BOSTON -- Exercise in the six weeks before a hip or knee replacement led to significant improvements in preoperative muscle strength and a 73% lower-risk of needing care at a rehab facility after arthroplasty.

TORONTO -- Patients with disabling osteoarthritis who consider a knee or hip replacement to be a realistic option are more likely to become a recipient of one than those who are of two minds, Canadian researchers said.

BOSTON -- Women who exercised four or more hours a week for years were 40% less likely to have a live birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a study of more than 2,200 patients.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Even with appropriate antibiotics, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections relapse about 25% of the time, researchers reported here. And for MRSA-related osteomyelitis, there is a 46% relapse rate.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A porcine wrinkle has emerged in the struggle against community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in The Netherlands, researchers recounted here.

WASHINGTON -- The Heart Rhythm Society said today that the FDA should tighten up post-market surveillance of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). It would also ditch the word "recall" as not sufficiently specific.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved Vectibix (panitumumab), a monoclonal antibody that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Twelve of every 1,000 high school football players who played last year were injured during a game. So were 5.21 of every 1,000 girls during game-day soccer.

BOSTON -- When a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome comes to mind, consider migraine, fibromyalgia, and depression as well.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reduced antibiotic usage in the United Kingdom appears to have halted resistance for respiratory pathogens, researchers reported here. However, Escherichia coli resistance tripled.

LODZ, Poland -- In open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass polypropylene mesh used to hold the incision closed prevents hernias despite extreme obesity, researchers here reported.

LONDON -- There are so many ways to look at a woman, including the ratio of the length of her index and ring fingers. It's a way to spot a good female athlete, say British researchers.

HOUSTON -- Children with acute bacterial infections of skeletal muscle caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are showing up with increasing frequency in pediatric clinics and hospitals, researchers here reported.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A fracture risk score for osteoporotic women may help clinicians decide how to proceed when multiple-site bone mineral density measurements disagree, researchers said.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Early signs of Alzheimer's disease may show up in subtle changes in the diffusion of water in key brain structures, as revealed by MRI, researchers here suggested.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has alerted physicians to a new label warning for the anti-angiogenic colorectal-cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) that cites rare cases of a reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Many patients haven't a clue about the meaning of the dietary information in food labels, researchers here reported.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Diabetes is a strong predictor of acute organ failure and early death for obese or non-obese patients alike, eclipsing even obesity without diabetes, researchers here reported.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Smokers whose preferred puff is menthol-flavored may find it harder to quit, and the cool-tasting cigarettes are just as bad for the arteries and lungs as non-menthol brands, but no worse, found a long-running cohort story here.

LOS ANGELES -- Physicians prescribe medications all too often without clear instructions about how to use them and what to watch out for, according to an observational study.