Colo. Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Description Of 'Personhood' Ballot Initiative

On Thursday, Denver District Court Judge Robert Hyatt dismissed an attempt by abortion-rights opponents to change the description of a "personhood" ballot initiative in a state voters' guide, the AP/Greeley Tribune reports. The ballot initiative, called Amendment 62, seeks to change the state constitution to say that rights of citizens are granted from the "beginning of biological development." If approved, the amendment would ban abortion services, as well as some forms of birth control and fertility treatments (Wyatt, AP/Greeley Tribune, 9/30).

In its lawsuit, Personhood Colorado claimed that the language used in the analysis of Amendment 62 was not "fair or impartial, but in fact generally biased against Amendment 62." (Marcus, Denver Daily, 10/1). In particular, the group objected to a statement that Amendment 62 could restrict access to "treatment for miscarriages."

Hyatt ruled that the courts do not have the jurisdiction to intervene in the state Legislature's production of the voters' guide, called the Blue Book. He added that voters had already received the guide and that issuing a press release -- as Personhood Colorado requested -- to note that the language was under review would have little practical effect (AP/Greeley Tribune, 9/30).

Personhood Colorado plans to appeal the decision. According to Denver Daily, since 1996, there have been five lawsuits in the Denver District Court to change the content of the Blue Book, all of which were dismissed (Denver Daily, 10/1).

Editorial Urges Voters To Reject Amendment

A Denver Post editorial encourages Coloradans to vote against Amendment 62 calling the measure a "retread of a nearly identical 'personhood' amendment that 73%of voters rejected two years ago." The editorial adds that although "reasonable people can disagree on the merits of abortion" and when life begins, Amendment 62's "attempt to end the established practices under Roe v. Wade would usher in far too many unintended consequences," such as outlawing certain contraceptives, restricting stem cell research and jeopardizing the legality of "potentially life-saving operations" for women with ectopic pregnancies (Denver Post, 10/1).


Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.


© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

President Of African First Ladies Group Calls For Increased Political Power Among Women To Fight HIV/AIDS

Ethiopian first lady Azeb Mesfin, the newly elected president of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS, recently said that women in Africa need increased political power to effectively fight HIV/AIDS on the continent, the Panafrican News Agency reports. Mesfin in her inaugural address said that African women "must have access to power. If we want to win the war against the poverty, we must empower them also to fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic." Mainstream politics in Africa often marginalize women, leaving them without the power to influence decisions on their social and economic development, Mesfin said, adding that women "must be free to make choices to reduce HIV/AIDS."

Mesfin said that OAFLA's role in promoting the rights of women has become more critical in light of the global economic crisis. "OAFLA's role becomes more urgent in the face of global recession because women are the most vulnerable segment of society," she said, adding, "OAFLA therefore wants to play a greater role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa." Mesfin also addressed the increasing incidence of sexual violence against women, and said, "We deserve to be in a world free of violence, where safety is real and where opportunities are boundless."

Also at the event, Meskerem Gunitzy Bekele, Ethiopia's country director for UNAIDS, said that 60% of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS are women and children. "As high-profile advocates, OAFLA must contribute to effective response to the pandemic," Gunitzy Bekele said (Kwayera, Panafrican News Agency, 2/3).


Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Michigan Runs Out Of Funding For Breast And Cervical Screening Program For Low-Income, Uninsured Women

Michigan has run out of state and federal funding under CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which offers screening services to low-income women without insurance, and the program next year is expected to serve fewer women because of funding cuts, the Detroit Free Press reports. The program provides Pap tests and other screenings for qualified women ages 18 to 64 and mammograms for qualified women ages 40 to 64. To qualify, the women must be uninsured and have annual incomes lower than 250% of the federal poverty level (Anstett, Detroit Free Press, 8/7). Under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act, enacted in 2000, states can request an expansion of their Medicaid programs to include uninsured women younger than age 65 diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer. Women who qualify receive medical coverage throughout their cancer treatment, with the federal government covering up to 85% of the cost of treatment (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/30/03). In 2005, 404,736 women received mammograms, and 357,519 received Pap tests nationwide through the program, which is intended to provide services for about 13% of the 3.3 million women who qualify for it, according to Lisa Mariani, acting CDC branch chief for program services. Under the current funding structure, the Michigan Department of Community Health has lowered its estimate for the number of women it will serve through the program from 25,000 this year to 22,310 next year. Eleven Michigan counties currently are telling thousands of women they will have to wait until October to receive services because of a lack of funding, according to the Free Press. Michigan this year received $9 million in federal funding and provided $1 million in state funding for the program. A bill (S 1687), co-sponsored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), currently pending in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee would reauthorize the program and increase by $50 million its funding to $250 million annually beginning in 2007. According to the Free Press, the funding increase would allow 147,000 more U.S. women to receive services under the program (Detroit Free Press, 8/7).


"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.

Endometriosis Diagnosis, Treatment Increasing For Young Women

Endometriosis -- a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus develops in other parts of the body -- is increasingly being diagnosed in young women, and while physicians are improving treatments for such women, they "don't always work," the Boston Globe reports. According to NIH, about 5.5 million women in North America are living with endometriosis, and the condition causes infertility in 30% to 40% of cases. There is no known cause for the development of the condition, but Meredith Loveless, head of pediatric and adolescent gynecology services at Johns Hopkins University, said patients initially are treated with contraceptive pills containing estrogen and progestin to stop monthly periods. Doctors use laparoscopic surgery to remove lesions if the condition persists, and some older teens and adults also take the drug Lupron to halt ovulation. "The hope is that by treating young women with endometriosis earlier, we can get better outcomes in terms of both pain and fertility," Claire Templeman -- assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and surgery at the University of Southern California -- said, adding, "But so far, there's no data on long-term outcomes." In addition, diagnosis of the condition is challenging because many other conditions can cause abdominal pain and because teenagers often fear receiving a pelvic exam, according to the Globe. A 2005 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists report said it takes about nine years for most adult women to be properly diagnosed with endometriosis (Foreman, Boston Globe, 10/30).

"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.


View drug information on Lupron Depot.

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Issues In Various US States

The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues.
Abortion Regulations
Indiana: The state House on Wednesday approved 70-30 a bill (HB 1172) that would require physicians to tell women seeking abortion that life begins when a human egg is fertilized by human sperm, the AP/Fort Wayne News-Sentinel reports (Smith, AP/Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, 2/2). Current Indiana law states that women seeking abortion must receive in-person counseling at least 18 hours prior to undergoing the procedure, but it does not dictate what physicians tell women. The bill also would require doctors to tell women seeking abortion that fetuses can feel pain, that an anesthetic can be provided for fetuses of more than 20 weeks' gestation and that health insurance might not cover the cost of the procedure. (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/30). The bill now goes to the state Senate for consideration (AP/Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, 2/2).

Indiana: The state House on Wednesday approved 60-38 a bill (HB 1080) that would require abortion clinics in the state to meet new standards -- including specified widths of hallways and sizes of rooms -- by Jan. 1, 2007, the Indianapolis Star reports (Schneider, Indianapolis Star, 2/1). The Planned Parenthood Association of Indiana said that the bill likely would force all of the state's nine abortion clinics to close, adding that it would fight the measure in court if it becomes law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/30). State Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R), who sponsored the measure, said the intent of the measure is not to close the clinics but to protect the health of women who use them (Indianapolis Star, 2/1). The bill now goes to the state Senate for consideration (AP/Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, 2/2).

