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If you are like me, you had no idea who provided the money to pay your salary as a resident. I just assumed it was my hospital. But the federal government spends more than $15 billion per year on residency and fellowship training, and many are asking why physicians deserve this special largesse denied other professionals.

A small four-institution study shows promise for use of an insufflated isolation bag as a way of reducing risks of power morcellation while retaining the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. The authors caution, however, that their results are observational and represent outcomes in the hands of high-volume surgeons.

According to a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, postmenopausal women who increase their physical activity may reduce their risk of developing incident atrial fibrillation (AF).

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of induced deliveries is on the decline after almost 20 years of increases. The data are taken from the Natality Data File from the National Vital Statistics System and represent births in singleton deliveries, which are the majority of newborns.

A prospective Italian study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggests that low levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D] may contribute to infertility. The finding, which the authors acknowledge does not confirm causality, could point to possible therapeutic benefits of the vitamin in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Despite earlier observational studies, bisphosphonate treatment for 3 to 4 years appears not to decrease the risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Mutations in the PALB2 gene may be associated with a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer, according to a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine. PALB2 binds to BRCA2-a gene that confers increased lifetime risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer-and likely permits its stable nuclear localization and accumulation.

Menopausal hot flashes may be more bothersome in women who drink caffeine, according to results of a 6-year cross-sectional survey published in Menopause.