Washington (Reuters) - Tanning beds and sunlamps will be required to carry stronger warning labels under new regulations proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is also recommending the machines not be used by people under the age of 18.

The FDA said on Monday that it plans to reclassify sunbeds from low-risk to moderate-risk products, meaning they will need to be cleared by the agency before being allowed onto the market.

Faulty equipment has led to patients being burned or exposed to too much radiation, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's center for devices and radiological health, said in an interview.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basal cell and squamous cell cancer, the two most common forms, are generally curable; but melanoma, the third most common type, is deadly.

In 2009, the most recent year numbers are available, 61,646 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanoma and 9,199 people died, according to the CDC.

The FDA's proposed regulations stop short of recommendations made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, which in 2009 concluded that commercial tanning devices were more dangerous than previously thought and recommended people under 18 be banned from using them.

The FDA's regulations also stop short of new rules being developed by some U.S. states.

More than 30 states regulate the use of tanning facilities to differing degrees. Delaware, New Hampshire and North Dakota, for example, ban the use of indoor tanning by anyone under age 14 unless medically necessary and they require parental consent for those between the ages of 14 and 18.

Some states, including Georgia, Illinois and Maine, ban tanning beds for children under the age of 14, and eighteen states require tanning bed operators to limit exposure time to a manufacturers' recommendations and provide eye protection.

In January 2012, California became the first state to ban tanning beds for all people under 18.

The Indoor Tanning Association argues vigorously that the decision on whether a teen is allowed to suntan is one for parents, not government, and it supports parental consent. But it is fighting the growing number of states issuing bans.

"Is the next step to ban teens from sun bathing at public beaches and pools?" the association asked in a statement last year in opposition to New Jersey's proposal to ban tanning bed use for those under 17.

"You also have to consider the health risks associated with banning teenagers from using tanning salons," it said. "They will just go outside with no adult supervision and no trained staff where they are much more likely to get sunburned."

The FDA's actions follow a 2010 meeting of a federal advisory panel which unanimously recommended that the agency reclassify tanning devices. Panelists had mixed views on whether to implement a ban on minors.

An estimated 5.6 percent of U.S. adults reported indoor tanning at least once in 2010, with the highest rates among white, female 18 to 25-year-olds, according to the CDC, which notes that frequent exposure to UV rays for people under the age of 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent.

"For right now our proposal tries to focus on providing better information for consumers," Shuren said, "including a warning on the tanning beds themselves that they shouldn't be used in people under 18," he said.

Depending on the feedback the agency receives to its proposal, it may make changes to the final order, he said.

(Reporting By Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Greens lurched to the left at a party congress in Berlin over the weekend by endorsing a "soak-the-rich" campaign for new taxes, a risky attempt to win power in September's election that upset the party's pragmatist wing.

Ignoring warnings against raising too many taxes at once from their most successful leader, Greens state premier Winfried Kretschmann, the 800 delegates voted to push to raise the top income tax rate to 49 percent from 42 percent and introduce an annual 1.5 percent wealth tax on assets above a million euros.

Greens delegates even booed one of their most respected leaders, Tuebingen mayor Boris Palmer, when he said the tax increases were not balanced - a humiliating slap in the face for the "realo" or pragmatic wing that has long ruled the roost.

The Greens' shift at the Congress that ended on Sunday seemed calculated to woo left-leaning voters and raise the party's chances of returning to power after September's election to end its eight-year stretch in opposition.

The Greens are the world's most successful pro-environment party after ruling Germany with the Social Democrats (SPD) from 1998 to 2005, but are itching to get back into power.

"It's remarkable to me the way the Greens are drifting to the left and how they kicked the shins of some of their most successful leaders," said Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist at Cologne University.

"The fundamental, hard-left wing of the party scored a tremendous success at the party congress."

Jaeger said the Greens' leftward move was probably essential if they wanted to return to power with their preferred partners, the SPD. The SPD has struggled in polls and would win just 28 percent while the Greens are currently at 14 percent.

