FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- For women with a specific type of breast cancer, taking Herceptin for a year after initial treatment is just as effective -- and safer -- than staying on it for a longer period, new research suggests.

(HealthDay News) -- Arthritis in one or both knees can make it painful and difficult to bend, run or walk.

(HealthDay News) -- When Fido or Fluffy bite someone, it poses risks of nerve and tendon damage and, more often, infection. The chances of infection from a cat bite is much higher than that of a dog bite, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons notes.

FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of the most severe form of acute kidney injury increased dramatically in the United States over the past decade, and deaths associated with the condition doubled over that time, a new study says.

FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Erythropoietin, more commonly known as EPO, has been banned from sports due to a belief that it provides an unfair competitive advantage to users, but new research found there is no scientific evidence the blood-cell stimulating hormone actually enhances athletes' performance.

FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism are nine times more likely than other children to be taken to the emergency department for mental health problems, according to a new study.

FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- So-called "chemo brain" -- problems with thinking, concentrating and remembering that are associated with receiving chemotherapy -- may actually start to occur before the treatment is initiated, a small new study suggests.

THURSDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The key to a slimmer figure is not necessarily dieting, but just cutting back on fat intake, a new British study suggests.

THURSDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- People suffering from depression who don't respond to antidepressants alone may find relief if they also undergo cognitive behavioral therapy, a new British study suggests.

FRIDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The drug Avastin (bevacizumab), when added to chemotherapy, does not improve disease-free survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer any better than chemo alone, new research finds.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: