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Welcome to Science in the News in VOA Special English. I'm BobDoughty.

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And I'm Sarah Long. This week: a plan for limiting climate changemoves one step closer to enactment as an international treaty andAmerican officials agree to increase warnings on antidepressantdrugs.

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But first, how deep sadness in apregnant woman or new mothers could affect her baby.

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A new study examines how depression in pregnant women caninfluence the health of their babies. Earlier studies showed thatten to fifteen percent of pregnant women and new mothers in Westernnations suffer from depression. Other studies have shown that almosttwo times as many women in developing countries have this problem.

Atif Rahman of the University of Manchester in England led thenew study. His team linked depression in Pakistani women to lowerweight in their babies during the first year of life. It also linkeddepressed mothers with the emotional health and development in theirbabies.

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Doctor Rahman's team studied six hundred thirty-two women fromareas with small populations near the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.The women were in good physical health and in the last three monthsof pregnancy.

One hundred sixty of the women were identified as depressed. Theyhad lost interest and pleasure in normal life. They always felt sador tired. They had problems eating or sleeping. They felt guilty andthought about killing themselves.

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The depressed women were compared with one hundred sixty womenwith normal emotional health. Health workers then weighed andmeasured the babies of both groups of mothers. They did this whenthe babies were born. They also examined the babies at ages two, sixand twelve months.

At these times, the health workers studied the emotional healthof the mothers. Babies whose mothers remained depressed grewconsiderably less than the babies of the other women. In addition,the babies of the depressed mothers were more likely to suffer fromthe intestinal problem, diarrhea.

Doctor Rahman says the environment in poor countries may make itdifficult to care for a baby. For example, water must be boiled.Supplies must be cleaned before use. A depressed mother may find itharder to do these things.

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Doctor Rahman plans an effort to help depressed mothers inPakistan next year. For ten years, that country has employed healthworkers called "lady health workers." They visit new mothers andbabies for up to a year. The workers offer advice about health andcleanliness.

Doctor Rahman plans to add to this program. He wants the ladyhealth worker to provide special help to the mother. The worker willlisten sympathetically to her problems. The worker also will givethe mother a few easy things to do. Then, on the next visit, she maybe able to tell the mother that she has helped her baby's growth.The program will be tested over several years to learn if it is asuccess.

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The United States Food and Drug Administration has ordered drugmakers to place strong warnings on all antidepressant drugs. Theannouncement comes a month after an advisory committee agreed thatrecent studies showed a need for the strengthened warnings.

F.D.A. officials say the studies found that some children andyoung adults who use the drugs have an increased risk ofsuicidality. The officials describe suicidality as thoughts oractions involving taking one's life.

The increased risk of suicidality was identified in short-termtesting of nine antidepressant drugs. More than four thousandfour-hundred young people took part in a total of twenty-fourstudies. They suffered from major depressive disorder,obsessive-compulsive disorder or other mental health problems.

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The results showed an increased risk of suicidality during thefirst few months of treatment. Those taking antidepressant drugs hada four percent risk of suicidality. That is two times greater thanthose taking a harmless substance, or placebo. No suicides werereported during the studies.

The new warnings will appear on containers for all antidepressantdrugs. They will be written in heavy black letters, surrounded witha black line.

These "black box" warnings will inform patients thatantidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and actionsin children and young adults. It will advise health care providersthat patients should be watched closely for any unusual changes,such as worsening of depression, excitability or suicidality.

Family members and caregivers are advised to watch for thesechanges every day. These changes should be reported to the patient'sdoctor.

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The Food and Drug Administration also says it plans to develop amedication guide for patients. F.D.A. officials say patients willreceive this MedGuide every time they receive antidepressant drugsor when there is a change in the amount they should take. TheMedGuide will inform the patient of drug risks. Also, it will stateif the drug is approved for young people.

The black box warnings and patient medication guide are thestrongest warnings that the federal government can order withoutbanning the drugs. Officials say computer users can read thewarnings on F.D.A.'s Web site, www.fda.gov.

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The President of Russia has signed a bill confirming hiscountry's approval of the Kyoto Protocol. The signing clears the wayfor the agreement to come into force early next year.

The Russian government announced that President Vladimir Putinsigned the bill last Thursday. Both houses of the Russian parliamentapproved the Kyoto Protocol last month.

The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce the amount of pollutionreleased into the environment. Some scientists say carbon dioxideand other industrial gases are to blame for climate changes aroundthe world. The scientists say such gases build up in the atmosphereand trap heat below. They say this results in increasingtemperatures and rising sea levels.

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The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in nineteen-ninety-seven at aninternational conference in Kyoto, Japan. It requires industrialnations to reduce the amount of industrial gases released, oremissions, to below the levels of nineteen-ninety.

Nations responsible for fifty-five percent of the world'sindustrial emissions must approve the agreement before it can gointo effect. By last month, more than one hundred twenty nations hadapproved the agreement. These nations represent forty-four percentof all industrial emissions.

The European Union and many industrial nations have alreadyapproved the Kyoto Protocol. They will receive credit for their ownemissions if they invest in cleaner technologies in developingnations. Developing nations will not have to meet the emissionsrequirements of the agreement.

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Russia's approval became necessary after the United Statesrejected the Kyoto Protocol. The United States produced thirty-sixpercent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions in nineteen-ninety.

In that year, Russia produced about seventeen percent of allcarbon dioxide emissions. For years, Russia had delayed approval ofthe Kyoto Protocol because of economic concerns. Recently, however,the European Union pressured Russia to accept the treaty. Inexchange, the E-U agreed to support Russian membership in the WorldTrade Organization.

Russia will now report its approval of the Kyoto Protocol to theUnited Nations. Ninety days later, the terms of the agreement willtake effect.

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This program was written by Lawan Davis, Jill Moss and JerilynWatson. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. And, our engineer was DwayneCollins. I'm Sarah Long.

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And I'm Bob Doughty. We would like to hear from you. Write to usat Special English, Voice of America, Washington, D.C.,two-zero-two-thirty-seven, U.S.A. Or listeners with computers cansend electronic messages to special@voanews.com. Join us again nextweek for Science in the News in VOA Special English.