Gender: Female
400,000-plus women raped in Congo yearly: study
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More than 400,000 women are raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo every year, according to a study by U.S. researchers published Wednesday, but the United Nations has expressed doubt over the findings.
Congo, which has a population of around 60 million, has endured decades of conflict, characterized by the use of brutal sexual violence against civilians, with mass rapes still regular in the largely lawless eastern provinces.
The study, which used nationwide data collected by the government between 2006 and 2007, found that on average 1,100 women were raped every day in the vast central African country.
Lawmakers in 2 states pass new abortion restrictions
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Legislators in both Indiana and Florida passed sweeping abortion restrictions on Wednesday.
The Indiana House passed a bill, already approved by the Senate, that would ban abortions after 20 weeks and cut funding to Planned Parenthood of Indiana.
If the bill is signed by Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana will become the fifth state to ban late-term abortions based on the contested idea that a fetus feels pain at this point.
Clinical study suggests estrogen levels and breast health can be altered
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Researchers from Canada and the United States today told attendees of the Experimental Biology 2011 Scientific Meeting that they have uncovered a possible means of enabling women to favorably influence whether the estrogens in their bodies take a “beneficial path” or a “disease-potential” path.
The researchers tested a nutritional combination of indole-3 carbinol, milk thistle extract, calcium-D-glucarate, Schizandra chinensis fruit extract, stinging nettle, lignans extracted from the Norway spruce, and vitamin D on 47 pre-menopausal women and 49 post-menopausal women for 28 days. On day one and 28, they analyzed blood and urine samples. Researchers were pleasantly surprised to discover consumption of the femMED supplement significantly increased the mean urinary concentration of 2-OHE in pre- and post-menopausal women (by 110% and 88%, respectively), suggesting a risk-reducing effect. The Breast Health supplement was well-tolerated, and displayed no adverse side effects.
Dr. Cathleen London, MD said, “Although the trial was small it was well designed and well conducted. Importantly, we know that cruciferous vegetables, fish oil, and lignans from flax and nuts are all thought to support healthy metabolism of estrogens, but people do not eat enough fresh cruciferous vegetables in their diet, making nutritional supplementation a viable option. Although this is a preliminary study, it adds to our scientific knowledge about the role of estrogens and their metabolism in the breast health of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women.” Dr. London was not involved with this project.
Timing is everything in combination therapy for osteoporosis
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The adult human skeleton undergoes constant remodeling, with new bone forming at sites that have been broken down by a precise process called resorption. During remodeling, skeletal stem cells are recruited to resorption sites and directed to differentiate into bone-forming cells. Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak and fragile bones, develops when there is an imbalance in the remodeling process and more bone is lost than replaced. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the November issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers a mechanism that may guide development of better strategies for treatment osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is often treated with drugs that inhibit bone resorption, such as alendronate, or drugs that stimulate bone formation, such as parathyroid hormone (PTH). Surprisingly, previous attempts to combine these approaches were not effective. “In clinical trials where PTH and alendronate were administered concurrently, the bone building effects of PTH were impaired,” explains senior study author Dr. Xu Cao from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. “This suggests that bone resorption is necessary for PTH-induced bone formation, but the underlying mechanisms are obscure. An improved understanding of the role that bone resorption plays in PTH-induced bone formation would provide a key mechanistic rationale for the development of strategies that maximize use of both PTH and antiresorptive drugs in the treatment of osteoporosis.”
Dr. Cao’s group had previously shown that transforming growth factor (TGF)-?1 plays a key role in bone formation after bone resorption.
Many women missing out on the benefits of cardiac rehab
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Cardiac rehabilitation is considered the pillar of preventing a second cardiac event yet those who stand to benefit the most – women and the elderly − are often missing out, Dr. Billie Jean Martin told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
“These two high-risk but universally undertreated groups are less likely attend cardiac rehab than their younger, male counterparts even when they are referred,” says Dr. Martin, PhD(c) and surgical trainee at University Calgary/Libin Cardiovascular Institute, speaking on behalf of her co-authors at the Cardiac Wellness institute of Calgary and APPROACH. “And when women do attend cardiac rehab, they tend to present later and at a more serious stage of the disease.”
The study of 6,000 people living with cardiovascular disease found that participation in cardiac rehab was associated with a decreased risk of emergency room visits and hospitalization and a significantly lower risk of death.
New osteoporosis guidelines: Osteoporosis Canada
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Comprehensive new guidelines from the Osteoporosis Canada aimed at preventing fragility fractures in women and men over the age of 50 are published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100771.pdf.
“Fragility fractures, the consequence of osteoporosis, are responsible for excess mortality, morbidity, chronic pain, institutionalization and economic costs,” writes Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences with coauthors. “They represent 80% of all fractures in menopausal women over age 50 and those with hip or vertebral fractures have substantially increased risk of death post-fracture.”
