Eight out of 1ten people in charge of caring for a relative suffer from anxiety and stress, regardless of their socio-demographic variables. Families, and particularly daughters, assume the "informal care" of dependent elderly people in most of the cases. This follows an investigation carried out by Ruth M ?? Calero P?©rez and directed by professor Jos?© M?? Roa Venegas at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Granada.
The work in the UGR shows that in some cases this care in the family creates inappropriate behaviour in the relationship, and that the negative effects on the physical, psychological and social caregiver are highly related to the previous life history between caregiver and care recipient, social isolation felt by the caregiver, and the feeling of loneliness in the relationship with the care recipient.
To carry out this work, the researchers applied a questionnaire to a population of 203 subjects whose only requirement was to be the informal caregiver of a dependent elderly person.
Family and institutional support
Results reveal that both positive and negative cognitive variables (thoughts and assessments) used by the caregiver have a decisive influence on how caregiver and care receiver relate to each other. These variables include family support and institutional support, and modulate the relationship between caregiver and care receiver.
In addition, cultural variables such as parenting patterns and styles of education received, have clear implications in the way of being and acting of informal carers, which will impact on the work of caring.
Researchers from the UGR intend to monitor all these variables as a first step towards government intervention in order to improve the quality of life of this group, and consider that this action "should use a psychoeducational approach and, somehow, ensure a better quality of life for dependent elderly people's carers.
The fact is that the relationship between informal caregiver and care recipient, the authors note, "it is not an innocuous relationship, but it is full of effects, sometimes harmful, for the caregiver's physical and psychological health. Effects of stress, anxiety, etc., are known to affect the informal caregiver. But we believe these variables are insufficient to explain the variability that occurs in the conduct of the caretaker in his relationship with the care receiver. Therefore, it seemed interesting to us to introduce variables of a cognitive and (rather less studied) socio-cultural nature, in order to clarify that variability as far as possible."
These research results were published in the journal Geriatrik and Multidisciplinary Journal of Gerontology.
Reference: Ruth M ?? Calero Perez. Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Granada.
Source: Ruth Calero Perez
University of Granada
четверг, 29 декабря 2011 г.
четверг, 22 декабря 2011 г.
New York City Department Of Education Recommends 'Research-Based' Sex Education Curriculum For City High Schools
The New York City Department of Education on Thursday announced it would recommend a "research-based" sex education curriculum called Reducing the Risk at all high schools in the city, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
The program encourages students to delay sexual activity but provides information about contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The curriculum is being used at several school districts nationwide, including Chicago Public Schools. New York City high schools previously used a variety of sex education curricula, Lori Rose Benson, director of fitness and health education for the city's public schools, said (AP/Long Island Newsday, 10/18).
New York state last month rejected about $3.5 million in funding from the federal Title V abstinence education program. According to state health commissioner Richard Daines, $2.6 million that the state provided for the same abstinence program will be spent on other sex education programs.
Title V distributes money based on a formula favoring states with more low-income children. To receive Title V funds, states must adhere to certain requirements, including barring teachers from discussing contraception and requiring them to say that sex within marriage is "the expected standard of sexual activity." Many state governors have said the grants place too many restrictions on the curricula (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/21). Benson said the Reducing the Risk program "talks clearly about abstinence being the No. 1 choice" (AP/Long Island Newsday, 10/18).
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.
The program encourages students to delay sexual activity but provides information about contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The curriculum is being used at several school districts nationwide, including Chicago Public Schools. New York City high schools previously used a variety of sex education curricula, Lori Rose Benson, director of fitness and health education for the city's public schools, said (AP/Long Island Newsday, 10/18).
New York state last month rejected about $3.5 million in funding from the federal Title V abstinence education program. According to state health commissioner Richard Daines, $2.6 million that the state provided for the same abstinence program will be spent on other sex education programs.
Title V distributes money based on a formula favoring states with more low-income children. To receive Title V funds, states must adhere to certain requirements, including barring teachers from discussing contraception and requiring them to say that sex within marriage is "the expected standard of sexual activity." Many state governors have said the grants place too many restrictions on the curricula (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/21). Benson said the Reducing the Risk program "talks clearly about abstinence being the No. 1 choice" (AP/Long Island Newsday, 10/18).
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.
четверг, 15 декабря 2011 г.
The IUD Is The Most Popular Long-acting Contraceptive Amongst Europeans
A European study has defined the profile for the usage of long-acting contraceptive methods. The work, presented with the National Congress of Gynaecology award, shows, amongst other things, that 10% of women use these methods, the majority over 30 years old.
"Long-acting contraceptives (the IUD, contraceptive injection or contraceptive implant) are still not widely used", Sergio Haimovich, researcher at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and author of the study published in the European Journal Of Contraception And Reproductive Health Care, explains to SINC.
After the male condom, the pill is the most popular contraceptive method amongst European women, while intrauterine contraception (copper IUD or hormone-releasing IUS) is most popular as a long-term solution. Of the more than 11,000 women surveyed in 14 European countries, longer-lasting methods were used by 1,088 women, 10% of the sample.
The Spanish research, part of a broader study on the general contraceptive profile of European women, evaluates the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives. According to Haimovich, "those using them are women over the age of 30 who do not want more children and who are looking for a long-term solution". Younger girls use different methods, according to the expert.
The reasons why certain contraceptive methods are chosen, and how, are unknown. But why is there a scientific interest in the user profile? "The answers to these questions can help us to formulate contraceptive advice that is better adapted to the needs of the users", explains Haimovich.
The condom triumphs in Spain
The data consider the specific needs of each country. Spain is one of the European countries where the condom is used most, by all ages. However, according to the study hormonal methods, such as the pill or the ring, are increasingly being used.
The results of this research, awarded best work at the National Congress of Gynaecology on 25 September this year, "help to explain what users want and enable a more appropriate contraceptive check to be created", affirms Haimovich. "That is why we must always adapt our discourse to the demands of the users, and work such as this makes us aware of these requirements", the scientist points out.
Source: Plataforma SINC
"Long-acting contraceptives (the IUD, contraceptive injection or contraceptive implant) are still not widely used", Sergio Haimovich, researcher at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and author of the study published in the European Journal Of Contraception And Reproductive Health Care, explains to SINC.
After the male condom, the pill is the most popular contraceptive method amongst European women, while intrauterine contraception (copper IUD or hormone-releasing IUS) is most popular as a long-term solution. Of the more than 11,000 women surveyed in 14 European countries, longer-lasting methods were used by 1,088 women, 10% of the sample.
The Spanish research, part of a broader study on the general contraceptive profile of European women, evaluates the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives. According to Haimovich, "those using them are women over the age of 30 who do not want more children and who are looking for a long-term solution". Younger girls use different methods, according to the expert.
The reasons why certain contraceptive methods are chosen, and how, are unknown. But why is there a scientific interest in the user profile? "The answers to these questions can help us to formulate contraceptive advice that is better adapted to the needs of the users", explains Haimovich.
The condom triumphs in Spain
The data consider the specific needs of each country. Spain is one of the European countries where the condom is used most, by all ages. However, according to the study hormonal methods, such as the pill or the ring, are increasingly being used.
The results of this research, awarded best work at the National Congress of Gynaecology on 25 September this year, "help to explain what users want and enable a more appropriate contraceptive check to be created", affirms Haimovich. "That is why we must always adapt our discourse to the demands of the users, and work such as this makes us aware of these requirements", the scientist points out.
Source: Plataforma SINC
четверг, 8 декабря 2011 г.
Florida, Georgia, Idaho Legislatures Act On Reproductive Health Bills
Newspapers recently reported on several reproductive health-related bills under debate in state legislatures. Summaries appear below.
~ Florida: A Florida House committee approved a bill (H.B. 983) on Wednesday that would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound unless she signs a waiver, the AP/Miami Herald reports. The bill includes an exemption for survivors of rape, incest and domestic violence if they provide a copy of a police or medical report. Republicans pushed for a similar bill last year, but it died after a "dramatic tie vote in the state Senate," according to the AP/Herald. Supporters of this year's bill say that they are confident it will pass because many of last year's opponents are no longer in office. The committee approved the bill on a party-line vote, with Republican supporters saying they want to provide women additional information when deciding to have an abortion. Democrats said the need for an ultrasound should be determined by a physician. Many clinics in the state already have ultrasound equipment because Florida law requires ultrasounds for women seeking second- or third-trimester abortions, although about 30 do not have ultrasound equipment, the AP/Herald reports (AP/Miami Herald, 3/18).
~ Georgia: The Georgia House passed a resolution (H.R. 334) on Wednesday urging Congress to oppose the Freedom of Choice Act by a vote of 92-55, the Florida Times-Union reports. The Georgia resolution claims that FOCA -- which has not been introduced in the current congressional session -- would overturn more than 550 federal and state laws on abortion. State Rep. Jerry Keen (R), who sponsored the resolution, said other states have proposed similar measures, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio. State Rep. Bobby Franklin (R) was the only representative who spoke against the bill, saying it would embarrass Georgia to ask Congress to oppose an issue that he believes states should have the authority to decide (Florida Times-Union, 3/19).
~ Idaho: House committee approved a bill (H.B. 216) to give pharmacists the ability to refuse to dispense birth control and other medications, the AP/Forbes reports. The exemptions apply to pharmacists who have "moral, ethical or religious objections" to dispensing certain medications. Idaho law already allows hospitals and doctors authority to refuse to fill prescriptions. The bill now moves to the full House, "where it stands a good chance" to pass, according to the AP/Forbes. Idaho Pharmacy Board Director Mark Johnston reported to the committee that pharmacists already can deny providing medications because no state law requires that they fill a prescription. He said the pharmacy board remains neutral on the bill because it views the measure as a debate between abortion-rights supporters and opponents. State Rep. Erik Simpson (R), who supports the bill, said it would protect pharmacists from losing their jobs if they refuse to fill a prescription. Opponents of the bill argue that it places pharmacists' rights above patients' rights and that it could make it difficult for people in rural towns to access time-sensitive drugs, including emergency contraception (Wire, AP/Forbes, 3/18). The committee also passed a bill (H.B. 214) on Tuesday that would allow women who have a miscarriage or an abortion before 20 weeks' gestation to request a death certificate from the state's Bureau of Health Policy and Vital Statistics, the Idaho Statesman reports. State Rep. Judy Boyle (R), who introduced the bill, said that it is intended to provide a personal record for women and that the certificates would not represent vital records (Idaho Statesman, 3/17). Rebecca Poedy, vice president of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, said that the "real intent is to further undermine" Roe v. Wade, adding that if the bill is "legally challengeable, Planned Parenthood will be doing that" (Idaho Statesman, 3/18).
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.
~ Florida: A Florida House committee approved a bill (H.B. 983) on Wednesday that would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound unless she signs a waiver, the AP/Miami Herald reports. The bill includes an exemption for survivors of rape, incest and domestic violence if they provide a copy of a police or medical report. Republicans pushed for a similar bill last year, but it died after a "dramatic tie vote in the state Senate," according to the AP/Herald. Supporters of this year's bill say that they are confident it will pass because many of last year's opponents are no longer in office. The committee approved the bill on a party-line vote, with Republican supporters saying they want to provide women additional information when deciding to have an abortion. Democrats said the need for an ultrasound should be determined by a physician. Many clinics in the state already have ultrasound equipment because Florida law requires ultrasounds for women seeking second- or third-trimester abortions, although about 30 do not have ultrasound equipment, the AP/Herald reports (AP/Miami Herald, 3/18).
~ Georgia: The Georgia House passed a resolution (H.R. 334) on Wednesday urging Congress to oppose the Freedom of Choice Act by a vote of 92-55, the Florida Times-Union reports. The Georgia resolution claims that FOCA -- which has not been introduced in the current congressional session -- would overturn more than 550 federal and state laws on abortion. State Rep. Jerry Keen (R), who sponsored the resolution, said other states have proposed similar measures, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio. State Rep. Bobby Franklin (R) was the only representative who spoke against the bill, saying it would embarrass Georgia to ask Congress to oppose an issue that he believes states should have the authority to decide (Florida Times-Union, 3/19).
~ Idaho: House committee approved a bill (H.B. 216) to give pharmacists the ability to refuse to dispense birth control and other medications, the AP/Forbes reports. The exemptions apply to pharmacists who have "moral, ethical or religious objections" to dispensing certain medications. Idaho law already allows hospitals and doctors authority to refuse to fill prescriptions. The bill now moves to the full House, "where it stands a good chance" to pass, according to the AP/Forbes. Idaho Pharmacy Board Director Mark Johnston reported to the committee that pharmacists already can deny providing medications because no state law requires that they fill a prescription. He said the pharmacy board remains neutral on the bill because it views the measure as a debate between abortion-rights supporters and opponents. State Rep. Erik Simpson (R), who supports the bill, said it would protect pharmacists from losing their jobs if they refuse to fill a prescription. Opponents of the bill argue that it places pharmacists' rights above patients' rights and that it could make it difficult for people in rural towns to access time-sensitive drugs, including emergency contraception (Wire, AP/Forbes, 3/18). The committee also passed a bill (H.B. 214) on Tuesday that would allow women who have a miscarriage or an abortion before 20 weeks' gestation to request a death certificate from the state's Bureau of Health Policy and Vital Statistics, the Idaho Statesman reports. State Rep. Judy Boyle (R), who introduced the bill, said that it is intended to provide a personal record for women and that the certificates would not represent vital records (Idaho Statesman, 3/17). Rebecca Poedy, vice president of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, said that the "real intent is to further undermine" Roe v. Wade, adding that if the bill is "legally challengeable, Planned Parenthood will be doing that" (Idaho Statesman, 3/18).
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.
четверг, 1 декабря 2011 г.
Sex Education Increasing Slightly In China, Subject Remains Taboo, Washington Post Reports
Although sex education remains a taboo issue in much of China, some approaches to the subject recently have started to change and some schools have begun to teach the subject several times annually, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the most common form of sex education in the country is a 45-minute course offered once during the second year of middle school. However, because of "embarrass[ment]," teachers often do not discuss parts of the curriculum dealing with menstruation and bodily functions, according to experts. Surveys show that while the majority of Chinese teenagers remain more "conservative" than their counterparts in more developed countries, many high school and college students are engaging in sex and undergoing abortions at young ages, according to the Post. A hotline for pregnant teens, which was launched last summer in Shanghai, China, has handled 11,000 calls this year -- 47% of which involved girls having their first abortion, 35% having their second and 18% having had three or more abortions, according to the Post. Some health experts attribute the rise in teen abortion rates to advertising that describes abortions as inexpensive and painless, and although only hospitals are allowed to prescribe mifepristone -- which when taken with misoprostol can cause a medical abortion -- it can be purchased from unlicensed clinics for about $15, the Post reports. Wu Ruomei -- lecturer, author and co-host of Capital Life Radio's "Tonight's Whisperings," a program that addresses questions about sex, contraception and pregnancy -- said that people "cannot tell exactly what sex is. And that is exactly what the students want to know," adding, "China used to hide this subject under the table. They considered it dirty and changing attitudes takes a long time." According to Wu, officials in China's Ministry of Education are "more open than they were 10 years ago," but "they still can't keep up with what students need" (Fan, Washington Post, 9/11).
