health news

U.S. scientists say they've succeeded in growing breast cancer stem cells from normal tissue.

Since it is suspected that these types of cells give rise to cancer's spread, isolating them could prove invaluable in the fight against the disease, experts say.

"There has not been any publication to my knowledge that has demonstrated a way to isolate these cells from human patients and expand them, meaning grow them in Petri dishes," noted study lead author Dr. Tan Ince, an "independent signaling investigator" at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.


More information
There's more on breast cancer at the American Cancer Society.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:06 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

When it comes to a woman's choice of a life-partner, a man's face may mean a lot, a new study finds.

Many women regard men with masculine facial features -- such as a square jaw, larger nose and smaller eyes -- as unsuitable long-term partners, because they're more likely to be domineering, unfaithful, unaffectionate and poor parents, U.K. researchers have found.

On the other hand, women believe that men with finer facial features -- fuller lips, wide eyes and thinner, more curved eyebrows -- to be more committed, less likely to cheat, and to make better parents, said the study by psychologists at Durham and St. Andrews Universities.

More information
There's more on first impressions at the American Psychological Association.

| Tags: Anxiety, Relationships, Women's Health |

Labels: Anxiety, Men's Health, Relationships, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:42 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

A vaccine designed to treat breast cancer appeared to be safe in women with advanced disease and showed signs of actually slowing down tumors, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

Dendreon Corporation, maker of the Provenge prostate cancer vaccine, calls the new vaccine Neuvenge. It targets a type of breast cancer called her2/neu-positive breast cancer, which affects between 20 percent and 30 percent of breast cancer patients.

Like Provenge, Neuvenge is made using immune cells from the cancer patient, so it is a tailor-made vaccine.

SOURSE - Washington Post

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Public Health and Safety, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Public Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:52 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Chronic kidney disease patients who are also obese are much more likely than normal-weight patients to have a condition called hyperparathyroidism, which raises their risk of heart problems and death, U.S. researchers say.

This study of 496 patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease who were not yet on dialysis showed a significant association between obesity and hyperparathyroidism. As body mass increased, so did PTH levels, the researchers said.

"We knew that in people with normal kidney function obesity leads to impairment in vitamin D metabolism and elevated PTH levels, but this phenomenon was never studied in patients with chronic kidney disease," lead author Dr. Csaba P. Kovesdy, of Salem VA Medical Center in Salem, Va., said in a prepared statement.

"Since both obesity and hyperparathyroidism are very complex problems in chronic kidney disease, establishing an association between the two is important because of potential prognostic and therapeutic implications," Kovesdy said.

The study is published in the September issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Heart Health, Women's Health, Work and Life Health |

Labels: Heart Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:59 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

For the first time, a woman whose ovaries were damaged by drug and radiation treatments has undergone a successful transplant of ovaries from her genetically non-identical sister, Belgian researchers report.

Previously, other researchers had successfully transplanted ovarian tissue between genetically identical twin sisters.

This method of restoring ovarian function might be used when a woman has undergone chemotherapy or radiation, which can destroy ovarian function, Donnez said. "Women can also have ovarian tissue frozen before undergoing treatment and transplanted back after the end of chemotherapy," he said.

| Tags: Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:26 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

When a woman's menstrual period stops and hormonal changes begin, she is going through menopause. Symptoms, including hot flashes, can range from mild to severe.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these suggestions to help alleviate menopausal symptoms:
- To help prevent hot flashes, avoid hot or spicy foods and beverages, stress and being in very warm places. Also, dress in layers.
- For vaginal dryness, try an over-the-counter vaginal moisturizer.
- To help you sleep, get plenty of exercise every day. Also avoid large meals, caffeine, alcohol, smoking or working in the hours before bed.
- To help mood swings, get plenty of regular sleep and exercise.

| Tags: Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Sexual Health, Stress, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 8:53 AM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot develops in one of the deep veins. The problem most often occurs in the pelvis, thigh or calf, but may also develop in the chest, arm, or elsewhere.
DVT may trigger swelling or pain, and the clot could travel to the lungs, a potentially fatal condition known as a pulmonary embolism.

Here are some possible triggers of DVT, courtesy of the Society for Vascular Surgery:

Poor blood flow, often caused by being unable to move for long periods.
Major surgery on the chest, abdomen, hip, knee, leg, calf or thigh.
A long trip in a car, train or plane, in which you are seated for long stretches.
Inheriting certain blood clotting abnormalities.
Cancer.

