June 12, 2006, 6:53 AM CT

A Sea Of Pink Ribbons

Woodward Avenue turned into a sea of pink ribbons when tens of thousand walked and ran through the streets in Detroit. This was in support of the fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and to raises public awareness of breast cancer.

Thousands of men and women gathered under the sunny skies and joined various programs including walking, jogging and running long distances. The walk and run stated at Woodward and ended at Comerica Park. The morning presented a mixture of sweetness and bitterness as the participants enjoyed the triumphs and remembered their loved ones who lost their lives to breast cancer.

Jan Tevelman, a 55-year-old Sterling Heights resident, has participated for nine years, since her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

This year, Tevelman was a volunteer coordinator for various teams in the event. Her sister died six years ago and as a number of as 176 friends and relatives have since run the race in her honor.

"It was a wonderful, wonderful day," Tevelman said. "It means so much to my family to be here. Lots of my sister's friends and co-workers come and join us. It is a wonderful tribute".

In 1982 the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was founded by Nancy Brinker as a way to honor her sister, who died of the disease at age 36.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 12:49 AM CT

Mislabeled Stuffed Olives Contain Almonds

Olives stuffed with garlic: i love them! Perfect antipasti and fingerfood! Those of you in British Columbia, watch out though for jars of Sicilian Olives Stuffed with Garlic Cloves, distributed by Thrifty Foods. Another alert from the CFIA:.

Thrifty Foods, Parksville, is warning customers not to consume Sicilian Olives Stuffed with Garlic Cloves because they were mislabeled and contain olives stuffed with almonds which are not declared on the label.

If you have allergies to almonds, do not consume this product. You can return it for a full refund to the firm. for more information, call 250-248-8823 or Thrifty Foods customer service line 250-544-1234 or toll free 1-800-667-8280.........

Posted by: JoAnn      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 11:28 AM CT

Approaches To Cervical Cancer Prevention

JHPIEGO demonstrates that a "single visit approach" using Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) is safe, acceptable, feasible and cost-effective.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death among women in developing countries. From December 4-7, 2005, Ministries of Health, U.S. government agencies, leading clinical experts and reproductive health professionals from the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America will convene in Bangkok, Thailand to address cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings.

With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Glaxo Smith Kline and Digene, JHPIEGO, an international health affiliate of The Johns Hopkins University, is sponsoring this meeting "Preventing Cervical Cancer: From Research to Practice", in collaboration with the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine.

The Royal Thai Ministry of Public Health and JHPIEGO's President and CEO Leslie D. Mancuso, PhD, RN, FAAN, welcome an international panel of speakers, including Paul D. Blumenthal, Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Khunying Kobchitt Limpaphayom, JHPIEGO's Cervical Cancer Project Director, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and representatives from the World Health Organization. More than 100 participants from more than 15 countries will learn about innovative cervical cancer screening techniques and how to implement a high-quality, sustainable program. "JHPIEGO is honored to host this global meeting to share the proven, life-saving strategies, innovative service delivery and training approaches, as well as community mobilization and education techniques. Hopefully we'll also inspire attending countries to adopt these screening methods. On a scientific-level, we're talking about reducing the incidence of invasive cervical cancer in a cost-effective way. But on a human-level, we're talking about saving mothers, grandmothers, wives, sisters and friends," comments Dr. Mancuso.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 11:17 AM CT

Obesity Spreading Out To All Income Levels

Once considered primarily a problem of the poor, obesity is growing fastest in among those making more than $60,000 a year, as per a research studypresented at the American Heart Association's 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

"There has been a perception that poor people are more likely to be fat," said presenter Nidhi Maheshwari, M.B.B.S., a graduate research assistant in epidemiology in the University of Iowa College of Public Health at Iowa City. "However, obesity is growing at a much faster rate in those with the highest incomes".

