The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Tuesday released a petition calling on FDA to ban oral contraceptives containing the hormone desogestrel because studies have shown they are twice as likely to cause blood clots without boosting protection against pregnancy, USA Today reports (Rubin, USA Today, 2/7). The pills cited in the petition include Ortho-McNeil's Ortho-Cept; Watson Pharmaceuticals' Reclipsen; Organon's Desogen; Barr Pharmaceuticals' Mircette, Velivet, Kariva and Apri-28; and some generic pills, according to Reuters (Heavey, Reuters, 2/6). The petition says many studies back to 1995 indicate that oral contraceptives containing desogestrel cause about 30 blood clot cases per 100,000 users annually, compared with 15 cases per 100,000 users of other oral contraceptives annually. More than 7.5 million prescriptions for oral contraceptives containing desogestrel were filled as of last year, according to the petition. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's health research group, said that on the pills' labels, under the heading "Risks of Taking Oral Contraceptives," there is a warning "in barely perceptible four-point type" stating that the blood-clot risk might be higher in oral contraceptives that contain desogestrel than in other low-dose oral contraceptives (USA Today, 2/7). "By banning [desogestrel-containing] oral contraceptives, the FDA will potentially save hundreds of young women a year from developing venous thrombosis and its disabling and sometimes fatal consequences," the petition said (Reuters, 2/6). Public Citizen is posting a video explaining the petition on YouTube to spread its message to younger pill users. FDA spokesperson Susan Cruzan said the agency "will carefully review the petition" (AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/6). Barr in a statement responding to the petition said, "The labeling that accompanies the company's oral contraceptive products provides all the necessary warnings and precautions for the appropriate use of the products." Ortho-McNeil in a statement said, "When used as labeled, Ortho-Cept is a safe and effective birth control choice" (USA Today, 2/7).
The petition is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
View drug information on Mircette.
четверг, 17 мая 2012 г.
четверг, 10 мая 2012 г.
True Weight Underestimated By Obese And Overweight Mothers And Their Children
Overweight and obese mothers and their children think they weigh less than their actual weight, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions.
In the study of women and children in an urban, predominantly Hispanic population, most normal weight women and children in the study correctly estimated their body weight, but most obese women and children underestimated theirs.
"Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development of many diseases, including heart disease and diabetes," said Nicole E Dumas, M.D., lead author and an internal medicine resident at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Dumas and colleagues surveyed women and their pre-adolescent children attending an urban, primary care center in New York City. They asked the subjects about their age, income, heart disease risk factors, and perceptions of their body size using silhouette images that corresponded to specific body mass index (BMI) types - for example, underweight, normal and overweight.
The researchers also recorded participants' height, weight and BMI, which is a measurement of body weight based on height. A BMI of 25-29 is overweight, and a BMI over 30 is obese.
The researchers found:
65.8 percent of the mothers surveyed were overweight or obese.
38.9 percent of children surveyed were overweight or obese.
81.8 percent of obese women underestimated their weight compared to 42.5 percent of overweight and 13.2 percent of normal weight women; similarly, 86 percent of overweight or obese children underestimated their weight compared to 15 percent of normal weight children.
Of mothers with overweight or obese children, almost half (47.5 percent) thought their children were of normal weight.
Children selected larger body images than those chosen by their mothers to describe an "ideal" or "healthy" body image for a woman.
41.4 percent of the children in the study thought their moms should lose weight.
"These findings imply that not only is obesity prevalent in urban America, but that those most affected by it are either unaware or underestimate their true weight," she said. "In addition, obesity has become an acceptable norm in some families. Strategies to overcome the obesity epidemic will need to address this barrier to weight loss."
Future research should include interventions that study the effect of increased accuracy of body image perception on weight loss among families.
Notes:
Co-authors are Robert R Sciacca, Eng.Sc.D.; Jennifer Decolongon, M.D.; Juviza K. Rodriguez, B.A.; and Elsa-Grace V Giardina, M.D.
