Nov. 2005 Briefing – Obstetrics/Gynecology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Obstetrics/Gynecology for November 2005. This roundup includes the latest journal articles and updates from government agencies, including the FDA, NIH, and agencies from the UK and Canada, that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Deaths Linked to Infection After Mifepristone Abortion

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Four deaths following medically induced abortion have been attributed to endometritis and toxic shock syndrome caused by Clostridium sordellii infection, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in the Dec. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Travel Distance Affects Breast Cancer Treatment

MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The longer the distance a breast cancer patient needs to travel to receive radiation therapy, the less likely she is to undergo breast-conserving surgery combined with radiation (BCSR) rather than mastectomy, according to a study published in the January 2006 issue of Cancer.

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Twins Have Lower IQ Scores Than Their Singleton Siblings

FRIDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Twins have lower IQ scores in childhood compared to their single-born brothers and sisters, according to a study published online Nov. 18 in the British Medical Journal.

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Chronic Noise Exposure Linked to Myocardial Infarction

THURSDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The physiological effects of chronic exposure to noise are associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), according to the NaRoMI (Noise and Risk of Myocardial Infarction) study published online Nov. 24 in the European Heart Journal.

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Drug May Be Superior Therapy for Lupus Nephritis

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil may be more effective in treating lupus nephritis than the standard cyclophosphamide therapy, according to report in the Nov. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Physicians May Not Comply with Black Box Warnings

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients get prescription drugs with Black Box Warnings (BBW), but their doctors may fail to comply with safety guidelines for administering the high-risk medication, according to a study reported online in the Nov. 18 issue of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.

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Male Premature Infants at Risk for Adult Hypertension

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Males born prematurely are at higher risk for hypertension in young adulthood than males who were full-term infants, according to a report published online Nov. 21 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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'Social Bonding' Hormones Altered in Orphan Children

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The early social experience of children raised in orphanages may affect their levels of oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, two key hormones critical to social bonding, according to a study in the Nov. 22 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Prolonged Breast-Feeding Reduces Diabetes Risk

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Women who breast-feed longer may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Nov. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Radiation Boosts Pelvic Fracture Rate in Older Women

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Pelvic irradiation for cancer treatment almost doubles the risk of pelvic fracture for some female patients, according to a report in the Nov. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Clinicians Lack Confidence to Deal with Domestic Violence

MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Many community hospital clinicians lack the confidence or time to deal with domestic violence reports by their waiting room patients, according to a report published online Nov. 20 in the open access journal BMC Family Practice.

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Cancer Risk Persists in Women Who Undergo CIN Treatment

MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty years after undergoing treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), women still have an increased risk of cervical cancer, according to a study published in the Nov. 19 edition of the British Medical Journal.

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New Hampshire Infant Born with Congenital Rubella

MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A case of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) was diagnosed in an infant in New Hampshire in 2005, according to a report in the Nov. 18 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Although the case was imported, it highlights the need for physician vigilance and for vaccination of susceptible patients.

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Hostile Personality Does Not Impact Women's Heart Health

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Although epidemiological evidence suggests that healthy people with hostile personalities are at increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), having a persistently hostile personality does not affect women's long-term heart health, according to results of a population-based study published in the December issue of Heart.

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Maternal Placental Syndrome Imposes Heart Risk for Mother

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women who show signs of maternal placental syndrome before giving birth or miscarrying are two to four times as likely to develop premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life as those who do not, according to a study in the Nov. 19 issue of The Lancet.

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Women Who Exercise Have Lower Breast Cancer Risk

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A lifetime of recreational exercise is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in both black and white women, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Lifestyle Accounts for One in Three Cancer Deaths

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Nine potentially modifiable risk factors account for more than one-third of cancer deaths worldwide, according to a study published in the Nov. 19 issue of The Lancet.

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Dosing a Challenge in Bisphosphonate Therapy

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Dosing complications and other hurdles keep many women with osteoporosis from the benefits of bisphosphonate therapy, researchers reported this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego, Calif.

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Breast-Feeding May Protect Against Celiac Disease

FRIDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Breast-feeding may protect children against the development of celiac disease, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

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U.S. Endometrial Cancer Rates Higher Than Thought

THURSDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Endometrial cancer incidence rates in the United States are higher than thought because statistics have historically included women who have had hysterectomies, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. After correcting for this, the endometrial cancer rates in women with intact uteri increases 66.8% overall and 95.3% in blacks.

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Single Visit at Age 35 Cuts Cervical Cancer Risk

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A program in which women have a once-in-a-lifetime visit at age 35 for combined cervical cancer screening and treatment may be a relatively cheap and effective way to reduce cancer risk in developing nations, according to a study in the Nov. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Most screening programs require three visits, which is often unworkable in resource-poor settings.

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FDA Revises Ortho Evra Label

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised the label for the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch to warn health care providers and patients that it exposes women to higher estrogen levels than most birth control pills.

