February 2012 Briefing - OBGYN & Women's Health

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in OBGYN & Women's Health for February 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Bisphosphonates, Annual BMD Screen Up Fracture Prevention

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- In a hypothetical model of postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for hormone receptor (HR)-positive early breast cancer (EBC), baseline and annual bone mineral density (BMD) screening followed by selective treatment with oral bisphosphonates for those diagnosed with osteoporosis is a cost-effective strategy, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Nicotine Patches Don't Help Pregnant Women Stop Smoking

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of nicotine-replacement therapy to behavioral cessation support does not increase the rate of smoking abstinence in pregnant women, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Despite Benefits of Selenium, Supplements May Be Harmful

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- While selenium is necessary for good health, levels that are too high can be harmful, and people whose serum selenium levels are already at least 122 µ/L should not take supplements, according to a review published online Feb. 29 in The Lancet.

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Sleeping Pill Use Linked to Greater Mortality Risk

TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Even relatively small doses of sleeping pills are associated with a more than three-fold higher risk of death, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in BMJ Open.

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Dose-Response Link Between Tanning Bed Use, Skin Cancer

TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Use of tanning beds, especially in high school and college, is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Vitamin D Linked to Reduced Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea

TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with cholecalciferol, which rapidly enhances 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D), is associated with decreased pain and reduced nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use for women with primary dysmenorrhea, according to a letter published in the Feb. 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Cognitive Development Stable for Low Birth Weight Infants

TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For very low birth weight (VLBW) babies, there is good stability of cognitive development over time, with a strong correlation between assessments at 2 years of corrected age and at age 5, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in Pediatrics.

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AAP Reaffirms Breastfeeding Policy

MONDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Breastfeeding should be considered a basic health issue, rather than a lifestyle choice, and as such, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirms its recommendations for exclusive breastfeeding for a baby's first six months of life, according to a policy statement published online Feb. 27 in Pediatrics.

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Human Ovaries Contain Oocyte-Producing Stem Cells

MONDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Human ovaries contain rare mitotically active stem cells that can be purified and used to generate oocytes, as has been previously shown in mice, according to a study published online Feb. 26 in Nature Medicine.

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Older Anesthesiologists Have Higher Litigation Rates

FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Anesthesiologists over the age of 65 years have a higher frequency of litigation and greater severity of injury than their younger counterparts, according to an article published in the March issue of Anesthesiology.

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Oncogenic HPV Rarely Present in Breast Cancer Tissues

FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to numerous reports, oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types are rarely present in mammary epithelium of patients with breast cancer, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of Cancer.

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Timeliness of Diagnosis Varies by Cancer and Patient

FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- There is wide variation between cancer types in the proportion of patients who visit their general practitioner three or more times before being referred to the hospital, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Assay, Algorithm Promising for Detection of Trisomies 21, 18

THURSDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- A novel biochemical assay (Digital Analysis of Selected Regions [DANSR]) combined with an algorithm (Fetal-fraction Optimized Risk of Trisomy Evaluation [FORTE]) accurately identifies the risk of fetal trisomy 21 and 18 from maternal-blood cell-free DNA (cfDNA), according to two studies published online Jan. 27 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Mammography-Detected Breast CA Rates Increasing Over Time

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- From 1990 to 2008 there was a significant increase in mammography-detected breast cancer, which coincided with lower-stage disease detection, according to research published in the March issue of Radiology.

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Following Exercise Guidelines Is Safe During Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The safety of exercise during pregnancy according to existing public health guidelines has been reaffirmed for both mothers and their fetuses, according to research published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Endometriosis Linked to Higher Ovarian Cancer Risk

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A history of endometriosis increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, although the increased risk is restricted to specific subtypes of invasive ovarian cancer, according to a meta-analysis published online Feb. 22 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Maternal Flu Vaccine Improves Health of Unborn Child

TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccinating pregnant women against the influenza virus appears to have a significant positive effect on infant birth weight, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

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Women With MI More Likely to Present Without Chest Pain

TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Women suffering a myocardial infarction (MI) are more likely than men of the same age to present without chest pain and have higher in-hospital mortality, according to a study published in the Feb. 22 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Alcohol Dependence Significant Problem for U.S. Surgeons

TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable number of U.S. surgeons have alcohol abuse and dependence, which is more likely in those who have recently reported major errors, are burned out, and are depressed, according to a study published in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.

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X-Chromosome Gene Variant Linked to SIDS in Boys

MONDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A gene variant on the X-chromosome is associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) only in boys, particularly those who die at the ages of highest SIDS prevalence, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in Pediatrics.

