnamed athletes.

"It therefore cannot be right that these names will remain unknown and that no immediate action can be taken by the anti-doping community to protect our clean athletes."

Former cyclist Jesus Manzano who gave evidence in the trial, told Reuters Television: "It's shameful, I sincerely don't know why they bother charging a person in order to deliver a verdict like that.

"You don't have to be a judge to deliver a sentence like that, a builder could it," added the Spaniard.

Former cycling team director Saiz said: "For me Operation Puerto is over and I want to turn that page and to thank my family and lawyer and my friends for all their support over the years... and to a cyclist in particular, Carlos Sastre.

"He remembered me when he was in the Tour de France and that meant a lot to me."

As Spain's current anti-doping legislation was not in force in 2006 when police seized anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and blood bags in raids, the five co-defendants were tried only for violating public health regulations.

The public prosecutor had asked for jail sentences of two years.

AVOID DETECTION

"It has been proven that since at least 2002 Fuentes was carrying out practices consistent with those of blood extraction... for later re-infusion... with the aim to artificially increase the physical performance of the cyclist," the verdict said.

"In some cases, on top of the extraction and re-infusion of blood, Fuentes dispensed to the cyclists certain specialized pharmaceutical products included on the list of substances banned in sport."

The report listed substances such as EPO, growth hormones and testosterone.

"Fuentes planned the system... co-ordinated their physical preparation with a view to the calendar of competitions in a season for each cyclist," the report added.

"The end was to optimize competition results and at the same time to help the cyclist avoid detection in the anti-doping controls."

The practice of boosting the flow of oxygen in the blood, the use of banned substances, and the methods used constituted "an important risk for the health of the cyclist."

Spain has been hoping the trial would help to dispel the impression that the nation was soft on doping and boost Madrid's bid to win the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The country is pushing through parliament anti-doping legislation which the government says will bring Spain into line with international norms.

(Reporting by Mark Elkington; Editing by Clare Fallon and Pritha Sarkar)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The people and information sources parents surround themselves with may influence their choice to vaccinate their children or not, according to a survey from one county in Washington state.

Of almost 200 parents who took the survey, almost all said they had groups of people offering advice on vaccination, but those who chose not to fully vaccinate their children were more likely to have larger social groups and to turn to other sources, such as books, pamphlets and the Internet, for guidance.

"The take-home message from this is that the social networks for the majority of parents are extremely important in affecting vaccination decisions," said Emily Brunson, the study's author from Texas State University in San Marcos.

"Especially the people in the parents' networks suggesting nonconformity is greater than anything else - including the parents' own beliefs on vaccination," she added.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends young children under the age of six years old get a series of shots that protect against 14 preventable diseases, including chickenpox, measles and whooping cough.

The latest report on vaccination rates from the CDC shows 95 percent of kindergarten-aged children receive their vaccinations, but many children still receive their shots late (see Reuters story of August 23, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/YimdGn and Reuters Health story of January 21, 2013 here: http://reut.rs/YimPvG).

The fear is that parents who don't vaccinate or who delay vaccinating their children put their own kids as well as others at risk for developing preventable disease, such as whooping cough.

Last year the U.S. experienced one of the largest whooping cough outbreaks in half a century, which health officials attributed both to vaccines wearing off and to parents simply skipping the pertussis vaccinations for their children (see Reuters story of July 20, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/Yina1x).

For the new study, Brunson surveyed parents to see what impact a person's social group and information sources had on their decision to vaccinate their children.

The people who took the survey were recruited from around King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle, and were U.S.-born, first-time parents with children younger than 18 months old.

Overall, 126 "conformers" - people who vaccinated their children according to the recommended schedule, and 70 "nonconformers" - people who didn't stick to the schedule - took the survey between March and July 2010.

Of those 70 "nonconformers," 28 were getting their children all the recommended shots, but not on time. Another 37 were only partially vaccinating their children and five were not vaccinating their children at all.

About 95 percent of all parents reported having a group of people offering advice on vaccination, but "nonconformers" tended to have larger groups of people to tap for information than "conformers."

"Nonconformers" typically reported about seven people who gave them advice, compared to about five people in "conformer's" social groups.

The people included in those groups were similar among the two types of parents. Spouses and partners were usually the most important advisers, followed by doctors, family and then friends.

Typically, "nonconformers'" groups included about 72 percent of people who recommended against vaccination in some way. That compared to 13 percent among "conformers."

"Nonconformers" were also more likely to seek outside sources, such as books, news programs and the Internet. Compared to 80 percent of "conformers" who said they used those outside sources, all "nonconformers" said they did.

Brunson writes in the journal Pediatrics that her findings show healthcare providers are only a part of parents' social networks.

She adds that it's essential for programs trying to increase vaccination rates to also focus on "communities more broadly so that the other people parents are likely to consult are also included."