"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.
четверг, 24 ноября 2011 г.
Early Childbirth Linked To Poor Health In Middle Age
Women who have their first child before age 20 are at a higher risk of chronic diseases and death when they reach middle age, a new study shows
The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and reveals that women who are single at the time they have their first baby could also be at risk of earlier death an outcome that can probably relates to socioeconomic status later in life after having a child as a young, single woman.
"Being unmarried at the time of first birth is associated with lower midlife income and a lower probability of being married in midlife," said study author John Henretta at the University of Florida. "It's not so much the characteristic of being unmarried at first birth that's important; it's what being unmarried at first birth tells us about the midlife status of these women."
Henretta evaluated data from the Health and Retirement Study, focusing on 4,335 women born in the United States between 1931 and 1941. These women were first interviewed in 1992 (at ages 51 to 61) and then followed until 2002. Interviewers asked about their health, level of education, marital status, wealth, how many children they had and the age of each living child.
Study data showed that women who give birth before age 20 have a risk of dying 1.42 times higher than that of women who first give birth after age 20. Women who had a child before age 20 also had higher rates of reporting having heart disease, lung disease and cancer.
Henretta said that having a baby while unmarried could lead to a lower chance of eventually marrying and lower economic status in midlife, which research shows can relate to poorer access to healthcare.
"The conditions under which a woman has a child at a young age would be important to consider," said Ken R. Smith, a professor of human development and family studies at the University of Utah. "For example, were her parents or siblings there to assist in rearing the child, did the child survive, did the mother go on to marry the father and was that first child followed quickly by another birth?
"But overall, this [study] is a plausible finding and worth replicating," Smith added. "A parallel study of men would be useful to determine if the effects exist for the fathers as well."
Henretta JC. Early childbearing, marital status, and women's health and mortality after age 50. J Health Soc Behav 48(3), 2007.
Health Behavior News Service
Center for the Advancement of Health 2000 Florida Ave. NW, Ste 210
Washington, DC 20009
United States
hbns
The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior and reveals that women who are single at the time they have their first baby could also be at risk of earlier death an outcome that can probably relates to socioeconomic status later in life after having a child as a young, single woman.
"Being unmarried at the time of first birth is associated with lower midlife income and a lower probability of being married in midlife," said study author John Henretta at the University of Florida. "It's not so much the characteristic of being unmarried at first birth that's important; it's what being unmarried at first birth tells us about the midlife status of these women."
Henretta evaluated data from the Health and Retirement Study, focusing on 4,335 women born in the United States between 1931 and 1941. These women were first interviewed in 1992 (at ages 51 to 61) and then followed until 2002. Interviewers asked about their health, level of education, marital status, wealth, how many children they had and the age of each living child.
Study data showed that women who give birth before age 20 have a risk of dying 1.42 times higher than that of women who first give birth after age 20. Women who had a child before age 20 also had higher rates of reporting having heart disease, lung disease and cancer.
Henretta said that having a baby while unmarried could lead to a lower chance of eventually marrying and lower economic status in midlife, which research shows can relate to poorer access to healthcare.
"The conditions under which a woman has a child at a young age would be important to consider," said Ken R. Smith, a professor of human development and family studies at the University of Utah. "For example, were her parents or siblings there to assist in rearing the child, did the child survive, did the mother go on to marry the father and was that first child followed quickly by another birth?
"But overall, this [study] is a plausible finding and worth replicating," Smith added. "A parallel study of men would be useful to determine if the effects exist for the fathers as well."
Henretta JC. Early childbearing, marital status, and women's health and mortality after age 50. J Health Soc Behav 48(3), 2007.
Health Behavior News Service
Center for the Advancement of Health 2000 Florida Ave. NW, Ste 210
Washington, DC 20009
United States
hbns
четверг, 17 ноября 2011 г.
NPR Broadcasts First Of Four Reports On College Rape, Sexual Assault
"Morning Edition" on Wednesday aired the first segment in a four-part series examining sexual assault and rape on U.S. college campuses. The series, which was produced in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity, focuses on the "failure" of colleges and the Department of Education "to prevent these assaults and then to resolve these cases." According to Department of Justice estimates, one of out of every five college women is sexually assaulted.
Wednesday's segment examined the effects of the Jeanne Clery Act, a crime disclosure law passed 20 years ago. According to DOJ figures, campuses have reported a 9% decrease in violent crime and a 30% decrease in property crime in the past 10 years under the Clery Act. However, DOE has fined schools that violate the act only six times, and most fines have been less than $350,000 (Shapiro, "Morning Edition," NPR, 2/24).
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.
четверг, 10 ноября 2011 г.
Kansas Equal Rights Amendment Proposal Prompts Criticism From Antiabortion Groups
Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal that would place a state Equal Rights Amendment (H.R. 5003) before voters in the next general election, the Kansas City Star reports. The amendment would grant women the same rights to men in the state constitution. According to the Star, antiabortion-rights groups have suggested that an ERA could "open the door to a constitutional guarantee for abortion" in Kansas. Although Kansas does have a statute outlawing gender-based discrimination, ERA supporters maintain that the amendment could make it less difficult for women to successfully argue sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuits. They also cite the symbolic value of having equal rights for women included in the state constitution.
Catholic and antiabortion-rights groups believe that an ERA could derail all state restrictions on abortion. Beatrice Swoopes, a lobbyist with the Kansas Catholic Conference, said, "If we allow it to pass, Kansans will wake up one day wondering how a right to unrestricted and taxpayer-funded abortion was smuggled into our constitution." However, Washburn University professor Jeffrey Jackson noted that many states with ERAs have more restrictive abortion policies than Kansas.
Kansas lawmakers would have to approve the proposal by a two-thirds vote in both chambers to place the measure on the state ballot. According to the Star, the proposal "might not get that far," as state Sen. Pete Brungardt (R), who leads the committee reviewing the bill, has not decided whether the committee will have the time to vote on the legislation this year (Klepper, Kansas City Star, 2/26).
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.
Catholic and antiabortion-rights groups believe that an ERA could derail all state restrictions on abortion. Beatrice Swoopes, a lobbyist with the Kansas Catholic Conference, said, "If we allow it to pass, Kansans will wake up one day wondering how a right to unrestricted and taxpayer-funded abortion was smuggled into our constitution." However, Washburn University professor Jeffrey Jackson noted that many states with ERAs have more restrictive abortion policies than Kansas.
Kansas lawmakers would have to approve the proposal by a two-thirds vote in both chambers to place the measure on the state ballot. According to the Star, the proposal "might not get that far," as state Sen. Pete Brungardt (R), who leads the committee reviewing the bill, has not decided whether the committee will have the time to vote on the legislation this year (Klepper, Kansas City Star, 2/26).
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.
четверг, 3 ноября 2011 г.
Insomnia In Adults Improved By A Self-Help Program Delivered Online
A cognitive behavioral intervention for insomnia delivered via the Internet can significantly improve insomnia in adults, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by Lee Ritterband, PhD, of the University of Virginia, focused on 44 participants (mostly female) with an average age of 45 years. The participants were randomly selected to either the cognitive behavioral intervention for insomnia via the Internet or a wait list control. Measures of sleep, mood, cost, and cognitive functioning were collected at pre- and post-treatment, while additional measures of sleep were collected throughout treatment.
According to the results, sleep improved significantly for those who received a cognitive behavioral intervention for insomnia via the Internet over the six-week intervention, whereas control participants showed no change during the treatment period. Sleep efficiency also significantly improved for the experimental group from pre- to post- assessment, with no change for the controls. The experimental group increased total sleep time by 80 minutes and the control group increased by nine minutes.
"We believe these types of Web-based treatment programs have the potential to impact countless individuals around the world," said Dr. Ritterband. "Specifically related to insomnia, the availability of non-pharmacological help is significantly lacking. The Internet has already become a critical source of health-care and medical information. The Internet may prove an effective tool to more broadly disseminate cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia."
Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. It is the most commonly reported sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults have symptoms of insomnia. It is more common among elderly people and women.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you change actions or thoughts that hurt your ability to sleep well. It helps you develop habits that promote a healthy pattern of sleep. CBT is most often used for people who suffer from insomnia.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
Get a full night's sleep every night.
Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
Get up at the same time every morning.
Those who suspect that they might be suffering from insomnia, or another sleep disorder, are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist.
The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at the SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society. The three-and-a-half-day scientific meeting will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
SleepEducation, a patient education Web site created by the AASM, provides information about various sleep disorders, the forms of treatment available, recent news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have been conducted and a listing of sleep facilities.
Source: Kathleen McCann
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
The study, authored by Lee Ritterband, PhD, of the University of Virginia, focused on 44 participants (mostly female) with an average age of 45 years. The participants were randomly selected to either the cognitive behavioral intervention for insomnia via the Internet or a wait list control. Measures of sleep, mood, cost, and cognitive functioning were collected at pre- and post-treatment, while additional measures of sleep were collected throughout treatment.
According to the results, sleep improved significantly for those who received a cognitive behavioral intervention for insomnia via the Internet over the six-week intervention, whereas control participants showed no change during the treatment period. Sleep efficiency also significantly improved for the experimental group from pre- to post- assessment, with no change for the controls. The experimental group increased total sleep time by 80 minutes and the control group increased by nine minutes.
"We believe these types of Web-based treatment programs have the potential to impact countless individuals around the world," said Dr. Ritterband. "Specifically related to insomnia, the availability of non-pharmacological help is significantly lacking. The Internet has already become a critical source of health-care and medical information. The Internet may prove an effective tool to more broadly disseminate cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia."
Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. It is the most commonly reported sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults have symptoms of insomnia. It is more common among elderly people and women.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you change actions or thoughts that hurt your ability to sleep well. It helps you develop habits that promote a healthy pattern of sleep. CBT is most often used for people who suffer from insomnia.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good night's sleep:
Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
Get a full night's sleep every night.
Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
Do not bring your worries to bed with you.
Do not go to bed hungry, but don't eat a big meal before bedtime either.
Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
Get up at the same time every morning.
Those who suspect that they might be suffering from insomnia, or another sleep disorder, are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist.
The annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at the SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society. The three-and-a-half-day scientific meeting will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
SleepEducation, a patient education Web site created by the AASM, provides information about various sleep disorders, the forms of treatment available, recent news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have been conducted and a listing of sleep facilities.
Source: Kathleen McCann
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
четверг, 27 октября 2011 г.
How Men Might Contribute To Cancer In Women
If you're getting together with family this holiday season, you might want to spend some time talking about your medical history. Experts say by looking into your past, you might learn something about the risks you face in the future. If you do have that conversation with your family, be sure to talk to everyone. Your risks of certain cancers might come from some pretty unlikely people.
Even if it's just helping her dad do chores around the house, Janel Hall knows the importance of spending time with family. Janel has watched a grandmother and four aunts battle cancer. So when doctors told her she was almost certain to get it, she considered some dramatic steps to avoid it.
"We looked at all the options. One of the options was a complete hysterectomy and, of course, a complete mastectomy," says Janel.
That may seem drastic, but genetic tests show that Janel's odds of getting ovarian cancer are nearly 50% and her odds of getting breast cancer are nearly 90%. Given her family history, that didn't surprise Janel. What did surprise her is that it was her father who passed along the risk.
"There's been a big myth that people can't inherit breast or ovarian cancer genes from their father. And unfortunately, that's just not true," says Heather Hampel, a genetics counselor at Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital.
Hampel says ovarian and breast cancer can be treated effectively if they are caught early. The best way to do that is to know your family history. But many women assume that those types of cancers can only come from their mother and don't realize they are at risk.
"If you can find out ahead of time that you have an increased risk of cancer, then you can do something about it. And this is a gift that older generations didn't have," says Hampel.
Jane's done something about it. She decided to have a hysterectomy to avoid ovarian cancer and is screened closely every year for breast cancer. Her sister tested negative. Though the test results were mixed, it's given their father some peace of mind.
"I think it's good because now there's less decision making when something shows up. We know that something has to be done, we can't just hope it gets better," says Janel's father, Ron Everson.
What put Janel at such a high risk is that she tested positive for the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes that are linked to cancer. If there is a strong history of cancer in your family, you may want to meet with a genetic counselor like Janel's family did.
osu.edu
Even if it's just helping her dad do chores around the house, Janel Hall knows the importance of spending time with family. Janel has watched a grandmother and four aunts battle cancer. So when doctors told her she was almost certain to get it, she considered some dramatic steps to avoid it.
"We looked at all the options. One of the options was a complete hysterectomy and, of course, a complete mastectomy," says Janel.
That may seem drastic, but genetic tests show that Janel's odds of getting ovarian cancer are nearly 50% and her odds of getting breast cancer are nearly 90%. Given her family history, that didn't surprise Janel. What did surprise her is that it was her father who passed along the risk.
"There's been a big myth that people can't inherit breast or ovarian cancer genes from their father. And unfortunately, that's just not true," says Heather Hampel, a genetics counselor at Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital.
Hampel says ovarian and breast cancer can be treated effectively if they are caught early. The best way to do that is to know your family history. But many women assume that those types of cancers can only come from their mother and don't realize they are at risk.
"If you can find out ahead of time that you have an increased risk of cancer, then you can do something about it. And this is a gift that older generations didn't have," says Hampel.
Jane's done something about it. She decided to have a hysterectomy to avoid ovarian cancer and is screened closely every year for breast cancer. Her sister tested negative. Though the test results were mixed, it's given their father some peace of mind.
"I think it's good because now there's less decision making when something shows up. We know that something has to be done, we can't just hope it gets better," says Janel's father, Ron Everson.
What put Janel at such a high risk is that she tested positive for the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes that are linked to cancer. If there is a strong history of cancer in your family, you may want to meet with a genetic counselor like Janel's family did.
osu.edu
четверг, 20 октября 2011 г.
Romney Criticizes Obama For Support Of Sex Education For All Grades
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, on Thursday criticized Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, for supporting a 2003 measure in the Illinois Legislature that would have allowed age-appropriate sex education for children as young as kindergartners, the AP/ABC News reports. Obama in 2003 was a state senator and chair of a committee that approved a bill that would have changed Illinois sex education regulations to include instruction of any grade.
Obama on Tuesday at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund forum said that he considers sex education for kindergartners appropriate if it is tailored to their age level. He has said that if a kindergartner asks a question such as where babies come from, they should be told accurate information. Obama also said warning young people about inappropriate touching is an example of the type of sex education he supports, adding that he was criticized for his position on sex education during his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign as well.
"Sen. Obama is wrong if he thinks science-based sex education has any place in kindergarten," Romney said Thursday during a speech in Sparatansburg, S.C. Romney on Wednesday at a fundraising dinner in Colorado Springs, Colo., said, "How much sex education is appropriate for a five-year-old? In my mind, zero is the right number."
Obama on Thursday said, "We have to deal with a coarsening of the culture and the over-sexualization of our young people," adding, "Of course, part of the coarsening of that culture is when politicians try to demagogue issues to score cheap political points" (Davenport, AP/ABC News, 6/19).