SOURSE - HealthDay News

| Tags: Women's Health |

Labels: Cancer, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:50 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

While the use of emergency angioplasty and clot-busting drugs to treat heart attack patients in the United States has increased significantly since the mid 1990s, about 10 percent of eligible patients still don't receive these therapies.

That's the finding of a new study in the American Journal of Medicine.

A team of researchers led by cardiologists at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center and the Yale University School of Medicine analyzed national data on more than 238,000 people who had heart attacks between 1994 and 2003. All of the patients had a type of heart attack for which emergency reperfusion is appropriate.

During that 10-year period, the percentage of eligible patients who did not receive emergency reperfusion declined from more than 20 percent to 10 percent. While that's a major improvement, having 10 percent of eligible patients go untreated is still too high, the study authors said.

Eligible patients most likely to miss out on emergency reperfusion included: Those whose heart attack symptoms didn't include typical symptoms such as chest pain; those who didn't reach the hospital until six or more hours after the start of their heart attack; women; people over age 75; and non-white people.

More information
The American Heart Association has more about heart attack treatments.

| Tags: Cholesterol, Heart Health, Work and Life Health |

Labels: Cholesterol, Heart Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:48 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Being exposed to alcohol before birth may lead to behavioral problems later on, U.S. researchers report.
Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure does not always lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, noted a team reporting in the August issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. In some cases, it can cause cognitive and behavioral problems without the facial features characteristic of fetal alcohol syndrome.
In their study, researchers at San Diego State University (SDSU) examined 22 children and adolescents (ages 8 to 18 years) -- 13 with and 9 without histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. The participants were part of a larger study at the Center for Behavioral Teratology, SDSU.
The participants who were exposed to heavy alcohol before birth had altered responses in the frontal-striatal areas of the brain.
"Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause damage to the brain that results in significant problems with regulating behavior and optimal thinking and learning," Fryer said.

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more about disorders related to prenatal alcohol exposure.

| Tags: Children's Health, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Children's Health, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:34 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

The hormone progesterone may help prevent preterm birth in some women, but it doesn't work for everyone.

A pair of studies in the Aug. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that progesterone didn't help prevent preterm birth for women carrying twins or triplets, but it was helpful in women carrying a single baby who also had a condition known as short cervix.

"There are a lot of things we try to prevent preterm birth, but few are effective. In women with a history of preterm delivery, preliminary studies have shown progesterone can reduce preterm birth and there are no birth defects associated with it. We don't have anything else to offer women with a history of preterm birth. And we haven't had really had anything to offer women with a short cervix up to this point. Unfortunately, it looks like with twins, we still don't have a lot to offer," Welch said.

| Tags: Children's Health, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Children's Health, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:22 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

A long-term study of breast cancer survivors shows that eating more than the recommended 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruit has no effect on breast cancer recurrence or deaths. Although researchers are disappointed by the finding, they say women should still strive to fit plenty of these healthy foods into their diet because they have other benefits.

"There are many reasons women should eat a healthy diet, but for breast cancer, there's little evidence that the foods you eat impact risk," says Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity at ACS. "What is important is how much you eat, because being overweight is an established risk factor for developing postmenopausal breast cancer, and it also increases the risk of recurrence. That's the message we want breast cancer survivors to know: Watching your weight is really important."

The study, called the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Trial, was led by a team from the University of California, San Diego, and included researchers from 7 other institutions. The participants were more than 3,000 women (pre- and post-menopause) who had been treated for stage I, II, or III breast cancer.

The women were randomly assigned to 2 diet groups: The control group was told to follow US dietary guidelines, which recommend eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, more than 20 grams of fiber, and no more than 30% of calories from fat.

The second group was told to boost their fruit and veggie intake to include 5 vegetables, 3 fruits, 16 ounces of vegetable juice, and 30 grams of fiber each day. They were also supposed to cut their fat intake to 15%-20% of total calories. The women in this group got periodic telephone counseling, cooking classes, and newsletters aimed at helping them stick with this eating plan.

Researchers tracked the women's progress for more than 7 years on average. They saw clear differences in the amount of fruits and vegetables the women in the 2 groups ate, although after year 4 of the study, the gap between the 2 groups tended to narrow. On average, the women in the second group never achieved their goal of getting only 15%-20% of their calories from fat; in fact, by year 6, they were eating a higher percentage of fat than at the beginning of the study.

Despite the difference in fruit and vegetable consumption, the 2 groups had very similar cancer experiences during the 7 years. About 17% of women in each group had a recurrence during the study period, and about 10% of women in each group died.

