These findings are consistent with an emerging literature on the beneficial impact of faith and spirituality on health.

Our findings suggest that spirituality may be protective of physical health.

We found that faith and spirituality were the key factors. The women with a strong sense of faith had significantly more variable heart rates than those who reported less spiritual well-being. In addition, the coping style most strongly associated with heart-rate variability was religious coping ? the use of prayer or meditation to cope with stress and find comfort.

As long as H5N1 remains a bird virus, the threat to human health is not grave. But influenza viruses change constantly, and the danger is that, in the future, it could evolve into a virus that is easily transmissible among humans.

We're assuming the worst, that there has been likely transmission to health care workers, that there has been transmission to families and that there has probably been transmission to other patients, and that it provides the link to St. John's Hospital that we didn't recognize last night,

But it could have an enormous beneficial impact on energy security and the U.S. economy.