Does cigarette smoking increase breast cancer risk?
March 1st 2011In the latest study to attempt to determine whether cigarette smoking increases or decreases a woman's risk for breast cancer, researchers from Harvard University found that active smoking, particularly before giving birth for the first time, modestly increases the risk for the disease.
Recommendations on home birth issued by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
March 1st 2011The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently issued a committee opinion stating that although the absolute risk associated with planned home births is low, published medical evidence shows that it is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increase in the risk for newborn death compared with planned hospital births.
Eating Breakfast Tied to Lower BMI in Postpartum Teens
March 1st 2011Postpartum teens who eat breakfast on most days consume fewer calories from snacks and sweetened drinks, and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who tend to skip breakfast, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment Guidelines Updated
March 1st 2011The American Society of Clinical Oncology has issued updated guidelines for the use of bone-modifying agents (BMAs) in treating breast cancer patients with bone metastases to include a new drug, denosumab, and provide new advice regarding a potentially serious complication of treatment, osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ); an overview of the guideline update was published online Feb. 22 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Nitroglycerin Strengthens Bones in Older Women
March 1st 2011Nitroglycerin ointment appears to increase bone mineral density (BMD) and decrease bone resorption in postmenopausal women when administered daily, according to research published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Type 1 Diabetes Tied to Shorter Breast-Feeding Duration
March 1st 2011Although mothers with type 1 diabetes are less likely to partially or exclusively breast-feed at two months, diabetes is not an independent risk factor for the initiation and maintenance of breast-feeding, according to a study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.
Breast Cancer History Lowers Accuracy of Mammogram
March 1st 2011Mammography screening for breast cancer may be less accurate among women with a personal history of breast cancer (PHBC), despite a higher underlying cancer rate, relative to women without PHBC, according to a study published in the Feb. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
False Positives Fall With Greater Volume of Mammograms
February 28th 2011Interpreting a high volume of mammograms ma not lead radiologists to find more cancers but my help them to better distinguish between malignant and non-malignant lesions, according to research published online Feb. 22 in Radiology.
Addison Disease Is a Risk Factor for Hip Fracture
February 26th 2011Clinically diagnosed and undiagnosed cases of Addison disease (AD) are associated with hip fractures in patients aged 30 years and older, with the highest risk in women aged 50 years or younger, according to a study published online Jan 19 in the Journal of Internal Medicince.
SMFM: Very Obese May Need to Gain Less Pregnancy Weight
February 26th 2011Women who are extremelly obese may not need to gain as much weight during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy as current guidelnes recommend, according to research presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, held from Feb. 7 to 12 in San Francisco.
Axillary Lymph Node Dissection Does Not Affect Survival
February 22nd 2011Patients who have limited sentinel lymphs node (SLN) metastatic breast cancer have similar survival rates when treated with sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) or axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), according to a study published in the Feb. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
U.S. Task Force Mammogram Recommendations Questioned
February 22nd 2011Initiating mammography at a younger age and screening more frequently than the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends will likely result in more lives saved, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
In breast discharge, mammogram unremarkable but ductography definitive
February 21st 2011A 54-year-old patient presented for evaluation of spontaneous left breast discharge. The patient is status post-right mastectomy with TRAM reconstruction in 1999. The patient states she has noted left breast discharge for quite some time
Can Maternal Relaxation Techniques Impact Fetus Well-Being?
February 21st 2011Modern medicine recognizes the potential impact of stress on physical well-being, but can stress pass through the mother to the fetus? Indeed, it has been hypothesized that maternal chronic stress can alter the uterine environment and may affect length of gestation, fetal growth, birth weight, and spontaneous preterm birth. Similarly, research on cortisol levels in fetuses and mothers has found that anxiety in mothers can affect the function of the placenta. With so much evidence pointing to the interaction between maternal psychological well-being and fetal wellness, there has become an increased need to find effective, nonpharmacological interventions for pregnant women.
Prenatal Exposure to High Glucose Levels Increases Lean as well as Fat Mass in Offspring
February 21st 2011Compared to nondiabetic women, women with diabetes and high glucose levels during pregnancy tend to have babies with high birth weights. Moreover, it is thought that these offspring are at greater risk for obesity than those children born to women without diabetes. But is the larger body size due to greater lean mass in addition to greater fat mass?