Feature Channels: Women's Health

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Dr. Nathan Bryan, Baylor College of Medicine and one of the leading experts in nitric oxide biochemistry and physiology said today, “healthcare providers, especially those helping patients with cardiovascular issues and age-related disease, are not using perhaps the most important ‘tool’ in their ‘toolbox,’ restoring nitric oxide function. Bryan organized and chaired a full day workshop on the Clinical Applications of Nitric Oxide held during the 25th American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress.

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Citing uncertainties about the risks and benefits of an experimental therapy for fetuses whose kidneys do not develop, bioethicists at Johns Hopkins and a team of medical experts are calling for rigorous clinical trials in the use of a potential treatment, known as amnioinfusion.

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Consuming soy foods (such as soy milk, tofu and edamame) and cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbages, kale, collard greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli) may be associated with a reduction in common side effects of breast cancer treatment in breast cancer survivors, say a team of scientists.

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Patients with certain advanced hereditary breast cancers may have new treatments options on the horizon, according to two studies presented this week at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Susan Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, will present new results from the Mediola and OlympiAD trials showing continued success of treating BRCA-related metastatic breast cancer with the PARP inhibitor olaparib with limited side effects for patients.

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Intensive surveillance including a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) exam every six months was far more effective in detecting breast cancer in younger women with a high-risk genetic profile than an annual mammogram. DCE-MRI every six months performed well for early detection of invasive breast cancer in high-risk women.

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In a randomized, Phase III trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the PARP inhibitor talazoparib extended progression-free survival (PFS) and improved quality-of-life measures over available chemotherapies for patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer and mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes.

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Although digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), or 3-D mammography, costs more than a digital mammography (DM) screening, it actually may help rein in cancer screening costs, according to preliminary findings (PD7-05) presented by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania during the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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La mamografía digital con realce por contraste es comparable a la resonancia magnética de las mamas para evaluar el cáncer mamario residual después de la terapia endocrina adyuvante o de la quimioterapia, según los resultados de un estudio presentado por los investigadores de Mayo Clinic.

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The biological features of patients’ tumors partially explained a racial disparity for women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, but UNC Lineberger researchers led by Katherine Reeder-Hayes, MD, MBA, MSc, said it didn’t explain it completely. The preliminary findings were reported at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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Acupuncture decreased joint symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors, according to a randomized, multicenter clinical trial led by researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The findings were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 5 – 9.

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The addition of ribociclib, an inhibitor of the cell cycle, to standard hormone therapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in pre-menopausal patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, according to results of the MONALEESA-7 Phase III clinical trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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Contrast-enhanced digital mammography is comparable to breast MRI in evaluating residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy or chemotherapy, according to the results of a study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers today at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

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Latest Research Highlights from ACSM

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New research in rats suggests the possibility of bioengineering artificial ovaries in the lab to provide a safer, more natural hormone replacement therapy for women. A safe therapy, with the potential to improve bone and uterine health, as well as body composition, is expected to become increasing important as the population ages.

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Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers demonstrated that mice with ovarian cancer that received drugs to reactivate dormant genes along with other drugs that activate the immune system had a greater reduction of tumor burden and significantly longer survival than those that received any of the drugs alone.

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Members of the media can now register to cover the latest advances in hormone health and science at ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society’s 100th Annual Meeting & Expo. The meeting will be held March 17-20, in Chicago, Ill.

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Results of a national survey of more than 800 physicians suggest that their experiences with patients, family members and friends with breast cancer are linked with their recommendations for routine mammograms.

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National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada / Journée nationale de commémoration et d’action contre la violence faite aux femmes au Canada

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Doctors may be prescribing nearly twice the number of opioids than what the average patient needs after a hysterectomy, a new study suggests.

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Researchers partner to develop an app that aims to lengthen inter-pregnancy intervals in teens and young women.

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A new article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings reviews options for women going through genitourinary syndrome of menopause – an encompassing term for vaginal dryness, itching, dyspareunia and urinary tract infections brought on by low estrogen levels after menopause.

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UNLV researchers find consuming encapsulated placentas has little to no effect on postpartum mood and maternal bonding; detectable changes shown in hormones.

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Head and neck tumors that contain cells undergoing a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition — which transforms them from neatly organized blocks into irregular structures that extrude into the surrounding environment — are more likely to invade and spread to other parts of the body, according to a new study led by researchers from Mass. Eye and Ear, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

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To help empower women in low- and middle-income countries and improve their health, the U.S. Agency for International Development through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) awarded RTI International a $4.8 million cooperative agreement to develop a dual-purpose drug delivery device for both HIV and pregnancy prevention that can be successfully used in these settings.