Author disclosures are on the manuscript. The study was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Arlene and Joseph Taub Foundation.
Source:
Darcy Spitz
American Heart Association
In the study of women and children in an urban, predominantly Hispanic population, most normal weight women and children in the study correctly estimated their body weight, but most obese women and children underestimated theirs.
"Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development of many diseases, including heart disease and diabetes," said Nicole E Dumas, M.D., lead author and an internal medicine resident at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Dumas and colleagues surveyed women and their pre-adolescent children attending an urban, primary care center in New York City. They asked the subjects about their age, income, heart disease risk factors, and perceptions of their body size using silhouette images that corresponded to specific body mass index (BMI) types - for example, underweight, normal and overweight.
The researchers also recorded participants' height, weight and BMI, which is a measurement of body weight based on height. A BMI of 25-29 is overweight, and a BMI over 30 is obese.
The researchers found:
65.8 percent of the mothers surveyed were overweight or obese.
38.9 percent of children surveyed were overweight or obese.
81.8 percent of obese women underestimated their weight compared to 42.5 percent of overweight and 13.2 percent of normal weight women; similarly, 86 percent of overweight or obese children underestimated their weight compared to 15 percent of normal weight children.
Of mothers with overweight or obese children, almost half (47.5 percent) thought their children were of normal weight.
Children selected larger body images than those chosen by their mothers to describe an "ideal" or "healthy" body image for a woman.
41.4 percent of the children in the study thought their moms should lose weight.
"These findings imply that not only is obesity prevalent in urban America, but that those most affected by it are either unaware or underestimate their true weight," she said. "In addition, obesity has become an acceptable norm in some families. Strategies to overcome the obesity epidemic will need to address this barrier to weight loss."
Future research should include interventions that study the effect of increased accuracy of body image perception on weight loss among families.
Notes:
Co-authors are Robert R Sciacca, Eng.Sc.D.; Jennifer Decolongon, M.D.; Juviza K. Rodriguez, B.A.; and Elsa-Grace V Giardina, M.D.
Author disclosures are on the manuscript. The study was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Arlene and Joseph Taub Foundation.
Source:
Darcy Spitz
American Heart Association
четверг, 3 мая 2012 г.
Progress Against Child Deaths Will Lag Until Family, Community Care Prioritized
Global efforts to tackle millions of preventable child and maternal deaths will fail to extend gains unless world leaders act now to pour more healthcare resources directly into families and communities, according to a new World Vision report launched recently.
"The Missing Link: Saving children's lives through family care" examines how the resources invested to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 can go further toward saving the more than 8 million children under the age of five and 350,000 mothers who die each year, mostly from preventable causes. Undertaken by the international child-focused organization World Vision, the analysis distills several decades of field-based experience and research to recommend investing directly in care for families and the communities where they live.
"With only five years to go until the MDG target deadline, no one can afford to waste time or resources," said Kevin Jenkins, president and CEO of World Vision International. "Efforts will falter for the world's most impoverished, vulnerable children and their mothers until we focus our energies on bringing health care directly where they need it most - right to their homes and communities."
In 2000, world leaders adopted eight ambitious yet achievable goals aimed at halving extreme poverty and its effects. Known as the MDGs, their target deadline is 2015. Next week, world leaders, governments and NGOs convening for the 2010 UN General Assembly in New York will highlight progress, examine gaps and lessons learned and revitalize efforts on the MDGs, with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon putting a special focus on women's and children's health.
MDGs 4 and 5, targeting the reduction of maternal and child mortality, lag far behind the other goals. This is in part because the people who most need care can't access it, say the authors of the World Vision report.
"Millions of children live and die beyond the reach of formal health services and clinics, of diseases that are easily prevented and treated when families are able to access effective, basic interventions as close to their homes as possible," said Martha Newsome, Global Director of Health and Nutrition for World Vision International. "This deadly gap makes family and community care a critical link in saving millions from preventable deaths, and an essential component required to strengthen health systems adequately."