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Caesarean Deliveries at All-Time High in United States

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Caesarean deliveries in the United States rose 6% in 2004 to a record high of 29.1% of all births, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

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Placental Weight Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

TUESDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Placental weight is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Prescription Sleep Aids Can Be Risky for the Elderly

MONDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Despite "marginal" benefits, prescription sedative hypnotics put older people at increased risk of adverse events such as falls and cognitive impairment, according to a study published online in the British Medical Journal.

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Mesotherapy Linked to Outbreak of Skin Reactions

FRIDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Fourteen women in the Washington, D.C. area suffered prolonged adverse skin reactions after mesotherapy by an unlicensed provider, according to a report in the Nov. 11 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Women at High CVD Risk Treated Less Often Than Men

THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are at high risk of acute coronary syndromes are treated less aggressively than men, undergoing fewer angiographies, angioplasties and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries, according to a study in the Nov. 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Women Often Sedentary After Gestational Diabetes

THURSDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Few women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus engage in physical activity after giving birth, and targeting diabetes prevention strategies toward them may help, according to a study in the November issue of Diabetes Care.

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First-Trimester Screening Can Detect Down Syndrome

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Screening for Down syndrome at 11 weeks using three different methods produces better results than quadruple screening performed in the second trimester, according to a study in the Nov. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. However, combining the results from the first and second trimesters yields a high detection rate (more than 95%) with a low false-positive rate, the authors note.

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Cutting Maternal Allergens in Diet May Curb Colic

TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Cutting potentially allergenic foods from the maternal diet may reduce colic in breast-fed infants, according to a study in the November issue of Pediatrics.

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Study Finds Link Between Cola Intake, Hypertension

TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- There is no association between hypertension and coffee consumption in women, but consumption of colas, whether sugared or diet, is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, according to a study in the Nov. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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CDC Reports Syphilis Cases Surged in U.S. Men in 2004

TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Syphilis increased in the United States for the fourth year in a row, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, gonorrhea cases hit an all-time low in 2004, perhaps due to better testing.

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Predictive Value of Ovarian Screening Tests is Low

MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Two ovarian cancer screening methods can detect cancer but also produce many false-positives, according to a new study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. The findings are published in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Researchers Discover Why Gonorrhea Infects Humans

MONDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Neisseria gonorrhoeae can only infect humans, and now researchers think they know the reason why. A specific interaction between one of the bacteria's membrane proteins and a factor in the human complement system allows the bacteria to escape destruction, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

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Complications Differ in Forceps and Vacuum Deliveries

FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians should consider the different complication rates of forceps- and vacuum-assisted deliveries when determining the optimal delivery mode, according to a study published in the November edition of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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Pregnancy Outcomes Good After Gastric Banding in Obese

FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Obese women who undergo laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) have better outcomes in subsequent pregnancies than women who do not undergo the procedure, according to a study in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. In addition, outcomes are better post-LAGB than in their own pregnancies prior to LAGB.

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Diabetes Increases Women's Risk of Incontinence

FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes independently increases the risk of urinary incontinence in women, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

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Severe Asthma Episode May Affect Pregnancy Outcomes

FRIDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Severe exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy are associated with a lower birth weight, but only in male fetuses, according to a study in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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U.S. Leads Six-Nation Survey of Medical Errors

THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The United States leads five other developed nations in the number of medical mistakes, medication errors or inaccurate or delayed lab results, according to an international patient survey conducted by The Commonwealth Fund.

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Longer Course of Tamoxifen Reduces Heart Disease Deaths

THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen for five years have a lower risk of dying of coronary heart disease than their counterparts treated with tamoxifen for only two years, according to a study published in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Up to 17 Bacteria Species Found in Bacterial Vaginosis

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A detailed genetic analysis of bacterial vaginosis suggests that patients can have up to 17 different bacterial species versus an average of three to four in healthy women, according to a report in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition, three species of the Clostridiales order are highly specific to the infection, and many of the bacteria are new species that have not been previously identified.

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Alcohol Intake Linked to Risk of ER-Positive Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women who drink alcohol are at greater risk of developing estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer than abstainers, but there is no association with ER-negative breast cancer, according to a study in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Detection Bias May Skew Familial Cancer Risk Rates

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- When one family member is diagnosed with cancer, an increased surveillance of relatives may lead to an overestimation of familial risk due to detection bias, according to a study in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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FDA Announces New Electronic Drug Labels

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Under regulations effective Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require drug manufacturers to submit package insert or labels to the federal agency in a new electronic format known as the structured product labeling (SPL).

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Single-Visit Pap Test, Treatment Yields Good Results

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income women are more likely to get treatment and return for follow-up after an abnormal Pap test result if testing and treatment are combined into a single visit, according to a study in the Nov. 2 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Gamma-Linolenic Acid Inhibits Breast Cancer Gene In Vitro

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a substance found in primrose oil, inhibits the Her-2/neu gene in cultured breast cancer cells, according to research in the Nov. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Paclitaxel Reduces Fibrosis in Animal Model of Scleroderma

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Low-dose paclitaxel is effective in treating fibrosis in a mouse model of human scleroderma, according to a report in the December issue of the Public Library of Science Medicine. The study may provide insight into the nature of the disease.

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