PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Many women awaiting in-vitro fertilization (IVF) would prefer to have a child with cerebral palsy or other birth defects rather than have no child at all, according to a study presented here.

AMSTERDAM ? Two-year data from the extension of a major trial of Orencia (abatacept) suggest that the agent continued to prevent the advance of structural damage in rheumatoid arthritis, researchers reported here.

ATLANTA - Six unrelated clusters of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection involving 44 people in three states have been linked to 13 unlicensed street-corner tattoo artists.

GALVESTON, Tex. - Whether a man with prostate cancer is treated with androgen deprivation may depend more on his choice of urologist than on the nature of his tumor or his age, researchers here suggested.

LOS ANGELES - The alkylating chemotherapy agent Cytoxan (cylcophosphamide) can produce small but significant improvements in lung function in patients with scleroderma, but its toxicities must be weighed against its potential benefits.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic ? Rapid cryopreservation of human eggs may have a future in substantially extending the practical limits on women's fertility, according to early Japanese clinical research reported here.

BURLINGTON, Vt. - A tart cherry juice blend drunk before and after bouts of strenuous exercise appears to ease the pain of sore muscles, according to a small crossover study.

SALT LAKE CITY - Americans aren't having nightmares-or dreams of any kind-that replay the 9/11 attack on New York, according to sleep researchers.

SAN FRANCISCO ? Women in their Medicare years may claim to have regular screening mammograms but many aren't as good as their word, a study has found.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - If the U.S. states with loose seat belt laws tightened them, the disparity in seat belt use between blacks and whites might be eliminated, researchers here said.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - Women with a newly discovered genetic mutation have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, perhaps more than one primary, researchers have reported.

SEATTLE - Sudden cardiac arrest was fatal in eight of nine college athletes who had witnessed events, despite the rapid efforts of athletic trainers, EMS personnel, and the ready availability of automated external defibrillators.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Better scrutiny of lymph nodes in colorectal cancer patients could help to more accurately identify those who need adjuvant chemotherapy and those who don't.

MIAMI - When African-American and Hispanic blacks are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, it's more often at an advanced stage than when it is diagnosed in whites, researchers here have found.

SEATTLE - In a pair of chest-to-chest trials, an automated compression device came up the winner in one but traditional manual CPR did better in the other.

CHICAGO - Is is not proper for clinicians to use placebo therapy in everyday practice without telling patients first, according to the American Medical Association's ethics council.

ROCKVILLE, Md. ? The FDA said today that 580 automatic external defibrillators, a model known as AED20, are being voluntarily recalled by MRL, a division of Welch Allyn, because of a malfunction that could result in failure to resuscitate patients.

STANFORD, Calif. ? Herbal remedies are fast approaching hormone therapy as the most-favored treatment by women suffering from menopause symptoms, researchers here said.

CHICAGO - The American Medical Associations wants the FDA to make industry hold off on direct-to-consumer ads for new agents or implantable devices until physicians are brought up to speed.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - A simple but reliable way to distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy is to look at the patient's eyes, researchers here reported.