OB GYN News back issues from July 2006:
Heed precursors of postpartum suicide.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... SEATTLE -- The risk of a maternal postpartum suicide attempt increases more than threefold after a fetal or infant death, findings of a large case-control study show. An analysis linking Washington state hospital records to detailed state-mandated fetal birth and death data for ...
Osteoporotic fracture-associated costs expected to rise by 49%.(VITAL SIGNS)
Jul 01, 2006 ... <Pre> Osteoporotic Fracture-Associated Costs Expected to Rise by 49% (in billions) 2005 $16.9 2010 $18.7 2015 $20.4 2020 $22.4 2025 $25.3 Note: Costs were not ...
HER2+ breast ca mortality lowered with trastuzumab: 'the risk of cardiac toxicity remains low.'.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- New results from the international Herceptin Adjuvant (HERA) trial show that taking trastuzumab for 12 months after standard chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of death for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer patients. At a median follow-up of 2 years, ...
Normal glucose levels in pregnancy may run low.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Normative values for mean blood glucose levels during the first trimester may be much lower than what has been reported previously, Dr. Yariv Yogev reported at the 20th European Congress of Perinatal Medicine. This lower-than-expected glycemic profile may suggest new ...
Study casts doubt on notion of 'chemobrain'.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... CHICAGO -- There was no association between the use of chemotherapy in women with breast cancer and a subsequent dementia diagnosis in the first study to rely on a large, retrospective population-based claims database. Several studies have reported an increase in cognitive ...
HSV-2 is deemed not a cofactor in cervical cancer.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- Herpes simplex virus-2 does not appear to be a cofactor of human papillomavirus in the development of cervical cancer, Dr. Manuela Zereu reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is well established as an ...
Early-stage breast ca patients often lack vitamin D.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- Vitamin D deficiency appears to be common in the northeastern United States among premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, Dr. Dawn Hershman reported in a poster session at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Vitamin D levels ...
HIV-blocking contraceptive gel in phase II trials.(News)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Cellulose sulfate, a new vaginal gel that is being developed as both a contraceptive and as a means of preventing human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections, is as effective as nonoxynol-9 in preventing pregnancy, and also appears to be safer, ...
Obesity disparity: a Latino MD's view.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Ever wonder why it is that so many people are obese in America? As the epidemic grows, it is clear there are many factors that affect it, not the least of which are our exercise and eating habits. While the epidemic involves all ethnic groups in the United States, it is far more pronounced ...
Should physicians communicate with patients via e-mail?(POINT-COUNTERPOINT)
Jul 01, 2006; ... E-mail Offers Advantages E-mail opens up the bandwidth of communication with our patients. With this medium, patients can initiate contact 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at their convenience, and physicians can reply at a time most convenient for them. Unlike telephone ...
Epidurals can aid parturients with aortic stenosis.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Maintaining hemodynamic stability is particularly important in the anesthetic management of parturients with aortic stenosis, and the use of a slowly titrated epidural or combined spinal-epidural with a reduced spinal anesthesia dose appears to provide this stability in ...
Preeclampsia may compound growth restriction.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Preeclampsia may significantly worsen some perinatal outcomes in growth-restricted infants, according to a review of infants born to mothers with and without preeclampsia. In a study of growth-restricted neonates born at a gestational age older than 24 weeks, 25 ...
Operative delivery not tied to risk of cervical laceration.(Obstetrics)(research)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- The use of forceps and vacuum did not increase the risk for cervical laceration among patients who had vaginal deliveries performed at a large community hospital, according to a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ....
Few women want a second elective cesarean.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Very few women in their first pregnancy appear to request an elective cesarean section but when they do, few would do it again, according to a study of nearly 400 German and U.S. women presented at the 20th European Congress of Perinatal Medicine. In a prospective ...
Hopes rise for screening tests for preeclampsia.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- New insights into the patho-physiologic changes of preeclampsia that occur in the placenta are helping researchers to develop potential early screening tests for the disease using biomarkers in maternal blood, Dr. Wolfgang Holzgreve said at the 20th European Congress of Perinatal ...
Remifentanil may be safe labor analgesia option.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Remifentanil was found to be effective and safe for labor analgesia in a small randomized controlled study, Dr. Mrinalini Balki reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. A total of 15 women were randomized to ...
Private ob.gyns. less adherent to C-section criteria.(Obstetrics)(private physician practices)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2006; ... ORLANDO -- Hospital teaching staff was more likely to adhere to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' guidelines for scheduling cesarean deliveries than were physicians in private practice, according to a retrospective chart review, Dr. M. Ryan Laye said at the annual ...
