Early pregnancy, the normal menstrual cycle in healthy women of reproductive age, once the period expired more than 10 days, pregnancy should be suspected. Early pregnancy to the development of a fertilized egg from implantation, placenta formation of estrogen, progesterone, human chorionic gonadotrophin from the smooth progress of the maintenance of pregnancy, the mother of these endocrine changes that produce a series of reactions.
Early pregnancy symptoms
Early pregnancy symptoms – early pregnancy and menopause are the main symptoms. Normal menstruation is normal, once the menopause, more than 10 days and has transcended trend should not think of pregnancy.
Early pregnancy symptoms – early pregnancy in response to stop after 6 weeks, there are dizziness, fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, a partial eclipse, as favored by eating acid foods, greasy and so tired, and have exceptionally degree of nausea, vomiting, vomiting and more in the morning.
Early pregnancy symptoms – frequent urination, enlarged uterus during early pregnancy in the pelvic trample bladder, frequent urination symptoms are obvious. When the uterus continuously increases, beyond the pelvic cavity, urinary symptoms but disappeared. Therefore, frequent urination is a symptom of early pregnancy diagnosis.
Early pregnancy symptoms – breast tenderness pregnancy as estrogen and progesterone stimulation, breast enlargement, pain, there is a small nodules protruding areola.
Common early pregnancy detection methods
Pregnancy test
This test can diagnose early pregnancy. When the fertilized egg implanted in the uterus, the pregnant women to produce a new hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin, its role is to help maintain the pregnancy. This hormone, in about 10 days after conception can come from a urine test. Check out all the urine human chorionic gonadotrophin, a pregnancy under normal circumstances. Therefore, the urine test called chorionic gonadotrophin pregnancy test. Urine pregnancy test, be sure to use the morning urine, because morning urine concentration, the higher hormone levels. In order to improve the positive test rate, the first night should be to minimize the amount of drinking water. Best to take container from the hospital laboratory, due to which preservatives, non-perishable urine, unconditional who used any jars, but need to wash and rinse with boiling water, boiled or sterilized. About 10 ml of urine collected after the morning, quickly sent to the hospital laboratory, such as time delays too long, can affect the test’s accuracy, especially in summer, should pay attention to this.
Pregnancy test strip instructions
Earlier pregnancy testing: high sensitivity, usually after conception period expires the day the first 3-4 days before menstruation can be detected. More responsive: simple, fast, 1 minute displays the results. Results more clear: run fast board, floor board after running a clean, clear lines of interpretation.
B-type ultrasonic inspection
B ultrasound diagnosis of early pregnancy with the most accurate and reliable way. The first 5 weeks of pregnancy, as it is overdue menstrual week, the B-type ultrasound screen can show a circular ring inside the uterus, also known as pregnancy, ring, ring of dark areas of the amniotic fluid, which also shows rhythmic fetal heart beat.
Basal body temperature measurement
This is the most simple way. Bed every morning after waking body temperature, when the body temperature is called basal body temperature. Normal body temperature at 36.5 degrees before ovulation, less progesterone rise after ovulation, acting on the body temperature, so that the temperature rise 0.3-0.5 degrees. If not fertilized egg, then about a week after the progesterone drop, the body temperature returned to normal; if pregnancy is to maintain high levels of progesterone the same, so that the temperature remained high. Basal body temperature curve in the high-temperature phenomenon lasted 18 days or more, generally can be sure of early pregnancy. Also need to be reminded that, X-ray can not be used to diagnose pregnancy. Because only 18-20 weeks after pregnancy, X-ray can see the shadow of fetal skeleton, and when the X-ray early pregnancy can damage the fetus.
Early pregnancy detection
Early pregnancy strip test results in two ways: drops of urine on the detection of holes in the strip, such as in the control zone in a test paper with ribbon (some test strips were red, and some test strips were blue), that is not pregnant On the contrary, as apparent in the detection area Ribbon, then positive, indicating the occurrence of pregnancy.
Self-test early pregnancy women must keep in mind: early pregnancy test paper only as a screening examination. : Women of childbearing age appear to menopause, early pregnancy do not rely solely on a paper self-test to determine if they are pregnant. To be safe, you can then test again in three days. Of course, the most reliable or timely to the hospital to conduct a comprehensive examination, especially for weak-positive, in order to take measures. Here in particular, to point out that in recent years, frequent ectopic pregnancy, early pregnancy if for self-test false negative, while ignoring the timely diagnosis and treatment, a part of the amount of ectopic pregnancy implantation bleeding, rescue is not timely life-threatening.
