BRISBANE, Australia -- Obesity even without reflux disease is associated with six times the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma compared with those of normal weight, researchers here found.

WASHINGTON -- Makers of 14 over-the-counter cough and cold medicines labeled for use in children younger than two said today they are voluntarily pulling their products from store shelves.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Within days of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the number of low-birth-weight babies born in New York City rose significantly, found researchers here.

LEIDEN, The Netherlands -- Young women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer may not get as much benefit from chemotherapy as those with estrogen receptor-negative disease, researchers said.

BOSTON -- When androgen deprivation for localized prostate cancer is combined with a radical prostatectomy, the risk of a cardiovascular death appears to more than double, researchers here said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The addition of paclitaxel (Taxol) to adjuvant chemotherapy may hold little benefit for women with the most common type of lymph node positive breast cancer, researchers found.

NOTTINGHAM, England -- A blood test for tumor antibodies may allow earlier detection of lung cancer, even for node-negative patients, researchers here said.

DUNDEE, Scotland -- Lower-cost running shoes provide as good or better protection for the foot as high-priced shoes, according to investigators here.

SEATTLE -- A low-fat diet may modestly reduce the risk of ovarian cancer among postmenopausal women with a larger benefit than for breast cancer.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Close relatives of patients with Parkinson's disease have a significantly increased risk for dementia or cognitive decline compared with the general population, found investigators here.

GENEVA, Switzerland -- Surgery offered the best chance of 10-year survival in localized prostate cancer particularly for those younger than 70 and those with poorly differentiated tumors, according to an observational study.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals did nothing to prevent age-related macular degeneration. Certain supplements were no help, either, according to a large review and meta-analysis.

BOURNEMOUTH, England-A campaign to urge kids to stop drinking sugared carbonated beverages-an effort to have them lose weight or prevent obesity-didn’t seem to have much value in the long run, reported investigators here.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The oxygen-transporting efficacy of stored blood begins to decay almost immediately but adding nitric oxide may keep it fresh, two groups of researchers here said.

GRONINGEN, Netherlands -- Smoking has been overrated as an important factor in spurring multiple sclerosis progression and disability, researchers here said.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Three researchers, including two U.S. scientists, who were pioneers in gene targeting, will share the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine.

SAN DIEGO -- Pediatric infectious disease specialists have no consensus about the optimal approach to treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children, a nationwide survey indicated.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Cancer patients are not waiting longer for chemotherapy, nor are they traveling greater distances to receive treatment, despite predictions of access issues when Medicare reduced payment for infusion therapy.

NEW YORK -- Subclinical hypothyroidism may modestly increase the risk of heart failure, researchers found.

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