Fewer than 20% of women and 10% of men with fragility fractures receive interventions to prevent future fractures, writes co-author Dr. Bill Leslie, University of Manitoba.
Robot doesn’t make cancer surgery cheaper: study
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Minimally invasive surgery for endometrial cancer is cheaper on a society-wide and hospital level than surgery done with a robotic system or a more invasive hysterectomy, according to a new study.
But the robot still has other benefits that aren’t reflected in the dollars-and-cents calculation, the authors say, such as greater ease and comfort for the surgeon.
More than 43,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer - cancer that forms in the lining of the uterus - in 2010, according to the National Cancer Institute. About $1.8 billion is spent on treating endometrial cancer each year in the U.S., but it’s unclear how that number will change if more of the surgeries are done robotically.
WHO seeks clampdown on tobacco ads targeting women
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The World Health Organisation called on Friday for more action against tobacco advertising that targets women and girls, especially in developing countries.
Females represent the biggest potential growth market for tobacco products and are being subjected to aggressive campaigns linked to fashion, sports events and entertainment, the United Nations agency said.
“The industry’s market strategy is having its desired impact,” Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO’s tobacco free initiative, said at a news briefing. “More and more girls are starting to light up. This is a serious red flag.”
FDA says acid reflux drugs carry fracture risk
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U.S. health regulators have cautioned doctors and patients of an increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine from high doses or long-term use of a widely used class of drugs to control the amount of acid in the stomach.
The class of heartburn drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, include prescription brands such as AstraZeneca Plc’s top-selling Nexium and the company’s Prilosec, an older generic treatment that is also available over the counter at a lower dosage strength.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that studies suggest a possible increased risk of bone fractures with the use of proton pump inhibitors for one year or longer, or at high doses.
Body Mass Index gain throughout adulthood may increase risk of postmenopausal breast cancer
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Reported mid-life increase in body mass index (BMI) may lead to substantially higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to results of a prospective cohort study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010, held here April 17-21.
In previous studies, excess weight has been linked with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Scientists have speculated that in postmenopausal women, estrogen produced in adipose tissue, or body fat, may promote breast cell proliferation. Relatively few studies have looked specifically at increase in BMI and its timing in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk, which this study investigated.
The researchers analyzed information from 72,007 women in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial cohort, who were 55 to 74 years old at study entry. The analysis included 3,677 cases of postmenopausal breast cancer, which makes this one of the larger studies of its kind, according to the researchers.
U.S. Caesarean births hit record high in 2007
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Nearly 1.4 million babies born in the United States in 2007 were delivered by Caesarean section, a record U.S. high and a larger number than in most other industrialized nations, health officials said on Tuesday.
In 2007, nearly one-third of all births were Caesarean deliveries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report, noting large rises in all racial, ethnic and age groups over 10 years.
The benefits and risks of Caesarean delivery, which involves major abdominal surgery, have been the subject of intense debate for more than a quarter of a century.
Big first trimester weight gain ups diabetes risk
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Women who gain weight too quickly during the first three months of pregnancy are more prone to develop pregnancy-related diabetes, new research shows.
“We found the association was stronger among women who were overweight at the start of pregnancy,” Dr. Monique M. Hedderson of Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Oakland, California, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
This study, she added, suggests that weight gain in early pregnancy may be a modifiable risk factor for pregnancy-related, or “gestational,” diabetes.
Women and men travelers get different illnesses
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World travel can make anyone sick but men and women tend to suffer different illnesses with women more prone to stomach problems and men at higher risk of fevers and sexually transmitted diseases, Swiss researchers found.
A study of almost 59,000 international travelers by the University of Zurich found women were more likely than men to come down with bouts of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems, colds, urinary tract infections and adverse reactions to medications, such as those taken to prevent malaria.
Men had higher risks of fever, including from infections transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks or other such “vectors,” such as malaria, dengue and rickettsia.
Menopausal changes increase heart disease risk
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A woman’s risk of heart disease intensifies drastically around the time of menopause, which for most women is around 50 years, research says.
Experts explain that understanding risk factors is an important first step, and reassure women that there are ways to lower the risk.
“Many women younger than 50 have not yet gone through menopause and still have high levels of the female hormone estrogen in their blood, which is thought to help protect the heart,” said Vera Rigolin, associate director of the Centre for Women’s Cardiovascular Health at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Herbal supplements may raise blood lead levels
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Some herbal supplements may boost the levels of lead in the blood of women, new research shows.
Among 12,807 men and women age 20 and older, Dr. Catherine Buettner, at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues found blood lead levels about 10 percent higher in women, but not men, who used specific herbal supplements.
When they examined herbal supplement use among women of reproductive age (age 16 to 45 years old), “the relationship with lead levels was even stronger, with lead levels 20 percent higher overall, and up to 40 percent higher among users of select herbal supplements compared to non-users,” they report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