Obama on Tuesday at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund forum said that he considers sex education for kindergartners appropriate if it is tailored to their age level. He has said that if a kindergartner asks a question such as where babies come from, they should be told accurate information. Obama also said warning young people about inappropriate touching is an example of the type of sex education he supports, adding that he was criticized for his position on sex education during his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign as well.
"Sen. Obama is wrong if he thinks science-based sex education has any place in kindergarten," Romney said Thursday during a speech in Sparatansburg, S.C. Romney on Wednesday at a fundraising dinner in Colorado Springs, Colo., said, "How much sex education is appropriate for a five-year-old? In my mind, zero is the right number."
Obama on Thursday said, "We have to deal with a coarsening of the culture and the over-sexualization of our young people," adding, "Of course, part of the coarsening of that culture is when politicians try to demagogue issues to score cheap political points" (Davenport, AP/ABC News, 6/19).
Romney, Fred Thompson Vie for Social Conservative Support
The Los Angeles Times on Friday examined a recent "clash" between Romney and former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.), who is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, over support of social conservatives. According to the Times, neither candidate is a "sure bet" with social conservatives, particularly because of abortion issues. Both Romney and Thompson have said they oppose abortion rights, but both candidates also have "mixed" records on the issue, the Times reports (Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 7/20).
ABC News video of Romney's and Obama's remarks and expanded ABC News coverage are available online (ABC News, 7/19).
"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.
четверг, 13 октября 2011 г.
Clinical Trial Data Documenting Improved Menopause Symptoms
SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, a novel soy germ-based ingredient in a supplement, improved menopausal symptoms, including significantly reducing hot flash frequency by nearly 59 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study in Japanese women. This key study was presented in an oral presentation at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 20th annual meeting. A second oral presentation reported peer-reviewed data that documented for the first time the pharmacokinetics, or absorption and distribution in the body, in U.S. menopausal women of S-equol when taken as a supplement using SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol. Development and ongoing research of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol is conducted by the Saga Nutraceuticals Research Institute of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Pharmavite LLC, the makers of NatureMade® vitamins and minerals and a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., is studying SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol in supplement form for management of menopausal symptoms.
"Natural S-equol, a soy-derived compound that is thought to interact with specific estrogen receptors, has been studied for its benefits in relieving menopausal symptoms in both U.S. and Japanese women. The data presented at NAMS adds to this research and illustrates the potential that SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol has for management of menopausal symptoms. Pharmavite LLC and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have a rigorous program, including additional clinical studies, to develop a SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement," said Belinda H. Jenks, Ph.D., director of Scientific Affairs & Nutrition Education at Pharmavite LLC.
Soybeans contain a compound daidzein that certain bacteria living within the digestive tract of some individuals can metabolize, or convert, into Natural S-equol [7-hydroxy-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-chroman], a compound thought to act as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). SERMs can bind to the body's receptors for estrogen, the naturally occurring female sex hormone, and Natural S-equol has a selective affinity for the estrogen receptor beta. Not everyone can produce Natural S-equol after soy consumption, as the production depends on the types of bacteria present in the large intestine and may be influenced by the amount of soy consumed. About 50 percent of Asians and 20 to 30 percent of North Americans and Europeans, who in general consume less soy than Asians, have the ability to produce equol. Studies in Japan have documented an association between milder menopausal symptoms in equol producers as compared to non-producers, but efficacy studies of S-equol, and of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, have been limited.
Investigational SE5-OH Containing Natural S-equol Supplement Improves Menopause Symptoms
In the study of Japanese postmenopausal women who were equol non-producers and reported at the NAMS annual meeting, a supplement whose active ingredient was SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol had significant effects on improving several menopausal symptoms.
"Our clinical trial of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol in Japanese post-menopausal women documented a significant reduction of their menopausal symptoms as measured in several ways, and the compound appears to have a promising future role in the management of women's menopausal symptoms," said study author Takashi Aso, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University and past president of the Japanese Menopause Society. "Safe and effective alternatives to hormone replacement therapy are needed to help women who suffer from menopause symptoms."
In the study, women taking a daily oral dose of 10 milligrams (mg) of Natural S-equol via the supplement reduced their frequency of hot flashes by 58.7 percent after 12 weeks of treatment, significantly more than the 34.5 percent reduction experienced in women receiving a placebo (p=0.0092 ). The study's primary endpoint was individual menopause symptom scores after 12 weeks of treatment.
SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol also yielded positive improvements of other menopause symptoms, as measured by the study's several secondary endpoints, including total scores on menopausal symptom evaluations as assessed by a physician-administered 22-item menopausal symptom questionnaire and by a validated tool called the Visual Analogue Scale of five symptoms (hot flashes, sweating, light sleep insomnia, depression and shoulder muscle stiffness). Women in Japan in general experience less hot flashes than women in the United States but experience more neck and shoulder stiffness, the investigators noted.
The trial also evaluated safety and adverse treatment-related effects. No adverse events were reported in this study and the supplement was well tolerated. A complete report of the study data will be submitted for peer-review publication.
The trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, evaluated 230 post-menopausal Japanese women aged 45 to 60 years. At enrollment, the women had at least one hot flash per day, did not produce equol after eating soy products, and did not take hormonal drugs or menopause symptom treatments. The postmenopausal enrollment criteria included estrogen levels of less than 21 picograms per milliliter (ml) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) values greater than 30 million international units/ml. Investigators randomized the women into two groups to receive either the placebo or the supplement, in the form of two daily tablets taken for 12 weeks.
The Natural S-equol used in this study and the pharmacokinetic study was in the form of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol. The supplement tablets each contained 5 mg of Natural S-equol. The SE5-OH is the product of fermentation of soy germ by the bacterial strain Lactococcus garvieae 20-92 using a patented and proprietary process by the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The process results in the conversion of the daidzein to S-equol. SE5-OH is created under current Good Manufacturing Practices. Following fermentation, the bacteria undergoes heat denaturation and is deactivated. The process is designed to produce a Natural S-equol rich product, or nutraceutical ingredient.
SE5-OH Containing Natural S-equol Supplements Provide Very High Systemic Bioavailability
The S-equol in SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement tablets was rapidly absorbed from the tablets and attained optimal concentrations in the blood stream, providing very high systemic bioavailability when given to healthy postmenopausal women. These findings were from a single-center, open-label, randomized, two-period crossover study conducted in white, non-Hispanic women. Bioavailability is a calculation of how much of a given dose of a test compound reaches the blood stream to circulate within the body, has a potential therapeutic effect and then is excreted in urine.
"These data are the first to report the pharmacokinetics of the S-equol when given in the SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplements to healthy U.S. postmenopausal women. This information is fundamental to determine the best dose of S-equol to use in the design of future clinical studies aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of S-equol in hormone-dependent conditions, such as menopause. We also documented that the SE5-OH Natural S-equol supplement offers a means of providing S-equol to those adults that do not produce it after ingestion of soy," said Kenneth D. R. Setchell, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Investigation, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. Dr. Setchell, an expert pharmacologist, evaluated the blinded data from the trial, which was conducted by Community Research in Cincinnati, Ohio, with support from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc.
In the study, investigators randomly assigned 12 post-menopausal women, aged 48 to 65 years, to receive after fasting overnight either 10 mg or 30 mg of S-equol via SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement tablets that each contained 5 mg of S-equol. Then 48 hours later, the women were switched to the other dosage. Following the 30 mg dose, the average peak plasma concentration, a calculation called Cmax, of Natural S-equol was 1,200 nanomoles per liter and was reached one hour after dosing.
Values for measures were similar for both doses of S-equol. Three of these measures included the calculation of Natural S-equol plasma concentration following each dosing, called an Area Under the Curve (AUC) calculation, and both Cmax and AUC calculated by dose. Also, S-equol from the SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement was rapidly excreted in urine. The average half-life, the time for plasma concentrations to decrease by 50 percent, was eight hours but sustained concentrations were measureable through 48 hours after dosing. The fraction of the S-equol dose excreted in urine was more than 80 percent for both doses. A complete report of the study data will be submitted for peer-review publication.
Investigators determined that three of the 12 women (25 percent) were equol-producers, based on their equol levels after a soymilk challenge. This standard test for equol production in humans includes a three-day soy milk challenge followed by measures of urinary equol concentration on day four of the test. There were no observable differences in Natural S-equol pharmacokinetics between the equol-producers and non-producers in the study, the investigators note.
No serious adverse events were reported and nor were there any clinically important changes in the women's blood biochemistry, including FSH, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, or in hematology, urinalysis or vital signs after administration of the Natural S-equol supplements.
For this pharmacokinetics trial, the women's postmenopausal status enrollment criteria was serum estradiol values of less than 100 picomol per liter and FSH levels greater than 50 international units per liter. Participants could not take any prescription or over-the-counter estrogen, combination estrogen+progestin, or phytoestrogen products within 14 days before the Natural S-equol dosing. The women also had to abstain from consuming soy-, flax- or lignan-containing foods, beverages and supplements for seven days before the equol dosing.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. supported both studies.
Oral presentation
Pharmacokinetics of S-(-)-Equol Administered as SE5-OH Tablets to Healthy Postmenopausal Women Kenneth D. R. Setchell and Xueheng Zhao (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio); and Susan E. Shoaf and Karen Ragland (Global Clinical Development, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc., Rockville, Md.)
Oral presentation
The Physiological Effects of Natural S-Equol Tablets on Menopausal Symptoms of Japanese Post-Menopausal Women Takeshi Aso, (Tokyo Medical and Dental University); Masahiro Nozaki (Kyushu Central Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan); Hiroaki Ohta (Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan); and Tomomi Ueno and Shigeto Uchiyama (Saga Nutraceutical research Institute, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Japan).
Source:
Stephen McCauley
Porter Novelli
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
"Natural S-equol, a soy-derived compound that is thought to interact with specific estrogen receptors, has been studied for its benefits in relieving menopausal symptoms in both U.S. and Japanese women. The data presented at NAMS adds to this research and illustrates the potential that SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol has for management of menopausal symptoms. Pharmavite LLC and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have a rigorous program, including additional clinical studies, to develop a SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement," said Belinda H. Jenks, Ph.D., director of Scientific Affairs & Nutrition Education at Pharmavite LLC.
Soybeans contain a compound daidzein that certain bacteria living within the digestive tract of some individuals can metabolize, or convert, into Natural S-equol [7-hydroxy-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-chroman], a compound thought to act as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). SERMs can bind to the body's receptors for estrogen, the naturally occurring female sex hormone, and Natural S-equol has a selective affinity for the estrogen receptor beta. Not everyone can produce Natural S-equol after soy consumption, as the production depends on the types of bacteria present in the large intestine and may be influenced by the amount of soy consumed. About 50 percent of Asians and 20 to 30 percent of North Americans and Europeans, who in general consume less soy than Asians, have the ability to produce equol. Studies in Japan have documented an association between milder menopausal symptoms in equol producers as compared to non-producers, but efficacy studies of S-equol, and of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, have been limited.
Investigational SE5-OH Containing Natural S-equol Supplement Improves Menopause Symptoms
In the study of Japanese postmenopausal women who were equol non-producers and reported at the NAMS annual meeting, a supplement whose active ingredient was SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol had significant effects on improving several menopausal symptoms.
"Our clinical trial of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol in Japanese post-menopausal women documented a significant reduction of their menopausal symptoms as measured in several ways, and the compound appears to have a promising future role in the management of women's menopausal symptoms," said study author Takashi Aso, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University and past president of the Japanese Menopause Society. "Safe and effective alternatives to hormone replacement therapy are needed to help women who suffer from menopause symptoms."
In the study, women taking a daily oral dose of 10 milligrams (mg) of Natural S-equol via the supplement reduced their frequency of hot flashes by 58.7 percent after 12 weeks of treatment, significantly more than the 34.5 percent reduction experienced in women receiving a placebo (p=0.0092 ). The study's primary endpoint was individual menopause symptom scores after 12 weeks of treatment.
SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol also yielded positive improvements of other menopause symptoms, as measured by the study's several secondary endpoints, including total scores on menopausal symptom evaluations as assessed by a physician-administered 22-item menopausal symptom questionnaire and by a validated tool called the Visual Analogue Scale of five symptoms (hot flashes, sweating, light sleep insomnia, depression and shoulder muscle stiffness). Women in Japan in general experience less hot flashes than women in the United States but experience more neck and shoulder stiffness, the investigators noted.
The trial also evaluated safety and adverse treatment-related effects. No adverse events were reported in this study and the supplement was well tolerated. A complete report of the study data will be submitted for peer-review publication.
The trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, evaluated 230 post-menopausal Japanese women aged 45 to 60 years. At enrollment, the women had at least one hot flash per day, did not produce equol after eating soy products, and did not take hormonal drugs or menopause symptom treatments. The postmenopausal enrollment criteria included estrogen levels of less than 21 picograms per milliliter (ml) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) values greater than 30 million international units/ml. Investigators randomized the women into two groups to receive either the placebo or the supplement, in the form of two daily tablets taken for 12 weeks.
The Natural S-equol used in this study and the pharmacokinetic study was in the form of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol. The supplement tablets each contained 5 mg of Natural S-equol. The SE5-OH is the product of fermentation of soy germ by the bacterial strain Lactococcus garvieae 20-92 using a patented and proprietary process by the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The process results in the conversion of the daidzein to S-equol. SE5-OH is created under current Good Manufacturing Practices. Following fermentation, the bacteria undergoes heat denaturation and is deactivated. The process is designed to produce a Natural S-equol rich product, or nutraceutical ingredient.
SE5-OH Containing Natural S-equol Supplements Provide Very High Systemic Bioavailability
The S-equol in SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement tablets was rapidly absorbed from the tablets and attained optimal concentrations in the blood stream, providing very high systemic bioavailability when given to healthy postmenopausal women. These findings were from a single-center, open-label, randomized, two-period crossover study conducted in white, non-Hispanic women. Bioavailability is a calculation of how much of a given dose of a test compound reaches the blood stream to circulate within the body, has a potential therapeutic effect and then is excreted in urine.
"These data are the first to report the pharmacokinetics of the S-equol when given in the SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplements to healthy U.S. postmenopausal women. This information is fundamental to determine the best dose of S-equol to use in the design of future clinical studies aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of S-equol in hormone-dependent conditions, such as menopause. We also documented that the SE5-OH Natural S-equol supplement offers a means of providing S-equol to those adults that do not produce it after ingestion of soy," said Kenneth D. R. Setchell, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Investigation, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. Dr. Setchell, an expert pharmacologist, evaluated the blinded data from the trial, which was conducted by Community Research in Cincinnati, Ohio, with support from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc.
In the study, investigators randomly assigned 12 post-menopausal women, aged 48 to 65 years, to receive after fasting overnight either 10 mg or 30 mg of S-equol via SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement tablets that each contained 5 mg of S-equol. Then 48 hours later, the women were switched to the other dosage. Following the 30 mg dose, the average peak plasma concentration, a calculation called Cmax, of Natural S-equol was 1,200 nanomoles per liter and was reached one hour after dosing.