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Nicotine Replacement Therapy Linked With Infantile Colic

MONDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal smoking or use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of infantile colic in offspring, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in Pediatrics.

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Pregnancy Complications Tied to CVD Later in Life

FRIDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnancy-related complications, including hypertensive disorders and diabetes, may identify women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in Circulation.

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Women With RA, Lupus Have Fewer Children Than Planned

FRIDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of young women diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have fewer children than they had hoped for, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in Arthritis Care & Research.

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Hyperuricemia Linked to Poor Maternal-Fetal Outcomes

FRIDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- During pregnancy, elevated plasma uric acid levels are associated with an increased risk of adverse fetal and maternal outcomes in women with preeclampsia or benign gestational hypertension, according to an article published in the March issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

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Ectopic Pregnancy Death Rate Spikes in Florida

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Although Florida's rate of ectopic pregnancy-related deaths was on a par with that of the rest of the nation in 2008, about 0.6 deaths per 100,000 births, the number jumped to 2.5 per 100,000 in 2009 to 2010, according to research published in the Feb. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.

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Chickens Harbor E. coli Found in Human UTIs

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Retail purchased chicken may be the source of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs) in humans, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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Female Sexual Function Improves After Lesion Surgery

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Women with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) who undergo laparoscopic excision and postoperative combined oral contraceptive (COC) therapy have improved postoperative sexual function, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

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Smoking Bans Lead to Less, Not More, Smoking at Home

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Smoke-free legislation leads to less smoking in smokers' homes, not more, according to research published online Feb. 13 in Tobacco Control.

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Thrombopoietic Cytokine Circuit Fuels Ovarian Tumor Growth

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with ovarian cancer and in a related mouse model, a paracrine loop involving increased hepatic thrombopoietin and tumor-derived interleukin-6 increases platelet counts and promotes tumor growth, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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High Levels of Genital HLA-G Linked With HIV-1 Infection

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- High genital levels of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G), a powerful modulator of the immune response, are associated with HIV-1 infection in Beninese commercial sex workers (CSWs), according to a study published online in PLoS One.

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Topical Corticosteroids Impair Restoration of Skin Barrier

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Topical corticosteroids offer a more potent anti-inflammatory effect for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), but they may impair the restoration of the skin barrier and can induce skin atrophy, making topical calcineurin inhibitors more suitable for long-term treatment of the disease, according to a study published in the March issue of Allergy.

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Inactivating Mutation in KISS1 Prevents Pubertal Progression

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- An inactivating mutation has been identified in the KISS1 gene in a consanguineous family, a mutation that results in failure of pubertal progression, according to a report published in the Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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AHA: Knowledge Gap Identified for Peripheral Artery Disease

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The American Heart Association (AHA) has updated their guidelines for the management of peripheral artery disease (PAD), specifically in women; the updated guidelines were published online Feb. 15 in Circulation.

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Cash Transfers Help Reduce HIV Infection in African Girls

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Financially empowering school-aged girls in Africa may reduce the likelihood of infection by HIV and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), according to a study published online Feb. 15 in The Lancet.

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Behavioral Therapy Safe and Effective for Hot Flashes

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Women who develop problematic hot flashes after breast cancer treatment, where hormone replacement therapy is contraindicated, see significant improvement in quality of life after receiving behavioral therapy, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in The Lancet Oncology.

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New Data Published on Safety of Leflunomide in Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- New data on birth outcomes provide some reassurance to women who are inadvertently exposed to leflunomide before or during pregnancy, according to research published online Feb. 3 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

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Pollutant Exposure Tied to Cognitive Decline in Elderly

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) (coarse PM: 2.5 to 10 µm in diameter [PM2.5-10] and fine PM: <2.5 µm in diameter [PM2.5]) is associated with faster cognitive decline in older women, according to a study published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Mediterranean Diet Linked to Healthier Brain Matter

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) is linked to a reduced burden of white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), a marker of small vessel brain damage, according to a study published in the February issue of the Archives of Neurology.

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Lynch Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk of Many Cancers

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Lynch syndrome, an inherited disorder of cancer susceptibility caused by mutations in a mismatch repair (MMR) gene, face significantly increased risks of a variety of cancers, including breast and pancreatic cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Urinary Tract Infections More Common in Obese

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Obese individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) or pyelonephritis compared with nonobese individuals, according to a study published in the February issue of Urology.

