The number of HIV/AIDS cases among men who have sex with men has increased eightfold during the past few years in areas of China, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature, Reuters reports. The study also found that the proportion of women in their reproductive years who are HIV-positive has doubled during the past 10 years. According to researchers, this indicates that HIV/AIDS is moving from high-risk groups to the general population.
The study said that there were about 700,000 HIV/AIDS cases in China as of October 2007 -- an 8% increase compared with 2006. Researchers focused the study on China's Yunnan province, which borders Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam and has a history of opium and heroin trade. HIV/AIDS cases also have been concentrated among injection drug users in Yunnan, according to Reuters. The researchers examined 3.2 million blood samples taken between 1989 and 2006 in Yunnan.
According to the study, about 37.5% of cases in 2006 were transmitted through heterosexual contact. HIV/AIDS cases among MSM increased from 0.4% in 2005 to 3.3% in 2007, according to the study. The study showed that women now comprise 35% of HIV/AIDS cases in Yunnan, compared with 7.1% in 1996. According to the researchers, the fact that 90% of women living with HIV are of child-bearing age makes it "likely to translate into more vertical transmission from mother to child."
Cases involving IDUs decreased to 40% in 2006 from 100% in 1989. "HIV/AIDS is spreading beyond the high-risk populations, largely due to increased transmission through sexual contact," researcher Zhang Linqi, director of the AIDS Research Center in Beijing, said, adding, "It implies that HIV/AIDS is not only a disease that affects high-risk populations but the general population alike."
Zhang said that the changing demography of people living with HIV "makes treatment and vaccine development even more challenging" because there are different strains of the virus circulating in the region. He added that prevention strategies that have been proven successful should be increased (Tan, Reuters, 10/1).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation.? All rights reserved.
вторник, 5 июня 2012 г.
вторник, 29 мая 2012 г.
Gene Discovery That Affects Breast Cancer Treatment, UK
Medical scientists at the University of Leicester will be reporting on a potentially unique advance in breast cancer research at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham on Monday 1st October.
Dr Paul Symonds and his research team based at the University and at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, UK, have identified two genes associated with adverse reaction to cancer treatment.
The research could mean people who might react badly to radiotherapy could be warned in advance or alternative treatments be sought. There is no test at present for an abnormal reaction to radiotherapy. No-one in the past has proposed such a test.
The team who carried out the study included Drs Paul Symonds, Mark Plumb, Irene Peat and George Giotopoulos of the Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester. Their results have been published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Dr Symonds said: "Radiotherapy is a very important treatment for breast cancer. A small number of people can develop severe side effects."
"During treatment patients can get redness of the skin which may peel off. Later the breast may shrink (atrophy) and the tissues under the skin may become hard and thickened (fibrosis). Red widened blood vessels can appear in the skin (telangiectasia)."
After examining patients at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the City Hospital Nottingham, the team at the University of Leicester, funded in part by Hope Against Cancer (formerly the Hope Foundation for Cancer Research), has found 2 separate genes strongly associated with either thickening of tissue or red widened blood vessels.
Dr Symonds explained: "About 8% of women carry the fibrosis gene and have 15 times the risk of developing thickening of the tissues which is often associated with lifelong chronic pain.
"The genes we have identified at present have a predictive value of 50-60% for the development of marked fibrosis with breast pain. If we could identify the acute genes that lead to marked redness and peeling of the skin, this could increase the predictive value of the test to almost 100%."
Dr Symonds said further work needs to be done as the researchers have not found the genes responsible for redness and peeling of the skin during treatment.
"In the future it may be possible to identify people who are going to react badly to radiotherapy. Such patients should only receive radiation treatment if there is no alternative and be warned of an increased risk of fibrosis," he said.
The NCRI Cancer Conference takes place between 30th September and 3rd October at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Further information can be found on: - ncri/ncriconference/
About the NCRI Cancer Conference
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference is the UK's premier forum for disseminating advances across all aspects of cancer research.
AstraZeneca is the gold sponsor for the NCRI Cancer Conference 2007.
About the NCRI
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) was established in April 2001. It is a partnership between government, the voluntary sector and the private sector, with the primary mission of maximising patient benefit that accrues from cancer research in the UK through coordination of effort and joint planning towards an integrated national strategy for cancer research. ncri
The NCRI consists of: The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI); The Association for International Cancer Research; The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Breakthrough Breast Cancer; Breast Cancer Campaign; Cancer Research UK; Department of Health; Economic and Social Research Council; Leukaemia Research Fund; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Macmillan Cancer Support; Marie Curie Cancer Care; The Medical Research Council; Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Research & Development Office; Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation; Scottish Executive Health Department; Tenovus; Wales Office of Research and Development for Health & Social Care; Wellcome Trust; and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
University of Leicester
- A member of the 1994 Group of universities that share a commitment to research excellence, high quality teaching and an outstanding student experience.
- Ranked top for student satisfaction in England (jointly with Oxford) among mainstream universities (average score of 4.4 out of 5 for overall satisfaction)
- Ranked as a Top 20 university by The Sunday Times University Guide, The Guardian University Guide and the UK Good University Guide
- One of just 23 UK universities to feature in world's top 200- Shanghai Jiao Tong International Index, 2005-07.
- Short listed University of the Year in 2007 by The Sunday Times and Short listed Higher Education Institution of the Year - THES awards 2005 and 2006
- Students' Union of the Year award 2005, short listed 2006
Founded in 1921, the University of Leicester has 19,000 students from 136 countries. Teaching in 18 subject areas has been graded Excellent by the Quality Assurance Agency- including 14 successive scores - a consistent run of success matched by just one other UK University. Leicester is world renowned for the invention of DNA Fingerprinting by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys and houses Europe's biggest academic Space Research Centre. 90% of staff are actively engaged in high quality research and 13 subject areas have been awarded the highest rating of 5* and 5 for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level. The University's research grant income places it among the top 20 UK research universities. The University employs over 3,000 people, has an annual turnover of ??184m, covers an estate of 94 hectares and is engaged in a ??300m investment programme- among the biggest of any UK university.
le.ac/
Dr Paul Symonds and his research team based at the University and at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, UK, have identified two genes associated with adverse reaction to cancer treatment.
The research could mean people who might react badly to radiotherapy could be warned in advance or alternative treatments be sought. There is no test at present for an abnormal reaction to radiotherapy. No-one in the past has proposed such a test.
The team who carried out the study included Drs Paul Symonds, Mark Plumb, Irene Peat and George Giotopoulos of the Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester. Their results have been published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Dr Symonds said: "Radiotherapy is a very important treatment for breast cancer. A small number of people can develop severe side effects."
"During treatment patients can get redness of the skin which may peel off. Later the breast may shrink (atrophy) and the tissues under the skin may become hard and thickened (fibrosis). Red widened blood vessels can appear in the skin (telangiectasia)."
After examining patients at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the City Hospital Nottingham, the team at the University of Leicester, funded in part by Hope Against Cancer (formerly the Hope Foundation for Cancer Research), has found 2 separate genes strongly associated with either thickening of tissue or red widened blood vessels.
Dr Symonds explained: "About 8% of women carry the fibrosis gene and have 15 times the risk of developing thickening of the tissues which is often associated with lifelong chronic pain.
"The genes we have identified at present have a predictive value of 50-60% for the development of marked fibrosis with breast pain. If we could identify the acute genes that lead to marked redness and peeling of the skin, this could increase the predictive value of the test to almost 100%."
Dr Symonds said further work needs to be done as the researchers have not found the genes responsible for redness and peeling of the skin during treatment.
"In the future it may be possible to identify people who are going to react badly to radiotherapy. Such patients should only receive radiation treatment if there is no alternative and be warned of an increased risk of fibrosis," he said.
The NCRI Cancer Conference takes place between 30th September and 3rd October at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Further information can be found on: - ncri/ncriconference/
About the NCRI Cancer Conference
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference is the UK's premier forum for disseminating advances across all aspects of cancer research.
AstraZeneca is the gold sponsor for the NCRI Cancer Conference 2007.
About the NCRI
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) was established in April 2001. It is a partnership between government, the voluntary sector and the private sector, with the primary mission of maximising patient benefit that accrues from cancer research in the UK through coordination of effort and joint planning towards an integrated national strategy for cancer research. ncri
The NCRI consists of: The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI); The Association for International Cancer Research; The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Breakthrough Breast Cancer; Breast Cancer Campaign; Cancer Research UK; Department of Health; Economic and Social Research Council; Leukaemia Research Fund; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Macmillan Cancer Support; Marie Curie Cancer Care; The Medical Research Council; Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Research & Development Office; Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation; Scottish Executive Health Department; Tenovus; Wales Office of Research and Development for Health & Social Care; Wellcome Trust; and Yorkshire Cancer Research.
University of Leicester
- A member of the 1994 Group of universities that share a commitment to research excellence, high quality teaching and an outstanding student experience.
- Ranked top for student satisfaction in England (jointly with Oxford) among mainstream universities (average score of 4.4 out of 5 for overall satisfaction)
- Ranked as a Top 20 university by The Sunday Times University Guide, The Guardian University Guide and the UK Good University Guide
- One of just 23 UK universities to feature in world's top 200- Shanghai Jiao Tong International Index, 2005-07.
- Short listed University of the Year in 2007 by The Sunday Times and Short listed Higher Education Institution of the Year - THES awards 2005 and 2006
- Students' Union of the Year award 2005, short listed 2006
Founded in 1921, the University of Leicester has 19,000 students from 136 countries. Teaching in 18 subject areas has been graded Excellent by the Quality Assurance Agency- including 14 successive scores - a consistent run of success matched by just one other UK University. Leicester is world renowned for the invention of DNA Fingerprinting by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys and houses Europe's biggest academic Space Research Centre. 90% of staff are actively engaged in high quality research and 13 subject areas have been awarded the highest rating of 5* and 5 for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level. The University's research grant income places it among the top 20 UK research universities. The University employs over 3,000 people, has an annual turnover of ??184m, covers an estate of 94 hectares and is engaged in a ??300m investment programme- among the biggest of any UK university.
le.ac/
вторник, 22 мая 2012 г.
Researchers Report New Hope For Menopause Symptoms
An innovative, hormone-free therapy has been found to be effective for the treatment of hot flashes, according to an article published in the May 2007 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Medical Hypotheses. This is good news for millions of women whose quality of life can be wrecked by these sudden feelings of intense heat, often accompanied by heavy perspiration, dizziness and sleep deprivation.
"Stellate ganglion blocks (SGB), injections of local anesthetic into nerve tissue located in the neck, have been extensively and safely used since 1940 to treat severe pain. We've now shown this treatment also offers remarkable relief from hot flashes that can result from menopause or cancer treatment," says board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management expert Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., Medical Director of the Chicago area-based Advanced Pain Centers (painmngt), who headed the research team.
"We hypothesize that the stellate ganglion block provides relief from hot flashes by allowing the body temperature control and perception to reset and function normally. By injecting an anesthetic (the same as used in an epidural during childbirth) into the right-side C6 ganglion in the neck, we are resetting the thermoregulating signals of the hypothalamus and the insular cortex in the brain, thus reducing, and possibly eliminating, hot flashes," said Dr. Lipov (see fig 1). "Nineteen out of twenty patients had at least an 80 percent decrease in hot flashes for a period of two weeks to a year, following SGB. Additionally, some of my patients have reported that not only have their hot flashes and insomnia been totally relieved or substantially reduced, they have also reported a restoration of sexual arousal and function ." The youngest patient successfully treated was 36, and the oldest was 69.
"SGB is a welcome treatment for women facing debilitating hot flashes," notes Dr. Linda Holt, Associate Professor, clinical obstetrics and gynecology, Northwestern University
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), hot flashes are experienced by about 75% percent of women during menopause, and can also occur in pre-menopausal women who have had surgeries or medical conditions that result in the cessation of menstruation. Hot flashes can last years, cause sleep disturbances as well as extreme physical discomfort, and severely impact quality of life. The only proven relief in the past has been hormone replacement therapy ???" not an option for breast cancer survivors and women concerned about possible long term health risks. Many of the drug alternatives to HRT for treating hot flashes have not proven to be very effective, and moreover, carry risks of unwanted side effects such as weight gain, drowsiness, sexual dysfunction and even suicide.
Dr. Lipov is currently undertaking an Institutional Review Board (IRB) clinical study collecting and quantifying the effectiveness and duration of the block on breast cancer survivors.
