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When the US Food and Drug Administration approved Makena, a branded formulation of the synthetic progesterone 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate on Feb. 4, obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists celebrated a perceived victory in the fight to reduce premature births.

Decades before genetic testing entered practice, clinicians recognized that certain families had an undue burden of breast and ovarian cancer, often featuring early-onset cases and male breast cancer.

Free text contains extra information relating to the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and in some cases indicates a time lag between the diagnosis and coding in the medical record, according to a study published online Feb. 23 in BMJ Open.

Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio all have a similar strength of association with cardiovascular disease, but do not significantly improve risk prediction when information on blood pressure, diabetes, and lipid levels is available, according to a study published online March 11 in The Lancet.

The incidence and severity of cerebral palsy (CP) among preterm survivors decreased significantly from 1990 to 1993 onward, possibly because of a reduction in severe cystic periventricular leukomalacia (c-PVL), according to a study published online March 3 in The Journal of Pediatrics.

It’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and two medical organizations are taking a stand to emphasize the importance of colorectal screening in women in hopes of further improving early detection and reducing deaths from the disease. Both the American College of Gastroenterology and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have released statements to increase the use of colorectal screening options in women.

Most adults in the United States have experienced vaginal sex, but the number of younger adults reporting no sexual contact has increased since 2002, according to the March issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Statistics Report.

More North Americans are obese today than were 20 years ago, and the prevalence of obesity in Canada is about 10 percentage points lower than it is in the United States, according to a data report issued March 2 by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.

High body mass index (BMI) and low levels of physical activity are associated with increased risk of triple-negative and estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online March 1 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and has beneficial effects on its individual components, according to a meta-analysis published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.