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Supplements Don't Prevent Cancer in Cardiac Patients

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Daily supplementation with B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids is not associated with improved cancer outcomes for survivors of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Fibromyalgia Symptoms More Severe in Obese Patients

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with fibromyalgia who are severely obese have more severe symptoms and lower quality of life (QOL), according to a study published in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

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Digital Colposcopy Enhances Cervical Cancer Detection

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Dynamic spectral imaging (DSI) colposcopy is more sensitive for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) in women who are human papillomavirus type 16-positive (HPV16+) than for women who are non-16 high-risk (hr) HPV+, according to a study published online Feb. 3 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

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Prenatal Vitamin D Deficit Linked to Language Impairment

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is linked to subsequent language impairment in offspring, according to a study published Feb. 13 in Pediatrics.

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Prenatal Stress May Affect Infant Immune System

FRIDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A woman's prenatal exposure to high stress and dust mite allergens may interact to affect the immune system of her offspring, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in Allergy.

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No Long-Term Impairment From Prenatal Exposure to Chemo

FRIDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- General health outcomes and central nervous system, cardiac, and auditory morbidity are not affected by fetal exposure to chemotherapy over the long term, although premature infants exposed to chemotherapy in utero experience impaired cognitive development, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Guidelines for VTE Prophylaxis in Nonsurgical Patients Issued

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- New evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have been issued for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in nonsurgical patients; the guidelines have been published in a supplement to the February issue of CHEST.

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Risk Factors Identified for Post NICU-Discharge Mortality

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Premature babies with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) are at increased risk of dying following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) if they are African-American, lack health insurance, or had a long stay in the NICU, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in The Journal of Pediatrics.

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About One-Third of U.S. Adults Receive Advice to Exercise

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. adults were more likely to receive advice to exercise or participate in physical activity in 2010 than in 2000, but such advice is currently only received by approximately one-third of all adults, according to a February data brief issued by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

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Testosterone Patches Improve Low Sexual Desire Disorder

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Evidence suggests that transdermal testosterone patches may relieve symptoms of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in postmenopausal women, according to a review published online Feb. 3 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

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Antenatal Screening for Hypothyroidism Not Beneficial

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Screening for maternal hypothyroidism, and treatment of women with positive results, is not associated with improved IQ in offspring at age 3, according to a study published in the Feb. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Chlorhexidine to Umbilical Cord Stump Reduces Newborn Mortality

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Cleaning the umbilical cord with chlorhexidine after birth significantly reduces newborn mortality and infection in rural Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to two studies published online Feb. 8 in The Lancet.

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Heart Failure Tied to Increased Osteoporotic Fracture Risk

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with heart failure have an increased risk of major osteoporotic fractures, independent of traditional risk factors and bone mineral density (BMD), according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Soy Isoflavones Don't Reduce Breast Epithelial Proliferation

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Mixed soy isoflavone supplements given over a six-month period show no significant effect in reducing the proliferation of breast cancer epithelial cells in healthy women, according to a study published in the February issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

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Cefpodoxime Not Recommended for Acute, Uncomplicated Cystitis

TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Cefpodoxime should not be used as a first-line fluoroquinolone-sparing antimicrobial for acute uncomplicated cystitis, according to a study published in the Feb. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Age Affects Risk of Death in Women With Breast Cancer

TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Among postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, increasing age is associated with a higher risk of death from breast cancer, according to a study published in the Feb. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Patients Desire Involvement in Planning Breast CA Treatment

TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with early-stage breast cancer have a desire for decisional control, which increases postconsultation, and patients who are involved in decisions have better decision-related outcomes, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Breast Cancer Prevention Drug Linked to Bone Loss

TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women receiving the aromatase inhibitor exemestane to prevent breast cancer are more likely to have bone loss, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Oral Ulipristal Acetate Controls Uterine Fibroid Bleeding

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- For women with symptomatic fibroids, a daily dose of 5 or 10 mg oral ulipristal acetate is efficacious for controlling uterine bleeding before surgery, compared with placebo or leuprolide acetate, according to two studies published in the Feb. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Pfizer Recalling 28 Lots of Oral Contraceptives

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Pfizer Inc. announced yesterday that it is voluntarily recalling specific lots of oral contraceptives upon learning of a packaging error that may put women at risk for unintended pregnancy, according to a safety alert issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Ups Hip Fracture Risk for Women

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women are at a 35 percent increased risk of hip fractures if they regularly use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and that risk increases to more than 50 percent among women with a history of smoking, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in BMJ.

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Exercise Aids Health, Well-Being of Cancer Survivors

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise is associated with improvements in physical functions and quality of life in patients who have completed cancer treatment, according to a meta-analysis published online Jan. 31 in BMJ.

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