The new research links regular dental imaging to one of the most common types of brain tumors and suggests adults who were regularly exposed to X-rays in the past, before dosages were lowered, might have an especially pronounced risk.

For the new study, scheduled to be published online on Tuesday in the the American Cancer Society’s journal Cancer, researchers examined data from more than 1,400 patients who had been diagnosed with meningioma: This is a type of tumor that grows in membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and generally is noncancerous, but can lead to headaches, vision and memory problems and loss of speech and motor control. The researchers compared those individuals to more than 1,300 adults who were tumor-free.

Adults who developed brain tumors were more than twice as likely to say that they had bitewing X-rays yearly, if not more frequently, according to the findings. Bitewing X-rays, which require patients to bite down on an X-ray film holder, show the crowns of the upper and lower teeth at the same time.

The researchers also found a link between the tumors and panorex dental exams, which use an X-ray outside the mouth to take a broad image of a patient’s full mouth and are often used to look at problems such as infections and fractures. The increased risk of meningioma was particularly pronounced among individuals who were younger than 10 when they received the exam.

Dr. John B. Ludlow, a professor of oral and maxillofacial radiology at the University of North Carolina who was not associated with the study, said that it revealed a statistical association between a history of dental X-rays and meningiomas that he called “thought provoking, if not sobering.”

He cautioned, however, that dental techniques have changed over the years.

“Given the relatively long time frame between exposure to ionizing radiation and appearance of sold tumor cancers, most of the cases in the [study] received dental x-ray exposures two or more decades prior to the appearance of a tumor,” Ludlow stated in an email to The Huffington Post. In the past, the film was slower, meaning patients underwent X-ray radiation for a longer time, while newer units have reduced exposure in other ways, he said.

“It is important to keep diagnostic imaging risks in perspective,” Ludlow said.

The American Dental Association, the world’s largest national dental society, says that the number of times the average person undergoes X-rays depends on a slew of factors, including their age, risk for disease and overall oral health. Its guidelines for dentists, last revised in 2004, state that practitioners must weigh the benefits of taking X-rays against the risk of exposure — with the effects accumulating over time.

“My view is if an X-ray is necessary for medical treatment, then one should go ahead and get that X-ray,” said Dr. Keith L. Black, chairman and professor in the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The current study is not the first to look at the possible association but is among the largest and best designed, he said.

“If I was going to get a root canal and I needed an X-ray, for example, I would get one,” Black said, claiming that he regularly refuses imaging at the dentist’s office. “But the reflex to get one every year is overexposing one to X-rays. And these are going to the base of the brain, toward the base of the skull.”

The new findings are important because dental X-rays are the most common source of exposure to ionizing radiation among residents of the United States, according to the study’s authors. And while they write that full-mouth and bitewing X-rays are associated with lower levels of exposure than other types of medical imaging, the No. 1 environmental — and generally modifiable — risk factor for meningioma is exposure to ionizing radiation.

“It’s hard to define a threshold because it’s very complex frequency and dosing equations go into that,” Black said. “We just need to be more aware of the risk and try to limit the use.”

Catherine Pearson | April 10, 2012 | Huffpo |

We wish him a prompt recovery and we all pray that he returns to the pitch to do what he loved to do: play football.

According to medical doctors, Muamba suffered from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopthy, also known as HCM. What it is exactly? read below:

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Courtesy ADAM Encyclopedia

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thick. The thickening makes it harder for blood to leave the heart, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often asymmetrical, meaning one part of the heart is thicker than the other parts. The condition is usually passed down through families (inherited). It is believed to be a result of several problems (defects) with the genes that control heart muscle growth.

Younger people are likely to have a more severe form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, the condition is seen in people of all ages.

Symptoms

Chest pain

Dizziness

Fainting, especially during exercise

Heart failure (in some patients)

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Light-headedness, especially with or after activity or exercise

Sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)

Shortness of breath

Other symptoms that may occur are:

Fatigue, reduced activity tolerance

Shortness of breath when lying down

Some patients have no symptoms. They may not even realize they have the condition until it is found during a routine medical exam.

