HPV Vaccine May Benefit HIV-Infected Women

For Immediate Release
Thursday, November 8, 2012

Women with HIV may benefit from a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), despite having already been exposed to HPV, a study finds. Although many may have been exposed to less serious forms of HPV, more than 45 percent of sexually active young women who have acquired HIV appear never to have been exposed to the most common high-risk forms of HPV, according to the study from a National Institutes of Health research network.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. The virus can infect the anal and genital areas, mouth and throat of males and females. High-risk forms of the virus can cause cancer, including cancer of the cervix.

The researchers noted that earlier studies had found many women with HIV were more likely than were women who did not have HIV to have conditions associated with HPV, such as precancerous conditions of the cervix, as well as for cervical cancer.

"Health care providers may hesitate to recommend HPV vaccines after a girl starts having sex," said study first author Jessica Kahn, M.D., M.P.H. of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. "However, our results show that for a significant number of young women, HPV vaccine can still offer benefits. This is especially important in light of their HIV status, which can make them even more vulnerable to HPV's effects."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HPV vaccination for girls ages 11-26. If an individual has not been exposed to the virus, approved HPV vaccines can protect against four types of the virus. Two HPV types, HPV-16 and HPV-18, cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. Two others, HPV-6 and HPV-11, cause 90 percent of genital warts.

At the time the women in the study received their first HPV vaccination, the researchers found that 12 percent had an existing HPV-16 infection and 5 percent had an HPV-18 infection. Because of their HIV status, these women may be more likely to develop cervical cancer or to develop a cancer that is hard to treat, the researchers said.

"Cervical cancer screening for sexually active young women is an important clinical priority, but our findings suggest it is especially so for women at risk of HIV," said study co-author Bill G. Kapogiannis, M.D., of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Maternal AIDS Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of six NIH institutes supporting the study.

Drs. Kahn and Kapogiannis conducted the research in collaboration with colleagues at the NICHD and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City; Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia; New York University School of Medicine; Westat, Inc., Rockville, Md.; and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The research was conducted at a network of hospitals affiliated with the NICHD-funded Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. Also supporting the study were the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Cancer Institute and National Center for Research Resources.

The findings appear in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

The researchers analyzed blood and tissue samples from 99 HIV-positive women between 16 and 23 years old who were given an initial vaccination for HPV. The researchers examined the samples for evidence of an existing HPV infection as well as previous exposure to the virus.

The researchers tested for the presence of 41 of more than 100 existing types of HPV virus, including 13 high-risk types. They found that 75 percent of the women had an existing HPV infection with at least one type, with 54 percent testing positive for a high-risk type. However, when examining the two types that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers (HPV-16 and HPV-18), the researchers found that nearly half of the women had no existing infection with either type and showed no evidence of exposure to them.

When the researchers tested for each type of HPV individually, they found that nearly 75 percent of the women had no current HPV-18 infection and no evidence of previous exposure. For HPV-16, 56 percent did not have a current infection or previous exposure.

"Even among women who test positive for one type of HPV, the vaccine may effectively prevent infection with others — especially high-risk forms that cause cancer," Dr. Kahn said. "It’s important that doctors don't withhold the vaccine in these cases, thinking that it's too late for a vaccine to be effective."

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's website at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health ^®

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Timi Gustafson, R.D.: Is Eating Alone Becoming the Norm?

Timi Gustafson, R.D.: Is Eating Alone Becoming the Norm?

It's a familiar picture: People eating while talking on the phone, reading emails, staring at computer screens, hurrying from appointment to appointment. Our hectic lifestyles rarely allow for lunch breaks exclusively dedicated to nourishment or sit-down dinners to reconnect with loved ones.

Nearly half of all adults in America now eat most of their meals alone, according to a new survey by the Hartman Group, a marketing research firm that specializes in consumer culture. "In fact, 46 percent of all adults eating occasions happen alone, with nobody else present; 40 percent of all adult meals (not just snacks) are eaten alone; and 51 percent of all adult snacking is done alone," it says in the report.