Values for measures were similar for both doses of S-equol. Three of these measures included the calculation of Natural S-equol plasma concentration following each dosing, called an Area Under the Curve (AUC) calculation, and both Cmax and AUC calculated by dose. Also, S-equol from the SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement was rapidly excreted in urine. The average half-life, the time for plasma concentrations to decrease by 50 percent, was eight hours but sustained concentrations were measureable through 48 hours after dosing. The fraction of the S-equol dose excreted in urine was more than 80 percent for both doses. A complete report of the study data will be submitted for peer-review publication.
Investigators determined that three of the 12 women (25 percent) were equol-producers, based on their equol levels after a soymilk challenge. This standard test for equol production in humans includes a three-day soy milk challenge followed by measures of urinary equol concentration on day four of the test. There were no observable differences in Natural S-equol pharmacokinetics between the equol-producers and non-producers in the study, the investigators note.
No serious adverse events were reported and nor were there any clinically important changes in the women's blood biochemistry, including FSH, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, or in hematology, urinalysis or vital signs after administration of the Natural S-equol supplements.
For this pharmacokinetics trial, the women's postmenopausal status enrollment criteria was serum estradiol values of less than 100 picomol per liter and FSH levels greater than 50 international units per liter. Participants could not take any prescription or over-the-counter estrogen, combination estrogen+progestin, or phytoestrogen products within 14 days before the Natural S-equol dosing. The women also had to abstain from consuming soy-, flax- or lignan-containing foods, beverages and supplements for seven days before the equol dosing.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. supported both studies.
Oral presentation
Pharmacokinetics of S-(-)-Equol Administered as SE5-OH Tablets to Healthy Postmenopausal Women Kenneth D. R. Setchell and Xueheng Zhao (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio); and Susan E. Shoaf and Karen Ragland (Global Clinical Development, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc., Rockville, Md.)
Oral presentation
The Physiological Effects of Natural S-Equol Tablets on Menopausal Symptoms of Japanese Post-Menopausal Women Takeshi Aso, (Tokyo Medical and Dental University); Masahiro Nozaki (Kyushu Central Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan); Hiroaki Ohta (Tokyo Women's Medical University, Japan); and Tomomi Ueno and Shigeto Uchiyama (Saga Nutraceutical research Institute, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Japan).
Source:
Stephen McCauley
Porter Novelli
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
четверг, 6 октября 2011 г.
Cervical Cancer Vaccine Could Save Nearly 193,333 Lives A Year
It is estimated that 290,000 women die of cervical cancer globally each year. If Gardasil could reduce deaths by two-thirds, as Merck claims, this would mean 193,333 women's lives saved each year. In order to be effective, Merck says it would be best to vaccinate girls before they are likely to become sexually active.
Gardasil, a vaccine, prevents infection of four types of HPV (human papillomavirus). Two of them, types 16 and 18, are responsible for the development of over two-thirds of all cervical cancers. The other two types are responsible for most genital warts.
Merck says this could be the biggest cervical cancer prevention leap since the PAP test.
Today, an FDA Adisory Panel must decide whether or not to recommend Gardasil for approval. The Panel does not approve new drugs, it just recommends whether or not they should be approved. The FDA itself approves or declines drug applications. However, the FDA usually does what the Panel recommends. A decision on Gardasil is expected on 8 June.
HPV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and is present in about half of all sexually active adults.
If people who are already HPV infected take the vaccine and their immune systems have not cleared the virus from their systems, their risk of having a cancer precursor is higher. Five women who had the vaccine at about the same time as they became pregnant (conception) went on to have babies with birth defects.
The vaccine will not be cheap. A course of three injections over a six month period will cost from $300 to $500.
View drug information on Gardasil.
Gardasil, a vaccine, prevents infection of four types of HPV (human papillomavirus). Two of them, types 16 and 18, are responsible for the development of over two-thirds of all cervical cancers. The other two types are responsible for most genital warts.
Merck says this could be the biggest cervical cancer prevention leap since the PAP test.
Today, an FDA Adisory Panel must decide whether or not to recommend Gardasil for approval. The Panel does not approve new drugs, it just recommends whether or not they should be approved. The FDA itself approves or declines drug applications. However, the FDA usually does what the Panel recommends. A decision on Gardasil is expected on 8 June.
HPV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and is present in about half of all sexually active adults.
If people who are already HPV infected take the vaccine and their immune systems have not cleared the virus from their systems, their risk of having a cancer precursor is higher. Five women who had the vaccine at about the same time as they became pregnant (conception) went on to have babies with birth defects.
The vaccine will not be cheap. A course of three injections over a six month period will cost from $300 to $500.
View drug information on Gardasil.
четверг, 29 сентября 2011 г.
Agile Therapeutics Presents Additional Data At ACOG Meeting On Lead Contraceptive Patch Now Entering Phase 3
Agile Therapeutics, Inc., presented new detailed data on ethinyl estradiol (EE) and levonorgestel (LNG) hormone levels, safety and ovulation suppression on its lead product, AG200-15, an innovative low-dose weekly contraceptive patch now entering Phase 3 clinical trials to show efficacy, safety and tolerability. Agile's proprietary SKINFUSIONTM technology makes it possible to use the trusted hormone combination of ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel in a weekly, low-dose patch that is comfortable to wear.
Presented at two poster sessions at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 57th Annual clinical Meeting, in Chicago, IL, Agile reported that the EE and LNG levels for AG200-15 were consistent over three cycles and within range of low-dose oral contraceptives. In the pharmacokinetic study, EE levels were significantly lower when compared to Levlen, a 30 mcg combination oral contraceptive. AG200-15 will be the first contraceptive patch to offer women a low-dose option consistent with market trends for oral contraceptives.
Data on ovarian suppression indicated that AG200-15's efficacy will be comparable to popular, currently marketed oral contraceptives. The bleeding profile and other hormone related adverse events were similar to published data for low-dose oral contraceptives. Patients reported excellent adhesion and skin tolerability.
According to market research conducted on behalf of Agile with 105 OB/GYN physicians who are significant prescribers of contraception, 89 percent said they would be likely to prescribe AG200-15. If it were available today, almost half said they would prescribe it immediately, showing that physicians recognize a large need with their patients for the comfort and convenience of Agile's low-dose, weekly contraceptive patch. This physician data supports earlier Agile market research with 1,500 women, of whom almost two-thirds who desired contraception said they would ask their doctor about AG200-15 if it were available to them.
Daniel R. Mishell, M.D., Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California, and a member of Agile's Scientific Advisory Board, commented, "In these Phase 2 studies, AG200-15 demonstrated that it delivered a consistent EE level comparable to low-dose oral contraceptives. AG200-15's weekly, low-dose, efficacy and side effect profile will fill a major unmet need for a convenient, safe and efficacious contraceptive."
Marie Foegh, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Clinical Research and Development of Agile, said, "We are happy to share important additional data on our clinical program for Agile's weekly, low-dose contraceptive patch during this very important scientific meeting. Based on the ovulation suppression data, bleeding and hormone related adverse event profile, we selected AG200-15 as the lead contraceptive patch candidate for Phase 3 development."
Pharmacokinetic Study (Monday, Poster #28)
The pharmacokinetic study was an open-label, randomized, comparative, single-center, two-period cross-over study with 39 patients that evaluated two contraceptive patches to see if the systemic exposure of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and levonorgestrel (LNG) were comparable to the low-dose oral contraceptive, Levlen. As intended, both the EE and LNG exposure of both patches were less than Levlen and consistent with the levels targeted by the company.
Phase 2b Study (Tuesday, Poster #27)
In this multi-centered, multi-cycle Phase 2b safety and efficacy study of 123 women, the Company studied patches with different estrogen and progestin doses for three cycles to identify the regimen providing the best efficacy (as demonstrated by ovulation suppression), cycle control and tolerability at the lowest hormonal dose. Top-line results from the trial showed there was a clear dose-response to ovulation suppression and cycle control. AG200-15 provided the greatest ovulation suppression with the best cycle control of the three regimens studied.
About AG200-15, Agile's Low-Dose Contraceptive Patch
AG200-15 with SKINFUSIONTM technology is a low-dose, weekly contraceptive patch that is entering Phase 3 development with a clearly defined regulatory pathway. SKINFUSIONTM technology makes it possible to utilize the trusted hormone combination of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol in a contraceptive patch. AG200-15 has completed Phase 2 development and met all target endpoints, including providing estrogen dose, ovulation suppression, and side-effect similar to low-dose oral contraceptives. The patch was designed for flexibility and comfort.
About Estrogen
Estrogen is associated with certain common side effects, such as breast tenderness, bloating/weight gain and nausea. These side effects are believed to be related to the level of estrogen exposure. In some rare cases, high estrogen levels are thought to be linked with serious, cardiovascular side effects in some women. Therefore, low doses of estrogen in hormonal contraception are desired.
Source
Agile Therapeutics, Inc.
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
Presented at two poster sessions at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 57th Annual clinical Meeting, in Chicago, IL, Agile reported that the EE and LNG levels for AG200-15 were consistent over three cycles and within range of low-dose oral contraceptives. In the pharmacokinetic study, EE levels were significantly lower when compared to Levlen, a 30 mcg combination oral contraceptive. AG200-15 will be the first contraceptive patch to offer women a low-dose option consistent with market trends for oral contraceptives.
Data on ovarian suppression indicated that AG200-15's efficacy will be comparable to popular, currently marketed oral contraceptives. The bleeding profile and other hormone related adverse events were similar to published data for low-dose oral contraceptives. Patients reported excellent adhesion and skin tolerability.
According to market research conducted on behalf of Agile with 105 OB/GYN physicians who are significant prescribers of contraception, 89 percent said they would be likely to prescribe AG200-15. If it were available today, almost half said they would prescribe it immediately, showing that physicians recognize a large need with their patients for the comfort and convenience of Agile's low-dose, weekly contraceptive patch. This physician data supports earlier Agile market research with 1,500 women, of whom almost two-thirds who desired contraception said they would ask their doctor about AG200-15 if it were available to them.
Daniel R. Mishell, M.D., Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California, and a member of Agile's Scientific Advisory Board, commented, "In these Phase 2 studies, AG200-15 demonstrated that it delivered a consistent EE level comparable to low-dose oral contraceptives. AG200-15's weekly, low-dose, efficacy and side effect profile will fill a major unmet need for a convenient, safe and efficacious contraceptive."
Marie Foegh, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Clinical Research and Development of Agile, said, "We are happy to share important additional data on our clinical program for Agile's weekly, low-dose contraceptive patch during this very important scientific meeting. Based on the ovulation suppression data, bleeding and hormone related adverse event profile, we selected AG200-15 as the lead contraceptive patch candidate for Phase 3 development."
Pharmacokinetic Study (Monday, Poster #28)
The pharmacokinetic study was an open-label, randomized, comparative, single-center, two-period cross-over study with 39 patients that evaluated two contraceptive patches to see if the systemic exposure of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and levonorgestrel (LNG) were comparable to the low-dose oral contraceptive, Levlen. As intended, both the EE and LNG exposure of both patches were less than Levlen and consistent with the levels targeted by the company.
Phase 2b Study (Tuesday, Poster #27)
In this multi-centered, multi-cycle Phase 2b safety and efficacy study of 123 women, the Company studied patches with different estrogen and progestin doses for three cycles to identify the regimen providing the best efficacy (as demonstrated by ovulation suppression), cycle control and tolerability at the lowest hormonal dose. Top-line results from the trial showed there was a clear dose-response to ovulation suppression and cycle control. AG200-15 provided the greatest ovulation suppression with the best cycle control of the three regimens studied.
About AG200-15, Agile's Low-Dose Contraceptive Patch
AG200-15 with SKINFUSIONTM technology is a low-dose, weekly contraceptive patch that is entering Phase 3 development with a clearly defined regulatory pathway. SKINFUSIONTM technology makes it possible to utilize the trusted hormone combination of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol in a contraceptive patch. AG200-15 has completed Phase 2 development and met all target endpoints, including providing estrogen dose, ovulation suppression, and side-effect similar to low-dose oral contraceptives. The patch was designed for flexibility and comfort.
About Estrogen
Estrogen is associated with certain common side effects, such as breast tenderness, bloating/weight gain and nausea. These side effects are believed to be related to the level of estrogen exposure. In some rare cases, high estrogen levels are thought to be linked with serious, cardiovascular side effects in some women. Therefore, low doses of estrogen in hormonal contraception are desired.
Source
Agile Therapeutics, Inc.
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
четверг, 22 сентября 2011 г.
Research Lacking On Why Heart Disease Is More Deadly For Women
A woman who has heart disease
is 50% more likely to die from it than a man who has it. Although experts
can point to a number of possible explanations for this, the research on
women and heart disease remains inadequate, says the new edition of a
Harvard Medical School report, The Healthy Heart: Preventing, detecting,
and treating coronary artery disease.
Even though men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than
women, about 38% of women who have a heart attack die within a year of the
event, compared with 25% of men. And women are almost twice as likely as
men to have a second heart attack within six years of the first.
The science behind the differences is unclear. These are some of the
theories discussed in The Healthy Heart:
-- Age. Women seem to become more vulnerable to heart disease only
after their estrogen levels fall with menopause, and so they tend
to suffer first heart attacks later than men. Advanced age may
make it more difficult to survive a heart attack.
-- Coronary microvascular disease. This new diagnosis may apply to
50% to 60% of women, compared with 20% of men. These people have
chest pain when they are active or stressed, but on angiograms,
their coronary arteries appear clear. Studies show that women
with coronary microvascular disease have a higher risk for heart
attack or stroke.
-- Inferior diagnosis and treatment. Some studies suggest women's
heart problems don't receive the same attention as men's.
-- Incomplete understanding of symptoms. Classic heart attack
symptoms were defined based on studies on men. These symptoms
don't always occur in women, which may delay diagnosis and
treatment.
Harvard Health Publications
health.harvard.edu
is 50% more likely to die from it than a man who has it. Although experts
can point to a number of possible explanations for this, the research on
women and heart disease remains inadequate, says the new edition of a
Harvard Medical School report, The Healthy Heart: Preventing, detecting,
and treating coronary artery disease.
Even though men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than
women, about 38% of women who have a heart attack die within a year of the
event, compared with 25% of men. And women are almost twice as likely as
men to have a second heart attack within six years of the first.
The science behind the differences is unclear. These are some of the
theories discussed in The Healthy Heart:
-- Age. Women seem to become more vulnerable to heart disease only
after their estrogen levels fall with menopause, and so they tend
to suffer first heart attacks later than men. Advanced age may
make it more difficult to survive a heart attack.
-- Coronary microvascular disease. This new diagnosis may apply to
50% to 60% of women, compared with 20% of men. These people have
chest pain when they are active or stressed, but on angiograms,
their coronary arteries appear clear. Studies show that women
with coronary microvascular disease have a higher risk for heart
attack or stroke.
-- Inferior diagnosis and treatment. Some studies suggest women's
heart problems don't receive the same attention as men's.
-- Incomplete understanding of symptoms. Classic heart attack
symptoms were defined based on studies on men. These symptoms
don't always occur in women, which may delay diagnosis and
treatment.
Harvard Health Publications
health.harvard.edu
четверг, 15 сентября 2011 г.
Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Evaluates The Clinical Effects Of IoGen(TM) On Fibrocystic Breast Disease
Iodine has been used as an
antimicrobial for the last century. Much has been written about molecular
iodine yet many women suffering from Fibrocystic Breast Disease (FBD) are
unaware that studies being conducted may soon yield an effective
nonhormonal treatment.
While there are several breast cancer drugs on the market, all
available hormonal therapies have significant adverse events. In contrast,
IoGen is a nonhormonal treatment that allows for safe long-term use with
little or no side effects.
"Current research provides substantive support for the initiation of
human clinical studies on the use of molecular iodine as a treatment for
breast disease," stated Paul Desjourdy, President and CEO, Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "The possibility that IoGen may be used as a
treatment for breast cancer makes it all the more important that we
expedite the commercialization time line."
The Company believes IoGen has the ability to eliminate excess cell
growth in female reproductive tissue, including the breast, ovaries and
uterus. Other indications for IoGen include the treatment or prevention of
endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and premenopausal breast cancer.
Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is now in FDA Phase III clinical trials
for the evaluation of IoGen (I2) for pain/tenderness associated with FBD
and with potential to treat female reproductive organ cancers.
The importance of (I2) in the treatments for mammary gland dysfunctions
has been corroborated in human and animal models.
Seaweeds, containing high quantities of iodine in several chemical
forms including (I2), have been associated with low incidences of benign
and malignant breast disease in Asian women.
Past studies by independent researchers have supported the possible
effectiveness of molecular iodine (I2) as a treatment for breast cancer.
-- Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine found that
molecular iodine alters the gene expression profile in the human breast
cancer cells. Dr. Bernard Eskin remarked that these changes may be
responsible for molecular iodine's inhibition of breast cancer
promotion that has been repeatedly observed in animal models.
-- Some researchers investigating the connection between breast tissue and
iodine observed that frequent childbirth and a long lactation period
are known to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Symbollon is now conducting its IoGen (I2) Phase III pivotal pain
study. Results are expected in first quarter of 2008. For more information
on IoGen(TM), please visit the company's web site at: symbollon or
mybreastpain.
Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
symbollon
antimicrobial for the last century. Much has been written about molecular
iodine yet many women suffering from Fibrocystic Breast Disease (FBD) are
unaware that studies being conducted may soon yield an effective
nonhormonal treatment.
While there are several breast cancer drugs on the market, all
available hormonal therapies have significant adverse events. In contrast,
IoGen is a nonhormonal treatment that allows for safe long-term use with
little or no side effects.
"Current research provides substantive support for the initiation of
human clinical studies on the use of molecular iodine as a treatment for
breast disease," stated Paul Desjourdy, President and CEO, Symbollon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "The possibility that IoGen may be used as a
treatment for breast cancer makes it all the more important that we
expedite the commercialization time line."
The Company believes IoGen has the ability to eliminate excess cell
growth in female reproductive tissue, including the breast, ovaries and
uterus. Other indications for IoGen include the treatment or prevention of
endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and premenopausal breast cancer.
Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is now in FDA Phase III clinical trials
for the evaluation of IoGen (I2) for pain/tenderness associated with FBD
and with potential to treat female reproductive organ cancers.
The importance of (I2) in the treatments for mammary gland dysfunctions
has been corroborated in human and animal models.
Seaweeds, containing high quantities of iodine in several chemical
forms including (I2), have been associated with low incidences of benign
and malignant breast disease in Asian women.
Past studies by independent researchers have supported the possible
effectiveness of molecular iodine (I2) as a treatment for breast cancer.
-- Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine found that
molecular iodine alters the gene expression profile in the human breast
cancer cells. Dr. Bernard Eskin remarked that these changes may be
responsible for molecular iodine's inhibition of breast cancer
promotion that has been repeatedly observed in animal models.
-- Some researchers investigating the connection between breast tissue and
iodine observed that frequent childbirth and a long lactation period
are known to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Symbollon is now conducting its IoGen (I2) Phase III pivotal pain
study. Results are expected in first quarter of 2008. For more information
on IoGen(TM), please visit the company's web site at: symbollon or
mybreastpain.
Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
symbollon
четверг, 8 сентября 2011 г.
New Treatments for Common Vaginal Infection, Bacterial Vaginosis, Being Studied
Whether a two-week regimen using a stainless steel douching device can eradicate the most common vaginal infection is
under study at the Medical College of Georgia.
MCG researchers want to know whether the device can eliminate bacterial vaginosis and the distinctive odor that typically
accompanies the infection, says Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine physician, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention
Center at MCG Medical Center and the study's principal investigator.
MCG is the only site in the nation for a two-week test of the device that is based on the same premise as stainless steel
bars chefs use to eliminate undesirable odors from their hands. Participants in a small pilot study who used the device for
one week indicated they were beginning to see improvement, says Dr. Eileen D. Dickman, clinical researcher, coordinator of
the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center and a co-investigator.
"Bacterial vaginosis is the most common type of vaginal condition that women experience and yet its etiology is poorly
understood," says Dr. Ferris. "Basically it's an alteration of the vagina's ecosystem. It gets that way because the
lactobacilli, the good bacteria in the vagina, are wiped out."
Good bacteria are critical to the vagina's natural, continuous cleansing process. They secrete lactic acid, which makes the
vagina very acidic, and hydrogen peroxide to kill bad bacteria. Dead cells are carried away in the normally clear discharge.
When the system is disrupted, a woman's natural defense against sexually transmitted diseases decreases, leaving her much
more vulnerable to infections such as HIV, Chlamydia and human papillomavirus. Multiplying bad bacteria produce an
undesirable odor and vaginal discharge may be thick and white.
All sexually active women are at risk for this imbalance; for some unknown reason black women have twice the risk. Regular
vaginal douching may also be a factor, says Dr. Ferris, noting that his counterparts around the world might disagree. "In
America we feel that douching is nonselective: it washes out the good and the bad bacteria," says Dr. Ferris. "After you
douche, if the good bacteria isn't re-established first, the bad bacteria take over and you have a potential problem."
Studies and experience have shown that a major reason women douche is because their mothers did, Dr. Ferris says.
While many European physicians encourage the habit, Dr. Ferris is among the many American physicians who advise their
patients against douching. He wonders if the cylindrical stainless steel device, developed collaboratively by researchers at
Abbott Research Group, Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, may one day be a douching technique he'd recommend.
Women can easily use the device in the shower. A compartment attached to the device via a tube is filled with body
temperature tap water and placed at an elevated level so the natural force of gravity gently washes out the vagina for a few
minutes.
"I didn't believe this until they sent me a stainless steel chef's bar to try," says Dr. Ferris. "If you get garlic or onion
on your fingers, you use this stainless steel bar to wash your hands without soap, and it gets rid of the odor. Since
bacterial vaginosis is associated with this odor, it's thought the stainless steel has some effect on the whole process and
it could potentially eliminate the infection and the odor as well. This could be a non-pharmacologic, alternative medicine
approach," says Dr. Ferris.
"The standard treatment today is antibiotics to kill the bad bacteria so hopefully the good bacteria can resume dominance.
The goal of the douching device is to clear the infection without antibiotics. We don't know if it will," says Dr. Ferris.
"But, it might be an option other than antibiotics which are not 100 percent effective and can lead to secondary infections,
including yeast."
MCG also is participating in a multi-site study of the first potential new antibiotic for bacterial vaginosis in at least 25
years, a drug called tinidazole, which already has Food and Drug Administration approval to treat trichomoniasis vaginitis,
another common vaginal infection.
Europeans have used tinidazole for years to treat bacterial vaginosis and experience has shown the drug causes less
gastrointestinal side effects than two antibiotics used routinely in the United States. Its efficacy rate may be equivalent
or better than the existing drugs, clindamycin phosphate and metronidazole, Dr. Ferris says.
"We have had the same two antibiotics for a long time so our treatment options are rather limited," says Dr. Ferris, who is
excited about the opportunity to find better treatments for this very common infection with a recurrence rate of about 80
percent.
Women age 18 and older with bacterial vaginosis are eligible for both studies. The douching study is sponsored by Abbott
Research Laboratories and the antibiotic study by Presutti Laboratories.
Contact: Toni Baker
tbakermcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
mcg.edu
View drug information on Clindamycin phosphate topical gel.
under study at the Medical College of Georgia.
MCG researchers want to know whether the device can eliminate bacterial vaginosis and the distinctive odor that typically
accompanies the infection, says Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine physician, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention
Center at MCG Medical Center and the study's principal investigator.
MCG is the only site in the nation for a two-week test of the device that is based on the same premise as stainless steel
bars chefs use to eliminate undesirable odors from their hands. Participants in a small pilot study who used the device for
one week indicated they were beginning to see improvement, says Dr. Eileen D. Dickman, clinical researcher, coordinator of
the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center and a co-investigator.
"Bacterial vaginosis is the most common type of vaginal condition that women experience and yet its etiology is poorly
understood," says Dr. Ferris. "Basically it's an alteration of the vagina's ecosystem. It gets that way because the
lactobacilli, the good bacteria in the vagina, are wiped out."
Good bacteria are critical to the vagina's natural, continuous cleansing process. They secrete lactic acid, which makes the
vagina very acidic, and hydrogen peroxide to kill bad bacteria. Dead cells are carried away in the normally clear discharge.
When the system is disrupted, a woman's natural defense against sexually transmitted diseases decreases, leaving her much
more vulnerable to infections such as HIV, Chlamydia and human papillomavirus. Multiplying bad bacteria produce an
undesirable odor and vaginal discharge may be thick and white.
All sexually active women are at risk for this imbalance; for some unknown reason black women have twice the risk. Regular
vaginal douching may also be a factor, says Dr. Ferris, noting that his counterparts around the world might disagree. "In
America we feel that douching is nonselective: it washes out the good and the bad bacteria," says Dr. Ferris. "After you
douche, if the good bacteria isn't re-established first, the bad bacteria take over and you have a potential problem."
Studies and experience have shown that a major reason women douche is because their mothers did, Dr. Ferris says.
While many European physicians encourage the habit, Dr. Ferris is among the many American physicians who advise their
patients against douching. He wonders if the cylindrical stainless steel device, developed collaboratively by researchers at
Abbott Research Group, Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, may one day be a douching technique he'd recommend.
Women can easily use the device in the shower. A compartment attached to the device via a tube is filled with body
temperature tap water and placed at an elevated level so the natural force of gravity gently washes out the vagina for a few
minutes.
"I didn't believe this until they sent me a stainless steel chef's bar to try," says Dr. Ferris. "If you get garlic or onion
on your fingers, you use this stainless steel bar to wash your hands without soap, and it gets rid of the odor. Since
bacterial vaginosis is associated with this odor, it's thought the stainless steel has some effect on the whole process and
it could potentially eliminate the infection and the odor as well. This could be a non-pharmacologic, alternative medicine
approach," says Dr. Ferris.
"The standard treatment today is antibiotics to kill the bad bacteria so hopefully the good bacteria can resume dominance.
The goal of the douching device is to clear the infection without antibiotics. We don't know if it will," says Dr. Ferris.
"But, it might be an option other than antibiotics which are not 100 percent effective and can lead to secondary infections,
including yeast."
MCG also is participating in a multi-site study of the first potential new antibiotic for bacterial vaginosis in at least 25
years, a drug called tinidazole, which already has Food and Drug Administration approval to treat trichomoniasis vaginitis,
another common vaginal infection.
Europeans have used tinidazole for years to treat bacterial vaginosis and experience has shown the drug causes less
gastrointestinal side effects than two antibiotics used routinely in the United States. Its efficacy rate may be equivalent
or better than the existing drugs, clindamycin phosphate and metronidazole, Dr. Ferris says.
"We have had the same two antibiotics for a long time so our treatment options are rather limited," says Dr. Ferris, who is
excited about the opportunity to find better treatments for this very common infection with a recurrence rate of about 80
percent.
Women age 18 and older with bacterial vaginosis are eligible for both studies. The douching study is sponsored by Abbott
Research Laboratories and the antibiotic study by Presutti Laboratories.
Contact: Toni Baker
tbakermcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
mcg.edu
View drug information on Clindamycin phosphate topical gel.
четверг, 1 сентября 2011 г.
Weak Bladders Deter Many Young Women From Sports Participation
A weak bladder is putting many young women off participating in sport, or prompting them to give it up altogether, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The prevalence of urinary stress incontinence, defined as an involuntary leakage of urine, is relatively high among women, with some research putting the figure as high as 46%.
The researchers asked 679 Italian women about whether they had ever had urinary stress incontinence. All them were still having regular periods, and took part in non-competitive sports.
The anomymous responses showed that around 1 in 7 (15%) said they suffered from the condition. On average, the women had been putting up with the symptoms for six years.
Being overweight and having had children boosted the risk of urinary stress incontinence.
Of those affected, almost half said the condition occurred during routine activities, while one in three said it occurred solely during sporting activities. One in five said it occurred in both circumstances.
The most risky sports for women with the problem, in descending order of magnitude, were basketball, athletics, and tennis or squash.
Over half of those complaining of the problem experienced up to three episodes of involuntary leakage a month, but for around one in five the frequency of episodes exceeded more than three a week.
One in 10 women said that stress incontinence had prompted them to give up their favourite sport.
A further one in five said that the condition had restricted or forced them to change their activities, in a bid to avoid the risk of leakage.
The figures would have been considerably higher if women who had gone through the menopause had been included in the sample, say the authors.
They conclude that urinary stress incontinence impacts on the quality of women's lives, affecting many aspects of routine and recreational activities, but few women seek help for the condition, they say.
"They should be given information and offered diagnostic and conservative therapeutic options," including pelvic floor exercises, which can be very helpful, they add.
"The impact of urinary stress incontinence in young and middle aged women practising recreational sports activity: an epidemiological study."
Online First Br J Sports Med 10.1136/bjsm.2008.049072
bjsm.bmj
British Journal of Sports Medicine
The prevalence of urinary stress incontinence, defined as an involuntary leakage of urine, is relatively high among women, with some research putting the figure as high as 46%.
The researchers asked 679 Italian women about whether they had ever had urinary stress incontinence. All them were still having regular periods, and took part in non-competitive sports.
The anomymous responses showed that around 1 in 7 (15%) said they suffered from the condition. On average, the women had been putting up with the symptoms for six years.
Being overweight and having had children boosted the risk of urinary stress incontinence.
Of those affected, almost half said the condition occurred during routine activities, while one in three said it occurred solely during sporting activities. One in five said it occurred in both circumstances.
The most risky sports for women with the problem, in descending order of magnitude, were basketball, athletics, and tennis or squash.
Over half of those complaining of the problem experienced up to three episodes of involuntary leakage a month, but for around one in five the frequency of episodes exceeded more than three a week.
One in 10 women said that stress incontinence had prompted them to give up their favourite sport.
A further one in five said that the condition had restricted or forced them to change their activities, in a bid to avoid the risk of leakage.
The figures would have been considerably higher if women who had gone through the menopause had been included in the sample, say the authors.
They conclude that urinary stress incontinence impacts on the quality of women's lives, affecting many aspects of routine and recreational activities, but few women seek help for the condition, they say.
"They should be given information and offered diagnostic and conservative therapeutic options," including pelvic floor exercises, which can be very helpful, they add.
"The impact of urinary stress incontinence in young and middle aged women practising recreational sports activity: an epidemiological study."
