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$High dose Vitamin D linked to high rate of fractures and falls$

High dose Vitamin D linked to high rate of fractures and falls

Many women have been regularly taking vitamin D supplements in the hope that it is good for their bones. However a new study has shown that high doses of this vitamin can actually increase the number of falls and fractures in older women.

12 May 2010

Older women want more information about breast cancer, breast screening: Survey

Most older women want more information about breast cancer and want to continue to be invited to breast screening, according to the results of a survey published in the British Journal of Cancer today.

12 May 2010

Genetic tests represent future of cancer care for women

Important progress is being made in women's health through the use of genetic tests, particularly those that help women detect and treat cancer.

12 May 2010

Opinions: Abortion in Canada's G8 initiative; Security of Afghan women; U.S. global development strategy; Mother's Day; U.S. food security initiative; Polio eradication

National Post columnist Jonathan Kay examines the ongoing debate over whether Canada's G8 child and maternal health initiative should include abortions, which according to a 2006 Oxford University Press-World Bank report, are "one small chunk of a bigger puzzle. A much larger problem, in terms of the number of female lives affected, is the decidedly less headline-grabbing subject of hemorrhages - which include antepartun hemorrhages … and primary postpartum hemorrhages.

12 May 2010

Tensions escalate between Obama administration, health insurers

CQ HealthBeat: "WellPoint CEO Angela Braly is protesting comments President Obama made about how a health insurance company treated women diagnosed with breast cancer. [Her] letter marks another battle in the ongoing clash between the administration and the insurance companies — most prominently WellPoint — that hasn't lessened after enactment of the new health care law" (Norman, 5/10).

12 May 2010

$Study shows high-dose vitamin D therapy may increase risk of fracture in elderly women$

Study shows high-dose vitamin D therapy may increase risk of fracture in elderly women

Women age 70 years or older who received a single annual high dose of vitamin D had a higher rate of falls and fractures compared to women who received placebo, according to a study in the May 12 issue of JAMA.

12 May 2010

Most breastfeeding mothers do not follow proper diet, study reveals

The study conducted at the University of Granada revealed that 94% of nursing mothers did not follow a proper diet, as they did not consume the recommended diary intake of fat, vitamins A, E and iron, and the intake of proteins was too high. The results obtained will serve to enhance breastfeeding mothers' diet and increase nutritional supply to the newborn.

12 May 2010

Many pregnant women in the U.S. have insufficient vitamin D levels: Study

Seven out of every ten pregnant women in the United States are not getting enough Vitamin D according to a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. While prenatal vitamins do raise Vitamin D levels during pregnancy, the study shows that higher doses may be needed for many women.

12 May 2010

Health overhaul provisions raise moral, religious debates

The new health law has renewed concerns about some moral and religious issues, such as the government's role in providing sex education and health care workers' ability to opt out of providing end-of-life care and abortions.

12 May 2010

EntreMed adds DF/HCC hospitals to Phase 2 study of ENMD-2076 for platinum resistant ovarian cancer

EntreMed, Inc., today announced the addition of Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) to the Phase 2 multi-center study entitled "A Phase 2 Study of Oral ENMD-2076 Administered to Patients with Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer." Ursula Matulonis, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, will serve as principal investigator.

11 May 2010

Minn. negotiators seek compromise to expand Medicaid while a nursing home tax and cuts to a screening program grab headlines in other states

The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune: Members of a legislative conference committee in Minnesota "agreed Sunday that expanding Medicaid should be part of the eventual compromise they will take to the House and Senate as early as Monday in a package of health and human service measures to cut the state's budget deficit. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has strongly opposed expanding Medicaid to cover health care for childless adults earning less than 75 percent of the poverty guideline.

11 May 2010

Older Americans staying sexually active but not practicing safe sex

Sexual activity continues to thrive with the 45+ demographic according to a new AARP sex survey, Sex, Romance, and Relationships: AARP Survey of Midlife and Older Adults, released today. However, older adults are not necessarily practicing what they preach to younger generations, with results showing a low use of protection among sexually active dating singles with only one in five reporting use of condoms regularly.

11 May 2010

Globe and Mail special issue examines Africa, includes look ahead at G20 meeting, interview with Pres. Obama

The Globe and Mail examines Ethiopia and Malawi's role in next month's G20 talks in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has invited both countries to participate in the meeting, which could significantly affect Africa because it has become the "premier forum for confronting global economic problems and for co-ordinating solutions," according to the Globe and Mail.

11 May 2010

New combination therapy may help treat anti-estrogen resistant ER+ breast cancer

A study by researchers from the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) identifies a potential new combination therapy to "rescue" treatment sensitivity to fulvestrant in estrogen receptor positive breast cancers.

11 May 2010

$Proton pump inhibitor use associated with fracture risk in postmenopausal women$

Proton pump inhibitor use associated with fracture risk in postmenopausal women

Proton pump inhibitors, medications that suppress acid in the stomach, appear to be associated with fractures in postmenopausal women and bacterial infections in many patients, and higher doses do not appear any more beneficial for treating bleeding ulcers, according to a series of reports in the May 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 May 2010

Pregnant women at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria

Even healthy pregnant women can be at risk for pregnancy problems caused by oral bacteria. Researchers from Case Western Reserve University began to understand which bacteria from the 700 species living in the mouth are responsible for the growing health problem of preterm and stillbirths.

11 May 2010

Folic acid supplement may improve blood flow in young amenorrheic runners

A study led by sports medicine researcher Anne Hoch, D.O. at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has found that oral folic acid may provide a safe and inexpensive treatment to improve vascular function in young female runners who are amenorrheic (not menstruating).

11 May 2010

Today's Opinions: The need for federal review of rate increases; Dems and GOP share blame for health costs; A phoney deal on Medicaid

This hodgepodge of controls over premiums needs to be backstopped by a national law that would allow the federal government to block unjustified rate increases where state officials lack the authority to do so. Attempts to include such powers in the newly enacted health care reform law failed (5/9).

10 May 2010

BIOTX introduces Estrofil menopause supplements in North America

BIOTX Limited – a manufacturer and developer of dietary supplements based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, today launched Estrofil in North America - an all-natural nutritional menopause supplement for the relief of menopausal symptoms. This new menopause natural remedy is not estrogen or hormone replacement therapy.

10 May 2010

Ferring to acquire global rights to Xanodyne Pharmaceutical's LYSTEDA

Ferring Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement that will expand its Women's Health product portfolio with the acquisition of the global rights to Xanodyne Pharmaceutical's LYSTEDA™ (tranexamic acid), a first-in-class, non-hormonal therapy indicated specifically for treatment of women with cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).

10 May 2010