South Dakota: The state House on Wednesday voted 65-2 to approve a bill (HB 1198) that would require abortion clinics to obtain special licenses and undergo state inspections, the AP/Aberdeen American News reports (Michael, AP/Aberdeen American News, 2/1). The measure would require the state Department of Health to charge a fee before inspecting the facility for compliance with state requirements and issuing a license. The bill approved in the state House Health and Human Services Committee would have capped the licensing fee at $10,000 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/1). According to the AP/American News, the fee has been changed to a "much lower amount" and is now equal to those that outpatient surgery clinics are required to pay (AP/Aberdeen American News, 2/1). The state Senate on Tuesday voted to approve a similar bill (SB 185) that would cap the fee at $2,000 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/2). The House bill now moves to the Senate for consideration (AP/Aberdeen American News, 2/1).
Regulations on Minors
South Dakota: The state House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday voted 8-5 to reject a bill that would have required health care providers who treat a minor for a sexually transmitted disease to notify the minor's parents, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Donna Schafer (R), would have required health care providers to notify parents within 72 hours of treating their child for syphilis, gonorrhea or chancroid. Schafer also proposed requiring parental notification for treatment of chlamydia, as well as adding the disease to the list of STDs recorded and monitored by the state. It is a Class 2 misdemeanor to expose another person to an STD included on the list. According to the Argus Leader, the committee agreed that the continued debate over the bill indicated that it required further modifications before going to the House for consideration (Myers, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2/1).
Stem Cell Research
Michigan: State Rep. Andrew Meisner (D) on Wednesday reiterated his call for the state Legislature to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, the AP/woodtv reports (AP/woodtv, 2/1). Michigan law permits research in the state using adult stem cells. It also allows research on embryonic stem cell lines that have been developed outside the state, but it prohibits the destruction of embryos and embryonic cloning. Meisner has introduced legislation to modify the bans, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) during her State of the State speech last week endorsed Meisner's bill (HB 4900) (Bell, Detroit Free Press, 2/1).

Pennsylvania: Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Wednesday announced a proposal to spend $1 billion to develop the state's bioscience research industry, prompting debate over public funding for embryonic stem cell research, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Although Rendell said he "enthusiastically" supports embryonic stem cell research, he rejected the idea that the program was designed for such research (Worden, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/2). He added that the legality of embryonic stem cell research is not clear under Pennsylvania abortion control law. Rendell plans to present his proposal to the General Assembly on Feb. 8 (Levy, AP/phillyBurbs, 2/1).

Washington Post Examines Ethical Issues Of Company That Allows Parents To Select Embryo Characteristics

The Washington Post on Saturday examined the ethical issues of San Antonio, Texas-based Abraham Center of Life, which creates embryos and allows parents to select embryos after reviewing donor characteristics, such as race, education, appearance and personality. According to Post, the company enrolls egg donors who are in their 20s and have some college education and sperm donors who have advanced education. Abraham Center founder Jennalee Ryan said all donors undergo health tests and screenings to determine background and family history of mental illness, as well as answer questionnaires about their childhood temperaments, favorite books, adult hobbies and family histories. "If I do discriminate [among donors], it's that I only want healthy, intelligent people," Ryan said. According to the Post, some fertility experts and bioethicists have called the company's process a "disturbing step toward commercialization of human reproduction and 'designer babies.'" Steven Ory, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said, "This is essentially making embryos a commodity and using technology to breed them ... for certain traits." Other fertility experts have said the company's process is not much different than parents separately choosing sperm or egg donors. "Combining them doesn't pose any new major ethical problems," John Robertson of the University of Texas-Austin said. Some experts also have questioned the ethics of creating embryos when there are about 400,000 embryos at fertility clinics. Ryan said that embryos from the company are better because the donors are young and fertile, whereas embryos from fertility clinics often are from older women who have had fertility problems. Ryan said, "People will say, 'You're trying to create the perfect human race.' But we've always done gene selection just by who women choose as their husbands and men choose as their wives. This is no different." According to Ryan, each embryo at the center costs $2,500, and the total cost of each pregnancy attempt is less than $10,000, lower than the cost of adoption or in vitro fertilization (Stein, Washington Post, 1/6).

"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.

Events Seek To Raise Health Awareness Among Blacks; Magazine Ranks Top Schools For Hispanic Medical Students

The following summarizes events related to reducing racial health care disparities.
Portland, Ore.: Portland Community College's Cascade Campus on Saturday will host a conference that focuses on memory and aging in the black community, the Oregonian reports. The conference, "Hold on to Your Memory," will offer health screenings to participants and address stroke, diabetes and other blood vessel conditions that can cause vascular dementia, Linda Boise, director of education at the Layton Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Center at Oregon Health & Sciences University, said (Dworkin, Oregonian, 9/3).

University of California-Davis: Hispanic Business Magazine has ranked UC-Davis' School of Medicine among the top 10 medical schools in the nation for Hispanic students, the Sacramento Bee reports. The ranking is based on enrollment, retention, reputation, faculty and student services. The magazine said the school is committed to training a physician work force that meets the diverse demands of California (Lindelof, Sacramento Bee, 9/3). The list of medical schools in the top 10 is available online.

Winston-Salem State University: WSSU on Saturday will host the Women's Health Symposium, which aims to educate women on how to lead healthier lifestyles, reduce obesity and address other chronic health conditions, the Winston-Salem Chronicle reports. The event is being sponsored by the BET Foundation, General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios, WSSU's Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Health Disparities and Wake Forest University School of Medicine's Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health. Fitness classes, cooking demonstrations, health screenings, panel discussions, health exhibits and workshops with health professionals will be included in the event (Winston-Salem Chronicle, 9/3).

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.

Routine HIV Screening Recommended For All Women, Regardless Of Individual Risk Factors

Ob-gyns should routinely screen all women between the ages of 19 and 64 for HIV, regardless of their risk factors, according to a Committee Opinion, Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening, issued by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Implementation of this screening recommendation will be a dramatic shift for some ob-gyn practices, especially those that are currently testing only pregnant patients, patients at high risk, and/or upon patient request.


"Women represent the fastest growing population of persons infected with HIV in this country, and heterosexual transmission has become a much bigger factor," according to Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, chair of ACOG's Committee on Gynecologic Practice. "There are two basic messages for patients: Every woman should know her HIV status, and it's a simple test."


It is estimated that one-quarter of all Americans with HIV are unaware of their status. Women continue to represent a growing proportion of HIV and AIDS cases, and it's critical that they know their status. According to ACOG, this knowledge can improve women's chances of survival, reduce associated illnesses, help them take steps to avoid unintended pregnancy, protect their sexual partners, and reduce the likelihood of mother-to-child transmission should pregnancy occur.


"ACOG recommends routine HIV screening for all women ages 19 to 64, regardless of pregnancy status or what their risk factors might be," Dr. Jamieson said. "ACOG also recommends targeted screening for women outside this age range who are at high risk. For example, all sexually active teenagers under 19 should be tested, as well as women older than 64 who have had multiple partners in recent years."


Today's recommendation on HIV screening emphasizes 'opt-out' testing as the preferred approach. Opt-out testing is when the patient is notified that HIV testing will be performed as a routine part of her gynecologic and obstetric care unless she declines testing. Neither specific signed consent nor prevention counseling is required with opt-out testing. However, many state and local laws are not consistent with opt-out testing and may require informed consent or counseling.


Committee Opinion #411, "Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening," is published in the August 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.


The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is the national medical organization representing over 52,000 members who provide health care for women.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Advocates Energized By Expected Appointment Of Clinton To Secretary Of State Position

Women's rights and human rights advocates are "energized" by the expected appointment of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) to the secretary of state position and hope she will bring a "dramatic new focus" to women's issues worldwide, the Boston Globe reports.

According to the Globe, international women's rights advocates consider Clinton a leading figure in efforts to improve education, safety and economic opportunity for women and girls. Clinton also was a "strong advocate" for women's rights and development programs when she was first lady, delivering a speech on women's rights at the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, in which she said it is "no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights."

Daphne Jayasinghe, Amnesty International's acting advocacy director for violence against women in Europe and Central Asia, said advocates are "very optimistic" about Clinton's appointment. Melanne Verveer -- who was Clinton's chief of staff at the White House and is now chair of the group Vital Voices Global Partnership -- said Clinton "literally criss-crossed the globe" as first lady, "standing with women to advance their progress, and said to leaders that no country can advance if half their country is left behind."

Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, added that Vice President-elect Joe Biden has a strong Senate record on promoting women's rights and that Clinton and Biden will make a "dynamic team in terms of increasing the treatment around the world of women as human beings." In addition, women's rights advocates are "confident" that the Obama administration will lift the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "Global Gag Rule," which prohibits organizations that use their own funds to perform or "actively promote" abortion from receiving U.S. foreign aid for family planning services. The law was imposed by President Reagan, lifted by President Clinton and reinstated by President Bush (Milligan, Boston Globe, 12/1).

