Today's Globe: Caritas job cuts, financing delay; brain injuries; exercise; John Menkes

A $100 million financing deal between Caritas Christi Health Care and Ascension Health of St. Louis is on hold, leaving the hospital chain without needed capital at a time when the economy is slumping badly. At the same time, Caritas Christi, the state's second-largest hospital system, plans to lay off about 160 workers - 1.2 percent of it workforce of 13,000 - to cut expenses.

Many of the thousands of troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan are at risk of long-term health problems including depression and Alzheimer's-like symptoms, but it's impossible to predict how high those risks are, researchers say.

Many Americans are failing to meet the minimum recommendations for exercise, although confusing guidelines are making it difficult to assess, researchers reported yesterday.

Dr. John H. Menkes, a pediatric neurologist who identified Menkes disease, maple-syrup urine disease, and other congenital disorders of the neural system, died Nov. 22 of complications from cancer. He was 79.