Dr. Joseph Anthony Bocchini, Jr., chairman of Pediatrics Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, said the new study adds additional information by using a social network approach for the first time to understand parents' decisions about vaccinating their children.

"I think that what needs to be done is that everybody needs to understand the importance of vaccines. And they're not only important for the people who receive them but they're also important for the community," said Bocchini, who was not involved in the new research.

He said that in addition to doctors, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have valuable information on their websites about vaccinations for children.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/HjQ8dI Pediatrics, online April 15, 2013.

(Logo: )

"Compass Flight Attendants have been resolute in reaching an agreement that makes a significant difference for us and our families. This contract provides a solid foundation for the future and recognizes Flight Attendants' efforts in ensuring that Compass Airlines is a top-of-the-industry performer for the Delta network," said Catriona Bagley, AFA president at Compass Airlines.

Today's ratified contract provides for double-digit pay increases, a signing bonus, an increased 401(k) match, schedule flexibility, and a grievance procedure, among other improvements.

"The professionalism of Compass Flight Attendants has been instrumental in making our airline a premier carrier. We look forward to continuing that excellence and building on this contract in the future," added Bagley.

Compass, a Delta Connection carrier, provides approximately 190 daily flights to over 50 Delta Air Lines destinations. Compass Airlines is wholly owned by Trans States Holdings of St. Louis and is headquartered in Minneapolis.

The Association of Flight Attendants is the world's largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 67 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at .

SOURCE Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)

The exhibit at Sotheby's galleries runs May 2 through June 9. Most will be available for sale.

They include works on paper in marker and crayon from 1979 and monumental canvases from 1987.

The Brooklyn-born Basquiat was 27 when he died of a drug overdose in 1988.

Among the highlights is "Punch Bag" from 1983 depicting a black boxer. It's been owned by a European collector since the late 1990s.

Colorful canvas "Love Dub for A" from 1987 has been offered for sale only once before.

The auction record for a Basquiat is "Untitled," a painting of a black fisherman that sold for $26.4 million in November.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Shrinking the size of kids' plates and bowls and encouraging them to eat more frequently throughout the day might help them eat less and keep off extra weight, new research suggests.

In one study, researchers found first graders served themselves smaller portions when using miniaturized dishware - and ate less food when they had less on their plate.

Another review of past research found kids and teens who ate most often during the day were 22 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the fewest meals and snacks.

Jennifer Fisher, who worked on the dish-size study, said it was preliminary but could still inform parent choices.

"For now, certainly it seems like something parents can easily incorporate into their daily lives without a lot of work and effort," Fisher, from Temple University in Philadelphia, told Reuters Health.

She and her colleagues studied 42 elementary school kids who were given the chance to serve themselves lunch. On four days the kids used child-sized plates and bowls; on another four they used adult-sized dishware, which was twice as large.

First graders served themselves an average of 300 to 500 calories worth of the lunch entre - pasta or chicken nuggets - each day.

When they used adult dishware, the kids took an average of 90 more calories of food, the researchers found. And kids who ended up with more food on their plates also tended to eat more, Fisher's team wrote Monday in Pediatrics.

"It doesn't appear that simply because you might have large dishware at home, your child is going to overeat," said Fisher - because it depends on who's doing the serving and how much is served.

But, she added, "If more food appears on the plate, they're going to eat more."

"The results are very interesting and confirm our expectations that the impact of plate size on adults in the laboratory also apply to children," Dr. Thomas Robinson, a childhood obesity researcher at Stanford University in California, told Reuters Health in an email.

"This study provides very important preliminary evidence that using smaller dishware may help reduce children's energy intakes."

For their own analysis, researchers from Harokopio University in Athens, Greece, looked at 11 studies, mostly conducted in the Mediterranean, that compared eating frequency and weight in close to 19,000 kids and teens.

The overall pattern showed that youth who ate most often - typically at least four or five times per day - were least likely to be overweight or obese. However when they looked closer, the researchers found that link only held up in boys.

Robinson, who was not involved in the new research, said it's hard to tell which came first in those studies: eating frequency or extra weight.

The results "do not look very convincing one way or another," he said. "It is also hard to come up with a convincing reason why boys and girls would be different."

The researchers said their findings don't prove that a given child will lose weight by eating more often. But schools, for example, may be able to make a difference by integrating smaller, more frequent meals into the day.

"Instead of providing three big meals per day, it would be better (for parents) to have their children eating smaller meals and more snacks throughout the day," co-author Mary Yannakoulia told Reuters Health in an email.

However, she added, parents still need to pay attention to the quality of those snacks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 percent of kids and teens in the U.S. are obese - a proportion that has almost tripled since 1980.