Together the center-left is polling 42 percent, just behind the 44 percent for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their Free Democrat (FDP) allies. While neither the center-right nor the center-left will likely win a majority, analysts expect Merkel to form another "grand coalition" with the SPD.

"The Greens realize that if they don't move left, Germany will end up with another 'grand coalition.' But if they go left and win new voters there, they might have enough," said Jaeger.

"For a whole generation of Greens leaders, this is their last chance to get back into power and become ministers. They want it badly," he added.

The Greens' former environment minister Juergen Trittin is 58, former consumer affairs minister Renate Kuenast is 57 and Greens co-chair Claudia Roth is also 57. The prominent trio went all out to push the party toward the left even though Kretschmann and Palmer warned against it.

'NO COALITION WITH CONSERVATIVES'

"The SPD is the only coalition partner that will help us make Germany greener," Trittin said, explicitly distancing himself from previous Greens party talk of keeping options open for a coalition with Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

"We're not going to form a coalition with a band of corrupt amigos like that," Tritten said, referring to tax evasion and corruption scandals that have battered the CSU in recent weeks.

The Greens endorsed a platform calling the SPD their preferred coalition partners but did not rule out other options.

The Greens began as a peacenik ecological movement with a far-left tilt three decades ago, and became famous for their unpredictable and self-destructive party congress battles that could stretch beyond midnight.

But late last year, at their last party congress in Hanover, they made it clear they were no longer set against the idea of a coalition with Merkel.

The party has ruled one traditionally conservative state, Baden-Wuerttemberg, with the SPD as junior partners since 2011 and ruled in Hamburg with the CDU for three years - a so-called "black-green" coalition that gave the Greens respect as a fiscally responsible movement.

The Greens are proud of their newfound clout. But in Berlin that push towards the center was reversed - to the chagrin of Kretschmann, who is the party's only star attraction.

"I think it causes problems when the overall tax burden is too high," Kretschmann said. "I don't think one should raise more than two taxes in any one four-year period in power. We're not going to do anything that hurts the small and medium-sized business. That's why we're so strong in Baden-Wuerttemberg."

(Reporting By Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Stephen Powell and Andrew Heavens)

It looks like North Korea will not be firing its Musudan mobile missiles, after all.

A potential missile launch had been expected for weeks and had drawn international concern over what was seen as the latest in a series of provocations directed at the United States by the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

However, U.S. intelligence has determined that over the past 24 to 36 hours, North Korea transported two Musudan missiles away from the potential launch site in the eastern part of the country, a U.S. official said. It was not believed that they were being moved to an alternate launch location.

For weeks, American satellites have focused on a potential launch location near the North Korean city of Wonsan, where the missiles had been transported in early April. U.S. officials warned that a launch could occur at any time as the mobile missiles were spotted being placed in an upright firing position.

With a potential range of 2,000 miles, the missiles had drawn concern because mobile missiles do not need much time to be fired.First displayed in a 2010 military parade, the missiles have never been tested by North Korea.

Kept hidden in forest cover at the suspected launch site, one of the missiles would routinely be spotted being placed into an upright launch position, presumably fueled for launch. Then, it would be seen getting lowered back down and transported back into the forest cover.That routine was taking place as recently as last week.

Today, Pentagon spokesman George Little described what he called a pause of military provocations on the part of North Korea.

"What we have seen recently is a provocation pause and we think that's obviously beneficial to efforts to ensure that we have peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," Little said.

He "obviously can't speak for the North Koreans" on the motive for the pause, he added.

"Historically, North Korea's going through cycles of provocations [that] then come to an end," he said. "That's been helpful. And we do think that they probably heard very loudly from us, and from others, the need to ratchet it back and to lower the temperature. That was our desire, but also from the South Koreans and the Japanese and the Chinese government, [which] also made some helpful statements. So I can't say with certainty, but I think those are some of the factors. "

U.S. officials said that despite the North Korea's bellicose rhetoric warning of nuclear missile strikes, North Korea's military was never seen escalating its annual training levels.If anything, its levels were said by U.S. officials to be on a par with or lower than normal.

Officials now say that most of North Korea's military is where it was expected to be at this time of year: in the fields helping to plant this year's crops.