Weigh fetal exposure risks against undertreating: the impact of prenatal exposure to untreated mental illness should not be underestimated.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... TORONTO -- Physicians weighing the risks versus benefits of medicating nonobstetric conditions during pregnancy should consider that their dilemma is not one of fetal exposure versus nonexposure, according to Dr. Zachary N. Stowe, a psychiatrist and director of the Women's Mental Health ...
Pregnancy as 'stress test' could predict future CV health risks.(Obstetrics)
Jul 01, 2006; ... TORONTO -- Pregnancy could be viewed as a type of cardiovascular "stress test" that could uncover previously silent risk factors for future cardiovascular problems, according to Carl H. Hubel, Ph.D. "Studying women during pregnancy may facilitate the identification of ...
Yoga gets results during radiation for breast ca.(Gynecology)(benefits)
Jul 01, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- Participation in a yoga program during breast cancer treatment is feasible and may improve quality of life, Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The study, designed mainly to examine the feasibility of ...
Cosmetic light therapy minimizes radiation dermatitis in ca patients.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... BOSTON -- A light-based therapy commonly used in cosmetic dermatology minimizes the occurrence and symptom intensity of radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment, according to the results of a recent investigation. The preventive therapy not only ...
Dietary flavonoids may cut breast, ovarian cancer risk.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Postmenopausal women who consumed higher amounts of the types of flavonoids found in tea and strawberries showed a decreased risk of breast cancer, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Breast cancer risk ...
Study backs OCs as aid in acute uterine bleeding.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Oral medroxyprogesterone acetate and oral contraceptives are equally effective in stopping nonges-tational acute uterine bleeding, according to a small randomized controlled trial presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ...
Low-dose estrogens effective for hot flashes.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- A 0.45-mg daily dose of synthetic conjugated estrogens-A improves moderate to severe menopausal vasomotor symptoms, compared with placebo, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The results ...
Nonhormonal Tx for hot flashes rated not so hot.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Despite avid interest in finding nonhormonal therapies for menopausal hot flashes, most alternative treatments have demonstrated only limited efficacy, and their safety remains in question, according to a systematic review of the literature. Dr. Heidi D. Nelson and her ...
Combo OC use in factor V Leiden not advised.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006; ... BOSTON -- Estrogen-containing oral contraceptives appear to greatly increase the relative risk of venous thromboembolism among women with the factor V Leiden genetic mutation, according to a recent review by the World Health Organization. Asked if they would prescribe ...
Long-term freezing doesn't harm embryos: in one case, twins resulted from an embryo stored 11.8 years by a donor aged 38 years at storage time.(Gynecology)(research)
Jul 01, 2006; ... INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. -- Successful pregnancies and deliveries have resulted from donated embryos that had been frozen for more than 10 years, raising questions about arbitrary deadlines for unused embryos to be destroyed. Researchers at the Cooper Center for In-Vitro ...
Survey elicits couples' views on donating unused embryos.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006 ... INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. -- Just over half of the couples donating unused embryos from in vitro fertilization procedures consider the embryos to be "completely different from children." Indeed, many say they view the process as similar to donating blood or organs, according to a ...
Methotrexate may cut oocyte yield after ectopic pregnancy.(Gynecology)
Jul 01, 2006 ... INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. -- Methotrexate is a safe and effective alternative to surgery for ectopic pregnancy; however, it may temporarily interfere with the success of fertility treatment, Dr. Janet McLaren reported at the annual meeting of the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society. ...
Test can rule out bladder cancer in hematuria.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PARIS -- The noninvasive NMP22 BladderChek assay gives primary care physicians a way to screen asymptomatic patients with hematuria for bladder cancer during office visits, Dr. H. Barton Grossman said at the annual congress of the European Association of Urology. "At least in ...
Antidepressant use may help bring on diabetes.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Frequent antidepressant use may be associated with the development of type 2 diabetes, according to a post hoc subanalysis of patients in the randomized Diabetes Prevention Program trial. This is the first reported instance of an increased risk of diabetes ...
Depression linked to high-risk sexual behavior in adolescents.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... BOSTON -- Adolescent boys and girls with symptoms of depression are more likely than their nondepressed peers to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, results of a recent study have shown. These findings fuel arguments in favor of expanding depression prevention, screening, and ...
Fibromyalgia patients, siblings are extra sensitive to pain.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... SAN ANTONIO -- Women with fibromyalgia and their siblings experience a generalized sensitivity to pain and lower levels of serum serotonin, according to new research. These are the preliminary results of an ongoing study, said Dr. Laurence A. Bradley, who presented the study at ...