The first symptom of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy among many young patients is sudden collapse and possible death. This is caused by very abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), or from the blockage of blood leaving the heart to the rest of the body.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a major cause of death in young athletes who seem completely healthy but die during heavy exercise. However, certain normal changes in athletes’ hearts can confuse the diagnosis.

Signs and tests

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and listen to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Listening with a stethoscope may reveal abnormal heart sounds or a murmur. These sounds may change with different body positions.

The pulse in your arms and neck will also be checked. The doctor may feel an abnormal heartbeat in the chest.

Tests used to diagnose heart muscle thickness, problems with blood flow, or leaky heart valves (mitral valve regurgitation) may include:

24-hour Holter monitor (heart monitor)

Cardiac catheterization

Chest x-ray

ECG

Echocardiography (the most common test) with Doppler ultrasound

MRI of the heart

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)

Not all of these tests are useful for evaluating all of these conditions.

Blood tests may be done to rule out other possible diseases.

If you are diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, your health care provider may recommend that your close blood relatives (family members) be screened for the condition.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to control symptoms and prevent complications. Some patients may need to stay in the hospital until the condition is under control (stabilized).

If you have symptoms, you may need medication to help the heart contract and relax correctly. Some medications used include beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, which may reduce chest pain and other symptoms, particularly with exercise. Medications will often relieve symptoms so patients do not need more invasive treatments.

Some people with arrhythmias may need anti-arrhythmic medications. If the arrhythmia is due to atrial fibrillation, blood thinners may also be used to reduce the risk of blood clots.

Some patients may have a permanent pacemaker placed. However, pacemakers are used less often today than they were in the past.

When blood flow out of the heart is severely blocked, an operation called surgical myectomy may be done. This procedure cuts and removes a portion of the thickened part of the heart. Patients who have this procedure often show significant improvement. If the heart’s mitral valve is leaking, surgery may be done to repair or replace the valve.

In some cases, patients may be given an injection of alcohol into the arteries that feed the thickened part of the heart (alcohol septal ablation), essentially causing a controlled heart attack.

An implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) may be needed to prevent sudden death. ICDs are used in high-risk patients. High risks include:

Drop in blood pressure during exercise

Family history of cardiac arrest

History of cardiac arrest or ventricular tachycardia

History of unexplained fainting

Life-threatening heart rhythms on a Holter monitor

Severe heart muscle thickness

Expectations (prognosis)

Some people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may not have symptoms and live a normal lifespan. Others may get worse gradually or rapidly. The condition may develop into a dilated cardiomyopathy in some patients.

People with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are at higher risk for sudden death than the normal population. Sudden death can occur at a young age.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a well-known cause of sudden death in athletes. Almost half of deaths in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy happen during or just after the patient has done some type of physical activity.

If you have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, always follow your doctor’s advice concerning exercise and medical appointments. Patients are sometimes advised to avoid strenuous exercise.

Complications

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Heart failure

Life-threatening heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias)

Severe injury from fainting

Calling your health care provider

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if:

You have any symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

You develop chest pain, palpitations, faintness, or other new or unexplained symptoms

Prevention

If you are diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, your health care provider may recommend that your close blood relatives (family members) be screened for the condition.

Some patients with mild forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are only diagnosed by screening echocardiograms because of their known family history.

If you have high blood pressure, make sure you take your medication and follow your doctor’s recommendations.

References

Maron BJ. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Zipes DP, Libby P, Bonow RO, Braunwald E, eds.Braunwald’s Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2007:chap 65.
Wexler RK, Elton T, Pleister A, Feldman D. Cardiomyopathy: An overview. Am Fam Physician. 2009;79:778-784.
Bernstein D. Diseases of the myocardium. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 439.

Review Date: 5/17/2010.

Reviewed by: Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

to read more, visit the website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001243/

A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia.

A member of a support group for women living with HIV shares her story with UNITAID Chair Philippe Douste-Blazy. (This is not Beatrice).

Beatrice didn’t want us to take her picture. Neither did she want me to use her real name. Most of her friends and family don’t even know she’s HIV positive — the stigma here against people living with HIV is strong. Still, she was brave enough to tell her story to a room of journalists and health officials, including the chair of UNITAID, Philippe Douste-Blazy.