City prosecutors are investigating the attack that sent Shabazz to a nearby hospital with severe injuries. He died hours later on Thursday. U.S. officials confirmed that Shabazz was killed in Mexico City.

Shabazz family publicist Terrie Williams said the family would issue a statement later.

Labor activist Miguel Suarez, who was traveling with Shabazz, told The Associated Press that his friend was beaten up at a bar near Plaza Garibaldi, a downtown square that is home to Mexico City's mariachis.

Plaza Garibaldi is popular with tourists, but the pair were at a bar across the street from the plaza in an area of rough dive bars tourists are warned against going to.

Suarez said he and Shabazz were lured to the bar on Wednesday night by a young woman who made conversation with the American in English. The Palace bar is on one of Mexico City's busiest avenues.

"We were dancing with the girls and drinking," said Suarez. Then the owner of the bar wanted them to pay a $1,200 bar tab, alleging that they should pay for music, drinks and the girls' companionship.

"We pretty much got hassled," he said. "A short dude came with a gun."

Suarez said he was taken by the man to a separate room. Shabazz stayed in the hall. Suarez said he heard a violent commotion in the hall and escaped from the room and the bar altogether as he saw half-naked girls running away, picking up their skirts from the dance floor.

Minutes later, Suarez came back in a cab to look for Shabazz and found him on the ground outside the bar severely injured.

"He was in shock. His face was messed up," said Suarez. "He was alive."

"I grabbed him, and I called the cops," said Suarez, who was recently deported from the United States.

He said he took Shabazz to a hospital but his friend died hours later of blunt-force injuries.

Suarez said Shabazz had traveled to Mexico to support him and his movement advocating for more rights for construction workers. He crossed the border from San Diego to Tijuana with Suarez's mother and then the pair took a bus all the way to Mexico City.

"We were planning to go to Teotihuacan, to see the Aztec pyramids," he said.

U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell did not offer details on whether they are working with Mexican investigators.

"We've been in contact with family members and have been providing appropriate... assistance," Ventrell said. "At their request, we have no further comment at this time."

Shabazz was born in 1984 to Qubilah Shabazz, one of six daughters of Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz. Qubilah was 4 years old when she saw her father shot to death as he delivered a speech in a Harlem ballroom in 1965.

In June 1997, Malcolm Shabazz, then 12, set a fire at his grandmother Betty Shabazz's home. She died from severe burns, and he served four years in juvenile detention.

He later expressed regret for his actions, telling The New York Times in 2003 that he would sit on his jail cot and ask for a sign of forgiveness from his dead grandmother.

"I just wanted her to know I was sorry and I wanted to know she accepted my apology, that I didn't mean it," he said. "But I would get no response, and I really wanted that response."

Shabazz also served time on a 2002 attempted robbery conviction, and was released in 2005. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief for smashing the window of a Yonkers doughnut shop.

In recent years, Shabazz said he was writing a memoir and traveling the United States to speak out against youth violence. On his Facebook profile, he said he was attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

He proudly embraced his grandfather's legacy, describing himself on his Twitter page as "Grandson, name-sake and first male heir of the greatest revolutionary leader of the 20th century."

____

Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report from Washington.

Last week, regime forces were blamed for killing dozens of civilians in the village of Bayda, also in western Syria. The area is strategically important to President Bashar Assad.

The town of Qusair, close to Lebanon, has been besieged by Syrian troops for several weeks and rebels have lost ground in the area.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Friday "expressed alarm" at a troop buildup near Qusair.

She says last week's mass killing should spur the international community to find a quick solution to Syria's 26-month-old conflict.

Boston transferred Hanrahan from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list Thursday with what the Red Sox said was a strained right forearm. It is the right-hander's second stint on the DL this season. He previously was on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Manager John Farrell said Hanrahan was told he might need surgery.

Farrell said an MRI on Hanrahan's arm appeared to show no structural damage to the ligament that connects bones in the upper and lower arm but that hasn't been ruled out.

"That's where (Friday's) exam will be valuable," Farrell said of Hanrahan's visit to Andrews, a noted orthopedist.

