SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whether anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists were on the job, there were no significant differences during caesarean births in the rate of anesthetic complications over 12 years, according to investigators here.

CHAPEL Hill, N.C. -- Childbirth and pregnancy complications were responsible for the major part of emergency Medicaid spending for undocumented and recent immigrants in North Carolina, according to a study.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Patients who could not afford health-care services or medications after an acute myocardial infarction had a worse recovery, more angina, and a higher risk of re-hospitalization, researchers reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today approved lapatinib (Tykerb), an oral kinase inhibitor that targets HER2-positive tumors, for treatment-refractory metastatic breast cancer, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda).

EXETER, England -- A short walk may help smokers curb tobacco cravings and other withdrawal symptoms, according to a meta-analysis.

SYDNEY, Australia -- The swollen and twisted joints in the hands and feet from rheumatoid arthritis are associated with depression in patients who become unhappy with their physical appearance, researchers here said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A quarter of all veterans treated at VA hospitals after returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought mental health problems back with them, reported investigators here.

BOSTON -- Beta-amyloid plaques in the brains of those with Alzheimer's type dementia can be spotted with the aid of the imaging agent Pittsburgh Compound B, determined researchers here.

LOS ANGELES -- There is more evidence that sildenafil (Viagra, Revatio) is beneficial to patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, researchers here reported.

ATLANTA -- Faulty communication between hospital-based and primary care physicians may affect the treatment of nearly one-quarter of patients discharged from the hospital, according to a review of the literature.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Epidural steroid injections for lower back pain with sciatica have been given a tepid endorsement in guidelines published by the American Academy of Neurology.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA warned today that aggressive use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to raise hemoglobin to a target of 12 g/dL or higher was associated with "serious and life-threatening side-effects and or/death."

LONDON -- Electrical stimulation of the occipital nerve could be another option for patients with drug-refractory chronic cluster headaches.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Cellular telephones caused no interference in 300 separate tests conducted in 75 rooms in 11 patient-care areas at the Mayo Clinic, including telemetry-laden ICUs, researchers found. So a ban on cell phones there may be lifted.

SEATTLE -- Carotid stenting with embolic protection was as safe and effective in a real-world registry trial as it was in phase III trials that led to FDA approval, researchers said here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Nearly 80% of hospitalized children are medicated with drugs that have not been approved by the FDA for pediatric use, according to a study here.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The persistent rhythmic motions of tooth brushing appear to have triggered seizures in patients with reflex epilepsy, researchers here reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- More than 40,000 automatic external defibrillators in schools, health clubs, and other public sites have been recalled because of a potentially faulty low-battery signal, the FDA reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Although aspirin and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can reduce the occurrence rate of colon cancer, they're not worth the increased risk of gastrointestinal side effects, said the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

SAN DIEGO -- Prophylactic surgery is the best bet for women at risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer because of Lynch syndrome, a researcher said here.