SAN FRANCISCO -- The aging population has escalated the national price tag for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions by nearly 25% in seven years, investigators here reported.

CARDIFF, Wales -- Children's tiny hands don't have enough heft behind them to force the needed compression for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, even with the correct technique, but young teens can usually carry it off.

ATLANTA -- Bronchiolitis obliterans -- called "popcorn lung" when it affects workers making butter flavoring for microwave popcorn -- has been identified in other sectors of the flavoring industry.

BOSTON -- Low-dose aspirin doesn't protect women against overall cognitive decline, a finding that adds to doubts about whether anti-inflammatory drugs offer any neuroprotective benefit.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., April 27 -- Merck said today that the FDA has rejected the investigational Cox-2 inhibitor etoricoxib (Arcoxia) for marketing.

SAN FRANCISCO -- While the behavioral symptoms of autism have been treated with a wide spectrum of medications, atypical antipsychotics may be the most effective drug class.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A gradual swap of one form of immunosuppression for another in heart transplant recipients can preserve renal function without compromising the graft, said Mayo Clinic investigators.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Several genetic regions appear to contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, three research groups have found in a major collaborative effort.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Some 300,000 home continuous positive airway pressure devices have been recalled by ResMed after short circuits from faulty wiring in electrical plugs, reported the FDA.

BALTIMORE -- Neither naproxen (Aleve) nor celecoxib (Celebrex) reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease, at least in the short term, investigators from the suspended ADAPT trial reported.

NEW YORK -- Some of the structural cells in the brain -- long thought to be passive onlookers as motor neurons die in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- are actually major players, according to two research groups.

BOSTON -- Despite new regulations governing physician-industry relationships, there has been no letup in the pursuit of high-prescribing physicians by pharmaceutical and other medical marketers, researchers here reported.

ANCHORAGE -- After responding well for three years to the heptavalent childhood pneumococcal vaccine, Native Alaskan children are falling ill from strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae not covered by the vaccine, according to the CDC.

BOSTON -- The risk of progression for advanced age-related macular degeneration may involve common variations in two genes, an effect amplified by risk factors such as smoking and obesity.

TORONTO -- A simplified scoring system using readily available preoperative information predicted acute renal failure and need for replacement therapy after cardiac surgery, researchers here reported.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Vitamin D deficiency in older patients has been associated with poor performance on simple physical tasks, according to investigators here.

MADISON, Wis. -- If lesions smaller than 6 mm in diameter are discounted, virtual colonoscopy by CT is more cost-effective than standard colonoscopy, according to researchers here.

CHICAGO, April 23 -- Drug-eluting stents may not offer the early advantage over coronary artery bypass grafts seen with bare-metal devices, researchers reported here.

BOSTON -- Neither abortion nor miscarriage contributes to the risk of breast cancer, according to a prospective observational study of more than 100,000 women.

BALTIMORE -- Venous blood clots, although frequently asymptomatic, are nonetheless common in children and young adults with sarcoma, researchers here found.