Bianca Kennedy is one of the women who found dramatic relief from hot flashes, thanks to SGB. A breast cancer survivor, she suffered over 25 episodes of hot flashes a day, turning red and sweating uncontrollably. In fact, her hot flashes were so debilitating that she decided to have six months of chemotherapy rather than take tamoxifen to treat her breast cancer, because tamoxifen is known to trigger hot flashes or make them worse. "My quality of life with the hot flashes was practically nonexistent," Bianca, now 41, recalls.
Her first stellate ganglion block injection relieved her of hot flashes for a month. The second treatment lasted three months, and the third, her last, has kept her hot flash-free for the past 18 months. "I can honestly say these treatments have been life changing," she says. "I'm anxious to spread the word to other women so they don't have to suffer with hot flashes any more."
RealTime Communications
5 Sunridge Ln.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
United States
realtime
"Stellate ganglion blocks (SGB), injections of local anesthetic into nerve tissue located in the neck, have been extensively and safely used since 1940 to treat severe pain. We've now shown this treatment also offers remarkable relief from hot flashes that can result from menopause or cancer treatment," says board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management expert Eugene G. Lipov, M.D., Medical Director of the Chicago area-based Advanced Pain Centers (painmngt), who headed the research team.
"We hypothesize that the stellate ganglion block provides relief from hot flashes by allowing the body temperature control and perception to reset and function normally. By injecting an anesthetic (the same as used in an epidural during childbirth) into the right-side C6 ganglion in the neck, we are resetting the thermoregulating signals of the hypothalamus and the insular cortex in the brain, thus reducing, and possibly eliminating, hot flashes," said Dr. Lipov (see fig 1). "Nineteen out of twenty patients had at least an 80 percent decrease in hot flashes for a period of two weeks to a year, following SGB. Additionally, some of my patients have reported that not only have their hot flashes and insomnia been totally relieved or substantially reduced, they have also reported a restoration of sexual arousal and function ." The youngest patient successfully treated was 36, and the oldest was 69.
"SGB is a welcome treatment for women facing debilitating hot flashes," notes Dr. Linda Holt, Associate Professor, clinical obstetrics and gynecology, Northwestern University
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), hot flashes are experienced by about 75% percent of women during menopause, and can also occur in pre-menopausal women who have had surgeries or medical conditions that result in the cessation of menstruation. Hot flashes can last years, cause sleep disturbances as well as extreme physical discomfort, and severely impact quality of life. The only proven relief in the past has been hormone replacement therapy ???" not an option for breast cancer survivors and women concerned about possible long term health risks. Many of the drug alternatives to HRT for treating hot flashes have not proven to be very effective, and moreover, carry risks of unwanted side effects such as weight gain, drowsiness, sexual dysfunction and even suicide.
Dr. Lipov is currently undertaking an Institutional Review Board (IRB) clinical study collecting and quantifying the effectiveness and duration of the block on breast cancer survivors.
Bianca Kennedy is one of the women who found dramatic relief from hot flashes, thanks to SGB. A breast cancer survivor, she suffered over 25 episodes of hot flashes a day, turning red and sweating uncontrollably. In fact, her hot flashes were so debilitating that she decided to have six months of chemotherapy rather than take tamoxifen to treat her breast cancer, because tamoxifen is known to trigger hot flashes or make them worse. "My quality of life with the hot flashes was practically nonexistent," Bianca, now 41, recalls.
Her first stellate ganglion block injection relieved her of hot flashes for a month. The second treatment lasted three months, and the third, her last, has kept her hot flash-free for the past 18 months. "I can honestly say these treatments have been life changing," she says. "I'm anxious to spread the word to other women so they don't have to suffer with hot flashes any more."
RealTime Communications
5 Sunridge Ln.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
United States
realtime
вторник, 15 мая 2012 г.
Removal Of Ovaries, Fallopian Tubes Reduces Chance Of Cancer In High-Risk Groups, Study Finds
Women with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations who undergo surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes reduce their risk of ovarian or fallopian cancer by 80% and their risk of breast cancer by 50%, according to a study from University of Pennsylvania researchers, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Reuters reports. Researchers analyzed data from 10 previously published studies on women with BRCA mutations who underwent surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, known as a salpingo-oophorectomy. The study found that while the surgery greatly reduced the risk of developing cancers of the removed organs, it did not eliminate the risk entirely, possibly because small remnants of tissue had been left behind.
Timothy Rebbeck, one of the study's authors, said, "It only takes a few cells to result in an ovarian cancer." He added that although an 80% decrease "is a huge amount of risk reduction, it's still not 100%." According to Rebbeck, earlier studies had suggested that the surgery reduced the risk of ovarian and fallopian cancers by 95% to 100% (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 1/13).
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the analysis highlights the fact that ovarian cancer detection and prevention strategies have not improved in the 14 years since testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 became available. There is no early detection method for ovarian cancer, and no preventive drug has been approved. "You need to have your ovaries out," Rebbeck said. According to the Inquirer, expert guidelines recommend that women with strong hereditary predispositions have the surgery by age 35, or as soon as they finish having children. Other studies have suggested that as many as 10% of women who have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed already have microscopic amounts of cancer, which can become malignant after the surgery. "That's very discouraging because it suggests the window for prevention is short," Rebbeck said, adding, "The timing of surgery is still a huge question" (McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/14).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
Timothy Rebbeck, one of the study's authors, said, "It only takes a few cells to result in an ovarian cancer." He added that although an 80% decrease "is a huge amount of risk reduction, it's still not 100%." According to Rebbeck, earlier studies had suggested that the surgery reduced the risk of ovarian and fallopian cancers by 95% to 100% (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 1/13).
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the analysis highlights the fact that ovarian cancer detection and prevention strategies have not improved in the 14 years since testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 became available. There is no early detection method for ovarian cancer, and no preventive drug has been approved. "You need to have your ovaries out," Rebbeck said. According to the Inquirer, expert guidelines recommend that women with strong hereditary predispositions have the surgery by age 35, or as soon as they finish having children. Other studies have suggested that as many as 10% of women who have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed already have microscopic amounts of cancer, which can become malignant after the surgery. "That's very discouraging because it suggests the window for prevention is short," Rebbeck said, adding, "The timing of surgery is still a huge question" (McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/14).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
вторник, 8 мая 2012 г.
Number Of Abortions In England, Wales Increases 4% In 2006, Figures Show
The number of abortions reported in England and Wales in 2006 increased 4% from 186,400 in 2005 to 193,700 last year, according to figures released Tuesday by the United Kingdom's Department of Health, London's Guardian reports (Ward, Guardian, 6/20). The figures show the overall rate of abortion is 18.3 abortions per 1,000 women and girls ages 15 to 44 living in England and Wales, compared with 17.8 abortions per 1,000 women and girls in 2005 for the same age group. About 89% of the procedures were performed before 13 weeks' gestation and 68% were performed under 10 weeks' gestation, according to the figures (Moynihan, Press Association, 6/19)
The abortion rate was highest among women age 19 at 35 per 1,000. According to the figures, there were 3.9 abortions per 1,000 girls under age 16 and 18.3 per 1,000 girls under age 18, London's Times reports (Hinds, Times, 6/19). The figures also showed that 32% of women who had an abortion had already had at least one previous abortion -- a percentage that remains unchanged from 2005 despite the government allocating 40 million pounds, or about $79.4 million, for contraception education, London's Telegraph reports (Davies, Telegraph, 6/20).
The abortion rate was highest among women age 19 at 35 per 1,000. According to the figures, there were 3.9 abortions per 1,000 girls under age 16 and 18.3 per 1,000 girls under age 18, London's Times reports (Hinds, Times, 6/19). The figures also showed that 32% of women who had an abortion had already had at least one previous abortion -- a percentage that remains unchanged from 2005 despite the government allocating 40 million pounds, or about $79.4 million, for contraception education, London's Telegraph reports (Davies, Telegraph, 6/20).
Reaction
Health Minister Caroline Flint said, "We welcome the fact that a higher percentage of abortions are taking place at an early stage." She added, "It is important that women have early access to abortion services as the earlier the abortion, the lower the risk of complications. However, the [National Health Service] needs to work harder to reduce the demand for abortions by improving access to contraception" (BBC News, 6/19). Abortion-rights groups are calling for increased spending on contraceptive services to prevent unintended pregnancy, noting that the average amount spent on contraception per woman in England is 11 pounds, or about $22, the Guardian reports (Guardian, 6/20). Contraceptive services are "in crisis," Anne Weyman, CEO of the Family Planning Service, said, adding, "Services are being cut and clinics are closing up and down the country."
Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said, "Without positive support, an abortion can seem unavoidable - but may be bitterly regretted later on," adding, "The government's approach of promoting early abortion is increasing the overall number of abortions" (BBC News, 6/19). Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which provides contraception and abortion services, said, "A rise in the number of abortions is not the problem in itself; the real problem is the number of women experiencing unintended pregnancy." Furedi added, "For some of these, abortion will be the solution to the very serious problem of being faced with an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy" (Press Association, 6/19).
According to the Telegraph, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has called for a review of sex education to help address the issue. The British Medical Association next week is scheduled to vote on a proposal to relax abortion laws by eliminating language that requires women who are less than 13 weeks' pregnant to have the signature of two doctors before undergoing a procedure (Telegraph, 6/20). The proposal also would allow a wider range of medical professionals to perform an abortion (Guardian, 6/20).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 1 мая 2012 г.
Blogs Comment On Kagan Confirmation Hearings, International Women's Health, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.
~ "Kagan Hearing Day One: The Battle To Define 'Judicial Activism,'" Ian Millhiser, Think Progress' "The Wonk Room": The word "activism" seemed to "dominate" the opening statements of Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans at Elena Kagan's confirmation hearing on Monday, Millhiser writes. According to Millhiser, "Conservative senators figured out a long time ago that if they label anyone to the left of [Supreme Court Justice] Samuel Alito a 'judicial activist' then their more progressive colleagues will put their tail between their legs and cower," but "this tactic backfired" on Monday. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) "warned that Kagan may try to 'change' the law's meaning after she becomes a judge," while Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) "suggested that Kagan would 'abandon impartiality and instead engage in results-oriented judging,'" Millhiser notes. He continues, "These warnings ... were largely empty" because the "attacks boiled down to nothing more than insinuations that there must be something wrong with ... Kagan because she once heaped praise on her former boss, Justice Thurgood Marshall" (Millhiser, "The Wonk Room," Think Progress, 6/28).
~ "Promising Steps Toward International Women's Health," Cecile Richards, Huffington Post blogs: During the G8's annual summit in Muskoka, Ontario, world leaders "[f]or the first time ... elevated the importance of women and girls on the world stage by making maternal and child health the flagship commitment of its development agenda," Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, writes. The "new commitment to women and children rightly aims to broadly address these health needs and includes family planning among the essential health interventions for women," Richards continues. However, the commitment has "many more steps to go," as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has "repeatedly asserted that these maternal health efforts would not include abortion," Richards writes, adding that "no effective maternal health improvements can occur without comprehensive reproductive health care, including access to safe and legal abortions." She continues, "If we are to do all we can to save women's lives, access to safe abortion must be an essential component of any comprehensive maternal health initiative" (Richards, Huffington Post, 6/28).
~ "Pro-Choice Group Files Suit Challenging Nebraska Law," Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check: On Monday, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit against a Nebraska law (LB 594) that "would force women to undergo [an] extensive mental health assessment prior to obtaining an abortion before 20 weeks based on spurious 'evidence,'" Jacobson writes. According to Planned Parenthood, the law -- which is scheduled to take effect July 15 -- "purports to ensure that women are 'informed' before consenting to an abortion, but actually imposes requirements that are both impossible to meet and require physicians to flood their patients with false and misleading information." Jacobson writes that the suit argues that "doctors would have no way of knowing if they are in 'compliance' with the [law], because the broad scope of LB 594 not only requires the disclosure of false, inaccurate and potentially harmful information to patients seeking medical care, but also makes compliance impossible" (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 6/28).
