PRINCETON, NJ -- As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending "fiscal cliff" that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1, one in 10 Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of its members as very high or high. This puts the lawmaking body second lowest on a list of 22 professions measured -- higher only than car salespeople.

Many U.S. state governments use little of the money they receive each year from tobacco taxes or legal settlements with cigarette makers to fund programs that could help people kick the habit or prevent them from becoming smokers, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

Each year, more than $25 billion flows into coffers in some states, both from state excise taxes on tobacco products and payments made under a 1998 landmark anti-smoking agreement with tobacco companies, the American Lung Association said in a report titled "State of Tobacco Control 2013."

Two cups of cow's milk per day may be enough for most kids to have the recommended amount of vitamin D in their blood while maintaining a healthy iron level, suggests a new study.

"One of the common questions I get from parents when their kids become toddlers is, ‘how much milk should they be drinking?' But we didn't have a good answer," said Dr. Jonathon Maguire, the study's lead author from Toronto's TARGet Kids! Collaboration.

Children from poorer neighborhoods who are hospitalized are more likely to die before discharge than kids from wealthier areas, according to a new study.

These differences persisted even though the number of deaths for all kids at the hospitals studied was lower than expected.