The changes in eating habits are most obvious in the workplace where long, uninterrupted working hours have become the norm rather than the exception. But also, hard-to-coordinate family schedules are impacting the way we used to have our meals at home, says Laurie Demeritt, the Hartman Group's president.

Although it's now more common than ever, the trend toward eating solo began a long time ago. As women joined the workforce in great numbers after World War II, preparing elaborate meals at home became less attractive, even as modern kitchen appliances eased the task. The ability to eat out or pick up frozen dinners offered much-welcomed relief.

Today, we have what Demeritt calls the "snackification of meals," where frequent eating of snack items and smaller dishes has taken the place of the traditional three-meals-a-day pattern. Consumers are looking for flexible meal schedules that fit their demanding lifestyles. Oftentimes, this is only feasible when they eat by themselves.

While eating without company is not necessarily a bad thing and can from time to time be quite enjoyable, there are certain downsides. When you're all by yourself, nobody will judge you, your table manners, your food choices or your portion sizes. You can focus on your meal or do a thousand other things at the same time. But that's where it can get tricky, according to Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam, 2006). If you are not paying attention or there is no one else to give you any cues about your eating behavior, you may end up overdoing it -- and gain weight in the process, he says.

To be sure, not all snacking, even if it occurs frequently, is automatically unhealthy. The trick is to stay away from the salty, sugary and highly processed items that unfortunately dominate the snack-food sections from supermarkets to gas stations. And as with all foods, moderation is key.

And what about the social interactions solitary eaters miss out on? "Some of us love eating alone," says Diane Shipley, who writes for the British paper The Guardian. Eating alone should not make you feel awkward, not even as a woman going on her own to a bar or a restaurant or when travelling, she says. "Spending time with someone whom you have little in common with can feel far more alienating than being alone."

If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in Despite of the Obesity Crisis, the Eating Habits of Most Americans Remain Unchanged.

Food and Health with Timi Gustafson, R.D.

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Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Balding And Other Signs Of Aging May Mean You're At High Risk For This Disease

Balding And Other Signs Of Aging May Mean You're At High Risk For This Disease

LOS ANGELES -- Want a clue to your risk of heart disease? Look in the mirror. People who look old – with receding hairlines, bald heads, creases near their ear lobes or bumpy deposits on their eyelids – have a greater chance of developing of heart disease than younger-looking people the same age do, new research suggests.

Doctors say the study highlights the difference between biological and chronological age.

"Looking old for your age marks poor cardiovascular health," said Dr. Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

She led the study and gave results Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference in Los Angeles.

A small consolation: Wrinkles elsewhere on the face and gray hair seemed just ordinary consequences of aging and did not correlate with heart risks.

The research involved 11,000 Danish people and began in 1976. At the start, the participants were 40 and older. Researchers documented their appearance, tallying crow's feet, wrinkles and other signs of age.

In the next 35 years, 3,400 participants developed heart disease (clogged arteries) and 1,700 suffered a heart attack.

The risk of these problems increased with each additional sign of aging present at the start of the study. This was true at all ages and among men and women, even after taking into account other factors such as family history of heart disease.

Those with three to four of these aging signs – receding hairline at the temples, baldness at the crown of the head, earlobe creases or yellowish fatty deposits around the eyelids – had a 57 percent greater risk for heart attack and a 39 percent greater risk for heart disease compared to people with none of these signs.

Having yellowish eyelid bumps, which could be signs of cholesterol buildup, conferred the most risk, researchers found. Baldness in men has been tied to heart risk before, possibly related to testosterone levels. They could only guess why earlobe creases might raise risk.

Dr. Kathy Magliato, a heart surgeon at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., said doctors need to pay more attention to signs literally staring them in the face.

"We're so rushed to put on a blood pressure cuff or put a stethoscope on the chest" that obvious, visible signs of risk are missed, she said.