Beatrice is 30 years old and the proud mother of a 13-year-old and devastatingly cute 16-month-old baby. In 2002, Beatrice was diagnosed HIV-positive. She quickly went on anti-retroviral treatments, which for her meant taking two pills once a day. Every month, she would travel to the local health center to pick up the medicines. She stuck with that routine for eight years. But after she delivered her second baby — who was healthy and HIV-negative — she decided to stop her treatment. As she tells it, she was feeling perfectly fine and didn’t see the need to keep up with her routine.

That turned out to be a very big mistake.

Two months after she quit her treatment, she fell very ill. Skipping two months of ARV treatments raises the possibility that the virus may develop a resistance to the medicine. That is exactly what happened to Beatrice. Her doctor told her that if she wanted to live, she would need to go on so-called “second-line” ARVs.

She was able to get on the second line drugs, and after one month she began feeling better. But instead of taking two pills a day, she now has to take six. If she develops resistance to the second line, the results could be catastrophic. Third-line drugs, while they do exist, are not available in Cameroon. If for some reason she misses a month or two of treatment, the virus could become effectively untreatable.

Beatrice is committed to her second-line drug regimen, but circumstances outside her control could interrupt her treatments. In Cameroon, “stock outs” of drug supplies are an ever present threat. Beatrice lives with the stress that she may miss a treatment through no fault of her own. She fears what that might mean for her children.

Beatrice’s story is moving on a personal level. But as a public health challenge, her circumstance illustrates a huge gap in the way governments and donors have historically approached people living with HIV. The second-line drugs that Beatrice takes daily are several orders of magnitude more expensive than traditional, first-line ARV treatments. The problem is that as more people access first-line treatment, there will be more opportunities for people to develop resistance to that first line. Donors and governments in the developing world simply can’t afford that kind of outlay.

It costs about $70 to $100 dollars per patient per year for first-line ARV treatment in the developing world, but $700 to $1,000 per patient per year for second-line treatment. For resource-poor countries, the costs of expensive, second-line drugs is a huge barrier to providing care. Here in Cameroon, there are about 95,000 people on ARVs, about 5 percent of whom are on second-line treatment.

The government estimates that there is a further 150,000 people who could be on treatment but are not because they do not know their HIV status. As the government and NGOs get better at reaching HIV-positive people with treatment, the number of people who will require second- and third-line treatments may sharply increase. If you count on a first-line treatment failure rate of about 5 percent, that means the sum that government and donors would have to set aside for second-line treatment would be impossibly high.

UNITAID Chair Philippe Douste-Blazy at a drug warehouse in Yaounde, Cameroon

This is where UNITAID comes in.
One of the reasons that the costs of second- and third-line treatments are so high is that the drug manufactures hold expensive patents on the drugs. On the one hand, this is reasonable enough: drug manufacturers invest a great deal into R&D and deserve a decent return on their investment. On the other hand, if costs don’t come down, several thousand people living with HIV who require second-line treatment will not be able to access it.

UNITAID’s brand new “patent pool” seeks to bridge the moral imperative to provide low-cost drugs to patients and drug companies’ need to see a return on their investments. Drug companies who participate in the patent pool hand over their patents to UNITAID, which makes those patents available to generic drug manufacturers. Part of the deal is that the generic drugs can only be sold in lower-income countries, which helps to preserve the value of the patent. UNITAID then pays a modest royalty to the original patent holders. The fees that the patent holder receives are smaller than what they would otherwise earn on the sale of their drugs in rich countries, but the patent pool opens markets for their drugs where it would otherwise not exist. The difference is between receiving a small royalty or simply being priced out of the market entirely.

The pool was officially launched last month when Gilead Sciences turned four HIV drug patents over to UNITAID. They need other major drug manufacturers like GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson and Johnson to get on board if it is going to really work.

This is a tall order, but it could mean the difference of several thousand lives that would otherwise be needlessly wasted.

