Children whose malnourished mothers took vitamin A during pregnancy had stronger lungs throughout childhood, with the benefits measurable well past the age of 9, researchers reported on Wednesday. Lung capacity was about 3 percent higher in children whose mothers took vitamin A compared to those whose mothers received a placebo, the study of 1, 371 children in Nepal showed. " Early interventions involving vitamin A supplementation in communities where undernutrition is highly prevalent may have long- lasting consequences for lung health, " Dr. William Checkley of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine. When mothers were given beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, their children did not score higher on the lung capacity test.

The benefits are believed to have come from treatment during pregnancy because all the children received regular vitamin A supplements after birth.

The researchers said an estimated 190 million preschool- age children and 19 million pregnant women have vitamin A deficiency worldwide.

The shortfall can cause health problems during pregnancy and early development, including lung problems. The study piggybacked off a test done in the 1990s in which 44, 646 women in 30 village developments in Nepal were given weekly supplements before, during and after pregnancy. The older test included 2, 055 newborns, and researchers from Johns Hopkins decided to track those children down to test their lung capacity. " The magnitude of the effect observed in this study is slightly greater than that associated with preventing exposure to parental smoking in school- aged children, " the researchers wrote. The original study found that supplementation with either vitamin A or beta carotene reduced by 44 percent the risk of a woman dying because of complications of pregnancy, compared to women who got placebo capsules. The supplements, however, had no effect on infant mortality.

PAMPLONA, Spain & # 8211; & nbsp; Tens of thousands of people packed Pamplona' s main square Wednesday for the launch of the " chupinazo" rocket - - the start of Spain' s most famous bull- running festival. Mayor Enrique Maya heralded the first of nine days of uninterrupted festivities in the northern town as he lit the fuse from a balcony overlooking a frenzied crowd. " Men and women of Pamplona, Long Live San Fermin! " Maya screamed, as revelers sprayed a fountain of wine, sangria, water and cava into the air.

Many used toy water pistols, or leather wineskins to squirt alcohol into the mouths of those who asked. Onlookers on balconies followed suit. " It' s way more than we expected, especially just the energy.

And this is only, what, the opening? " said 37- year- old Brooklyn native Malika Oyo, who was partaking with her brother Yaka. " We need sangria, we need sangria right now, " she said. The day before the bulls steam through Pamplona' s streets, its the turn of locals and foreigners - - nearly all dressed in white; red handkerchiefs tied around necks once the chupinazo has been fired. " Everything happened so quickly. . . I screamed with all of my might, but the truth is from here ( in the crowds) you can' t hear a thing, " Maya said. As the sea of people sang along to " Ole, Ole, Ole, " giant beach balls were punched to and fro. " Seven Nation Army" by suddenly became another crowd favorite, many humming along, interspersed by the occasional fevered chant of " San Fermin" or " alcohol. " The said it attended to 15 people with five taken to hospital for treatment to injuries. " The ambiance is incredible, there' s so much excitement in the air, there' s a rush here you don' t feel anywhere else, " said 28- year- old Pamplona local Edurne Berastegi.

Immortalized in Ernest Hemingway' s 1926 novel " The Sun Also Rises, " the San Fermin festival is known around the world for the daily running of the bulls and all- night partying. The first of eight dashes comes Thursday when thousands look to outrun six fearsome bulls along a narrow 875 yards ( 800 meters) course through the city' s cobblestone streets, with both beast and human often falling over - - stomping on each other as they go. " I' m planning on staying up . . . partying until about 4 and then running tomorrow. I' m thinking about running this stretch here out of the square into ' dead man' s' corner, " said 28- year- old Australian tourist Dylan Mc. Laren. Mc.

Laren' s white shirt had turned completely purple after being soaked in wine and other liquids.

As was his girlfriend - - who didn' t seem to be particularly enamored by the occasion: " She' s not very happy about that, not happy at all, " he added.

The 8 a. m. runs take place daily until July 14 with each charge broadcast on state television. And then, on the afternoon of each day, the same bulls face matadors in the ring. " We do it because it' s craziness, it' s total insanity. You purposely put yourself at risk - - it' s a huge adrenaline rush, " said 55- year- old Florida native Hal Ringeisen who was in Pamplona with his wife Linda and neighbor John Parris, 52.

Parris claims to have run the event over 70 times since 1989. " On a drunken night he talked my husband into doing it and it' s been downhill ever since, " Linda revealed. Since record- keeping began in 1924, 15 people have been killed in the running of the bulls - - the last victim 27- year- old Spanish runner Daniel Jimeno Romero in 2009. Yaka Oyo said he was planning on running the second and third day while his sister Malika remained unsure. " I keep asking if women run and people keep saying ' no' so I want to run, " she said. " It' s not the bull that worries me, " she added " I' m more worried about the men knocking me down, and then the bull. "

JACKSONVILLE, Florida ( Reuters) - The Tennessee Titans easily beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 30- 3 on Monday despite losing starting quarterback Vince Young to a knee injury in the first quarter. Kerry Collins, who lost the starting job with the Titans to Young almost a year ago, entered the game with Tennessee up 7- 0 after a 23- yard touchdown from Kenny Britt and looked comfortable from the outset.

Collins, who led Tennessee to five straight scoring drives, threw a two- yard touchdown pass to Bo Scaife midway through the second quarter before a 27- yard field goal field gave the Titans a 17- point lead at halftime. Each team played the second half with back- up quarterbacks after Jaguars starter David Garrard went off with a concussion in the second quarter. Trent Edwards, who was recently cut by the Buffalo Bills, replaced Garrard and threw for 140 yards and two interceptions while getting little protection from his offensive line. Edwards briefly restored the spirits of the home crowd with some positive play but with a much needed score in sight, Marcedes Lewis fumbled the ball at the Tennessee 10- yard line just before half- time.

The teams exchanged 33- yard field goals during the third quarter and the Titans added a 36- yard effort early in the fourth when Rob Bironas nailed his third of the game. Chris Johnson scored on a 35- yard touchdown run in front of an almost empty stadium with under two minutes remaining to seal the win and move the Titans ( 4- 2) into a three- way tie for first place in the hotly contested AFC South. The Jaguars ( 3- 3) dropped to the bottom of the division. Fisher also had no hesitation in turning to Collins, a quarterback with 15 years of NFL experience, including Pro Bowl selections in 1996 and 2008, who was his starter for the first six games of last season. " We are very, very fortunate to have two very talented quarterbacks, one goes down then the other steps up and goes in, " said Fisher.

That faith in Collins was rewarded with a performance that was far from rusty from the 37- year- old. " You just never know, that is the life of a back- up in the NFL. You have to be ready at any time. You have to study the game plan and you maybe have to put in a little bit more time because you don' t get the reps in practice, " said Collins.

It was a miserable night for the Jaguars though, coming after successive wins over Indianapolis and Buffalo.