Asthma and hay fever seem to be linked to irregular periods, finds a large study in Thorax.
The finding adds weight to the evidence, suggesting that female hormones might have a role in the development of asthma and
allergies.
More than 8500 women from five northern European countries were surveyed about their respiratory health and hormonal patterns
between 1999 and 2001.
Women who were menopausal, pregnant, or taking oral contraceptives/hormone replacement therapy were excluded from the final
analysis, leaving just over 6,000 women in total.
The entire sample had originally been surveyed about their respiratory health as part of a large European study, which ran
from 1990 to 1994 (ECRHS I).
Around one in four women (23%) had irregular periods. This translated into around one in seven women (15%) aged between 25
and 42, and over a third (37%) of those aged between 43 and 54.
Among the younger women, those who weighed the most, or were the shortest or tallest, tended to have irregular periods. Among
the older women, irregular periods were associated with smoking and with the timing of the menopause.
And after taking account of other influential factors, rates of asthma and allergy were significantly higher in younger women
who had irregular periods than in those with regular periods.
The potential impact of asthma medication on the menstrual cycle was not evident, as the trend was also seen among women
whose symptoms were not being treated. This pattern was seen across all the centres.
The authors suggest that common factors may underlie both irregular periods and asthma/allergy, including fetal development
and insulin resistance. Previous research has also found an association between poorer lung function and insulin resistance.
Click here to view the paper in full:
press.psprings/thx/june/445_tx32615.pdf
[Association of asthma and hay fever with irregular menstruation Thorax 2005; 60: 445-60]
суббота, 31 марта 2012 г.
суббота, 24 марта 2012 г.
Cancer Experts Identify Symptoms For Early Diagnosis Of Ovarian Cancer
The American Cancer Society, Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists on June 25 are expected to formally announce recommendations for identifying symptoms that could signal early stages of ovarian cancer, the New York Times reports. Experts from the groups are calling on women who experience the symptoms -- which include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and a frequent or urgent need to urinate -- every day for two to three weeks to see a gynecologist.
Some physicians said the recommendations will make women and doctors more aware of early symptoms of ovarian cancer and will lead to earlier diagnosis. "The majority of the time this won't be ovarian cancer, but it's just something that should be considered," Barbara Goff, director of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington and an author of several studies that helped identify the symptoms, said. She added that new and persistent problems were the most important for women to monitor.
According to the Times, if ovarian cancer is diagnosed and surgically removed before it spreads outside the ovary, 93% of patients are alive after five years. However, only 19% of cases are diagnosed early, and 45% of all women with ovarian cancer survive at least five years, compared with 89% of women diagnosed with breast cancer. About 22,430 new cases of ovarian cases and 15,280 deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, the Times reports.
According to Goff and other specialists, women who have the symptoms should visit a gynecologist for a pelvic and rectal exam. If the exams suggest a possibility of ovarian cancer, the next step would be a transvaginal ultrasound, which costs between $150 and $300, and a $100 blood test to detect CA125, a substance that is often elevated in women who have ovarian cancer.
Women whose test results suggest ovarian cancer should be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. Women who still experience symptoms but who have normal test results could be monitored or advised to undergo a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging, but they likely will be recommended for immediate surgery if cancer is "strongly suspected," the Times reports. Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer at ACS, said the question over what to do in such cases remains unresolved.
Some physicians said the recommendations will make women and doctors more aware of early symptoms of ovarian cancer and will lead to earlier diagnosis. "The majority of the time this won't be ovarian cancer, but it's just something that should be considered," Barbara Goff, director of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington and an author of several studies that helped identify the symptoms, said. She added that new and persistent problems were the most important for women to monitor.
According to the Times, if ovarian cancer is diagnosed and surgically removed before it spreads outside the ovary, 93% of patients are alive after five years. However, only 19% of cases are diagnosed early, and 45% of all women with ovarian cancer survive at least five years, compared with 89% of women diagnosed with breast cancer. About 22,430 new cases of ovarian cases and 15,280 deaths are expected in the U.S. this year, the Times reports.
According to Goff and other specialists, women who have the symptoms should visit a gynecologist for a pelvic and rectal exam. If the exams suggest a possibility of ovarian cancer, the next step would be a transvaginal ultrasound, which costs between $150 and $300, and a $100 blood test to detect CA125, a substance that is often elevated in women who have ovarian cancer.