World Vision's Child Health Now campaign, drawing upon lessons learned from the Christian humanitarian organization's 1,600+ community programs, encourages communities to express their rights to quality health care, and press local and national governments to meet their responsibilities for promoting health and ending preventable child deaths.
Although the number of deaths among children under the age of five has declined in recent years, the rate of decline - an estimated one-third reduction over 20 years - is insufficient to meet MDG 4, particularly in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania, where most child deaths occur, according to estimates released today by UNICEF.
The results are dismal given that evidence shows millions of babies and toddlers could be saved from death each year through a small number of proven, cost-effective interventions such as skilled birth attendants, immunizations, mosquito nets and oral rehydration therapy.
"We know what works, why it works and how to do it," says Jenkins. "What we need to do now is to mobilize the necessary political will to put mothers, children, their families and communities front and centre of global development."
"Otherwise, too many children born today into poor, under-served communities won't survive the five years to the 2015 deadline, simply because they and their families don't have access to basic health services," said Jenkins.
A PDF of the report and multimedia resources (PSA on malnutrition, VNR and b-roll) are available here.
Source:
Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz
World Vision
"The Missing Link: Saving children's lives through family care" examines how the resources invested to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 can go further toward saving the more than 8 million children under the age of five and 350,000 mothers who die each year, mostly from preventable causes. Undertaken by the international child-focused organization World Vision, the analysis distills several decades of field-based experience and research to recommend investing directly in care for families and the communities where they live.
"With only five years to go until the MDG target deadline, no one can afford to waste time or resources," said Kevin Jenkins, president and CEO of World Vision International. "Efforts will falter for the world's most impoverished, vulnerable children and their mothers until we focus our energies on bringing health care directly where they need it most - right to their homes and communities."
In 2000, world leaders adopted eight ambitious yet achievable goals aimed at halving extreme poverty and its effects. Known as the MDGs, their target deadline is 2015. Next week, world leaders, governments and NGOs convening for the 2010 UN General Assembly in New York will highlight progress, examine gaps and lessons learned and revitalize efforts on the MDGs, with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon putting a special focus on women's and children's health.
MDGs 4 and 5, targeting the reduction of maternal and child mortality, lag far behind the other goals. This is in part because the people who most need care can't access it, say the authors of the World Vision report.
"Millions of children live and die beyond the reach of formal health services and clinics, of diseases that are easily prevented and treated when families are able to access effective, basic interventions as close to their homes as possible," said Martha Newsome, Global Director of Health and Nutrition for World Vision International. "This deadly gap makes family and community care a critical link in saving millions from preventable deaths, and an essential component required to strengthen health systems adequately."
World Vision's Child Health Now campaign, drawing upon lessons learned from the Christian humanitarian organization's 1,600+ community programs, encourages communities to express their rights to quality health care, and press local and national governments to meet their responsibilities for promoting health and ending preventable child deaths.
Although the number of deaths among children under the age of five has declined in recent years, the rate of decline - an estimated one-third reduction over 20 years - is insufficient to meet MDG 4, particularly in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania, where most child deaths occur, according to estimates released today by UNICEF.
The results are dismal given that evidence shows millions of babies and toddlers could be saved from death each year through a small number of proven, cost-effective interventions such as skilled birth attendants, immunizations, mosquito nets and oral rehydration therapy.
"We know what works, why it works and how to do it," says Jenkins. "What we need to do now is to mobilize the necessary political will to put mothers, children, their families and communities front and centre of global development."
"Otherwise, too many children born today into poor, under-served communities won't survive the five years to the 2015 deadline, simply because they and their families don't have access to basic health services," said Jenkins.
A PDF of the report and multimedia resources (PSA on malnutrition, VNR and b-roll) are available here.