Even if surgery isn't necessary, recovery from the injury should take at least two months, Farrell said.

"Once we got the initial MRI, it seemed that was a possibility," he said. "Not knowing the extent or total number of days, we felt it was still going to require some recovery time. Then, when you factor in the buildup back from that, we felt like this was going to be a couple months total at a minimum."

Hanrahan last pitched Monday night when he allowed a tying homer in the ninth inning to Brian Dozier. The Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 in 11 innings.

In nine games during his first season with Boston, Hanrahan is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA and four saves in six opportunities. The Red Sox acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a December trade after he went 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 36 saves in 40 chances last year.

An NL All-Star each of the past two seasons, Hanrahan is earning $7.04 million this year and can become a free agent after the season.

Andrew Bailey, who became the closer when Hanrahan was on the disabled list from April 14-29, went on the 15-day DL on Monday with a strained right biceps.

Farrell said Junichi Tazawa will take over the closer's role.

The Red Sox also called up Jose De La Torre from Pawtucket and optioned Allen Webster to the Triple-A team in moves involving right-handed pitchers. De La Torre, in the majors for the first time, was acquired from Cleveland last July. He was 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA in 10 relief appearances for Pawtucket this year.

Webster was sent down one day after allowing eight runs in 1 2-3 innings in his second major league start.

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA has proposed the introduction of extra officials in stadiums to watch out for incidents of racism, plus a two-tier system of sanctions for teams whose followers indulge in discriminatory behavior.

The new officials "would identify potential acts of discrimination with the aim of easing the pressure on referees," FIFA in a statement on Monday. They would also help gather evidence for disciplinary committees.

The inaugural meeting of FIFA's anti-racism task force also proposed that first or minor offences be punished with lighter sanctions such as playing a match behind closed doors, a warning or a fine. Serious incidents and re-offenders would be hit with points deductions, expulsion from a competition or relegation.

The proposals will be put to FIFA's Congress in Mauritius at the end of the month.

English referee Howard Webb, one of the panel members, said match officials could not always be aware of what was happening off the field.

"We are very much in the front line, we are the first port of call for the players," Webb told Reuters after the meeting.

"If we become aware of anything from the players or officials which they deem to be racist or discriminatory, then we've got an obligation to respond and referees will do that.

"You are not always aware of what's happening in the stands.

"Bear in mind that what we do as match officials is to shut the crowd out really, because we're trying to concentrate on the game itself, we are trying to focus on our job and not get distracted.

"Therefore....it's not easy to know what's happened."

THREE-STEP PROCEDURE

Webb said the new role should be performed by someone "who has a good understanding of what constitutes a discriminatory act within the stadium, and can therefore guide the match official.

"It could be someone like a venue co-ordinator, (it) could be someone in the stand, who could take the best position to get a feel for what's going on.

"It could be they have to move around the stadium to get a feel for what's happened, but it would take some of the pressure off the match officials."

European soccer's governing body UEFA issued guidelines four years ago outlining a three-step procedure to be followed in case of racist incidents during matches, putting the onus heavily on referees.

It said the referee should first stop the match and ask for announcements to be made over the public address system. The second step would be to suspend the match for a given period of time and, finally, abandon it.

Those rules have not yet been invoked in European club competition and in March UEFA said it would "fully support" referees who enforced them.

"Why that procedure has not been invoked, I don't know," said Webb, adding he had not been involved in a match where he felt it necessary to stop play.

"Maybe (it's) because there's an educational requirement needed for referees to make them aware it does exist.

Webb was involved in an English Premier League match at Swansea City in December during which Norwich City's Sebastien Bassong complained to him about racist abuse from a man in the crowd. The man was arrested and later charged.

"It worked really well on that occasion," Webb said. "It might be that racial gestures in the crowd are brought to the attention of the referee by the players, but it's possible that we wouldn't identify it when we're concentrating on the job that we're there to do."

The task force also includes AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng and AZ Alkmaar's Jozy Altidore, who have both been racially abused at matches this year. However, FIFA said neither took part on Monday due to playing commitments.