Mark Leon Goldberg | August 31, 2011 | Writer for UN Dispatch

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Michèle Akono went to the blood bank and she was handed a tube: “We need a blood sample from the patient to run tests”, the nurses said. The results showed that the patient’s blood group was O+. The nurse then explained the procedure: 500ml of blood require at least two donors and the costs are 15,000 CFA francs. “We don’t sell blood”, she added. “The money is for the chemical agents used in testing the blood. Before the transfusion, we need to check that donors are compatible and healthy.” These tests are even subsidised by the state, otherwise they would could more than 50,000 CFA francs.

There wasn’t not enough blood available and Michèle Akono had to look for other potential donors. She donated her own blood to a patient and called the patient’s father. Almost five hours later, Michèle finally acquired the blood and returned to the hospital.

Not enough donors

Although Michèle Akono managed to save her niece, a nurse from the hospital’s emergency services explains that many other patients, “especially accident victims”, die in Cameroon due to the lack of blood. She adds: “We don’t always have the contact details of family members and there is no blood reserve”.

Doctor Thérèse Nkoa, Head of Transfusion Safety at the Ministry of Public Health, reveals that Cameroon does not have a blood reserve because there are no voluntary donors. “Cameroonians do not have the culture of donating blood“, she says.

Rosine Medjo, who has been working as a nurse at the blood bank for four years, shares this experience. “When people come to donate blood, they want some financial compensation in return”. The nurse adds that she has seen many patients refusing to receive a blood transfusion from a stranger. Added to this, is that the frequent power cuts make the conservation of blood difficult.

During World blood donation day some organisations have launched sensitisation and blood collection campaigns, but mindsets are slow to change.

RNW | 19 June 2011 | Radio Netherlands Worldwide (Hilversum)|

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A research study of more than 1,700 at-risk couples has found that people with HIV who start taking antiretroviral drugs early can dramatically reduce the danger of passing the virus on to their partners.

This report comes two days after a study was published on an experimental vaccine which has controlled the AIDS infection in monkeys for over a year.

The study could contribute to an AIDS vaccine for humans.

Video:

Khadija Magardie | Friday, 13 May 2011 | Al Jazeera |

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I’ll cover the most common causes of hair loss in black women. And I will discuss treatment methods. In all cases, you should make sure you that you’re getting the proper nutrients for healthy hair in the form of vitamins and supplements (last page). And in some cases of hair loss you will have to see a doctor from prescription medication so that your condition doesn’t worsen or become permanent.

The thing to remember is that if you’re a black woman experiencing thinning hair or hair loss, you should take the time to read up on this information, and start taking the necessary steps now to restore your hair back to its full and healthy state. Here is the black woman’s guide to hair loss:

Traction Alopecia

This type of hair loss is seen around the hairline, especially around the temples and above the ears. How does it happen? It is the result of tight hairstyles- i.e. tight weaves, braids and ponytails. How is it treated? Fortunately, this type of hair loss is reversible in the initial stages. And treatments include: refraining from the same hairstyles that caused the hair loss, as well as over the counter supplements (vitamin b complex, biotin, vitamin c, e and zinc) and topical minoxidil (Rogaine).

Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA)

This type of hair loss was once called “hot-comb alopecia,” and most women with this condition will initially notice hair thinning at the  “crown” of the head that eventually spreads. How does it happen? It is most often the result of excessive heat styling and chemical processing (i.e. relaxers). How is it treated? CCCA is an inflammatory-like condition, so the best treatments are medical. In addition to taking vitamins, you will have to see a doctor who will most likely prescribe anti-inflammatories (i.e. prescription strength cortisone) and other medications to be applied topically or injected directly into the scalp.

Androgenetic Alopecia

This type of hair loss is often called “female-pattern baldness” where women will also notice thinning at the “crown” of the head with the rest of the hair spared. How does it happen? It is a hereditary condition. How is it treated? You will have to see your doctor for effective treatments which may include prescription level medications, which may also include hormonal therapy. This type of hair loss is also treated with over the counter medications like topical minoxidil (Rogaine).