Obama Promises To Seek Ratification of Women's Rights Treaty

In related news, President-elect Barack Obama has promised to seek Senate ratification of several "long-stalled" treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The treaty, which has never reached the Senate floor, received approval from the United Nations in 1979 and was signed by President Carter in 1980.

The treaty declares that women have the right to equality in all areas of society. Although the treaty does not explicitly address abortion, it says women should have access to "information, counseling and services in family planning" and the right to determine "the number and spacing of their children." The treaty has been ratified by every other industrialized nation, the Chronicle reports.

According to the Chronicle, Senate passage of the treaty likely will be difficult because of opposition from some antiabortion groups. However, the treaty likely would have not have a large effect on U.S. law because it requires that nations take "all appropriate measures" to protect women's rights, according to officials from the American Society of International Law (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/1).


Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.


© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

All Women Over 30 Advised To Have An Annual Fertility Body Clock Test, UK

Fertility expert Professor Richard Flemming from Glasgow and Fetal Medicine Consultant Dr Bryan Beattie advised all women over 30 at a packed seminar at the Fertility Show in London on Friday 6th November to check their fertility by having a Body Clock Test based on a blood test (AMH) and an ovarian scan.


They said that with nearly 20% of women leaving it until after 35 to start trying for a baby, many have left it too late even with help from treatments like IVF. High profile celebrities leaving it late to have a baby have lulled many women into a false sense of security who are then bitterly diasappointed when things don't work out as planned. Each woman's ovarian reserve deteriorates at a different rate and without the test there is no way to know how long she has left.


Those with low ovarian reserve should start trying soon or if the time is not right should consider freezing their eggs.


Although in the past success rates from freezing were poor, a new technique called vitrification prevents ice crystal damage during the freezing process by drying out the eggs before they are frozen so that most eggs can be successfully thawed out when needed.


A network of centres has been set up to make it easy for all women in the UK to access the test which costs just ??350. A single central phone number 0345 2303386 and single website ukbodyclock provides easy acess for information and bookings.

Source
Innermost Secrets

CHEST 2008: New Pulmonary Hypertension Research Presented

#6363
TADALAFIL PROVES EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION



New research shows that the erectile dysfunction drug, tadalafil, may be an effective adjunct therapy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Italian researchers randomized 405 patients with PAH, of whom 53 percent were taking concomitant bosentan, to two study arms. The groups received either tadalafil or placebo orally once daily as monotherapy or as add-on therapy to bosentan. Compared with placebo, tadalafil, 40 mg, increased 6-minute walk distance, delayed the time to clinical worsening, and improved six of the eight short form (SF)-36 domains. In addition, tadalafil, 40 mg, increased cardiac output and reduced pulmonary artery pressures and pulmonary vascular resistance compared with baseline. Discontinuation due to adverse events was low (11 percent for tadalafil vs. 16 percent for placebo). Researchers conclude that tadalafil may provide an effective oral, once-daily therapy that can be combined with bosentan therapy for patients with PAH.



#7447
PULMONARY HYPERTENSION DEMOGRAPHICS CHANGE
(Wednesday, October 29, 1:00 PM EST)



Despite increased awareness of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the disease is being diagnosed later and in women who are reaching middle age, according to research from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. The researchers looked at data from the current REVEAL registry compared with the original National Institutes of Health registry, the French Registry, and a large, single-center US registry. The REVEAL registry confirms that in the 21st century, the US population of patients with PAH is older (mean age of 48), with a higher female preponderance of PAH (4:1) than reported previously. In addition, despite increased awareness of PAH, the time from symptoms to diagnosis has increased by 10 months.



Source: Jennifer Stawarz


American College of Chest Physicians

Folate Supplement Not as Effective in Preventing Neural Tube Defects in Infants of Overweight, Obese Women, Study Says

Although Canada's folate fortification program overall has decreased pregnant women's risk of delivering an infant with
neural tube defects, the benefit is much weaker among overweight and obese women than in women of normal weight, according to
a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reuters
Health reports. Dr. Joel Ray, clinical scientist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and colleagues studied 420,362 pregnant women in Ontario, Canada, between 1994 and
2000 (Boggs [1], Reuters Health, 2/1). Canada in 1997 in an effort to reduce the number of infants born with
NTDs, such as spina bifida, mandated that all refined wheat flour be fortified with folic acid. Following fortification, the
offspring of women whose prenatal weights were in the highest quartile had a 44% reduction in risk of neural tube defects.
However, the risk of NTDs for infants of women in the first, second and third quartiles of weight was reduced 68%, 70% and
90%, respectively. Before the advent of the fortification program, women whose weights were in the top quartile were 1.4
times as likely as all of the other women in the study to deliver an infant with an NTD. However, after fortification, women
in the top quartile were 2.8 times as likely as other women to have an NTD-affected infant. Ray said that overweight and
obese women might need higher doses of folic acid to prevent NTDs or might have an undiagnosed risk factor related to
obesity, such as diabetes, that increases their risk of NTDs and is not improved by folic acid supplements. "All women should
continue to take folic acid tablet supplements before pregnancy, and women who are overweight should consider a small degree
of weight reduction before pregnancy," Ray said, adding, "Long-term maintenance of a normal weight, beyond pregnancy, would
seem to be one of the most important interventions for maintaining a woman's health over the many years that follow
pregnancy" (Boggs [2], Reuters Health, 2/1).


"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives,
or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health 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.

NICE Guidelines On Breast Cancer Follow-Up Need Urgent Revision, UK

The NICE guidelines on follow-up for breast cancer patients need urgent revision, warn experts in this week's BMJ.


More than 1.2 million women and men worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and it is now recognised as a chronic disease that can recur even after 20 -30 years.


Survival continues to improve, so new cancers are now more common in many patients than recurrence because the treatments of the first cancer are so effective. However, follow-up protocols still vary widely both within and between countries and are not always evidence based.


The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in England and Wales state that the aims of breast cancer follow-up are to detect and treat local recurrence, to deal with adverse effects of treatment and to provide psychological support.


The guidelines suggest that these aims can be met by two to three years of follow-up, and that routine long term follow-up is ineffective and unwarranted. They also claim that the yield from mammography is low.


But Michael Dixon, Consultant Surgeon at Edinburgh Breast Unit and David Montgomery, Clinical Research Fellow at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, argue that the NICE guidelines do not meet their stated aims.


Although true local recurrence after breast conserving surgery falls with time, the development of new cancers in the treated breast increases, so the overall rate of ipsilateral breast events is constant at 0.5 to 1% each year for at least the first 10 years and probably for the rest of the patient's life.



If "recurrences" in the treated breast and armpit are combined together with new cancers in the opposite breast, the annual incidence of treatable disease is constant at 1 to 1.5% for at least the first 10 years, and 70% of such events occur after the first three years.


If NICE is to achieve its aim of detecting and treating local recurrence it clearly cannot be achieved with a three year follow-up, they say.


Data also show that mammography is a very effective way to detect treatable local disease, and fully funded mammographic surveillance programmes specifically for patients with breast cancer are urgently needed, they add.


In contrast to NICE guidelines, they recommend that clinical examination should be annual for two years and surveillance by mammography thereafter.


Ongoing psychological support should also be available, and in between visits for mammograms, patients should have direct access to a named breast care nurse, specialist nurse or doctor and access to prosthesis advice and fitting.


Timely investigation of symptoms and communication of test results is also vital to reduce anxiety and improve ongoing care.


Patients' needs vary, so follow up programmes for patients with breast cancer patients need to be evidence based, flexible, and tailored to their lifelong needs, they conclude.


Editorial: Follow-up after breast cancer

BMJ Volume 335, pp 107-8

bmj

Digene Faces Challenge Of Convincing Physicians To Administer HPV Test, Baltimore Sun Reports

About 19% of the 35 million U.S. women who meet the criteria to receive Digene's human papillomavirus test were given the test last year, the company recently said, the Baltimore Sun reports. The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health last week released guidelines that suggest nurse practitioners administer the test as part of routine preventive care in women ages 30 and older (Bishop, Baltimore Sun, 1/21). Digene's DNA Pap test -- which combines the traditional Pap test with a DNA test for 13 strains of HPV -- received FDA approval in March 2003 as a primary screening tool for cervical cancer for women over age 30 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/8/06). The test is 99% accurate at identifying changes in cervical cells, compared with an 80% accuracy rate for the Pap test. The American Cancer Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology recommend the HPV test. Digene's largest challenge has been getting physicians to change their mindset in regards to views about the test, Douglas White, who oversees Digene's commercial operations, said. According to the Sun, some physicians might be reluctant to offer the HPV test because the Pap test is recommended once every three years if an HPV test is negative, causing some patients to skip the recommended annual exam. Some physicians also question the necessity of the HPV test for every case in which it is approved, the Sun reports. The Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania on its Web site says that the test "isn't perfect" and that most women who test positive for HPV will not develop cervical cancer. The roughly $50 cost of administering the test and associated lab work is covered by most major insurers, according to the Sun (Baltimore Sun, 1/21).

