Washington, April 27 : Adult circumcision lowers the risk of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the risk of coital injury without reducing pleasure or causing sexual dysfunction, two new studies have shown.

The first study, conducted by Australian researchers, has shown that the inner foreskin has the largest concentration of Langerhans'' cells, which are the initial cellular targets in the sexual transmission of HIV.

Tokyo  - Japan on Monday decided to upgrade health inspections on travellers returning from Mexico to prevent swine flu outbreaks in the nation while pushing to develop vaccines to prevent an epidemic.

As Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso ordered his cabinet ministers at a crisis meeting held Monday to ensure public safety, the Health Ministry vowed to begin developing vaccines against swine influenza.

Washington, April 27 : A new study has shown that obesity is associated with a higher risk of urinary tract infections (UTI).

To identify whether obesity is associated with a UTI diagnosis, Baltimore researchers evaluated insurance claims of 95,962 subjects over a five-year period (from 2002 through 2006).

They found that, as BMI increased, the odds of being diagnosed with a UTI increased as well.

This association was strongest for morbidly obese patients.

Singapore  - In light of the outbreak of swine flu cases in Mexiko and the United States since Monday all passengers arriving at Singapore's main Changi airport are being screened for flu symptoms.

Thermal scanners at the arrival halls measure the temperature of passengers just before they undergo immigration checks, the Ministry of Health and the Civil Aviation Authority said in a joint statement.

Passengers with higher-than-normal temperature would undergo a more thorough medical assessment.

Washington, April 27 : Drinking diet soda may reduce the risk of forming kidney stones, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that the citrate and malate content in commonly consumed sodas may be sufficient to inhibit the development of calcium stones.

Increased alkalinity is proven to augment citraturia, a known factor for calcium stones. Malate increases the amount of alkali delivered.

Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysia's Health Ministry placed its disease control division on alert to detect any signs of possible cases of the deadly swine flu virus in the country, news reports said Monday.

Hospitals and medical doctors have been asked to report cases with symptoms of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia, said the ministry's director-general Mohamad Ismail Merican.