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BOSTON -- A blizzard of words in a quintet of studies, and more, all released online today by the New England Journal of Medicine offered evidence that drug-eluting coronary stents seem safe when used as indicated, but the issue of high risk patients remains in question.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The intracranial Wingspan stent appears to be as safe for severe arterial stenosis in clinical practice as it was in the trials that led to its approval, researchers said here.

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Rett Syndrome -- a relatively rare autism spectrum disorder -- may be reversible, if experiments in mice are borne out in humans.

LOS ANGELES -- Arthritis patients taking Arcoxia (etoricoxib), an investigational highly selective Cox-2 inhibitor, had significantly fewer uncomplicated upper gastrointestinal events, versus a traditional NSAID, but it was no better for more serious GI problems.

ST. LOUIS -- African-American women, compared with white women, have preterm babies more frequently and deliver prematurely at an earlier gestational age, found researchers here.

SAN DIEGO -- High levels of vitamin D can significantly reduce the relative risks of breast and colorectal cancer, according to two meta-analyses reported separately by researchers here.

ATLANTA -- Autism spectrum disorders are much more common than previously thought, and could affect as many as one in 150 school-age children, CDC researchers reported. The prevalence was highest in New Jersey among 14 states surveyed.

NEW YORK -- Breast cancer patients given colony stimulating factors to overcome chemotherapy-driven neutropenia have an increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to researchers here.

SUTTON, England -- After successful treatment of Hodgkin's disease, the excess risk of a myocardial infarction persists for at least 25 years depending on the kind of therapy, British researchers reported.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- Trasylol (aprotinin), a drug designed to limit operative blood loss, was associated with a 48% increase in risk of dying within five years of coronary artery bypass surgery, according to researchers here.

BALTIMORE -- Men with an aggressive form of benign prostatic hyperplasia, which requires early intervention to stave off bladder complications, can be found with an investigational blood test, reported a multicenter team.