"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.

Medela Conducts National Education Breastfeeding Initiative

In celebration of Breastfeeding
Awareness Month, Medela will conduct complimentary, educational
breastfeeding seminars at all Babies "R" Us stores nationwide. Seminars
will be held as part of the August Baby Fest events at Babies "R" Us stores
on August 12, from 11am - 3pm, and are designed to give new moms
information about the benefits of breastfeeding and tips on how to
breastfeed successfully. Medela will provide an educational lactation
specialist at each store across the country to conduct seminars and offer
new moms the opportunity to ask questions and obtain expert answers.


"The importance of breastfeeding and breast milk as the gold standard
for infant nutrition is well documented. Medela's goal is to help increase
breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in accordance with the Healthy
People 2010 targets," said Susan Sperling, Director of Marketing
Communications and Services at Medela, Inc. "Through this initiative,
Medela is able to offer practical advice about breastfeeding to new moms in
the comfortable and accessible environment of Babies "R" Us."


Baby Fest breastfeeding seminars will include a 30-minute session that
provides information and facts on breastfeeding. Seminars will be followed
by Medela breast pump demonstrations, and will be offered at 11:30 am, 1
pm, and 2:30 pm.


"We are excited to have Medela participate in Baby Fest and help
provide expectant mothers access to valuable tools and expert resources to
aid in raising a healthy baby," said Sue Montecallo, Vice President,
Marketing, Babies "R" Us. "Medela's involvement will provide a great
resource for many of our guests who are eager to learn more about the
benefits and how-to's of breastfeeding."


Breastfeeding seminar attendees will also receive great samples and
special offers. For more information and for Babies "R" Us store locations
visit babiesrus.


About Medela:


A longtime champion of breastfeeding, Medela is the only company to
develop products based on research by the world's leading lactation
experts. As a result, Medela's breast pumps are the number one choice of
healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities worldwide, including 80
percent of U.S. hospitals.


Medela has developed an extensive line of products to meet the diverse
needs of nursing mothers. These products include hospital-grade, double and
single electric and manual breast pumps; breastfeeding accessories such as
pump cleaning products, breast care products and specialty feeding devices;
and maternity and nursing intimate apparel. Most recently, Medela
introduced 2-Phase Expression(R), the only research-based breast pump
technology that mimics a baby's nursing rhythm, resulting in faster
let-down and milk flow.


Founded in 1961 in Zug, Switzerland, Medela serves customers through a
worldwide network of distribution partners in more than 90 countries and
its 12 subsidiaries. For more information visit medela.



About Babies "R" Us:


Babies "R" Us is the nation's premier baby products retailer and
specialty store chain and a leader in the juvenile industry. Since opening
its first store in Westbury, NY in early 1996, the company has grown to 236
locations nationwide. Babies "R" Us features a wide selection of products
for newborns and infants, including cribs and furniture, car seats,
strollers, formula, diapers, health and beauty aids, bedding, clothing for
preemies through size 48 months, toys, and plenty of gift ideas in store
and online at babiesrus.


Medela, Inc.

medela

CDC, National Chlamydia Coalition Partner To Raise Awareness, Testing Rates

The National Chlamydia Coalition is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase public awareness and screening efforts for chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reports. According to CDC, there were 1.1 million recorded cases of chlamydia in 2007, although experts estimate that there are twice as many cases that are not detected largely because the infection often causes few symptoms and many people go unscreened. The infection is three times more common in women than men, which experts say could be because men eliminate it from their bodies more readily than women. Chlamydia is treatable with a single dose of antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can lead to infertility or increased risk for ectopic pregnancies in women.

CDC recommends that all sexually active women younger than age 26 be tested annually for the infection, as well as older women who have had a change of sexual partners. However, fewer than 40% of women in those groups are tested, the Journal reports. Chlamydia is particularly prevalent in women ages 15 to 19 and blacks, although sample studies have shown nearly 10% of all female Army recruits, 10% of female college freshmen and 14% of women in managed care plans are infected with chlamydia.

Despite its prevalence, chlamydia is one of the least known STIs, which has compounded the difficulty of promoting screening efforts, the Journal reports. It causes few symptoms, and many people are unaware they were exposed to it. According to the Journal, many patients do not ask to be screened for the disease because the few symptoms it causes -- such as bleeding between periods, occasional vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse, pelvic pain in women, and burning upon urination in men -- are common to many conditions. While most screening efforts aim to identify active cases in younger women, there is a serious risk of infertility to older women who were exposed to the bacteria when they were younger, the Journal reports.

According to the Journal, the chlamydia bacteria can move to a woman's upper genital tract and set off pelvic inflammatory disease, which often leaves inflammation and scar tissue that obstructs a woman's fallopian tubes and fertilization. PID is the most common cause of ectopic pregnancy and can cause endometriosis, a condition in which small portions of the uterine lining tissue grow outside the uterus, which can cause infertility and pain. Miklos Toth, a New York City-based ob-gyn, said, "It's not the infection itself but the body's response to get rid of the bacteria that causes scarring. And even if just some fragments of the bacteria remain, the immune system thinks an active infection is still present."














According to the Journal, about 25% of women treated for chlamydia are re-infected within six months likely because of a partner who was not treated. CDC recommends that doctors prescribe a second course of antibiotics for partners of people with the infection. However, many doctors do not screen for or discuss chlamydia during office visits with their patients, especially pediatricians who may be uncomfortable discussing sexual activity with their younger patients, the Journal reports. Lynn Barclay, president of the American Social Health Association, said, "A lot of health care providers aren't making the connection when they are dealing with adolescents. But to pretend that teenagers aren't having sex is very dangerous."

The Journal reports that the issue of how minors can pay for chlamydia testing can also create barriers. All 50 states allow minors to be tested and treated for STIs without parental consent. However, if a minor's health insurance is provided by his or her parents, a lab fee listed on an explanation of benefits report for the testing could be considered a breach of confidentiality. Although some doctors suggest that minors pay the $40 to $90 cost for the test in cash, many refer younger patients to STI or family planning clinics that offer low- or no-cost testing. The Journal reports that CDC, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, funds a pilot program for residents of Maryland; West Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Denver; and parts of Illinois that allows minors to request no-cost testing kits over the Internet. The tests are self-administered and mailed in for evaluation. The results can then be sent via phone, e-mail or regular mail. Los Angeles County, Calif., in June started a similar program for female residents ages 15 to 25.

John Douglas, director of CDC's division of STI prevention, said that chlamydia screening "is a lot less than the cost of fertility treatments." He added, "You'd think this would be a no-brainer. That's why we're trying to get the message out" (Beck, Wall Street Journal, 6/30).


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.

Baltimore Sun Examines Genetic Research Technology Aimed At Testing, Treating Breast Cancer, Other Cancers

The Baltimore Sun on Sunday examined how genetic research is helping to develop new tools, such as tests and drugs, that might allow doctors to "tailor treatments" for breast cancer and other cancers. In the past, physicians were restricted to such factors as a patient's age, family history and tumor size in assessing cancer risk and treatment method, but that has changed as researchers "identify genes that, when mutated, alter the normal behavior of cells," according to the Sun. Oncotype DX is one new tool that examines the DNA of a woman's tumor cells for mutations in 16 genes linked to breast cancer development. According to the Sun, the test can predict the likelihood that breast cancer will recur and can improve the chances of survival. Oncotype DX's manufacturer, Genomic Health, said the process has been performed on about 17,000 women. Another test, called OncoVue, analyzes cells from a woman's saliva to detect genetic variations linked to breast cancer and indicates a woman's lifetime risk of developing the disease. In addition, BRCAAnalysis can determine a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer through blood tests that identify mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Another emerging test, the HercepTest, examines tumor cells to determine if they are positive for the HER2 gene, which accelerates tumor growth. The HercepTest determines if cancer cells will respond to the drug Roche's breast cancer drug Herceptin. "This industry is at the beginning stages of a disruptive innovation," Randy Scott, CEO of Genomic Health, said. According to the Sun, biotechnology companies are working on new DNA tests, which they hope will predict breast cancer successfully. Kathy Albain of Loyola University-Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine said that the predictive capabilities of such technologies are scientifically unproven and that their use might be premature. "We shouldn't let our enthusiasm and wish to be further along cause needless alarm in patients or give a false sense of security," Albain said (Emery, Baltimore Sun, 11/5).