Hormonal Hair Loss

As we age, it’s natural for our hair to experience changes like increased shedding and slow growth. But in women, some hormonal changes that can trigger unhealthy hair loss include: menopause, thyroid conditions, and pregnancy. How is this treated? Depending on the cause, this type of hair loss can be treated with estrogen therapy, thyroid medication, and/or vitamins and nutritional supplements. So make sure you always get regular medical checkups to fully assess your overall health. This way, if your hair loss is the result of a hormonal imbalance, you can have the issue addressed right away.

Are you a woman currently experiencing or who has experienced hair loss due to any of the above reasons?

What treatment(s) did you use, and did it work?
Dr Phoenix| Friday, May 13, 2011| MN|

Liked this article and want to know more about our writer Dr. Phoenyx Austin? Well show her some love on her Facebook fan page. Known for her gorgeous natural tresses and flawless skin, Dr. Phoenyx is a physician, writer, and media personality who offers information on hair and skin care. She has been featured in Essence and encourages all women to embrace and showcase their natural beauty.

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Only around two per cent of all research articles produced by the United States, the biggest producer of HIV/AIDS studies, are about HIV/AIDS, according to the study in Scientometrics. Such studies take up less than two per cent of the total publication output of most European countries, and just 0.5 per cent of Japan’s output.

By contrast, 5.5 per cent of South Africa’s research effort goes towards HIV/AIDS – mainly clinical medicine and social studies. This is six times as much as expected given its size, but still only around three per cent of the global total.

Globally HIV/AIDS research was on the rise until 1995, and has since levelled out at around 8,000 articles per year. This compares, for example, with 30,000 papers on cancer research.

At the AIDS Vaccine 2010 conference in the United States last month (28 September-1 October), Alan Berstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, said the money going into HIV/AIDS research had decreased because of the economic downturn and competing global health priorities.

Anastassios Pouris, director of the Institute for Technological Innovation at the University of Pretoria and co-author of the study, told SciDev.Net that the levelling out of HIV/AIDS publications started in 1996 when highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) reduced death rates in developed countries.

But while South African HIV/AIDS research output is on the rise, there is “no way” South African researchers can resolve the HIV/AIDS issue on their own, Pouris said. HIV/AIDS has to an extent become mainly a developing world concern, he said, calling on South Africa to involve the rest of the world in researching the disease.

“The emphasis [in South Africa] is on social sciences because the pandemic creates social concerns,” Pouris said. “However, it will be hard science that provides the solution.” Hard sciences, such as biochemistry and pharmacology, are under-emphasised in South African HIV/AIDS research, he said.

Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition in New York, said: “Compared to 20 years ago much more money is being invested in AIDS vaccine research.” But he added that “maybe some countries have been less supportive than they could have been.”

“What is needed from the international donor community now is sustained funding,” said Warren. “Otherwise good work that has taken years to build will be lost.”

A funding conference in New York this month (5 October) failed to raise the US$20 billion estimated by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to be needed to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.

Carol Campbell | 31 October 2010|SciDev.Net (London)

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• Global HIV/AIDS Testing Market to Exceed US$3.5 Billion by 2015, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (prweb.com)

]]> http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/31/africa-hiv-research-on-the-rise/feed/ 0 http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/16/top-10-thoughts-a-woman-has-when-she%e2%80%99s-pregnant/ http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/16/top-10-thoughts-a-woman-has-when-she%e2%80%99s-pregnant/#comments Sat, 16 Oct 2010 15:55:46 +0000 admin http://cameroonwebnews.com/?p=32158 Maybe you bought that pregnancy test (or maybe 3 or 4), and with much trepidation, you wait those excruciating 10 minutes to see if your morning pee will bring forth the “yeahgirlyoupregnant” sign in the result window.

So… yeah girl, you’re pregnant.

Now what?

Kat Gordon, creative director for Maternal Instinct, a company that specializes in marketing to moms, says that a woman’s use of online search (i.e. Google) DOUBLES when she becomes pregnant. Makes sense, because a woman’s body changes more dramatically than Obama’s poll numbers over the course of the nine months it takes to create that little bundle of joy.