Theo Van Seggelen, secretary general of the global players union FIFPro, Marcel Mathier, chairman of FIFA's disciplinary committee and Claudio Sulser, former chairman of FIFA's ethics committee, and Piara Powar, the head of European anti-racism body FARE, are also on the panel. (Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond)

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A lawyer for an Oklahoma oral surgeon accused of using improper sterilization procedures and rusty surgical tools that may have exposed patients to HIV and hepatitis said on Wednesday his client had an impeccable record and provided dedicated care.

The attorney for Dr. Scott Harrington did not address the specific allegations of improper care that have been lodged by state regulators. Instead, Tulsa lawyer James Secrest II issued a statement that defended Harrington's professional history.

"For almost 35 years, Dr. Harrington has provided Oklahomans with dedicated oral surgical care," the statement said. "His previous record with the dental board is impeccable."

It continued: "He is taking the recent allegations very seriously and is fully cooperating with the Oklahoma Dental Board. At this time, out of respect for his patients and the sensitivity of the issues, Dr. Harrington will make no further comment on this matter."

Health authorities are contacting 7,000 of Harrington's patients by mail to recommend they have their blood drawn so it can be screened for hepatitis and HIV.

More than 1,200 patients have been tested since Saturday. Results should be available in about two weeks, health officials said.

In addition to a home in the Tulsa area, property records show that Harrington owns a 2,504-square-foot home in Arizona, tucked into the desert landscape near a posh resort in Carefree, Arizona.

A man who was at that Arizona property on Wednesday was asked by Reuters to respond to the Oklahoma allegations.

"I appreciate the opportunity, but I have no comment at this time," he said. He declined any additional comment, saying, "You are not authorized to be on this property."

Harrington is scheduled to appear April 19 at a hearing of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, which could revoke his license to practice. The board has filed 17 administrative complaints alleging Harrington provided unsafe care that may have exposed his patients to infectious diseases.

Harrington, 64, voluntarily surrendered his license after his offices were visited by investigators, who believe one of Harrington's patients contracted hepatitis at his office.

(Additional reporting by David Schwartz in Arizona; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan, Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

* Fellow American Weekley one off the pace

* Teenager Guan makes his second straight cut (Updates at end of round)

April 26 (Reuters) - While Chinese prodigy Guan Tianlang stunningly made his second consecutive cut on the PGA Tour, American Lucas Glover surged into a one-shot lead in Friday's second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Former U.S. Open champion Glover maintained red-hot form with his putter at the rain-softened TPC Louisiana, firing a five-under-par 67 after teeing off on a relatively calm morning in Avondale, Louisiana.

Seeking his first PGA Tour victory in nearly two years, the 33-year-old rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on his final hole, the par-five 18th, to post a 12-under total of 132.

Fellow American Boo Weekley, who holed out from 105 yards to eagle his opening hole, the par-four 10th, was alone in second after carding a 68 with compatriot D.A. Points a further stroke back, also after a 68.

Four-times major winner Ernie Els was four shots off the pace after shooting a 69 while China's 14-year-old Guan once again caught the attention of the golfing world as he ended the round at three-under 141, right on the cutline.

"I think I played a very good round today," eighth-grade schoolboy Guan, who became the youngest player to make the cut in a major championship at the Masters two week ago, told Golf Channel after mixing five birdies with two bogeys on the way to a 69.

"I made a lot of birdies and got a couple of good up-and-downs, so it was still a pretty good round."

Asked what his goals were for the weekend, Guan replied: "Play my best golf to go further."

Guan's remarkably poised display in front of large galleries at the TPC Louisiana took some of the limelight away from Glover, who was delighted to be in contention for his first PGA Tour title since the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship.

"I am excited," Glover told Golf Channel after taking early control in the second round with eight birdies and three bogeys.

"I haven't been here in a while. I haven't been in this position in a long time so it will be nice to get some rest this afternoon and just keep doing what I am doing."

FAST START

Glover, who clinched his only major title at the 2009 U.S. Open, made a fast start with five birdies in his first seven holes, building on the welcome confidence he had gained with his putter in the opening round.