Early pregnancy test, if you purchase the test strips stored for too long (more than 1 year), or strip damp, and did not pay attention to keep the normal room temperature (not cold Zang), may be invalid, false negative results occur. Early pregnancy test, if the beginning of pregnancy, or ectopic pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy) may, in vivo detection of HCG level is generally low the sample to be standing more than 3 minutes (usually 1 minute), and must be careful to identify whether there is weak positive – only looming detection area Ribbon.
Early pregnancy detection, and in extreme cases, such as mole, choriocarcinoma, the body will be too high HCG levels, but not the urine test showed positive.
Early pregnancy test, after 3 months of pregnancy, HCG levels drop, urine testing can sometimes be negative, or weakly positive. Early pregnancy test, positive result does not mean one hundred percent pregnancy. Because some tumor cells such as mole, choriocarcinoma, bronchial cancer and kidney cancer, also can secrete HCG. We also encountered patients with endometrial hyperplasia HCG test positive.
Notes on early pregnancy
Early pregnancy is a pregnancy in the first three months of this period is the formation of an embryo stage, any damage could affect the normal development of the embryo, or even cause early miscarriage or congenital malformations, pregnancy precautions so very important. Any exposure to harmful substances such as mercury, benzene, Xie radiation, noise and other working environment, they should apply for these jobs temporarily removed to avoid these influences embryonic development, causing birth defects.
Early pregnancy shall avoid infection, especially viral infections. Pregnancy if pregnant women suffering from rubella, can lead to congenital heart disease, microcephaly, deafness, mental retardation and so on. If the early pregnancy pregnant women suffering from severe cold, can cause fetal cleft lip, cytomegalovirus inclusion virus, hepatitis B virus and so can make the fetal loss, malformations, early pregnancy, so pregnant women should pay attention to health, little streets, or stopping to avoid contact with sick people, to prevent the spread of various diseases. Once sick, you should go to doctors at the treatment, indicating that you are pregnant, not self-Lan Fu, drugs, certain treatment by your doctor.
Second, we should feel happy, thinking relax. Trimester of pregnancy reaction (ie, “morning sickness” phenomenon), as long as the proper treatment of treatment, usually after 3 months will gradually return to normal. In order to avoid or reduce nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal discomfort, frequent meals can be way, light diet, do not eat greasy and spicy food, but we must insist on eating, otherwise it will affect the health of pregnant women, is not conducive to embryonic development . Pregnant women can eat sour foods, such as bayberry, citrus, vinegar, to increase appetite and help digestion. Sometimes may take some vitamin B complex and vitamin C or calcium, to supplement their nutrition. Vitamin B6 may reduce the pregnancy reaction. Not to collect clothes “antiemetic”, “secret” or “recipe” and prevent the occurrence of adverse consequences.
In addition, family members should be concerned about women in early pregnancy, especially considerate husband to wife, not the line early pregnancy intercourse in order to avoid abortion, help women get rid of the troubled pregnancy reaction smoothly through the early pregnancy stage.
More information please visit thepregnancyhelp.blogspot.com
Abnormal bleeding during pregnancy is a warning sign of pregnancy, regardless of the amount of bleeding is more or less, pregnant mother to be vigilant, be sure to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. The following list of seven possible bleeding during pregnancy, so that you know something about it.
1. Abortion
Be caused by:
Fetal chromosomal abnormalities, maternal hormone imbalance, uterine congenital abnormalities or acquired defects, immune system problems, infection, mothers suffering from chronic diseases (such as heart disease, kidney disease and blood diseases), overwork, stress, sexual life is too violent, external impact, environmental pollution, inappropriate medication, smoking, drinking, or excessive intake of caffeine may promote uterine contraction of other food.
Doctors advise:
Before the placenta is fully formed, embryo implantation is not stable, so many factors can cause miscarriage. When the abortion occurs, the embryo and the uterine wall occurs in varying degrees of separation, the separation surface of blood vessels once broken, will result in vaginal bleeding.