Here’s some of the most common questions and concerns women have before the pee pee dries on the EPT:
“I did the math, and I conceived on that night I went on a wild drinking binge. Will my baby have two heads?”

Short answer: Probably not, but you better stop now.

“Should I tell people?”

It’s best to wait to tell everyone the news until the 12th week of pregnancy, because the risks of miscarriage decrease dramatically from that point on.

“Am I going to lose my body?”

Well, kinda.  You can forget about that hourglass waistline for the next 40 weeks.  Hourglasses ain’t gonna happen; sorry.

“Should I buy maternity clothes?”

In this economy?  Best to wait until your jeans don’t fit (around four months preggers) and shop the sale at the posh maternity stores. Remember, pregnancy is, by design, a temporary situation.

” Should I tell my boss?”

Not before you do your research and know your rights.  What’s your job’s policy on maternity leave?  What health procedures related to pregnancy are covered via your employer’s health insurance?  Better find out tout suite.

“Can I exercise?”

You’d better!  Studies show exercise makes delivery of that eight-pound hamhock a lot easier.  But if you haven’t been training for a marathon before you were pregnant, don’t start now.  Best to start with a walk around the block and build up from there.

“Will sex hurt the baby?”

I don’t care how “well-endowed” you partner is, your baby runs little risk of brain damage from “poking.”

Christelyn Karazin| October 16th, 2010| MN|

Christelyn D. Karazin founder and organizer of “No Wedding, No Womb,” an initiative to find solutions to the 72 percent out-of-wedlock rate in the black community. She is the co-author of Swirling: How to Date, Mate and Relate Mixing Race Culture and Creed and runs a blog, www.beyondblackwhite.com, dedicated to women of color who are interested and or involved in interracial and intercultural relationships.

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]]> http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/16/top-10-thoughts-a-woman-has-when-she%e2%80%99s-pregnant/feed/ 0 http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/10/mammograms-before-50-worth-it/ http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/10/mammograms-before-50-worth-it/#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:30:59 +0000 admin http://cameroonwebnews.com/?p=31806 You might expect that a new study out of Sweden of roughly a million women, suggesting a 26 percent mortality reduction with routine mammography in women in their 40s, would resolve long-standing controversy about the practice. But even with these new data, routine mammograms before 50 are, in essence, a 50/50 proposition: a toss-up. Let’s take a look at both sides of this flip-of-the-coin, and see which way it faces for you.

First, some context for the new study. Approximately a year ago, the United States Preventive Services Task Force examined all of the evidence then available, and reached the controversial conclusion that routine breast cancer screening should begin at 50, not 40.

This recommendation — from a group that directly influences national policy — did not refute that mammography before age 50 can save lives — everyone knows it can, and has. It simply compared the potential individual benefit to the costs borne by the whole population.

What costs? You might think dollars, but that issue was not even considered by the Task Force, which should relieve anyone who thinks their recommendation carried the taint of “rationing.” Not so; economic analysis is conducted separately from the Task Force evidence reviews.

The relevant costs were tallied as harms, and missed benefits. In terms of missed benefits, mammograms are harder to interpret in pre-menopausal women because of breast density and breast cancer, when it does occur before menopause, often progresses faster than it does later in life. The result is that even with screening, a significant proportion of pre-menopausal breast cancers will elude detection until they are somewhat advanced.

As for harms, we have long known that for every breast cancer found in women under 50, well over 10 times as many women will have false positive results. Quite a few of these women will have biopsies. There are, of course, potential complications of the biopsies. In addition, the scar tissue left behind makes future mammograms harder still to interpret, increasing the risks of missing a cancer when there actually is one. And though small, the dose of radiation from routine mammograms can actually contribute, slightly, to breast cancer risk over time.

The new study, which ostensibly revisits the controversy, certainly seems compelling at first, as much for its size as its findings. Researchers took advantage of a natural experiment in Sweden: some counties offered mammograms routinely over a 20-year span, others did not. Populations were compared among the counties, and mortality was 26 percent less overall in those counties that screened.