Women whose test results suggest ovarian cancer should be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. Women who still experience symptoms but who have normal test results could be monitored or advised to undergo a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging, but they likely will be recommended for immediate surgery if cancer is "strongly suspected," the Times reports. Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer at ACS, said the question over what to do in such cases remains unresolved.
Reaction
Thomas Herzog, director of gynecologic oncology at Columbia University Medical Center, said the recommendations are important because medical community previously had said there were no early symptoms of the disease. Carol Brown, a gynecologic oncologist at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said that the recommendations are "something that women themselves can do and we can familiarize clinicians with, to help make diagnosis earlier." Brown added that the list of symptoms might be the best solution for early diagnosis until a screen test to "find ovarian cancer before it has symptoms" is developed.
Saslow said that ACS agreed to the recommendations with reservations. "We don't have any consensus about what doctors should do once the women come to them," Saslow said, adding that the group recognizes that physicians in some cases disregarded symptoms in women who were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer (Grady, New York Times, 6/13).
Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs on Wednesday and Thursday reported on the recommendations.
ABC's "Good Morning America": The segment includes a discussion with ABC medical editor Tim Johnson (Sawyer, "Good Morning America," ABC, 6/14). Video of the segment is available online.
CBS' "Evening News": The segment includes comments from Goff, Brown and a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer (Couric, "Evening News," CBS, 6/13). Video of the segment is available online.
PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer": The segment includes comments from Goff (MacNeil, "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 6/13). Audio of the segment is available online.
NBC's "Nightly News": The segment includes a discussion with NBC News chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman (Williams, "Nightly News," NBC, 6/13). Video of the segment is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
суббота, 17 марта 2012 г.
Tea Good For Women's Hearts?
Women who drink three cups of tea a day "are less likely to have heart attacks and strokes," the Daily Express reports. The newspaper adds, however, that "strangely, no added benefit of tea drinking was found among women who only had one or two cups a day or for men".
The story is based on a French study that looked at how the thickness of 'plaques' in the carotid artery were related to the amount of tea that men and women drank. Plaques are build-ups of fat and cholesterol in the blood vessels (known as atherosclerosis). They have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The women who drank three cups of tea or more a day were seen to have fewer plaques in their arteries. However, because of its design, this study cannot prove that tea consumption was the cause of less plaque build-up in the arteries; a randomised controlled trial would be the best way to show this.
On the strength of this study alone, it would be better to suggest to women (and men) that they should drink tea because they enjoy it, rather than in any hope that it may reduce their risk of heart disease or stroke.
Where did the story come from? St?©phanie Debette and colleagues of the University Hospital of Lille and Broussais Hospital, Paris, France carried out this research. The Fondation pour la Recherche M?©dicale funded the preparation and initiation of the study. Various other institutions and foundations also provided support. It was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, a peer-reviewed medical journal.
What kind of scientific study was this?
This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected at the start of the Three-City (3C) Study, a large cohort study of the French population. The 3C study attempted to clarify the relationship between tea consumption, thickness of the carotid artery and plaque build up.
In the 3C study, 9,693 people aged 65 years or older were recruited from the cities of Dijon, Bordeaux and Montpellier between March 1999 and March 2001. Of these people, 6,635 (excluding those aged over 85) had an ultrasound examination to determine their carotid artery thickness. The participants were also interviewed by a nurse and data was collected on past medical history (including cardiovascular disease and medications), lifestyle factors, education, average daily consumption of tea and coffee (divided into none, one to two cups, or three or more cups), and average weekly consumption of various foods. The study also recorded blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood sugar levels and blood cholesterol levels.
Of the people with ultrasound scans, 6,597 also provided data on their tea consumption and these were included in the final analysis. The researchers carried out statistical tests to see whether there was any link between the three tea-drinking categories and thickness of the carotid arteries. The researchers adjusted for possible confounding factors, including age, smoking, BMI, diabetes, cholesterol, alcohol consumption and diet.
EVA, a matching study, was carried out following these results to investigate whether similar associations were found in a younger population group aged between 51 and 79.