A medical research statistics, more than 50% of the mothers could survive the hurdle of bleeding in early pregnancy, successful pregnancy continued; about 30% of mothers abortion may occur; In addition, nearly 10% of mothers could be ectopic pregnancy or other problems. Some mothers worry that early pregnancy have abnormal vaginal bleeding, miscarriage after the success of the baby will be unhealthy. Many studies have shown that more than half of abortions are caused by abnormal embryo itself, which is a natural selection, if we can continue the pregnancy, the fetus is usually normal.
2. Ectopic
Be caused by:
Have had pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic adhesions or tubal surgery history, or did the previous ectopic pregnancy had occurred and so on.
Doctors advise:
Fertilized egg implants outside the uterus to facilitate as ectopic pregnancy, the incidence is about 1%, of which 95% of ectopic pregnancies occurred in the fallopian tube. Since the wall is very thin tube, the embryo can not supply adequate nutrition, and the gradual development of the fertilized egg to the fallopian tubes wall expansion will lead to wall rupture in the 7 to 8 weeks of pregnancy will cause abnormal vaginal bleeding, and even serious abdominal pain or heavy bleeding caused by shock.
In the early stages of pregnancy to determine if the ultrasound examination failed to find signs of the embryo within the uterus, on the importance of early detection in blood chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG), to diagnose whether the possibility of ectopic pregnancy, and make timely appropriate treatment.
3. Mole
Be caused by:
Mothers younger than 20 years of age or above 40 years of age, lack of food, carotene and animal fats, had a history of abortion, hydatidiform mole had a history of smoking.
Doctors advise:
Mole is a benign chorionic disease incidence is about 1 ‰, a higher incidence in Asian countries a number. Because the abnormal proliferation of placental trophoblast cells, the end of hair into blisters, blisters connected between the clusters, the shape of grapes, which is called “mole.” In early pregnancy have abnormal vaginal bleeding, severe morning sickness and even heart palpitations and other symptoms.
Often use ultrasound and blood test can diagnose human chorionic gonadotropin, treatment is the use of vacuum aspiration endometrial remove the mole, and then keep track of the index of human chorionic gonadotropin, were normal until three consecutive weeks, followed by once a month and then track, for six months to normal, if not ideal human chorionic gonadotropin fell, we must consider the use of chemotherapy. In the follow-up period must be strictly contraception, plan to become pregnant only after two years to cure.
4.Cervical polyps, cervical erosion or cervical lesions
Be caused by:
The complexity of life, good health habits and lifestyle is not normal, such as poor body resistance.
Doctors advise:
For early pregnancy bleeding, many people tend to ignore the issue of the cervix. Severe inflammation resulting cervical erosion, cervical polyps or had been, it is easy because the pregnancy hormone changes caused by surface capillary bleeding.
Cervical cancer occurs most frequently in recent years the age has been quietly dropped from 30 to 40 years old, is pregnant does not mean that the cervix must be no problem, both before and after pregnancy should have regular Pap tests; if there is vaginal bleeding early pregnancy phenomenon, the cervix should also check if there are problems.
5. Placenta previa
Be caused by:
Mothers who had an abortion surgery, uterine fibroids, uterine malformations, previous cesarean birth, the uterus had received surgery, there is the history of placenta previa, and smoking.
Doctors advise:
Normal pregnancy, the placenta is attached to the uterine wall of the anterior, posterior or top, if the placenta attached to the site of the uterus is too low, cover the mouth of the cervix, blocking the first exposed parts of the fetus, known as pre- placenta.
The incidence of placenta previa is approximately 1 / 200, according to the placenta covers the clinical extent of the mouth of the uterus is divided into four types: complete, partial, marginal, and low resistance. As the number of weeks of pregnancy the uterus will increase as larger, placental location will also improve. If, after eight months pregnant, still complete or partial placenta previa, the risk of vaginal bleeding greatly improved.
Since late pregnancy or labor after uterine segment gradually extended, and the mouth of the placenta in the womb can not be extended accordingly, leading to the front part of the placenta from its attachment stripping, the sinuses rupture and bleeding. Initial blood volume is usually small, stripped at the blood coagulation, bleeding can be temporarily stopped, the amount of bleeding occasionally for the first time on a lot of cases. With the continued extension of the lower uterine segment, often recurrent bleeding, and the amount is increasing. Different types of placenta previa, bleeding characteristics are not the same. Complete placenta previa bleeding first time earlier than 28 weeks gestation, known as the “alert bleeding”; marginal placenta previa bleeding occurs in late pregnancy or labor, the less amount of bleeding; partial placenta previa initial bleeding time, blood loss and the number of repeated bleeding in between. Since a large number of repeated or vaginal bleeding, mothers, anemia and bleeding, the more the more severe anemia. Bleeding can be serious shock, can lead to fetal hypoxia, distress and even death.