Antibiotic prescribing patterns vary by specialty.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... NICE, FRANCE -- Family practitioners prescribe penicillins most often, whereas ob.gyns. prescribe nitrofurans more frequently than any other specialty. These are some of the findings from a 3-year study examining prescribing patterns of oral antibiotics by physician specialty in ...
Antidepressant benefit may show within 2 weeks.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... TORONTO -- Most clinical recommendations advise that patients who start an antidepressant be given 4-6 weeks to see whether they respond and have improvement. But an analysis of more than 5,000 patients treated in clinical trials with a variety of antidepressants suggests that ...
Monthly ibandronate superior to daily dosing.(Clinical Rounds)
Jul 01, 2006; ... CHICAGO -- A 2-year analysis has shown that once-monthly ibandronate provides bone mineral density increases in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis superior to those seen with the proven daily dose. Previously reported 1-year results from the Monthly Oral Ibandronate in ...
S. Dakota faces abortion referendum.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Jul 01, 2006; ... The question of whether South Dakota's recently passed abortion ban will stand is likely to be decided by the voters. A coalition called the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families submitted more than 38,000 signatures to refer the state abortion ban to the ballot in November, exceeding ...
Harvard launches stem cell project.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Scientists at Harvard University and Children's Hospital Boston have been given the green light to begin research using somatic cell nuclear transfer in an effort to develop treatments for diabetes, blood disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. The research, which will involve human ...
Women and medical research.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Jul 01, 2006; ... More than 60% of women age 50 years and older who have participated in a medical research study would "definitely" or "probably" do it again, according to a survey released by the Society for Women's Health Research. The group commissioned the national telephone survey of more than 1,000 ...
Postpartum depression targeted.(POLICY & PRACTICE)
Jul 01, 2006; ... A new bill, introduced in the U.S. Senate last month, aims to help find the cause and the cure for postpartum depression. The legislation would award grants to states to educate and screen new mothers for postpartum depression and support programs that assist women with postpartum ...
FDA infected by politics, most think.(Food and Drug Administration)(surveys )(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2006; ... A majority of Americans--82%--believe the Food and Drug Administration is greatly influenced by politics when making decisions about the safety and efficacy of new prescription drugs, according to a Wall Street Journal online Harris Interactive poll. The finding was similar across parties, ...
AMA delegates back health insurance mandate.(Practice Trends)
Jul 01, 2006; ... CHICAGO -- Individual health insurance mandates, direct-to-consumer advertising, and store-based health clinics topped the list of issues addressed at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates. On the heels of Massachusetts' new mandate that all ...
Systems issues contribute to malpractice claims, Risk Management executive says.(Practice Trends)
Jul 01, 2006; ... PHILADELPHIA -- There are just as many systems failures at the root of malpractice cases as individual errors or negligence, Dr. Luke Sato said at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians. For example, the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical ...
Coping with the loss of a spouse.(death of spouse)(Obituary)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Dr. Marco Coppola was just 33 years old when he lost his wife, Dr. Margaret J. Karnes, to breast cancer on May 4, 1997. The couple had been married almost 7 years. "I used to think that it would be easier for me to have gone through a divorce, because I would think 'she's alive, ...
Community health centers starving for staffing.(Practice Trends)(understaffing)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Community health centers are currently clinically understaffed and will likely face increasing shortages that may limit their expansion, according to a study by the rural health research centers of both the University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of South Carolina, Columbia, ...
The changing approach to preterm labor.(infant mortality)
Jul 01, 2006; ... Preterm delivery accounts for a significant component of infant mortality in the world. In this, the United States has not been spared; in fact, our country ranks a dismal 21st internationally in infant mortality, with prematurity as a major contributor. Historically, obstetrics ...
The role of infection.(MASTER CLASS)
Jul 01, 2006 ... Dr. E. Albert Reece: How important is infection as a mechanism of disease in premature labor? Dr. Roberto Romero: Intrauterine and systemic infections are a leading cause of spontaneous preterm labor and delivery. Indeed, infections and inflammation are the only mechanisms of ...
Gardasil vote wins ACOG's approval.(Gynecology)
Jul 15, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- The quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine should be given to all girls aged 11-12, and to all females aged 13-26 who have not been previously vaccinated, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted at its June ...
More than 1,500 products have received orphan status since 1983.(VITAL SIGNS)
Jul 15, 2006 ... More Than 1,500 Products Have Received Orphan Status Since 1983 Note: Of these products, more than 200 have been approved for ...
Preeclampsia trial pegs risk factors for SGA neonates: VIP trial data also show additive aspects.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... LISBON -- Smoking, high blood pressure, advanced maternal age, history of preeclampsia, and lack of folate supplementation all boosted the risk of small-for-gestational-age neonates, based on data collected in the Vitamins in Preeclampsia trial. Another new analysis of results ...
