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SYDNEY, Australia -- Traditional Chinese remedies may ease painful menstrual cramps better than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and other drugs, according to a Cochrane systematic review.

NASHVILLE -- Mortality for new hemodialysis patients can be reduced by 41% during the first year of treatment by an intensive case monitoring program, researchers here found.

NEWCASTLE, Australia --Three antifibrinolytic agents each reduced blood loss and red-cell transfusions associated with elective surgery, without an increased risk of thrombosis, according to a literature review.

LIVERPOOL, England -- Amniotomy during a spontaneous birth did not reduce the time of labor or improve the condition of the newborn, according to a systematic review of the literature.

PHILADELPHIA -- The benefits of screening colonoscopy extend to patients 80 and older, according to two studies reported here.

STANFORD, Calif. -- In mid-level coronary artery disease, outcomes are about the same for either angioplasty or bypass graft surgery, found researchers here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Most patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease continue to have reflux, despite twice-daily dosing with a proton pump inhibitor, according to results of a study reported here.

PHILADELPHIA -- The FDA has approved topotecan (Hycamtin) capsules for treatment of relapsed small-cell lung cancer, GlaxoSmithKline has announced.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Acupuncture immediately before surgery may reduce postoperative pain, allowing for lower opioid analgesic doses, researchers said here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA said today it has received 30 reports of acute pancreatitis in patients taking exenatide (Byetta) for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

BOSTON -- Knee buckling, the sudden loss of postural support across the knee during weight-bearing activity such as climbing stairs, affects more than one in 10 adults, and may lead to falls, investigators here determined.

PHILADELPHIA -- Colonoscopy patients can be stimulated to show up for their appointments by an Internet-based educational program, investigators reported here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Apparent treatment-resistant gastroesophageal reflux disease may reflect comorbid psychological distress that results in more severe symptoms, results of a study reported here suggest.

CHICAGO -- A substantial proportion of patients may not be able to name the medications they take, which could affect both inpatient and outpatient care, researchers here found.

STANFORD, Calif. -- A way to predict the development of Alzheimer's disease years before its clinical onset has been described by investigators here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Fractures of Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads have triggered a voluntary move by Medtronic to stop selling them, a decision that was promptly endorsed by the FDA.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Patients taking an extended-release epilepsy drug, lamotrigine XR (Lamictal), once daily as adjunctive therapy nearly halved their partial seizures compared with those given a placebo, according to investigators here.

Cancer death rates fell by about 2.1% per year from 2002 to 2004, compared with a 1.1% per year decline from 1993 though 2002, according to annual report to the nation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the North american Association of Central Cancer Registries.