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LANSING, Mich. -- Women older than 70, who represent one in three breast cancer patients, are "underdiagnosed, understaged, and undertreated" compared with younger women, researchers here asserted.

NEW ORLEANS -- CT scans for patients with suspected acute appendicitis add no diagnostic value and may be associated with worse outcomes, researchers reported here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Aricept (donepezil), a cholinesterase inhibitor on the market for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, today became the first of its class to win FDA approval for severe disease.

TORONTO -- Necrotizing fasciitis may be caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, especially in areas where community-acquired MRSA is prevalent, researchers reported here.

DALLAS -- CT imaging of coronary calcification by electron beam or multidetector devices is appropriate for patients at an intermediate risk, according to an American Heart Association statement. It represents an about face for the organization.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Decaffeinated java at specialty coffee shops, such as Starbucks, and other food outlets may not be free of caffeine, reported researchers here.

LOS ANGELES -- Two of three atypical antipsychotic drugs were no better than placebo at quieting aggression, psychosis, and agitation in patients with Alzheimer's disease, found a multicenter trial. Overall, adverse effects of all three outweighed the benefits.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Plastic surgeons believe the perfect pouty lip is attainable, but not quite yet.

BOSTON -- National standards for hospital room decontamination do not completely prevent transmission of antibiotic-resistant infections, according to a federally sponsored study.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- With the echoes of the Institute of Medicine's unrestrained critique of the FDA last month still resounding, two more broadsides calling for major reform were fired today at the beleaguered agency.

SYDNEY, Australia -- Older adults with impaired vision may also have hearing loss, and vice versa, Australian researchers reported.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Weight, height, and race independently influence prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and each may distort the risk of prostate cancer, researchers here reported.

CHICAGO -- The opiate blocker Depade (naltrexone), when boosting behavioral therapy and nicotine patches, can help women quit smoking, researchers here reported. But men gained no benefit.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved Zolinza (vorinostat) capsules as second-line therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that is refractory or recurrent.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved Risperdal (risperidone), an adult antipsychotic agent, for symptomatic treatment of irritability in autistic children and adolescents.

FLINT, Mich. -- Moderate aerobic exercise three to five times a week may make adjuvant radiation for breast cancer more tolerable, found researchers here.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Cisplatin-Navelbine (vinorelbine) reduced mortality in fully resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a meta-analysis reported here.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Progression-free survival is prolonged by 10% in men with locally advanced prostate cancer who receive both radiation and hormone therapy, according to a large meta-analysis.