The scientists compared data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 1971-74 and 2001-02. It included data from Americans ages 20 years and older in five surveys, and defined obesity as a body mass index, derived from a formula that accounts for height and weight, of 30 or above. Scientists used a mobile van to reach the neighborhoods to measure individuals' heights and weights. Family income was adjusted to 2000 U.S. dollars and was divided into income quartiles of below $25,000, $25,000-$39,999, $40,000 to $60,000 and above $60,000. The same income categories were used for both surveys.

They found that the highest income category, above $60,000, had the greatest increase (276 percent) in obesity prevalence from 9.7 percent in 1971-1974 to 26.8 percent in 2001-2002. Obesity prevalence in those making less than $25,000 was 22.5 percent in 1971-1974 and was 32.5 percent in 2001-2002, an increase of 144 percent. For those earning $25,000-$39,999, the prevalence was 16.1 in 1971-1974 and 31.3 in 2001-2002, a 194 percent increase. For those earning $40,000-$60,000, the increase was about 209 percent.........

Posted by: JoAnn      Permalink         Source

June 11, 2006, 8:02 AM CT

Before Prohibition

A number of of the substances prohibited today were legally available in the past. This small exposition contains samples of the a number of psychoactive medicines widely available during the late-19th century through the mid-20th century. Some of the pictures are oversized to improve legibility. Additional photographs are available for some products in the author's private collection. For a quick comparison with current drug regulations, see Drug Schedules.

The prohibition of psychoactive substances has evolved gradually in the United States and in Europe. The opium-containing preparation laudanum had been widely available since the 18th century. Morphine, cocaine, and even heroin were seen as miracle cures when they were first discovered. During the mid to late 19th century, a number of manufacturers proudly proclaimed that their products contained cocaine or opium. A few, like Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup for infants which contained morphine, were more guarded in divulging their principal ingredients. By the beginning of the 20th century, problems with habitual use of cocaine and opiates was becoming increasingly apparent. This led to the removal of these substances from some products (e.g., Coca Cola) and to the introduction of the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) in the United States which mandatory the listing of ingredients on product labels. Nonetheless, standard narcotic remedies like paregoric remained readily available into the early 20th century, and Benzedrine inhalers were marketed without prescription until the early 1950s. Codeine wasn't removed from most over-the-counter cough suppressants until the early part of 1980s.........

Posted by: JoAnn      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 7:12 PM CT

Women's Skin Tone Influences Perception Of Beauty

Using a revolutionary imaging process, a new study is revealing that wrinkles aren't the only cue the human eye looks for to evaluate age. Researchers at the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology (Austria) and the Department for Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Goettingen (Gera number of), have shown that facial skin color distribution, or tone, can add, or subtract, as much as 20 years to a woman's age. The study is to be presented at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) annual meeting, June 7-11, 2006, in Philadelphia, PA. The study used 3-D imaging and morphing software technologies to remove wrinkles and bone structure from the equation to determine the true impact of facial skin color distribution on the perception of a woman's age, health and attractiveness and is currently in the edit acceptance process with the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

"Until now, skin's overall homogeneity and color saturation received little attention among behavioral scientists. This study helps us better understand that wrinkles are not the only age cue. Skin tone and luminosity may be a major signal for mate selection and attractiveness, as well according toceived age," says lead researcher Dr. Karl Grammer, Founder and Scientific Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Austria.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 7:00 PM CT

Migraine Headaches And Sexual Desire

Contrary to the popular cliche, "Not tonight, I have a headache," new research suggests that not all headache sufferers avoid sexual activity. In fact, migraine sufferers reported higher levels of sexual desire than those with other types of headaches, as per scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and his colleagues.

"Our study suggests that sexual desire and migraine headaches may be influenced by the same brain chemical," said Timothy Houle, Ph.D., lead author and research assistant professor of anesthesiology. "The results support the idea that migraine, as a syndrome, is associated with other common phenomena. Understanding of this link will help us to better understand the nature of migraine and perhaps lead to improved therapy."