"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.

Obama's Embryonic Stem Cell Policy Favors 'Science' Over 'Life,' Santorum Writes In Opinion Piece

When President Obama on Monday lifted some federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, he "gave a cold, clear answer" to the question of when life begins, indicating that "[h]uman embryos are not human life worthy of any legal protection," Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) writes in an opinion piece. According to Santorum, "Henceforth, our federal government will treat these little human beings -- a mere 'collection of cells,' according to embryonic stem cell advocates -- with no more respect than the frog you dissected in high school biology." In addition, the federal government "will officially bless this research by giving millions of your tax dollars to scientists who will create and kill human embryos by the thousands," Santorum writes.

According to Santorum, new high-resolution fetal ultrasounds and recent debate over abortions later in pregnancy have shifted public opinion regarding abortion by demonstrating that "the 'choice' results in the death of a baby in the womb." However, "the reaction to an eight-cell embryo is different" because extracting a cell from "that 'collection of cells' -- a procedure that results in the death of the remaining cells -- evokes little emotional response or moral outrage," Santorum writes. He continues that researchers and patient advocacy groups "have successfully argued that the only real moral issue is the moral imperative to help the sick with this 'promising' research." According to Santorum, no current treatments use embryonic stem cells and neither will any anticipated treatments. However, he adds that current therapies do use adult stem cells, which are "research alternatives that don't involve the moral hazard of taking a human life." In addition, Santorum writes that research has identified "adult cells of similar potency needed in the more advanced therapies being contemplated with embryonic stem cells."

Although Obama "knew all of this," he opted to rescind the federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, thus taking "another step toward a world in which 'science' trumps morality and sense, a world in which right or wrong, ethical or unethical has no place in the pursuit of 'progress,'" Santorum writes. He continues that the policy reversal demonstrates that the "scientific community has successfully fought off society's placing any ethical constraint on the 'advance of science.'" According to Santorum, Obama "is now the mouthpiece for those who would like to cut down all of the moral trees that stand in the way of science." He concludes, "Today, we willingly grab the ax handle to clear the field without a thought of what may come when one day science, unfettered from morality, sees you as the next impediment to progress" (Santorum, Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/12).


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.

Lawsuit Filed Over Gene Patent

A group of cancer patients, genetic researchers and professional pathologist organizations has filed a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics and the U.S. Patent Office over the patent of two genes associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the government more than 10 years ago granted Myriad the patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as the company's genetic test that measures a patient's risk for the cancers.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and is believed to be the first of its kind, the Times reports. The lawsuit challenges the decision to grant patents on genes to Myriad and companies like it. The plaintiffs say that patents on genes restrict medical and research efforts, while companies like Myriad have said that the patent system supports innovation by giving them a temporary monopoly after they make a discovery, thereby rewarding prior investment in research and development.

Wendy Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case, said, "With a sole provider, there's mediocrity." The plaintiffs say that BRCA testing would improve with market competition. Furthermore, some plaintiffs argue that certain natural materials cannot be patented. Jan Nowak, president of the Association for Molecular Pathology and a plaintiff in the case, said, "You can't patent my DNA, any more than you can patent my right arm, or patent my blood."

To date, two government panels, including the National Research Council, found no evidence that gene patents result in significant impediments to research or medical care (Schwartz, New York Times, 5/13).


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.

Rate Of Breast Cancer In Pregnancy Likely To Rise As Women Delay Childbearing

The incidence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer is likely to rise as more women delay childbearing, a major research conference was told today.


Catherine Jack, Macmillan Lecturer at the School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds, told the Royal College of Nursing's 2006 International Nursing Research Conference in York on Friday that 8,000 new cases of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women are diagnosed each year. Of those, approximately 3% will be pregnant at diagnosis.


"With more women delaying childbearing, and the fact that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, we are likely to see even more women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer in the future," she said. "This is a real double whammy for women as it's a unique combination of two major life events. They may feel even more isolated as there's a lack of research about women's experiences in this area. The challenge for the health profession is treating these women as a distinct group with specific needs compared to other women with breast cancer."


Royal College of Nursing President Sylvia Denton, a clinical nurse specialist in breast care, said: "Breast care nurses can provide invaluable support for women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy by giving necessary and relevant information, practical help and emotional support."


Pregnancy-associated breast cancer* has been associated with a poorer prognosis mainly because of the late stage of the disease at diagnosis. Ms Jack has conducted a study of women with the disease in the Yorkshire Cancer Network - a study she hopes will raise awareness and lead to earlier diagnosis with better outcomes.


The study included 51 women (aged 24-43 years) who had been diagnosed with pregnancy-associated breast cancer since 1998. Of those, 12 were interviewed about
their experiences ranging from fears about the future to difficult family decisions.


One woman delayed in presenting with a breast lump:


"It never entered my head that it was going to be anything else apart from hormones. So I left it for seven months … and thought I'd better get this sorted out because I want to breast feed again. My midwife said "no, it's a blocked duct … massage it and if it doesn't clear go to your GP in a week". Left it another month … And my GP said "I'm certain it's nothing but I'll refer you anyway". By which time I'd a lump under my arm … and then I was referred."


Another woman with a breast lump who was fobbed off, resulting in late diagnosis..


"I think in total, I went back six times …And each time, I just got fobbed off … I fell pregnant very quickly after that … And I kept coming in and I, I kept saying to them, this lump's getting bigger, it's getting bigger. And they just kept saying its hormones because you're pregnant. … your hormones didn't have a chance to settle down and as soon as you got pregnant again, it's gone up. And it just, it got so big that you could actually physically see it over the, over the skin …."















Case study available for interview:


Rebecca Coles is a 40-year-oldWest Sussex mother of twogirls who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38 when she was 30 weeks pregnant with her youngest daughter.She had to undergo two rounds of chemotherapy while pregnantand many more rounds of cancer treatment since her daughter's birth two and a half years ago.


"At the time I didn'tmeet anyone my own age inthe same position," Rebeccasays. "I hadlots of support but no-one Icould really identify with. Older womenwith cancer whom I met wanted to see their grandchildren grow up - I just wanted to see my daughter's first birthday. The thoughtthat I might die and my children would grow up and notremember me was overwhelming."


She has since set up a Support for Cancer in Pregnancy support group (sfcip) with the aid of a MacMillan Cancer Relief grant.


*Pregnancy-associated breast cancer refers to breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or up to one year after childbirth.


The Royal College of Nursing's 2006 International Nursing Research Conference is underway at York Racecourse in York from Tuesday March 21-Friday March 24. It brings together nurses from diverse clinical and academic settings from around the world and includes workshops, concurrent sessions, poster presentations and fringe meetings. Visit: www.man.ac/rcn/research2006 for further information on the conference and research papers presented at the conference.


Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.


Royal College of Nursing

Regular, Moderate Exercise Reduces The Risk Of Colds In Postmenopausal Women

Postmenopausal women who want to decrease their risk of colds would be well advised to dust off their sneakers and get moving, suggests a new study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.



Through the first randomized clinical trial to investigate the impact of moderate physical activity on common-cold incidence, Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, Ph.D., and colleagues found that postmenopausal women who exercised regularly for a year had about half the risk of colds compared to those who did not work out routinely. The findings appear in the November issue of The American Journal of Medicine.