Online First Br J Sports Med 10.1136/bjsm.2008.049072
bjsm.bmj
British Journal of Sports Medicine
четверг, 25 августа 2011 г.
Lipstick Contains Detectable Levels Of Lead Says Campaign Group Report
A report released yesterday by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), a coalition of women's, public health, and environmental groups campaigning for
the phasing out of toxins in cosmetics, has suggested that over half of 33 top brands of lipsticks on sale in the US contain detectable levels of
lead.
The report said that tests conducted by an independent laboratory during September this year found that 61 per cent of 33 brand-name red lipsticks contained
detectable levels of lead ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). The lipsticks were bought in Boston, Hartford, Connecticut, San Francisco and
Minneapolis.
One third of the lipsticks tested by the laboratory were found to contain more than the 0.1 ppm limit imposed by the US Food and Drug Administration on candy
and sweets. Although the limit for candy was set to protect children from ingesting lead, the CSC is using this comparison to show that lipstick, which is
put directly onto the lips, is also a source of directly ingested lead, to which pregnant women for example are particularly vulnerable. But the CSC pointed
out that the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick.
The CSC report said 39 per cent of the lipsticks tested had no detectable levels of lead, suggesting it was possible to make them without lead. However,
cost does not seem to be a factor, they said, since cheaper brands such as Revlon, selling at 7.49 dollars an item had no detectable levels of lead but the
most expensive lipstick they tested, the Dior Addict brand, selling at 24 dollars 50 an item had higher levels than some of the other lipsticks.
The CSC said that the top brands that tested positive for lead in their red lipsticks included:
L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red" (lead level of 0.65 ppm),
L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine" (0.58 ppm),
Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" (0.56 ppm), and
Dior Addict "Positive Red" (0.21 ppm).
Referring to studies that said there is no safe level for lead, and that it is a toxin that builds up in the human body because we can't excrete it, Dr Mark
Mitchell, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, said:
"Lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels."
Stacy Malkan, author of the new book, "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry", also referred to the build up of toxins like lead in
the body, and said the cosmetics industry needs to "clean up its act" and take immediate steps to reformulate products that contain lead.
John Bailey, EVP for Science Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, said yesterday in a statement responding to the CSC report that despite repeated
allegations to the contrary over the years, the cosmetics industry does not add lead to its products; the metal occurs naturally in a range of ingredients, as
it does "everywhere in the environment".
He said consumers were exposed to lead every day when they "eat, drink water, and breathe the air".
Bailey pointed out that the average quantity of lead a woman would be exposed to from using cosmetics amounted to 1,000th of the amount she would ingest from
eating food, breathing in air and drinking water that met the drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Referring to the FDA, Bailey said the agency set daily safe levels of lead exposure for adults, children and women who were expecting. And, implying a
contradiction to the CSC report, he said the FDA also set limits for lead in the colours used in lipsticks, and also tests them to make sure the limits are
obeyed. In fact he also said that the "products identified in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) report meet these standards."
Bailey said that for decades the cosmetics industry has worked to "minimize all product contamination, including lead", and they employed some of the world's
leading scientists to do this.
The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that the FDA had no plans to act in response to the CSC report and the agency has been aware of concerns about lead
in lipstick for some time.
A pediatrician and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr Sara Rizvi, who was contacted by the Chronicle said the report's findings were
"troubling". However, she said there was no cause for panic since the report was inconclusive and even showed different levels of lead in the same
brand.
But Rizvi also went on to say that although more research was needed to establish conclusive evidence one way or the other, the industry should reformulate
products to remove lead completely, since this was an avoidable risk.
In high doses lead has been linked to learning and behavioural problems in children, such as reduced IQ, poorer school performance and aggression, said the
CSC. The unborn and the very young are especially vulnerable because lead affects early brain development.
Click here for the CSC report on lead in lipstick.
Click here to learn more about lead exposure and toxicity from the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
: Catharine Paddock
the phasing out of toxins in cosmetics, has suggested that over half of 33 top brands of lipsticks on sale in the US contain detectable levels of
lead.
The report said that tests conducted by an independent laboratory during September this year found that 61 per cent of 33 brand-name red lipsticks contained
detectable levels of lead ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). The lipsticks were bought in Boston, Hartford, Connecticut, San Francisco and
Minneapolis.
One third of the lipsticks tested by the laboratory were found to contain more than the 0.1 ppm limit imposed by the US Food and Drug Administration on candy
and sweets. Although the limit for candy was set to protect children from ingesting lead, the CSC is using this comparison to show that lipstick, which is
put directly onto the lips, is also a source of directly ingested lead, to which pregnant women for example are particularly vulnerable. But the CSC pointed
out that the FDA has not set a limit for lead in lipstick.
The CSC report said 39 per cent of the lipsticks tested had no detectable levels of lead, suggesting it was possible to make them without lead. However,
cost does not seem to be a factor, they said, since cheaper brands such as Revlon, selling at 7.49 dollars an item had no detectable levels of lead but the
most expensive lipstick they tested, the Dior Addict brand, selling at 24 dollars 50 an item had higher levels than some of the other lipsticks.
The CSC said that the top brands that tested positive for lead in their red lipsticks included:
L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red" (lead level of 0.65 ppm),
L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine" (0.58 ppm),
Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" (0.56 ppm), and
Dior Addict "Positive Red" (0.21 ppm).
Referring to studies that said there is no safe level for lead, and that it is a toxin that builds up in the human body because we can't excrete it, Dr Mark
Mitchell, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, said:
"Lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels."
Stacy Malkan, author of the new book, "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry", also referred to the build up of toxins like lead in
the body, and said the cosmetics industry needs to "clean up its act" and take immediate steps to reformulate products that contain lead.
John Bailey, EVP for Science Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, said yesterday in a statement responding to the CSC report that despite repeated
allegations to the contrary over the years, the cosmetics industry does not add lead to its products; the metal occurs naturally in a range of ingredients, as
it does "everywhere in the environment".
He said consumers were exposed to lead every day when they "eat, drink water, and breathe the air".
Bailey pointed out that the average quantity of lead a woman would be exposed to from using cosmetics amounted to 1,000th of the amount she would ingest from
eating food, breathing in air and drinking water that met the drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Referring to the FDA, Bailey said the agency set daily safe levels of lead exposure for adults, children and women who were expecting. And, implying a
contradiction to the CSC report, he said the FDA also set limits for lead in the colours used in lipsticks, and also tests them to make sure the limits are
obeyed. In fact he also said that the "products identified in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) report meet these standards."
Bailey said that for decades the cosmetics industry has worked to "minimize all product contamination, including lead", and they employed some of the world's
leading scientists to do this.
The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that the FDA had no plans to act in response to the CSC report and the agency has been aware of concerns about lead
in lipstick for some time.
A pediatrician and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr Sara Rizvi, who was contacted by the Chronicle said the report's findings were
"troubling". However, she said there was no cause for panic since the report was inconclusive and even showed different levels of lead in the same
brand.
But Rizvi also went on to say that although more research was needed to establish conclusive evidence one way or the other, the industry should reformulate
products to remove lead completely, since this was an avoidable risk.
In high doses lead has been linked to learning and behavioural problems in children, such as reduced IQ, poorer school performance and aggression, said the
CSC. The unborn and the very young are especially vulnerable because lead affects early brain development.
Click here for the CSC report on lead in lipstick.
Click here to learn more about lead exposure and toxicity from the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
: Catharine Paddock
четверг, 18 августа 2011 г.
University of Michigan Study Finds Women Underrepresented In Cancer Research
Women are under-represented in clinical cancer research published in high-impact journals, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Taking into account the incidence of particular types of cancer among women, studies included a smaller proportion of women than should be expected. The analysis looked specifically at studies of cancer types that were not gender specific, including colon cancer, oral cancers, lung cancer, brain tumors and lymphomas.
The authors looked at 661 prospective clinical studies with more than 1 million total participants. Results of this study appear online in the journal Cancer and will be published in the July 15 print issue.
"In the vast majority of individual studies we analyzed, fewer women were enrolled than we would expect given the proportion of women diagnosed with the type of cancer being studied. We're seeing it across the board in all cancer types," says study author Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil., assistant professor of radiation oncology at the U-M Medical School.
"It's so important that women are appropriately represented in research. We know there are biological differences between the sexes, as well as social and cultural differences. Studies need to be able to assess whether there are differences in responses to treatment, for example, between women and men," she adds.
The National Institutes of Health's Revitalization Act of 1993 explicitly calls out the importance of including women in clinical research, noting that clinical trials should enroll adequate numbers of women to allow for subgroup analysis.
The U-M researchers found that studies reporting government funding did include higher numbers of women participants, but the impact was modest - 41 percent, compared to 37 percent for studies not receiving government funding.
Traditionally, researchers were told not to include people of vulnerable populations in their studies. This group included women of childbearing age. "By protecting them from research, we're excluding them," Jagsi notes.
Previous studies have found some barriers to clinical trial participation are lack of information, fear and a perception of interfering with personal responsibilities, such as child care.
"Sometimes participating in research studies can be time intensive. Women today are often stretched very thin trying to deal with the balance between domestic responsibilities, their cancer diagnosis, and often a career as well. They may be particularly likely to find clinical trials too burdensome. In that case, researchers should consider providing compensation to help with transportation or child care expenses," Jagsi says.
This under-representation of women is not necessarily the result of conscious decisions, points out senior author Peter Ubel, M.D., director of the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine at U-M.
"Clinical researchers are not purposely trying to exclude women from their studies. All the more reason they need to consciously and earnestly revise their recruitment methods to give more women a chance to volunteer," Ubel says.
Notes:
Methodology: The researchers looked at all original clinical cancer research published in five top oncology journals and three top general medical journals in 2006. The journals included were the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Lancet Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer. Articles were analyzed to determine factors including the number of participants, gender of participants, type of cancer and funding source. The percent of women was summarized in two ways: The overall percent of women from all studies; and the average percent from each study that were women. The first method gives greater weight to larger studies, while the second method allows each study to have equal weight. Women's representation was lower than expected, based on general population incidence data, according to both analyses. Additional authors: Amy R. Motomura, Sudha Amarnath, Aleksandra Jankovic, M.S., Nathan Sheets, Peter A. Ubel, M.D. Funding: University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
Source:
Nicole Fawcett
University of Michigan Health System
Taking into account the incidence of particular types of cancer among women, studies included a smaller proportion of women than should be expected. The analysis looked specifically at studies of cancer types that were not gender specific, including colon cancer, oral cancers, lung cancer, brain tumors and lymphomas.
The authors looked at 661 prospective clinical studies with more than 1 million total participants. Results of this study appear online in the journal Cancer and will be published in the July 15 print issue.
"In the vast majority of individual studies we analyzed, fewer women were enrolled than we would expect given the proportion of women diagnosed with the type of cancer being studied. We're seeing it across the board in all cancer types," says study author Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil., assistant professor of radiation oncology at the U-M Medical School.
"It's so important that women are appropriately represented in research. We know there are biological differences between the sexes, as well as social and cultural differences. Studies need to be able to assess whether there are differences in responses to treatment, for example, between women and men," she adds.
The National Institutes of Health's Revitalization Act of 1993 explicitly calls out the importance of including women in clinical research, noting that clinical trials should enroll adequate numbers of women to allow for subgroup analysis.
The U-M researchers found that studies reporting government funding did include higher numbers of women participants, but the impact was modest - 41 percent, compared to 37 percent for studies not receiving government funding.
Traditionally, researchers were told not to include people of vulnerable populations in their studies. This group included women of childbearing age. "By protecting them from research, we're excluding them," Jagsi notes.
Previous studies have found some barriers to clinical trial participation are lack of information, fear and a perception of interfering with personal responsibilities, such as child care.
"Sometimes participating in research studies can be time intensive. Women today are often stretched very thin trying to deal with the balance between domestic responsibilities, their cancer diagnosis, and often a career as well. They may be particularly likely to find clinical trials too burdensome. In that case, researchers should consider providing compensation to help with transportation or child care expenses," Jagsi says.
This under-representation of women is not necessarily the result of conscious decisions, points out senior author Peter Ubel, M.D., director of the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine at U-M.
"Clinical researchers are not purposely trying to exclude women from their studies. All the more reason they need to consciously and earnestly revise their recruitment methods to give more women a chance to volunteer," Ubel says.
Notes:
Methodology: The researchers looked at all original clinical cancer research published in five top oncology journals and three top general medical journals in 2006. The journals included were the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Lancet Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer. Articles were analyzed to determine factors including the number of participants, gender of participants, type of cancer and funding source. The percent of women was summarized in two ways: The overall percent of women from all studies; and the average percent from each study that were women. The first method gives greater weight to larger studies, while the second method allows each study to have equal weight. Women's representation was lower than expected, based on general population incidence data, according to both analyses. Additional authors: Amy R. Motomura, Sudha Amarnath, Aleksandra Jankovic, M.S., Nathan Sheets, Peter A. Ubel, M.D. Funding: University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
Source:
Nicole Fawcett
University of Michigan Health System
четверг, 11 августа 2011 г.
High Insulin Levels Raise Risk Of Breast Cancer In Postmenopausal Women
Higher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University report. Their findings, published in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest that interventions that target insulin and its signaling pathways may decrease breast cancer risk in these women.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Last year, approximately 182,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 died from the disease. The majority of breast cancers arise in women past the age of menopause.
Obesity is a well established risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, but just how obesity and breast cancer are connected is unclear. Many researchers have assumed that the link is estrogen a hormone that is known to increase breast-cancer risk and is found at higher-than-average levels in obese women. But obese women also have other hormonal imbalances that may play a role in triggering breast cancer. One such imbalance is elevated levels of insulin, which stimulates the growth of breast cells in tissue culture. The Einstein study is the first to prospectively identify insulin's role in breast cancer while controlling for estrogen levels.
The multi-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI) the largest study of postmenopausal women ever funded by the National Institutes of Health followed health outcomes in more than 93,000 postmenopausal women. At enrollment, each participant donated blood samples that were stored for later analysis.
In 2004, the Einstein researchers selected a subset of more than 1,600 of these participants: 835 who had developed breast cancer during the study, and a random sample of 816 women representative of the WHI as a whole. Using the blood samples and other measurements taken when the women enrolled, the researchers assessed their fasting insulin level, naturally occurring levels of estradiol (a form of estrogen), and body mass index, or BMI (a measure of obesity). After dividing the women into four groups based on their fasting insulin levels and controlling for estrogen levels, the researchers found that women with the highest insulin levels were nearly 50 percent more likely to have developed breast cancer compared with women who had the lowest insulin levels.
Most of this effect was observed in the large subset of women from the WHI study who did not use hormone-replacement therapy. HRT has a strong effect on insulin and other hormonal factors, so eliminating this variable gives a clearer picture of insulin's effect on breast cancer. "Among these women, the influence of insulin on breast cancer risk was quite high," says lead author Marc Gunter, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology & population health at Einstein. "Women with the highest insulin levels in their blood were more than two times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with the lowest insulin levels." Moreover, "when we controlled for insulin, the association between obesity and breast cancer became much weaker," adds Dr. Gunter. "This means that a large component of that obesity-cancer relationship may be mediated by insulin levels."