"We know that it's so complex that there's absolutely not one cause or solution," Fisher said.

A third study also published this week in Pediatrics found teens who spent more time focused on the TV were heavier than their peers. However, time spent playing video games or on the computer was not tied to weight.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/jsoh2P Pediatrics, online April 8, 2013.

RELATED:

The New York Times' , in fact, exploring a deal with the Tribune Compnay to buy their package regional of newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, the Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant. We first heard about the Kochs potentially buying the papers back in March when L.A. Weeklytheir interest.

RELATED:

Of course, they're not the only buyer at the table here. As we've detailed before, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation  about possibly buying the package of papers. The new split-off publishing company will be flush with cash when it launches later this summer, which has led to some speculation they're looking to purchase the papers, and . Conflicting reports have said Murdoch is either interested in buying all eight papers, or only the L.A. Times, and Chozick posits Murdoch's interest is only in the Times, for now. A potential strong arm bid from the Koch's could raise his ire and Murdoch's never been one to be bullied around. But Murdoch also has to worry about British phone hacking legal fees which . On the other side of the political spectrum, there's also the group of  led by billionaire Eli Broad, Austin Beutner, and Ron Burkle. They've shown interest in buying the L.A. Times, but maybe not the other Tribune papers. 

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It's those other investors reluctance to claim the whole package of Tribune Co. papers that "could prove [Koch Industries] the most appealing buyer," Chozick . Tribune Co. have made no secret about wanting to sell the package of eight papers as a package instead of individually. 

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Perhaps the most worrisome part of Chozick's report is how the brothers have spoke about making sure "our voice is being heard" at Koch Industry seminars for major Republican and Libertarian luminaries over the last three years. The seminars were private, and the brothers spoke about  making sure their political agenda was getting what they perceive to be a fair shake in the papers. (The brother like to think they're covered unfairly in the press right now.) It seems they want to control both the medium and the message for their own political gain. The potential political influence a Koch-wielded Tribune empire would look like this, Chozick : 

Politically, however, the papers could serve as a broader platform for the Kochs’ laissez-faire ideas. The Los Angeles Times is the fourth-largest paper in the country, and The Tribune is No. 9, and others are in several battleground states, including two of the largest newspapers in Florida, The Orlando Sentinel and The Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. A deal could include Hoy, the second-largest Spanish-language daily newspaper, which speaks to the pivotal Hispanic demographic.

That's a long arm of influence for the guys who already spent millions upon millions on the 2012 election, butfor it. A newspaper industry trumpeting their ideals would certainly help them get out the message.

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The other option on the table: Tribune Co. doesn't have to sell the papers if they don't find a satisfactory deal. But with all of these moneyed players at the table, with egos as big as their wallets, that option doesn't seem likely. 

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Merck & Co Inc said they will co-develop Pfizer's experimental type 2 diabetes drug ertugliflozin, both as a standalone product and in combination with other drugs, including Merck's blockbuster Januvia.

The Pfizer medicine belongs to a new class of diabetes treatments called SGLT2 inhibitors. Now nearing Phase III late-stage trials, it is behind similar drugs in development -- including Johnson & Johnson's Invokana (canagliflozin) which was approved by U.S. regulators in late March.

Under their partnership, Merck and Pfizer will collaborate on development and marketing of ertugliflozin as well as on tablets that pair it with Januvia and the widely used oral treatment metformin.

Januvia is the leading member of another class of diabetes drugs called DPP-4 inhibitors. It is also sold in combination with another type of drug called metformin, under the brand name Janumet. The Januvia/Janumet tablets have annual sales of $5.75 billion, making them Merck's biggest products.

Richard Purkiss, an analyst with Atlantic Equities, said little is yet known about the Pfizer drug, but he said both companies stand to gain by developing it together.

"If you add Pfizer's drug to Januvia -- Merck's leading DPP4-inhibitor -- that would extend the Januvia franchise even further and help Merck," Purkiss said.

"And the beauty of this from Pfizer's perspective is they will be piggybacking on Merck's (Januvia) franchise and are also getting a contribution from Merck for the Phase 3 program," Purkiss said.

Pfizer has so far received $60 million in upfront and milestone payments from Merck under the ertugliflozin partnership and will be eligible for additional payments associated with clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones.

Merck and Pfizer will share potential revenue and certain costs on a 60/40 percent basis, the U.S. companies said.

Merck will continue to retain the rights to its existing portfolio of Januvia-containing products.

Purkiss said it was too early to speculate on potential sales of ertugliflozin, and whether it has blockbuster potential, because analysts have not yet seen clinical data from its trials.

Shares of Merck were up 0.36 percent, while Pfizer's rose 1.5 percent, both in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, amid a 1 percent gain for the ARCA Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers.

(Additional reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Carol Bishopric)