The Image Woman

FRIDAY, April 29 — A pair of studies released Friday could shake up the debate on whether or not American women should begin regular mammography screening in their 40s.

One study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons in Washington, D.C., found that screening women aged 40 to 49 with mammograms detected smaller breast cancers, with less chance of spread to the lymph nodes, than relying on clinical breast exams alone.

That finding runs counter to controversial recommendations issued late in 2009 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which advised that women at average risk for breast cancer do not have to begin regular mammography screening until age 50. Instead, the federal panel of experts advised that the decision for or against mammography for women in their 40s be individualized after a patient-doctor discussion.

A second study presented at the same meeting on Friday suggests that the USPSTF guidelines would unfavorably impact minority women in their 40s.

Dr. Paul Dale, chief of surgical oncology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and lead author of the study looking at early detection, said his view on the issue is clear: “I think women in their 40s should get mammography.”

In their study, Dale and his colleagues looked at the medical records of almost 1,600 women treated at the university medical center for breast cancer over a 10-year time period. The researchers focused on 311 women aged 40 to 49.

Of these, 47 percent were diagnosed via mammography, while 53 percent were diagnosed without mammography (for example, by symptoms of breast cancer).

Those diagnosed by mammogram had smaller tumors — an average of 2 centimeters in diameter versus 3 centimeters, the team found. They also had less chance of the tumor having already moved into the lymph nodes, where it becomes more difficult to treat. While about 25 percent of those who had mammograms had lymph node involvement, almost 56 percent of those who did not have mammography showed this type of cancer spread.

When the researchers focused on the five-year disease-free survival of women in their 40s, Dale found 94 percent of the mammogram-detected group had disease-free survival compared to 71 percent in the non-mammogram group. The rate of overall survival (disease-free or not) at five years was 97 percent for those in the mammogram group versus 78 percent for women in the other group.

According to Dale, the findings suggest that women in their 40s who develop breast cancer “are going to do better if they have a mammogram.”

In the second study, researchers analyzed a large database of nearly 47,000 American women with breast cancer. Of that, 22.6 percent were aged 40 to 49, while 77.4 percent were 50 to 74.

About 66 percent of the patients were white, about 15 percent were Hispanic, about 13 percent were Asian or Pacific Islanders and about 6 percent were black.

“We looked at a population of women who only had early breast cancer, and compared the younger, 40 to 49 — not recommended [routinely] to have screening — with an older population,” explained Dr. Sharon Lum, associate professor of surgery at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, Calif.

“What we found was in the younger, 40 to 49, group there was a greater proportion of minority women [with early cancers] than in the older group [of the same ethnicities],” she said.

Therefore, according to Lum, “if you exclude younger women from screening mammography, it could disproportionately affect minority women.”

Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical and scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, reviewed both studies but was not involved in either.

“I do believe we should start [screening mammograms] at 40,” said Brawley, who is also professor of oncology and epidemiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. The American Cancer Society continues to recommend that all women begin screening mammograms at age 40, he said.

Even so, Brawley said he has some issues with the new mammography research. For instance, the five-year survival time studied in the Dale study is just not long enough, he suggested. A better approach is to study what experts call a “mortality endpoint,” to find the number of people per every 1,000 who died in the screening group versus the non-screened group.

“That typically takes more than five years,” he explained.

Furthermore, all research presented at medical meetings should be viewed with a grain of salt, Brawley said. It’s in the first stages of research, and has not yet been subjected to rigorous debate and review by other medical experts.

In that respect, these should be considered tentative findings, he said.

For her part, Dr. Virginia Moyer, current chair of the USPSTF, said the public often misreads the panel’s controversial 2009 guidelines, thinking no one 40 to 49 should have a mammogram.

“This is not what the recommendation says,” she stated. “It says that the decision should be individualized, taking patient context into account, including the patient’s values regarding benefits and harms.”

As to the new studies, “the first study confirms what we already know, and the second study points out that our knowledge in specific groups of women remains incomplete,” said Moyer, professor of pediatrics and head of academic general pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston.

Moyer said it is known that, on average, mammogram screening results in some benefit. But, “for women in the 40- to 49-year-old age group, this benefit appears to be quite small, and has to be balanced against the known risks, which are greater in younger than in older women,” she said. Among those potential risks are false-positive results, and the undue anxiety and unnecessary biopsies that can result, Moyer noted.

More information

For more details on the 2009 guidelines, head to the USPSTF.

FRIDAY, April 29 — Vitamin D deficiency is common in American children and linked with obesity and different types of fat distribution in white and black youngsters, new research shows.

