Statins and cancer: Discovering their role in treating gynecologic cancers
January 1st 2010HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, commonly referred to as statins, have gained popularity for their ability to effectively lower cholesterol levels in patients with CV disease, but new roles for statins may be on the horizon.
Treatment of mild gestational diabetes reduces some, but not all, risks
December 1st 2009Treating mild gestational diabetes doesn't improve perinatal mortality or conditions linked to maternal carbohydrate intolerance such as neonatal hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hyperinsulinemia, and birth trauma. But treatment does lessen other risks.
Some antibiotics are safer than others during pregnancy
December 1st 2009Women prescribed penicillins, erythromycins, and cephalosporins for bacterial infections during their first trimester may be reassured that these ntibacterial agents are not significantly associated with birth defects, new research shows.
Maternal complications linked to where obstetricians train
December 1st 2009A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (9/23-9/30/09) suggests that if information about maternal complication rates at training hospitals were generally available, a woman would do well to choose her obstetrician on the basis of where he or she did residency.
Prescribing combined OCs may not be effective for certain ovarian cysts
November 1st 2009A recent review of seven randomized, controlled trials involving 500 women in four countries found that combined oral contraceptives are of no use in treating functional ovarian cysts that either occur spontaneously or develop as a result of ovulation induction.
Without contraindications, elect minimally invasive, not abdominal, hysterectomy
November 1st 2009Laparoscopic or vaginal hysterectomy results in fewer postoperative infections, shorter hospital stays, and greater cost savings compared with traditional open abdominal hysterectomy, according to new research.
Expect sizable savings due to healthcare changes
November 1st 2009A new study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (9/9/09) supports the Obama administration's claim that improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery would make it possible to cover the uninsured without rationing needed care or raising taxes.
More OB/GYNs, NPs need to be screening for colorectal cancer
November 1st 2009Although about 95% of obstetricians/gynecologists and nurse practitioners (NPs) screen their female patients for breast and cervical cancer, only bout 75% screen for colorectal cancer (CRC), according to the findings of a recent study.
Abnormal vaginal flora may lead to preterm birth
November 1st 2009Researchers studied data on 759 low-risk women who were between 9 and 16 weeks pregnant to investigate whether bacterial vaginosis (BV), Aerobic vaginitis (AV), and abnormal vaginal flora (AVF) in the first trimester increased the risk for preterm birth.
Prenatal pandemic flu may increase cardiovascular risk
October 15th 2009Prenatal exposure to the notoriously virulent 1918 pandemic flu increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and growth retardation later in life, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.