SAN FRANCISCO ? Postmenopausal women can stop taking Fosamax (alendronate) after five years without dramatic losses in bone density or an increased risk of fracture, according to researchers here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Against the background of the growing incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity in the United States came news this year about the first new insulin delivery system in 80 years, as well as new categories of drugs for type 2 disease.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA updated a public health advisory today about a serious new kidney disease that is apparently associated with a gadolinium-based contrast agent used with MRI or MR angiography.

NEW YORK -- The ban on trans fats in this city was the highest profile event during the year in diet and nutrition, as Americans continued to struggle against ever-expanding waistlines and foods deemed unhealthy.

PERTH, Australia -- High-dose fish oil supplements given during pregnancy appear to be safe for the baby and even improve later hand-eye coordination, researchers here found in a small study.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands -- For writer's block, the kind that's in the hand rather than the head, consider a shot of botulinum toxin type A, wrote researchers here.

ST. LOUIS -- Bacteria in the gut may be arbiters of weight loss or gain, according to a revolutionary theory proposed by researchers here. They suggested that manipulation of intestinal microbes might be used one day to treat obesity.

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. -- A genetic analysis of spina bifida children has revealed the influence of variant choline-metabolism genes in the development of the disease in addition to perinatal consumption of choline-rich foods.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Older Americans are flocking to gastroenterologists to take advantage of Medicare's all-beneficiary coverage of colonoscopy screening, and that's paying off in earlier colon-cancer detection, a study here suggested.

NEW YORK -- In front-page news articles on successive days, the New York Times accused Lilly of a campaign to promote off-label use of Zyprexa, its anti-psychotic medication, while systematically downplaying the drug's side effects. Lilly denied the allegations.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today approved Olympic Cool-Cap, a device that cools the head to prevent damage caused by neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a condition that affects 5,000 to 9,000 newborns each year.

LOS ANGELES -- The telltale plaques and tangles of even mild cognitive impairment can be detected by brain PET scans augmented by a new chemical marker, researchers here reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today approved Invega (paliperidone) for treatment of acute schizophrenia.

PARIS -- Children exposed to extensive phototherapy to treat neonatal jaundice had twice as many moles at age nine as controls, found a small case-control study.

PARIS -- Children exposed to extensive phototherapy to treat neonatal jaundice had twice as many moles at age nine as controls, found a small case-control study.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Two patients treated with the immune modulator Rituxan (rituximab) for systemic lupus erythmatosus have died of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), the FDA warned physicians.

BOSTON -- Higher circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D have been associated with a lower risk of multiple sclerosis, researchers here reported.

HOUSTON -- Cromolyn, an old-line asthma and allergy drug, has shown a marked effect on the progress of pancreatic cancer - at least in mice.

SAN ANTONIO -- Abraxane, the nanoparticle albumin-bound form of paclitaxel, appears effective against metastatic breast cancer in combination with Xeloda (capecitabine), according to a small study.

SAN ANTONIO -- Abraxane, the nanoparticle albumin-bound form of paclitaxel, appears effective against metastatic breast cancer in combination with Xeloda (capecitabine), according to a small study.