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Manipulating transcription factor can change subtype of breast cancer

Australian scientists have shown how a 'transcription factor' causes breast cancer to develop an aggressive subtype that lacks sensitivity to oestrogen and does not respond to anti-oestrogen therapies such as Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors.

28 Dec 2012

Researchers reveal critical role of BRCA1 gene in maintenance of hair follicle stem cells

Our DNA, which stores our genetic information, is constantly submitted to damage. If not properly repaired, DNA damage can lead to cell death, which may in turn lead to tissue exhaustion and ageing, or induce mutations resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation and cancer. Brca1 is a key gene that mediates DNA repair. Mutations in Brca1 lead to familial and sporadic breast and ovarian cancer in humans.

27 Dec 2012

Virtual setting study reveals dramatic gender difference in propensity to disclose naked skin

In the virtual world of Second Life, female avatars expose substantially more skin than males, independent of their virtual body proportions, according to research published December 26 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Matthieu Guitton and colleagues from Laval University, Canada.

27 Dec 2012

Genetic differences in enzyme CYP2D6 play a key role in effectiveness of tamoxifen for breast cancer

For nearly a decade, breast cancer researchers studying the hormone therapy tamoxifen have been divided as to whether genetic differences in a liver enzyme affect the drug's effectiveness and the likelihood breast cancer will recur.

27 Dec 2012

A screening tool to evaluate pre-menstrual disorders

Even though there are many women who do not notice any special symptoms, there are some whose pre-menstrual disorders hamper their everyday lives: depressive mood, anxiety, excessive emotional sensitivity, fatigue, lack of concentration, headache, etc.

21 Dec 2012

Efforts to eliminate FGM 'breaking new ground' with approval of U.N. General Assembly resolution

"The fight to eliminate the scourge of female genital mutilation is breaking new ground," following the adoption of a U.N. General Assembly resolution on Thursday "calling on all states to enact legislation banning this egregious human rights violation," Emma Bonino, vice president of the Italian Senate and founder of No Peace Without Justice, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

21 Dec 2012

U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution urging countries to ban FGM

"The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday urging countries to ban female genital mutilation, calling it an 'irreparable, irreversible abuse' that threatens about three million girls annually," Reuters reports.

21 Dec 2012

Exercise and mental health: an interview with Professor Nanette Mutrie

Perhaps we should first of all clear up the definition of exercise. In public health terms it is more common to use the phrase ‘physical activity’ because this phrase encompasses all kinds of movement- indeed anything we do above sitting and resting levels.

21 Dec 2012

New technique may prevent inheritance of mitochondrial diseases in children

A joint team of scientists from The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has developed a technique that may prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial diseases in children.

21 Dec 2012

Kenya working to integrate PMTCT services into maternal, child health care clinics

"Health programs integrating services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV into regular maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) clinics, rather than operating PMTCT services as stand-along programs, are showing positive results in Kenya, experts say," PlusNews reports.

21 Dec 2012

In Philippines, Church entitled to opinion on birth control, but women have right to choose

"Finally, after 14 years of debate and delay, lawmakers in the Philippines passed a bill that will provide free or subsidized birth control to poor people as well as require sex education in schools and mandate training in family planning for community health workers," a Los Angeles Times editorial states.

21 Dec 2012

Youth advocates working to improve reproductive health education, services access in Latin America

In GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, Mia Mazer, a media and communications intern with the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, writes about the formation of the Mesoamerican Coalition for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a regional advocacy initiative of more than 40 different organizations that aims to hold governments accountable to a 2008 Ministerial Declaration, titled "Preventing through Education."

21 Dec 2012

Gates Foundation awards $28M in grants to Bloomberg School for Advance Family Planning

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received $28 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to continue and expand the Advance Family Planning advocacy initiative within the Bloomberg School's Bill & Melinda Gates Institute on Population and Reproductive Health.

21 Dec 2012

Combination of diet and exercise may prevent breast cancer in obese, postmenopausal women

Obese, postmenopausal women are at greater risk for developing breast cancer and their cancers tend to be more aggressive than those in lean counterparts.

20 Dec 2012

Maternal vitamin D deficiency could cause low birth weight

Women deficient in vitamin D early in their pregnancies are more likely to deliver babies with lower birth weights, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health research reveals.

20 Dec 2012

Men with fibromyalgia symptoms less likely to receive diagnostic tests

Fibromyalgia is a complex illness to diagnose and to treat. There is not yet a diagnostic test to establish that someone has it, there is no cure and many fibromyalgia symptoms -- pain, fatigue, problems sleeping and memory and mood issues -- can overlap with or get mistaken for other conditions. A new Mayo Clinic study suggests that many people who have fibromyalgia, especially men, are going undiagnosed.

20 Dec 2012

WaterAid report urges integration of menstrual hygiene issues into aid policies

"Menstrual hygiene issues should be integrated into programs and policies across sectors, including water, sanitation and hygiene, reproductive health, emergency management, and education, notes a new report" by WaterAid, IRIN reports.

20 Dec 2012

Rwanda implementing programs to prevent cancer

In a Huffington Post "Impact" blog post, Tom Murphy, founder of the development blog "A View From The Cave," examines Rwanda's efforts to reduce cancer incidence by implementing screening programs for breast and cervical cancers and vaccinating girls and young women for human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer.

20 Dec 2012

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

Rising health care costs are pushing up the amounts states must spend on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, sending some scrambling to find funds, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The report found that spending on Medicaid and other public health care programs is currently over budget in 10 states, compared to six states at the same point last year.

20 Dec 2012

Infertility rates have hardly changed over past 20 years, says study

In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

19 Dec 2012

Women's Health News

Manipulating transcription factor can change subtype of breast cancer

Researchers reveal critical role of BRCA1 gene in maintenance of hair follicle stem cells

Virtual setting study reveals dramatic gender difference in propensity to disclose naked skin

Genetic differences in enzyme CYP2D6 play a key role in effectiveness of tamoxifen for breast cancer

A screening tool to evaluate pre-menstrual disorders

Efforts to eliminate FGM 'breaking new ground' with approval of U.N. General Assembly resolution

U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution urging countries to ban FGM

Exercise and mental health: an interview with Professor Nanette Mutrie

New technique may prevent inheritance of mitochondrial diseases in children

Kenya working to integrate PMTCT services into maternal, child health care clinics

In Philippines, Church entitled to opinion on birth control, but women have right to choose

Youth advocates working to improve reproductive health education, services access in Latin America

Gates Foundation awards $28M in grants to Bloomberg School for Advance Family Planning

Combination of diet and exercise may prevent breast cancer in obese, postmenopausal women

Maternal vitamin D deficiency could cause low birth weight

Men with fibromyalgia symptoms less likely to receive diagnostic tests

WaterAid report urges integration of menstrual hygiene issues into aid policies

Rwanda implementing programs to prevent cancer

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

Infertility rates have hardly changed over past 20 years, says study

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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