Vitamin D is found in certain foods, but humans synthesize most of the nutrient they need via the action of sunlight on exposed skin. Supplements can also boost levels of vitamin D.

In the study, researchers checked vitamin D levels in 237 healthy obese and non-obese white and black children, aged 8 to 18. They found that most of them were vitamin D deficient. Low levels of vitamin D were associated with higher body mass index and fat levels, and lower levels of “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

Among those with vitamin D deficiency, white children were more likely to have higher levels of fat between their internal organs (visceral adipose tissue), while black children were more likely to have higher levels of fat just under the skin (subcutaneous adipose tissue), the investigators found.

The study is published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“Vitamin D deficiency is rampant in American youth, and there is some suggestion in adults that low levels of vitamin D may be playing a role in the increasing rates of type 2 diabetes. It is possible the same may be true for youth with type 2 diabetes,” lead author Dr. Silva Arslanian, of the University of Pittsburgh, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

“Besides therapeutic interventions to correct the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in youth, benefits of vitamin D optimization on fat levels, lipid [blood fat] profile and risk of type 2 diabetes need to be explored,” Arslanian added.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about children and vitamin D.

FRIDAY, April 29 — Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D have more aggressive tumors and poorer outcomes, a new study finds.

Experts say the new findings support what many oncologists have long suspected.

“There has been suspicion that vitamin D is related to breast health in some way, although the particular pathway is still unknown,” noted Dr. Laurie Kirstein, a breast surgeon at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. “Many oncologists are already following vitamin D levels in their breast cancer patients, and recommending supplements for low levels,” added Kirstein, who was not involved in the new study. “To link vitamin D levels to the aggressiveness of a particular type of breast cancer is an interesting finding; one that should be validated with a controlled trial.”

In the study, to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, a team from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) tracked 155 women who had surgery for breast cancer between January 2009 and September 2010.

The team examined blood tests that provided vitamin D levels for all the patients in the one-year period before and after surgery. They also analyzed relevant patient breast cancer data, such as age, race, cancer stage at diagnosis, menopause status, gene expression, and estrogen and progesterone status.

The researchers found an association between low vitamin D levels (less than 32 milligrams per milliliter of blood) and poor scores on every major biological marker used to predict a breast cancer patient’s outcome.

“The magnitude of the findings was quite surprising,” lead researcher Luke J. Peppone, research assistant professor of radiation oncology, said in a URMC news release. “Based on these results, doctors should strongly consider monitoring vitamin D levels among breast cancer patients and correcting them as needed.”

Another expert said the findings do raise a red flag, but more study may be needed.

“There appears to be increasing evidence linking vitamin D levels and breast cancer,” said Dr. Sharon M. Rosenbaum Smith, a breast cancer surgeon at the Comprehensive Breast Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City. “This study certainly shows another link between the two. However, a direct cause and effect relationship has not been proven. This study certainly suggests that continued optimization of a patient’s vitamin D level may be advantageous.”

Vitamin D is found in certain foods, but humans synthesize most of the nutrient they need via the action of sunlight on exposed skin. Supplements can also boost levels of vitamin D.

The Rochester team said their study is one of the first to look at the link between vitamin D levels and breast cancer progression. Previous studies have concentrated on vitamin D deficiency and the risk of cancer development only.

According to study leader Peppone, further research is required to learn more about the biological basis of the association between vitamin D and breast cancer outcomes, but this study shows the importance of checking vitamin D levels in breast cancer patients.

Experts note that research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about vitamin D.

— For years, new mothers have been told to position babies on their backs during sleep, to help lessen the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). That’s extremely important advice.

But as a result of continually sleeping in the same position, babies may develop a flat spot on their heads, a condition some experts call “flattened head syndrome.”

The experts say baby should still be placed on the back. But parents may opt to gently reposition baby’s head during sleep, and during activities while baby is awake.

The Cleveland Clinic offers these suggestions for minimizing “flattened head syndrome:”

Regularly change the direction in the crib in which you put your child down.Alternate the side of the head that baby sleeps on each night.After baby falls asleep, gently turn the head. If one side of the head already appears somewhat flatter, gently turn baby’s head to the other side.If baby can turn the head without your assistance, hang a mobile facing the side of baby’s bed in the direction you want baby to turn.

— Sunscreen helps protect your skin from sunburn and damage, but it must be applied properly.

