Daily Rounds: Twitching Deconstructed; Romney's GOP Health Problem; Exercise And DNA; Death By Ritual Circumcision

What Happened To The Girls In LeRoy? (The New York Times) — "One expert after another arrived to pontificate about what was wrong in Le Roy, a town of 7,500 in Western New York that had long prided itself on the things it got right. The kids here were wholesome and happy, their parents insisted — “cheerleaders and honor students,” as one father said — products of a place that, while not perfect, was made up more of what was good about small-town America than what was bad. Now, though, the girls’ writhing and stuttering suggested something troubling, either arising from within the community or being perpetrated on it, a mystery that proved irresistible for onlookers, whose attention would soon become part of the story itself."

Exit Poll Statistic Of The Year (Wall Street Journal) — "The exit poll asked voters their opinion of the "Massachusetts Health Care Law," with the options of Did Not Go Far Enough, About Right and Went Too Far. Remarkably, 51% said the bill went too far, while only 37% said it was about right, and 6% said not far enough. Granted these are GOP primary voters, who are largely conservatives. But the result reveals how unpopular government-mandated health care is, even in its Massachusetts birthplace. Mr. Romney says during debates that RomneyCare is popular in the liberal Bay State, and that's true among all voters. But the exit poll shows why the health-care bill continues to be a political liability for the former governor in the GOP primaries."

How Exercise Can Change Your DNA (Time Healthland) — "Now add one more thing to the list: physical activity can change your DNA. Unlike the aberrations and genetic mutations caused by carcinogens and toxins, exercise-induced alterations to DNA are more like tune-ups, helping muscles to work better and more efficiently. What’s more, these changes occur even after a single 20-minute workout.

Baby's Death Renews debate About A Ritual Circumcision (The New York Times) — "The cause of death of the 2-week-old boy, who died at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn on Sept. 28, was Type 1 herpes, caused by “ritual circumcision with oral suction,” according to the medical examiner’s office."