ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved a genetic test to identify patients who have a higher risk of bleeding with warfarin (Coumadin).

NEW YORK -- A method to harvest stem cells from adult testes and reprogram them into functional tissue may provide an easily accessible and plentiful alternative to controversial embryonic stem cells, researchers said.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Repeat courses of prenatal corticosteroids, used to speed fetal lung development if there's risk of premature delivery, appear not to hinder mental or physical development.

AMSTERDAM -- Inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes is independent of obesity, an observation that may partly explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with diabetes.

JERUSALEM -- A broad screening program to identify carriers of Gaucher Disease among Asheknazi Jews may not meet intended goals, Israeli researchers reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has issued a safety alert warning physicians that haloperidol (Haldol) given intravenously or at higher than recommended doses may increase the risk of cardiovascular events including sudden death, QT prolongation, and Torsades de Pointes.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Head and neck cancer may sap patients' driving skills in addition to its toll on the body, investigators here concluded.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Nocturnal dialysis at home six times a week markedly reduced left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with end-stage renal disease compared with conventional treatment, according to a preliminary study.

CHICAGO -- A pre-emptive strike against antibiotics like penicillin, which are frequently implicated in Clostridium difficile disease, may prevent this life-threatening condition, a Cleveland researcher said here.

CHICAGO -- As a group psychiatrists were less likely to identify themselves as religious than physicians in other specialties, a survey finding that researchers here said may influence referral patterns.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Individuals would be required to buy health insurance and there would be tax credits and subsidies for those who can't afford to under Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton's long-awaited and ambitious plan to provide health coverage for all Americans.

SAN DIEGO -- Risk stratification using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) led to shorter stays and fewer readmissions for hospitalized heart attack patients, investigators reported here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved the osteoporosis drug raloxifene (Evista) for prevention of invasive breast cancer in high-risk or osteoporotic postmenopausal women.

ATLANTA -- Attacking locally advanced prostate cancer with intermittent androgen treatment may improve quality of life while maintaining the historical survival of more aggressive therapy.

STRASBOURG, France -- Transvaginal cholecystectomy heralds the next stage in surgical evolution, offering the potential for pain-free surgery and "invisible mending," surgeons here proclaimed after doing their first procedure.

NEW YORK -- A genetic mutation known to cause Gaucher disease may also contribute to early onset of Parkinson's disease, particularly in patients with Jewish ancestry, researchers found.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Cooling the skin to protect it from hyperpigmentation after laser treatment actually increased discoloration in dark-skinned patients, researchers reported.

Congestive heart failure and cirrhosis are the most common causes of transudative pleural effusions, while pneumonia and malignancy are responsible for the majority of exudative effusions. Plain chest films are valuable in confirming the presence of an effusion, providing clues to the cause, and directing the method of pleural fluid sampling. Thoracentesis is safe and simple, and it is diagnostic in about 75% of cases. Pleural biopsy is indicated for unexplained exudative effusions, most of which are found to result from malignancy or tuberculosis. Medical thoracoscopy, if available, is the procedure of choice for patients with these effusions. Thoracoscopy permits visually directed pleural biopsies and allows for therapeutic intervention at the time of diagnosis, obviating the need for subsequent invasive procedures.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection may be significantly more widespread than previously thought. Investigators analyzed data from more than 1200 county, public, and private health care facilities across the country, including centers for acute care, cancer, cardiac care, pediatric care, rehabilitation, and long-term care.

I read with interest Dr Gregory Rutecki's response to a reader's comments (CONSULTANT, February 2007), in which he emphasized the need for early screening and treatment of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).