What were the results of the study?
When the researchers looked at the association between level of tea consumption and the other variables tested, they found that tea consumption was inversely associated (i.e. when one increases the other decreases) with age, blood pressure, BMI, diabetes and smoking in women. It was inversely associated with alcohol consumption in men, and with coffee and meat consumption in both. In both men and women, tea consumption was positively associated (an increase in both variables at the same time) with consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables and a higher education level. It was also positively associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women.
The researchers found that drinking three or more cups of tea reduced the risk of finding plaques on the carotid arteries in women, even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. However, there was no link between tea consumption and thickness of the artery wall. In men, there was no link between tea consumption and carotid plaques or thickness of the artery wall.
In the EVA study of younger men and women, there was no link between tea consumption and carotid plaques or thickness of the artery wall in either sex.
What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?
The researchers conclude that, in their large French sample, carotid plaques occurred less frequently in women who drank three or more cups of tea per day. However, this association was not seen in men.
What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?
This is a large population study and, reportedly, the first to examine the link between tea consumption and atherosclerosis. However, interpretations from the results should be made with care.
- The cross-sectional design of this study means it cannot prove that tea consumption reduced fatty build-up in the arteries. To get a better idea of whether this is the case, researchers should, over time, follow two groups of people: those who drink tea and those who do not. Ideally, the groups should be randomised to balance other potential confounding factors. Both groups should be free from atherosclerosis at the start of the study and should be monitored to see whether there is any difference in the development of the condition between the groups.
- The study considered many confounding factors, but there are others that may have influenced the results, e.g. exercise level and family history of heart disease.
- The data on tea consumption is self-reported on only one occasion. A single estimate of average daily tea consumption may not be a reliable estimate of long-term tea-drinking patterns. This would also be the case for other one-off measures, such as blood pressure, BMI, smoking, alcohol or other dietary factors. Additionally, there is no information on the type of tea that the participants drank, e.g. black tea, white tea, green tea or others.
- This study only looked at the degree of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries; it did not looked at other blood vessels in the body (heart attacks and stroke can be caused by an embolus, which is a section of plaque that has travelled to other parts of the body, as well as thrombosis at the site).
- This research did not look at long-term outcomes in the study population. Those with signs of greater thickening on the arteries at ultrasound scan may not necessarily be the ones who will go on to have a heart attack or a stroke. There are many risk factors for these conditions.
- Finally, these results are not applicable outside the French population. Dietary patterns and health in general may be different elsewhere.
Links to the headlines
Stay chipper on 3 cuppas a day.Daily Express, March 15 2008
Three cups of tea a day helps stop heart attacks and strokes (unless you're a man).Daily Mail, March 17 2008
Links to the science
Tea Consumption Is Inversely Associated With Carotid Plaques in Women.
Debette S, Courbon D, Leone N, et al.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2008; 28:353-359
This news comes from NHS Choices
The story is based on a French study that looked at how the thickness of 'plaques' in the carotid artery were related to the amount of tea that men and women drank. Plaques are build-ups of fat and cholesterol in the blood vessels (known as atherosclerosis). They have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The women who drank three cups of tea or more a day were seen to have fewer plaques in their arteries. However, because of its design, this study cannot prove that tea consumption was the cause of less plaque build-up in the arteries; a randomised controlled trial would be the best way to show this.
On the strength of this study alone, it would be better to suggest to women (and men) that they should drink tea because they enjoy it, rather than in any hope that it may reduce their risk of heart disease or stroke.
Where did the story come from? St?©phanie Debette and colleagues of the University Hospital of Lille and Broussais Hospital, Paris, France carried out this research. The Fondation pour la Recherche M?©dicale funded the preparation and initiation of the study. Various other institutions and foundations also provided support. It was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, a peer-reviewed medical journal.
What kind of scientific study was this?
This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected at the start of the Three-City (3C) Study, a large cohort study of the French population. The 3C study attempted to clarify the relationship between tea consumption, thickness of the carotid artery and plaque build up.