Sourse - American Cancer Society

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Nutrition, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:34 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Planning ahead before pregnancy helps new moms give their babies the best possible start in life, experts say.

And to help in that planning, here's an eight-step pre-pregnancy checklist from Barbara Coulter-Smith, a Texas obstetrician/gynecologist at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine:

Take folic acid supplements. Folic acid is a B vitamin that reduces the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Few women get enough folic acid in their diet, so it's important to take supplements. Talk with your doctor.
Make sure all your vaccinations are up to date, including immunization against chickenpox and rubella. You should also be up to date on your tetanus shot (every 10 years).
Don't smoke while trying to get pregnant or during pregnancy. Smoking can increase the risk of miscarriage and of low-birth-weight babies. Do not drink alcohol when you're pregnant.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can increase the risk of gestational diabetes and other pregnancy-related complications.
Exercise helps you maintain or lose weight and helps you manage stress. If you do get pregnant, talk to your doctor about the kinds of exercise that are safe to do during pregnancy.
If you have a chronic medical condition, talk to your doctor about the health risks of pregnancy and about which prescription medications you can still take during pregnancy. It's also important to tell your doctor about any family history of hereditary disorders before you start planning a pregnancy.
After stopping the use of contraception, wait for one spontaneous menstrual cycle before trying to conceive. A normal menstrual cycle signals that the lining of the uterus is healthy enough to support a new life.
Men also need to do some pre-pregnancy planning. Avoid hot tubs, saunas, smoking and alcohol, all of which can affect sperm count.

More information
The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center offers more pre-pregnancy advice.

| Tags: Addiction, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Addiction, Diabetes, Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Stress, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:29 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Preeclampsia is a condition in pregnancy, characterized by a sudden, significant rise in blood pressure and swelling of the hands and feet.

It can be dangerous for both the fetus and the mother.

Here is a list of common risk factors, courtesy of the Preeclampsia Foundation:

- A first pregnancy.
- Family or personal history of preeclampsia, chronic high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease.
- Obesity.
- Multiple birth pregnancies.
- Age younger than 18 or greater than 40.
- Other conditions including polycystic ovarian syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis or multiple sclerosis.

| Tags: Heart Health, Pregnancy, Women's Health |

Labels: Arthritis, Diabetes, Heart Health, Pregnancy, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:26 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Glucosamine and chondroitin are substances that occur naturally in the body. Taken as supplements, they can help relieve arthritic joint pain.

Glucosamine is an amino sugar that's believed to help cartilage formation and repair, the Arthritis Foundation says. And chondroitin sulfate can help give cartilage elasticity.

But the supplements aren't recommended for everyone, the Arthritis Foundation says. Among those who should take great care or avoid them altogether:

Children, pregnant women, and women who may become pregnant.
Diabetics, who should be careful when taking these supplements, as the amino sugars can cause blood glucose levels to rise.
People who are taking blood-thinning medications, since these substances can trigger blood thinning.
People who are allergic to shellfish, from which these supplements often are extracted.

Sourse - Healthday News

| Tags: Arthritis |

Labels: Arthritis, Children's Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:10 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

The male hormone-suppressing treatment used against aggressive prostate cancer may help bring on earlier heart attacks in older men, new research suggests.

"The new finding is that in men who have risk factors for heart attack, even six months of androgen-suppression therapy [and] maybe as little as three months, can cause a heart attack to occur sooner by about 2.5 years," said lead researcher Dr. Anthony D'Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

More information
A guide to prostate cancer is offered by the American Cancer Society.

| Tags: Cancer, Men's Health, Prostate Cancer |

Labels: Cancer, Heart Health, Men's Health, Prostate Cancer, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 8:26 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

It's a tip waiters and bartenders could do without.

A potent carcinogen rises quickly in restaurant and bar workers' urine after even brief exposures to secondhand smoke, a new U.S. study finds.

Concentrations of the cancer-causing toxin, called NNK, appear to rise steadily as bar workers' exposure continues, the researchers add.

NNK is "unsafe at any level," according to study lead author Michael Stark, a principal investigator in the health department of Multnomah County, Ore., which includes greater Portland.

"Even with a brief workplace exposure, we were able to detect increases in the level of NNK," Stark said. "On the average, there was a 6 percent increase per hour of work," he said.

Stark said he and his colleagues did the study because "there had been some prior research suggesting you could detect NNK in women and children in homes where workers had smoked."