~ "'No to Violence Against Women' Summit Points to Economics," Marcia Yerman, Huffington Post blogs: The agenda of the recent "No to Violence Against Women" conference in New York City included "an exploration of strategies that could lead to 'transformative change,'" including "the link between women's need to be safe from violence and economic self-sufficiency," Yerman, co-founder of cultureID, writes. According to Yerman, "Building security for women creates a foundation of building blocks that yields strong civil societies -- both in developing nations and those countries that are struggling to recover from the ravages of conflict and war." She adds, "In order for women to be active in the workforce, they must be protected by laws and have access to health care and education." Yerman argues that "[c]hange must take place at two levels. First, it must be put into play by governments, their legal systems and the global adaptation of the International Violence Against Women Act." In addition, non-governmental organizations "need to implement transformation through a grassroots, on the ground approach," she writes (Yerman, Huffington Post blogs, 6/26).
~ "On First Day of Hearing, Special Report Pushes Kagan Myths," Media Matters for America: The Media Matters post refutes statements from Fox News' "Special Report" about the first day of Kagan's confirmation hearings. The post clarifies misinformation in the segment about Kagan's past positions on campus military recruiting, former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak and her courtroom experience. For example, although "Special Report" host Bret Baier suggested that Kagan lacks courtroom experience, she has made six oral arguments before the Supreme Court and signed more than 170 legal briefs in her time as solicitor general. Furthermore, "Kagan's legal experience is comparable to that of [Justices William] Rehnquist, [Clarence] Thomas and [John] Roberts at the time of their nominations," the post notes (Media Matters for America, 6/28).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.
вторник, 24 апреля 2012 г.
Planned Parenthood Advocates For Birth Control Coverage As Part Of Preventive Services
Planned Parenthood has launched a "quiet" campaign urging policymakers to include birth control in the preventive services that health plans must cover under the federal health care reform law (PL 111-148), Politico reports.
Starting Sept. 23 -- six months after the law's passage -- many health plans will be required to cover certain preventive services without charging policyholders copayments or out-of-pocket costs. An amendment by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) states that "additional preventive care and screenings" specific to women's health must be included in the coverage. Rachel MacKnight, a spokesperson for Mikulski, said the senator's "intention was to have preventive services provided for women at no additional cost, no deductibles." She added, "From [Mikulski's] perspective, that includes everything from heart disease screening and diabetes screening to mammograms to birth control."
The Health Resources and Services Administration is tasked with creating "comprehensive guidelines" on which women's health services will be included. HRSA Communications Director Martin Kramer said the agency has "six months from passage to come up with that, and it's still being worked on." HHS spokesperson Jessica Santillo said the department "is working through a deliberative process to develop the guidelines as called for in the statute."
Laurie Rubiner, vice president of public policy for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the group "see[s] this as a tremendous opportunity to get no-cost birth control in the bill and ensure that this part of women's health is covered under preventive health."
According to the Guttmacher Institute, about 90% of employer-based health insurance plans cover prescription birth control. Copays for contraceptives can range from $10 to $50 monthly, depending on the brand and type, according to PPFA. "We still have one of the highest abortion rates of developed countries," Rubiner said, adding, "One of the single biggest reasons is that contraception is still financially out of reach for many women."
Planned Parenthood's campaign includes a new website featuring the slogan, "The Pill is Personal." On the site, birth control users are encouraged to share personal stories about how the pill has affected their lives and the lives of people they know. According to Politico, PPFA will use the stories to illustrate the importance of birth control coverage. Rubiner said, "This needs to be based on science and medical evidence, but ... it is also really important to hear the stories of how women view birth control, the health impact and the affordability issue."
Other reproductive health groups are also focused on this issue. Laura MacCleery, director of governmental relations for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "We're actively pursuing what we think falls within the appropriate boundaries of the coverage of this amendment."
Several religious groups opposed to contraception are campaigning against birth control coverage, Politico reports. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities Richard Doerflinger said, "Congressional debate on the need to cover 'preventive services' in health care reform centered on services needed to prevent life-threatening diseases like breast cancer, not on a need to prevent the birth of new recipients of health care." He added, "Requiring contraception and sterilization in all private health plans would be an enormous imposition on the consciences of religious organizations and others who now have the right to purchase a health plan in accord with their moral and religious values" (Kliff, Politico, 6/1).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.
вторник, 17 апреля 2012 г.
Why Are African American Women More Likely Than Whites To Die From Breast Cancer?
Why are African American women 1.5 to 2.2 times more likely than white women to die from breast cancer, despite their lower incidence of the disease? Is it solely because they have less access to medical care? Maybe not, according to a new analysis that will appear in an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Surgery. In a paper now available online, researchers propose that the excess mortality occurs partly because black women are more likely than white women to develop breast cancer before menopause, when surgery to remove the tumor may pose a higher risk of stimulating cancer growth.
The researchers, led by Michael Retsky, PhD in the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston, note that African American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at an average age of 46, versus 57 for white women, and that their excess mortality first appeared in the mid-1970s, just when mammography for early detection was introduced. Early breast cancer detection leads to earlier surgical removals, which may actually spur relapse in some premenopausal cancer patients, the researchers say.
"Looking at what's happening in African American women provides a research opportunity to learn how to better screen for and treat premenopausal breast cancer overall," says Retsky. "There's much to learn that might translate into improved outcomes for all premenopausal women."
The analysis extends an earlier analysis published in 2005, which suggested that undergoing surgery before menopause may actually encourage early metastasis and relapse. That paper analyzed data from 1,173 women in Italy who had breast cancer surgery, and found that, among those with lymph node-positive cancer, 20 percent of premenopausal women relapsed within 10 months after surgery double the relapse rate in women diagnosed after menopause. The researchers suggested that these early relapses help explain the "mammography paradox" the puzzling observation that mammography screening in women aged 40 to 49 has significantly less benefit than in women aged 50 to 59.
The 2005 paper sparked a flurry of correspondence that led to the new analysis. One letter noted a commonly held belief in the African American community that "exposing a cancer to air" will cause it to spread, an idea often dismissed as superstition. Another letter, from Nigerian physician Isaac Gukas, MD, PhD, observed that over 70 percent of the breast cancer patients he saw in Africa were under age 45, and that they had a poor survival rate, often rapidly deteriorating after surgery. According to Gukas, it is common in Africa for women to seek alternative care before eventually presenting to a physician with locally advanced disease, for fear that treatment will "provoke" the cancer.
"These letters were compelling and impossible to ignore," says Retsky. "There may be some scientific basis for these folk sayings. We were unaware there was a racial difference in age of breast cancer diagnosis, and it has led us in a major new research direction." Gukas, now at the University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK), is a co-author on the current paper.
Although the researchers did not directly study the biological mechanisms of cancer relapse, they suggest that in women diagnosed before menopause, surgery is more likely to stimulate angiogenesis growth of new blood vessels which in turn spurs the growth of tiny, dormant metastases. They cite a large body of laboratory and animal data showing that primary tumors secrete angiogenesis inhibitors, and that surgical removal eliminates this inhibition and spurs the release of angiogenesis promoters in a wound-healing response. They also cite data showing hormonal differences between black and white women, which may influence angiogenesis and metastasis acceleration.
The researchers do not recommend any changes in screening or treatment protocols for breast cancer, feeling that more research is needed. They propose a number of ways to test their hypothesis:
-- By comparing blood vessel growth in primary versus recurrent tumors from black and white premenopausal and postmenopausal women;
--By measuring angiogenesis inhibitors and promoters, before and after surgery, in premenopausal versus postmenopausal women and in black versus white women, and comparing these findings to cancer recurrence;
-- By conducting comparative genetic studies in black and white women to determine possible differences in activity of the genes that control angiogenesis.
"We do not have enough evidence to alter treatment schedules as of now," Gukas cautions. "However, if additional studies confirm our hypothesis, we may need to give these premenopausal women appropriate chemotherapy, including angiogenesis inhibitors, before surgery to ensure the best outcome."
Other co-authors were Romano Demicheli, MD, PhD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori (Milan, Italy) and William Hrushesky, MD, of the University of South Carolina.
Children's Hospital Boston is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 500 scientists, including eight members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 10 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's Hospital Boston today is a 347-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Children's also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about the hospital and its research visit: childrenshospital/newsroom.
Children's Hospital Boston
21 Autumn St., 2nd Fl.
Boston, MA 02115
United States
childrenshospital/
The researchers, led by Michael Retsky, PhD in the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston, note that African American women are diagnosed with breast cancer at an average age of 46, versus 57 for white women, and that their excess mortality first appeared in the mid-1970s, just when mammography for early detection was introduced. Early breast cancer detection leads to earlier surgical removals, which may actually spur relapse in some premenopausal cancer patients, the researchers say.
"Looking at what's happening in African American women provides a research opportunity to learn how to better screen for and treat premenopausal breast cancer overall," says Retsky. "There's much to learn that might translate into improved outcomes for all premenopausal women."
The analysis extends an earlier analysis published in 2005, which suggested that undergoing surgery before menopause may actually encourage early metastasis and relapse. That paper analyzed data from 1,173 women in Italy who had breast cancer surgery, and found that, among those with lymph node-positive cancer, 20 percent of premenopausal women relapsed within 10 months after surgery double the relapse rate in women diagnosed after menopause. The researchers suggested that these early relapses help explain the "mammography paradox" the puzzling observation that mammography screening in women aged 40 to 49 has significantly less benefit than in women aged 50 to 59.
The 2005 paper sparked a flurry of correspondence that led to the new analysis. One letter noted a commonly held belief in the African American community that "exposing a cancer to air" will cause it to spread, an idea often dismissed as superstition. Another letter, from Nigerian physician Isaac Gukas, MD, PhD, observed that over 70 percent of the breast cancer patients he saw in Africa were under age 45, and that they had a poor survival rate, often rapidly deteriorating after surgery. According to Gukas, it is common in Africa for women to seek alternative care before eventually presenting to a physician with locally advanced disease, for fear that treatment will "provoke" the cancer.
"These letters were compelling and impossible to ignore," says Retsky. "There may be some scientific basis for these folk sayings. We were unaware there was a racial difference in age of breast cancer diagnosis, and it has led us in a major new research direction." Gukas, now at the University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK), is a co-author on the current paper.
Although the researchers did not directly study the biological mechanisms of cancer relapse, they suggest that in women diagnosed before menopause, surgery is more likely to stimulate angiogenesis growth of new blood vessels which in turn spurs the growth of tiny, dormant metastases. They cite a large body of laboratory and animal data showing that primary tumors secrete angiogenesis inhibitors, and that surgical removal eliminates this inhibition and spurs the release of angiogenesis promoters in a wound-healing response. They also cite data showing hormonal differences between black and white women, which may influence angiogenesis and metastasis acceleration.
The researchers do not recommend any changes in screening or treatment protocols for breast cancer, feeling that more research is needed. They propose a number of ways to test their hypothesis:
-- By comparing blood vessel growth in primary versus recurrent tumors from black and white premenopausal and postmenopausal women;
--By measuring angiogenesis inhibitors and promoters, before and after surgery, in premenopausal versus postmenopausal women and in black versus white women, and comparing these findings to cancer recurrence;
-- By conducting comparative genetic studies in black and white women to determine possible differences in activity of the genes that control angiogenesis.
"We do not have enough evidence to alter treatment schedules as of now," Gukas cautions. "However, if additional studies confirm our hypothesis, we may need to give these premenopausal women appropriate chemotherapy, including angiogenesis inhibitors, before surgery to ensure the best outcome."
Other co-authors were Romano Demicheli, MD, PhD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori (Milan, Italy) and William Hrushesky, MD, of the University of South Carolina.
Children's Hospital Boston is home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 500 scientists, including eight members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 10 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Children's Hospital Boston today is a 347-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Children's also is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information about the hospital and its research visit: childrenshospital/newsroom.
Children's Hospital Boston
21 Autumn St., 2nd Fl.
Boston, MA 02115
United States
childrenshospital/
вторник, 10 апреля 2012 г.
FDA delays decision on OTC emergency contraceptive, Plan B
Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc confirmed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has informed the Company that it is
unable to complete its review of the Company's Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to market the Plan B(R)
(levonorgestrel) emergency contraceptive Over-The-Counter (OTC) by the January 21st Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
date. The FDA also indicated to the Company that it is committed to completing its review of the application in the near
future. The Company remains optimistic that the agency will approve Plan B for OTC sale. Plan B continues to be available to
American consumers by prescription.
The Company's sNDA, if approved, would permit the OTC sale of Plan B without a prescription for women 16 years of age and
older. It would maintain the prescription status for women age 15 years of age and younger.
Taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, Plan B has been shown to reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent after a
single act of unprotected sex. Effectiveness declines as the interval between intercourse and the start of treatment
increases. Plan B is more effective when taken in the first 24 hours after intercourse. The decline in efficacy from a delay
in treatment is why a broad range of health professionals believe that barriers to more timely access to Plan B should be
removed, including making the product broadly available without prescription.
Emergency contraception is currently available in 101 countries, 33 of which do not require a prescription. Emergency
contraception is currently available in some pharmacies without an advance prescription from a physician or healthcare
provider in six U.S. states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico and Washington).
Plan B was approved by the FDA in 1999 as a safe and effective prescription only emergency contraceptive for women. Plan B is
the first progestin-only emergency contraceptive. The application seeking over-the- counter status for Plan B was filed with
FDA in 2003. In May 2004 the FDA issued a Not Approvable Letter offering Barr the option of seeking dual status that would
make the product available over-the-counter for women 16 years of age and older, and by prescription only for women under the
age 15.
Contraindications for Plan B(R)
Progestin-only contraceptive pills (POPs) are used as a routine method of birth control over longer periods of time, and are
contraindicated in some conditions. It is not known whether these same conditions apply to the Plan B regimen consisting of
the emergency use of two progestin pills. POPs are not recommended for use in the following conditions: known or suspected
pregnancy; hypersensitivity to any component of the product; and, undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding.
Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries are engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of generic and
proprietary pharmaceuticals.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by their use of words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will,"
"may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates" and other words of similar meaning. Because such
statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified, actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements depending upon a number of factors affecting
the Company's business. These factors include, among others: the difficulty in predicting the timing and outcome of legal
proceedings, including patent-related matters such as patent challenge settlements and patent infringement cases; the outcome
of litigation arising from challenging the validity or non- infringement of patents covering our products; the difficulty of
predicting the timing of FDA approvals; court and FDA decisions on exclusivity periods; the ability of competitors to extend
exclusivity periods for their products; our ability to complete product development activities in the timeframes and for the
costs we expect; market and customer acceptance and demand for our pharmaceutical products; our dependence on revenues from
significant customers; reimbursement policies of third party payors; our dependence on revenues from significant products;
the use of estimates in the preparation of our financial statements; the impact of competitive products and pricing on
products, including the launch of authorized generics; the ability to launch new products in the timeframes we expect; the
availability of raw materials; the availability of any product we purchase and sell as a distributor; the regulatory
environment; our exposure to product liability and other lawsuits and contingencies; the increasing cost of insurance and the
availability of product liability insurance coverage; our timely and successful completion of strategic initiatives,
including integrating companies and products we acquire and implementing our new enterprise resource planning system;
fluctuations in operating results, including the effects on such results from spending for research and development, sales
and marketing activities and patent challenge activities; the inherent uncertainty associated with financial projections;
changes in generally accepted accounting principles; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statement was made. The Company
undertakes no obligation (nor does it intend) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable law.
barrlabs
unable to complete its review of the Company's Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to market the Plan B(R)
(levonorgestrel) emergency contraceptive Over-The-Counter (OTC) by the January 21st Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
date. The FDA also indicated to the Company that it is committed to completing its review of the application in the near
future. The Company remains optimistic that the agency will approve Plan B for OTC sale. Plan B continues to be available to
American consumers by prescription.
The Company's sNDA, if approved, would permit the OTC sale of Plan B without a prescription for women 16 years of age and
older. It would maintain the prescription status for women age 15 years of age and younger.
Taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, Plan B has been shown to reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent after a
single act of unprotected sex. Effectiveness declines as the interval between intercourse and the start of treatment
increases. Plan B is more effective when taken in the first 24 hours after intercourse. The decline in efficacy from a delay
in treatment is why a broad range of health professionals believe that barriers to more timely access to Plan B should be
removed, including making the product broadly available without prescription.
Emergency contraception is currently available in 101 countries, 33 of which do not require a prescription. Emergency
contraception is currently available in some pharmacies without an advance prescription from a physician or healthcare
provider in six U.S. states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico and Washington).
Plan B was approved by the FDA in 1999 as a safe and effective prescription only emergency contraceptive for women. Plan B is
the first progestin-only emergency contraceptive. The application seeking over-the- counter status for Plan B was filed with
FDA in 2003. In May 2004 the FDA issued a Not Approvable Letter offering Barr the option of seeking dual status that would
make the product available over-the-counter for women 16 years of age and older, and by prescription only for women under the
age 15.
Contraindications for Plan B(R)
Progestin-only contraceptive pills (POPs) are used as a routine method of birth control over longer periods of time, and are
contraindicated in some conditions. It is not known whether these same conditions apply to the Plan B regimen consisting of
the emergency use of two progestin pills. POPs are not recommended for use in the following conditions: known or suspected
pregnancy; hypersensitivity to any component of the product; and, undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding.
Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries are engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of generic and
proprietary pharmaceuticals.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by their use of words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will,"
"may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates" and other words of similar meaning. Because such
statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified, actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements depending upon a number of factors affecting
the Company's business. These factors include, among others: the difficulty in predicting the timing and outcome of legal
proceedings, including patent-related matters such as patent challenge settlements and patent infringement cases; the outcome
of litigation arising from challenging the validity or non- infringement of patents covering our products; the difficulty of
predicting the timing of FDA approvals; court and FDA decisions on exclusivity periods; the ability of competitors to extend
exclusivity periods for their products; our ability to complete product development activities in the timeframes and for the
costs we expect; market and customer acceptance and demand for our pharmaceutical products; our dependence on revenues from
significant customers; reimbursement policies of third party payors; our dependence on revenues from significant products;
the use of estimates in the preparation of our financial statements; the impact of competitive products and pricing on
products, including the launch of authorized generics; the ability to launch new products in the timeframes we expect; the
availability of raw materials; the availability of any product we purchase and sell as a distributor; the regulatory
environment; our exposure to product liability and other lawsuits and contingencies; the increasing cost of insurance and the
availability of product liability insurance coverage; our timely and successful completion of strategic initiatives,
including integrating companies and products we acquire and implementing our new enterprise resource planning system;
fluctuations in operating results, including the effects on such results from spending for research and development, sales
and marketing activities and patent challenge activities; the inherent uncertainty associated with financial projections;
changes in generally accepted accounting principles; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statement was made. The Company
undertakes no obligation (nor does it intend) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable law.
barrlabs
вторник, 3 апреля 2012 г.
New Risk Factor For Melanoma In Younger Women Revealed By NYU Study
Researchers may have found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin disease. In a new study, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center report that a genetic variation leads to a nearly four-fold increase of melanoma in women under the age of 50. The new study was released online March 24, 2009, in the journal Clinical Cancer Research and will be published in the April 1, 2009, issue of the journal.
"If this number turns out to be reproducible, it is higher than a lot of the other clinical risk factors that we know, such as blistering sunburns, freckling, and family history," said David Polsky, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of dermatology and director of the Pigmented Lesion Section of the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU School of Medicine, and the study's lead author.
"Potentially, we have a genetic test that might identify pre-menopausal women who are at higher risk for melanoma," said Dr. Polsky. "And if that's the case, then we might want to have increased surveillance of those patients including more frequent visits to the doctor, more rigorous teaching of skin self-examination, and other preventive steps."
Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, was expected last year to strike 62,480 Americans, and kill an estimated 8,420 diagnosed patients, according to the American Cancer Society.
For largely unknown reasons, melanoma is more common among women than men under the age of 40. Between 40 and 50 the incidence is about equal in both sexes, and over the age of 50, melanoma incidence skews markedly toward men. Polsky and his co-authors suspect the difference may be linked to the activity of estrogen, mediated in part by a genetic variant in a gene called MDM2.
When estrogen binds to this gene, it turns on production of MDM2, a potential oncogene (cancer promoting gene) in cells. In the presence of the genetic variation in MDM2, originally identified by the laboratory of Dr. Arnold Levine at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, the estrogen binds more strongly, resulting in far greater production of the MDM2 protein.
Women with higher estrogen levels and who also have the genetic variation would be expected to have higher estrogen-related MDM2 protein that could increase their melanoma risk, explains Dr. Polsky.
The MDM2 genetic variant appears in the gene's promoter, a power switch that determines when the gene is turned on and how many copies are produced within a cell. This promoter region is normally regulated by p53, a tumor suppressor gene implicated in as many of 50 percent of all cancers. Part of MDM2's normal function is to inhibit p53 when its levels get too high in a cell. If MDM2 is turned on independently of p53, it can keep p53 levels low, reducing the cell's protection against turning into a cancer cell.
Scientists have shown that the substitution of a single letter of DNA at a specific point in the MDM2 promoter can significantly ramp up gene production. The new study evaluated the effects of this natural genetic variation in 227 melanoma patients enrolled in NYU's Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group between August 2002 and November 2006. Dr. Polsky and colleagues from NYU School of Medicine recorded each patient's MDM2 and p53 genetic variations, as well as age, sex, personal and family history of melanoma, and tumor thickness.
The results showed that more than 40 percent of women diagnosed with melanoma under the age of 50 had the genetic variation in the MDM2 gene promoter. In contrast, only about 16 percent of women diagnosed after the age of 50 had the variation.
The difference in the frequency of the variation corresponded to a 3.89-fold increase in melanoma risk for women under the age of 50 - an elevated risk over background levels that increased more among even younger women, according to the study. When the researchers compared the MDM2 genotypes to patients' ages at diagnosis, they found that about 38 percent of women with the variation had been diagnosed between the relatively young ages of 30 to 39 - a much higher melanoma incidence than among older women patients with the variation.
Beyond validating the risk in a larger group of patients, Dr. Polsky hopes to begin formulating a stronger model of cancer risk that incorporates genetic information and other factors. "Can we look at people's sun exposure history, hormonal status and a panel of genetic markers in addition to MDM2 and ask, 'Does this help identify more high-risk people?'" he said.
Notes:
Among the study investigators are Elnaz F. Firoz, a medical student from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University; and Richard Shapiro, Russell Berman, Anna Pavlick, Prashiela Manga, Harry Ostrer, Hideko Kamino, Farbod Darvishian, Linda Rolnitzky, Judith D. Goldberg, and Iman Osman from NYU Langone Medical Center.
The study was supported by a grant from the Marc Jacobs Campaign to Support Melanoma Research, with partial support by a grant from the National Cancer Institute to Linda Rolnitzky and Judith D. Goldberg. The NYU Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group is supported by the NYU Cancer Institute and NYU School of Medicine's Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.
About NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER
One of the world's premier academic medical institutions for more than 167 years, NYU Langone Medical Center continues to be a leader in patient care, physician education and scientific research. NYU Langone Medical Center is internationally renowned for excellence in areas such as cardiovascular disease, orthopaedics, pediatrics, skin care, neurosurgery, urology, cancer care, rehabilitation medicine, plastic surgery, imaging, minimally invasive surgery, transplant surgery, infertility, and women's health.
Source:
Lorinda Klein
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
"If this number turns out to be reproducible, it is higher than a lot of the other clinical risk factors that we know, such as blistering sunburns, freckling, and family history," said David Polsky, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of dermatology and director of the Pigmented Lesion Section of the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU School of Medicine, and the study's lead author.
"Potentially, we have a genetic test that might identify pre-menopausal women who are at higher risk for melanoma," said Dr. Polsky. "And if that's the case, then we might want to have increased surveillance of those patients including more frequent visits to the doctor, more rigorous teaching of skin self-examination, and other preventive steps."
Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, was expected last year to strike 62,480 Americans, and kill an estimated 8,420 diagnosed patients, according to the American Cancer Society.
For largely unknown reasons, melanoma is more common among women than men under the age of 40. Between 40 and 50 the incidence is about equal in both sexes, and over the age of 50, melanoma incidence skews markedly toward men. Polsky and his co-authors suspect the difference may be linked to the activity of estrogen, mediated in part by a genetic variant in a gene called MDM2.
When estrogen binds to this gene, it turns on production of MDM2, a potential oncogene (cancer promoting gene) in cells. In the presence of the genetic variation in MDM2, originally identified by the laboratory of Dr. Arnold Levine at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, the estrogen binds more strongly, resulting in far greater production of the MDM2 protein.
Women with higher estrogen levels and who also have the genetic variation would be expected to have higher estrogen-related MDM2 protein that could increase their melanoma risk, explains Dr. Polsky.
