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Women with BRCA gene mutation develop breast cancer earlier than their ancestors

Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer almost eight years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Sep 2011

Countdown to a world of seven billion people

Earth’s population will reach seven billion on 31 October, a milestone that offers unprecedented challenges and opportunities to all of humanity, according to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

12 Sep 2011

Drug use among young adults on the rise in U.S.

Nearly one in 10 Americans report regularly using illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants or prescription drugs used recreationally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health made public today. The survey, sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), collects the data from interviews with 67,500 randomly selected people 12 years or older.

12 Sep 2011

Boston Scientific releases statement on safety, effectiveness of surgical mesh for POP and SUI

Boston Scientific Corporation today issued the following statement from John Pedersen, Senior Vice President and President of the Company's Urology and Women's Health Division, following the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Obstetrics & Gynecology Devices Advisory Committee.

12 Sep 2011

Experts gather in London to propose appropriate medical devices for developing world

The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog" reports on a one-day conference held in London this week that brought together engineers, health workers, donors and charities to look at devices specifically designed for the developing world.

12 Sep 2011

Gates Foundation's Ananya Alliance aims to improve newborn health in India

Usha Kiran Tarigopula, deputy director in global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes about the Foundation's partnership with the state of Bihar, India through the Ananya Alliance "aimed at reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality by 40 percent by 2015," in this "Inpatient Optimists" blog post, which is part of a series called "Global Conversations on Newborn Health in India."

12 Sep 2011

AHRQ finds decline in hospitalizations for pica eating disorder between 2007-2009

Eating disorders as the primary reason for entering the hospital declined by 23 percent from 2007 and 2009, after a steep and steady increase from 1999 to 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

12 Sep 2011

‘Weight Watchers’ twice as effective in weight loss as standard care: Study

A new study published this Thursday shows that overweight patients told by their doctors to go to Weight Watchers lose around twice as much weight as people receiving standard weight loss care over 12 months.

9 Sep 2011

HPV vaccination updates

Texas Governor Rick Perry's GOP rivals sharply criticized him during Wednesday night's debate over his 2007 executive order mandating that teenage girls be vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer. The move had drawn strong opposition at the time from social conservatives and was later overturned by the state Legislature.

9 Sep 2011

Lift restrictions on abortion under Helms amendment as applied to rape victims

Though President Barack Obama signed an executive order on his third day in office to "lif[t] the odious 'global gag rule' that denied federal money for family planning work abroad to any group that performed abortions or counseled about the procedure, even with its own money," he left standing a policy that is "an overly restrictive interpretation of the [1973] Helms amendment."

9 Sep 2011

African countries see slow progress in reducing maternal mortality to achieve MDG 5

Inter Press Service examines what some experts are calling a lack of commitment from health care workers, which they say is "among the reasons why Africa may not succeed in achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 on improving maternal health by 2015 by reducing maternal mortality by three quarters."

9 Sep 2011

Chemotherapy before or after breast-conserving therapy does not impact treatment success

Whether chemotherapy is given before or after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) does not have an impact on long-term local-regional outcomes, suggesting treatment success is due more to biologic factors than chemotherapy timing, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

9 Sep 2011

Study examines alcohol use in relation to successful ageing among women

Among 13,894 women in the Nurses' Health Study, investigators prospectively examined alcohol use assessed at midlife in relation to "successful ageing," which was defined as survival to age 70 years, not having a major chronic disease, and having no major cognitive impairment, physical impairment, or mental health problems.

9 Sep 2011

Fewer doses of Cervarix vaccine may be as efficacious as standard three-dose regimen

Fewer than three doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Cervarix may be just as effective as the standard three-dose regimen when it comes to preventive measures against cervical cancer, according to a new study published September 9 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

9 Sep 2011

Family planning, contraceptives a national priority for saving women's lives, U.N. meeting participants say

First ladies, health and finance ministers, and parliamentarians from 12 developing countries participating in the U.N. Population Fund's (UNFPA) Global Programme to Enhance Reproductive Health Commodity Security, which was launched in 2007, declared at a U.N. meeting held on Wednesday that "voluntary family planning, secured by a steady supply of contraceptives, is a national priority for saving women's lives," the U.N. News Centre reports.

9 Sep 2011

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

The Obesity Policy Coalition suggests a new mobile app called Traffic Light Food Tracker that will enable users to work around the food industry's hesitation in supporting traffic light labeling. Traffic light labeling marks foods high in fat, sugar and salt with red warnings, while green labels are for healthy options. Users only have to key in their food item's fat, sugar and sodium quantities and save each item in their “pantry” within the phone app.

8 Sep 2011

Moderate alcohol intake linked to longer life in women

According to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine, women may benefit from alcohol consumption. The study showed that middle-age women who indulge in one drink a day or less on a regular basis may have a better chance of being healthier when they’re older.

8 Sep 2011

Breast-conservation therapy and mastectomy provide similar survival rates for early-stage breast cancer

Young women with early-stage breast cancer have similar survival rates with a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, known as breast-conservation therapy, as with mastectomy, a new study conducted at the University of Maryland has found. The results of the analysis of nearly 15,000 patients listed in a nationwide cancer registry will be presented at the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium to be held Sept. 8-11 in San Francisco.

8 Sep 2011

Proposed federal requirement for contraceptives drawing some fire

A proposed rule that birth control be a free preventive service under the health law is drawing partisan cheers and jeers.

8 Sep 2011

New studies on breast cancer screening, treatment and survival

New studies on breast cancer screening, treatment, and survival were released today in advance of the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium. The symposium is being held September 8-10, 2011, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in San Francisco.

8 Sep 2011

Women's Health News

Women with BRCA gene mutation develop breast cancer earlier than their ancestors

Countdown to a world of seven billion people

Drug use among young adults on the rise in U.S.

Boston Scientific releases statement on safety, effectiveness of surgical mesh for POP and SUI

Experts gather in London to propose appropriate medical devices for developing world

Gates Foundation's Ananya Alliance aims to improve newborn health in India

AHRQ finds decline in hospitalizations for pica eating disorder between 2007-2009

‘Weight Watchers’ twice as effective in weight loss as standard care: Study

HPV vaccination updates

Lift restrictions on abortion under Helms amendment as applied to rape victims

African countries see slow progress in reducing maternal mortality to achieve MDG 5

Chemotherapy before or after breast-conserving therapy does not impact treatment success

Study examines alcohol use in relation to successful ageing among women

Fewer doses of Cervarix vaccine may be as efficacious as standard three-dose regimen

Family planning, contraceptives a national priority for saving women's lives, U.N. meeting participants say

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

Moderate alcohol intake linked to longer life in women

Breast-conservation therapy and mastectomy provide similar survival rates for early-stage breast cancer

Proposed federal requirement for contraceptives drawing some fire

New studies on breast cancer screening, treatment and survival

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