Things that make you go hmmm;
Studies Show Gardasil Could Help Older Women, Gay Men, Merck Says
Merck & Co. said two recent studies of its cervical-cancer vaccine Gardasil showed it could help older women and gay men.
In one study, Gardasil was 89% effective in preventing human papillomavirus, a virus that causes cervical cancer and other diseases, in women ages 24 through 45.
In the other study, the drug was 78% effective against anal intraepithelial neoplasia, a precursor to anal cancer, associated with HPV in men ages 16 to 26 who have sex with men.
The data were presented at the European Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
"We are excited to learn more about the potential of Gardasil to help prevent HPV and HPV-related cancers and diseases in both men and women," said Richard Haupt, executive director of Merck Research Laboratories.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703444804575071101641923066.html?mod=dist_smartbriefAnd one I personally find horrific; I also dislike the 'lifestyle' implication; especially without mentioning the stress of overt, covert and institutionalized racism.
Breast Cancer Stats Differ Racially Despite Similar Mammogram Rates
FRIDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Black women are 30 percent to 90 percent more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer than white women, researchers report.
A new study, based on an analysis of 1992-2004 cancer statistics, also finds that a racial disparity in cases of advanced colorectal cancer widened between blacks and whites of both genders.
The findings were published recently in the journal Hormones and Cancer.
"While we could not determine the exact contributors to the trends we saw in this study, it is interesting to note that for breast cancer, mammographic screening rates were quite similar among African-American and white women in the United States during the time period we studied. This suggests that factors other than screening may be contributing to this persistent disparity, including differences in both lifestyle and genetics," senior study author Dr. Christopher I. Li, an associate member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said in a news release from the center.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=635829And while we're on the general topic of mammograms;
Doctor-Patient Divide on Mammograms
Confusion reigned late last year after the United States Preventive Services Task Force changed its recommendations on mammography, suggesting that most women start routine scans at age 50 rather than 40 and reduce the frequency to every two years, from once a year.
Mammography Some women were relieved; others were angry and worried that insurers would cut back on coverage for screening.
Now, an editorial in this week’s issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, the medical journal that first published the new guidelines last November, suggests that a divide has emerged between doctors and patients — with the doctors more inclined to accept the new recommendations and the patients wanting to stick to early and annual screening."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/health/16mamm-.html?ref=scienceWomen's Heart Disease Awareness Still Lacking
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Despite public awareness campaigns, almost half of all American women still don't know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, new research finds.
Even more concerning, only slightly more than half of women would call for emergency help if they were having heart attack symptoms, according to the latest survey for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women public awareness campaign.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=635858Acupuncture may relieve menstrual cramps
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Acupuncture may be helpful in alleviating menstrual cramps, which affect up to half of all young women, an extensive review of past studies has found.
In a review of 27 studies that involved nearly 3,000 women, researchers from the Oriental Hospital at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea found that acupuncture may be more effective than drugs or herbal medicines.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61H0TD20100218I get ANA updates everyday, I thought I go through and share a few of them.