"This adds another good reason to put exercise on your to-do list, especially now that cold season is here," said Ulrich, the paper's senior author and an associate member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division. However, Ulrich is quick to point out that regular exercise in moderation - such as 30 to 45 minutes of brisk walking each day - is the key; other studies have shown that excessive, exhaustive exercise can deplete immune function and increase the risk of colds.



The researchers found that the ability of moderate exercise to ward off colds seemed to increase over time. "The enhanced immunity was strongest in the final quarter of the year-long exercise intervention," Ulrich said. "This suggests that when it comes to preventing colds, it's really important to stick with exercise long term." Overall, the non-exercisers experienced about twice as many colds as the exercisers, but in the last three months of the intervention, the non-exercisers had a threefold greater chance of coming down with colds.



The yearlong study involved 115 previously sedentary, overweight, postmenopausal Seattle-area women. None smoked or took hormone-replacement therapy. Half were randomly assigned to a moderate-intensity, aerobic-exercise group and half, who served as a comparison group, attended a weekly stretching class.



While the members of the exercise group were asked to work out at home and at a gym for 45 minutes a day, five days a week, in fact they achieved an average of about 30 minutes of exercise per day. "They were supposed to do a little more exercise, but even so, we found it was enough activity to boost immune function in the long run," Ulrich said.



Brisk walking was the activity of choice, accounting for 52 percent of gym-based and 74 percent of home-based exercise. "It's been shown that just a 30-minute walk can increase levels of leukocytes, which are part of the family of immune cells that fight infection," Ulrich said, referring to a possible biological explanation for the protective effect.



A major strength of this study was its yearlong duration, large number of participants and randomized, controlled, clinical-trial design, considered the gold standard of study designs in medicine.



Even though the study was larger and longer than others that have addressed the impact of exercise on the risk of colds and upper-respiratory infections, it still may not have had enough participants or followed them long enough to provide a definitive answer, cautioned first author Jessica Chubak, a research associate at the Hutchinson Center. "It would be interesting to see what would happen over the course of a longer exercise intervention," she said.
















The overall goal of the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, was to assess the impact of physical activity on markers of breast-cancer risk. In addition to reducing their incidence of colds, the women in the exercise group also achieved significant reductions in weight, total-body fat and intra-abdominal fat.



In addition to Ulrich, Chubak and colleagues at the Hutchinson Center, collaborators on the study also included investigators from the University of Washington, University of Alberta and University of New Mexico.



According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Americans suffer an estimated 1 billion colds per year, resulting in a leading cause of doctor visits and missed days from work and school. Adults in the United States report an average of two to four colds per year.






About Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center - The Hutchinson Center's interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Center researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc. About The American Journal of Medicine - Known as the "Green Journal," The American Journal of Medicine (amjmed/) is one of the oldest and most prestigious general internal medicine journals published in the United States. It is the official journal of the Association of Professors of Medicine, a group comprised of chairs of departments of internal medicine at more than 125 U.S. medical schools. The journal is published by Elsevier.



Contact: Kristen Woodward


Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Low-Income Women Living In Small Cities Have Higher Chance Of Obesity

A recent Kansas State University study found that the availability of supermarkets -- rather than the lack of them -- increased the risk of obesity for low-income women living in small cities. This suggests that policies to increase healthful eating behaviors might need to be tailored based on geographic location.



K-State researchers studied the availability of food stores for low-income women in Kansas to see whether there was a link to obesity. The findings showed that limited availability of grocery stores did not contribute to an increased risk of obesity in metropolitan or rural areas, but it was associated with an increased risk of obesity in micropolitan areas in Kansas, defined as cities with fewer than 40,000 people.



"This study was one of the first to look at supermarket availability across the urban-rural continuum, and the findings suggest that policies to increase healthful food availability may need to differ depending on urban influence," said David Dzewaltowski, K-State professor and department head of kinesiology.



Dzewaltowski and Paula Ford, assistant professor of public health sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, published the study in the January issue of Obesity, a research journal. Ford led the project as a doctoral student at K-State.



Research has shown that a lack of nearby food stores that offer healthful items contributes to higher incidences of obesity for consumers. Studies also have shown that low-income residents have an improved quality of diet when larger grocery stores and supermarkets are available. That's because these stores often supply consumers with healthful foods at a lower cost compared to small grocery and convenience stores.



Dzewaltowski said most studies that have investigated links between food environments and obesity have relied upon census tracts or ZIP codes for analysis. However, this can lead to faulty results. The K-State study used a statewide, geographically referenced dataset of Kansans participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children from October 2004 to December 2006.



"Previous research assumes that most people shop within their own census tract or ZIP code," Ford said. "However, other studies have found that most people shop outside of their census tract. By examining the number of stores within a 1- to 3-mile radius of these women's homes, we were able to get a more accurate and realistic assessment of supermarket availability."



To be eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, a recipient must be a pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum woman with children younger than 5 years old and a household income less than 185 percent of the federally designated poverty level. The researchers' data included each woman's body mass index.



The study included only socioeconomically disadvantaged women because they are at greater risk of obesity than are wealthier women. They also are likely to be more dependent on nearby grocery stores and supermarkets because of limited transportation options and fewer economic resources, Ford said.
















The researchers looked at the availability of food stores -- specifically convenience and grocery stores and supermarkets -- located within a radius of 1, 3 or 5 miles of the women's residences. The women's homes also were categorized as being in a rural, micropolitan or metropolitan area. The first item the researchers examined was the availability of these stores in the different areas.



The findings showed significant geographic disparities regarding the availability of supermarkets. However, the majority of the women lived within 1 mile of a small grocery store. Dzewaltowski said this is important because previous studies have indicated that rural areas are food deserts where low-income residents have to travel far to access healthful foods.



The number and types of stores available differed in the metropolitan, micropolitan and rural areas. Rural low-income women had 74 percent fewer supermarkets and 55 percent fewer small grocery stores available within a 1-mile radius as compared to women in metropolitan areas. Yet the number of convenience stores per 10,000 residents was highest in rural areas.



The researchers also looked at how the availability of different food stores contributed to area residents' obesity. They found that the availability and density of food stores was not associated with obesity in metropolitan and rural areas. However, contrary to previous studies, the findings showed that the presence of a supermarket is not protective against obesity for women in these areas. Women who resided in micropolitan areas in Kansas had an 18 percent increase in obesity risk when living within a 1-mile radius of a supermarket. The presence of small grocery and convenience stores also was associated with an increased risk of obesity.



Dzewaltowski said the findings indicate that the choice of supermarkets may be a more relevant issue than the availability of supermarkets. The findings also suggest that most of the low-income women reside within the urban cluster of the micropolitan areas and are likely to be exposed to multiple fast food restaurants and other high-caloric density eating opportunities, which are often absent in rural areas.



The researchers said policies that increase the accessibility of healthful foods at small grocery stores might be a promising strategy for reducing the higher prevalence of obesity in rural areas.



The research was supported by a grant from the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans.



Source:

David Dzewaltowski

Kansas State University

Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Recently Released Journal Articles

The following highlights recently released journal articles on women's health issues.

Pregnancy & Childbirth
"Interpregnancy Weight Change and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes," The Lancet: Eduardo Villamor of the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition and Sven Cnattingius of the Karolinska Institute's Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in Stockholm, Sweden, looked at the records of 151,025 Swedish women who each gave birth to two infants from 1992 through 2001, examining differences in the woman's body mass index -- a calculation from a person's height and weight -- at the beginning of each pregnancy, the AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The study finds that women who increased BMI by one or two points between the two pregnancies increased their risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure during the second pregnancy by up to 40%. Women who increased their BMI by three or more units increased their risk of still birth by 63%, according to the study (Cheng, AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/29). Villamor said, "Women do not need to become overweight or obese in order to increase their chances of having poor gestational outcomes. A relatively modest increase in weight between pregnancies could lead to serious illnesses" (BBC News, 9/28).
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Sept. 29 reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Aaron Caughey, a maternal-fetal specialist at the University of California-San Francisco, and Cnattingius (Neighmond, "Morning Edition," NPR, 9/29). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.