In the 3C study, 9,693 people aged 65 years or older were recruited from the cities of Dijon, Bordeaux and Montpellier between March 1999 and March 2001. Of these people, 6,635 (excluding those aged over 85) had an ultrasound examination to determine their carotid artery thickness. The participants were also interviewed by a nurse and data was collected on past medical history (including cardiovascular disease and medications), lifestyle factors, education, average daily consumption of tea and coffee (divided into none, one to two cups, or three or more cups), and average weekly consumption of various foods. The study also recorded blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood sugar levels and blood cholesterol levels.
Of the people with ultrasound scans, 6,597 also provided data on their tea consumption and these were included in the final analysis. The researchers carried out statistical tests to see whether there was any link between the three tea-drinking categories and thickness of the carotid arteries. The researchers adjusted for possible confounding factors, including age, smoking, BMI, diabetes, cholesterol, alcohol consumption and diet.
EVA, a matching study, was carried out following these results to investigate whether similar associations were found in a younger population group aged between 51 and 79.
What were the results of the study?
When the researchers looked at the association between level of tea consumption and the other variables tested, they found that tea consumption was inversely associated (i.e. when one increases the other decreases) with age, blood pressure, BMI, diabetes and smoking in women. It was inversely associated with alcohol consumption in men, and with coffee and meat consumption in both. In both men and women, tea consumption was positively associated (an increase in both variables at the same time) with consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables and a higher education level. It was also positively associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women.
The researchers found that drinking three or more cups of tea reduced the risk of finding plaques on the carotid arteries in women, even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. However, there was no link between tea consumption and thickness of the artery wall. In men, there was no link between tea consumption and carotid plaques or thickness of the artery wall.
In the EVA study of younger men and women, there was no link between tea consumption and carotid plaques or thickness of the artery wall in either sex.
What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?
The researchers conclude that, in their large French sample, carotid plaques occurred less frequently in women who drank three or more cups of tea per day. However, this association was not seen in men.
What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?
This is a large population study and, reportedly, the first to examine the link between tea consumption and atherosclerosis. However, interpretations from the results should be made with care.
- The cross-sectional design of this study means it cannot prove that tea consumption reduced fatty build-up in the arteries. To get a better idea of whether this is the case, researchers should, over time, follow two groups of people: those who drink tea and those who do not. Ideally, the groups should be randomised to balance other potential confounding factors. Both groups should be free from atherosclerosis at the start of the study and should be monitored to see whether there is any difference in the development of the condition between the groups.
- The study considered many confounding factors, but there are others that may have influenced the results, e.g. exercise level and family history of heart disease.
- The data on tea consumption is self-reported on only one occasion. A single estimate of average daily tea consumption may not be a reliable estimate of long-term tea-drinking patterns. This would also be the case for other one-off measures, such as blood pressure, BMI, smoking, alcohol or other dietary factors. Additionally, there is no information on the type of tea that the participants drank, e.g. black tea, white tea, green tea or others.
- This study only looked at the degree of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries; it did not looked at other blood vessels in the body (heart attacks and stroke can be caused by an embolus, which is a section of plaque that has travelled to other parts of the body, as well as thrombosis at the site).
- This research did not look at long-term outcomes in the study population. Those with signs of greater thickening on the arteries at ultrasound scan may not necessarily be the ones who will go on to have a heart attack or a stroke. There are many risk factors for these conditions.
- Finally, these results are not applicable outside the French population. Dietary patterns and health in general may be different elsewhere.
Links to the headlines
Stay chipper on 3 cuppas a day.Daily Express, March 15 2008
Three cups of tea a day helps stop heart attacks and strokes (unless you're a man).Daily Mail, March 17 2008
Links to the science
Tea Consumption Is Inversely Associated With Carotid Plaques in Women.
Debette S, Courbon D, Leone N, et al.
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2008; 28:353-359
This news comes from NHS Choices
суббота, 10 марта 2012 г.
Neb. Ultrasound Bill Advances To Full Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature's Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 6-0 to advance a bill (L.B. 675) to require doctors to offer ultrasound images to women one hour prior to an abortion, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The bill, which now goes to the full Legislature for consideration, was approved after lawmakers reached a compromise over language that originally required the ultrasound image to be displayed one hour prior to the procedure in a manner in which women could either choose to see it or avert their eyes. According to the World-Herald, abortion-rights advocates objected to the language, saying that it seemed to require the image to be placed directly in front of women. Under the compromise, the committee-approved bill now states that the ultrasound screen should be within a woman's view (Hammel, Omaha World-Herald, 4/9). Julie Schmit-Albin of Nebraska Right to Life said that the amended language "makes it a little clearer that no one is forcing women to view ultrasounds" and that the image "just needs to be displayed so that she has the option of seeing it."