6. Premature
Be caused by:
Mothers younger than 18 years of age or greater than 38 years of age, mothers themselves have certain diseases (such as pregnancy-induced hypertension), busy, pressure, history of preterm birth before, multiple births, uterine fibroids, double angle uterus, smoking, drug use and inappropriate.
Doctors advise:
4 months of pregnancy, uterine contractions every day from time to time a few seconds, medically known as “painless contractions”, is a normal phenomenon. If a pregnant 37 weeks before increasing the frequency of uterine contractions, abdominal or have a strong sense of falling, pain, vaginal bleeding, backache, throbbing labia, these are the symptoms of preterm labor, to seek medical treatment immediately. As long as adequate rest, with drug treatment (severe requiring hospitalization), the majority of mothers can be successful pregnancy to term production.
7. Placental abruption
Be caused by:
Pregnancy-induced hypertension, maternal age, gestational diabetes, external impact, multiple births, the umbilical cord is too short, had a history of placental abruption.
Doctors advise:
Under normal circumstances, after the spin-off of output in the fetal placenta; before the baby is delivered, the placenta partially or completely separated with the uterine wall, is called placental abruption. Placental abruption is a serious complication of late pregnancy, progress quite quickly, if not handled in a timely manner, may endanger the life of the mother and fetus.
Clinically divided into two types, external and internal bleeding. Blood out of the main symptoms of placental abruption is vaginal bleeding, bleeding is generally more dull red color, will be accompanied by mild abdominal pain. Bleeding type placental abruption situation is more serious, occurred in mothers with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension who, for the sudden onset of symptoms of persistent abdominal pain or backache, vaginal bleeding may be only a few or no bleeding, the extent and size due to spin-off. How much blood after the placenta varies, the more blood the more severe pain.
In the event of placental abruption, fetal conditions that are extremely dangerous and must terminate the pregnancy, cesarean section implemented as soon as possible to save the life of the mother and fetus.
FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) — About 70 percent of people hold their cellphone to the ear on the same side as their dominant hand, a new study finds.
Left-brain thinkers are more likely to use their right hand for writing and other everyday tasks. They’re also more likely to hold their cellphone to their right ear, even though there’s no difference in hearing between their right and left ears.
The reverse is true for people who are left-handed and right-brain dominant, according to the study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
Their online survey of more than 700 people found that 68 percent of right-handed people said they held their cellphone to their right ear, while 25 percent used the left ear, and 7 percent used both ears.
Among left-handed people, 72 percent said they held their cellphone to their left ear, 23 percent used their right ear, and 5 percent used both ears.
The study is scheduled to be presented Feb. 26 at a meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology in San Diego.
“Our findings have several implications, especially for mapping the language center of the brain,” Dr. Michael Seidman, director of the division of otologic and neurotologic surgery in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, said in a Henry Ford Health System news release.
The findings also suggest that there’s no link between cellphone use and brain, and head and neck tumors, according to Seidman.
If there were a connection, far more people would be diagnosed on the right side of their brain, head and neck because most people are right-handed and hold their cellphones to their right ear, he said.
Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
Neuroscience for Kids has more about the left and right sides of the brain.
Health News
THURSDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) — Hormonal contraceptives appear to thwart pregnancy just as well in overweight and obese women as those of normal weight despite markedly lower pregnancy-prevention hormone levels among heavier females, a group of reproductive experts said.
During a media briefing held Thursday by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Society of Family Planning, researchers said few large studies on contraception have included obese women, creating gaps in knowledge about the safety and effectiveness of various methods among this population.
About one-third of all American women between ages 20 and 39 are obese, and most of these women will use contraception, said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president of external medical affairs for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
“Obesity and unintended pregnancy are two of our major health epidemics, and this is at the intersection of both,” Cullins said. “Armed with additional information, we hopefully will be at a place where we can give more detailed and customized advice to women who are overweight or obese.”
New findings presented Thursday indicated that pregnancy-prevention hormone levels varied widely among obese and normal-weight women using Implanon, a contraceptive implant that works for up to three years. These hormone levels ranged between 31 and 54 percent lower in obese women, whose body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher, said study author Dr. Melissa Gilliam, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics at the University of Chicago.
