Low bone mass, or osteoporosis, is a known consequence of alcoholism, especially in older alcoholics. However, a new study shows that younger male alcoholics are also at increased risk for osteoporosis. People with osteoporosis, no matter what the cause, are at an increased risk for fractures and poor fracture healing.

Although national health guidelines call for physicians to discuss topics such as substance use, safety and nutrition with adolescents, new research suggests that these talks do not occur as often as they should. "The guidelines say that adolescents should have an annual visit that provides screening and guidance about high-risk health behaviors," said lead study author Sally Adams, R.N., Ph.D.

Reuters - Night terrors, which send children into sudden inconsolable screaming, are at least partially inherited, according to a study published on Monday.

Reuters - The brains of autistic children react to sounds a fraction of a second slower than those of normal children, which may help explain the communication problems associated with autism, researchers said on Monday.

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

AFP - President George W. Bush will mark World AIDS Day Monday by announcing that his administration has already met its goal of treating two million people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of the year, the White House said.

Reuters - Daniel Marinic, a convicted murderer, is a victim of Bosnia's ethnic rivalries: he must remain in a prison unit for convicts with psychiatric disorders even though his imprisonment is against the law.

AFP - An anthrax outbreak has killed three people and threatens to wipe out livestock in northern Zimbabwe, compounding the nation's struggle against cholera which has killed hundreds, a charity said Monday.

 •  Illness Linked to Tainted Cocaine      Mixed with chemical compound.  •  Abortion Increases Risk of Addiction      Women more likely to drink, drug.  •  Mom of Five Gets Her Life Back      Former meth addict recovers.  •  Former Gang Member Helps Others      Turning...

AP - The world's most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.

AFP - French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is putting her star power behind the global AIDS campaign to help fight a disease that counts her brother among its millions of victims.

AP - As World AIDS Day is marked on Monday, some experts are growing more outspoken in complaining that AIDS is eating up funding at the expense of more pressing health needs.

AFP - Zimbabwe's health minister insisted Sunday that the country's crumbling medical system was taking all necessary measures to combat a cholera epidemic, even as more than 1,000 new cases were reported.

HealthDay - SUNDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The decline in highway traffic that was brought on by last summer's spike in gas prices may be a boon to heart health.

Reuters - Up to 15 percent of pregnant women in India are developing diabetes, raising the risk of their children developing the disease, said experts on Sunday, who blamed factors including malnutrition.

AP - Chinese health authorities and the U.N. AIDS agency pledged to fight discrimination against people with the disease in China with the unveiling Sunday of a massive red ribbon, the symbol of AIDS awareness, at the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing.

AFP - Zimbabwe's health minister insisted Sunday that the country's crumbling medical system was taking all necessary measures to combat a cholera epidemic, even as more than 1,000 new cases were reported.

Reuters - The new face of AIDS in China is a shy man with a heavy provincial accent, a weathered face and the rough hands of a manual worker.

Young women who have a miscarriage or an abortion are three times more likely to experience a drug or alcohol problem during their lifetime, according to new research published in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. Recent evidence has suggested that induced abortion may be associated with later psychiatric disorders in women.

The use of injection drugs is responsible for about two-thirds of HIV cases in Russia, the country's consumer rights and sanitary oversight agency announced at a press conference on Monday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. Alexandre Golyussov, head of HIV/AIDS prevention at the agency, said, "AIDS is mainly spreading in Russia among drug addicts, while sexual transmission is the second main cause.