ATLANTA -- Invasive infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be more common than suspected, according to the first nationwide surveillance estimates.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA said today it has received 30 reports of acute pancreatitis in patients taking exenatide (Byetta) for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

BOSTON -- Knee buckling, the sudden loss of postural support across the knee during weight-bearing activity such as climbing stairs, affects more than one in 10 adults, and may lead to falls, investigators here determined.

PHILADELPHIA -- Colonoscopy patients can be stimulated to show up for their appointments by an Internet-based educational program, investigators reported here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Apparent treatment-resistant gastroesophageal reflux disease may reflect comorbid psychological distress that results in more severe symptoms, results of a study reported here suggest.

CHICAGO -- A substantial proportion of patients may not be able to name the medications they take, which could affect both inpatient and outpatient care, researchers here found.

STANFORD, Calif. -- A way to predict the development of Alzheimer's disease years before its clinical onset has been described by investigators here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Fractures of Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads have triggered a voluntary move by Medtronic to stop selling them, a decision that was promptly endorsed by the FDA.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Patients taking an extended-release epilepsy drug, lamotrigine XR (Lamictal), once daily as adjunctive therapy nearly halved their partial seizures compared with those given a placebo, according to investigators here.

Cancer death rates fell by about 2.1% per year from 2002 to 2004, compared with a 1.1% per year decline from 1993 though 2002, according to annual report to the nation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the North american Association of Central Cancer Registries.

BALTIMORE -- A noninvasive scan of the retinal nerve fiber layer may offer clues to the progression of multiple sclerosis, investigators here reported.

COPENHAGEN -- Prostate cancer has fracture risks of its own, over and above those of androgen-suppression therapy for the disease, investigators here reported.

NEW YORK -- Global abortion numbers have fallen slightly -- from 46 million in 1995 to 42 million in 2003 -- according to researchers here and in Geneva.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- A multiple sclerosis patient who has close relatives with the disease is likely to suffer more severely than one without a family history, results of a brain imaging study show.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 12 -- Exposure to hazardous fumes and aerosolized heavy metals may put welders at risk of losing olfactory abilities, researchers here said.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Retinal specialists who use Genentech's bevacizumab (Avastin) off-label, instead of ranibizumab (Lucentis), to treat macular degeneration will soon find that their sources for the drug have dried up.

Nearly three-quarters of the respondents to a MedPage Today poll supported action by the FDA to formalize a behind-the-counter drug dispensing category.

BOSTON -- As former smokers age, those who take statins may benefit from a slow-down in the decline of their lung function, according to researchers here.

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain unveiled a health plan today that focuses more sharply on reducing costs than providing coverage for the uninsured.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- An FDA advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend approval of a zotarolimus-eluting coronary stent made by Medtronic.