BMI is a measurement that takes both height and weight into account.
“Obese women had a much slower time to reach peak [blood] levels — 100 hours versus 50 — and these were never as high as in normal-weight women,” said Gilliam, also board president of the Society of Family Planning, adding that the study did not determine whether these women were more likely to become pregnant while using the method.
Weight gain, another concern among hormonal contraceptive users, was addressed in a study of young women using the Depo-Provera contraceptive shot, which is administered every 12 weeks. It found that those who gained significant weight within six months of starting the shots had higher levels of certain enzymes in their fat cells before they even began.
However, “The majority of women are not at risk for large increases in weight while using [Depo-Provera],” said study author Dr. Andrea Bonny, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “Future studies need to better identify the differences in fat cells between those that do and don’t gain weight.”
Another study, on rhesus monkeys, found that birth control pills were not linked to weight gain among female primates and actually triggered weight loss among those who were obese. However, scientists note that research involving animals often fails to produce similar results in humans.
Study author Dr. Alison Edelman, an associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, also presented findings from separate research suggesting that birth control drug levels were lower among obese women — especially after the seven-day pill break coinciding with users’ menstrual periods.
In theory, obese women might be more vulnerable to pregnancy during this time period, but Edelman noted that a recent study of 52,000 women found only slight differences in oral-contraceptive failure rates between obese and normal-weight women.
“These differences aren’t sufficient enough to overcome the overwhelming benefits achieved by women finding the method that works best for them,” she said.
In an era of increasingly customized medicine, the researchers said more data would help doctors to better tailor contraceptives to overweight and obese women.
Edelman referred to long-term methods such as hormonal implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) as the “Cadillac of products” for women of any weight, but said she and other experts don’t have yet enough information to recommend that obese women currently alter their usage of hormonal contraceptives.
“Contraceptives are usually studied in a normal-weight population . . . but we’re changing our one-size-fits-all philosophy,” Edelman said.
More information
The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals has more on how hormonal contraception prevents pregnancy.
Health News
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) — Melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body is almost always fatal, but a new drug appears to double survival for those with a certain type of this skin cancer, researchers report.
A mutation in the BRAF protein occurs in about half the people who develop melanoma. Researchers say Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011, blocks that mutation, thereby killing the cancer cells.
“We demonstrated in a large group of patients overall survival approached 16 months, which is far beyond what we have seen in other trials,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Sosman, a professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Survival for people with advanced melanoma is usually six to 10 months. Some new drugs have extended that to maybe 11 months, “but this is the first time we have shown such a long extension in survival,” he said.
All of the patients had late-stage (stage 4) melanoma. Sosman said it’s hoped that Zelboraf will work even better when given sooner.
“If we use it in an earlier stage, then we are hoping to cure patients who would not be cured otherwise,” he said.
Results of this phase 2 trial — undertaken to assess the effectiveness and safety of the drug — are published in the Feb. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
For more than a year, Sosman’s team followed 132 patients with previously treated metastatic melanoma, meaning the cancer had spread and was considered inoperable.
Zelboraf is a pill that patients take twice a day, and more than half who took the drug responded to it, the researchers said.
A response meant more than a 30 percent reduction in the size of tumors. Only 14 percent of patients failed to show any response to Zelboraf whatsoever, meaning their disease continued to progress.
Previously, no more than 10 percent of patients responded to any of the other available treatments, the researchers said.
The main limitation with Zelboraf is that tumors eventually become resistant.
Side effects include joint and muscle aches, which are fairly easy to manage in most patients, Sosman said.
Some patients also experienced skin changes, including sun sensitivity and rashes. “Patients develop incredible photosensitivity so patients have to be very careful about direct sunlight and use sunscreen as well as just staying out of the bright sun,” Sosman said.
Also, the drug indirectly causes squamous cell cancers of the skin in some patients. “These generally never spread and are easy to remove, and patients who have gotten them can remain on treatment,” Sosman said.
The drug costs around $ 10,000 a month, Sosman noted. “It’s comparable to other cancer drugs that have shown improvement in survival, but like a lot of cancer drugs, it’s expensive,” he said. “You probably need to take the drug for an indefinite period of time.”
Drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche funded the study.
About 70,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year. Of these, about 8,000 will die from the disease.