The MDM2 genetic variant appears in the gene's promoter, a power switch that determines when the gene is turned on and how many copies are produced within a cell. This promoter region is normally regulated by p53, a tumor suppressor gene implicated in as many of 50 percent of all cancers. Part of MDM2's normal function is to inhibit p53 when its levels get too high in a cell. If MDM2 is turned on independently of p53, it can keep p53 levels low, reducing the cell's protection against turning into a cancer cell.
Scientists have shown that the substitution of a single letter of DNA at a specific point in the MDM2 promoter can significantly ramp up gene production. The new study evaluated the effects of this natural genetic variation in 227 melanoma patients enrolled in NYU's Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group between August 2002 and November 2006. Dr. Polsky and colleagues from NYU School of Medicine recorded each patient's MDM2 and p53 genetic variations, as well as age, sex, personal and family history of melanoma, and tumor thickness.
The results showed that more than 40 percent of women diagnosed with melanoma under the age of 50 had the genetic variation in the MDM2 gene promoter. In contrast, only about 16 percent of women diagnosed after the age of 50 had the variation.
The difference in the frequency of the variation corresponded to a 3.89-fold increase in melanoma risk for women under the age of 50 - an elevated risk over background levels that increased more among even younger women, according to the study. When the researchers compared the MDM2 genotypes to patients' ages at diagnosis, they found that about 38 percent of women with the variation had been diagnosed between the relatively young ages of 30 to 39 - a much higher melanoma incidence than among older women patients with the variation.
Beyond validating the risk in a larger group of patients, Dr. Polsky hopes to begin formulating a stronger model of cancer risk that incorporates genetic information and other factors. "Can we look at people's sun exposure history, hormonal status and a panel of genetic markers in addition to MDM2 and ask, 'Does this help identify more high-risk people?'" he said.
Notes:
Among the study investigators are Elnaz F. Firoz, a medical student from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University; and Richard Shapiro, Russell Berman, Anna Pavlick, Prashiela Manga, Harry Ostrer, Hideko Kamino, Farbod Darvishian, Linda Rolnitzky, Judith D. Goldberg, and Iman Osman from NYU Langone Medical Center.
The study was supported by a grant from the Marc Jacobs Campaign to Support Melanoma Research, with partial support by a grant from the National Cancer Institute to Linda Rolnitzky and Judith D. Goldberg. The NYU Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group is supported by the NYU Cancer Institute and NYU School of Medicine's Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.
About NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER
One of the world's premier academic medical institutions for more than 167 years, NYU Langone Medical Center continues to be a leader in patient care, physician education and scientific research. NYU Langone Medical Center is internationally renowned for excellence in areas such as cardiovascular disease, orthopaedics, pediatrics, skin care, neurosurgery, urology, cancer care, rehabilitation medicine, plastic surgery, imaging, minimally invasive surgery, transplant surgery, infertility, and women's health.
Source:
Lorinda Klein
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
вторник, 27 марта 2012 г.
Caribbean Coalition On Women, Girls Pledges To Address HIV, Gender-Based Violence
The Caribbean Coalition on Women, Girls and AIDS on Thursday pledged to address all aspects of female vulnerability to HIV -- including violence against women -- and cited growing concerns that current HIV/AIDS strategies are not adequately addressing their needs, Inter Press Service reports. The coalition in a statement said that the "role of sexual violence in HIV transmission is becoming clearer." The statement added, "Women now comprise 51% of adults living with HIV. ... Current AIDS responses have often ignored the social, cultural and economic factors that place women at risk, and those HIV programs that seek to redress the imbalance and inequity have been inconsistent and haphazard."
CCWA will focus on programs to address commercial sex work, data collection, and capacity building on gender and HIV/AIDS with the aim of mainstreaming gender issues in regional and national HIV/AIDS policies. Its members include Trinidadian first lady Jean Ramjohn-Richards; Dame Pearlette Louisy, the governor-general of St. Lucia; and Dame Billie Miller, a former foreign minister from Barbados.
According to Inter Press Service, official data show that one in six women between ages 15 and 24 became sexually active prior to age 15 in countries like Antigua, Barbuda, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Roberta Clarke, regional program director at UNIFEM's Caribbean office, said a 2000 Pan American Health Organization survey found that almost 50% of adolescent girls' first sexual experience was forced or coerced. The study also noted that violence, or just the threat of violence, increases a woman's vulnerability to HIV by making it difficult or impossible to negotiate condom use and safer sex. Women's relationship expectations also can be affected and can prevent them from accessing HIV prevention, care and treatment services, according to the survey.
Clarke said that despite gains in gender equality, "inequalities persist, and beliefs and practices deeply rooted in our cultures perpetuate the vulnerability of women and girls to certain harm." Male socializing -- whether in homes, churches, schools or through popular culture -- continues to emphasize aggression, control and power as central aspects of masculinity, Clarke said, adding that masculinity is "still associated with risk taking, with power and control, with early sexual activity and with multiple partnerships." She said that for women, "socio-economic dependency, whether expected or a consequence of circumstances, interferes or impedes the ability to demand safe sexual practice." Clarke said that it is known that the Caribbean is "an unsafe space for women," and that the "ever-present threat of physical harm restricts our choices and terrorizes our minds."
Dawn Foderingham, the regional partnership's adviser for UNAIDS, said the Caribbean needs to take "collective action in addressing violence against women." According to Clarke, UNIFEM has two regional priorities -- ending violence against women and stopping or reversing the spread of HIV. She said support for CCWA -- which has support from UNAIDS' regional office, the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action, and the University of the West Indies' Center for Gender Development Studies -- brings the two priorities together in a coherent way (Richards, Inter Press Service, 3/12).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
CCWA will focus on programs to address commercial sex work, data collection, and capacity building on gender and HIV/AIDS with the aim of mainstreaming gender issues in regional and national HIV/AIDS policies. Its members include Trinidadian first lady Jean Ramjohn-Richards; Dame Pearlette Louisy, the governor-general of St. Lucia; and Dame Billie Miller, a former foreign minister from Barbados.
According to Inter Press Service, official data show that one in six women between ages 15 and 24 became sexually active prior to age 15 in countries like Antigua, Barbuda, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Roberta Clarke, regional program director at UNIFEM's Caribbean office, said a 2000 Pan American Health Organization survey found that almost 50% of adolescent girls' first sexual experience was forced or coerced. The study also noted that violence, or just the threat of violence, increases a woman's vulnerability to HIV by making it difficult or impossible to negotiate condom use and safer sex. Women's relationship expectations also can be affected and can prevent them from accessing HIV prevention, care and treatment services, according to the survey.
Clarke said that despite gains in gender equality, "inequalities persist, and beliefs and practices deeply rooted in our cultures perpetuate the vulnerability of women and girls to certain harm." Male socializing -- whether in homes, churches, schools or through popular culture -- continues to emphasize aggression, control and power as central aspects of masculinity, Clarke said, adding that masculinity is "still associated with risk taking, with power and control, with early sexual activity and with multiple partnerships." She said that for women, "socio-economic dependency, whether expected or a consequence of circumstances, interferes or impedes the ability to demand safe sexual practice." Clarke said that it is known that the Caribbean is "an unsafe space for women," and that the "ever-present threat of physical harm restricts our choices and terrorizes our minds."
Dawn Foderingham, the regional partnership's adviser for UNAIDS, said the Caribbean needs to take "collective action in addressing violence against women." According to Clarke, UNIFEM has two regional priorities -- ending violence against women and stopping or reversing the spread of HIV. She said support for CCWA -- which has support from UNAIDS' regional office, the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action, and the University of the West Indies' Center for Gender Development Studies -- brings the two priorities together in a coherent way (Richards, Inter Press Service, 3/12).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 20 марта 2012 г.
Magee-Womens Hospital Of Upmc Receives Achievement Award From Hospital Association Of Pennsylvania
Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has been honored with an award for operational excellence by the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). The honor recognizes the hospital's Breast Cancer Diagnostic Process Improvement, a successful multidisciplinary effort to significantly reduce wait times between suspicious findings in screening or diagnostic mammography, biopsy and diagnosis.
"The time between abnormal mammogram and breast biopsy is extremely stressful for patients, regardless of the ultimate diagnosis," said Judy Herstine, administrator of women's cancer services at Magee. "But as a result of this new service, women whose mammography findings are suspicious often can get their full diagnostic evaluation completed on the same day, including a breast biopsy."
Nationally, the average wait time between an abnormal screening result and follow-up diagnostic mammogram is 20 days. Likewise, the national average wait time for scheduling a biopsy procedure once diagnostic mammogram indicates it is necessary is 19 days. Magee has been able to dramatically shorten wait times between abnormal screening and diagnostic follow-up mammogram, and provide same-day biopsy scheduling in many cases after identification of a suspicious mass. This accomplishment is the result of diligent work by a task force made up of radiologists, surgeons, administrators, technologists, nursing staff and patients to reorganize and streamline hospital procedures.
"The quality of the patient experience is extremely important to us," said hospital President Leslie C. Davis. "Receiving this award for operational excellence from HAP is yet another indication of why Magee-Womens Hospital has long been known as the region's premier health care resource for women."
Each year, HAP honors the innovation, creativity and commitment to patient care of Pennsylvania's hospitals and health systems through the HAP Achievement Awards, which showcase and share member hospital and health system innovations and best practices in a variety of areas. Sixteen winners were selected from 100 entries in 2008. Magee's award will be conferred at a meeting of the hospital's Board of Directors on July 14.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
"The time between abnormal mammogram and breast biopsy is extremely stressful for patients, regardless of the ultimate diagnosis," said Judy Herstine, administrator of women's cancer services at Magee. "But as a result of this new service, women whose mammography findings are suspicious often can get their full diagnostic evaluation completed on the same day, including a breast biopsy."
Nationally, the average wait time between an abnormal screening result and follow-up diagnostic mammogram is 20 days. Likewise, the national average wait time for scheduling a biopsy procedure once diagnostic mammogram indicates it is necessary is 19 days. Magee has been able to dramatically shorten wait times between abnormal screening and diagnostic follow-up mammogram, and provide same-day biopsy scheduling in many cases after identification of a suspicious mass. This accomplishment is the result of diligent work by a task force made up of radiologists, surgeons, administrators, technologists, nursing staff and patients to reorganize and streamline hospital procedures.
"The quality of the patient experience is extremely important to us," said hospital President Leslie C. Davis. "Receiving this award for operational excellence from HAP is yet another indication of why Magee-Womens Hospital has long been known as the region's premier health care resource for women."
Each year, HAP honors the innovation, creativity and commitment to patient care of Pennsylvania's hospitals and health systems through the HAP Achievement Awards, which showcase and share member hospital and health system innovations and best practices in a variety of areas. Sixteen winners were selected from 100 entries in 2008. Magee's award will be conferred at a meeting of the hospital's Board of Directors on July 14.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.
Cedars-Sinai Endocrine Researchers Discuss Gene That May Be Linked To Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Researchers in endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center made several presentations at the annual meetings of two medical organizations - the Androgen Excess Society and the Endocrine Society.
One key topic was a gene that appears to play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women.
Women with PCOS have many small cysts on the periphery of the ovaries and suffer from symptoms that include menstrual irregularities, excess weight, skin problems and an excess of male-type hair growth called hirsutism. These women also are often found to have insulin resistance, a condition that allows high levels of insulin to circulate in the blood, which increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
PCOS also is associated with excessive levels of androgens - "male" hormones that normally exist at low levels in women. The effects on androgen production by hormones secreted by fat tissue (adipokines) are being studied at Cedars-Sinai, and several researchers will present related findings at the meetings. Researchers also will present preliminary evidence that the level of androgens produced by the adrenal glands of pre-adolescent girls may serve as markers of the risk of PCOS.
Ricardo Azziz, M.D., chairman of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will open the Androgen Excess Society meeting with a brief history of the study of androgen excess disorders. He is one of the founders of the organization and its executive director. He also serves as director of Cedars-Sinai's Center for Androgen Related Disorders (CARD), which offers in-depth testing, comprehensive treatments and support, and research into molecular mechanisms and future therapies for PCOS, androgen excess and related disorders.