Paroxetine exposure may not raise birth defect risk.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Despite last year's warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding increased risks of congenital anomalies in fetuses exposed to paroxetine, a new prospective study suggests the risks may not be increased, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the ...
Higher survival rate after pregnancy in breast ca patients under age 35.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- Young women who became pregnant after breast cancer treatment were significantly less likely to have a recurrence or to die of the disease, according to a French retrospective study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Remy ...
Experimental drug slows HER2-positive cancer.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- The investigational drug lapatinib slows disease progression in women with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer that has become resistant to targeted therapy with trastuzumab. Lapatinib (Tykerb) nearly doubled the time to recurrence for heavily ...
First-trimester bleeding in ART tied to poor prognosis.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- First-trimester bleeding in a singleton pregnancy conceived through assisted reproductive technologies carries a poor obstetric prognosis even when it does not spontaneously abort, reported Dr. Eva Verschueren of University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium. Moreover, the ...
Age, race, socioeconomic factors increase risk of T. vaginalis.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... JACKSONVILLE, FLA. -- First sex between ages 9 years and 15 years, lower socioeconomic status, and lower education levels are significantly associated with presence of Trichomonas vaginalis, according to the first report of T. vaginalis from a nationally representative sample of women in ...
Thyroid disease a possible risk factor for craniosynostosis.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... TUCSON, ARIZ. -- Maternal thyroid disease or its treatment may increase the risk of craniosynostosis in offspring by nearly threefold, preliminary results from an ongoing study suggest. The finding is important because thyroid disease is the second most common endocrinopathy, ...
Thrombophilia doesn't affect preeclampsia rate in later pregnancies.(News)
Jul 15, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Women who have preeclampsia in their first pregnancy are less likely to experience it in subsequent pregnancies even if thrombophilia develops, Dr. Birgit Arabin reported at the 20th European Congress of Perinatal Medicine. The concept of screening for thrombophilia in ...
When can I retire?(opinions)(Statistical data)
Jul 15, 2006; ... Retirement seems to be on a lot of readers' minds these days, and one of the more common questions I'm receiving is, "How will I know when I've accumulated enough money to safely retire?" It's good that more physicians are turning their attention to this issue, because the road ...
Studies of vaginal, cesarean deliveries are a wash: trials often reach opposing results and have failed to compare elective C-section vs. planned vaginal birth.(Obstetrics)
Jul 15, 2006; ... PRAGUE -- Neither elective cesarean section nor planned vaginal birth has yet been convincingly shown to provide the lower rate of perinatal and maternal complications in studies. Most trials have not been randomized, have often reached opposing results, and have not compared ...
Preterm birth diminishes child's survival, reproductive capacity.(Obstetrics)(research study)
Jul 15, 2006; ... MIAMI BEACH -- Individuals born preterm have diminished short- and long-term survival, as well as diminished reproductive capacity, and women born preterm are at increased risk of giving birth to their own offspring preterm, an analysis of data from a large birth registry suggests. ...
Combined spinal-epidural faster than continuous epidural in PCA.(Obstetrics)(patient-controlled analgesia )(Statistical data)
Jul 15, 2006; ... HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- The addition of spinal analgesia to a routine walking epidural patient-controlled analgesia regimen shortened the time to pain relief in a randomized study. In the study of 136 patients who were randomized to receive a combined spinal-epidural (CSE) regimen or ...
Lamotrigine exposure linked to oral clefts.(Obstetrics)
Jul 15, 2006; ... After several years of little indication that lamotrigine was linked to specific birth defects, a major pregnancy registry has found a significant increase in the risk of oral clefts associated with first-trimester use of lamotrigine monotherapy. Data from the North American ...
A clinician's approach to anticonvulsants.(DRUGS, PREGNANCY, AND LACTATION)
Jul 15, 2006; ... Historically, lithium has been a mainstay of treatment for bipolar disorder. However, over the last decade, anticonvulsant drugs such as sodium valproate and lamotrigine (Lamictal) have become more widely used to treat this disorder. The use of lithium in the first trimester is ...
Gabapentin no boost to venlafaxine for hot flashes.(Gynecology)
Jul 15, 2006; ... ATLANTA -- Adding gabapentin to venlafaxine does not augment the effectiveness of the antidepressant to control hot flashes, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Separate, previously reported, randomized, controlled ...
Vitamin D from diet or sun curbs breast ca risk.(Gynecology)
Jul 15, 2006; ... WASHINGTON -- Women who get plenty of vitamin D, especially early in life, are less likely to develop breast cancer than women who get smaller amounts of the vitamin, according to data from two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. ...