Dr. Michele Green, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the study is a leap forward. “This finding is significant in that there is nothing right now for this kind of cancer. It’s basically a death sentence,” she said.
That the researchers showed improved survival is clinically significant, she said, even though “the survival wasn’t that much longer.”
If the drug were given for early-stage melanoma, it’s possible it would improve survival even more, Green said. Eventually, she said the research will lead to a cure for melanoma.
“There’s new hope every single day for melanoma,” she said. “I think in our lifetime we are going to see cures for this cancer.”
More information
For more information on melanoma, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Health News
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) — Melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body is almost always fatal, but a new drug appears to double survival for those with a certain type of this skin cancer, researchers report.
A mutation in the BRAF protein occurs in about half the people who develop melanoma. Researchers say Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011, blocks that mutation, thereby killing the cancer cells.
“We demonstrated in a large group of patients overall survival approached 16 months, which is far beyond what we have seen in other trials,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Sosman, a professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Survival for people with advanced melanoma is usually six to 10 months. Some new drugs have extended that to maybe 11 months, “but this is the first time we have shown such a long extension in survival,” he said.
All of the patients had late-stage (stage 4) melanoma. Sosman said it’s hoped that Zelboraf will work even better when given sooner.
“If we use it in an earlier stage, then we are hoping to cure patients who would not be cured otherwise,” he said.
Results of this phase 2 trial — undertaken to assess the effectiveness and safety of the drug — are published in the Feb. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
For more than a year, Sosman’s team followed 132 patients with previously treated metastatic melanoma, meaning the cancer had spread and was considered inoperable.
Zelboraf is a pill that patients take twice a day, and more than half who took the drug responded to it, the researchers said.
A response meant more than a 30 percent reduction in the size of tumors. Only 14 percent of patients failed to show any response to Zelboraf whatsoever, meaning their disease continued to progress.
Previously, no more than 10 percent of patients responded to any of the other available treatments, the researchers said.
The main limitation with Zelboraf is that tumors eventually become resistant.
Side effects include joint and muscle aches, which are fairly easy to manage in most patients, Sosman said.
Some patients also experienced skin changes, including sun sensitivity and rashes. “Patients develop incredible photosensitivity so patients have to be very careful about direct sunlight and use sunscreen as well as just staying out of the bright sun,” Sosman said.
Also, the drug indirectly causes squamous cell cancers of the skin in some patients. “These generally never spread and are easy to remove, and patients who have gotten them can remain on treatment,” Sosman said.
The drug costs around $ 10,000 a month, Sosman noted. “It’s comparable to other cancer drugs that have shown improvement in survival, but like a lot of cancer drugs, it’s expensive,” he said. “You probably need to take the drug for an indefinite period of time.”
Drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche funded the study.
About 70,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year. Of these, about 8,000 will die from the disease.
Dr. Michele Green, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the study is a leap forward. “This finding is significant in that there is nothing right now for this kind of cancer. It’s basically a death sentence,” she said.
That the researchers showed improved survival is clinically significant, she said, even though “the survival wasn’t that much longer.”
If the drug were given for early-stage melanoma, it’s possible it would improve survival even more, Green said. Eventually, she said the research will lead to a cure for melanoma.
“There’s new hope every single day for melanoma,” she said. “I think in our lifetime we are going to see cures for this cancer.”
More information
For more information on melanoma, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Health News
MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) — Marriage offers few well-being advantages compared to living together, a new study contends.
The study also found that the benefits of marriage diminish over time, while unmarried couples who live together experience greater happiness and self-esteem.
Researchers examined data from 2,737 single men and women who took part in the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households. Of those people, 896 married or moved in with a partner over a period of six years.
Both marriage and cohabitation led to short-term increases in levels of happiness and fewer depressive symptoms, compared to being single.
But people who were newly married or cohabitating had less contact with parents and friends than single people, and this effect continued over time, according to the study in the February issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.
“We found that differences between marriage and cohabitation tend to be small and dissipate after a honeymoon period. Also while married couples experienced health gains — likely linked to the formal benefits of marriage such as shared health care plans — cohabiting couples experienced greater gains in happiness and self-esteem,” said study author Kelly Musick, an associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, in a journal news release. “For some, cohabitation may come with fewer unwanted obligations than marriage and allow for more flexibility, autonomy and personal growth.”
“Compared to most industrial countries, America continues to value marriage above other family forms,” she noted. “However, our research shows that marriage is by no means unique in promoting well-being and that other forms of romantic relationships can provide many of the same benefits.”