But the study limitations become pretty salient on closer scrutiny. First, you should immediately think to ask: 26 percent lower than what? There were roughly 1,200 breast cancer deaths in a half-million women followed for a decade or more without screening; and just over 800 deaths in a comparable group that was screened. Well over 1,000 women under 40 needed to be screened for 10 years before screening saved one life.

Second, the Swedish study reported the mortality benefit of screening, but did not look at its harms. We must presume the usual high volume of false positive tests and biopsies.

Third, we don’t know from the Swedish study what else may have differed between counties that did and counties that didn’t screen. Maybe those that did screen also provided better care and the apparent survival benefit was more about treatment than screening. Maybe the populations differed in other important ways. And lastly, even with screening, 74 percent of the breast cancer deaths that would have occurred without it, occurred anyway.

The official recommendation in the U.S. before this study was neither for, nor against, routine mammography in women under 40; rather, it was for individualized decision making because the risk/benefit trade-off is still like calling a coin toss.

The definitive solution to the dilemma of a toss-up is, of course, a third choice. In this case, that would be better screening that does not involve radiation; that is based on a personal risk profile; that reliably finds cancer at its earliest stages when present; that reliably rules out cancer when it is absent; and that distinguishes between cancer that requires treatment and cancer that might go away on its own. By combining genomic advances with advances in imaging, and housing them together in comprehensive breast care centers, we will get there. But we’re not there yet.

While waiting, there is no “right” answer for all women in their 40s. But all you really need is an answer that’s right for you, and that’s what good clinical care is all about. Confer with your doctor; consider pros and cons; your risk factors and preferences. And together, make either heads, or tails, of this particular toss-up.

David Katz, M.D.|10/10/10|Huffpo|
Dr. Katz is the Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center
Dr. David L. Katz; www.davidkatzmd.com
www.turnthetidefoundation.org

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• Mammograms Save Lives for Women in Their 40s, Study Says (nlm.nih.gov)
• Age 50 as mammography screening threshold proven unfounded (eurekalert.org)

]]> http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/10/mammograms-before-50-worth-it/feed/ 0 http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/08/curvy-women-live-longer/ http://cameroonwebnews.com/2010/10/08/curvy-women-live-longer/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:31:36 +0000 admin http://cameroonwebnews.com/?p=31741 A heavy rear can guarantee your chances of living longer, says a new study.

This means that Jennifer Lopez, Nigella Lawson and Beyonce as well as other curvy women are in great shape to live longer thanks to their well-rounded -figures.

Scientists have found that having a big bottom and thighs could help prevent metabolic disorders like heart disease, strokes and -diabetes.he study found that fat apparently grows differently in the upper and lower parts of the adult body, rather than remaining stable in both areas.

Almost 30 men and women in the study were encouraged to gorge on ice-cream, chocolate, sugary drinks and other highly fattening food for eight weeks.

Researchers measured body fat and fat cell size before and after the unhealthy diet regime.

They found that on average the participants put on 5.5lb (2.5 kilos) of upper body fat and 3.3lb (1.5 -kilos) of lower body fat.

But there was a striking difference in that fat cells around the stomach and heart grew in size – but not number – by producing more fat synthesising proteins. The reverse was true for thigh fat cells in the lower part of the body which increased in number, but did not get bigger.

Dr Michael Jensen, research leader at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said the findings challenge the concept that the number of fat cells doesn’t vary between the upper and lower body.

It also supports the idea that increased capacity to produce lower-body fat cells creates some form of protection to the upper body and potentially helps to prevent -serious metabolic diseases.

“The cellular mechanisms are different. The accumulation of abdominal fat happens largely by individual cells expanding in size – while with fat gain in the femoral or lower body it is the number of fat cells that increases. So, different mechanism, different impact,” the Daily Express quoted Jensen as saying.

In -future, drugs that alter the way fat is stored around the body could be used to combat -diseases.

The study is published in US journal -Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI) |London, Oct 8 (ANI)|

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• Curvy women have longer lives (topinews.com)
• “Mayo Clinic finds upper, lower body gain weight differently” and related posts (sciencecodex.com)
• Mayo Clinic Finds Upper, Lower Body Gain Weight Differently (eon.businesswire.com)

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