Public Health
European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, Istanbul, Turkey: Bella Kaufman of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel and colleagues at the conference on Monday presented results of a Phase III clinical trial sponsored by Roche that is studying the use of Roche's drug Herceptin and AstraZeneca's Arimidex for hormone therapy in postmenopausal women testing positive for hormone receptors and living with an aggressive form of advanced-stage breast cancer called HER2, Reuters reports. The study finds that cancer in women who only took Arimidex progressed after an average of 2.4 months, compared with 4.8 months for women taking both Arimidex and Herceptin. Women taking both drugs survived an average of 28.5 months, compared with 23.9 months for women taking Arimidex alone, but the difference is not statistically significant, according to the study. Roche said it plans in May to file for approval around the world for use of the two drugs together (Reuters, 10/2). Researchers at the conference also presented data from a four-year clinical trial of 5,000 patients testing the effectiveness of Novartis's Femara in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The study finds that women taking Femara had an 18% lower risk of recurrence after 51 months than women who were taking the breast cancer recurrence drug tamoxifen. Among women whose breast cancer had spread to the lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis or who had undergone chemotherapy, the risk of recurrence was reduced by 23% if they were receiving Femara and by 26% if they were receiving tamoxifen (Reuters Health, 10/2).

"Impact on Survival of Time From Definitive Surgery to Initiation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Early Stage Breast Cancer," Journal of Clinical Oncology: Women with early stage breast cancer can delay the initiation of chemotherapy for up to three months following surgery but postponing it beyond that point can increase the risk of recurrence and death, according to the study (Ubelacker, CP/London Free Press, 10/3). Caroline Lohrisch of the BC Cancer Agency and colleagues analyzed the medical records of 2,594 women diagnosed with breast cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy from 1989 through 1998 to determine if the time chemotherapy was initiated influenced survival rates (Lohrisch et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 10/2). The study finds that 31% of the women who initiated chemotherapy 12 to 24 weeks after surgery experienced a relapse, compared with 18% to 26% of women who began chemotherapy prior to 12 weeks after surgery. In addition, the timing of chemotherapy affected the five-year survival rate. The study finds that 84% of women who began chemotherapy within four weeks of surgery were alive five years after diagnosis. The researchers recorded a five-year survival rate of 85% among women who began their therapy four to eight weeks following surgery and a survival rate of 89% among women who started therapy eight to 12 weeks following surgery. Among the women who started chemotherapy more than 12 weeks following survey, the five-year survival rate decreased to 78%, according to the study. "Time matters, but not in as short a time interval as we think, so patients can be reassured if they're feeling anxiety because they don't feel their treatment is starting fast enough," Lohrisch said. Mark Clemons, head of breast medical oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, said, "This is an important study because delay in commencement of any cancer therapy is extremely scary for patients who are understandably worried that any delay might lead to a worsening of their prognosis." He added, "It's also important from a physician and a health care system point of view that we set targets and goals to make sure that we're treating patients within appropriate time frames" (CP/London Free Press, 10/3).















"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.


View drug information on Arimidex; Femara; Herceptin.

Women With Anorexia Nervosa Have A Different Sense Of Taste

Although anorexia nervosa is categorized as an eating disorder, it is not known whether there are alterations of the portions of the brain that regulates appetite. Now, a new study finds that women with anorexia have distinct differences in the insulta -- the specific part of the brain that is important for recognizing taste -- according to a new study by University of Pittsburgh and University of California, San Diego researchers currently on line in advance of publication in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.



The study also implies that there may be differences in the processing of information related to self-awareness in recovering anorexics compared to those without the illness -- findings that may lead to a better understanding of the cause of this serious and sometimes fatal mental disorder.



In the study led by Angela Wagner, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Walter H. Kaye, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Schools of Medicine, the brain activity of 32 women was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI.) The research team looked at images of the brains of 16 women who had recovered from anorexia nervosa -- some of whom had been treated at the Center for Overcoming Problem Eating at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center -- and 16 control subjects. They measured their brains' reactions to pleasant taste (sucrose) and neutral taste (distilled water.) The results of the fMRI study are the first evidence that individuals with anorexia process taste in a different way than those without the eating disorder.



In response to both the sucrose and water, imaging results showed that women who had recovered from anorexia had significantly reduced response in the insula and related brain regions when compared to the control group. These areas of the brain recognize taste and judge how rewarding that taste is to the person. In addition, while the controls showed a strong relationship between how they judged the pleasantness of the taste and the activity of the insula, this relationship was not seen in those who had recovered from anorexia.



According to Kaye, it is possible that individuals with anorexia have difficulty recognizing taste, or responding to the pleasure associated with food. Because this region of the brain also contributes to emotional regulation, it may be that food is aversive, rather than rewarding. This could shed light on why individuals with anorexia avoid normally "pleasurable" foods, fail to appropriately respond to hunger and are able to lose so much weight.



"We know that the insula and the connected regions are thought to play an important role in interoceptive information, which determines how the individual senses the physiological condition of the entire body," said Kaye. "Interoception has long been thought to be critical for self-awareness because it provides the link between thinking and mood, and the current body state."
















This lack of interoceptive awareness may contribute to other symptoms of anorexia nervosa such as distorted body image, lack of recognition of the symptoms of malnutrition and diminished motivation to change, according to Kaye.



Anorexia nervosa is a serious and potentially lethal illness, which may result in death in ten percent of cases. It is characterized by the relentless pursuit of thinness, emaciation and the obsessive fear of gaining weight. Anorexia commonly begins during adolescence, but strikes throughout the lifespan, and is nine times more common in females than in males. These characteristics support the possibility that biological processes contribute to developing this disorder.







Many individual with anorexia nervosa have difficulty obtaining treatment because it is not considered a biological illness. Towards this end, Kaye is working with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) to promote new public understanding and improve treatment of eating disorders. NEDA's annual conference, which is aimed towards providing information and support for families and individuals with eating disorders, will be held October 4 through 6 at the Doubletree Hotel San Diego.



Click here for the full text of the article online.



The research was funded through grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Price Foundation.



Co-authors of the study include Howard Aizenstein, Laura Mazurkewicz and Lorie Fischer of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Julie Fudge of the University of Rochester Medical Center; Guido K. Frank of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of California, San Diego; Karen Putnam of the University of Cincinnati; and Ursula F. Bailer of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical University of Vienna.



Dr. Kaye will be chairing a panel titled "What Parents Need to Know: New Understandings on the Causes and Treatments of Eating Disorders" at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5 at the 2007 National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Conference. The conference runs Oct. 4 through 6 at the Doubletree Hotel San Diego.



Source: Debra Kain


University of California - San Diego

Particles In Polluted Air Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease Among Postmenopausal Women, Study Says

Exposure to high levels of fine particles in air pollution is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease among postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Wall Street Journal reports (Winstein, Wall Street Journal, 2/1). Joel Kaufman of the University of Washington and colleagues examined data of 65,893 postmenopausal women between ages 50 and 79 who participated in the Women's Health Initiative to evaluate long-term exposure to air pollution and the incidence of cardiovascular disease, the AP/New York Times reports (AP/New York Times, 2/1). The researchers recorded the number of deaths, heart attacks, cases of coronary disease, strokes and clogged arteries among the women from 1994 to 1998 (Miller et al., NEJM, 2/1). They also adjusted for variables that have been attributed to increased risk of disease in past studies, including lower incomes and other health problems, the AP/Times reports. For the study, the researchers focused on the particles in air pollution -- which are made up of dust, soot and various chemicals -- that come from the burning of fossil fuels. The study found that every increase of 10 millionths of particles in the air increased the risk of death caused by cardiovascular disease by about 75% among postmenopausal women. In addition, for every 10-unit increase in particles, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease increased by 24%, the study found (AP/New York Times, 2/1). According to the Journal, the current limit for fine particles in the air was set in 1997 at an annual average of 15 micrograms per cubic meter, and the Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to review and reissue air-quality regulations every five years. The World Health Organization recommends that governments adopt a long-term level of 10 micrograms per cubic meter, the Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 2/1).

Reaction
In an accompanying NEJM editorial, Douglas Dockery, a pollution specialist at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes, "There was a lot of evidence previously suggesting that the long-term [EPA] standard should be lower, and this is adding one more study to that evidence" (AP/New York Times, 2/1). Jeremy Pearson of the British Heart Foundation said, "This robust new research ... suggests the increased risk is greater than we previously thought, and adds to mounting evidence that air pollution should be taken seriously as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease" (Laurance, Independent, 2/1). Rogene Henderson, a pollution expert who heads the EPA's outside panel of scientists, said that the findings might support efforts aimed at encouraging the agency to lower the legal limit of particles but that it is not clear when it will revisit the matter. An EPA spokesperson said that it is "too soon to say" how much weight the agency will give the new findings in reviewing pollution standards but that the study "will be considered as part" of the process (Wall Street Journal, 2/1).