The Skin Cancer Foundation offers these guidelines:

Choose a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15.Apply sunscreen to children’s skin, as long as they are at least 6 months old. Children younger than 6 months should not be exposed to the sun.Make sure you choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays,Use about 1 ounce of sunscreen for good coverage.Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside, and reapply every two hours.Reapply sunscreen after swimming, sweating or towel drying.Be aware of how much time you spend in the sun. Your skin doesn’t have to turn red to be damaged by the sun’s rays.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Appeals Court Reverses Stem Cell Research Funding Ban

Stem cell research proponents welcomed Friday’s U.S. federal appeals court decision overturning a district court judge’s order that would have prevented taxpayer funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

“We’re thrilled with this decision and look forward to allowing federally funded scientists to continue with their work without political constraints,” Sean Tipton, a spokesman for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, told the Associated Press.

In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. court of appeals in Washington reversed U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth’s opinion that embryonic stem cell research likely violates a 1996 law that prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars in research that harms a human embryo.

Lamberth’s ruling involved a lawsuit by two scientists who said the Obama administration’s rules permitting taxpayer dollars to be used for embryonic stem cell research threatened their ability to gain government funding for research using adult stem cells, the AP reported.

—–

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Labs: CDC

U.S. health officials say a nationwide salmonella poisoning outbreak that’s left one person dead and put at least 10 in hospital is linked to clinical and teaching microbiology laboratories.

Since August, about 73 people in 35 states have been sickened by salmonella bacteria, and some of those cases involve a strain of Salmonella typhimurium sold commercially to laboratories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, msnbc.com reported.

The first illness occurred in late August and the most recent cases were reported March 8, the CDC says. The patients include employees and students of the laboratories, as well as children in the homes of people who work or study at the labs.

Salmonella can be transmitted via contaminated items such as lab coats, car keys, pens, and notebooks, CDC officials said, msnbc.com reported.

—–

Food Companies Should Push Healthy Foods for Kids: U.S. Government

Food makers should voluntarily replace child-targeted ad campaigns for unhealthy products such as chips, soda and candy with healthier foods, says a proposal released Thursday by several U.S. government agencies.

American children need to consume less sugar, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, and eat foods that “make a more meaningful contribution to the diet,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Trade Commission, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“The proposed voluntary principles are designed to encourage stronger and more meaningful self-regulation by the food industry and to support parents’ efforts to get their kids to eat healthier foods,” the agencies said in a joint new release. “While the goals they would set for food marketers are ambitious and would take time to put into place, the public health stakes could not be higher.”

The agencies noted that about one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, the Wall Street Journal reported.

—–

Episiotomies Decline in U.S.: Report

Episiotomies in the United States decreased 60 percent between 1997 and 2008, according to a federal government report released Thursday. Episiotomy is a surgical incision to widen the vaginal area during childbirth.

During the same period, the use of forceps during child delivery fell 32 percent, from 14 percent to 10 percent, and the proportion of hospital stays of women who delivered via cesarean section rose by 72 percent, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Between 2007 and 2008, the number of hospital stays for childbirth fell from 4.5 million to 4.2 million, after increasing an average of 2 percent a year since 1999.

Of all childbirth hospital stays in 2008, 36 percent were in the South, 26 percent were in the West, 23 percent in the Midwest and 16 percent in the Northeast.

—–

Cheaper Drug as Good as Costly One for Eye Disease: Study

A cheaper drug is as effective as a more expensive drug for treatment of an eye disease that’s a leading cause of vision loss in elderly people, according to a new study.

Researchers compared patients with wet macular degeneration who received monthly shots of Avastin ($50 per treatment) or Lucentis ($2,000 per treatment) for one year. Lucentis is approved in the United States for treatment of wet macular degeneration, while Avastin is a cancer drug used off-label by many doctors to treat the eye disease, the Associated Press reported.

Vision improvement was the same for both groups of patients, the study said.

The findings were published online Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine and will be presented at a meeting this weekend, the AP reported.

—–

FRIDAY, April 29 — Prenatal diagnosis, early surgery and well-coordinated care by a team of specialists are vital for children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate, experts say.

Cleft lip and/or palate — which occur in the first trimester of pregnancy when the roof of the mouth fails to fuse properly — affects more than 7,000 babies born in the United States each year and is the second most common birth defect.

Prenatal ultrasounds can detect the majority of cases. As soon as a diagnosis is made, doctors should counsel parents in order to give them time to prepare emotionally before the birth of the baby, experts say. Doctors and parents also need to develop a treatment plan, according to Dr. Richard Redett, a pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon and co-director of the Cleft & Craniofacial Clinic at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

He noted that research has shown that early surgery helps ensure proper speech development. Surgery is most effective if done before the baby is one year old.