More information
The U.S. Administration for Children and Families outlines the benefits of healthy marriages.
Health News
Sunday 22 January (HealthDay News) – Researchers have identified three new regions of genomic they believe are associated with breast cancer, help explain why some women may develop the disease.
All three newly identified zones, “the genes of interest that new avenues for biological research and clinical,” said scientist Douglas Easton, a professor of genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in England. Breast cancer is the most common in women with
about 1 million new cases per year worldwide and over 400 000 deaths per year.
Scientists
conduct genome-wide association studies – research that the relationship between genetic factors and diseases studied to identify possible causes – had already identified 22 susceptibility loci for breast cancer. Locus is the physical location of a gene sequence or DNA on a chromosome.
“The three [newly identified] the number of loci with common susceptibility loci 22-25,” said Easton. However, the three new susceptibility loci that may account for about 0.7 percent of familial risk for breast cancer, bringing the total contribution to around 9 percent, the researchers said. Michael Melnais, scientific program director for the American Cancer Society, said that current research adds some important new information available evidence, however, agreed that the number of probable cases of these three variants of which is likely low. “So, the overall impact in terms of patients would be relatively small,” he said Melnie. The 22nd Study Online January in the publication Nature Genetics . To find new clues, the team worked with Easton genetic information. approximately 57,000 patients with breast cancer and 58 000 healthy women from two genome-wide association studies Investigators in over 72 different single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) A SNP get zeroed. – Pronounced “snip” – is a change in a single base in DNA differs from the usual basis, the human genome has millions of SNPs, some associated with the disease, while others are normal fluctuations Researchers at three SNPs on chromosome 12p11 concentrated -.., 12q24 and 21q21 Easton’s team found that the variant on chromosome 12p11 associated with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in both (which needs estrogen to grow) and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The other two variants with ER-positive tumors are associated, they said. A newly identified variants in a region with a gene that plays a role in the development of the mammary glands and bone. Easton said it was already known that the mammary gland development during puberty is an important time in terms of determining the risk of cancer later on. “But it is the first susceptibility gene was shown to be involved in this process,” he said. Another SNP is in an area that may influence estrogen receptor signaling, the researchers said. Melnie found
and notes some of the research is “fine tuning” of the other work, said in his opinion, the new understanding of signaling pathways and their genetic relationship is the main conclusion.
“If a path you define new targets for therapy to make,” he said. “The goals that you have, open have the potential to attack multiple anti-cancer drugs more easily, without ever stronger.” Added On the whole Melnie, the results highlight the complex mechanisms in the pathogenesis of breast cancer are involved. More For more information on the genetics of breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society .
SATURDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) — Talking on a cellphone or texting while walking slows you down and makes it difficult to walk in a straight line, researchers report.
Their preliminary research included 33 men and women in their 20s whose walking abilities were tested when they weren’t using a mobile device and when they were talking on a cellphone or texting.
The participants’ walking speeds were 33 percent slower while texting and 16 percent slower while talking on a cellphone. In addition, texting resulted in a 61 percent increase in lateral (side-to-side) deviation while walking, which added to total travel distance, the Stony Brook University researchers found.
The findings, published in the Jan. 5 online edition of the journal Gait & Posture, suggest that cellphone use and texting affect the working memory in areas of the brain that control executive function and attention and are necessary for walking, said study co-author Eric Lamberg, in a university news release.
“We are using the findings to help physical therapy patients improve true functional walking while making them aware that some tasks may affect their gait and/or certain aspects of memory recall,” noted Lamberg, a clinical associate professor in the physical therapy department at the School of Health Technology and Management.
Using a cellphone while walking reflects a “real-world” activity that recovering patients are likely to engage in early in their recovery process, he explained.
More information
The American College of Emergency Physicians has more about the hazards of texting while on the move.
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FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) — Younger women with breast cancer may experience a decrease in their health-related quality of life because of increased mental distress, weight gain and other factors, a new study finds.
Decreased physical activity, infertility and early-onset menopause were among the other problems these women faced, according to the report published Jan. 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The findings were based on data from 28 previous studies, conducted between 1990 and 2010, which focused on how breast cancer affects the quality of life of breast cancer patients aged 50 and younger.
The review revealed that overall quality of life was reduced in these patients, and that mental issues were more severe than physical problems, said Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues.
