Why women stay in abusive relationships
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Domestic violence is one of the dirty secrets that many people like to ignore. They convince themselves it only happens to strangers. But the truth is that 3 women a day are killed by the hands of their husband or boyfriends. Are you aware that, nearly one-third of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. They come from all walks of life and could be your daughter, sister, friend or neighbor. So why would a woman stay with a man who is hurting her?
Family history a risk factor for asthma death
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An analysis of genealogy records linked to death certificates in Utah suggests that the risk of dying from an asthma attack is hereditary.
Dr. Craig C. Teerlink and associates at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City identified 1553 asthma-related deaths in a registry of all Utah deaths since 1904.
Don’t treat AIDS victims with disdain, Pope says
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Pope Benedict on Wednesday called for increased efforts to stop the spread of AIDS and said victims of the disease should not be treated with disdain.
“I am spiritually close to those who suffer from this terrible sickness as well as to their families, particularly if they have lost a loved one. I assure them all of my prayers,” he said ahead of this Saturday’s World AIDS Day.
Bad diet ups cancer risk for poor, black women
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Poor black women in U.S. cities face a greater risk of getting cancer because of unhealthy diets, according to a report released on Wednesday that says the finding applies to other ethnic groups.
The study of more than 150 women living in public housing in Washington, D.C., found that 61 percent of them met none or just one of five goals for maintaining a healthy diet.
HIV/AIDS discrimination widespread in China: U.N.
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China’s efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS-related discrimination have failed to stamp out “widespread” stigmatization of sufferers, United Nations officials said on Wednesday.
Subinay Nandy, China country director for the U.N. Development Programme, said China had done a “tremendous job” implementing anti-HIV/AIDS discrimination policies and legislation but enduring misconceptions were stopping sufferers from seeking treatment.
Knowing heart risk may prompt healthy change
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Adults at risk for developing coronary heart disease seem to respond better to preventive treatment when their doctor tells them exactly what their risk is and how they can help lower their risk, results of a study suggest.
In the study, people who had frank discussions with their doctor about their coronary risk profile achieved greater improvement in their cholesterol levels than those who did not have these discussions.
U.S. obesity rates level off: government study
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After 25 years of successive increases, obesity rates in the United States are holding steady, government health officials said on Wednesday.
But Americans are still plenty fat, with more than a third of U.S. adults found to be obese in 2005-2006, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
High-trauma fractures in older adults linked to osteoporosis, increased risk of another fracture
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Contrary to a widely held assumption, high-trauma nonspine fractures in older women and men, such as from a car crash, are associated with low bone mineral density and an increased risk of a subsequent fracture, according to a study in the November 28 issue of JAMA. These findings suggest that older adults who experience these fractures should be evaluated for osteoporosis.
УЕ it is widely believed, without supporting evidence, that high-trauma fractures [those resulting from motor vehicle crashes or falls from greater than standing height] are not related to low bone mineral density (BMD) or subsequent fracture risk and therefore are presumed not to be manifestations of osteoporosis,Ф the authors write. They add that these beliefs have several consequences, including the clinical opinions that an older adult who has a high-trauma fracture does not require evaluation for osteoporosis, and that high-trauma fractures cannot be prevented by osteoporosis treatments that increase BMD and bone strength.
New model predicts breast cancer risk in African-American women
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Researchers have developed a new risk prediction model that more accurately estimates the breast cancer risk of African American women, according to a study published online November 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, also known as the Gail model, is widely used for estimating breast cancer risk and for determining which women are eligible for breast cancer prevention trials.
High blood pressure may heighten effects of Alzheimer’s disease
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Having hypertension, or high blood pressure, reduces blood flow in the brains of adults with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
“While hypertension is not a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, our study shows that it is another hit on the brain that increases its vulnerability to the effects of the disease,” said study co-author Cyrus Raji, scientist and M.D. and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh where the study was conducted.
Depression in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
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The author reviews the risks and benefits of untreated maternal depression during pregnancy and the postnatal period and its effects on the well-being of the mother and infant. She then discusses the significant role psychiatrists can play in detecting and managing maternal depression as a primary measure for preventing future child psychopathology.
Older white women join Kenya’s sex tourists
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Bethan, 56, lives in southern England on the same street as best friend Allie, 64.
They are on their first holiday to Kenya, a country they say is “just full of big young boys who like us older girls”.
Routine HIV testing may benefit teenagers
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Early, routine HIV testing might help stem the spread of the infection among teenagers, according to researchers.
In a study of more than 1,200 sexually active 15- to 21-year-olds, the researchers found that key HIV risk factors—like having unprotected sex or having a high-risk partner—had no bearing on whether the study participants sought HIV testing over the next three months.
Non-Caucasians at higher risk for severe metastatic breast cancer pain
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A new study finds significant racial differences in the risk of pain related to metastatic breast cancer. An analysis by Dr. Liana Castel of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues found that non-whites experience poorer pain control among women with this disease. The study is published in the January 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Studies indicate that chronic or recurrent pain affects 30 percent of all cancer patients and 60 to 90 percent of patients with advanced cancer. Age, race, tumor type, genetics, psychosocial context, and culture can all affect pain. However, it is unclear how pain is influenced by changes over the course of disease due to factors including radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. The current study was among the first to examine whether race plays a role in patients’ experiences in pain over the course of metastatic cancer.
Novel MRI technique shows secondhand smoke damages lungs
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For the first time, researchers have identified structural damage to the lungs caused by secondhand cigarette smoke.
The results of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