The study is available online.

CBS' "Evening News" on Wednesday reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Kaufman; Lori Mosca, director of the Preventative Cardiology Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital; and a woman with cardiovascular problems who lives in a town with high air pollution (LaPook, "Evening News," CBS, 1/31). Video of the segment is available online.

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

CRR Should Be Denied Access To White House Documents, Testimony In Plan B Lawsuit, DOJ Letter Says

The Center for Reproductive Rights is on a "fishing expedition" for White House documents and testimony in a case related to FDA's rejection in 2004 of Barr Laboratories' application for nonprescription sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, and it should be denied the right to review such files, Department of Justice attorney John Tyler wrote in a letter sent to CRR on Thursday, the AP/Forbes reports (AP/Forbes, 11/30). CRR on behalf of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and others filed a lawsuit claiming FDA did not follow procedure when the agency in 2004 sent a "not approvable" letter in response to an application originally submitted by pharmaceutical company Women's Capital for nonprescription sales of Plan B. Women's Capital later was purchased by Barr. FDA in the "not approvable" letter cited inadequate data on Plan B's use among girls younger than age 16, and Barr subsequently submitted a revised application to make the drug available without a prescription only to girls and women ages 16 and older. In a July 31 letter to Barr subsidiary Duramed Research, acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach wrote that 18 is the "appropriate age" to allow women to buy Plan B without a prescription and asked Barr to raise the age restriction in its application from 16 to 18. Barr in August resubmitted its application and FDA approved it later that month. CRR attorneys during two hearings in October at a U.S. District Court in New York City asked federal judges to grant a subpoena of White House documents related to the case. Federal Magistrate Viktor Pohorelsky last month ruled that CRR can seek more than three years of White House documents (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 11/10). A judge in the case on Nov. 21 issued a stay in the case that allows FDA to withhold certain documents from the group.

Letter
Tyler in the letter wrote it is "inappropriate" that CRR pursue the White House records while the stay is in place. CRR spokesperson Dionne Scott said the group plans to proceed with the lawsuit and require the White House to provide the relevant documents. She said the stay does not apply to the White House subpoena, adding that the group plans to continue to pursue the lawsuit and ask for the documents. Tyler also wrote that CRR has not met the "heightened standard" required for the White House to release documents, adding "the subpoena is a fishing expedition to probe the internal processes of the White House" (AP/Forbes, 11/30).

"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.

Sex Education, Contraception Key To Lowering Abortion Rate Among Blacks, Guttmacher CEO Writes

In a New York Times letter to the editor published on Monday, Guttmacher Institute President and Chief Executive Sharon Camp calls for the U.S. to "get serious about providing better health care and more educational and economic opportunities for black women." Responding to a recent Times article on antiabortion-rights groups' campaigns to target black women, Camps writes that "abortion within the African-American community should be discussed in its proper context."

Camp notes that "[d]isproportionately high abortion rates among black women are a direct result of their higher rates of unintended pregnancy, which in turn reflect economic and social inequalities that are widespread and pervasive." Antiabortion-rights advocates "ignore" systemic inequities on various reproductive health outcomes and health indicators, including diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and cancer, according to Camp. They "falsely and cynically ... accuse abortion providers of targeting minority communities," she continues.

"Rather than promoting bogus conspiracy theories, let's focus on making comprehensive sex education and affordable contraceptive services universally available to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion," Camp concludes (Camp, New York Times, 3/8).


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.

Women Over 90 More Likely To Have Dementia Than Men

Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men of the same age, according UC Irvine researchers involved with the 90+ Study, one of the nation's largest studies of dementia and other health factors in the fastest-growing age demographic.



The researchers reviewed an analysis of 911 people enrolled in the 90+ Study. Of those, 45 percent of the women had dementia, as opposed to 28 percent of the men. The analysis did not determine when the subjects first experienced dementia.



The 90-plus age group, or the "oldest old," is the fastest growing segment of the population, according to the U.S. Census. While there are currently nearly 2 million nonagenarians in the U.S. alone, that number is projected to increase to 10 to 12 million by the middle of the century, raising concerns that the current health care system may not be able to accommodate this population.



"Our findings show that more will need to be done to provide adequate resources to care for the increasing number of very old people with dementia," said Maria Corrada, a UC Irvine epidemiologist and study corresponding author.



The study appears in the July 2 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.



Research has shown that dementia prevalence for both men and women increases from age 65 to 85. The frequency of dementia increases with age from less than 2 percent for the 65-69-year-olds, to 5 percent for the 75-79-year-olds and to more than 20 percent for the 85-89-year-olds.



The UC Irvine study, conducted in Laguna Woods, Calif., is among the few to look at dementia in people over age 90. It found that the likelihood of having dementia doubled every five years in women after reaching 90, but not in men. The results also showed that women with a higher education appeared to be as much as 45 percent less likely to have dementia compared to women with less education.



With women comprising three-quarters of the 90-plus population, the study raises questions why these women nonagenarians are more likely to have dementia than men.



"Our findings provide valuable information toward further inquiries into dementia, such as if oldest-old men can live as long with dementia as oldest-old women do, or whether in this age group women develop dementia at a higher rate than men," Corrada said.



Dementia, a progressive brain dysfunction, leads to a gradually increasing restriction of daily activities. The most well-known type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, cognitive disorientation and behavioral changes. Dementia affects not only patients but also those surrounding them, as most patients require long-term care.







Study co-authors are Dr. Claudia Kawas and Daniel Berlau from UC Irvine, Ron Brookmeyer from Johns Hopkins University, and Annlia Paganini-Hill of USC. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Nichols Chair in Clinical Neuroscience.



About the 90+ Study: Initiated in 2003, the 90+ Study performs clinical, pathological and genetic research in people 90 or older, the fastest-growing segment of the population. With a cohort of 1,100 participants, the 90+ team has assembled one of the largest prospective studies of oldest old subjects in the world. Results obtained thus far have provided researchers across the globe with valuable information about aging. The study, run through the Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, Calif., is directed by Dr. Claudia Kawas, the Nichols Chair in Clinical Neuroscience.



About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 2,000 faculty members. The third-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.6 billion.



Source: Tom Vasich


University of California - Irvine

European Commission Approves GSK's Experimental HPV Vaccine Cervarix For Sale In E.U. Countries

GlaxoSmithKline on Monday announced that the European Commission has approved the company's experimental human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix for sale and marketing in the European Union, Reuters reports (Reuters, 9/24). Cervarix has been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

According to a recent study, Cervarix was 90.4% effective in preventing lesions caused by HPV strains 16 and 18, based on an analysis that only required detection of the virus in the lesions. However, researchers found most of the lesions contained multiple HPV strains known to cause cancer, and GSK said the data showed Cervarix was 100% effective in preventing lesions caused by strains 16 and 18. According to the study, the vaccine also provided significant protection against HPV strains 31, 45 and 52, which together account for about 12% of cervical cancer cases.

The European Committee for Human Medicinal Products in July recommended Cervarix for sale and marketing in the European Union. The committee reviewed data on the vaccine from clinical trials involving 30,000 women (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/20). A GSK spokesperson said Cervarix would go on sale in major European markets shortly. She added, "We intend to launch across Europe within the next few weeks."

GSK declined to comment on how much the company will charge for Cervarix or whether the European price would be above or below that in Australia, where the vaccine received regulatory approval in May. The vaccine is not likely to go on sale in the U.S. before 2008, Reuters reports (Reuters, 9/24). The company said a decision on its FDA application for Cervarix's approval in the U.S. will be given in January 2008 (Hofmann, Thomson Financial/Hemscott, 9/24).

"The decision (by the European Commission) to approve Cervarix for the European Union represents a great step forward for European women," GSK CEO J.P. Garnier said in a statement. He added, "Physicians across Europe will now have access to this important vaccine to help protect women against cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 9/24).

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.


View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent.