Repros Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqGM:RPRX) today released strong results from its completed extension safety study of Proellex in the chronic treatment of the symptoms associated with uterine fibroids. To date there have been no abnormal histological findings from the endometrial biopsies taken post menses after cessation of drug administration.
As of this release, results from 13 women who had endometrial biopsies post menses following last dose of drug in a two-drug cycle extension study of Proellex in the treatment of symptoms associated with uterine fibroids are available. These women have been exposed to Proellex for one three-month and two four-month drug cycles to help control the symptoms of their uterine fibroids. These three cycles have covered a span of two and one half years which exceeds current FDA guidance for the duration of exposure to hormonal drugs.
The biopsies have been read by a panel of three expert pathologists all of whom will remain blinded to the treatment allocations until all of the final biopsies from this study have been read. The panel is led by Dr. George Mutter, Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Mutter is a leading expert in the interpretation of gynecological histology and pathology.
Results of assessments of the post menses tissues are that of a benign endometrium. While previous end of drug cycle biopsies from these subjects all had histological changes consistent with those induced by progesterone receptor modulators (Proellex class of drugs), none of these post drug cessation biopsies reflected any of those histological changes. These key findings indicate that the effects of Proellex on the endometrium are present during drug exposure and are reversible upon cessation of drug treatment.
Repros has described in previous communications that it had developed a unique approach to dosing with Proellex which treats women for four months (16 weeks) and then stops treatment to create an "off drug interval" until the next menstrual period commences at which time treatment recommences for four months. These cyclical treatments are designed to be used for chronic treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids and endometriosis. The rationale for this treatment regimen is that most of the reported bleeding events in previous studies occurred after 16 weeks of continuous treatment and were accompanied by endometrial thickening. By allowing a menstrual flow to occur after treatment withdrawal, the endometrium is essentially refreshed and the tendency toward a progressive endometrial thickening eliminated.
Joseph S. Podolski commented, "The importance of these findings can not be overstated. We believe this is a key finding. The consistency of endometrial effects on and off Proellex are strong and suggestive of a therapy that may have far reaching potential in diseases where progesterone has been implicated. The underlying theme for the action of Proellex is one of an agent that is anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic and not the proliferative effects noticed in the development of some of the selective estrogen receptor modulators." He further noted that the Company's pivotal Phase 3 efficacy and long-term safety studies all include endometrial biopsies and these findings will be strengthened by continued observations which should further support Proellex as an effective and safe therapy in the treatment of a variety of female disorders.
About Repros Therapeutics Inc.
Repros Therapeutics focuses on the development of oral small molecule drugs for major unmet medical needs that treat male and female reproductive disorders.
Our lead drug, Proellex®, is a selective blocker of the progesterone receptor and is being developed for the treatment of symptoms associated with uterine fibroids and endometriosis. We are also developing Proellex as a short course pre-surgical treatment for anemia associated with excessive menstrual bleeding related to uterine fibroids. There is no currently-approved effective long-term orally administered drug treatment for uterine fibroids or endometriosis. In the United States alone, 300,000 women per year undergo a hysterectomy as a result of severe uterine fibroids.
Our second product candidate, Androxal®, is a single isomer of clomiphene citrate and is an orally active proprietary small molecule compound. We are developing Androxal for men with low testosterone and adult-onset idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism ("AIHH") with concomitant plasma glucose and lipid elevations, all of which are components of Metabolic Syndrome. We are also developing Androxal for men of reproductive age with low testosterone levels who want to improve or maintain their fertility and/or sperm function while being treated for low testosterone.
Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including Repros' ability to raise additional capital in a timely manner and on acceptable terms or at all, Repros' ability to have success in the clinical development of its technologies, the timing of enrollment and release of data in such clinical studies and the accuracy of such studies, limited patient populations of clinical studies to date and the possibility that final data may not be consistent with interim data and such other risks which are identified in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These documents are available on request from Repros Therapeutics or at www.sec. Repros disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.reprosrx.
четверг, 7 июня 2012 г.
четверг, 31 мая 2012 г.
European Menopause And Andropause Society Publishes Four Position Statements About The Post-reproductive Health Of Women
Elsevier announced the publication of four important position statements from the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in the journal Maturitas on common management problems in the post-reproductive health of women. The statements cover the management of the menopause in the context of obesity, epilepsy, endometriosis and premature ovarian failure. Each statement has summary recommendations as a quick aid for the busy clinician.
"The expanding ageing female population means that clinicians increasingly have to deal with post-reproductive health problems," said Professor Serge Rozenberg, President of EMAS. "EMAS has risen to the challenge and is providing clear guidance on the position statements covering both hormone and non hormone therapy (HT) options, as well as complementary and alternative therapies."
The statements were published in the July 2010 issue and are summarized as follows:
(1) Obesity: Obesity affects about 20% of the adult world population and 44% of postmenopausal women. Obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases including diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and hypertension resulting in cardiovascular disease, as well as venous thromboembolism and breast and endometrial cancer. Thus transdermal (patch, gel) HT is preferred over oral tablets because of the reduced risk of venous thromboembolism. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.03.025)
(2) Epilepsy: Women with epilepsy may undergo the menopause 3- 5 years early and can be at increased risk of osteoporortic fracture depending on their antiepileptic drug use. If HT is used, these women need to be closely monitored by specialists. Calcium and vitamin D supplements should be considered. Herbal preparations should be avoided as their efficacy is uncertain and they may interact with anti epileptic drugs. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.03.026)
(3) Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a debilitating gynaecological condition frequently associated with infertility and abdominal pain. A major concern with HT is disease recurrence and the authors conclude that, although the available data are limited, it may be safer to prescribe either continuous combined estrogen progestogen hormone therapies or tibolone in both hysterectomised and non-hysterectomised. Women not needing or not wanting HT or those who are advised against should be offered alternative treatment for climacteric symptoms or skeletal protection. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.018)
(4) Premature ovarian failure: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is the menopause before the age of 40 which may occur naturally or after surgery or chemotherapy. Untreated, it increases the risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, dementia, Parkinsonism, and general cognitive decline. Therefore, the statement clearly recommends the use of HT until the average age of the natural menopause, i.e. the early 50s. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.011)
Source: Elsevier
"The expanding ageing female population means that clinicians increasingly have to deal with post-reproductive health problems," said Professor Serge Rozenberg, President of EMAS. "EMAS has risen to the challenge and is providing clear guidance on the position statements covering both hormone and non hormone therapy (HT) options, as well as complementary and alternative therapies."
The statements were published in the July 2010 issue and are summarized as follows:
(1) Obesity: Obesity affects about 20% of the adult world population and 44% of postmenopausal women. Obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases including diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and hypertension resulting in cardiovascular disease, as well as venous thromboembolism and breast and endometrial cancer. Thus transdermal (patch, gel) HT is preferred over oral tablets because of the reduced risk of venous thromboembolism. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.03.025)
(2) Epilepsy: Women with epilepsy may undergo the menopause 3- 5 years early and can be at increased risk of osteoporortic fracture depending on their antiepileptic drug use. If HT is used, these women need to be closely monitored by specialists. Calcium and vitamin D supplements should be considered. Herbal preparations should be avoided as their efficacy is uncertain and they may interact with anti epileptic drugs. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.03.026)
(3) Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a debilitating gynaecological condition frequently associated with infertility and abdominal pain. A major concern with HT is disease recurrence and the authors conclude that, although the available data are limited, it may be safer to prescribe either continuous combined estrogen progestogen hormone therapies or tibolone in both hysterectomised and non-hysterectomised. Women not needing or not wanting HT or those who are advised against should be offered alternative treatment for climacteric symptoms or skeletal protection. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.018)
(4) Premature ovarian failure: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is the menopause before the age of 40 which may occur naturally or after surgery or chemotherapy. Untreated, it increases the risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, dementia, Parkinsonism, and general cognitive decline. Therefore, the statement clearly recommends the use of HT until the average age of the natural menopause, i.e. the early 50s. (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.011)
Source: Elsevier
четверг, 24 мая 2012 г.
Being In Debt May Increase Risk For Preterm Delivery In Some Women
Some types of stress may increase risk for preterm delivery, but many stressful events do not, according to study by a researcher at RTI International.
The study, published in RTI Press, found that being in debt, being injured by a partner, having someone close attempt suicide, and being divorced were associated with an increase risk of preterm delivery, but 13 other events were not.
"Stressful life events have been associated with preterm delivery in some studies but not in others," said Nedra Whitehead, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at RTI International and the paper's author. "This study provides some limited support for an association of some life events with preterm delivery, but it is not clear why only these four of the 18 events studied were associated with preterm deliver as they are not similar in type of stress or expected severity."
According to the research, women who reported being in debt were the most consistently at risk for preterm delivery. They were 9 percent more likely to deliver at 35 to 36 weeks of gestation, 14 percent more likely to deliver at 33 to 34 weeks, and 16 percent more likely to deliver at less than 33 weeks.
However, having a partner who lost his (or her) job was associated with a decreased risk of preterm delivery.
The researcher examined 18 categories associated with an increased risk of at least one category of preterm delivery. The events include legal conflicts, changes in relationships, financial difficulties, physical conflicts, and family illness or death.
The author used data collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a survey of American women with a recent live birth, for 1990 - 1995 to examine the relationship between individual life events and the risk of preterm delivery overall and by levels of severity.
About RTI International:
RTI International is one of the world's leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our more than 3,800 professionals provide research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy, and the environment. For more information, visit rti.
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Rd.
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194
United States
rti
The study, published in RTI Press, found that being in debt, being injured by a partner, having someone close attempt suicide, and being divorced were associated with an increase risk of preterm delivery, but 13 other events were not.
"Stressful life events have been associated with preterm delivery in some studies but not in others," said Nedra Whitehead, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at RTI International and the paper's author. "This study provides some limited support for an association of some life events with preterm delivery, but it is not clear why only these four of the 18 events studied were associated with preterm deliver as they are not similar in type of stress or expected severity."
According to the research, women who reported being in debt were the most consistently at risk for preterm delivery. They were 9 percent more likely to deliver at 35 to 36 weeks of gestation, 14 percent more likely to deliver at 33 to 34 weeks, and 16 percent more likely to deliver at less than 33 weeks.
However, having a partner who lost his (or her) job was associated with a decreased risk of preterm delivery.
The researcher examined 18 categories associated with an increased risk of at least one category of preterm delivery. The events include legal conflicts, changes in relationships, financial difficulties, physical conflicts, and family illness or death.
The author used data collected by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a survey of American women with a recent live birth, for 1990 - 1995 to examine the relationship between individual life events and the risk of preterm delivery overall and by levels of severity.
About RTI International:
RTI International is one of the world's leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our more than 3,800 professionals provide research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy, and the environment. For more information, visit rti.
RTI International
3040 Cornwallis Rd.
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194
United States
rti
четверг, 17 мая 2012 г.
Women With Sexual Dysfunction Respond Well To Placebo Therapy
Women with sexual dysfunction - low sexual arousal and/or sexual desire - appear to experience clinically significant symptom changes when given a placebo, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Female sexual dysfunction is a recurrent problem with sexual desire or response, to such an extent that the woman becomes distressed, or/and it is having an effect on her relationship with her partner.
Andrea Bradford, Ph.D., psychologist, Baylor College of Medicine, and Cindy Meston, Ph.D., the University of Texas at Austin, examined the symptoms and behaviors of 50 adult females - they were randomly selected to receive a placebo in a large trial which was investigating a medication for low sexual arousal. It was a double-blind trial - this means that neither the doctors not the women knew whether they were taking a placebo or the real medication.
The researchers report that approximately one third of the women on a placebo had a "meaningful change" in their condition after 12 weeks of treatment, with most of the improvement occurring during the first month.
The main predictor of symptom change was an increase in the number of times they experienced satisfying sexual encounters during the treatment period.
A significant number of them said they received more stimulation during sex while they took part in the trial - their partners were not given any special instructions or counseling.
Bradford said:
It's important to note that, even though these women received placebo, they all had an opportunity to talk to a health provider about their difficulties and were asked to closely monitor their sexual behavior and feelings over a 12-week period. Just taking part in this study probably started some meaningful conversations. Our study shows that even a limited intervention can have a positive effect in many women with sexual dysfunction. This comes as no surprise to sex therapists, but it does suggest a need to investigate behavioral factors more closely in clinical trials.
Female sexual dysfunction is more common than people realize. Some women experience temporary problems, while for others the condition may persist throughout their lives. There are several causes and symptoms for female sexual dysfunction. Experts say that in most cases the condition is treatable.
Female sexual dysfunction can occur at any age during a woman's life, but are more likely to occur when hormone levels change, such as during pregnancy or the menopause. Major illnesses are sometimes linked to sexual concerns, maybe for physical or mental reasons, or a combination of both.
According to the Mayo Clinic, USA, if a woman experiences at least one of the following and she is distressed about it, her problem(s) might be classified as female sexual dysfunction:
Low or absent libido (sex drive, desire to have sex)
Although she may want to have sex, the woman does not become aroused, or she cannot maintain arousal during sexual activity
The woman cannot reach orgasm
Sexual contact is physically painful
A number of factors, which are often interrelated, may contribute towards female sexual dysfunction. The main factors are usually physical, hormonal and psychological/social.
Physical factors may include arthritis, bowel problems, urinary problems, fatigue, persistent pain, multiple sclerosis and some other neurological disorders, taking antidepressants or medications for hypertension, some chemotherapies, and antihistamines.
Hormonal factors may include alterations in estrogen levels during the menopause which may eventually lead to physical changes in the genital region.
A woman with depression or anxiety which is untreated has a higher risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction. Some pregnant women report that the worry of becoming a parent may persist and affect their libido and their arousal during sex. Experts say that emotional distress may be a cause of sexual dysfunction as well as a result of it.
Correlates of Placebo Response in the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction in Women: A Preliminary Report
Andrea Bradford MA, Cindy Meston PhD
Journal of Sexual Medicine DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00578.x
Andrea Bradford, Ph.D., psychologist, Baylor College of Medicine, and Cindy Meston, Ph.D., the University of Texas at Austin, examined the symptoms and behaviors of 50 adult females - they were randomly selected to receive a placebo in a large trial which was investigating a medication for low sexual arousal. It was a double-blind trial - this means that neither the doctors not the women knew whether they were taking a placebo or the real medication.
The researchers report that approximately one third of the women on a placebo had a "meaningful change" in their condition after 12 weeks of treatment, with most of the improvement occurring during the first month.
The main predictor of symptom change was an increase in the number of times they experienced satisfying sexual encounters during the treatment period.
A significant number of them said they received more stimulation during sex while they took part in the trial - their partners were not given any special instructions or counseling.
Bradford said:
It's important to note that, even though these women received placebo, they all had an opportunity to talk to a health provider about their difficulties and were asked to closely monitor their sexual behavior and feelings over a 12-week period. Just taking part in this study probably started some meaningful conversations. Our study shows that even a limited intervention can have a positive effect in many women with sexual dysfunction. This comes as no surprise to sex therapists, but it does suggest a need to investigate behavioral factors more closely in clinical trials.
Female sexual dysfunction is more common than people realize. Some women experience temporary problems, while for others the condition may persist throughout their lives. There are several causes and symptoms for female sexual dysfunction. Experts say that in most cases the condition is treatable.
Female sexual dysfunction can occur at any age during a woman's life, but are more likely to occur when hormone levels change, such as during pregnancy or the menopause. Major illnesses are sometimes linked to sexual concerns, maybe for physical or mental reasons, or a combination of both.
According to the Mayo Clinic, USA, if a woman experiences at least one of the following and she is distressed about it, her problem(s) might be classified as female sexual dysfunction:
Low or absent libido (sex drive, desire to have sex)
Although she may want to have sex, the woman does not become aroused, or she cannot maintain arousal during sexual activity
The woman cannot reach orgasm
Sexual contact is physically painful
A number of factors, which are often interrelated, may contribute towards female sexual dysfunction. The main factors are usually physical, hormonal and psychological/social.
Physical factors may include arthritis, bowel problems, urinary problems, fatigue, persistent pain, multiple sclerosis and some other neurological disorders, taking antidepressants or medications for hypertension, some chemotherapies, and antihistamines.
Hormonal factors may include alterations in estrogen levels during the menopause which may eventually lead to physical changes in the genital region.
A woman with depression or anxiety which is untreated has a higher risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction. Some pregnant women report that the worry of becoming a parent may persist and affect their libido and their arousal during sex. Experts say that emotional distress may be a cause of sexual dysfunction as well as a result of it.
Correlates of Placebo Response in the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction in Women: A Preliminary Report
Andrea Bradford MA, Cindy Meston PhD
Journal of Sexual Medicine DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00578.x
четверг, 10 мая 2012 г.
Cook Medical Reports Positive Results From Clinical Trial Designed To Evaluate Safety And Efficacy Of Biodesign™ Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft
An 11-month clinical study led by Manish P. Patel, M.D., generated positive results on Cook Medical's Biodesign™ Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft for the treatment of vaginal mesh exposures, a common complication resulting from the use of synthetic mesh in pelvic floor repair, the procedure used to treat pelvic organ prolapse. The results, which confirmed the safety and efficacy of Biodesign, were presented at the 2009 Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology Winter Meeting in Las Vegas.
The study examined the efficacy of the Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft in treating 10 women with large, symptomatic extrusions that resulted from the use of polypropylene or synthetic mesh in a previous pelvic floor reconstruction procedure. To treat the complication, the exposed synthetic mesh was completely removed and the Biodesign graft was implanted to help fully restore and repair the pelvic floor. Research findings showed that all 10 large mesh exposures were successfully repaired with the Biodesign graft with no evidence of recurrence or further complication.
According to the National Institute of Health, an estimated one-third of all U.S. women are affected by pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that occurs when the pelvic muscles become weakened and stretched, often as a result of childbirth. Although pelvic floor reconstruction is the most common form of treatment, synthetic mesh-based procedures have recently come under scrutiny after the FDA received more than 1,000 reports of rare but serious complications, including vaginal erosion, linked specifically to the use of synthetic mesh. Cook's Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft will play an especially important role in treating these synthetic mesh-based complications and more.
"The surgical repair of prolapse remains one of the most difficult challenges in pelvic floor reconstruction due to the large recurrence rate and postoperative complications including foreign body reaction and mesh extrusion," said Patel, who is a physician at Piedmont Urology Associates in North Carolina. "I'm pleased that Biodesign has proven to be an effective and lasting treatment option for patients suffering from painful, large-scale vaginal mesh exposures."
The Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft incorporates the best attributes of a biologic graft - resistance to infection and complete remodeling - with the added benefits of moderate price, ease of use and ample shelf life for on-site availability. Upon deployment, the graft reinforces the pelvic floor or vaginal wall and, over time, communicates with the patient's body, signalling surrounding tissue to grow across the scaffold where the pelvic floor needs to be repaired. Unlike synthetic mesh, Biodesign is resistant to infection, encapsulation and erosion into surrounding tissue.
"The complications associated with the use of synthetic mesh in treating pelvic organ prolapse can clearly cause a significant decrease in quality of life for women," said Andy Cron, vice president of Cook Medical's Surgery strategic business unit. "The results of this study come at a very important time, as reports continue to surface around the complications resulting from synthetic mesh treatments. We are excited by the results of Dr. Patel's research and look forward to providing many women with a natural, lasting solution."
About Cook Medical
Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates minimally invasive medical device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy, and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Founded in 1963 and operated as a family-held private corporation, Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine.
Cook Medical
The study examined the efficacy of the Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft in treating 10 women with large, symptomatic extrusions that resulted from the use of polypropylene or synthetic mesh in a previous pelvic floor reconstruction procedure. To treat the complication, the exposed synthetic mesh was completely removed and the Biodesign graft was implanted to help fully restore and repair the pelvic floor. Research findings showed that all 10 large mesh exposures were successfully repaired with the Biodesign graft with no evidence of recurrence or further complication.
According to the National Institute of Health, an estimated one-third of all U.S. women are affected by pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that occurs when the pelvic muscles become weakened and stretched, often as a result of childbirth. Although pelvic floor reconstruction is the most common form of treatment, synthetic mesh-based procedures have recently come under scrutiny after the FDA received more than 1,000 reports of rare but serious complications, including vaginal erosion, linked specifically to the use of synthetic mesh. Cook's Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft will play an especially important role in treating these synthetic mesh-based complications and more.
"The surgical repair of prolapse remains one of the most difficult challenges in pelvic floor reconstruction due to the large recurrence rate and postoperative complications including foreign body reaction and mesh extrusion," said Patel, who is a physician at Piedmont Urology Associates in North Carolina. "I'm pleased that Biodesign has proven to be an effective and lasting treatment option for patients suffering from painful, large-scale vaginal mesh exposures."
The Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft incorporates the best attributes of a biologic graft - resistance to infection and complete remodeling - with the added benefits of moderate price, ease of use and ample shelf life for on-site availability. Upon deployment, the graft reinforces the pelvic floor or vaginal wall and, over time, communicates with the patient's body, signalling surrounding tissue to grow across the scaffold where the pelvic floor needs to be repaired. Unlike synthetic mesh, Biodesign is resistant to infection, encapsulation and erosion into surrounding tissue.
"The complications associated with the use of synthetic mesh in treating pelvic organ prolapse can clearly cause a significant decrease in quality of life for women," said Andy Cron, vice president of Cook Medical's Surgery strategic business unit. "The results of this study come at a very important time, as reports continue to surface around the complications resulting from synthetic mesh treatments. We are excited by the results of Dr. Patel's research and look forward to providing many women with a natural, lasting solution."
About Cook Medical
Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates minimally invasive medical device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy, and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Founded in 1963 and operated as a family-held private corporation, Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine.
Cook Medical
четверг, 3 мая 2012 г.
How Women In The Military Are Affected By War
WHAT: Recently convened symposium to examine how the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan affect women who are serving and have served in the military
WHO: Nathan D. Ainspan, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs
Walter Penk, PhD, Texas A&M College of Medicine
Jenna Ermold, PhD, Andrews AFB
Maj. Lisa Teegarden, Psyd, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Ronald Drach, U.S. Department of Labor
Sharon Wills, PhD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Austin, TX
WHERE: American Psychological Association's 115th Annual Convention
Moscone Center
San Francisco
BACKGROUND: Do women experience war differently than men and do they handle injuries differently? These questions were addressed by psychologists who have been on the front lines of the war along with those who specialize in employing veterans and helping them recover from combat-related stress.
The panel explored the following issues:
* how women return to their roles of parent and spouse after experiencing war
* what are the employment opportunities for female veterans and will their combat experience be seen as a disadvantage
* how are female veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treated when most of the research on PTSD has been conducted on and for male veterans
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
Source: Pam Willenz
American Psychological Association
WHO: Nathan D. Ainspan, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs
Walter Penk, PhD, Texas A&M College of Medicine
Jenna Ermold, PhD, Andrews AFB
Maj. Lisa Teegarden, Psyd, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Ronald Drach, U.S. Department of Labor
Sharon Wills, PhD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Austin, TX
WHERE: American Psychological Association's 115th Annual Convention
Moscone Center
San Francisco
BACKGROUND: Do women experience war differently than men and do they handle injuries differently? These questions were addressed by psychologists who have been on the front lines of the war along with those who specialize in employing veterans and helping them recover from combat-related stress.
The panel explored the following issues:
* how women return to their roles of parent and spouse after experiencing war
* what are the employment opportunities for female veterans and will their combat experience be seen as a disadvantage
* how are female veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treated when most of the research on PTSD has been conducted on and for male veterans
The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
Source: Pam Willenz
American Psychological Association
четверг, 26 апреля 2012 г.
Injectable Birth Control Causes Significant Weight Gain And Changes In Body Mass
Women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as the birth control shot, gained an average of 11 pounds and increased their body fat by 3.4 percent over three years, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).
However, women who switched to nonhormonal contraception began to slowly lose the weight and fat mass they gained - nearly four pounds over two years, while those who used oral contraception after the shots gained an average of four additional pounds in the same time span. The amount of weight gain was dependent on the length of time DMPA was used, as the rate of weight gain slowed over time.
The study, which appears in the March 4 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
DMPA is an injected contraceptive administered to patients every three months. More than two million American women use DMPA, including approximately 400,000 teens. DMPA is relatively inexpensive compared to some other forms of birth control, has a low failure rate and doesn't need to be administered daily, which contributes to the contraceptive's popularity.
"Women and their doctors should factor in this new data when choosing the most appropriate birth control method," said lead author Abbey Berenson, M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health at UTMB.
"One concern is DMPA's link to increased abdominal fat, a known component of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes," said Berenson.
The study followed 703 women in two age categories, 16- to 24-years-old, and 25- to 33-years-old, using DMPA, oral (desogestrel) or nonhormonal (bilateral tubal ligation, condom or abstinence) contraception for three years. DMPA users who discontinued this method and selected another form of birth control were followed for up to two additional years. Throughout the course of the study, researchers compared changes in body weight and composition and took into account the influence of age, race, caloric intake and exercise, among other factors.
When researchers compared all three groups, DMPA users were more than twice as likely as women using nonhormonal or oral birth control to become obese over the next three years. "The findings are worrisome; however, more research is needed to determine if DMPA use directly contributes to obesity-related conditions and puts patients' overall health at risk," said Berenson.
Women using oral contraception did not gain more weight than those using a nonhormonal form of birth control. However, the study found that their body fat increased slightly while their lean body mass (muscle) decreased. Researchers said this was less likely among those women who exercised regularly and consumed a healthy diet that included increased protein intake.
The study will enable physicians to counsel women accurately about the body changes associated with widely used forms of contraception and also shed light on how weight gain might be reversed, said Berenson.
According to Berenson, the mechanism by which DMPA causes an increase in weight gain and fat mass is not known, and no connection was found between DMPA use and caloric intake, fat consumption or amount of exercise on body mass changes. The findings seem to argue against the theory that weight gain could be due to the drug's perceived effects on increased caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure, but ongoing research is needed to confirm or discount varying possible explanations, she said.
UTMB researchers are conducting follow-up studies to determine which subset of women is most likely to gain weight on DMPA. Berenson noted that in ongoing research, preliminary data has shown that approximately 25 percent of women on DMPA experience significant and potentially dangerous body composition changes.
Notes:
The study was supported by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. Mahburbur Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Research Scientist, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health, contributed to this research.
About the University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) is a major academic health center dedicated to improving the lives of others through health sciences education, clinical care and biomedical research. Opened in 1891, UTMB combines a rich history of service with a forward-thinking spirit to define the future of health care nationally and internationally. www.utmb.edu
Source: Olivia Goodman
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
However, women who switched to nonhormonal contraception began to slowly lose the weight and fat mass they gained - nearly four pounds over two years, while those who used oral contraception after the shots gained an average of four additional pounds in the same time span. The amount of weight gain was dependent on the length of time DMPA was used, as the rate of weight gain slowed over time.
The study, which appears in the March 4 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.
DMPA is an injected contraceptive administered to patients every three months. More than two million American women use DMPA, including approximately 400,000 teens. DMPA is relatively inexpensive compared to some other forms of birth control, has a low failure rate and doesn't need to be administered daily, which contributes to the contraceptive's popularity.
"Women and their doctors should factor in this new data when choosing the most appropriate birth control method," said lead author Abbey Berenson, M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health at UTMB.
"One concern is DMPA's link to increased abdominal fat, a known component of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes," said Berenson.
The study followed 703 women in two age categories, 16- to 24-years-old, and 25- to 33-years-old, using DMPA, oral (desogestrel) or nonhormonal (bilateral tubal ligation, condom or abstinence) contraception for three years. DMPA users who discontinued this method and selected another form of birth control were followed for up to two additional years. Throughout the course of the study, researchers compared changes in body weight and composition and took into account the influence of age, race, caloric intake and exercise, among other factors.
When researchers compared all three groups, DMPA users were more than twice as likely as women using nonhormonal or oral birth control to become obese over the next three years. "The findings are worrisome; however, more research is needed to determine if DMPA use directly contributes to obesity-related conditions and puts patients' overall health at risk," said Berenson.
Women using oral contraception did not gain more weight than those using a nonhormonal form of birth control. However, the study found that their body fat increased slightly while their lean body mass (muscle) decreased. Researchers said this was less likely among those women who exercised regularly and consumed a healthy diet that included increased protein intake.
The study will enable physicians to counsel women accurately about the body changes associated with widely used forms of contraception and also shed light on how weight gain might be reversed, said Berenson.
According to Berenson, the mechanism by which DMPA causes an increase in weight gain and fat mass is not known, and no connection was found between DMPA use and caloric intake, fat consumption or amount of exercise on body mass changes. The findings seem to argue against the theory that weight gain could be due to the drug's perceived effects on increased caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure, but ongoing research is needed to confirm or discount varying possible explanations, she said.
UTMB researchers are conducting follow-up studies to determine which subset of women is most likely to gain weight on DMPA. Berenson noted that in ongoing research, preliminary data has shown that approximately 25 percent of women on DMPA experience significant and potentially dangerous body composition changes.
Notes:
The study was supported by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. Mahburbur Rahman, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Research Scientist, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health, contributed to this research.
About the University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) is a major academic health center dedicated to improving the lives of others through health sciences education, clinical care and biomedical research. Opened in 1891, UTMB combines a rich history of service with a forward-thinking spirit to define the future of health care nationally and internationally. www.utmb.edu
Source: Olivia Goodman
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
четверг, 19 апреля 2012 г.
Urinary Incontinence Effectively Treated Long Term Using Muscle Stem Cells
Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treated using muscle-derived stem cell injections to strengthen their sphincter muscles experience long-term improvements in their condition, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. The study, which followed patients for more than one year, suggests that the approach is safe, improves patients' quality of life and may be an effective treatment for SUI. The findings were presented at the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in Urology press briefing at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in San Diego, and is published in Abstract 1331 in the AUA proceedings.
"This clinical trial is extremely encouraging, given that 13 million people in the United States, most of them women, cope with stress urinary incontinence," said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., the study's senior author and professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "We're demonstrating for the first time that we may be able to offer people with SUI a long-term and minimally invasive treatment option."
"The technique to achieve optimal efficacy is evolving, but we are pleased with what this study has shown," added principal investigator Lesley Carr, M.D., urologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. "We now have preliminary evidence that stem cells are safe to use and appear to improve female stress urinary incontinence."
Previous studies in animal models of SUI completed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine demonstrated that injecting stem cells into the urethral muscles increases leak point pressure, leading to the restoration of the deficient muscles. The results of these studies formed the basis for the clinical trial.
In the study, Dr. Carr and colleagues took biopsies of skeletal muscle tissue from eight female patients and isolated and expanded the stem cells from the tissue in culture. In an outpatient setting, the patients then received injections of the muscle-derived stem cells into the area surrounding the urethra. Each patient received an equal dose of stem cell injections using three different injection techniques - a transurethral injection with either an 8-mm or 10-mm needle or a periurethral injection.
Five of the eight women who participated in the study reported improvement in bladder control and quality of life with no serious short- or long-term adverse effects one year after the initial treatment. These improvements were associated with both the 10-mm needle injections and the periurethral injections, which allowed the investigators to deliver the stem cells close to the damaged sphincter muscle. The 8-mm needle was not able to deliver the muscle stem cells deep enough into the tissue to reach the sphincter.
A multi-center study in Canada and a study in the United States are currently underway and will allow researchers to determine the optimal dose of muscle stem cells needed to effectively treat SUI.
Women with SUI involuntarily leak urine during activities that put pressure on the bladder, such as running, coughing, sneezing or laughing. Stress incontinence is caused by childbirth, menopause or pelvic surgery and is most often diagnosed in women during middle-age.
CONTACT: Natalie Chung-Sayers,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
In addition to Drs. Carr and Chancellor, other contributors to the study included Deborah Steele and Shannon Steele, with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Janet Erickson and Wendy Leng, M.D., with the University of Pittsburgh; and David Wagner, Ryan Pruchnic and Ron Jankowski with Cook MyoSite Inc. The study was funded by Cook MyoSite Inc. of Pittsburgh. Dr. Chancellor serves as a paid consultant to CookMyoSite and maintains a financial interest in the company.
Contact: Clare Collins
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
"This clinical trial is extremely encouraging, given that 13 million people in the United States, most of them women, cope with stress urinary incontinence," said Michael B. Chancellor, M.D., the study's senior author and professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "We're demonstrating for the first time that we may be able to offer people with SUI a long-term and minimally invasive treatment option."
"The technique to achieve optimal efficacy is evolving, but we are pleased with what this study has shown," added principal investigator Lesley Carr, M.D., urologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. "We now have preliminary evidence that stem cells are safe to use and appear to improve female stress urinary incontinence."
Previous studies in animal models of SUI completed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine demonstrated that injecting stem cells into the urethral muscles increases leak point pressure, leading to the restoration of the deficient muscles. The results of these studies formed the basis for the clinical trial.
In the study, Dr. Carr and colleagues took biopsies of skeletal muscle tissue from eight female patients and isolated and expanded the stem cells from the tissue in culture. In an outpatient setting, the patients then received injections of the muscle-derived stem cells into the area surrounding the urethra. Each patient received an equal dose of stem cell injections using three different injection techniques - a transurethral injection with either an 8-mm or 10-mm needle or a periurethral injection.
Five of the eight women who participated in the study reported improvement in bladder control and quality of life with no serious short- or long-term adverse effects one year after the initial treatment. These improvements were associated with both the 10-mm needle injections and the periurethral injections, which allowed the investigators to deliver the stem cells close to the damaged sphincter muscle. The 8-mm needle was not able to deliver the muscle stem cells deep enough into the tissue to reach the sphincter.
A multi-center study in Canada and a study in the United States are currently underway and will allow researchers to determine the optimal dose of muscle stem cells needed to effectively treat SUI.
Women with SUI involuntarily leak urine during activities that put pressure on the bladder, such as running, coughing, sneezing or laughing. Stress incontinence is caused by childbirth, menopause or pelvic surgery and is most often diagnosed in women during middle-age.
CONTACT: Natalie Chung-Sayers,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
In addition to Drs. Carr and Chancellor, other contributors to the study included Deborah Steele and Shannon Steele, with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Janet Erickson and Wendy Leng, M.D., with the University of Pittsburgh; and David Wagner, Ryan Pruchnic and Ron Jankowski with Cook MyoSite Inc. The study was funded by Cook MyoSite Inc. of Pittsburgh. Dr. Chancellor serves as a paid consultant to CookMyoSite and maintains a financial interest in the company.
Contact: Clare Collins
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
четверг, 12 апреля 2012 г.
Blogs Comment On HHS Conscience Rule, Frozen Embryos, 'Mexico City' Policy
The following summarizes selected women's health-related blog entries.
~ "Repeal the Global Gag Rule," Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Huffington Post blogs: President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress "can place American foreign policy firmly on the side of free speech, of women's health, and of doctors and care providers who understand that family planning is a cornerstone of social stability, economic growth and public health in the developing world" by repealing the "global gag rule," also called the Mexico City policy, Lowey writes in a blog entry. This step can be done "quickly, simply, cleanly, without a penny of cost to the taxpayers," she adds. The rule would be "patently unconstitutional" if applied in the U.S., Lowey writes. She continues, "Abroad, [the rule] is responsible for untold misery and, in tragic irony, has almost certainly increased the number of unintended pregnancies and put millions of women's and children's lives at risk." Lowey writes that as a Representative, her "fight to overturn [the rule] has been stymied by Republican majorities" and threatened by a veto from President Bush. She writes that she looks forward to working with the Obama administration to finally repeal the rule, concluding, "Few actions would benefit more people with less effort, or send a more dramatic signal to the world that America is prepared once again to be a leader for individual rights, personal dignity and commonsense policy that saves lives" (Lowey, Huffington Post blogs, 12/11).
~ "Conscience Clauses: Justifying Bigotry on Religious Grounds," Pamela Merritt, RH Reality Check: Merritt writes, "The thought of people refusing to serve a person of color due to their personal objection to desegregation is now considered indefensible and a violation of the law, but refusal of service due to personal religious objections is not a thing of the past." Refusals to provide health care services or fill prescriptions are "threats to the rights and health of women, and defending against those threats and the erosion of rights that they represent is a crucial front in the reproductive justice struggle," according to Merritt. She writes that a "key question" regarding health care conscience rules -- which allow providers to refuse services based on moral or religious beliefs -- is "whether a health care insurance provider can refuse to cover services on religious grounds if they receive federal funds." One example is the Catholic health care system, which the group Catholics for Choice has examined in a report, Merritt writes. According to Merritt, the report found that there are "few formal regulations that require health plans that refuse to provide family planning services to disclose this clearly on marketing and enrollment materials," which can lead employers to "select a plan and have no idea that it limits or denies access to reproductive health care due to a lack of coverage." She continues, "It's not as if there aren't ways to balance individual freedoms," noting that the report identified several methods for Catholic health care plans to offer access to reproductive health services "without compromising their ... beliefs." She writes that the "key element" for Catholic systems is "distancing the Catholic plan from the direct provision of and/or direct payment for forbidden services," such as by contracting with a non-Catholic provider or arranging payment for reproductive health services through a third party (Merritt, RH Reality Check, 12/11).
~ "'Embryos on Ice' ... and Other Absurdities," Judie Brown, American Life League blog: The "most heartless" term used to describe "preborn children" is "'Embryos on Ice,'" Brown writes in response to recent news coverage regarding options for excess frozen embryos created for fertility treatments. Brown writes that "we are talking about children," not "'fertilized eggs' or 'leftovers' or rejects tossed off an assembly line." She continues that the parents of these embryos "have unwittingly contributed to the ongoing growth of the culture of death by agreeing with the hypothesis that there are embryonic children who are somehow less human than those who were implanted in their mom and brought to term ... as if there are some embryonic children who are really children and others who are not." Fertility treatments are creating a "dehumanization" that is "unhealthy for parents, the children that have been welcomed and the children who may be killed ... or simply left in a tray somewhere to die," she writes. She concludes, "By restoring the legal recognition of personhood to every innocent human being from his beginning, practices such as [in vitro fertilization] will cease, because every human embryo will have the very same rights you and I have" (Brown, American Life League blog, 12/10).
~ "Pro-Lifers Love Babies So Much They Want To Defund Planned Parenthood So That You Get Pregnant," Feministe: "For most of us, the fact that [Planned Parenthood] provides contraception to low-income women and teenagers is a good thing, because it means fewer unwanted pregnancies (and fewer abortions)," a Feministe blog entry says. Although abortion services comprise only 3% of Planned Parenthood's budget, "for anti-choice leaders, contraception and abortion are part of the same problem: They allow women to 'get away' with having sex, and that is a big problem in their ideal world." The blog continues that people are losing their health insurance coverage because of the current economic crisis and high unemployment rate, adding that it is "abhorrent that anti-choicers would choose this moment to try and strip resources to one of the country's largest providers of reproductive health care -- especially a provider that offers crucial services like contraception and cancer screenings." The blog concludes, "Shame on anti-choicers for their politically motivated targeting of [Planned Parenthood] -- and their attempts to block low-income women from accessing basic reproductive care" (Feministe, 12/11).
~ "W's Parting Gifts to Women," Martha Burk, Huffington Post blogs: President Bush is giving women "some new regulations that will keep on giving us trouble for years to come" before he leaves office, Burk writes in a blog entry. Burk adds that Bush is "deputizing health workers as watchdogs" through the proposed HHS conscience rule, which would permit health providers who receive federal grants to opt out of medical care based on their moral or religious beliefs, because he "know[s] that the country is not inclined to support new laws against abortion." Another "gift" Bush is giving women is "a weakening of our already very weak" Family and Medical Leave Act by "making it harder for workers to exercise their rights" under the law, Burk writes. Bush also is giving "new premiums and higher co-payments for Medicaid" to low-income women, Burk says, adding that experts have predicted the changes will "cause Medicaid patients to go without medical services." Burk adds, "[W]ith the economy in shambles and two wars to worry about, these concerns will most likely be pushed to the bottom of the pile for at least a couple of years," concluding, "After that, the process [to overturn the regulations] could take up to a year and a half" (Burk, Huffington Post blogs, 12/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
~ "Repeal the Global Gag Rule," Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Huffington Post blogs: President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress "can place American foreign policy firmly on the side of free speech, of women's health, and of doctors and care providers who understand that family planning is a cornerstone of social stability, economic growth and public health in the developing world" by repealing the "global gag rule," also called the Mexico City policy, Lowey writes in a blog entry. This step can be done "quickly, simply, cleanly, without a penny of cost to the taxpayers," she adds. The rule would be "patently unconstitutional" if applied in the U.S., Lowey writes. She continues, "Abroad, [the rule] is responsible for untold misery and, in tragic irony, has almost certainly increased the number of unintended pregnancies and put millions of women's and children's lives at risk." Lowey writes that as a Representative, her "fight to overturn [the rule] has been stymied by Republican majorities" and threatened by a veto from President Bush. She writes that she looks forward to working with the Obama administration to finally repeal the rule, concluding, "Few actions would benefit more people with less effort, or send a more dramatic signal to the world that America is prepared once again to be a leader for individual rights, personal dignity and commonsense policy that saves lives" (Lowey, Huffington Post blogs, 12/11).
~ "Conscience Clauses: Justifying Bigotry on Religious Grounds," Pamela Merritt, RH Reality Check: Merritt writes, "The thought of people refusing to serve a person of color due to their personal objection to desegregation is now considered indefensible and a violation of the law, but refusal of service due to personal religious objections is not a thing of the past." Refusals to provide health care services or fill prescriptions are "threats to the rights and health of women, and defending against those threats and the erosion of rights that they represent is a crucial front in the reproductive justice struggle," according to Merritt. She writes that a "key question" regarding health care conscience rules -- which allow providers to refuse services based on moral or religious beliefs -- is "whether a health care insurance provider can refuse to cover services on religious grounds if they receive federal funds." One example is the Catholic health care system, which the group Catholics for Choice has examined in a report, Merritt writes. According to Merritt, the report found that there are "few formal regulations that require health plans that refuse to provide family planning services to disclose this clearly on marketing and enrollment materials," which can lead employers to "select a plan and have no idea that it limits or denies access to reproductive health care due to a lack of coverage." She continues, "It's not as if there aren't ways to balance individual freedoms," noting that the report identified several methods for Catholic health care plans to offer access to reproductive health services "without compromising their ... beliefs." She writes that the "key element" for Catholic systems is "distancing the Catholic plan from the direct provision of and/or direct payment for forbidden services," such as by contracting with a non-Catholic provider or arranging payment for reproductive health services through a third party (Merritt, RH Reality Check, 12/11).
~ "'Embryos on Ice' ... and Other Absurdities," Judie Brown, American Life League blog: The "most heartless" term used to describe "preborn children" is "'Embryos on Ice,'" Brown writes in response to recent news coverage regarding options for excess frozen embryos created for fertility treatments. Brown writes that "we are talking about children," not "'fertilized eggs' or 'leftovers' or rejects tossed off an assembly line." She continues that the parents of these embryos "have unwittingly contributed to the ongoing growth of the culture of death by agreeing with the hypothesis that there are embryonic children who are somehow less human than those who were implanted in their mom and brought to term ... as if there are some embryonic children who are really children and others who are not." Fertility treatments are creating a "dehumanization" that is "unhealthy for parents, the children that have been welcomed and the children who may be killed ... or simply left in a tray somewhere to die," she writes. She concludes, "By restoring the legal recognition of personhood to every innocent human being from his beginning, practices such as [in vitro fertilization] will cease, because every human embryo will have the very same rights you and I have" (Brown, American Life League blog, 12/10).
~ "Pro-Lifers Love Babies So Much They Want To Defund Planned Parenthood So That You Get Pregnant," Feministe: "For most of us, the fact that [Planned Parenthood] provides contraception to low-income women and teenagers is a good thing, because it means fewer unwanted pregnancies (and fewer abortions)," a Feministe blog entry says. Although abortion services comprise only 3% of Planned Parenthood's budget, "for anti-choice leaders, contraception and abortion are part of the same problem: They allow women to 'get away' with having sex, and that is a big problem in their ideal world." The blog continues that people are losing their health insurance coverage because of the current economic crisis and high unemployment rate, adding that it is "abhorrent that anti-choicers would choose this moment to try and strip resources to one of the country's largest providers of reproductive health care -- especially a provider that offers crucial services like contraception and cancer screenings." The blog concludes, "Shame on anti-choicers for their politically motivated targeting of [Planned Parenthood] -- and their attempts to block low-income women from accessing basic reproductive care" (Feministe, 12/11).
~ "W's Parting Gifts to Women," Martha Burk, Huffington Post blogs: President Bush is giving women "some new regulations that will keep on giving us trouble for years to come" before he leaves office, Burk writes in a blog entry. Burk adds that Bush is "deputizing health workers as watchdogs" through the proposed HHS conscience rule, which would permit health providers who receive federal grants to opt out of medical care based on their moral or religious beliefs, because he "know[s] that the country is not inclined to support new laws against abortion." Another "gift" Bush is giving women is "a weakening of our already very weak" Family and Medical Leave Act by "making it harder for workers to exercise their rights" under the law, Burk writes. Bush also is giving "new premiums and higher co-payments for Medicaid" to low-income women, Burk says, adding that experts have predicted the changes will "cause Medicaid patients to go without medical services." Burk adds, "[W]ith the economy in shambles and two wars to worry about, these concerns will most likely be pushed to the bottom of the pile for at least a couple of years," concluding, "After that, the process [to overturn the regulations] could take up to a year and a half" (Burk, Huffington Post blogs, 12/11).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
четверг, 5 апреля 2012 г.
Rights To Commercialise World's First Contraceptive Spray Acquired By Acrux
Acrux (ASX:ACR), the Australian company with patient-preferred technology for delivering drugs across the skin, today announced an agreement with the New York-based Population Council, Inc. The agreement enables Acrux to progress toward commercialisation of a unique contraceptive spray, containing the new-generation contraceptive drug Nestorone?®.
Under the agreement, Acrux has a worldwide licence from the Population Council to intellectual property covering the use of Nestorone?® with Acrux's patented metered-dose skin spray delivery technology (MDTS?®). Acrux will develop and commercialise Nestorone?® MDTS?® and has the right to sub-license to commercial partners. In addition to commercial distribution of the product, Acrux (or its sub-licensees) will make Nestorone?® MDTS?® available at reduced prices to public sector organisations providing human reproductive health products to disadvantaged people.
Results of a Phase 1 clinical trial, conducted by Acrux last year under a development agreement with the Population Council, showed that a once daily application of Nestorone?® MDTS?® provides the level of Nestorone?® in the blood known to be effective for contraception. A Phase 2 trial, scheduled to start in the second half of 2006, aims to demonstrate that Nestorone?® MDTS?® controls ovulation. Acrux will seek commercial partners for the remaining steps in global commercialisation.
"This exciting product will give women a very attractive new option for contraception. It combines our unique technology with the know-how of one of the world's leading developers of reproductive health products," said Acrux CEO Igor Gonda.
"The target features of Nestorone?® MDTS?® are: a convenient daily spray onto the arm that is more discreet and less irritating to the skin than a patch, and we believe, will prove to have a better safety profile than other hormonal contraceptives. Market research has shown that many women will prefer the ease and convenience of this method to swallowing pills, taking injections, or wearing patches," he added.
Gonda also noted that Acrux sees great market potential for Nestorone?® MDTS?® given the fact that annual worldwide sales of hormonal contraceptives exceed US$4 billion, and sales of transdermal contraceptive patches in the United States alone are more than US$400 million a year.
Population Council CEO Peter Donaldson said he was pleased with the progress Acrux had made in the validation of its transdermal spray technology platform in clinical trials, especially in the area of women's health. "We are very encouraged by the results obtained so far with the Nestorone?® spray. An important part of the Population Council's mission is to meet the need for reproductive healthcare products on a global scale, and we believe that Acrux's technology can be an attractive option for many women around the world."
Acrux has two other products in its women's health portfolio that are delivered as daily sprays; Evamist for menopausal symptoms and Testosterone MDTS?® for decreased libido. Both are in advanced stages of development.
About Nestorone?® MDTS?®
Nestorone?®, which cannot be taken orally, is a fourth-generation progestin contraceptive that has no androgenic hormonal effects, and a good safety profile. MDTS?® is a small, hand-held, easy-to-use spray that is designed to provide an easy and convenient means to deliver a preset dose of a therapeutic drug via the skin. The spray applicator is placed gently against the forearm and an actuator button is pushed. A light spray containing a proprietary formulation of Nestorone?® is quickly absorbed into the skin. Nestorone?® is released into the blood stream on a sustained basis over 24 hours, providing a practical and convenient once-a-day dosing regimen. The spray is fast-drying, non-irritating, and invisible after application.
About Acrux
acrux.au/
Acrux is a specialty pharmaceutical company, developing and commercialising a range of patented, patient-preferred healthcare products for global markets, using its innovative technology to administer drugs through the skin.
Acrux's product pipeline includes treatments of hormonal deficiencies, pain, central nervous system disorders and a contraceptive. 20 human clinical trials have been completed with 8 different drugs and the lead product, Evamist, is nearing the end of a phase 3 trial in the USA.
Acrux has licensed USA rights for Evamist (Estradiol MDTS?®) and Testosterone MDTS?® to VIVUS and AUS/NZ distribution rights for Testosterone MDTS?® and Fentanyl UDTS to CSL Limited. Acrux has also licensed its technology to Eli Lilly for veterinary healthcare products.
About the Population Council popcouncil/
The Population Council, an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Population Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices.
The Population Council has a proven track record in the successful development of female contraceptive products and has worked to make them accessible to people in developing countries. Three of the four major longacting reversible contraceptives available today were developed by the Population Council: the Copper T IUD, Norplant?®, Jadelle?®, and Mirena?®.
More than 50 million Copper T IUDs have been distributed in over 70 countries.
CONTACTS:
Acrux
USA: - Igor Gonda, CEO & Managing Director +61 439 811 339
Australia: - Jon Pilcher, CFO +61 3 8379 0100
New York: - Christina Pagano, Pagano & Company Public Relations
+1 212-213-2851; +1 646-382-3871 (mobile); PaganoPRaol
Population Council
Melissa May, Director, Public Information +1 212 339 0525
Contact: Igor Gonda
Research Australia
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System; Evamist; Mirena.
Under the agreement, Acrux has a worldwide licence from the Population Council to intellectual property covering the use of Nestorone?® with Acrux's patented metered-dose skin spray delivery technology (MDTS?®). Acrux will develop and commercialise Nestorone?® MDTS?® and has the right to sub-license to commercial partners. In addition to commercial distribution of the product, Acrux (or its sub-licensees) will make Nestorone?® MDTS?® available at reduced prices to public sector organisations providing human reproductive health products to disadvantaged people.
Results of a Phase 1 clinical trial, conducted by Acrux last year under a development agreement with the Population Council, showed that a once daily application of Nestorone?® MDTS?® provides the level of Nestorone?® in the blood known to be effective for contraception. A Phase 2 trial, scheduled to start in the second half of 2006, aims to demonstrate that Nestorone?® MDTS?® controls ovulation. Acrux will seek commercial partners for the remaining steps in global commercialisation.
"This exciting product will give women a very attractive new option for contraception. It combines our unique technology with the know-how of one of the world's leading developers of reproductive health products," said Acrux CEO Igor Gonda.
"The target features of Nestorone?® MDTS?® are: a convenient daily spray onto the arm that is more discreet and less irritating to the skin than a patch, and we believe, will prove to have a better safety profile than other hormonal contraceptives. Market research has shown that many women will prefer the ease and convenience of this method to swallowing pills, taking injections, or wearing patches," he added.
Gonda also noted that Acrux sees great market potential for Nestorone?® MDTS?® given the fact that annual worldwide sales of hormonal contraceptives exceed US$4 billion, and sales of transdermal contraceptive patches in the United States alone are more than US$400 million a year.
Population Council CEO Peter Donaldson said he was pleased with the progress Acrux had made in the validation of its transdermal spray technology platform in clinical trials, especially in the area of women's health. "We are very encouraged by the results obtained so far with the Nestorone?® spray. An important part of the Population Council's mission is to meet the need for reproductive healthcare products on a global scale, and we believe that Acrux's technology can be an attractive option for many women around the world."
Acrux has two other products in its women's health portfolio that are delivered as daily sprays; Evamist for menopausal symptoms and Testosterone MDTS?® for decreased libido. Both are in advanced stages of development.
About Nestorone?® MDTS?®
Nestorone?®, which cannot be taken orally, is a fourth-generation progestin contraceptive that has no androgenic hormonal effects, and a good safety profile. MDTS?® is a small, hand-held, easy-to-use spray that is designed to provide an easy and convenient means to deliver a preset dose of a therapeutic drug via the skin. The spray applicator is placed gently against the forearm and an actuator button is pushed. A light spray containing a proprietary formulation of Nestorone?® is quickly absorbed into the skin. Nestorone?® is released into the blood stream on a sustained basis over 24 hours, providing a practical and convenient once-a-day dosing regimen. The spray is fast-drying, non-irritating, and invisible after application.
About Acrux
acrux.au/
Acrux is a specialty pharmaceutical company, developing and commercialising a range of patented, patient-preferred healthcare products for global markets, using its innovative technology to administer drugs through the skin.
Acrux's product pipeline includes treatments of hormonal deficiencies, pain, central nervous system disorders and a contraceptive. 20 human clinical trials have been completed with 8 different drugs and the lead product, Evamist, is nearing the end of a phase 3 trial in the USA.
Acrux has licensed USA rights for Evamist (Estradiol MDTS?®) and Testosterone MDTS?® to VIVUS and AUS/NZ distribution rights for Testosterone MDTS?® and Fentanyl UDTS to CSL Limited. Acrux has also licensed its technology to Eli Lilly for veterinary healthcare products.
About the Population Council popcouncil/
The Population Council, an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Population Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices.
The Population Council has a proven track record in the successful development of female contraceptive products and has worked to make them accessible to people in developing countries. Three of the four major longacting reversible contraceptives available today were developed by the Population Council: the Copper T IUD, Norplant?®, Jadelle?®, and Mirena?®.
More than 50 million Copper T IUDs have been distributed in over 70 countries.
CONTACTS:
Acrux
USA: - Igor Gonda, CEO & Managing Director +61 439 811 339
Australia: - Jon Pilcher, CFO +61 3 8379 0100
New York: - Christina Pagano, Pagano & Company Public Relations
+1 212-213-2851; +1 646-382-3871 (mobile); PaganoPRaol
Population Council
Melissa May, Director, Public Information +1 212 339 0525
Contact: Igor Gonda
Research Australia
View drug information on Estradiol Transdermal System; Evamist; Mirena.
четверг, 29 марта 2012 г.
Studies Confirm Long-term Protection Against Precancerous Cervical Lesions With Vaccines Against Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV)
Follow-up studies of two vaccines against HPV causing cervical cancer have shown long-term protection against precancerous lesions, according to results reported at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (14-18 April, 2007; Los Angeles, USA).
Results from long-term follow-up of women vaccinated with a candidate vaccine against HPV types 16 and 18 (Cervarix, being developed by GlaxoSmithKline) showed 100% efficacy in preventing precancerous lesions due to these virus types for up to 5.5 years. The initial study was a double-blind, controlled trial of 1113 women (aged 15-25 years) who were randomised to receive three doses of the vaccine or placebo at 0, 1 and 6 months.
The extended follow-up included 776 women who were followed for up to 67 months. The vaccine induced a strong immune response in virtually 100% of women, which was sustained out to 5.5 years for both HPV types 16 and 18. At the end of the follow-up period, the average level of antibodies against both virus types was at least 11 times higher than those associated with natural infection.
Results showed 68% efficacy against precancerous lesions (CIN2+) and 38% efficacy against abnormal Pap smears, regardless of the type of cancer-causing virus detected. Further results showed that the vaccine provided significant protection against genetically similar viruses, with 88% efficacy against HPV 45 and 54% against HPV 31.
Stanley Gall, professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, reported: "These new data demonstrate the longest duration of protection seen in any cervical cancer vaccine trial reported to date. They are exciting for the prevention of cervical cancer in women around the world."
Results from long-term follow-up of women given a quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil) also demonstrated sustained protection against precancerous lesions. A total of 21,000 women (16-25 years) in four cohorts have now been randomised to vaccine or placebo at day 1, and months 2 and 6. Efficacy in women receiving all three doses was 99-100%.
The vaccine proved highly effective against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3, precancerous lesions that are frequently caused by HPV 16. Only a single woman in the vaccine group presented with an early HPV type 16 lesion, compared to 42 in the placebo group with HPV 16 or 18 related cervical intraepithelial neoplasias of grades 2 or 3, or adenocarcinoma.
Darron Brown, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine, reported: "After three years, we see that the vaccine remains highly effective against HPV 16 and 18 related precancerous cervical and other genital lesions caused by these HPV types. The high degree of efficacy and safety of this vaccine is remarkable." He noted that results from a study of cross-protection were 'very encouraging' but would not be available for a few more weeks.
: Susan Mayor PhD
Freelance medical journalist
View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent; Gardasil.
Results from long-term follow-up of women vaccinated with a candidate vaccine against HPV types 16 and 18 (Cervarix, being developed by GlaxoSmithKline) showed 100% efficacy in preventing precancerous lesions due to these virus types for up to 5.5 years. The initial study was a double-blind, controlled trial of 1113 women (aged 15-25 years) who were randomised to receive three doses of the vaccine or placebo at 0, 1 and 6 months.
The extended follow-up included 776 women who were followed for up to 67 months. The vaccine induced a strong immune response in virtually 100% of women, which was sustained out to 5.5 years for both HPV types 16 and 18. At the end of the follow-up period, the average level of antibodies against both virus types was at least 11 times higher than those associated with natural infection.
Results showed 68% efficacy against precancerous lesions (CIN2+) and 38% efficacy against abnormal Pap smears, regardless of the type of cancer-causing virus detected. Further results showed that the vaccine provided significant protection against genetically similar viruses, with 88% efficacy against HPV 45 and 54% against HPV 31.
Stanley Gall, professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, reported: "These new data demonstrate the longest duration of protection seen in any cervical cancer vaccine trial reported to date. They are exciting for the prevention of cervical cancer in women around the world."
Results from long-term follow-up of women given a quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil) also demonstrated sustained protection against precancerous lesions. A total of 21,000 women (16-25 years) in four cohorts have now been randomised to vaccine or placebo at day 1, and months 2 and 6. Efficacy in women receiving all three doses was 99-100%.
The vaccine proved highly effective against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3, precancerous lesions that are frequently caused by HPV 16. Only a single woman in the vaccine group presented with an early HPV type 16 lesion, compared to 42 in the placebo group with HPV 16 or 18 related cervical intraepithelial neoplasias of grades 2 or 3, or adenocarcinoma.
Darron Brown, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine, reported: "After three years, we see that the vaccine remains highly effective against HPV 16 and 18 related precancerous cervical and other genital lesions caused by these HPV types. The high degree of efficacy and safety of this vaccine is remarkable." He noted that results from a study of cross-protection were 'very encouraging' but would not be available for a few more weeks.
: Susan Mayor PhD
Freelance medical journalist
View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent; Gardasil.
четверг, 22 марта 2012 г.
Toronto Star Profiles Work Of Women's HIV/AIDS Advocacy Group In Namibia
The Toronto Star on Wednesday profiled the work of the International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS in Namibia, which aims to improve support, information and services available for HIV-positive women in the country. The group also works to increase HIV-positive women's influence and input on policy development in Namibia. According to the Star, stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and the "social realities of being a woman in a poverty-stricken and unequal society" underscore the fact that the "plight of an HIV-positive woman goes beyond already troubling issues of medication access and proper health care."
Jennifer Gatsi-Mallet, ICW Namibia's program coordinator, said that through the program, women and girls living with HIV/AIDS are allowed to "advocate for their own issues, be it rights issues, economic empowerment issues or sexual reproductive health issues." Gatsi-Mallet added, "Through support groups that they organize, meetings that they attend with ministry officials and training workshops that they attend, it's all in an effort to ultimately make them feel empowered, where at many times in their life they may feel powerless."
In 2005, ICW Namibia, under Gatsi-Mallet's leadership, began organizing training workshops in reaction to the growing problems experienced by HIV-positive women in previously isolated villages and communities, as well as the realization that women across the country had little or no access to health care facilities or reproductive and sexual health knowledge. At such a workshop in January, several HIV-positive women said they had been forcibly sterilized because of their HIV status. Although a few women knew the consequences of the procedure, they consented because they needed other services. Such cases have prompted ICW -- along with the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia and ICW branches in London and Washington, D.C. -- to investigate the matter and support the affected women (Sidhu, Toronto Star, 8/20).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Jennifer Gatsi-Mallet, ICW Namibia's program coordinator, said that through the program, women and girls living with HIV/AIDS are allowed to "advocate for their own issues, be it rights issues, economic empowerment issues or sexual reproductive health issues." Gatsi-Mallet added, "Through support groups that they organize, meetings that they attend with ministry officials and training workshops that they attend, it's all in an effort to ultimately make them feel empowered, where at many times in their life they may feel powerless."
In 2005, ICW Namibia, under Gatsi-Mallet's leadership, began organizing training workshops in reaction to the growing problems experienced by HIV-positive women in previously isolated villages and communities, as well as the realization that women across the country had little or no access to health care facilities or reproductive and sexual health knowledge. At such a workshop in January, several HIV-positive women said they had been forcibly sterilized because of their HIV status. Although a few women knew the consequences of the procedure, they consented because they needed other services. Such cases have prompted ICW -- along with the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia and ICW branches in London and Washington, D.C. -- to investigate the matter and support the affected women (Sidhu, Toronto Star, 8/20).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.
Federal Judge To Rule On Request For Temporary Injunction Against Enforcing Missouri Abortion-Related Law
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri would have to end abortion services at clinics in Columbia and Kansas City if a new Missouri law (SB 370) is allowed to take effect Thursday, PPKM CEO Peter Brownlie testified at a federal court hearing Thursday, the Kansas City Star reports (Morris, Kansas City Star, 8/23).
The law will designate facilities performing second- or third-trimester abortions or more than five first-trimester abortions each month as "ambulatory surgical centers." Clinics designated as ambulatory surgical centers are subject to increased regulation from the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The law will require that hallways be at least six feet wide and doors at least 44 inches wide. The clinics must also have separate male and female changing rooms for staff and a recovery room with space for a minimum of four beds with three feet of clearance around each bed. The health department said the law requires that three clinics in the state be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers.
PPKM on Monday filed a lawsuit that asks a federal court to block enforcement of the law. The suit alleges that the new regulations are unnecessary and are not meant to improve safety, but to interfere with a woman's constitutional right to abortion. PPKM in the suit also is asking that its Columbia and Kansas City clinics be exempt from the law because they were open before the law was passed (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/21). Brownlie on Thursday said the high costs of upgrading the clinics to comply with the law would force them to stop providing abortion services (Kansas City Star, 8/23). U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith said he would rule on the request for a temporary injunction by Monday (Stafford, AP/Forbes, 8/23).
Smith noted quotes from elected officials and press releases about the law, adding, "Let's be real. The purpose of the legislation was to make abortions more difficult for women to obtain." State Assistant Attorney General Michael Pritchett replied, "This legislation was written to improve the standards for women who are seeking abortions." According to the Star, lawyers representing the state said the new regulations would not place a burden on women seeking abortion because abortions services are available in neighboring states (Kansas City Star, 8/23).
The law will designate facilities performing second- or third-trimester abortions or more than five first-trimester abortions each month as "ambulatory surgical centers." Clinics designated as ambulatory surgical centers are subject to increased regulation from the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The law will require that hallways be at least six feet wide and doors at least 44 inches wide. The clinics must also have separate male and female changing rooms for staff and a recovery room with space for a minimum of four beds with three feet of clearance around each bed. The health department said the law requires that three clinics in the state be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers.
PPKM on Monday filed a lawsuit that asks a federal court to block enforcement of the law. The suit alleges that the new regulations are unnecessary and are not meant to improve safety, but to interfere with a woman's constitutional right to abortion. PPKM in the suit also is asking that its Columbia and Kansas City clinics be exempt from the law because they were open before the law was passed (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/21). Brownlie on Thursday said the high costs of upgrading the clinics to comply with the law would force them to stop providing abortion services (Kansas City Star, 8/23). U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith said he would rule on the request for a temporary injunction by Monday (Stafford, AP/Forbes, 8/23).
Smith noted quotes from elected officials and press releases about the law, adding, "Let's be real. The purpose of the legislation was to make abortions more difficult for women to obtain." State Assistant Attorney General Michael Pritchett replied, "This legislation was written to improve the standards for women who are seeking abortions." According to the Star, lawyers representing the state said the new regulations would not place a burden on women seeking abortion because abortions services are available in neighboring states (Kansas City Star, 8/23).
Missouri Health Director Hires Private Lawyers To Prosecute Case
Missouri Health Director Jane Drummond on Wednesday in a letter to state Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) said she would be using a private law firm rather than the attorney general's office to defend PPKM's challenge to the law, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Drummond has hired two lawyers from the Kansas City-based conservative religious group Alliance Defense Fund to defend the case. The lawyers, Dale Schowengerdt and Kevin Theriot, are not charging the state for their work (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/23).
Drummond in the letter to Nixon said that she is using separate counsel because Nixon has "been an outspoken supporter of abortion on demand and a political ally of Planned Parenthood." She also wrote, "I did not believe I could trust you to defend me and my department vigorously" (Lieb, AP/Springfield News-Leader, 8/23). The Missouri Republican Party on Tuesday said that Nixon, who is running against Gov. Matt Blunt (R) in the 2008 gubernatorial race, had a conflict of interest in the case, citing the attorney general's decision in the 1990s to allow state funds to be used to hire a private lawyer to defend a Missouri law against a challenge by Planned Parenthood. Scott Holste, a spokesperson for Nixon, said the case is "about law, not politics."
Schowengerdt said he and Theriot "have every intention to work with the attorney general and defend this law together" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/23). Pritchett on Thursday said Nixon believes his office should lead the prosecution of the case. The attorneys for Drummond appeared at the hearing Thursday and presented testimony from Elizabeth Shadigian, an ob-gyn at the University of Michigan, about the risks of medical abortion drugs, the Star reports. According to the Star, PPKM's Kansas City clinic only provides drugs for medical abortions, while the Columbia clinic also provides first-trimester surgical abortions (Kansas City Star, 8/23).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
четверг, 8 марта 2012 г.
Women Live Longer But In A Worse Condition
Catalan researchers have studied the socioeconomic and health inequalities experienced by people over the age of 64. The results of the study show that women live longer, but experience more limitations to daily activity (53%) and a lower quality of life than men of the same age (30%).
Although women have a longer life expectancy, they experience a much greater prevalence of disability in old age than men do. This is the main conclusion of the study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Women's Health.
"We focused on a socioeconomic position factor such as educational level and health factors such as limitations to daily activity. By studying this relationship we were able to see the social inequalities in dependency", Albert Espelt, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, tells SINC.
The study is based on the health surveys that have been carried out in Barcelona by the Public Health Agency since 1982. "These are representative of the non-institutionalised population living in Barcelona", explains the expert. In total, the team interviewed 4,244 people aged above 64 (893 in 1992, 2,140 in 2000 and 1,211 in 2006).
"We saw differences in limitations according to socioeconomic position, which remained steady over the course of time", the expert points out.
The prevalence of disability in people aged over 64 increased among women in Catalonia between 1992 and 2006, but not among men, due to the increase in female life expectancy. The prevalence of disability in 2006 was 30% among men and 53% in women. In other words, it increases among the most elderly women.
"The double burden of work that women experience throughout their lives (domestic work and work outside the home) is a key factor in explaining this difference in different studies", says Espelt. Domestic work is less rewarding than working outside the home, and leads to a greater prevalence of non-fatal diseases such as musculoskeletal problems and depression.
Fewer inequalities with the Law of Dependency?
The Law to Promote Personal Autonomy and Care for Dependent People governs the basic conditions for ensuring equality in personal autonomy and care for dependent people.
"In this sense, the law approved in 2006 has represented a step forward in recognising a new universal right for citizens. Now it is to be hoped that this law will help to reduce the social inequalities that we found in our study", points out the researcher.
"It is still too soon to demonstrate the impact of the 2006 law", says Espelt. The Public Health Agency of Barcelona is already designing a new health survey for 2011, which will include the same questions as the previous one.
Source: Plataforma SINC
Although women have a longer life expectancy, they experience a much greater prevalence of disability in old age than men do. This is the main conclusion of the study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Women's Health.
"We focused on a socioeconomic position factor such as educational level and health factors such as limitations to daily activity. By studying this relationship we were able to see the social inequalities in dependency", Albert Espelt, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, tells SINC.
The study is based on the health surveys that have been carried out in Barcelona by the Public Health Agency since 1982. "These are representative of the non-institutionalised population living in Barcelona", explains the expert. In total, the team interviewed 4,244 people aged above 64 (893 in 1992, 2,140 in 2000 and 1,211 in 2006).
"We saw differences in limitations according to socioeconomic position, which remained steady over the course of time", the expert points out.
The prevalence of disability in people aged over 64 increased among women in Catalonia between 1992 and 2006, but not among men, due to the increase in female life expectancy. The prevalence of disability in 2006 was 30% among men and 53% in women. In other words, it increases among the most elderly women.
"The double burden of work that women experience throughout their lives (domestic work and work outside the home) is a key factor in explaining this difference in different studies", says Espelt. Domestic work is less rewarding than working outside the home, and leads to a greater prevalence of non-fatal diseases such as musculoskeletal problems and depression.
Fewer inequalities with the Law of Dependency?
The Law to Promote Personal Autonomy and Care for Dependent People governs the basic conditions for ensuring equality in personal autonomy and care for dependent people.
"In this sense, the law approved in 2006 has represented a step forward in recognising a new universal right for citizens. Now it is to be hoped that this law will help to reduce the social inequalities that we found in our study", points out the researcher.
"It is still too soon to demonstrate the impact of the 2006 law", says Espelt. The Public Health Agency of Barcelona is already designing a new health survey for 2011, which will include the same questions as the previous one.
Source: Plataforma SINC
четверг, 1 марта 2012 г.
More Knowledge Not Always Helpful For Women Dealing With Heart Disease
Women with congestive heart failure who repress their emotions, especially anger, are more likely than emotionally expressive women to experience symptoms of depression associated with knowledge about their disease, according to new research.
Coping styles of women in the study influenced how depressed or anxious they felt. The less they talked about or expressed their emotions, the more likely they were to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When Ohio State University researchers examined the influence of knowledge about their illness on the patients' mental well-being, they found that some women with heart failure felt worse emotionally when they had more information about the disease. For those women -- who tend to deny their emotions -- less information is better. For them, certain types of knowledge can actually lower their emotional quality of life, according to the research.
The findings of this pilot study suggest that clinicians should consider patients' individual coping styles when educating them about their illness, the researchers say. For example, women who cope by denying their emotions might become particularly distressed by information that provokes fear such as learning about the increased risk of hospitalization as a consequence of not taking medication or exercising enough.
"We're not saying knowledge is not a good thing," said Charles Emery, professor of psychology at Ohio State and co-author of the study. "For patients who are greater in denial, knowledge seemed to be a negative factor. Whereas for people who either had difficulty expressing emotion or putting a label on their emotion, knowledge is still beneficial. "
Emery co-authored the study with Jamie Jackson, a former Ohio State graduate student who is now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. The study is published in a recent issue of the journal Heart & Lung.
The study involved 35 women diagnosed with at least stage C congestive heart failure as categorized by the American College of Cardiology, meaning they had structural heart damage, experienced symptoms that might include shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and abdomen, and were managing the disease with medication. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle is weakened, resulting in reduced blood flow throughout the body.
The researchers asked the participants to complete a number of questionnaires to measure their coping styles, illness knowledge, emotional quality of life and physical quality of life.
Women's coping styles were categorized in three ways: anger-in, or a tendency to withhold angry emotions; alexithymia, or difficulty identifying and describing feelings; and emotional expressivity, which could be either low or high.
Overall, the women reported elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to national data on these symptoms in healthy adults.
Depressive symptoms which can include loneliness, sadness, fear, sleep problems and an unshakable sense of the "blues" as well as anxiety symptoms were associated with repression of anger, difficulty describing feelings and low emotional expressivity. Those with a higher level of emotional expression were less likely to report depressive symptoms.
"The basic idea is very simple: that in general, it is better to express your emotions than to hold them in," said Emery, also an investigator in Ohio State's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. "The correlations in this paper are exactly what one would expect."
And when the researchers then factored in how much the women knew about their illness, a clear link emerged between higher knowledge and more depressive symptoms in women who repressed their anger.
"These are women who would not want to deal with their negative emotions. I think the reason we're seeing this pattern is that if you're scared about your health condition, and you're confronted with more and more information, that makes it more real to you," Jackson said. "If you're somebody who doesn't want to acknowledge the emotion around the situation, it may result in reacting with greater negative emotion.
"In this particular study, depressive symptoms are where we see the effect."
On the other hand, women who had trouble describing their emotions felt more anxious if they had less knowledge about their illness than did women with similar coping traits who had greater knowledge.
The study showed no indication that coping style and illness knowledge influenced the patients' physical quality of life.
Emery noted that the education patients receive about an illness is critical to keeping them informed about the best ways to maintain their health. So ensuring that patients receive the information in a way that preserves their emotional health is likely to encourage greater compliance with doctors' orders, he said.
"The longer-term purpose of this line of research is to better predict which patient is going to benefit from which kind of intervention," he said. "Even with a high-denial patient, we would still embrace using knowledge. But we might identify non-aversive ways of presenting them with the knowledge."
The researchers suggest in the paper that clinicians may want to consider using mindfulness strategies for patients who tend to repress anger or have trouble describing their feelings. This technique helps people monitor their emotional response and observe their thoughts without judgment, said Jackson, who has been trained to provide mindfulness-based interventions in a clinical setting.
"Mindfulness encourages people to be comfortable with living in the moment with whatever emotional experience they're having," she said. "If we can help patients do that, they might be more receptive to information about their condition, and might have a better quality of life in general."
Source: Ohio State University
Coping styles of women in the study influenced how depressed or anxious they felt. The less they talked about or expressed their emotions, the more likely they were to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When Ohio State University researchers examined the influence of knowledge about their illness on the patients' mental well-being, they found that some women with heart failure felt worse emotionally when they had more information about the disease. For those women -- who tend to deny their emotions -- less information is better. For them, certain types of knowledge can actually lower their emotional quality of life, according to the research.
The findings of this pilot study suggest that clinicians should consider patients' individual coping styles when educating them about their illness, the researchers say. For example, women who cope by denying their emotions might become particularly distressed by information that provokes fear such as learning about the increased risk of hospitalization as a consequence of not taking medication or exercising enough.
"We're not saying knowledge is not a good thing," said Charles Emery, professor of psychology at Ohio State and co-author of the study. "For patients who are greater in denial, knowledge seemed to be a negative factor. Whereas for people who either had difficulty expressing emotion or putting a label on their emotion, knowledge is still beneficial. "
Emery co-authored the study with Jamie Jackson, a former Ohio State graduate student who is now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. The study is published in a recent issue of the journal Heart & Lung.
The study involved 35 women diagnosed with at least stage C congestive heart failure as categorized by the American College of Cardiology, meaning they had structural heart damage, experienced symptoms that might include shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and abdomen, and were managing the disease with medication. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle is weakened, resulting in reduced blood flow throughout the body.
The researchers asked the participants to complete a number of questionnaires to measure their coping styles, illness knowledge, emotional quality of life and physical quality of life.
Women's coping styles were categorized in three ways: anger-in, or a tendency to withhold angry emotions; alexithymia, or difficulty identifying and describing feelings; and emotional expressivity, which could be either low or high.
Overall, the women reported elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to national data on these symptoms in healthy adults.
Depressive symptoms which can include loneliness, sadness, fear, sleep problems and an unshakable sense of the "blues" as well as anxiety symptoms were associated with repression of anger, difficulty describing feelings and low emotional expressivity. Those with a higher level of emotional expression were less likely to report depressive symptoms.
"The basic idea is very simple: that in general, it is better to express your emotions than to hold them in," said Emery, also an investigator in Ohio State's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. "The correlations in this paper are exactly what one would expect."
And when the researchers then factored in how much the women knew about their illness, a clear link emerged between higher knowledge and more depressive symptoms in women who repressed their anger.
"These are women who would not want to deal with their negative emotions. I think the reason we're seeing this pattern is that if you're scared about your health condition, and you're confronted with more and more information, that makes it more real to you," Jackson said. "If you're somebody who doesn't want to acknowledge the emotion around the situation, it may result in reacting with greater negative emotion.
"In this particular study, depressive symptoms are where we see the effect."
On the other hand, women who had trouble describing their emotions felt more anxious if they had less knowledge about their illness than did women with similar coping traits who had greater knowledge.
The study showed no indication that coping style and illness knowledge influenced the patients' physical quality of life.
Emery noted that the education patients receive about an illness is critical to keeping them informed about the best ways to maintain their health. So ensuring that patients receive the information in a way that preserves their emotional health is likely to encourage greater compliance with doctors' orders, he said.
"The longer-term purpose of this line of research is to better predict which patient is going to benefit from which kind of intervention," he said. "Even with a high-denial patient, we would still embrace using knowledge. But we might identify non-aversive ways of presenting them with the knowledge."
The researchers suggest in the paper that clinicians may want to consider using mindfulness strategies for patients who tend to repress anger or have trouble describing their feelings. This technique helps people monitor their emotional response and observe their thoughts without judgment, said Jackson, who has been trained to provide mindfulness-based interventions in a clinical setting.
"Mindfulness encourages people to be comfortable with living in the moment with whatever emotional experience they're having," she said. "If we can help patients do that, they might be more receptive to information about their condition, and might have a better quality of life in general."
Source: Ohio State University
четверг, 23 февраля 2012 г.
Health Select Committee To Hear Submissions On Reducing The Incidence Of Breast Cancer In New Zealand
At Parliament, Breast Cancer Network NZ Inc submit evidence in support of their call for a breast cancer risk reduction and prevention strategy aimed at reducing the incidence of the disease.
On November 9 2006, Barbara Mason and Gillian Woods of the Breast Cancer Network presented a petition to Sue Kedgley on the steps of Parliament calling for action on breast cancer. The petition was immediately referred to the Health Select Committee and tomorrow Ms Woods and Ms Mason, together with Dr Meriel Watts, will make a strong representation on behalf of the 10,969 signatories to the petition, and the New Zealanders affected by breast cancer, for the government to act to reduce the incidence of the disease.
The incidence of breast cancer in this country is among the highest in the world. We can no longer justify any delay in tackling the rising incidence of the disease. Breast cancer remains a killer disease for more than 600 women every year in spite of earlier diagnosis, new surgical techniques, anti-oestrogenic drugs, new chemotherapeutic agents and a falling mortality rate. Those who experience the disease suffer major physical, emotional and financial impact on their lives, as do their families.
The Breast Cancer Network NZ submission will ask government for a breast cancer strategy focused on reversing the rising incidence of breast cancer in New Zealand. They will ask that government acknowledge that synthetic chemicals in the environment have a role in the development of breast cancer and that New Zealanders be tested to establish the level of residues carried in their bodies. In addition, they will request that a precautionary approach be adopted with all chemicals where there is evidence of a link with breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Network NZ Inc is an independent group of New Zealand women, most of whom have experienced breast cancer. We promote the issues and needs of those affected by breast cancer, advocate for improved treatment and care, and work towards the prevention of the disease for the benefit of the whole community. More about our Stop Cancer Where it Starts project is available on line at bcn.nz.
On November 9 2006, Barbara Mason and Gillian Woods of the Breast Cancer Network presented a petition to Sue Kedgley on the steps of Parliament calling for action on breast cancer. The petition was immediately referred to the Health Select Committee and tomorrow Ms Woods and Ms Mason, together with Dr Meriel Watts, will make a strong representation on behalf of the 10,969 signatories to the petition, and the New Zealanders affected by breast cancer, for the government to act to reduce the incidence of the disease.
The incidence of breast cancer in this country is among the highest in the world. We can no longer justify any delay in tackling the rising incidence of the disease. Breast cancer remains a killer disease for more than 600 women every year in spite of earlier diagnosis, new surgical techniques, anti-oestrogenic drugs, new chemotherapeutic agents and a falling mortality rate. Those who experience the disease suffer major physical, emotional and financial impact on their lives, as do their families.
The Breast Cancer Network NZ submission will ask government for a breast cancer strategy focused on reversing the rising incidence of breast cancer in New Zealand. They will ask that government acknowledge that synthetic chemicals in the environment have a role in the development of breast cancer and that New Zealanders be tested to establish the level of residues carried in their bodies. In addition, they will request that a precautionary approach be adopted with all chemicals where there is evidence of a link with breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Network NZ Inc is an independent group of New Zealand women, most of whom have experienced breast cancer. We promote the issues and needs of those affected by breast cancer, advocate for improved treatment and care, and work towards the prevention of the disease for the benefit of the whole community. More about our Stop Cancer Where it Starts project is available on line at bcn.nz.
четверг, 16 февраля 2012 г.
Alaska Gov. Palin Voices Support For Parental Involvement Ballot Measure
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) expressed support for a ballot measure that would require parental "notice or consent" before a minor could have an abortion in the state, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The measure, sponsored by former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman (R), would require a 48-hour waiting period after a parent is notified. Minors could bypass the parental notification or consent requirement by obtaining court permission or if there is a medical emergency. According to the Daily News, the ballot initiative's sponsors developed the measure after a state Senate bill (S.B. 6) that would have required parental consent stalled. Palin blamed the "inflexibility by some senators" for the bill not passing, adding that minors should have their parents' advice when making abortion-related decisions. According to the Daily News, the ballot initiative's sponsors can begin collecting signatures after Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell certifies the ballot language as legal. The sponsors need to collect 32,734 signatures before the legislative session starts in January to put the initiative on the ballot for the August 2010 primary election.
Planned Parenthood plans to oppose the ballot measure. Clover Simon, executive director of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, said some minors could face unhealthy family situations that might lead them to take dangerous steps to avoid discussing an abortion with their parents. "I'm afraid that young women in that situation are going to see this, and they're just not going to get any help at all and they are going to take things into their own hand[s]," Simon said.
Palin said she considered sponsoring the ballot measure herself, but decided against it after consulting with state lawyers. According to Alaska law, a governor cannot spend money or "provide anything of value" to influence the outcome of a ballot measure unless the Legislature appropriates money for that purpose. State election officials are investigating whether Palin's support of a ballot measure last summer violated the law. Palin said that instead of sponsoring the new ballot measure, she will "volunteer to be the first signature," adding, "I will not hesitate to speak up in support of Alaska's daughters."
Jim Minnery, president of the Christian antiabortion-rights group Alaska Family Council, said that the ultimate goal of the initiative's supporters is to enact a state law requiring parental permission before minors can undergo abortion procedures. The Alaska Supreme Court two years ago ruled? that a parental consent law was unconstitutional. Chief Justice Dana Fabe? wrote that a law requiring notification but not consent would likely not pose constitutional problems (Cockerham, Anchorage Daily News, 5/3).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
Planned Parenthood plans to oppose the ballot measure. Clover Simon, executive director of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, said some minors could face unhealthy family situations that might lead them to take dangerous steps to avoid discussing an abortion with their parents. "I'm afraid that young women in that situation are going to see this, and they're just not going to get any help at all and they are going to take things into their own hand[s]," Simon said.
Palin said she considered sponsoring the ballot measure herself, but decided against it after consulting with state lawyers. According to Alaska law, a governor cannot spend money or "provide anything of value" to influence the outcome of a ballot measure unless the Legislature appropriates money for that purpose. State election officials are investigating whether Palin's support of a ballot measure last summer violated the law. Palin said that instead of sponsoring the new ballot measure, she will "volunteer to be the first signature," adding, "I will not hesitate to speak up in support of Alaska's daughters."
Jim Minnery, president of the Christian antiabortion-rights group Alaska Family Council, said that the ultimate goal of the initiative's supporters is to enact a state law requiring parental permission before minors can undergo abortion procedures. The Alaska Supreme Court two years ago ruled? that a parental consent law was unconstitutional. Chief Justice Dana Fabe? wrote that a law requiring notification but not consent would likely not pose constitutional problems (Cockerham, Anchorage Daily News, 5/3).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
четверг, 9 февраля 2012 г.
Newsweek Examines 'Divide' Within Pro-Life Movement Over Support For Reducing Need For Abortion
The election of President Obama, who supports abortion rights, and a Democratic Congress has "divided" the abortion-rights opposition movement over whether its members should support polices aimed at reducing the need for abortion rather than continuing to focus on overturning Roe v. Wade, Newsweek reports. The conflict is occurring between antiabortion-rights groups "who are preparing for the fight of their lives and those who see an opportunity to redefine what it means to be pro-life," according to Newsweek. Although the so-called "abortion reduction" strategy "may not sound radical," there are "legions" of abortion-rights opponents who believe that "even the use of the word 'reduction' instead of elimination borders on heresy" and "strikes many as a wrong-headed signal that tolerating any level of abortion is acceptable," Newsweek reports.
The antiabortion movement made "progress" during the eight years of the Bush administration, including promoting state-level restrictions on abortion access. In 2007 there were approximately 400 proposed state bills to restrict abortion, an increase of more than 50% from 2006, according to Americans United for Life. However, many antiabortion-rights advocates "worry that their victories from the past eight years have been made vulnerable" with Obama's election and his recent repeal of the "global gag rule," also known as the "Mexico City" policy, which banned federal funding for international family planning groups that offer abortion services or information, even with their own funds, Newsweek reports. As a result, some antiabortion groups are returning their attention to increasing grassroots campaigns to gain support. Jill Stanek, a prominent anitabortion-rights blogger, said of the Obama administration and Democratic Congress, "We won't get anything past them. The only reason we'd be introducing legislation now is to gain public awareness." Abortion-rights opponents also "fear" that their focus on state-level restrictions "may have run its course" after voters rejected antiabortion ballot initiatives in South Dakota, California and Colorado in 2008. James Brown, chief of staff for abortion-rights opponent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), said that in "reality" such ballot initiatives "have gone as far as they can go," adding that the "question is, where does it go from here?"
However, a "small group" of antiabortion advocates "sees the change in Washington as an opportunity to reshape some of the movement's core principles." For example, RealAbortionSolutions, which launched during the 2008 election, ran advertisements calling for abortion-rights opponents to "ask ourselves what it really means to be pro-life" and "come together on solutions based on results, not rhetoric." Newsweek reports that a "handful of groups" are at the "intersection of religion and politics" with regard to abortion, including Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Faith in Public Life. Jim Wallis, director of the progressive evangelical group Sojourners, said it is unlikely that Roe will ever be overturned "no matter what your convictions are." He said, "Let's look at results. How do you really reduce abortion? You support women's health care, you promote involved fatherhood." According to Newsweek, recent research linking abortion and poverty has led some antiabortion groups to focus on social welfare initiatives -- such as adoption support or increased Medicaid benefits and education assistance for pregnant women -- with the aim of decreasing abortions.
A 2008 survey by Third Way, a not-for-profit think tank promoting bipartisan cooperation, found that 72% of Americans support the public policy goal of reducing the need for abortions through initiatives to prevent unintended pregnancies and support women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term. According to Newsweek, Obama "offered an optimistic view of the level of cooperation possible" between the two sides of the abortion debate in a statement issued on the anniversary of Roe. Obama in the statement called for "common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services." In addition, Wallis, who was involved in discussion with Obama advisers surrounding the Roe anniversary, said that Obama intentionally delayed his repeal of the Mexico City policy until after the anniversary in an attempt to "to do it quietly, without fanfare." He added that by issuing the statement about the anniversary before rescinding the policy, Obama "sent a clear signal that he's not looking to start a fight with people who are pro-life."
Obama's team "may still have a hard time bringing the two sides together," despite the support for such an approach and the efforts to increase bipartisanship in the early days of his administration, Newsweek reports. Previous attempts at the "common ground" strategy have "stalled" because legislators from both sides of the issue are "loath to put their votes behind the other side's tactics," according to Newsweek. For example, abortion-rights supporters want to increase access to contraception, while opponents want more funding for pregnancy-support programs. NARAL Pro-Choice America Policy Director Donna Crane said that the group opposes Casey's Support for Pregnant Woman Act (S.B. 2407) because of "the absence of important pieces, like contraception, and the presence of some parts tinged with anti-choice values." Kirsten Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, said the "biggest obstacle" for legislation aimed at reducing the need for abortion is that "people look at it and they're going, 'Okay, what's the angle here? What are you pushing?'" She added, "It's support for pregnant women. There's no hidden agenda here" (Kliff, Newsweek, 1/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
The antiabortion movement made "progress" during the eight years of the Bush administration, including promoting state-level restrictions on abortion access. In 2007 there were approximately 400 proposed state bills to restrict abortion, an increase of more than 50% from 2006, according to Americans United for Life. However, many antiabortion-rights advocates "worry that their victories from the past eight years have been made vulnerable" with Obama's election and his recent repeal of the "global gag rule," also known as the "Mexico City" policy, which banned federal funding for international family planning groups that offer abortion services or information, even with their own funds, Newsweek reports. As a result, some antiabortion groups are returning their attention to increasing grassroots campaigns to gain support. Jill Stanek, a prominent anitabortion-rights blogger, said of the Obama administration and Democratic Congress, "We won't get anything past them. The only reason we'd be introducing legislation now is to gain public awareness." Abortion-rights opponents also "fear" that their focus on state-level restrictions "may have run its course" after voters rejected antiabortion ballot initiatives in South Dakota, California and Colorado in 2008. James Brown, chief of staff for abortion-rights opponent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), said that in "reality" such ballot initiatives "have gone as far as they can go," adding that the "question is, where does it go from here?"
However, a "small group" of antiabortion advocates "sees the change in Washington as an opportunity to reshape some of the movement's core principles." For example, RealAbortionSolutions, which launched during the 2008 election, ran advertisements calling for abortion-rights opponents to "ask ourselves what it really means to be pro-life" and "come together on solutions based on results, not rhetoric." Newsweek reports that a "handful of groups" are at the "intersection of religion and politics" with regard to abortion, including Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Faith in Public Life. Jim Wallis, director of the progressive evangelical group Sojourners, said it is unlikely that Roe will ever be overturned "no matter what your convictions are." He said, "Let's look at results. How do you really reduce abortion? You support women's health care, you promote involved fatherhood." According to Newsweek, recent research linking abortion and poverty has led some antiabortion groups to focus on social welfare initiatives -- such as adoption support or increased Medicaid benefits and education assistance for pregnant women -- with the aim of decreasing abortions.
A 2008 survey by Third Way, a not-for-profit think tank promoting bipartisan cooperation, found that 72% of Americans support the public policy goal of reducing the need for abortions through initiatives to prevent unintended pregnancies and support women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term. According to Newsweek, Obama "offered an optimistic view of the level of cooperation possible" between the two sides of the abortion debate in a statement issued on the anniversary of Roe. Obama in the statement called for "common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services." In addition, Wallis, who was involved in discussion with Obama advisers surrounding the Roe anniversary, said that Obama intentionally delayed his repeal of the Mexico City policy until after the anniversary in an attempt to "to do it quietly, without fanfare." He added that by issuing the statement about the anniversary before rescinding the policy, Obama "sent a clear signal that he's not looking to start a fight with people who are pro-life."
Obama's team "may still have a hard time bringing the two sides together," despite the support for such an approach and the efforts to increase bipartisanship in the early days of his administration, Newsweek reports. Previous attempts at the "common ground" strategy have "stalled" because legislators from both sides of the issue are "loath to put their votes behind the other side's tactics," according to Newsweek. For example, abortion-rights supporters want to increase access to contraception, while opponents want more funding for pregnancy-support programs. NARAL Pro-Choice America Policy Director Donna Crane said that the group opposes Casey's Support for Pregnant Woman Act (S.B. 2407) because of "the absence of important pieces, like contraception, and the presence of some parts tinged with anti-choice values." Kirsten Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, said the "biggest obstacle" for legislation aimed at reducing the need for abortion is that "people look at it and they're going, 'Okay, what's the angle here? What are you pushing?'" She added, "It's support for pregnant women. There's no hidden agenda here" (Kliff, Newsweek, 1/27).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
четверг, 2 февраля 2012 г.
HRT risks could have been revealed earlier
Synthesising licensing data to assess drug safety BMJ Vol 328, pp 518-20
The risks of hormone replacement therapy would have been revealed much earlier if better use had been made of existing evidence.
As such, women have been needlessly exposed to an increased risk of heart disease, argue researchers in this week's BMJ.
The large US Women's Health Initiative trial was stopped prematurely in 2002 after showing an increased risk of cardiovascular events from combined hormone replacement therapy.
However, well before the Women's Health Initiative trial was published, the authors analysed 23 small trials of hormone replacement therapies and found that they were not as protective as the observational data had shown. Many of these trials were done by pharmaceutical companies to obtain drug licences and were not publicly available.
When they published their findings in 1997, they were ridiculed. But extra data from six further studies confirmed their concerns. High Court dispensation was required to access these trials.
If trials done by pharmaceutical companies for licensing purposes had to include adequate data on harms and ineffectiveness, we could learn much more quickly what we need to know about new drugs, say the authors.
Regulators should require drug manufacturers to record adverse events and make the results public, they conclude.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinsonbmj
44-207-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
The risks of hormone replacement therapy would have been revealed much earlier if better use had been made of existing evidence.
As such, women have been needlessly exposed to an increased risk of heart disease, argue researchers in this week's BMJ.
The large US Women's Health Initiative trial was stopped prematurely in 2002 after showing an increased risk of cardiovascular events from combined hormone replacement therapy.
However, well before the Women's Health Initiative trial was published, the authors analysed 23 small trials of hormone replacement therapies and found that they were not as protective as the observational data had shown. Many of these trials were done by pharmaceutical companies to obtain drug licences and were not publicly available.
When they published their findings in 1997, they were ridiculed. But extra data from six further studies confirmed their concerns. High Court dispensation was required to access these trials.
If trials done by pharmaceutical companies for licensing purposes had to include adequate data on harms and ineffectiveness, we could learn much more quickly what we need to know about new drugs, say the authors.
Regulators should require drug manufacturers to record adverse events and make the results public, they conclude.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinsonbmj
44-207-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
четверг, 26 января 2012 г.
GSK's HPV Vaccine Produces Immune Response In Women Ages 15 To 55, Study Says
GlaxoSmithKline's experimental human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix -- which has been shown in studies to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18 -- produces an immune response in all women ages 15 to 55 one year after they received the vaccine, according to a study presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting on Tuesday in Atlanta, Dow Jones reports. Tino Schwarz, a professor at Stiftung Juliusspital-Wuerzburg in Germany and colleagues in a Phase III trial examined 666 women ages 15 to 55 who received three doses of Cervarix. The study included data from 437 women ages 26 to 55 (Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones, 6/5). According to the study, an antibody response was detected in 100% of the women seven months after receiving the first of three does of the vaccine and remained one year following the initial dose (Reuters, 6/5). In a previous study published in the April 6 online edition of the Lancet, women ages 15 to 25 who received Cervarix showed high levels of antibodies against HPV strains 16 and 18 for up to four-and-a-half years after receiving the vaccine. Researchers also found that Cervarix prevented infection with HPV strains 31 and 45, which together with strains 16 and 18 cause more than 80% of cervical cancer cases (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/6). "For the first time, we see that a vaccine against cervical cancer is highly immunogenic in women over 25 years of age," Schwarz said, adding, "These are important data as older women remain at significant risk of acquiring infections with cancer-causing HPV types" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 6/6). GSK plans to file for approval with FDA by the end of this year. Philippe Monteyne, head of global vaccine development for GSK, said the company plans to submit the most recent study findings to FDA in hopes of gaining the agency's approval of the vaccine for women up to age 55 (Dow Jones, 6/5).pregnancy" (Los Angeles Times, 6/5).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ??? 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ??? 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent.
четверг, 19 января 2012 г.
Elsevier Journals Support World Breastfeeding Week 2010
In support of World Breastfeeding Week 2010, Elsevier the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services is pleased to open access to selected articles related to breastfeeding from the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, Midwifery and the Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Midwives and pediatric nurse practitioners play a central role in supporting and advocating for breastfeeding.
The full contents of a special issue of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, titled, "Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding. The entire issue highlights the role of midwives and other women's health professionals in encouraging breastfeeding. Topics include new scientific research on breastfeeding and its benefits, problems that can interfere with lactation and breastfeeding, and essential education for breastfeeding mothers.
Elsevier has also made available key articles from Midwifery and the Journal of Pediatric Health Care in support of World Breastfeeding Week:
Journal of Pediatric Health Care
NAPNAP Position Statement on Breastfeeding Journal of Pediatric health Care (Volume 21, Issue 2, Pages A39-A40, March 2007.)
Role of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Promoting Breastfeeding for Late Preterm Infants in Primary Care Settings (by Azza H. Ahmed - Volume 24, Issue 2, Pages 116-122, March 2010.)
Parent-Infant Co-sleeping and Its Relationship to Breastfeeding (by Stephanie D. Buswell and Diane L. Spatz - Volume 21, Issue 1, Pages 22-28, January 2007.)
The lactation consult: Problem solving, teaching, and support for the breastfeeding family (by Maureen Hoag Dann - Volume 19, Issue 1, Pages 12-16, January 2005.)
Midwifery
Building a place for the father as an ally for breast feeding (by Cleide M. Pontes, M??nica M. Os??rio, and Aline C. Alexandrino - Volume 25, Issue 2, Pages 195-202, April 2009.)
Effect of an extended midwifery postnatal support programme on the duration of breast feeding: A randomised controlled trial (by Susan J. McDonald, Jennifer J. Henderson, Shani Faulkner, Sharon F. Evans, and Ronald Hagan - Volume 26, Issue 1, Pages 88-100, February 2010.)
Women's views and experiences of breast feeding: positive, negative or just good for the baby? (by Della A. Forster and Helen L. McLachlan - Volume 26, Issue 1, Pages 116-125 (February 2010)
Sponsored by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, World Breastfeeding Week is held each year from August 1 to 7. This year's theme, "Just 10 Steps," draws attention to the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding a supportive pathway enabling women to achieve their breastfeeding intentions.
The Ten Steps also provide healthcare professionals with guidance in the support of breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration, which called for implementation of the Ten Steps in all maternity facilities.
Source: Elsevier
The full contents of a special issue of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, titled, "Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding. The entire issue highlights the role of midwives and other women's health professionals in encouraging breastfeeding. Topics include new scientific research on breastfeeding and its benefits, problems that can interfere with lactation and breastfeeding, and essential education for breastfeeding mothers.
Elsevier has also made available key articles from Midwifery and the Journal of Pediatric Health Care in support of World Breastfeeding Week:
Journal of Pediatric Health Care
NAPNAP Position Statement on Breastfeeding Journal of Pediatric health Care (Volume 21, Issue 2, Pages A39-A40, March 2007.)
Role of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Promoting Breastfeeding for Late Preterm Infants in Primary Care Settings (by Azza H. Ahmed - Volume 24, Issue 2, Pages 116-122, March 2010.)
Parent-Infant Co-sleeping and Its Relationship to Breastfeeding (by Stephanie D. Buswell and Diane L. Spatz - Volume 21, Issue 1, Pages 22-28, January 2007.)
The lactation consult: Problem solving, teaching, and support for the breastfeeding family (by Maureen Hoag Dann - Volume 19, Issue 1, Pages 12-16, January 2005.)
Midwifery
Building a place for the father as an ally for breast feeding (by Cleide M. Pontes, M??nica M. Os??rio, and Aline C. Alexandrino - Volume 25, Issue 2, Pages 195-202, April 2009.)
Effect of an extended midwifery postnatal support programme on the duration of breast feeding: A randomised controlled trial (by Susan J. McDonald, Jennifer J. Henderson, Shani Faulkner, Sharon F. Evans, and Ronald Hagan - Volume 26, Issue 1, Pages 88-100, February 2010.)
Women's views and experiences of breast feeding: positive, negative or just good for the baby? (by Della A. Forster and Helen L. McLachlan - Volume 26, Issue 1, Pages 116-125 (February 2010)
Sponsored by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, World Breastfeeding Week is held each year from August 1 to 7. This year's theme, "Just 10 Steps," draws attention to the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding a supportive pathway enabling women to achieve their breastfeeding intentions.
The Ten Steps also provide healthcare professionals with guidance in the support of breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration, which called for implementation of the Ten Steps in all maternity facilities.
Source: Elsevier
четверг, 12 января 2012 г.
Thailand To Launch Condom Campaign, Implement Legal Protection For Women Whose Partners Refuse To Use Condoms
Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla recently at Thailand's 11th annual national seminar on HIV/AIDS said he is concerned about the increasing number of HIV cases in the country, especially among married couples, the Bangkok Post reports. According to the Post, about 40% of the 18,000 new HIV cases diagnosed annually in Thailand occur among women who contract the virus from their husbands. About 28% of new cases are among men who have sex with men and 10% are among commercial sex workers, according to the Post.
Mongkol said he is considering launching a "family condom" campaign and encouraging married couples to be monogamous. "Using condoms should be regarded as showing respect to each other so that both husband and wife will be safe from sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS," Mongkol said, adding that women also should "stand up for a better deal from their husbands."
The Thai National Committee on AIDS will carry out the condom-promotion program with Mechai Viravaidya, chair of the Population and Community Development Association. Mechai said that as part of the program, the committee will ask hotels to put complimentary condoms in guest rooms (Apiradee, Bangkok Post, 7/5).
In addition, Mongkol at the seminar said that Thailand soon will provide legal protection to women whose partners refuse to wear condoms during sex, the Thai News Service reports. According to an agreement reached at a recent UNAIDS meeting in Geneva, laws on social issues and gender equality should be implemented as primary solutions to curb the spread of HIV, Mongkol said (Thai News Service, 7/5).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Mongkol said he is considering launching a "family condom" campaign and encouraging married couples to be monogamous. "Using condoms should be regarded as showing respect to each other so that both husband and wife will be safe from sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS," Mongkol said, adding that women also should "stand up for a better deal from their husbands."
The Thai National Committee on AIDS will carry out the condom-promotion program with Mechai Viravaidya, chair of the Population and Community Development Association. Mechai said that as part of the program, the committee will ask hotels to put complimentary condoms in guest rooms (Apiradee, Bangkok Post, 7/5).
In addition, Mongkol at the seminar said that Thailand soon will provide legal protection to women whose partners refuse to wear condoms during sex, the Thai News Service reports. According to an agreement reached at a recent UNAIDS meeting in Geneva, laws on social issues and gender equality should be implemented as primary solutions to curb the spread of HIV, Mongkol said (Thai News Service, 7/5).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
четверг, 5 января 2012 г.
Fat Talk Exacerbates Body Image Disturbance
College women who engage in "fat talk" (women speaking negatively about the size and shape of their bodies) face greater dissatisfaction with their bodies and are more likely to have internalized an ultra-thin body ideal than those who engage in fat talk less frequently, according to a review article from Psychology of Women Quarterly (published by SAGE).
Study results found that while frequency of fat talk was associated with increased dissatisfaction with women's own bodies, over half of the participants reported that they believe fat talk actually makes them feel better about their bodies. It's concerning that women might think fat talk is a helpful coping mechanism, when it's actually exacerbating body image disturbance. Researchers Rachel H. Salk of the University of Wisconsin and Renee Engeln-Maddox of Northwestern University found that "fat talk" is overwhelmingly common in the college-age women they studied, with more than 90 percent reporting they engaged in "fat talk."
"The most common response to fat talk was denial that the friend was fat," wrote Salk and Engeln-Maddox, "most typically leading to a back-and-forth conversation where each of two healthy weight peers denies the other is fat while claiming to be fat themselves."
An additional interesting finding was that the frequency of "fat talk" was not related to a respondent's BMI. "In other words, there was no association between a woman's actual body size and how often she complained about her body size with peers," Salk and Engeln-Maddox wrote.
"These results serve as a reminder," wrote Salk and Engeln-Maddox, "that for most women, fat talk is not about being fat, but rather about feeling fat."
Notes:
The article: "If You're Fat, Then I'm Humongous!": Frequency, Content, and Impact of Fat Talk Among College Women" in Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Source:
Ashley Wrye
SAGE Publications
Study results found that while frequency of fat talk was associated with increased dissatisfaction with women's own bodies, over half of the participants reported that they believe fat talk actually makes them feel better about their bodies. It's concerning that women might think fat talk is a helpful coping mechanism, when it's actually exacerbating body image disturbance. Researchers Rachel H. Salk of the University of Wisconsin and Renee Engeln-Maddox of Northwestern University found that "fat talk" is overwhelmingly common in the college-age women they studied, with more than 90 percent reporting they engaged in "fat talk."
"The most common response to fat talk was denial that the friend was fat," wrote Salk and Engeln-Maddox, "most typically leading to a back-and-forth conversation where each of two healthy weight peers denies the other is fat while claiming to be fat themselves."
An additional interesting finding was that the frequency of "fat talk" was not related to a respondent's BMI. "In other words, there was no association between a woman's actual body size and how often she complained about her body size with peers," Salk and Engeln-Maddox wrote.
"These results serve as a reminder," wrote Salk and Engeln-Maddox, "that for most women, fat talk is not about being fat, but rather about feeling fat."
Notes:
The article: "If You're Fat, Then I'm Humongous!": Frequency, Content, and Impact of Fat Talk Among College Women" in Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Source:
Ashley Wrye
SAGE Publications
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