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Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Aren’t We All Mesmerized With The Arrival Of The African Mango Diet?

Aren’t We All Mesmerized With The Arrival Of The African Mango Diet?

Do you know the best weight loss product that will help you to achieve your goal of staying fit and healthy? Are you one of those people who are now much aware of the importance of watching their weights since it has something to do with their health? If you really want to be sure of the product you would be purchasing, then all you have to look for is the African Mango diet pill. Just in case you are not familiar with the mentioned product, this article will help you to know more about it as well as the things that surround it.

One of the common problems that most people are having these days is their discontentment on their respective weights. For sure, you are very much aware of the individuals who are having difficulties in trimming down their weights despite having enrolled themselves in various fitness programs. There are so many people out there who have already used different types of weight loss product but still, most of them have failed miserably. If you do not want to experience what these people have suffered, then this article will help you to that by providing you the needed information you must understand and secure to yourself.

By taking a look at the different African Mango diet reviews, you will be able to see and understand the sentiments of the market in this product. The different reviews are the perfect way for you to have a glimpse of what most people have to say on this product regarding on its efficiency in the task of shedding of their excess weights. Everything that you want to know about this product will be provided to you as well as the questions you have inside your mind will also be answered by these reviews.

However, despite the popularity of the stated weight loss pill, there is the African Mango diet scam that could cause some concerns to you. Just like what it has done to other people, it will not be shocking if you too would also reconsider your decision of purchasing this item and make use in your weight loss program. Even if you have already memorized the contents of the African Mango reviews, it is not sufficient to convince you that this product is really the best choice for you. One thing that you must be well aware of is the strong possibilities and the constant threat of getting swindled in the products you are seeing in market today. If you do not want to find yourself as one of the hapless victims of this kind of work, then you should pay enough attention on this subject.

With the African Mango diet exposed details and benefits, there are many dieters who are now interested of buying this diet pill. As you can see, most of these people are not afraid of the risks of getting swindled since what is more important to them is to find the solution in their weight problems. If you have this kind of attitude, it would be easy for you to achieve your goal in life.

You need to see online discounts with almost no time and effort this afternoon. Come see our african mango acai store and then benefit from affordable prices now!

Source: www.thehealthdirectoryonline.com

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer Yields Fewer Side Effects Than Other Radiation Treatments

Men with localized prostate cancer who received intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) experienced fewer side effects than similar patients treated with two other forms of radiation therapy, according to a new study. Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men, accounting for more than 240,000 new diagnoses and 30,000 deaths each year. Advances in treatment technology have led to the development of newer, but more costly, treatments. For example, between 2000 and 2008, the use of IMRT rose from 0.15 percent to 95.9 percent in relation to the older technique of conformal radiation therapy (conformal RT).

The researchers compared 6,666 men who received IMRT with 6,310 who received conformal RT. The men treated using IMRT were 9 percent less likely to be diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems than those treated with conformal RT, 22 percent less likely to experience hip fracture, and 19 percent less likely to receive additional cancer therapy. However, the men treated with IMRT were 12 percent more likely to be diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. When the researchers compared 684 men treated with IMRT and 684 treated with proton therapy, patients treated with IMRT were 34 percent less likely to be diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems, but were as likely to experience other side effects or undergo additional therapies as those treated with proton therapy.

The findings were based on analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 16 regional cancer registries, linked to Medicare administrative and health care claims (the SEER–Medicare database) for 2000 through 2007. The study was funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Contract No. 290-05-0040).

More details are in "Intensity-modulated radiation therapy, proton therapy, or conformal radiation therapy and morbidity and disease control in localized prostate cancer," by Nathan C. Sheets, M.D., Gregg H. Goldin, M.D., Anne-Marie Meyer, PhD, and others in the April 18, 2012, Journal of the American Medical Association 307(15), pp. 1611-1620.

— DIL

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