The investigators also found that younger breast cancer patients were more depressed than women of the same age without cancer in the general population, or breast cancer patients older than 50. Premature menopause, infertility and menopause-related symptoms were more common among patients 50 and younger and contributed to their levels of distress, the findings showed.
Even though exercise rates among younger patients generally increased after treatment, weight gain and physical inactivity were common among these women, the study authors pointed out in a university news release.
The findings suggest that personalized treatment is particularly important for younger women with breast cancer, the researchers said.
“By tailoring adjuvant therapy regimens and giving cytotoxic therapy [such as chemotherapy] only to those who may benefit, we can mitigate some of these side effects, but the long life expectancy for these younger women also provides a window of opportunity for cancer prevention and health promotion activities,” the study authors concluded in their report.
More information
The American Cancer Society outlines lifestyle changes to consider during and after breast cancer treatment.
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THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) — A new medical review finds that lithium, a common treatment for bipolar disorder, can lead to weight gain and causes high rates of abnormalities in the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
But the researchers found few signs of a link to skin problems or hair loss, and a suspected connection to birth defects hasn’t been proven, according to the report published in the Jan. 20 online edition of The Lancet.
Overall, the findings reaffirm lithium’s role as “a treatment of choice for bipolar disorder,” two doctors wrote in an accompanying editorial.
While lithium is less popular than it was in the 1970s and ’80s as a treatment for bipolar disorder, it’s probably the most effective available mood stabilizer, said Dr. Bryan Bruno, acting chairman of the department of psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved with the review but is familiar with the findings.
“It remains very beneficial, and it’s still a first-line agent for bipolar disorder,” Bruno said.
But lithium has a variety of possible side effects, noted the authors of the review, led by Dr. John Geddes of the University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital in Oxford, England. Their analysis included 385 studies.
The review found that lithium can cause weight gain, slightly hinder the kidneys’ ability to concentrate urine, and cause increased activity of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Geddes and his colleagues suggest that doctors talk about the possible side effects with patients and add a blood calcium test to the testing regimen to check for possible hyperparathyroidism.
Bruno said the information about hyperparathyroidism is new, and added that he’s likely to order the relevant test more often.
Dr. Michael Berk, a professor of psychiatry at Deakin University in Australia and a co-author of an accompanying commentary in the journal, said that lithium “is still widely used, but perhaps not as widely used as it should be.”
Commenting on the review, he stated: “While lithium has potential side effects, these can be managed by understanding and anticipating them, in order to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.”
More information
For more about lithium, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) — Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are associated with an increased risk of falls in nursing home residents with dementia, a new study finds.
Researchers in the Netherlands analyzed data about daily prescription medicine use and falls among 248 nursing home residents with dementia. The dataset collected between Jan. 1, 2006 and Jan. 1, 2008 included 85,074 person-days.
Antidepressants were used on 13,729 days (16 percent), with SSRIs used on 11,105 of these days, the investigators found.
A total of 683 falls were experienced by 152 (61.5 percent) of the 248 nursing home residents, which works out to fall incidence of 2.9 falls per person-year. Thirty-eight residents had one fall but 114 had frequent falls.
Injury or death resulted from 220 of the falls: 10 were hip fractures, 11 were other types of fractures, and 198 were injuries such as sprains, bruises, swelling and open wounds. One person died after falling, according to the results.
The researchers found that the risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher for residents taking SSRIs than for those who didn’t take the antidepressants. For example, the absolute daily risk of a fall was 0.28 percent for an 80-year-old woman taking a daily dose of an SSRI, compared with 0.09 percent for a woman the same age who didn’t take an SSRI.
Similar increases in risk were found for both women and men of different ages, according to the study published Jan. 19 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
“Our study also discovered that the risk of an injurious fall increased even more if the residents were also given hypnotic or sedative drugs as sleeping pills,” lead author Carolyn Shanty Sterke, who works in the section of geriatric medicine at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said in a journal news release.
Falls are a major issue for nursing home residents with dementia, and one-third of falls among nursing home residents result in an injury, the study authors noted.
“Staff in residential homes are always concerned about reducing the chance of people falling and I think we should consider developing new treatment protocols that take into account the increased risk of falling that occurs when you give people SSRIs,” Sterke said in the news release.
While the study uncovered an association between injury-causing falls and SSRI use, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about falls in nursing homes.
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