This week in Bonds,  Elizabeth Bernstein focuses on how to end a relationship without causing unnecessary pain and hard feelings. She’ll discuss her advice in a live chat on Tuesday, April 3 at 12 p.m. EDT. Ask your questions now.

Can you guess which expecting celeb was spotted walking her dog around West Hollywood?

Here’s what’s making health news this morning: ‘Personalized Medicine’ Hits a Bump (WSJ): Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests tumors may be more genetically complex than previously thought, potentially making it difficult to tailor cancer treatment without considering several different samples from the same tumor. Hospital Groups Will Get Bigger, Moody’s Predicts (New York Times): Not only will smaller hospitals join forces with larger organizations with deeper pockets, but hospitals will find themselves working with insurers and physicians to coordinate care and become more efficient. Pfizer Spurned Novartis Bid For its Animal-Health Unit (WSJ): Pfizer believed the Swiss pharma giant’s offer of as much as $16 billion was too low and is still leaning towards a spinoff rather than a sale. 1 in 3 Americans Is Having a Hard Time Paying Medical Bills (NPR’s Shots blog): A 50,000-person survey from the National Center for Health Statistics also finds that despite Medicare, 19% of 65- to 74-year-olds also report having trouble paying for medical care. FDA Weighs Expanding Access to Medications (WSJ): The agency is in the early stages of considering whether to permit some drugs to be sold over the counter rather than by prescription, for example, if a patient works closely with a pharmacist. Consumer Group Sues 8 Drugmakers Over Drug Coupons (Associated Press): The coupons are intended to save consumers money up front, but Community Catalyst says they lift the cost of health care and violate federal bribery laws; the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says the coupons improve patient adherence. Image: iStockphoto

For the 8,000 drug-company executives, investors and others attending the annual J.P. Morgan health-care conference in San Francisco, the last few days have been a marathon of morning-to-night meetings. But the industry executives do it because of the potential payoff: new deals with other companies to build up drug-research pipelines and improved lines of communication with existing partners and shareholders. Consider Ian Tomlinson, a senior vice president at drug giant GlaxoSmithKline who heads up biopharmaceuticals research and development as well as business development. His mission is to scout other companies developing experimental drugs that Glaxo might like to license or acquire. About half of Glaxo’s R&D pipeline comes from outside its own laboratories. Tomlinson and a team of about 50 Glaxo employees were encamped in several meeting rooms at a hotel near the site of the conference. They welcomed more than 300 prospective business partners over a three-day period, and held meetings with venture capitalists who are nurturing drug start-ups. The Glaxo team isn’t alone. Several rivals, including Pfizer, established similar beachheads in nearby hotels, feeding off the flow of biotechnology executives to the conference. Industry executives also met with investors, either one-on-one or in groups. Those who couldn’t find empty meeting rooms spilled into lobbies, restaurants and nearby park benches. In an interview, Tomlinson said his goal is “to access the best science wherever it is.” He hopes to find the “hidden gems” among the hundreds of prospective partners. “Every kind of deal is in scope,” he said, including license deals and acquisitions. U.K.-based Glaxo is seeking to bolster its drug pipeline in the therapeutic categories it has identified as priorities, which include oncology, immunology, respiratory illnesses and infectious diseases. The company, which makes the asthma drug Advair, is trying to bring new products to market to offset generic competition for older drugs. And what has Tomlinson found this week? He’s not naming names, but “there’s definitely some stuff that’s quite exciting, and we’ll follow up on,” he said. “I’m sure deals will flow from the discussions we’ve had this week.” Although there is some optimism among the prospective partners he has met, many are nervous about how they will maintain funding, Tomlinson said. Funding for drug start-ups has been tight the past few years. Tomlinson, a molecular biologist by training, can empathize because he was once on the other side of the table. He co-founded a biotech company, Domantis, which was acquired by Glaxo in 2007. Smaller companies aren’t the only prospective partners for Glaxo. The company remains open to collaborations with its large rivals, such as its deal to co-market Amgen’s bone-building drug Prolia. “I can see us doing deals with other big pharmaceutical companies to share risk around certain assets,” Tomlinson said. Image: iStockphoto