According to the AP/Newark Star-Ledger,the bill was also modified on Thursday to remove a requirement that doctors tell women that abortion places them at risk for psychological trauma, endometritis and an incomplete or failed abortion. State Sen. Kent Rogert (D) called for the change and said that there "could just be psychological trauma for just being pregnant, or for a stillbirth or miscarriage." Although an official with Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs would not comment on the amended bill because the group had not had a chance to review it, spokesperson Bobbie Kierstead said women "should have all the information they need to make sound medical decisions." Kierstead added that the group does not "believe the Legislature should be directing medical practice" (Jenkins, AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 4/9).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
According to the AP/Newark Star-Ledger,the bill was also modified on Thursday to remove a requirement that doctors tell women that abortion places them at risk for psychological trauma, endometritis and an incomplete or failed abortion. State Sen. Kent Rogert (D) called for the change and said that there "could just be psychological trauma for just being pregnant, or for a stillbirth or miscarriage." Although an official with Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs would not comment on the amended bill because the group had not had a chance to review it, spokesperson Bobbie Kierstead said women "should have all the information they need to make sound medical decisions." Kierstead added that the group does not "believe the Legislature should be directing medical practice" (Jenkins, AP/Newark Star-Ledger, 4/9).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
суббота, 3 марта 2012 г.
Link Between Lung Cancer Mystery And Coal From Mass Extinction Era
The volcanic eruptions thought responsible for Earth's largest mass extinction - which killed more than 70 percent of plants and animals 250 million years ago - is still taking lives today. That's the conclusion of a new study showing, for the first time, that the high silica content of coal in one region of China may be interacting with volatile substances in the coal to cause unusually high rates of lung cancer. The study, which helps solve this cancer mystery, appears in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly publication.
David Large and colleagues note that parts of China's Xuan Wei County in Yunnan Province have the world's highest incidence of lung cancer in nonsmoking women - 20 times higher than the rest of China. Women in the region heat their homes and cook on open coal-burning stoves that are not vented to the outside. Scientists believe that indoor emissions from burning coal cause cancer, but are unclear why the lung cancer rates in this region are so much higher than other areas. Earlier studies show a strong link between certain volatile substances, called PAHs, in coal smoke and lung cancer in the region.
The scientists found that coal used in parts of Xuan Wei County had about 10 times more silica, a suspected carcinogen, than U.S. coal. Silica may work in conjunction with PAHs to make the coal more carcinogenic, they indicate. The scientists also found that this high-silica coal was formed 250 million years ago, at a time when massive volcanic eruptions worked to deposit silica in the peat that formed Xuan Wei's coal.
Article: "Silica-Volatile Interaction and the Geological Cause of the Xuan Wei Lung Cancer Epidemic" pubs.acs/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/es902033j
Source: Michael Bernstein
American Chemical Society
David Large and colleagues note that parts of China's Xuan Wei County in Yunnan Province have the world's highest incidence of lung cancer in nonsmoking women - 20 times higher than the rest of China. Women in the region heat their homes and cook on open coal-burning stoves that are not vented to the outside. Scientists believe that indoor emissions from burning coal cause cancer, but are unclear why the lung cancer rates in this region are so much higher than other areas. Earlier studies show a strong link between certain volatile substances, called PAHs, in coal smoke and lung cancer in the region.
The scientists found that coal used in parts of Xuan Wei County had about 10 times more silica, a suspected carcinogen, than U.S. coal. Silica may work in conjunction with PAHs to make the coal more carcinogenic, they indicate. The scientists also found that this high-silica coal was formed 250 million years ago, at a time when massive volcanic eruptions worked to deposit silica in the peat that formed Xuan Wei's coal.
Article: "Silica-Volatile Interaction and the Geological Cause of the Xuan Wei Lung Cancer Epidemic" pubs.acs/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/es902033j
Source: Michael Bernstein
American Chemical Society
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