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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Chronic iron deficiency in infancy may lead to long-term cognitive deficits, particularly in poor families, according to a study of Costa Rican children.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Head lice appear to fall prey to heavy-duty blow drying just as well as to chemical treatments, researchers here said.

These intensely pruritic lesions in the web spaces of the hands and on the naval of a young girl were the result of a scabies infestation.

MANCHESTER, England -- If they don't have a BRCA breast-cancer susceptibility gene mutation themselves, female relatives of women who do have one have been considered at low risk. But now this conventional wisdom is being doubted.

UPPSALA, Sweden -- Violent physical outbursts triggered by abuse of anabolic steroids, the so-called 'roid rage, may mask a more complicated criminal picture, including a greater tendency to be involved in weapons offences and fraud.

PHILADELPHIA -- Most Americans support teaching youngsters more than just abstinence in school-based sex education, according to a national survey.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Abdominal obesity in America's children has increased by more than 60% since 1988 through 1994, apparently thanks to supersized fast food, TV, and video games, according to researchers here.

BOSTON, Nov. 6 -- More than half of HMOs that responded to a national survey said they routinely incorporated pay for performance into 2005 physician contracts.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An estimated 17,000 school-age kids are treated in emergency departments for bus-related injuries annually, twice the number cited by previous estimates based on highway safety data.

CHICAGO -- Abnormal fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe results significantly increase the risk of invasive lung cancer in smokers with severe or moderate dysplasia on bronchial biopsy, researchers reported here.

MONTREAL, Nov. 3 -- For the first time, researchers have shown directly that a deficiency in folate can lead to colorectal cancer -- at least in mice.

WARSAW, Poland -- Men are significantly more likely than women to have advanced colorectal cancer detected on colonoscopy screening, suggesting that gender should be factored into screening programs.

CHICAGO -- The tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sutent (sunitinib) has single-agent activity in patients with recurrent and advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have previously been treated with platinum-based regimens.

TORONTO -- Methamphetamine can be detected in the hair of newborns, the first direct evidence that crystal meth can cross the placenta and affect the growing fetus, researchers here reported.

PHILADELPHIA -- Low-intensity laser treatment is not effective at preventing complications or associated vision loss from the dry type of age-related macular degeneration, reported researchers here.

 A trip to the supermarket or a meal in a restaurant can be a challenge for patients who have celiac disease. Treatment of the disease consists of strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. This regimen can be difficult to follow because gluten is found not only in such obvious sources as wheat-based cereals and pasta but also in many processed foods (eg, salad dressings and gravies).1

Abstract: Allergic drug reactions are mediated by IgE. Other immunologic drug reactions are mediated by IgG and complement, T cells, systemic cytokine release, and mast cell activation. True drug allergies, which are IgE-mediated, account for less than 10% of all adverse drug reactions. IgE-mediated reactions are commonly seen with penicillins, but also occur with some other antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, therapeutic proteins, and neuromuscular blockers. They are often limited to urticaria but also include life-threatening anaphylaxis. Skin testing to identify patients who are allergic is available for many agents associated with IgE-mediated reactions. Protocols for desensitization permit the use of some culprit agents when indicated. (J Respir Dis. 2006;27(11):463-471)

Most established smoking cessation therapies are based on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which has shown only moderate effectiveness and been associated with health risks and compliance challenges. To date, the most widely used non-NRT treatment is the antidepressant bupropion hydrochloride. Now, however, another non-NRT agent, varenicline tartrate, has been developed specifically for smoking cessation. Two multicenter double-blind studies have demonstrated that this agent has both short- and long-term effectiveness.