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Mums-to-be living in war zones/areas of armed conflict are at heightened risk of giving birth to low birthweight babies. However the evidence for any impact on the rate of other complications of pregnancy is less clear. That’s the findings of a review of the available evidence conducted by the University of Warwick and published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have developed a method to map protein changes that occur in different subtypes of breast cancer cells in response to DNA damage from a new class of chemotherapy drugs.

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Researchers identify several lncRNAs that are linked to the ovarian cancer in a cohort of patients. These lncRNAs were reproducibly altered and are responsible for a shift in cellular function that contributes to the metastatic properties of the cancer cells.

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Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, and Hackensack Meridian Health John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center have secured a five-year, $6.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to identify biomarkers that can predict which women with pre-cancerous tissue in their breast will develop invasive breast cancer. This research could help personalize treatment and improve outcomes for tens of thousands of women each year.

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Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey research further elucidates a tumor suppression mechanism behind the human Parkin gene – which could help inform treatment decisions for breast cancer patients who have a Parkin mutation or loss of Parkin expression.

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Among women with dense breast tissue, for whom traditional mammograms are less effective at detecting cancer, who request additional screening after a negative mammogram, abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MR) may be a valuable cancer detection tool. In a study of 195 asymptomatic women with dense breast tissue who had a negative mammogram within the previous 11 months, AB-MR detected five additional cancers after a negative screening mammography, according to preliminary findings from a Penn Medicine team presented this week at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago.

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Women have smaller, more breakable nerve fibers in the brain compared to men that may make them more susceptible to concussions, suggests a new study from Penn Medicine neuroscientists published online today in the journal Experimental Neurology.

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The CORE Prize for Oncology 2017 was awarded to Professor Antonio Giordano for his groundbreaking discoveries in the field of the cell cycle, which have established an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms at the basis of cancer and the development of a new class of anticancer therapeutics.

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New study in JNCCN calls for more planning and research to prepare for the increasing financial burden of treating breast cancer.

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Dr. Afriyie-Gray Named to Chicago List of Prominent African-Americans in Medicine

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Sage Snyder and Julia Dickman are sophomores in high school. They do all the normal things high schoolers do – hang out with their friends, go shopping, and play sports after school. But for these two, the buck doesn’t stop there. Sage and Julia were both born prematurely. They spent the first several months of their lives in intensive care, and over the years have continued to experience the lasting effects of premature birth. Together with other teens who were born premature, Sage and Julia founded Preemies 4 Prevention, an effort that officially launches this month and works to raise awareness of the devastating effects of preterm birth and support for research at Penn’s March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center.

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Dr. Anthony Furlan of University Hospitals in Cleveland was given the Neurologist Pioneering Award from the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN).

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A new study published today – World Prematurity Day – in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology provides additional support for treatment with vaginal progesterone to reduce the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and infant death in pregnant women with a short cervix. A shortened cervix is the most powerful predictor of preterm birth.

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Mount Sinai researchers identify new protein in a common subtype of breast cancer which can potentially offer more effective therapies for the future

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That “to do” list of chores and errands could actually provide a variety of health benefits, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found women over age 65 who engaged in regular light physical activity had a reduction in the risk of mortality.

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Researchers at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have developed a computer program to find new indications for old drugs. The computer program, called DrugPredict, matches existing data about FDA-approved drugs to diseases, and predicts potential drug efficacy. In a recent study published in Oncogene, the researchers successfully translated DrugPredict results into the laboratory, and showed common pain medications—like aspirin—can kill patient-derived epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

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Researchers are calling for a randomised clinical trial to investigate the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in improving live birth rates following assisted reproduction treatment (ART).

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Women who undergo vaginal delivery often do not require opioids to manage pain after hospital discharge, concludes a study published in Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). In addition, the quantity of opioids prescribed to women after cesarean delivery can be less than currently prescribed.

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A white paper designed to provide New York State healthcare providers and communities with the tools to manage and reduce opioid use disorder in pregnancy will be released by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

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Through a partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago, four physicians from Cuba are working to improve maternal health and birth outcomes in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.

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Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J. is pleased to welcome Kevin T. Gioia, M.D. to the medical staff. Dr. Gioia is a urologist, with a special focus on female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.

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Editor's Highlights include papers on aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation and neutrophil function; transcriptomic analysis of TCE and PCE in the liver and kidney; functional genomics of TCE metabolites genotoxicity; and increased aflatoxin b1 damage in pregnant mice.

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Even 20 years after a diagnosis, women with a type of breast cancer fueled by estrogen still face a substantial risk of cancer returning or spreading, according to a new analysis from an international team of investigators published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Including the opioid fentanyl in the solution used to maintain an epidural during childbirth does not appear to affect the success of breastfeeding six weeks after delivery, according to a study published in Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

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Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.

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Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ is pleased to welcome diagnostic radiologist, Dara Fedele, M.D., to the medical staff.