Post-surgical treatment should include ear-nose-throat specialists, speech therapists, pediatric orthodontists and psychologists, Redett said.

He and his colleagues offered some tips to prevent cleft lip/palate:

Women planning to become pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day.Pregnant women should not smoke and should avoid secondhand smoke.Pregnant women also need to tell their doctors about any prescription or over-the-counter medications they are taking or planning to take, since certain medicines can cause or increase the risk of birth defects.Patients with a family history of cleft palate should talk with their physician about a genetic work-up.

More information

The March of Dimes has more about cleft lip and palate.

FRIDAY, April 29 — Americans can turn in unused prescription drugs at more than 4,700 sites nationwide on Saturday as part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The free event, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, gives people an opportunity to safely dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs that could be stolen and misused if left in a home’s medicine cabinet.

Collection sites can be found by going to the DEA Web site (www.dea.gov) and clicking the “Got Drugs?” banner. You can search for your closet collection site by zip code, city or county.

More Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Studies show that the drugs are often obtained from family and friends.

Last year, more than 242,000 pounds — 121 tons — of prescription drugs were collected at nearly 4,100 sites operated by government, community, public health and law enforcement partners, according to a DEA news release.

“The overwhelming public response to DEA’s first nationwide Take-Back event last fall not only rid homes of potentially harmful prescription drugs, but was an unprecedented opportunity to educate everyone about the growing prescription drug abuse problem,” DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart said in an agency news release.

“Studies have shown that, for many, prescription drugs are the very first drugs they abuse and all too often they aren’t the last. That is why we are committed to helping Americans keep their homes safe by ridding their medicine cabinets of expired, unused, and unwanted drugs,” she added.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about safe disposal of medicines.

How often do you have a drink with your girl friends? Single women are always very easy to hold parties and relax their daily lives together. And drinking seems a must for the party to relax their intense nerves. Therefore, a Florida Keys DUI phone number should be in your cell phone box, in case of any needs.

It’s known that women are more perceptual than man and easily to be attracted by drinking. Most important, women are more likely to lose thinking when confront a sudden issues. Florida keys DUI provides professional consultant and advices for people who confront DUI Cases.

A quick response and action will be suggested by Florida Keys DUI, as to solve the DUI cases in time. A professional analysis will be made immediately once they receive your request. Rich experience of claim DUI case is a must. As ordinary people, most of us have no experience of dealing with laws, and the cost of hiring a lawyer is usually high beyond of expectation. Thus, economic consultant services are more hopeful to us. Therefore, make a call when you come into a sudden DUI, DWI, drug possession, hit and run, underage drinking, or boating under the influence cases.

Coming across a claim brings us not only troubles but timing consuming. And as we have no experience with such cases, we need to more energy to deal with them. We fear because we no nothing about these cases. However, if a professional consultant services provide you with all kinds of related information and give you solution examples of such cases. We can foresee where the results are going. Confidence will be back to you life and positive actions will be taken as well.

Women should prepare for some potential issues may arise from our daily habits. We like parties and sometimes share a drink with friends. We should save some contact information of professional DUI or other cases consultant services.

<a href=”http://www.buyblogreviews.com” ><img src=”http://www.buyblogreviews.com/sponsoredImages/sponsoredpost.gif” alt=”BuyBlogReviews.com” border=”0″ /></a>

FRIDAY, April 29 — Medical costs for children and teens with diabetes are six times higher than for other young people in the United States, a new study finds.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined health insurance claims made in 2007 for nearly 50,000 youth aged 19 and younger, including 8,226 with diabetes.

Annual medical expenses for youth with diabetes were $9,061, compared with $1,468 for those without diabetes. Prescription drugs and outpatient care accounted for much of the extra medical costs.

The highest medical costs were for youth with diabetes who required insulin, which included all those with type 1 diabetes and some with type 2 diabetes. The annual medical expenses for those who received insulin were $9,333, compared to $5,683 for youth with diabetes who did not require insulin.

Medical costs for all Americans with diabetes, most of whom are adults, are 2.3 times higher than for those without diabetes, according to the CDC’s 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet.

The diabetes-related difference in medical costs may be greater among young people than adults due to higher medication costs, visits to specialists and medical supplies such as insulin syringes and glucose testing strips, according to the researchers.

They noted that 92 percent of youth with diabetes required insulin, compared to 26 percent of adults with diabetes.

The study appears in the May issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

More information

The American Diabetes Association has more about children and diabetes.