Gender: Female
Socializing Can Help Elderly Women Stay Sharp
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Socializing with friends and family can do more than lift the spirits of elderly women — it can improve cognition and might help prevent dementia, according to a new study.
The study began in 2001 and included women at least 78 years old who were free of signs of dementia. Researchers conducted follow-up interviews between 2002 and 2005.
“We’ve interviewed people who were not demented and who were able to report on their social network at baseline in 2001,” said lead author Valerie Crooks. “By starting with people who are cognitively intact and following them over time, you can begin to make a legitimate link between social networks and dementia.”
Spray-on estrogen relieves hot flushes
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A form of estrogen, estradiol, sprayed on the skin is a safe, effective, and convenient way for post-menopausal women to relieve hot flushes, a study shows.
Evamist, which is marketed by Ther-Rx Corporation, is the first transdermal estradiol spray to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treating moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms in healthy women, according to the report in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
“This estradiol ‘spray-on-patch’ is a treatment option for women who will benefit from the advantages of transdermal estradiol delivery but are intolerant of or are not inclined to use patches, gels, or emulsions,” write Dr. John E. Buster, from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues.
Fibroids Common, but Women Have Options
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Small fibroids located just beneath the lining of the uterus (submucosal) are more likely to move to the endometrial cavity after uterine artery embolization (UAE) but usually don’t cause major complications, according to a new study.
The study included 49 patients with 140 fibroids who underwent an MRI examination before and after UAE. The study found that 39 of these were submucosal. Of these, 33% migrated to the endometrial cavity after UAE, said Sachit Verma, MD, lead author of the study. “At the beginning of our study, we suspected that all submucosal fibroids became endocavitary following UAE irrespective of their area of contact with the endometrium (ID ratio),” said Dr. Verma. “By further analyzing our results we realized that submucosal fibroids with an ID ratio greater than 0.55 at pre-procedural MRI have a higher risk of becoming endocavitary following UAE,” he said
Nerve block cuts hot flashes after breast cancer
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Blocking parts of the nervous system that regulate body temperature can reduce hot flashes and improve sleep in survivors of breast cancer, researchers reported on Thursday.
With the experimental nerve blocker therapy, the average number of hot flashes per week fell from about 80 to just 8. Very severe hot flashes were almost totally abolished and a marked drop in nighttime awakenings was also seen, according to a report in the online issue of the Lancet Oncology.
Hot flashes and sleep dysfunction are common in breast cancer survivors, particularly those who use anti-estrogen agents like tamoxifen. Conventional treatments, such as hormone therapy or herbal remedies, have proven either ineffective or have been linked to important side effects.
Mothers and Offspring Can Share Cells Throughout Life
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Cutting the umbilical cord doesn’t necessarily sever the physical link between mother and child. Many cells pass back and forth between the mother and fetus during pregnancy and can be detected in the tissues and organs of both even decades later. This mixing of cells from two genetically distinct individuals is called microchimerism. The phenomenon is the focus of an increasing number of scientists who wonder what role these cells play in the body.
A potentially significant one, it turns out. Research implicates that maternal and fetal microchimerism plays both adverse and beneficial roles in some autoimmune diseases as well as the prevention of at least one cancer. This double-edged sword in turn has opened new avenues of study of the body’s immune system and the possibility of developing new tests and therapies.
Two of the world’s leading researchers in microchimerism are J. Lee Nelson, M.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Clinical Research Division; and V.K. Gadi, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Washington. Nelson also is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington. Gadi is also a research associate in the Hutchinson Center’s Clinical Research Division.
Large waist may raise death risk for women
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Women with large bellies may die earlier of heart disease and cancer than other women, regardless of their weight, a large U.S. study suggests.
The findings, reported in the medical journal Circulation, add to evidence that when it comes to health risks, overall weight is not as important as where a person carries the fat.
Past studies have found that “apple-shaped” people appear to be at particular risk of clogged arteries, high blood pressure and diabetes. Abdominal obesity has also been linked to certain cancers, such as kidney cancer and colon cancer.
Withdrawal Method of Contraception: How it Works
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Many couples use a form of birth control know as the withdrawal method of contraception, or “the pull out method”. Some couples prefer the withdrawal method of contraception because it allows for spontaneity, is a non-hormonal form of birth control and it is free. When practiced perfectly, the withdrawal method of contraception is about 96% effective in the prevention of pregnancy.
The withdrawal method of contraception does not prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. That is because the withdrawal method of contraception does allow for contact with bodily fluid. In fact, many people assume the failure rate associated with the incorrect use of the withdrawal method is actually due to the pre-seminal fluid, also known as pre-ejaculate. While pre-seminal fluid does contain sexually transmitted diseases, it does not contain sperm.