Among the Endocrine Society sessions presented by Cedars-Sinai researchers:
* AKT2: First Evidence of Genetic Association with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome;
* Adipokine Regulation of Ovarian Theca Cell Androgen Production;
* Are Adrenal Androgens in Pre-Adolescent Girls Markers of Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)";
* Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Inflammation: Adipokine Secretion by Adipocytes and Regulation by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines;
* Circulating Adipokines, Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Young Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS);
The first in Southern California and one of only 10 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additional information is available at cedars-sinai.edu/
Contact: Sandy Van
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
One key topic was a gene that appears to play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women.
Women with PCOS have many small cysts on the periphery of the ovaries and suffer from symptoms that include menstrual irregularities, excess weight, skin problems and an excess of male-type hair growth called hirsutism. These women also are often found to have insulin resistance, a condition that allows high levels of insulin to circulate in the blood, which increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
PCOS also is associated with excessive levels of androgens - "male" hormones that normally exist at low levels in women. The effects on androgen production by hormones secreted by fat tissue (adipokines) are being studied at Cedars-Sinai, and several researchers will present related findings at the meetings. Researchers also will present preliminary evidence that the level of androgens produced by the adrenal glands of pre-adolescent girls may serve as markers of the risk of PCOS.
Ricardo Azziz, M.D., chairman of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will open the Androgen Excess Society meeting with a brief history of the study of androgen excess disorders. He is one of the founders of the organization and its executive director. He also serves as director of Cedars-Sinai's Center for Androgen Related Disorders (CARD), which offers in-depth testing, comprehensive treatments and support, and research into molecular mechanisms and future therapies for PCOS, androgen excess and related disorders.
Among the Endocrine Society sessions presented by Cedars-Sinai researchers:
* AKT2: First Evidence of Genetic Association with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome;
* Adipokine Regulation of Ovarian Theca Cell Androgen Production;
* Are Adrenal Androgens in Pre-Adolescent Girls Markers of Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)";
* Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Inflammation: Adipokine Secretion by Adipocytes and Regulation by Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines;
* Circulating Adipokines, Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Young Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS);
The first in Southern California and one of only 10 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additional information is available at cedars-sinai.edu/
Contact: Sandy Van
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
вторник, 6 марта 2012 г.
German, Cameroonian Advocacy Groups Launch 'Breast Ironing' Awareness Campaign
The German cooperation agency GTZ and the Cameroonian nongovernmental organization Network of Aunties, which supports young women with children, have launched a campaign warning that the practice of "breast ironing" can stunt girls' natural development and is dangerous and ineffective, IRIN News reports.
According to IRIN News, breast ironing involves massaging breasts of young girls with a stone, hammer or heated spatula to make them disappear and prevent sexual advances of boys and men (IRIN News, 8/27). People who perform the practice in Cameroon could go to jail for up to three years if a physician determines the breasts have been damaged (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/26/06). However, about 24% of girls in Cameroon have had their breasts ironed, including up to 53% of girls in the coastal Littoral province, a recent GTZ survey found. According to the survey, about 3.8 million young girls are at risk of undergoing the practice.
Flavien Ndonko, an anthropologist with GTZ's German-Cameroon HIV/AIDS health program, said that the practice has negative health consequences and is ineffective as a form of sex education. Many young girls and women with children have said they had their breasts ironed, which "clearly proves" that the practice does not work as pregnancy prevention, Ndonko said. According to IRIN News, girls and women ages 13 to 25 account for one-third of unintended pregnancies in the country.
Ndonko said that because parents are often uncomfortable discussing sex with their children, they "prefer to get rid of the bodily signs of sexuality." Because sex is not discussed openly, girls often are unaware of how to prevent pregnancy, or HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Bessem Arrey Ebanga Bisong, executive secretary of Network of Aunties, said. GTZ and Network of Aunties' breast ironing awareness campaign has generated discussion about the practice, Ndonko said. "This is a good way to resolve the problem: people talk about it and ask why it is being done," she said, adding, "As there is no way to justify [the practice] ... hopefully, they will stop doing it" (IRIN News, 8/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
According to IRIN News, breast ironing involves massaging breasts of young girls with a stone, hammer or heated spatula to make them disappear and prevent sexual advances of boys and men (IRIN News, 8/27). People who perform the practice in Cameroon could go to jail for up to three years if a physician determines the breasts have been damaged (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/26/06). However, about 24% of girls in Cameroon have had their breasts ironed, including up to 53% of girls in the coastal Littoral province, a recent GTZ survey found. According to the survey, about 3.8 million young girls are at risk of undergoing the practice.
Flavien Ndonko, an anthropologist with GTZ's German-Cameroon HIV/AIDS health program, said that the practice has negative health consequences and is ineffective as a form of sex education. Many young girls and women with children have said they had their breasts ironed, which "clearly proves" that the practice does not work as pregnancy prevention, Ndonko said. According to IRIN News, girls and women ages 13 to 25 account for one-third of unintended pregnancies in the country.
Ndonko said that because parents are often uncomfortable discussing sex with their children, they "prefer to get rid of the bodily signs of sexuality." Because sex is not discussed openly, girls often are unaware of how to prevent pregnancy, or HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Bessem Arrey Ebanga Bisong, executive secretary of Network of Aunties, said. GTZ and Network of Aunties' breast ironing awareness campaign has generated discussion about the practice, Ndonko said. "This is a good way to resolve the problem: people talk about it and ask why it is being done," she said, adding, "As there is no way to justify [the practice] ... hopefully, they will stop doing it" (IRIN News, 8/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 28 февраля 2012 г.
NARAL Pro-Choice America Releases National Status Report On Women's Reproductive Rights In U.S.
NARAL Pro-Choice America earlier this month released its 16th annual "Who Decides? The Status of Women's Reproductive Rights in the United States" report, issuing failing grades to 19 states for enacting legislation to restrict access to abortion and other reproductive health services, CQ HealthBeat reports. According to the report, 13 states received a A+, A or A- grade; four states received a B+, B or B- grade; six states were given a C+, C or C-; and nine states were given a D+, D or D- (CQ HealthBeat, 1/30). California and Washington were the only states to receive an A+, while Louisiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania rated worst (Ms. Magazine, 1/19). According to a NARAL Pro-Choice America release, state legislatures in 2006 considered 470 measures that favored abortion rights and 650 measures that restricted abortion rights, a 6% increase from 2005 (NARAL Pro-Choice America release, 1/19). According to the report, 21 states enacted 56 abortion-rights measures -- nine of which emphasized pregnancy prevention (Ms. Magazine, 1/19). Seventeen states enacted 45 measures that restrict abortion rights, a 22% decrease from 2005. The report includes a section on federal legislation, along with new political findings and a "year in review." Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, "Events in 2006 have altered the future political landscape for choice. On Nov. 7 Americans reaffirmed their commitment to a woman's right to choose by electing pro-choice candidates and defeating anti-choice ballot measures across the country." She added, "One election cycle cannot change everything, but ... by working together and acting on our values, we can lay the foundation for a future in which privacy and freedom are protected" (NARAL Pro-Choice America release, 1/19).
The report is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
The report is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 21 февраля 2012 г.
Early Detection Remains Key In Updated NCCN Guidelines For Ovarian Cancer
Improvements in screening and early detection remains the key for women with ovarian cancer according to Robert J. Morgan, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Ovarian Cancer. Dr. Morgan discussed the future of ovarian cancer and notable changes to the recently updated NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for Ovarian Cancer at the NCCN Annual Conference on Saturday, March 14.
Dr. Morgan began by explaining that the major challenge in treating ovarian cancer is that by the time the majority of patients (70 percent) are diagnosed with the disease, it has already progressed to stage III or IV. "We have not yet found a good way to screen the general population or even the high-risk population of women for ovarian cancer," he said.
New to the NCCN Guidelines is a section on the management of allergic reactions in patients receiving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Dr. Morgan explained the need for this section as ovarian cancer tends to respond to the same treatment repeatedly. Combined with the fact that recurrence rates of ovarian cancer are high, this can result in patients often being retreated with the same chemotherapeutic agent. Given that virtually all chemotherapy drugs have the potential to cause infusion reactions, including agents commonly used in ovarian cancer, the NCCN Guidelines Panel felt it was important to provide information on allergic reactions and recommendations on desensitization regimens.
"Most patients experiencing allergic reactions are able to be desensitized allowing for continued chemotherapeutic treatment, which is vital to the management of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Morgan.
Also new to the updated NCCN Guidelines is the addition of new agents for recurrence therapy, most notably pemetrexed (Alimta(R), Eli Lilly and Company) as well as recommendations for therapies based on the timing of recurrence.
"Seventy-five to 80 percent of patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer will experience recurrence and this recurrence can occur at any time - during treatment, within 6 months of completing treatment, or more than a year after completing treatment," Dr. Morgan noted. "In the updated NCCN Guidelines, we differentiated appropriate therapy for recurrence based upon the time frame on which it occurs."
Additionally, Dr. Morgan referred to a clinical trial suggesting that pemetrexed is active in recurrent ovarian cancer, to support the new recommendation in the updated NCCN Guidelines.
Dr. Morgan described new updates to the Principles of Primary Surgery section in the updated NCCN Guidelines that included the recommendation to consider completion surgery for patients responsive to chemotherapy with initially unresectable residual disease, as well as recommendations relating to special circumstances including minimally-invasive procedures, and fertility sparing procedures.
Dr. Morgan also discussed recent clinical studies conducted abroad that studied the effect of chemotherapy as an up-front therapy in patients with ovarian cancer, and concluded that "in the United States, up-front debulking surgery remains the recommendation for the best overall survival."
Another addition to the updated NCCN Guidelines is a section on the Principles of Chemotherapy. This section emphasizes the encouragement of patients participating in clinical trials during all aspects of their treatment course as well as noting that patients with newly diagnosed tumors should be informed about the different options available, particularly IV vs. IV/IP chemotherapy and the risks and benefits of each regimen.
"The future of ovarian cancer lies in early detection and improvements in screening," Dr. Morgan noted as he discussed potential biomarkers for the detection, prediction and prognostication of ovarian cancer.
He concluded that steady progress is being made in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but further trials are necessary to investigate the role of targeted agents alone and in combination in newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian cancer. Finally, he again stressed the need for physicians to encourage their patients to participate in clinical trials.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
For more information on NCCN, please visit nccn.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
nccn
Dr. Morgan began by explaining that the major challenge in treating ovarian cancer is that by the time the majority of patients (70 percent) are diagnosed with the disease, it has already progressed to stage III or IV. "We have not yet found a good way to screen the general population or even the high-risk population of women for ovarian cancer," he said.
New to the NCCN Guidelines is a section on the management of allergic reactions in patients receiving chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Dr. Morgan explained the need for this section as ovarian cancer tends to respond to the same treatment repeatedly. Combined with the fact that recurrence rates of ovarian cancer are high, this can result in patients often being retreated with the same chemotherapeutic agent. Given that virtually all chemotherapy drugs have the potential to cause infusion reactions, including agents commonly used in ovarian cancer, the NCCN Guidelines Panel felt it was important to provide information on allergic reactions and recommendations on desensitization regimens.
"Most patients experiencing allergic reactions are able to be desensitized allowing for continued chemotherapeutic treatment, which is vital to the management of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Morgan.
Also new to the updated NCCN Guidelines is the addition of new agents for recurrence therapy, most notably pemetrexed (Alimta(R), Eli Lilly and Company) as well as recommendations for therapies based on the timing of recurrence.
"Seventy-five to 80 percent of patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer will experience recurrence and this recurrence can occur at any time - during treatment, within 6 months of completing treatment, or more than a year after completing treatment," Dr. Morgan noted. "In the updated NCCN Guidelines, we differentiated appropriate therapy for recurrence based upon the time frame on which it occurs."
Additionally, Dr. Morgan referred to a clinical trial suggesting that pemetrexed is active in recurrent ovarian cancer, to support the new recommendation in the updated NCCN Guidelines.
Dr. Morgan described new updates to the Principles of Primary Surgery section in the updated NCCN Guidelines that included the recommendation to consider completion surgery for patients responsive to chemotherapy with initially unresectable residual disease, as well as recommendations relating to special circumstances including minimally-invasive procedures, and fertility sparing procedures.
Dr. Morgan also discussed recent clinical studies conducted abroad that studied the effect of chemotherapy as an up-front therapy in patients with ovarian cancer, and concluded that "in the United States, up-front debulking surgery remains the recommendation for the best overall survival."
