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HANOVER, N.H -- Patients with a herniated lumbar disk did about the same in reducing pain and disability over two years with surgery or usual care, according to two studies.

HYATSVILLE, Md. -- The CDC reported today that the birth rate among U.S. teens fell to an all-time low in 2005.

TORONTO -- While stem cells have been widely heralded as holding the keys to the cures of chronic diseases, evidence is mounting that mutated stem cells are at the root of cancer.

BALTIMORE -- A single altruistic kidney donor offering an organ to anyone who needed it stimulated five simultaneous transplants in domino fashion to unrelated HLA-compatible recipients here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- After a 14-year ban, silicone-gel breast implants will be allowed back on the market for breast reconstruction or augmentation, the FDA announced.

GRAZ, Austria -- Training for the marathon puts runners at risk for malignant melanoma and other skin cancers, according to researchers here.

ATLANTA -- Accidental falls account for an estimated 1.8 million annual emergency department visits for older Americans, and falls are the leading cause of trauma deaths in this age group, according to CDC investigators.

KIEL, Germany -- For postmenopausal early-stage breast cancer, switching to an aromatase inhibitor from tamoxifen after two or three years improved recurrence-free and overall survival, according to a meta-analysis.

DALLAS -- Regular physical exercise can help once-sedentary elderly patients improve their physical functioning and decrease the risk of future disability, according to a multicenter study.

WASHINGTON -- Vaccination against influenza or pneumococcal disease is safe and effective in people with rheumatoid arthritis who are taking Humira (adalimumab), a researcher said here.

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.