The findings have important implications for prevention, and possibly treatment, of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to Howard Strickler, M.D., M.P.H, who was senior author of the paper and a professor of epidemiology & population health at Einstein. "Research now needs to focus on ways to reduce insulin's effects on cell growth and replication in the breast while preserving its positive metabolic effects.
There are several possibilities and working with our laboratory collaborators we hope to make fast progress," said Dr. Strickler.
"It is also possible that screening non-diabetic postmenopausal women for high insulin levels could prove useful in identifying individuals at high risk for breast cancer," says Dr. Strickler.
The current study is part of a broader research program at Einstein. Researchers are focusing on how the effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors on cell replication and survival influence a variety of conditions. "Every cell in the body carries insulin receptors and most carry IGF-1 receptors, so it makes sense that this biologic pathway could play a major role in health and disease across a broad range of conditions and we have to do much more to understand these relationships," notes Dr. Strickler. So far, studies by Dr. Strickler and his colleagues have shown that insulin and/or IGFs also play a role in endometrial and colorectal cancer, as well as the progression of certain viral diseases, including HIV, hepatitis C virus in the liver and human papillomavirus (the cause of cervical cancer).
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. It is the home to some 2,000 faculty members, 750 M.D. students, 350 Ph.D. students (including 125 in combined M.D./Ph.D. programs) and 380 postdoctoral investigators. Last year, Einstein received more than $130 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving five hospital centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island which includes Montefiore Medical Center, Einstein's officially designated University Hospital the College runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training program in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training. For more information, please visit aecom.yu.edu.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
1300 Morris Park Ave.
Bronx
NY 10461
United States
aecom.yu.edu
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Last year, approximately 182,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 died from the disease. The majority of breast cancers arise in women past the age of menopause.
Obesity is a well established risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer, but just how obesity and breast cancer are connected is unclear. Many researchers have assumed that the link is estrogen a hormone that is known to increase breast-cancer risk and is found at higher-than-average levels in obese women. But obese women also have other hormonal imbalances that may play a role in triggering breast cancer. One such imbalance is elevated levels of insulin, which stimulates the growth of breast cells in tissue culture. The Einstein study is the first to prospectively identify insulin's role in breast cancer while controlling for estrogen levels.
The multi-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI) the largest study of postmenopausal women ever funded by the National Institutes of Health followed health outcomes in more than 93,000 postmenopausal women. At enrollment, each participant donated blood samples that were stored for later analysis.
In 2004, the Einstein researchers selected a subset of more than 1,600 of these participants: 835 who had developed breast cancer during the study, and a random sample of 816 women representative of the WHI as a whole. Using the blood samples and other measurements taken when the women enrolled, the researchers assessed their fasting insulin level, naturally occurring levels of estradiol (a form of estrogen), and body mass index, or BMI (a measure of obesity). After dividing the women into four groups based on their fasting insulin levels and controlling for estrogen levels, the researchers found that women with the highest insulin levels were nearly 50 percent more likely to have developed breast cancer compared with women who had the lowest insulin levels.
Most of this effect was observed in the large subset of women from the WHI study who did not use hormone-replacement therapy. HRT has a strong effect on insulin and other hormonal factors, so eliminating this variable gives a clearer picture of insulin's effect on breast cancer. "Among these women, the influence of insulin on breast cancer risk was quite high," says lead author Marc Gunter, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology & population health at Einstein. "Women with the highest insulin levels in their blood were more than two times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with the lowest insulin levels." Moreover, "when we controlled for insulin, the association between obesity and breast cancer became much weaker," adds Dr. Gunter. "This means that a large component of that obesity-cancer relationship may be mediated by insulin levels."
The findings have important implications for prevention, and possibly treatment, of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to Howard Strickler, M.D., M.P.H, who was senior author of the paper and a professor of epidemiology & population health at Einstein. "Research now needs to focus on ways to reduce insulin's effects on cell growth and replication in the breast while preserving its positive metabolic effects.
There are several possibilities and working with our laboratory collaborators we hope to make fast progress," said Dr. Strickler.
"It is also possible that screening non-diabetic postmenopausal women for high insulin levels could prove useful in identifying individuals at high risk for breast cancer," says Dr. Strickler.
The current study is part of a broader research program at Einstein. Researchers are focusing on how the effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors on cell replication and survival influence a variety of conditions. "Every cell in the body carries insulin receptors and most carry IGF-1 receptors, so it makes sense that this biologic pathway could play a major role in health and disease across a broad range of conditions and we have to do much more to understand these relationships," notes Dr. Strickler. So far, studies by Dr. Strickler and his colleagues have shown that insulin and/or IGFs also play a role in endometrial and colorectal cancer, as well as the progression of certain viral diseases, including HIV, hepatitis C virus in the liver and human papillomavirus (the cause of cervical cancer).
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. It is the home to some 2,000 faculty members, 750 M.D. students, 350 Ph.D. students (including 125 in combined M.D./Ph.D. programs) and 380 postdoctoral investigators. Last year, Einstein received more than $130 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving five hospital centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island which includes Montefiore Medical Center, Einstein's officially designated University Hospital the College runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training program in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training. For more information, please visit aecom.yu.edu.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
1300 Morris Park Ave.
Bronx
NY 10461
United States
aecom.yu.edu
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System.
четверг, 4 августа 2011 г.
At ASPS Annual Meeting: Innovative 'No Breast Implant' Procedure
Women who desire a mommy-makeover, have had major weight loss, or are unhappy with the toll age has taken on their breasts can breathe easier. An innovative procedure to correct severely deflated, sagging breasts left looking like "pancakes" will be presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2008 conference, Oct. 31 - Nov. 5, in Chicago. The procedure corrects misshapen breasts by lifting and restoring them to a more natural, full shape and position without the use of breast implants.
"In the past several years I've seen more women in their 50s who are unhappy with their breasts," said Dennis Hurwitz, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and course instructor. "These women have had numerous pregnancies, waited later in life to have children, lost a lot of weight, or simply haven't aged well and want to restore their figure. The breast irregularities these patients share are unique. These are extreme cases - not your 'run of the mill' augmentation patients who simply want to enlarge their breasts from an A to C cup."
The procedure presented at Plastic Surgery 2008 uses unwanted tissue and fat from the patient's tummy, along the bra line, or beneath the upper arm, shapes it into a breast mound and secures it with absorbable sutures into a tissue sheet that acts like a sling to hold the flap into position. This "spiral flap" is mobile enough to permit artistry in shaping, positioning and enlarging the breast. According to Dr. Hurwitz, the breasts are not only enlarged and better-shaped; they are soft and shift naturally with changes in body position. Patients also get the dual benefit of body contouring.
Currently, the majority of these patients are treated with conventional breast surgery, generally with less patient satisfaction. However, the "spiral flap" technique should not be substituted for standard breast implant augmentation, augmentation with breast lift, or breast reduction in all patients. While the procedure may be an option for a small percentage of women (post-pregnancy or as a result of aging) with extremely flattened chests who have ample excess skin around their mid torso, the majority treated with this technique are massive weight loss patients.
"For these women, so much volume and skin elasticity is gone that a basic breast augmentation or lift just doesn't produce optimal results," said Dr. Hurwitz. "By using the patients own tissue, they get a more natural augmentation with the dual benefit of body contouring."
Nearly 348,000 breast augmentations were performed in 2007, making it the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure last year, according to ASPS statistics. In addition, more than 106,000 breast reductions and 104,000 breast lifts were performed last year.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 90 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Source:ASPS Public Relations
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
"In the past several years I've seen more women in their 50s who are unhappy with their breasts," said Dennis Hurwitz, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and course instructor. "These women have had numerous pregnancies, waited later in life to have children, lost a lot of weight, or simply haven't aged well and want to restore their figure. The breast irregularities these patients share are unique. These are extreme cases - not your 'run of the mill' augmentation patients who simply want to enlarge their breasts from an A to C cup."
The procedure presented at Plastic Surgery 2008 uses unwanted tissue and fat from the patient's tummy, along the bra line, or beneath the upper arm, shapes it into a breast mound and secures it with absorbable sutures into a tissue sheet that acts like a sling to hold the flap into position. This "spiral flap" is mobile enough to permit artistry in shaping, positioning and enlarging the breast. According to Dr. Hurwitz, the breasts are not only enlarged and better-shaped; they are soft and shift naturally with changes in body position. Patients also get the dual benefit of body contouring.
Currently, the majority of these patients are treated with conventional breast surgery, generally with less patient satisfaction. However, the "spiral flap" technique should not be substituted for standard breast implant augmentation, augmentation with breast lift, or breast reduction in all patients. While the procedure may be an option for a small percentage of women (post-pregnancy or as a result of aging) with extremely flattened chests who have ample excess skin around their mid torso, the majority treated with this technique are massive weight loss patients.
"For these women, so much volume and skin elasticity is gone that a basic breast augmentation or lift just doesn't produce optimal results," said Dr. Hurwitz. "By using the patients own tissue, they get a more natural augmentation with the dual benefit of body contouring."
Nearly 348,000 breast augmentations were performed in 2007, making it the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure last year, according to ASPS statistics. In addition, more than 106,000 breast reductions and 104,000 breast lifts were performed last year.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 90 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Source:ASPS Public Relations
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
четверг, 28 июля 2011 г.
Media Campaign Targets Hispanic Women For Health Care Prevention
The Washington Post on Tuesday profiled American Cancer Society President Elmer Huerta, who uses Spanish-language television and radio to encourage Hispanic women in the U.S. to seek preventive health care. Since 1994, Huerta has starred in the national weekly television program "Hablemos de Salud," or "Let's Talk About Health," which focuses on disease prevention. Huerta, who created the television show, also voices radio spots called "Cuidando Su Salud," or "Taking Care of Your Health," which air daily on more than 120 stations in the U.S. and more than 350 in Latin America. He also hosts a syndicated radio show called "Cita Con el Doctor," or "Appointment With the Doctor."
A recent survey found that about 70% of patients at the Cancer Preventorium -- a clinic at the Washington, D.C.-based Washington Hospital Center that focuses on care for low-income, Hispanic women -- learned about the center from Huerta's programs, So Young Pak, WHS spokesperson said. Since its opening in 1994, the center has treated almost 15,400 women and 6,000 men, leading to 71 diagnosed cancers (Moreno, Washington Post, 5/13).
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.
A recent survey found that about 70% of patients at the Cancer Preventorium -- a clinic at the Washington, D.C.-based Washington Hospital Center that focuses on care for low-income, Hispanic women -- learned about the center from Huerta's programs, So Young Pak, WHS spokesperson said. Since its opening in 1994, the center has treated almost 15,400 women and 6,000 men, leading to 71 diagnosed cancers (Moreno, Washington Post, 5/13).
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.
четверг, 21 июля 2011 г.
Advocates Call For Increased Investment In Women, Girls Worldwide To Address Issues Such As HIV/AIDS
Advocates worldwide ahead of International Women's Day on Saturday highlighted issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender equality, discrimination, violence against women and the need to invest in women and girls, the AP/PR-Inside reports.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday during a meeting of a U.N. commission on gender equality and advancement of women said that nations should allocate increased resources for health care, nutrition, job opportunities and other needs of women worldwide. "Investing in women helps us fight all the challenges of our time -- from poverty, hunger and illiteracy to environmental degradation and disease, including HIV/AIDS," Ban said (AP/PR-Inside, 3/7). He added that gender equality is a prerequisite for reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. "As we know from long and indisputable experience, investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth," Ban said, adding, "No measure is more important in advancing education and health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. No other policy is as likely to improve nutrition or reduce infant and maternal mortality." Ban also pointed out the success of microfinance programs that lend small loans to women in developing countries and called on nations to "explor[e] effective and innovative ways of investing in women around the world" (AFP/Inquirer, 3/6).
U.N. officials also called on countries to mark International Women's Day with renewed efforts to end sexual assault, forced prostitution and other violence against women. Joanne Sandler, acting director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, called on member nations to "break new ground in the struggle for women's rights" as they mark the annual event, adding that there is an "urgent need to end violence against women in all of its forms." U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Kathleen Cravero also urged the U.N. Security Council to support an eight-year-old pledge to protect women and girls from rape and sexual abuse during armed conflict. "Rape is a crime and must be stopped," Cravero said (AP/PR-Inside, 3/7).
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called for increased political roles for women worldwide, the AP/Google reports. Speaking at a conference on women's rights, Rice said, "In today's modern world, no country can achieve lasting success and stability and security if half of its population is sitting on the sidelines." She added that the "international community should make sure that we hear the voices of women and account for their concerns wherever we seek to establish or keep the peace. If we do that, we are actually making the job of keeping the peace easier." Other participants at the conference included Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Liberian Foreign Minister Olubanke King-Akerele and Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak. European Union External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who hosted the conference, said participants agreed to continue high-level talks to ensure that expanding the roles of women stays at the top of the international agenda (Brand, AP/Google, 3/6).
In related news, Monday is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the U.S. The awareness day is a nationwide initiative that aims to increase awareness about the effect of HIV/AIDS on women and girls in the country through education about safer sex, testing and prevention measures (Plybon, WFMY News 2, 3/10).
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday during a meeting of a U.N. commission on gender equality and advancement of women said that nations should allocate increased resources for health care, nutrition, job opportunities and other needs of women worldwide. "Investing in women helps us fight all the challenges of our time -- from poverty, hunger and illiteracy to environmental degradation and disease, including HIV/AIDS," Ban said (AP/PR-Inside, 3/7). He added that gender equality is a prerequisite for reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. "As we know from long and indisputable experience, investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth," Ban said, adding, "No measure is more important in advancing education and health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. No other policy is as likely to improve nutrition or reduce infant and maternal mortality." Ban also pointed out the success of microfinance programs that lend small loans to women in developing countries and called on nations to "explor[e] effective and innovative ways of investing in women around the world" (AFP/Inquirer, 3/6).
U.N. officials also called on countries to mark International Women's Day with renewed efforts to end sexual assault, forced prostitution and other violence against women. Joanne Sandler, acting director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, called on member nations to "break new ground in the struggle for women's rights" as they mark the annual event, adding that there is an "urgent need to end violence against women in all of its forms." U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Kathleen Cravero also urged the U.N. Security Council to support an eight-year-old pledge to protect women and girls from rape and sexual abuse during armed conflict. "Rape is a crime and must be stopped," Cravero said (AP/PR-Inside, 3/7).
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called for increased political roles for women worldwide, the AP/Google reports. Speaking at a conference on women's rights, Rice said, "In today's modern world, no country can achieve lasting success and stability and security if half of its population is sitting on the sidelines." She added that the "international community should make sure that we hear the voices of women and account for their concerns wherever we seek to establish or keep the peace. If we do that, we are actually making the job of keeping the peace easier." Other participants at the conference included Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Liberian Foreign Minister Olubanke King-Akerele and Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak. European Union External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who hosted the conference, said participants agreed to continue high-level talks to ensure that expanding the roles of women stays at the top of the international agenda (Brand, AP/Google, 3/6).