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Policy Research Program, Stark and his colleagues focused on 52 nonsmoking employees of bars and restaurants that allowed smoking. They compared NNK levels in the workers' urine with those of 32 workers in areas where laws prohibit smoking in such establishments.

But Stark pointed out that "this is workplace exposure that is completely avoidable."

| Tags: Addiction, Public Health and Safety, Smoking Cessation |

Labels: Addiction, Cancer, Children's Health, Public Health, Smoking Cessation, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 8:53 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Would-be moms often want to know how to trim their bellies after having children. But how actively do they seek tips for getting their bodies in great shape before getting pregnant?

Until recently, that part of the baby-making equation had been largely absent from the discussion. Increasingly, though, maternal health and prenatal-care experts are urging women to improve their health before conceiving.

The hope is that measures taken to bolster a woman's health prior to conception -- whether it's reaching an optimal weight, controlling a chronic disease or boosting overall nutritional health -- will improve the odds of having an uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Dr. Lorey H. Pollack, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, N.Y., has some patients who are very informed and motivated to take better care of themselves before contemplating pregnancy. Others, though, come in pregnant and say, "By the way, I have diabetes; by the way, I have Lupus; by the way, I have high blood pressure, and they're kind of shocked to find out that's an issue when they're pregnant," he said.

Pollack blames the medical profession and the media for failing to get the word out.

But recommendations compiled by experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as more than 35 government, public and private partners may help to draw attention to the importance of preconception care.

Dr. Hani K. Atrash, associate director for program development at the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and co-author of the government report, said, "If a woman or couple has decided to conceive, then at least one pre-pregnancy visit is recommended, and the five most important things to do are":
- Take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day for at least three months before pregnancy to reduce the risk of birth defects.
- Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Consult with a health-care provider to manage any and all medical conditions, including, but not limited to, asthma, diabetes, oral health, obesity, or epilepsy, and maintain up-to-date vaccinations.
- Talk to your doctor and pharmacist about any over-the-counter and prescription medicines you are taking, including vitamins and dietary or herbal supplements.
- Avoid exposure to toxic substances or potentially infectious materials at work or at home, such as chemicals, or cat and rodent feces.
- Atrash was also co-editor of a special supplement of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, published last September, devoted entirely to the topic of preconception care.

"It's always easier to try to prevent a problem than to catch up with it later on," he reasoned.

More information
For more on preconception health, visit the American Pregnancy Association.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Pregnancy, Relationships, Women's Health |

Labels: Asthma, Children's Health, Diabetes, Nutrition, Oral Care, Pregnancy, Public Health, Relationships, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 8:57 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects many women just before their menstrual cycles. Common symptoms include cramps, bloating, fatigue and moodiness.

Here are suggestions on how to help curb PMS, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
- Get regular exercise.
- Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and avoid foods high in salt, sugar, caffeine and alcohol.
- Try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night.
- Avoid smoking.
- Keep stress at bay. Diversions might include talking to friends or writing in a journal.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Sexual Health, Smoking Cessation, Stress, Women's Health |

Labels: Sexual Health, Smoking Cessation, Stress, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 9:19 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Placenta previa occurs when, during pregnancy, the placenta drops lower in the uterus and covers the opening to the cervix. The placenta may also separate from the uterine wall as the cervix begins to dilate.

Placenta previa affects about one in 200 pregnant women in the third trimester, the American Pregnancy Association says.

The association lists these common risk factors for placenta previa:

1- Having had one or more previous deliveries.
2- Having had a previous Caesarean section.
3- Having had a multiple birth (twins or triplets).
4- Having had prior surgery on the uterus.

Sourse - HealthDay News

| Tags: Sexual Health, Women's Health |

Labels: Pregnancy, Sexual Health, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:19 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments

Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet loaded with meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables, a new study has concluded.

Previous research has found connections between a meat- and fat-heavy Western diet and several kinds of cancer, as well as heart disease and diabetes. And other research has identified links between obesity and cancer.

Researchers said this study signals a link between breast cancer and overall eating patterns not a single food or nutrient in Asian women, who have long had lower rates of the disease than Western women. But their numbers have started to rise as their diets have become more Westernized.

The study, which is not definitive, looked at general eating habits of about 3,000 women in Shanghai, ranging in age from 25 to 64. About half of that group had been diagnosed with breast cancer and are participants in an ongoing breast cancer study in Shanghai.

| Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Diabetes, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Women's Health |

Labels: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Diabetes, Digestive, Heart Health, Nutrition, Women's Health

Posted by Klodian at 10:18 PM | Digg it | Del.icio.us | Comments