Another addition to the updated NCCN Guidelines is a section on the Principles of Chemotherapy. This section emphasizes the encouragement of patients participating in clinical trials during all aspects of their treatment course as well as noting that patients with newly diagnosed tumors should be informed about the different options available, particularly IV vs. IV/IP chemotherapy and the risks and benefits of each regimen.
"The future of ovarian cancer lies in early detection and improvements in screening," Dr. Morgan noted as he discussed potential biomarkers for the detection, prediction and prognostication of ovarian cancer.
He concluded that steady progress is being made in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but further trials are necessary to investigate the role of targeted agents alone and in combination in newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian cancer. Finally, he again stressed the need for physicians to encourage their patients to participate in clinical trials.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
For more information on NCCN, please visit nccn.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
nccn
вторник, 14 февраля 2012 г.
Idaho Senate Bill Would Allow Providers To Refuse Health Services Based On Beliefs
Two Idaho state senators -- Russell Fulcher (R) and Chuck Winder (R) -- have introduced a bill (SB 1270) that would legally exempt physicians, nurses and other health professionals from providing medical care or services that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, the Idaho Statesman reports. Although the bill was prepared for a public hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee, its sponsors are revising it to address concerns from groups representing trial lawyers, physicians and hospitals.
The bill cites a list of specific practices and procedures -- including abortion, embryonic stem cell research, embryo cloning and dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs -- that could potentially clash with a provider's values. The bill does not specify which drugs would be classified as abortifacients, though Fulcher said it is not intended to cover contraceptives. He said, "There are legal definitions and medical definitions for the same word, and they don't necessarily line up."
According to the Statesman, the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association expressed concern about the provision that would shield health workers from legal liability for their decisions. The association considers the provision an infringement on patients' rights to legal action, but Fulcher said it was meant to cover the employee-employer relationship and not patients' rights. He added that he hopes to deliver the revised bill to the committee by next week (Lamay, Idaho Statesman, 2/2).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2010 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
вторник, 7 февраля 2012 г.
Kansas AG Kline Receives Late-Term Abortion Records
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (R) -- who is running for re-election in November against Johnson County, Kan., District Attorney Paul Morrison (D) -- on Tuesday said his office received the records of 90 women and girls who in 2003 underwent late-term abortions at two clinics and will begin reviewing them for evidence of possible crimes, the AP/Kansas City Star reports (Hanna, AP/Kansas City Star, 11/1). Kline in 2004 subpoenaed the records of the women and girls who received late-term abortions at Comprehensive Health, which is operated by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri in Overland Park, Kan., and Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, Kan., saying there is probable cause that each record contains evidence of a felony. The original subpoena asked that the records include each patient's name, medical history, birth control practices, psychological profile and sexual history and asked for the records of all women and girls who sought abortions at or after 22 weeks' gestation. The clinics in March 2005 filed a brief with the state Supreme Court requesting that the court block Kline's subpoena, and the court in February ruled that Kline can seek access to the records but that he must return to Shawnee County, Kan., District Court and present his reasons for seeking the subpoenas (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/4). The records -- which were turned over Oct. 24 by Shawnee County District Court Judge Richard Anderson and do not include information that would identify individuals -- are being reviewed "by criminal investigators and criminal prosecutors," Kline said. According to Kline, the targets of the investigations are sex offenders, rapists and physicians who performed, or provided a second opinion for, a late-term abortion or who failed to report child abuse. Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney representing one of the clinics, said, "Nothing whatsoever in those records supports the proposition that our clients have violated the law." He added, "What [Kline] now has in his hands are facts regarding procedures, not identifications of individuals receiving those procedures. Those facts do not justify Mr. Kline's involvement in any further criminal action -- none whatsoever" (AP/Kansas City Star, 11/1).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 31 января 2012 г.
Increase In C-Section Deliveries Coincides With Increase In Complications During Birth, Study Finds
An increase in the number of Caesarean sections performed in the U.S. coincides with an increase in severe complications during birth, according to a study scheduled to be published in the February issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USA Today reports.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the largest U.S. inpatient database, which sampled hospitals from 37 states in 2005, to examine the rate of severe complications among women who gave birth during two time periods: 1998 to 1999 and 2004 to 2005. The researchers found a 90% increase in blood transfusions; a 50% increase in pulmonary embolisms; and a 20% increase in kidney failure, respiratory disease, shock and the need for a ventilator. The percentage of c-section deliveries with at least one complication increased from 0.64% in 1998 to 1999 to 0.81% in 2004 to 2005.
The researchers found the increased number of c-sections led to an increase in kidney failure, respiratory distress syndrome and ventilation and played a minor role in the increase in cases of shock, pulmonary embolisms and transfusions. The researchers said that although the average age of women giving birth has increased, this did not have a significant effect on the rate of complications.
Susan Meikle, a medical officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and co-author of the study, said, "Even though the absolute numbers [of complications] are low, the rates are increasing," adding, "We could do a better job at tracking these complications. There may be short-term trade-offs and long-term trade-offs" for vaginal and c-section deliveries (Rubin, USA Today, 1/21). Meikle added that the study found "an amazing consistency” from vaginal delivery, where complication rates were the lowest, to repeat c-sections, where researchers saw an increase, to primary c-section delivery, where the increases in complications were the highest. "What we were trying to do is make sure that women and families are aware of all the risks so when they make these decisions they are making informed decisions and doctors are able to give them good information," Meikle said (Shelton, Chicago Tribune/Albany Times Union, 1/21).
Michael Kramer, scientific director of the Canadian Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, said it is possible that a complication could trigger the need for a c-section. However, he added that physicians often underestimate the risks of c-sections (USA Today, 1/21).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the largest U.S. inpatient database, which sampled hospitals from 37 states in 2005, to examine the rate of severe complications among women who gave birth during two time periods: 1998 to 1999 and 2004 to 2005. The researchers found a 90% increase in blood transfusions; a 50% increase in pulmonary embolisms; and a 20% increase in kidney failure, respiratory disease, shock and the need for a ventilator. The percentage of c-section deliveries with at least one complication increased from 0.64% in 1998 to 1999 to 0.81% in 2004 to 2005.
The researchers found the increased number of c-sections led to an increase in kidney failure, respiratory distress syndrome and ventilation and played a minor role in the increase in cases of shock, pulmonary embolisms and transfusions. The researchers said that although the average age of women giving birth has increased, this did not have a significant effect on the rate of complications.
Susan Meikle, a medical officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and co-author of the study, said, "Even though the absolute numbers [of complications] are low, the rates are increasing," adding, "We could do a better job at tracking these complications. There may be short-term trade-offs and long-term trade-offs" for vaginal and c-section deliveries (Rubin, USA Today, 1/21). Meikle added that the study found "an amazing consistency” from vaginal delivery, where complication rates were the lowest, to repeat c-sections, where researchers saw an increase, to primary c-section delivery, where the increases in complications were the highest. "What we were trying to do is make sure that women and families are aware of all the risks so when they make these decisions they are making informed decisions and doctors are able to give them good information," Meikle said (Shelton, Chicago Tribune/Albany Times Union, 1/21).
Michael Kramer, scientific director of the Canadian Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, said it is possible that a complication could trigger the need for a c-section. However, he added that physicians often underestimate the risks of c-sections (USA Today, 1/21).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
вторник, 24 января 2012 г.
Depression Symptoms Increase Over Time For Addiction-Prone Women
Unlike alcohol problems and antisocial behavior, depression doesn't decline with age in addiction-prone women in their 30s and 40s it continues to increase, a new study led by University of Michigan Health System researchers found.
The longitudinal analysis examined the influences of the women's histories, family life and neighborhood instability on their alcoholism symptoms, antisocial behavior and depression over a 12-year period covering the earlier years of marriage and motherhood.
The research, published in Development and Psychopathology, is part of an ongoing project focusing on families at high risk for substance abuse and associated disorders that has already collected more than 20 years worth of data.
Among the current study's other top findings:
-- The women's partners' struggles with addiction and antisocial behavior, such as run-ins with the law, worsened the women's own symptoms and behaviors.
-- Children's behavior also had a negative impact on their mothers. When children exhibited behaviors that included acting out and getting into trouble, their mothers' alcohol problems and antisocial behavior tended to worsen. Meanwhile, when children were sad, withdrawn or isolated, their mothers' depression increased.
-- Living in an unstable neighborhood, where residents move in and out frequently, also had a significant effect on the women's alcoholism symptoms and level of depression.
"Our findings demonstrate the complexity of the factors affecting changes in alcohol problems, antisocial behavior and depression for these women," says the study's senior author Robert Zucker, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Michigan Medical School and director of the U-M Addiction Research Center.
The findings challenge common notions that depression, alcoholism and antisocial behavior, are either just genetic disorders, or alternatively, that they are caused by environmental factors, Zucker adds.
"It's really the network of these relationships -- at the biological, social and at the community level -- that influences these disorders over time," he says.
The research also shows that unlike alcohol abuse and antisocial behavior, depression does not, by itself, get better over time it actually gets worse, at least in this high risk population, Zucker notes.
"Unlike the other two disorders, biological differences appear to be more of a constant factor in depression," he says.
The research sample included 273 adult women and their families from communities in the Midwest. Drunk driving convictions involving the father were used to find the highest risk portion of the sample; a blood alcohol content of .15 was required to help ensure that the men had long standing difficulties with alcohol abuse, rather than just having been out drinking heavily for one night. The remaining families were recruited from the neighborhoods where the drunk drivers lived.
The findings also underscore the relationship between alcohol abuse and antisocial behavior over long periods of time, says study lead author Anne Buu, Ph.D., Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Substance Abuse Section of the U-M Department of Psychiatry. As a result, she notes, interventions targeting antisocial behavior could benefit by also systematically targeting addiction.
"Based on these findings, interventions for women with young children might have the most impact if they improve social supports, educational opportunities, access to family counseling and neighborhoods environments," Buu says.
Funding: grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Additional U-M Authors: Wei Wang, M.P.H.; Jing Wang, M.S.; Leon I. Puttler, Ph.D.
Additional Authors: Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Michigan State University.
Citation: "Changes in women's alcoholic, antisocial, and depressive symptomatology over 12 years: A multilevel network of individual, familial, and neighborhood influences," Development and Psychopathology. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579410000830
Source: University of Michigan Health System
The longitudinal analysis examined the influences of the women's histories, family life and neighborhood instability on their alcoholism symptoms, antisocial behavior and depression over a 12-year period covering the earlier years of marriage and motherhood.
The research, published in Development and Psychopathology, is part of an ongoing project focusing on families at high risk for substance abuse and associated disorders that has already collected more than 20 years worth of data.
Among the current study's other top findings:
-- The women's partners' struggles with addiction and antisocial behavior, such as run-ins with the law, worsened the women's own symptoms and behaviors.
-- Children's behavior also had a negative impact on their mothers. When children exhibited behaviors that included acting out and getting into trouble, their mothers' alcohol problems and antisocial behavior tended to worsen. Meanwhile, when children were sad, withdrawn or isolated, their mothers' depression increased.
-- Living in an unstable neighborhood, where residents move in and out frequently, also had a significant effect on the women's alcoholism symptoms and level of depression.
"Our findings demonstrate the complexity of the factors affecting changes in alcohol problems, antisocial behavior and depression for these women," says the study's senior author Robert Zucker, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Michigan Medical School and director of the U-M Addiction Research Center.
The findings challenge common notions that depression, alcoholism and antisocial behavior, are either just genetic disorders, or alternatively, that they are caused by environmental factors, Zucker adds.
"It's really the network of these relationships -- at the biological, social and at the community level -- that influences these disorders over time," he says.
The research also shows that unlike alcohol abuse and antisocial behavior, depression does not, by itself, get better over time it actually gets worse, at least in this high risk population, Zucker notes.
"Unlike the other two disorders, biological differences appear to be more of a constant factor in depression," he says.
The research sample included 273 adult women and their families from communities in the Midwest. Drunk driving convictions involving the father were used to find the highest risk portion of the sample; a blood alcohol content of .15 was required to help ensure that the men had long standing difficulties with alcohol abuse, rather than just having been out drinking heavily for one night. The remaining families were recruited from the neighborhoods where the drunk drivers lived.
The findings also underscore the relationship between alcohol abuse and antisocial behavior over long periods of time, says study lead author Anne Buu, Ph.D., Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Substance Abuse Section of the U-M Department of Psychiatry. As a result, she notes, interventions targeting antisocial behavior could benefit by also systematically targeting addiction.