Gum disease linked with gestational diabetes risk
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Pregnant women with gum disease may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those with healthy gums, researchers have found.
Gestational diabetes arises during pregnancy and usually resolves after the baby is born, but it can raise a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on. It can also contribute to problems during pregnancy and delivery, including maternal high blood pressure and a larger-than-normal baby, which may necessitate a cesarean section.
The new findings, published in the Journal of Dental Research, suggest that gum disease may be a treatable risk factor for gestational diabetes.
Wine drinking may cut women’s dementia risk
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Women who drink wine are less likely to develop dementia over time than their teetotaling peers, while drinking hard liquor may actually boost dementia risk, Swedish researchers report.
“There may be components in wine besides (alcohol) that protect against dementia,” Dr. Lauren Lissner of Goteborg University, the study’s senior author, told Reuters Health via e-mail. “Our findings are consistent with several previous reports.”
Lissner and her team looked at 1,462 women who ranged in age from 38 to 60 between 1968 and 1969 and were followed up to 2002, by which time 164 had been diagnosed with dementia. The women reported their alcohol consumption at the beginning of the study and three more times during the course of the study.
Proper Seatbelt Use by Pregnant Women Would Save 200 Fetuses/Year
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A new study could have a profound effect on fetal deaths and injuries caused by car accidents.
The study, by researchers at the University of Michigan, found that about 200 fetuses each year would not be lost if pregnant women properly buckled their seatbelts every time they were in an automobile.
“It’s very clear, based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single time they’re in a vehicle,” says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D., vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U-M Health System. “Our study strongly suggests that about 200 fetuses each year would not lose their lives if women simply buckled up each time.” An estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes each year in the United States.
Britain urges pregnant women to avoid alcohol
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Women should drink no alcohol during the first three months of pregnancy, despite uncertainty over whether the odd drink could harm their baby, a British government watchdog said on Wednesday.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said there was limited evidence that drinking in the early stages of pregnancy may be linked to a higher risk of miscarriage.
Its new guidance says that pregnant women who choose to drink should limit their intake to one or two units, once or twice a week.
Women are Treated Less Frequently than Men with Statins, Aspirin and Beta- Blockers
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Women and men experience a similar prevalence of adverse drug reactions in the treatment of coronary artery disease; however, women are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to be treated with statins, aspirin, and beta-blockers according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The study is published in the March issue of the journal Gender Medicine.
“Developments in disease recognition and novel treatment strategies have led to a significant decline in overall cardiovascular death rate among men, but these dramatic improvements have not been observed in women,” said Dr. Jonathan R. Enriquez, lead author of the study and resident internal medicine physician at Rush. “This may be related to underutilization of medical therapies such as aspirin, ß-blockers, ACE inhibitors or statins.”
Older Women More Likely to Become, Remain Depressed Than Older Men
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Older women appear more susceptible to depression and more likely to stay depressed but less likely to die while depressed than older men, factors that contribute to the higher burden of depression among older women, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Major depression affects approximately 1 percent to 2 percent of older adults living in the community, but as many as 20 percent experience symptoms of depression, according to background information in the article. These symptoms are more likely to affect older women than older men for reasons that are unclear.
Lisa C. Barry, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and colleagues evaluated a group of 754 individuals age 70 and older (average age 78.4) beginning in 1998. At the beginning of the study and at follow-up assessments conducted every 18 months, participants were asked to provide demographic information, take cognitive tests and report any medical conditions. They also were screened for symptoms of depression—such as lack of appetite, feeling sad or sleep problems—during the previous week.
Women on methadone may safely breast-feed
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In women on methadone maintenance who have recently given birth, concentrations of the drug in breast milk are low and have no apparent behavioral or neurological effects on their breast-fed infants, according to the results of a small study.
Dr. Lauren M. Jansson, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues evaluated the concentrations of methadone in the breast milk and blood of eight women at 1, 2, 3, 4, 14 and 30 days after delivery.
Number of Russian women smokers has doubled since Soviet collapse
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In 1992, seven per cent of women smoked, compared to almost 15 per cent by 2003. In the same period, the number of men who smoke has risen from 57 per cent to 63 per cent.
The researchers behind the study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, blame the privatisation of the previously state owned tobacco industry and the behaviour of the transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) for what they describe as a “very worrying increase”.
Between 1992 and 2000, TTCs such as Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International invested approximately US$1.7 billion to gain a 60 per cent share of the privatised Russian tobacco market.