Get ready for T-day! Five-ingredient, vegan pumpkin cheesecake – Blisstree Runners listen up: Pilates is perfect for injury prevention – Self Go head over heels for Plow pose with these tips – Yoga Journal Not lovin’ your love handles? Celeb trainer tips to banish the muffin top – Shape Awesome arm workout with a little ab work thrown in – Peanut Butter Fingers Toning up vs. bulking up: get the facts on strength training – Fit Bottomed Girls Kelly Osbourne can be quite blunt to her overweight friends. Surprised? – Fit Celeb No time to cook? Easy, quick meals from The Biggest Loser – Prevention

As our colleagues at the WSJ’s Law Blog report , California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bunch of new laws into effect over the weekend, including one banning the use of tanning beds by minors. Previously Golden State teens were able to use commercial tanning beds with a parent’s consent; now they’re out of luck, even if Mom and Dad approve, Reuters reports . (That puts tanning in the same bucket as purchasing cigarettes and getting a tattoo.) The Melanoma Research Alliance, in a statement, applauded the move, citing research linking indoor tanning to skin cancer — specifically the most dangerous form, melanoma. Indeed, the International Agency for Research on Cancer did add indoor tanning to its list of carcinogens in 2009; the evidence it relied on found a link, albeit a weak one, between melanoma and sunbed use . (Specifically, that research review didn’t find a dose-response relationship — i.e. risk didn’t go up with more indoor tanning.) More recently, research published last year suggested that people who tanned indoors had a 74% higher chance of developing melanoma than those who didn’t. An author of the study told us then that the study was in line with previous research on melanoma and sun exposure, which has indicated that the risk of cancer rises with sunburns and intermittent exposure to UV rays (as you get with a once-a-year vacation or sunbathing sessions). Studies haven’t shown, however, a link between melanoma and total or chronic sun exposure. The Indoor Tanning Association, in a statement , says “there is no consensus among researchers that normal non-burning exposure to ultraviolet light, whether from the sun or a sun bed, has any effect on the development of melanoma.” It criticized the California legislature and governor for their action, saying it will further ding the state’s indoor tanning industry — already hurting from the recession — and means teens will just end up sunbathing outside. Health Blog readers, should teens be banned from indoor tanning? Photo: iStockphoto

MIAMI (CBS4) – The email was simple. It read… ”It’s not exactly happy hour but… do you want to come to a mammogram party?” The response was quick. ”Yes.” “Yes.” “I’m in.” A few weeks later, CBS4 Health Reporter Cynthia Demos and four of her friends were filling out the paperwork and putting on drab gray gowns, all to experience their first mammogram together. The four buddies, encouraged by the Komen Race for the Cure,  also agreed to go on the record to help show others just how easy a mammogram is. As the machine went into action, the women described their impressions of the procedure. “There is some pressure going on, but it’s not unbearable,” said Michelle Benesch. “It’s better if I don’t look at it. I know you’re squishing away down there,” confessed Boo Zamek. As for Cynthia… “Not bad so far. It’s fine. It’s fine.” Her friend Denie Harris agreed, “Piece of cake.” It’s cake she gets paid for. Harris’s company offers a $50 bonus for taking this preventive measure. “Our work has a wellness program, so you get $50!” said Harris. Everyone else was instructed to make sure they got a prescription for a Screening Mammogram instead of a Diagnostic Mammogram in order to make sure their insurance would cover the procedure. Kristin Pearce had the prescription, but the party was the nudge she needed. “I’ve had the prescription for three months in my purse. So when I got the call, it was a good way to get here,” declared Pearce. After they were all finished, the friends went to speak with Radiologist Dr. Maria Pilar-Martinez. “I think it’s great to come with your friends,” she told Demos. And the results were all just fine except for Kristin. But it’s not a big deal. It seems the tissue in both breasts just didn’t match, so she’ll have to come back for a closer look. “I know sometimes it takes two times to get a good image,” Pearce acknowledged. But overall, the process was easy, painless and maybe even fun. Demos and her friends have promised to do it again next year… same time, same place. And when the women go back next year, they’ve been told there will be a more advanced machine in place for 3D imaging. It’s called a Tomosynthesis and gets even more exact pictures of the breasts.