The research, involving 68 young adults from Chicago, will appear in an upcoming issue of Headache, published by the American Headache Society, and already is available on line.

The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between migraine headache and self-reported sexual desire. There is evidence of a complex relationship between sexual activity and headache. Both sexual desire and migraine headache have been linked to levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that also plays a role in depression. An excess of serotonin may be associated with decreased libido, and migraine sufferers are reported to have low system levels of the brain chemical. Serotonin has also been found to play a role in migraine attacks.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 6:43 PM CT

New Insights On Survival in AIDS

New insights into how a subpopulation of helper T-cells provides immunity and promotes survival following infection with an AIDS-like virus offer a new means of predicting an AIDS vaccine's effectiveness, a discovery that could help researchers as they test these vaccines in clinical trials.

Led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, these findings appear in the June 9 issue of the journal Science.

"Over the last decade, we have created AIDS vaccines that generate T-cell populations that can combat HIV," explains lead author Norman Letvin, M.D., chief of the Division of Viral Pathogenesis at BIDMC, professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and investigator at the NIAID VRC. "These latest findings now provide us with an important new way of looking at subpopulations of CD4 helper T-cells and suggest how they may be used as a marker to gauge the efficacy of these vaccines."

The work was spearheaded by Letvin and colleagues at the VRC, which is dedicated to improving global human health through the rigorous pursuit of effective vaccines for human diseases such as AIDS. Since it was first identified 25 years ago, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has proven extraordinarily difficult to control. Attempts to develop an HIV vaccine that triggers the production of antibodies -- the mechanism responsible for vaccine protection against other viruses including polio and hepatitis B -- have been unsuccessful.........

Posted by: Mark      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 6:37 PM CT

FDA aaproves Cervical Cancer Vaccine

A vaccine that protects against the virus known to cause most cervical cancers was given the blessing of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel Thursday.

The vaccine, Gardasil, is expected to get full FDA approval on June 8, and the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will then decide whether to include the vaccine in routine vaccination schedules. Gardasil, which is manufactured by Merck & Co., would then become the first vaccine to be approved for the prevention of cervical cancer.

Experts noted the development of this type of vaccine is unquestionably a good thing.

"This will be a very important advance for public health for women," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, in Baton Rouge, La.

"It's a very positive thing. There's no negative that I can think of," echoed Dr. Nicholas Klein, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Nyack Hospital, in Nyack, N.Y. "It's a great step forward in possibly preventing cervical cancer".

There are, however, some important remaining questions.

"This can have a tremendous effect on women's health," said Dr. Daniel H. Smith, chief of the gynecologic oncology division at Hackensack University Medical Center's Cancer Center, in New Jersey. "Having said that, to me, the real issue is who should be treated, and when".........

Posted by: Emily      Permalink         Source

June 10, 2006, 6:13 PM CT

Improving Radiation Therapy

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and his colleagues at Stony Brook University, the IRCCS NEUROMED Medical Center in Italy, and Georgetown University say improvements they have made to an experimental form of radiation treatment that has been under investigation for a number of years could make the technique more effective and eventually allow its use in hospitals. Results on the improved method, which was tested in rats, will be published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The technique, microbeam radiation treatment (MRT), previously used a high-intensity synchrotron x-ray source such as a superconducting wiggler at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) to produce parallel arrays of very thin (25 to 90 micrometers) planar x-ray beams (picture the parallel panels of window blinds in the open position) instead of the unsegmented (solid), broad beams used in conventional radiation therapy. Prior studies conducted at Brookhaven and at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, demonstrated MRT's ability to control cancerous tumors in animals with high radiation doses while subjecting adjacent normal tissue to little collateral damage.

But the technique has limitations. For one thing, only certain synchrotrons can generate its very thin beams at adequate intensity, and such facilities are available at only a few research centers around the world.........

Posted by: Janet      Permalink         Source