In related news, Monday is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the U.S. The awareness day is a nationwide initiative that aims to increase awareness about the effect of HIV/AIDS on women and girls in the country through education about safer sex, testing and prevention measures (Plybon, WFMY News 2, 3/10).
ActionAid Report
A report published Friday by ActionAid said that systematic discrimination against girls and women in developing countries will prevent the United Nations from meeting the MDGs, London's Guardian reports. According to the report, girls and women are more likely to experience poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease, compared with boys and men. According to the report, African women account for 75% of HIV/AIDS cases among young people.
ActionAid said discussions about the MDGs at the United Nations and at this year's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Japan will succeed only if they recognize that the "development emergency is first and foremost an emergency for women and girls." According to the Guardian, if current trends continue, the goal of halving hunger will not be met until 2035, and 40 countries will not have equal school enrollment of girls and boys until after 2025. In addition, reducing maternal mortality rates is less than one-fifth of what was needed to meet the MDG target. Laura Turquet, women's rights policy officer of ActionAid, said, "Getting the goals back on track is about more than governments saving face. Fundamentally, it is about women realizing their basic human rights." She added, "As the lack of progress on maternal health shows, people's lives are at stake" (Elliott, Guardian, 3/7).
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.
четверг, 14 июля 2011 г.
Male Sex Dysfunction Drugs May Show Promise For Females
One needs only turn on the television to understand that significant advances have been made in the cure and treatment of male sexual dysfunction. Less visible progress has been made in understanding and treating female sexual disorders (FSD), a complex and multi-layered problem. A team of researchers has undertaken a new approach in the lab to understanding how and why FSD occurs in general, and the impact of the vasculature (the vessels in the body that carry blood, such as arteries and veins) in particular. The findings of their latest study suggest that the drugs that help men may some day also address some forms of female sexual dysfunction.
The study, Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors Relax Female Rat Internal Pudendal Arteries: Potential Treatment for Female Sexual Dysfunction, was conducted by Kyan J. Allahdadi, Rita C. Tostes, and R. Clinton Webb, all of the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. Dr. Allahdadi and his colleagues are presenting their findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference. The meeting will be held April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.
The Study
New evidence suggests that female sexual dysfunction may be, in part, the result of inadequate supply of blood to the female genitals and may be addressed with erectile dysfunction drugs. Originally developed as therapy for hypertension, these drugs work by dilating blood vessels sufficiently to produce erections in males. These drugs have not been fully explored in females.
The researchers used an animal model and compared the effects of three drugs used for erectile dysfunction (the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5I, such as Viagra® (sildenafil); Levitra® (vardenafil); and Cialis® (tadalafil)). PDE5I was used and analyzed in female and male rat internal pudendal arteries. The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the penis in men and to the vagina and clitoris in women. Arterial segments were contracted with phenylephrine then submitted to increasing concentrations of one of the PDE5 inhibitors.
The internal pudendal arteries of both male and female rats (n=10 to12) were measured for constriction/dilation.
Results
The researchers found the following:
Percent maximum relaxation (Top), effective concentration to relax 50% (Bottom)
Sildenafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 105.00?±7.73; 6.60?±1.7
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 103?±0.9; 5.67?±0.9
Vardenafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 115.6?±11.63; 6.67?±0.24
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 105.1?±89.88; 6.4?±0.23
Tadalafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 80.13?±5.39; 7.98?±0.24
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 102.3?±23.65; 5.4?±0.23
-- All the PDE5I inhibitors relaxed both female and male rat internal pudendal arteries, indicating that these arteries from both female and male rats are sensitive to PDE5I. However, female internal pudendal arteries were more sensitive to sildenafil at a lower concentration, which suggests it may be effective at a lower dose than vardenafil.
-- Male internal pudendal arteries reacted more effectively to vardenafil. Female internal pudendal arteries also reacted differently in comparison to the male arteries in that they demonstrated an oscillatory behavior by both dilating and contracting, suggesting that PDE5I may have a different mechanism of action in females.
Conclusions
According to Dr. Allahdadi, "PDE5I may be useful in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction caused by inadequate blood supply through the internal pudendal artery. The significant difference in how male and female pudendal arteries react to PDE5 inhibitors merits further study."
The study team is currently exploring the different relaxation profile observed between female and male rat internal pudendal arteries as well as functional abnormalities in internal pudendal arteries from diabetic rats.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society has been an integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887.
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
View drug information on Cialis; Levitra; Viagra.
The study, Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors Relax Female Rat Internal Pudendal Arteries: Potential Treatment for Female Sexual Dysfunction, was conducted by Kyan J. Allahdadi, Rita C. Tostes, and R. Clinton Webb, all of the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. Dr. Allahdadi and his colleagues are presenting their findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference. The meeting will be held April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.
The Study
New evidence suggests that female sexual dysfunction may be, in part, the result of inadequate supply of blood to the female genitals and may be addressed with erectile dysfunction drugs. Originally developed as therapy for hypertension, these drugs work by dilating blood vessels sufficiently to produce erections in males. These drugs have not been fully explored in females.
The researchers used an animal model and compared the effects of three drugs used for erectile dysfunction (the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5I, such as Viagra® (sildenafil); Levitra® (vardenafil); and Cialis® (tadalafil)). PDE5I was used and analyzed in female and male rat internal pudendal arteries. The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the penis in men and to the vagina and clitoris in women. Arterial segments were contracted with phenylephrine then submitted to increasing concentrations of one of the PDE5 inhibitors.
The internal pudendal arteries of both male and female rats (n=10 to12) were measured for constriction/dilation.
Results
The researchers found the following:
Percent maximum relaxation (Top), effective concentration to relax 50% (Bottom)
Sildenafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 105.00?±7.73; 6.60?±1.7
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 103?±0.9; 5.67?±0.9
Vardenafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 115.6?±11.63; 6.67?±0.24
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 105.1?±89.88; 6.4?±0.23
Tadalafil
Female Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 80.13?±5.39; 7.98?±0.24
Male Arteries Concentration/Dependency: 102.3?±23.65; 5.4?±0.23
-- All the PDE5I inhibitors relaxed both female and male rat internal pudendal arteries, indicating that these arteries from both female and male rats are sensitive to PDE5I. However, female internal pudendal arteries were more sensitive to sildenafil at a lower concentration, which suggests it may be effective at a lower dose than vardenafil.
-- Male internal pudendal arteries reacted more effectively to vardenafil. Female internal pudendal arteries also reacted differently in comparison to the male arteries in that they demonstrated an oscillatory behavior by both dilating and contracting, suggesting that PDE5I may have a different mechanism of action in females.
Conclusions
According to Dr. Allahdadi, "PDE5I may be useful in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction caused by inadequate blood supply through the internal pudendal artery. The significant difference in how male and female pudendal arteries react to PDE5 inhibitors merits further study."
The study team is currently exploring the different relaxation profile observed between female and male rat internal pudendal arteries as well as functional abnormalities in internal pudendal arteries from diabetic rats.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society has been an integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887.
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
View drug information on Cialis; Levitra; Viagra.
четверг, 7 июля 2011 г.
Far Too Many Women Risking Death to Give Life, UNFPA Leader Says
A world in which a woman risks death each minute in order to bring new life must be transformed, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the
Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said today.
"We must create a better, more caring world by doing all we can to prevent millions of our less fortunate sisters from losing
their lives to pregnancy and childbirth, especially when we know how to avoid these tragic deaths," said Ms. Obaid during the
launching of a report on the progress and challenges in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by the
world's leaders in 2000. "Countries have long agreed that no woman should be left to die for lack of reproductive health, and
today's report reaffirms that universal access to reproductive health care, including family planning, is the starting point
for maternal health and saving women's lives."
"Maternal health also frees women to pursue opportunities in work and education, giving them power to make decisions to
improve lives in their families and communities," said Ms. Obaid. "The empowerment of women, as today's report affirms, is
prerequisite to overcoming poverty, hunger and disease, and to achieving all development goals."
"Despite some progress over the last five years, today's report clearly shows that we must do far more to reduce poverty and
save lives around the world," said Ms. Obaid. "Promoting the rights of girls and women, securing their reproductive health
and the means to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV/AIDS, are the surest ways to
realize the development goals of all countries, rich or poor."
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005, Ms. Obaid said, fully underlines the important links between the MDGs and the
Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, which stresses the role of
reproductive health in sustaining lives and fighting poverty.
The lifetime risk of death from pregnancy in the developing world would be reduced substantially if all of its women had
access to the family planning services they desired, according to the report. Currently, it adds, 200 million women have an
unmet need for safe and effective contraceptive services.
If these women used effective contraception, more than 100,000 maternal deaths-one fifth of world totals-could be avoided
each year, according to the World Health Organization.
Today's report says that it is essential for pregnant women who face unexpected complications to get medical care and access
to emergency obstetric care centres that must be stocked with drugs, equipment and supplies.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005 also calls for pragmatic and forward-looking approaches to prevent the spread of
HIV/AIDS. "Because there is no cure for AIDS, prevention is essential", it states, adding "treatment and care need to be
expanded to reach millions more," who are HIV-positive.
UNFPA is the world's largest multilateral source of population assistance. Making motherhood safer for all women is at the
heart of the Fund's mandate.
For more information, please contact:
Abubakar Dungus, +1(212) 297-5031, dungusunfpa;
Omar Gharzeddine, +1(212) 297-5028, gharzeddineunfpa;
or visit the UNFPA website, unfpa
Distributed for UNFPA by:
Peter Robbs Consultants Ltd
News Media and Editorial
Main contacts:
Cathy Bartley
T: +44 20 7635 1593
Peter Robbs
T: +44 1480 465328
F: +44 1480 492724
E: cathy.bartleyukonline
E: peter.robbsukonline
Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said today.
"We must create a better, more caring world by doing all we can to prevent millions of our less fortunate sisters from losing
their lives to pregnancy and childbirth, especially when we know how to avoid these tragic deaths," said Ms. Obaid during the
launching of a report on the progress and challenges in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by the
world's leaders in 2000. "Countries have long agreed that no woman should be left to die for lack of reproductive health, and
today's report reaffirms that universal access to reproductive health care, including family planning, is the starting point
for maternal health and saving women's lives."
"Maternal health also frees women to pursue opportunities in work and education, giving them power to make decisions to
improve lives in their families and communities," said Ms. Obaid. "The empowerment of women, as today's report affirms, is
prerequisite to overcoming poverty, hunger and disease, and to achieving all development goals."
"Despite some progress over the last five years, today's report clearly shows that we must do far more to reduce poverty and
save lives around the world," said Ms. Obaid. "Promoting the rights of girls and women, securing their reproductive health
and the means to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV/AIDS, are the surest ways to
realize the development goals of all countries, rich or poor."
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005, Ms. Obaid said, fully underlines the important links between the MDGs and the
Programme of Action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, which stresses the role of
reproductive health in sustaining lives and fighting poverty.
The lifetime risk of death from pregnancy in the developing world would be reduced substantially if all of its women had
access to the family planning services they desired, according to the report. Currently, it adds, 200 million women have an
unmet need for safe and effective contraceptive services.
If these women used effective contraception, more than 100,000 maternal deaths-one fifth of world totals-could be avoided
each year, according to the World Health Organization.
Today's report says that it is essential for pregnant women who face unexpected complications to get medical care and access
to emergency obstetric care centres that must be stocked with drugs, equipment and supplies.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2005 also calls for pragmatic and forward-looking approaches to prevent the spread of
HIV/AIDS. "Because there is no cure for AIDS, prevention is essential", it states, adding "treatment and care need to be
expanded to reach millions more," who are HIV-positive.
UNFPA is the world's largest multilateral source of population assistance. Making motherhood safer for all women is at the
heart of the Fund's mandate.
For more information, please contact:
Abubakar Dungus, +1(212) 297-5031, dungusunfpa;
Omar Gharzeddine, +1(212) 297-5028, gharzeddineunfpa;
or visit the UNFPA website, unfpa
Distributed for UNFPA by:
Peter Robbs Consultants Ltd
News Media and Editorial
Main contacts:
Cathy Bartley
T: +44 20 7635 1593
Peter Robbs
T: +44 1480 465328
F: +44 1480 492724
E: cathy.bartleyukonline
E: peter.robbsukonline
четверг, 30 июня 2011 г.
Is It Safe To Use Oral Contraceptives To Eliminate Periods? Harvard Women's Health Watch Explores The Question
The new birth control pill
Lybrel is the first oral contraceptive designed to be taken 365 days a year
with no pill-free intervals. Women who use Lybrel don't have regular
periods, although they may have breakthrough bleeding. There are risks and
benefits to suppressing menstruation, reports the September 2007 issue of
Harvard Women's Health Watch.
The idea of preventing periods is not completely new. Conventional oral
contraceptives also stop periods if they are taken continuously, and a
clinician may suggest this approach to enable a woman to skip her period at
an inconvenient time, such as during her honeymoon. The notion of
suppressing periods over a longer term has become increasingly attractive,
partly because this strategy has helped with treating endometriosis and
managing the hormonal swings of perimenopause.
There's some justification for reducing the number of periods or
eliminating them altogether. For some women, eliminating periods can mean
avoiding cramps, mood swings, headaches, and heavy bleeding that can cause
anemia. On the other hand, many women are uncomfortable with the notion of
not having periods. One concern about Lybrel is that if it fails, a woman
may not know she is pregnant.
The Harvard Women's Health Watch notes that there are no long-term
safety data on Lybrel, but its risks are thought to be similar to
conventional oral contraceptives -- an increased incidence of blood clots,
heart attacks, and stroke, especially in smokers. On the plus side, birth
control pills appear to lower the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers;
Lybrel might do the same. But the effects of taking Lybrel for more than a
year are unknown. The use of continuous birth control has to be considered
largely uncharted territory.
Harvard Women's Health Watch
health.harvard.edu/women
Lybrel is the first oral contraceptive designed to be taken 365 days a year
with no pill-free intervals. Women who use Lybrel don't have regular
periods, although they may have breakthrough bleeding. There are risks and
benefits to suppressing menstruation, reports the September 2007 issue of
Harvard Women's Health Watch.
The idea of preventing periods is not completely new. Conventional oral
contraceptives also stop periods if they are taken continuously, and a
clinician may suggest this approach to enable a woman to skip her period at
an inconvenient time, such as during her honeymoon. The notion of
suppressing periods over a longer term has become increasingly attractive,
partly because this strategy has helped with treating endometriosis and
managing the hormonal swings of perimenopause.
There's some justification for reducing the number of periods or
eliminating them altogether. For some women, eliminating periods can mean
avoiding cramps, mood swings, headaches, and heavy bleeding that can cause
anemia. On the other hand, many women are uncomfortable with the notion of
not having periods. One concern about Lybrel is that if it fails, a woman
may not know she is pregnant.
The Harvard Women's Health Watch notes that there are no long-term
safety data on Lybrel, but its risks are thought to be similar to
conventional oral contraceptives -- an increased incidence of blood clots,
heart attacks, and stroke, especially in smokers. On the plus side, birth
control pills appear to lower the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers;
Lybrel might do the same. But the effects of taking Lybrel for more than a
year are unknown. The use of continuous birth control has to be considered
largely uncharted territory.
Harvard Women's Health Watch
health.harvard.edu/women
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