WASHINGTON -- A simple lab test can predict most of the patients at risk for progression of ankylosing spondylitis and should be part of clinical practice, a researcher said here.

CHICAGO -- Young patients survive as long with a bioprosthetic heart valve as with a man-made replacement, researchers here said.

BOSTON -- Patients with higher plasma levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid found in fish, had a significant 47% reduction in the risk of all-cause dementia and a 39% reduced risk of Alzheimer's, researchers here reported.

WASHINGTON -- There is no link of significance between major cancers and new biologic therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, FDA-mandated warnings not withstanding, a researcher said here.

CHICAGO -- Babies exposed to tobacco smoke in the first gestational trimester are at an elevated risk of congenital heart disease, researchers said here.

BOSTON -- A diet heavy on red meat may increase the risk of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in premenopausal women, researchers here said.

CHICAGO -- In a head-to-head trial with the sulfonylurea Amaryl (glimepiride), Actos (pioglitazone), a thiazolidinedione, appeared to slow the progression of a marker for atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers reported here.

WASHINGTON -- Humira (adalimumab) has a "quite profound" benefit for children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and is well-tolerated, a researcher reported here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Older men with limited life expectancies are getting screened much too often for prostate cancer, given the potential harm that may follow a positive test versus the likelihood of benefit, researchers here reported.

CHICAGO -- Supplementation with folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 does not appear to help the heart, investigators reported here.

WASHINGTON -- Early aggressive treatment with a combination of drugs can drive rheumatoid arthritis into drug-free remission in some patients, Dutch researchers said here.

CHICAGO -- Six simple strategies can cut precious minutes from the critical time needed to get a patient with an ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction from the hospital door to the cath lab for primary reperfusion.

CHICAGO -- Smokers-current and past-are twice as likely to suffer cognitive impairment following coronary artery bypass graft surgery as never-smokers, researchers here reported today.

WASHINGTON -- Botox, best known for ironing out aging wrinkles, may also relieve the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee, a researcher reported here.

CHICAGO -- Arcoxia (etoricoxib), an investigational Cox-2 inhibitor, has a cardiovascular safety profile similar to diclofenac, an old line NSAID, according to pooled data on almost 35,000 arthritis patients.

WASHINGTON -- The novel agent Actemra (tocilizumab), an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody, is safe and effective in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a Japanese researcher said here.

WASHINGTON -- Pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus face sharply increased risks of a range of both disease -related and pregnancy complications, researcher said here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Infants who are put on food-elimination diets to avoid allergens could be inadvertently robbed of the proteins and nutrients they need to grow, researchers warned here.

PHILADELPHIA -- In patients with refractory allergic eye diseases, the cause of the irritation could be peanut sensitivity, researchers reported here

CINCINNATI -- Firefighters acquire on-the-job elevated risks for multiple myeloma and a variety of other malignancies, according to researchers here.