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BETHESDA, Md. -- A simple blood test for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has identified sickle cell patients with pulmonary hypertension, researchers here reported.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Dietary supplements such as antioxidants, vitamins, and garlic do little if anything to prevent cancer, but antibiotics aimed at cancer-causing bacteria appear to prevent some tumors.

MILAN -- Erectile dysfunction may be masking latent ischemic heart disease, according to researchers here.

A 51-year-old woman is seen because of burning at the site of entry of a urethral (Foley) catheter. The catheter had been placed perioperatively for a cholecystectomy. No history of genitourinary difficulty or trauma to the area. A urine culture that revealed Escherichia coli led to a diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI), but the relationship between this infection and the physical finding was unclear.

MADRID -- Uncontrolled hyperinsulinemia for type 2 diabetics significantly boosts their risk of developing dementia, according to a study of more than 22,000 patients in California.

LONDON -- For patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, phototherapy with long-wave ultraviolet light, despite its poorer safety record, combined with a psoralen-class drug, may be a better choice than short-wave UV therapy, researchers here said.

STANFORD, Calif. -- When the circulating nurse loses count, a sponge check with an RF-sensitive hand-held wand may save the day in the OR before closing.

BOSTON -- Regular exercise more than doubles the length of disease-free survival in patients treated for advanced colon cancer, according to investigators here.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The FDA has approved Gemzar (gemcitabine) in combination with Paraplatin (carboplatin) for treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer, Eli Lilly announced today.

TORONTO -- Cigarettes take an exceptionally high toll on blue-collar men, according to investigators here and overseas.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The compelling urgency of coronary-bypass surgery before anticoagulant medication washes out must be weighed against increased bleeding risks and the potential benefits and economic impact of delaying surgery, said researchers here.

ATHENS -- Rising humidity may rival temperature extremes in boosting the risk of fatal heart attacks in patients 70 or older, according to a study here.

SIDNEY, Australia -- As windows on the heart, the eyes may see a risk of coronary heart disease death, according to an Australian study.

LEIDEN, The Netherlands -- Noninvasive Doppler ultrasonography is superior to traditional amniocentesis for detecting severe hemolytic fetal disease in Rh-alloimmunized pregnancies, according to an international study.

BOSTON -- Elderly male smokers have nearly twice the risk of age-related macular degeneration as their elderly brethren who don't smoke, according to researchers here. But eating two or more servings of fish a week sharply reduced the risk.

TORONTO -- Women with harmful mutations in the two major susceptibility genes linked to breast cancer can sharply reduce their risk of an ovarian malignancy by having their ovaries and fallopian tubes resected, according to researchers here.

NEW YORK -- Women who smoke appear more susceptible to tobacco carcinogens than men, but women's lung-cancer death rate is lower, researchers reported here on the basis of a screening study.

PITTSBURGH -- Bacterial biofilms colonizing the middle ear - and not re-infections -- may be the cause of recurrent otitis media, according to investigators here.