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New way to screen hirsutism among women

Examining the chin and upper and lower abdomen is a reliable, minimally invasive way to screen for excessive hair growth in women, a key indicator of too much male hormone, researchers report.

4 Nov 2011

Family planning a cost-effective strategy to reduce poverty, conflict and environmental damage

In his New York Times column, Nicholas Kristof writes that family planning is "a solution to many of the global problems that confront us, from climate change to poverty to civil wars," but that it "has been a victim of America's religious wars" and is "starved of resources."

4 Nov 2011

Media coverage of potential link between hormonal contraception, HIV risk needed more 'critical thinking'

In a Nature News opinion piece, James Shelton, science adviser for USAID's Bureau for Global Health, discusses media coverage of recent findings from the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases showing that women's use of hormonal contraception (HC) may increase the risk of HIV acquisition or transmission.

4 Nov 2011

Slowing aging by cleaning away old cells: Study

Researchers have found a novel way of reversing the aging process. They found that a special category of cells, known as senescent cells, are bad actors that promote the aging of the tissues. Cleansing the body of the cells, they hope, could postpone many of the diseases of aging. This could pave the way for drugs that would keep human tissues healthier longer, but it is unclear until further testing is done whether such drugs could eventually help people live longer.

3 Nov 2011

Marital status, income level and age affect likelihood of depression in breast cancer survivors

This year, more than 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will not survive their battle with cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. New research from the University of Missouri shows that certain factors, including marital status, having children in the home, income level and age, affect the likelihood of depression in breast cancer survivors.

3 Nov 2011

UNICEF asks donors to fully fund request to assist North Koreans facing malnutrition

"Millions of children and women of child-bearing age in North Korea face malnutrition which can leave them at higher risk of death or disease, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

3 Nov 2011

November issue of WHO Bulletin now available online

The November issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on maternal death surveillance and response; a public health round-up; an article on the trends in the prevalence of disability in China from 1987 to 2006; and a paper evaluating large-scale health programs at a district level in resource-limited countries.

3 Nov 2011

Novel indirect screener can identify women at risk for illicit drug use

A team of researchers at Wayne State University's Parent Health Lab in the School of Medicine have developed a novel indirect screener that identifies women at risk for drug use by evaluating correlates of illicit drug use rather than drug use itself. In phase I testing, this new screener proved to be more sensitive than any alternative approach at detecting recent drug use.

3 Nov 2011

Nearly half of pregnant women in Southern China's poor areas do not get tested for syphilis, study shows

"Nearly half of pregnant women do not get tested for syphilis in poor areas of southern China where the sexually transmitted disease has seen a resurgence, researchers said Wednesday" in a study published in the WHO's November 2011 Bulletin, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

3 Nov 2011

Bloomberg News examines how Latin American countries' abortion policies may hold lessons for Republican presidential candidates supporting abortion bans in U.S.

Bloomberg News examines abortion laws in Latin America and writes that the region, "home to the world's strictest abortion laws, may hold lessons for U.S. Republican presidential hopefuls who advocate a ban on the practice" in the U.S.

3 Nov 2011

Exercise can prevent inherited obesity & obesity raises injury risk: Two studies

A new study has shown that having an obesity gene should not mean absolute obesity for individuals. The gene may be countered by physical activity.

2 Nov 2011

Weight gain as freshman a myth: Study

A new study finding suggested this Tuesday that it is a myth that freshmen gain an average of 15 pounds in their first year of school. The average is really between 2.4 pounds for women and 3.4 pounds for men.

2 Nov 2011

Alcohol consumption in earlier and later adult life associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Consumption of 3 to 6 alcoholic drinks per week is associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer, and consumption in both earlier and later adult life is also associated with an increased risk, according to a study in the November 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Nov 2011

No evidence of increased breast cancer risk for non-carriers of genetic mutations

Mothers, sisters and daughters from breast cancer families with known genetic mutations do not all share the same high risk of developing the disease, according to a new international study involving the University of Melbourne.

2 Nov 2011

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" examines how religious leaders on the island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, are using the Qur'an to shift attitudes about the issues of sex, contraception, and HIV/AIDS in an effort to reduce HIV infection, improve maternal health and curb rapid population growth. "Their aim is to shift deep-rooted views in their devout Islamic society that contraception is a sin," according to the blog.

2 Nov 2011

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

Puberty is a time in a girl's life considered highly sensitive to stimulation by the hormone estrogen and a critical window during which estrogen exposure could greatly influence the risk of breast cancer later in life. An early onset of puberty also has been consistently shown in studies to increase the risk of breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher wins BioMaryland LIFE Prize

A Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher is the recipient of a $50,000 award designed to encourage rapid translation of her basic research on biomarkers into a commercially available test that could predict the best treatment options for some women with breast cancer.

2 Nov 2011

Birth control shot may impair a person's memory

The birth control shot Depo Provera offers a convenient alternative for women who don't want to remember to take a daily pill. Ironically, research from Arizona State University has shown the shot actually may impair a person's memory.

2 Nov 2011

E.U., UNICEF launch $430M fund in Zimbabwe to provide medical care to children, pregnant women

"A $430 million fund which will give Zimbabwean children and pregnant women free medical care at public hospitals was launched Monday with the help of the E.U. and UNICEF," Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Nov 2011

Exclusion of family planning, HIV prevention from Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership is 'counter-intuitive'

In this Huffington Post opinion piece, Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, examines the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership, which was launched last month by PEPFAR in conjunction with the George W. Bush Institute, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and UNAIDS with the aim of "integrating cervical and breast cancer education, screening, and treatment with HIV services."

2 Nov 2011

Women's Health News

New way to screen hirsutism among women

Family planning a cost-effective strategy to reduce poverty, conflict and environmental damage

Media coverage of potential link between hormonal contraception, HIV risk needed more 'critical thinking'

Slowing aging by cleaning away old cells: Study

Marital status, income level and age affect likelihood of depression in breast cancer survivors

UNICEF asks donors to fully fund request to assist North Koreans facing malnutrition

November issue of WHO Bulletin now available online

Novel indirect screener can identify women at risk for illicit drug use

Nearly half of pregnant women in Southern China's poor areas do not get tested for syphilis, study shows

Bloomberg News examines how Latin American countries' abortion policies may hold lessons for Republican presidential candidates supporting abortion bans in U.S.

Exercise can prevent inherited obesity & obesity raises injury risk: Two studies

Weight gain as freshman a myth: Study

Alcohol consumption in earlier and later adult life associated with increased risk of breast cancer

No evidence of increased breast cancer risk for non-carriers of genetic mutations

Zanzibar's Islamic leaders use Qur'an to shift attitudes about sex, contraception, HIV/AIDS

First study to evaluate mycoestrogens in young girls

Johns Hopkins breast cancer researcher wins BioMaryland LIFE Prize

Birth control shot may impair a person's memory

E.U., UNICEF launch $430M fund in Zimbabwe to provide medical care to children, pregnant women

Exclusion of family planning, HIV prevention from Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership is 'counter-intuitive'

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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