Mix and match the workouts below for a total of five to six cardio sessions a week. The mix of routines will help your body burn fat more efficiently and build endurance. Combined with our strength workout , you’ll see pounds melt away! In each cardio workout, you want to move among four zones that represent how much effort you’re putting in. Here’s how to tell which zone you’re in. Zone 1 = Easy Zone 2 = Challenging but comfortable (you’re breathing hard but could still hold a conversation) Zone 3 = Challenging and uncomfortable (you’re breathing hard, difficult to hold a conversation) Zone 4 = Breathless, really hard! New-mom modification: If you’re a new mom (or are very out of shape), keep your intensity easy to moderate. Avoid Zone 4 until you’re three to four months postpartum. Intense Interval Bursts (30 minutes) Do this while walking outside on a long, steep hill or on the stairs, treadmill, or elliptical trainer. 1. Warm up with 2 minutes in Zone 1, then 3 minutes in Zone 2 2. Uphill, 1 minute in Zone 4 3. Downhill, 1 minute in Zone 2 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 nine more times 5. Cool down with 5 minutes in Zone 1 Middle-Ground Mix-It-Up (40 minutes) Do it as a walk or run outdoors or on the treadmill, bike, stairs, or elliptical trainer. 1. Warm up for 5 minutes in Zone 1 2. Spend 8 minutes in Zone 3 3. Do 2 minutes in Zone 2 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times 5. Cool down with 5 minutes in Zone 1 Long, Strong, and Steady (60 minutes) Bike, hike, walk, or skate outside, or mix it up at the gym by choosing three cardio machines and doing 20 minutes on each. 1. Warm up for 5 minutes in Zone 1 2. Work out 45–50 minutes in Zone 2 3. Cool down for 5 minutes in Zone 1 Get started in two easy steps: 1. Click here to download the FGW plan (PDF format) 2. Click here to join the FGW social network

Rising Premiums: A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust shows that employers’ health-insurance premiums for the average family rose 9% to $15,073 this year, while premiums for single workers rose 8%, the WSJ reports. The survey estimates only about 1.5 percentage points of the 9% increase came from the health-care overhaul law. The CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans says higher medical costs were responsible for premium increases. Trouble Ahead for Infertile Men?: A study published in Human Reproduction finds that men without kids have a 17% higher chance of dying from heart disease than do fathers, suggesting infertility may be a warning sign of health problems ahead, Reuters reports . The study looked at 135,000 men over 50, and not all of the childless men were infertile. More Deaths Linked to Cantaloupe: The death toll from listeria-tainted cantaloupes may have risen to 14, the Associated Press reports . If the deaths are confirmed to be tied to the fruit, it would make the food-borne disease outbreak the worse since nine people died after eating peanuts contaminated by salmonella in late 2008 and early 2009, the AP says. No Relief: A 369-man study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds escalating doses of saw palmetto extract failed to outperform a placebo in alleviating the symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland, the Los Angeles Times’ Booster Shots blog reports . By the end of the 72-week study, men who were randomly assigned to the saw palmetto were taking 960 milligrams per day. Image: iStockphoto

Images used in a study that looked at how clothing cues can affect perception of race. What you wear can influence how others view you — specifically what they perceive your race to be, a new study finds. The findings show how stereotypes and prejudices play a powerful role in how we mentally categorize people, says Jon Freeman , lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in psychology at Tufts University. The researchers, a group of psychologists and sociologists from Tufts, Stanford University and University of California, Irvine, asked study participants to determine the race of computerized faces wearing high-status attire (a business suit) or low-status attire (a janitor’s jumpsuit). Faces viewed in high-status attire were more likely to be seen as white and faces viewed in low-status attire were likely to be seen as black. The study appears in the journal PLoS One. Stereotypes were even more influential when a person’s race was visually ambiguous, Freeman tells the Health Blog. When the race isn’t readily apparent, “the biases we already hold are going to have a particularly strong role in shaping perception,” he says. Using a technique that tracked the movements of a computer mouse, the researchers recorded the trajectory of participants’ hand movements as they selected a racial category on a computer screen. When viewing racially ambiguous faces, they found participants were initially drawn to the race stereotypically associated with the style of dress even if they ultimately chose the opposite. So even if a participant decided a person wearing a business suit was black, the trajectory of the mouse revealed he or she was first drawn to the “white” option. “Initially categorizing someone as white or black is often believed to be a straightforward, snap judgment, based simply on a person’s facial features like skin color,” Freeman says. “Our findings show that our initial categorizations of race are highly malleable,” affected by context and stereotypes. That our perception of race can be molded by status cues may have implications for subsequent social interactions, the study reports. Freeman says the research indicates populations including more mixed-race people may be more susceptible to these kinds of stereotypes and social consequences. “Hopefully with that knowledge and perhaps public awareness we might make some small steps in reducing racism and prejudice,” he says. Study images courtesy of Jon Freeman