"Based on these findings, interventions for women with young children might have the most impact if they improve social supports, educational opportunities, access to family counseling and neighborhoods environments," Buu says.
Funding: grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Additional U-M Authors: Wei Wang, M.P.H.; Jing Wang, M.S.; Leon I. Puttler, Ph.D.
Additional Authors: Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Michigan State University.
Citation: "Changes in women's alcoholic, antisocial, and depressive symptomatology over 12 years: A multilevel network of individual, familial, and neighborhood influences," Development and Psychopathology. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579410000830
Source: University of Michigan Health System
вторник, 17 января 2012 г.
Hip Fractures Far Riskier To Women Than Breast, Ovarian And Uterine Cancer Combined
Osteoporosis is now a significant public health issue in the United States. In the special J. Robert Gladden Society supplement of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Patricia A. Thomas, MD, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Kansas, School of Medicine, reviewed the racial and ethic differences in osteoporosis for women.
"Osteoporosis tops the list of important public health concerns," said Dr. Thomas, "because of the significant morbidity and mortality associated with osteoporotic fracture-specifically, hip fractures."
According to national statistics following a hip fracture:
- 20 percent of women die within one year
- 20 percent become permanently disabled
- More women will die of hip fractures nationally than will die of breast cancer.
- In the U.S. hip fractures cost 18 billion dollars a year in hospital care expenditures.
Approximately 20 percent of non-Hispanic white and Asian women aged 50 years and older have osteoporosis, compared with five to 10 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 10 to 15 percent of Hispanic women the same age.
"Often, unless an individual experiences a fracture, osteoporosis remains silent and undiagnosed, particularly for women in racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States," said Dr. Thomas.
Awareness of osteoporosis for minority groups is also a concern. Although an increasing number of women in the United States say they are very familiar with the disease only:
- 25 percent of African American women
- 19 percent of Hispanic American women
- 17 percent of Asian American women are, in fact, very familiar with the disease compared to:
- 41 per cent of non-Hispanic White women
The review also states that African American and Hispanic women may not be as familiar with behaviors that promote and help maintain optimal bone mass. "Of greatest importance is that minority women may suffer disproportionately poorer outcomes than their non-minority counterparts," said Dr. Thomas. Several studies point to the facts that African American women are twice as likely as white women to die within the first year after a hip fracture and are more than 1.5 times more likely to die while hospitalized for that fracture.
Dr. Thomas also said, "Every women regardless of race, ethnicity or presumed risk, should be aware of osteoporosis and the importance of prevention. It is important for all women to be familiar with the risks and know which risks are preventable. Women should be empowered to seek out this information and treatment for themselves. Health care professionals should apply culturally competent care to increase the level of care provided to all women, particularly women in racial and ethnic minority populations."
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
"Osteoporosis tops the list of important public health concerns," said Dr. Thomas, "because of the significant morbidity and mortality associated with osteoporotic fracture-specifically, hip fractures."
According to national statistics following a hip fracture:
- 20 percent of women die within one year
- 20 percent become permanently disabled
- More women will die of hip fractures nationally than will die of breast cancer.
- In the U.S. hip fractures cost 18 billion dollars a year in hospital care expenditures.
Approximately 20 percent of non-Hispanic white and Asian women aged 50 years and older have osteoporosis, compared with five to 10 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 10 to 15 percent of Hispanic women the same age.
"Often, unless an individual experiences a fracture, osteoporosis remains silent and undiagnosed, particularly for women in racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States," said Dr. Thomas.
Awareness of osteoporosis for minority groups is also a concern. Although an increasing number of women in the United States say they are very familiar with the disease only:
- 25 percent of African American women
- 19 percent of Hispanic American women
- 17 percent of Asian American women are, in fact, very familiar with the disease compared to:
- 41 per cent of non-Hispanic White women
The review also states that African American and Hispanic women may not be as familiar with behaviors that promote and help maintain optimal bone mass. "Of greatest importance is that minority women may suffer disproportionately poorer outcomes than their non-minority counterparts," said Dr. Thomas. Several studies point to the facts that African American women are twice as likely as white women to die within the first year after a hip fracture and are more than 1.5 times more likely to die while hospitalized for that fracture.
Dr. Thomas also said, "Every women regardless of race, ethnicity or presumed risk, should be aware of osteoporosis and the importance of prevention. It is important for all women to be familiar with the risks and know which risks are preventable. Women should be empowered to seek out this information and treatment for themselves. Health care professionals should apply culturally competent care to increase the level of care provided to all women, particularly women in racial and ethnic minority populations."
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
вторник, 10 января 2012 г.
Nearly 60 Percent Of Women Trafficked And Sexually Exploited Suffered From Posttraumatic Stress
Study is first to quantitatively document the health symptoms of trafficked women and adolescent girls in Europe.
Researchers interviewed 192 women and adolescent girls within 14 days of accessing post-trafficking services to investigate the health of women trafficked for sexual exploitation in Europe. Almost 60 percent of participants reported experiences of sexual or physical violence before being trafficked, and 12 percent had a forced or coerced sexual experience before the age of 15. Ninety-five percent of participants reported physical or sexual violence while in the trafficking situation. Symptoms associated with depression were most often reported, with 39 percent of participants acknowledging having suicidal thoughts within the past seven days.
"The severe symptom patterns identified suggest that diagnostic and treatment services should be made immediately available to survivors of trafficking," said the study's authors. "However, dissecting the constellation of women's symptoms and formulating treatment plans are not likely to be easy or short-term tasks." [From: "The Health of Trafficked Women: A Survey of Women Entering Post-trafficking Services in Europe." Contact: Cathy Zimmerman, PhD, Gender Violence and Health Centre, LondonSchool of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England, cathy.zimmermanlshtm.ac .]
The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health.
American Journal of Public Health
Researchers interviewed 192 women and adolescent girls within 14 days of accessing post-trafficking services to investigate the health of women trafficked for sexual exploitation in Europe. Almost 60 percent of participants reported experiences of sexual or physical violence before being trafficked, and 12 percent had a forced or coerced sexual experience before the age of 15. Ninety-five percent of participants reported physical or sexual violence while in the trafficking situation. Symptoms associated with depression were most often reported, with 39 percent of participants acknowledging having suicidal thoughts within the past seven days.
"The severe symptom patterns identified suggest that diagnostic and treatment services should be made immediately available to survivors of trafficking," said the study's authors. "However, dissecting the constellation of women's symptoms and formulating treatment plans are not likely to be easy or short-term tasks." [From: "The Health of Trafficked Women: A Survey of Women Entering Post-trafficking Services in Europe." Contact: Cathy Zimmerman, PhD, Gender Violence and Health Centre, LondonSchool of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England, cathy.zimmermanlshtm.ac .]
The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health.
American Journal of Public Health
вторник, 3 января 2012 г.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems' Director Of Clinical Research Cautions Against Excess Radiation Dose To Breasts
Imaging
Diagnostic Systems, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: IMDS) a pioneer in laser
optical breast imaging systems, announced that Professor Eric Milne, M.D.,
IDSI Director of Clinical Research, has contributed to a comprehensive new
book, "Cancer Imaging: Lung and Breast Carcinomas," edited by Professor
M.A. Hayat.
Professor Milne's chapter, "Breast Dose in Thoracic Computed
Tomography," examines the risks of inducing breast cancer as a result of
the ionizing radiation received during CT exams of the thorax and upper
abdomen. Citing results stemming from his original 1992 study, which
demonstrated that large doses of ionizing radiation, equivalent to the dose
from 15 to 60 mammograms, are absorbed by the female breast as a result of
each chest CT exam, Milne suggests that referring physicians should
carefully weigh the clinical necessity for thoracic scans in female and
pediatric patients and cautions against the use of CT scans as a screening
procedure for lung cancer, coronary artery calcification, or pediatric lung
disease.
"The number of CT scans performed per year, for every 1,000 persons,
has increased enormously in the USA over the last five years," Milne
explains. "We now hold the world record at 172.5 scans for every group of
1,000 people. A conservative estimate of the carcinogenic effects of this
massive irradiation would indicate an increase of 16,000 breast cancers."
Commented Tim Hansen, IDSI President and CEO: "We believe that imaging
the angiogenesis process using lasers not only presents new information to
the diagnostician, but also avoids adding to the patient's cumulative
carcinogenic radiation dose. As Dr. Milne notes, physicians should be aware
of the dose consequences and examine alternatives that are available."
The book, which will be published by Elsevier, is currently in press.
About Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc. has developed a revolutionary new
imaging device to aid in the detection and management of breast cancer. The
CTLM(R) system is a breast imaging system that utilizes patented continuous
wave laser technology and computer algorithms to create 3-D images of the
breast. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not expose the
patient to ionizing radiation or painful breast compression. CT Laser
Mammography (CTLM(R)) is designed to be used in conjunction with
mammography. It reveals information about blood distribution in the breast
and may visualize the process of angiogenesis, which usually accompanies
tumor growth.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems is currently collecting data from clinical
sites for the future filing of an FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) for the
Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM(R)) system to be used as an
adjunct to mammography. The FDA has determined that the Company's clinical
study is a non-significant risk (NSR) investigational device study under
812.3(m) of the investigational device exemptions (IDE) regulation (21 CFR
812). The CTLM system is limited by United States Federal Law to
investigational use only in the United States. The CTLM system has received
other registrations including CE, CMDCAS Canadian License, China SFDA, UL,
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 and FDA export certification.
As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release may
contain forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or
projected plans, performances and developments, as well as other statements
relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are
necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and
there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially
differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that
could affect Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., is included in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim
any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
www.imds
Diagnostic Systems, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: IMDS) a pioneer in laser
optical breast imaging systems, announced that Professor Eric Milne, M.D.,
IDSI Director of Clinical Research, has contributed to a comprehensive new
book, "Cancer Imaging: Lung and Breast Carcinomas," edited by Professor
M.A. Hayat.
Professor Milne's chapter, "Breast Dose in Thoracic Computed
Tomography," examines the risks of inducing breast cancer as a result of
the ionizing radiation received during CT exams of the thorax and upper
abdomen. Citing results stemming from his original 1992 study, which
demonstrated that large doses of ionizing radiation, equivalent to the dose
from 15 to 60 mammograms, are absorbed by the female breast as a result of
each chest CT exam, Milne suggests that referring physicians should
carefully weigh the clinical necessity for thoracic scans in female and
pediatric patients and cautions against the use of CT scans as a screening
procedure for lung cancer, coronary artery calcification, or pediatric lung
disease.
"The number of CT scans performed per year, for every 1,000 persons,
has increased enormously in the USA over the last five years," Milne
explains. "We now hold the world record at 172.5 scans for every group of
1,000 people. A conservative estimate of the carcinogenic effects of this
massive irradiation would indicate an increase of 16,000 breast cancers."
Commented Tim Hansen, IDSI President and CEO: "We believe that imaging
the angiogenesis process using lasers not only presents new information to
the diagnostician, but also avoids adding to the patient's cumulative
carcinogenic radiation dose. As Dr. Milne notes, physicians should be aware
of the dose consequences and examine alternatives that are available."
The book, which will be published by Elsevier, is currently in press.
About Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc. has developed a revolutionary new
imaging device to aid in the detection and management of breast cancer. The
CTLM(R) system is a breast imaging system that utilizes patented continuous
wave laser technology and computer algorithms to create 3-D images of the
breast. The procedure is non-invasive, painless, and does not expose the
patient to ionizing radiation or painful breast compression. CT Laser
Mammography (CTLM(R)) is designed to be used in conjunction with
mammography. It reveals information about blood distribution in the breast
and may visualize the process of angiogenesis, which usually accompanies
tumor growth.
Imaging Diagnostic Systems is currently collecting data from clinical
sites for the future filing of an FDA Premarket Approval (PMA) for the
Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM(R)) system to be used as an
adjunct to mammography. The FDA has determined that the Company's clinical
study is a non-significant risk (NSR) investigational device study under
812.3(m) of the investigational device exemptions (IDE) regulation (21 CFR
812). The CTLM system is limited by United States Federal Law to
investigational use only in the United States. The CTLM system has received
other registrations including CE, CMDCAS Canadian License, China SFDA, UL,
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 13485:2003 and FDA export certification.
As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release may
contain forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or
projected plans, performances and developments, as well as other statements
relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are
necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and
there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially
differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that
could affect Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc., is included in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim
any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
www.imds
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