"It was good," the three-times PGA Tour champion said. "It just kind of piled on from yesterday. I made some (putts) early and got the confidence up.

"I had some hiccups but nothing too bad. It's not easy out there now, it's a little breezy, but it was there for the taking this morning."

Asked how it felt after posting back-to-back low rounds at the TPC Louisiana, Glover replied: "It's just steps. Yesterday was a good step, today was a good step.

"You just keep piling on confidence, trying to do the right things, take advantage when you get a good number and be aggressive when you choose to be.

"So I am just trying to build my confidence right now and make as many birdies as I can when I am able."

British world number four Justin Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field, returned a 69 to sit five strokes off the lead at seven-under, one better than 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who fired a best-of-the-day 65.

Defending champion Jason Dufner, who clinched last year's New Orleans title in a playoff with South African Els, carded a 70 to squeeze through right on the cutline.

Seventy professionals and amateur Guan advanced to the weekend, with former major winners Keegan Bradley, Lee Janzen, Mike Weir and Justin Leonard among those who missed out. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue and Ian Ransom)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Thanks to commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs, men know to seek medical attention for "erections lasting more than four hours," but a new study suggests a blood disorder is the cause of many prolonged erections.

While the condition - formally known as priapism - is rare, researchers report in The Journal of Urology that between 14 percent and 30 percent of cases that show up in U.S. emergency rooms are men with sickle-cell disease.

"I would say what the paper is telling us is that sickle-cell disease is still responsible for the bulk of the visits for priapism," said Dr. Gregory Broderick, professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, who was not involved in the study.

Sickle-cell disease is an inherited disorder that leads to red blood cells containing an abnormal type of hemoglobin. The defective cells frequently take on a sickle- or crescent-shape and can block small blood vessels, which can lead to tissue damage or even stroke.

Especially dangerous for people with the sickle-cell trait is becoming dehydrated, which thickens the blood and can provoke a potentially fatal "sickle-cell crisis."

Other complications of the condition are anemia, jaundice, gallstones, severe leg and arm pain, and spleen, liver and kidney damage.

Previous studies have linked priapism to sickle-cell disease, as well as to illegal drug abuse and use of erectile dysfunction treatments.

To get a better idea of who is most likely to experience priapism, and why, researchers led by the University of Montreal Health Center's Dr. Florian Roghmann analyzed a database of U.S. ER visits between 2006 and 2009.

They found that 32,462 men came to ERs with priapism during that period, which works out to be less than one emergency visit per 100,000 U.S. men. Of those patients, about 13 percent ended up being admitted to the hospital.

The figures were not significantly different from the past, according to the researchers, which suggests the problem is not becoming more common as the population ages.

About half the men were treated at urban teaching hospitals. And about 14 percent of were reported to have sickle-cell disease, but that number was even higher - about 31 percent - among patients younger than 18 years old. About 4 percent of the patients said they had abused drugs.

The study did not assess how many of the men had used erectile dysfunction drugs. Nor could the researchers tell from the data how many of the ER visits were by the same patients.

But the high proportion of patients identified as having sickle-cell disease, according to Broderick, suggests sickle-cell is the main driver of priapism.

"You're really talking about a demographic slice," said Broderick, who has researched priapism but wasn't involved with the new study.

Sickle-cell disease is most common among people of African, especially West African, descent.

The condition is not thought to cause priapism directly by clogging blood vessels with damaged cells. Rather, it's believed that when the defective red blood cells break, their contents in the bloodstream interfere with signaling from the brain that regulates blood flow and tissue responses, according to Broderick.

The study team also found that priapism is more common during the summer months and in warmer climates. Broderick said that may be due to dehydration among people with sickle-cell disease.

But he cautioned that the new study cannot say for certain what caused priapism in these patients. So the researchers can't rule out other explanations.

Regardless of the cause, Broderick told Reuters Health that the condition can lead to serious long-term complications if it's not treated quickly.

"It's a time-dependant emergency. The more time they've had the ischemic or erect penis, the more likely they're going to have erectile dysfunction," he said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/ZQU1Kp The Journal of Urology, online April 10, 2013.