Source:
Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz
World Vision
четверг, 26 апреля 2012 г.
Photos Taken By HIV-Positive Women Help Them By Identifying Problems And Potential Solutions
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but for women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, a picture can help them deal with the challenges of living with the virus.
A University of Missouri researcher is completing a pilot project during which women living with HIV take photos to document their lives. The photos are used to engage women in critical discussions about their lives, identifying both social, mental, and physical challenges and possible solutions for the women. The photos will be presented at two special events. The first event will be held on March 3-6 in Columbia at the True/False Film Festival. The second event will be held on March 19 in St. Louis at the Regional Arts Commission to commemorate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
"Women with HIV face more challenges than most intervention programs are designed to address," said Michelle Teti, assistant professor of health psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "These women need to discuss more issues than merely how to have safe sex. Many live in poverty, with substandard housing and abusive partners. Helping women understand and address these issues is what this project is all about."
At the beginning of each project, Teti meets with the women as a group, gives each woman a digital camera, and instructs the women to go home and document their lives. Two weeks later, the group reconvenes, and each woman presents a few photos while discussing the meanings of the images. The women spend two additional weeks documenting their lives and reconvene to discuss the photos again, and plan a photo exhibit to share their work and ideas with others. Following the upcoming photo exhibitions, Teti plans to meet with the women to better understand the effect the project has had on their health.
Prior to coming to MU, Teti completed a similar project in Philadelphia. She presented the project's results at the American Public Health Association Conference last year.
"In Philadelphia, women used the photos to express themselves in different ways," Teti said. "Some women chose to combat the stereotype of what someone with HIV looks like by taking pictures of themselves looking beautiful and healthy. Another woman chose to take pictures of broken kitchen appliances and substandard living conditions to detail her horrible housing situation and used the pictures to advocate for help."
Teti said some women do not realize how dire their situations are until they document and discuss them. By realizing their problems, many women are able to resolve some issues. For example, the woman who depicted her difficult housing situation showed them to community members, who helped her find new housing.
Teti is working on the project through a grant from the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Training Program for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/STI Health Disparities.
Source:
Christian Basi
University of Missouri-Columbia
A University of Missouri researcher is completing a pilot project during which women living with HIV take photos to document their lives. The photos are used to engage women in critical discussions about their lives, identifying both social, mental, and physical challenges and possible solutions for the women. The photos will be presented at two special events. The first event will be held on March 3-6 in Columbia at the True/False Film Festival. The second event will be held on March 19 in St. Louis at the Regional Arts Commission to commemorate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
"Women with HIV face more challenges than most intervention programs are designed to address," said Michelle Teti, assistant professor of health psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "These women need to discuss more issues than merely how to have safe sex. Many live in poverty, with substandard housing and abusive partners. Helping women understand and address these issues is what this project is all about."
At the beginning of each project, Teti meets with the women as a group, gives each woman a digital camera, and instructs the women to go home and document their lives. Two weeks later, the group reconvenes, and each woman presents a few photos while discussing the meanings of the images. The women spend two additional weeks documenting their lives and reconvene to discuss the photos again, and plan a photo exhibit to share their work and ideas with others. Following the upcoming photo exhibitions, Teti plans to meet with the women to better understand the effect the project has had on their health.
Prior to coming to MU, Teti completed a similar project in Philadelphia. She presented the project's results at the American Public Health Association Conference last year.
"In Philadelphia, women used the photos to express themselves in different ways," Teti said. "Some women chose to combat the stereotype of what someone with HIV looks like by taking pictures of themselves looking beautiful and healthy. Another woman chose to take pictures of broken kitchen appliances and substandard living conditions to detail her horrible housing situation and used the pictures to advocate for help."
Teti said some women do not realize how dire their situations are until they document and discuss them. By realizing their problems, many women are able to resolve some issues. For example, the woman who depicted her difficult housing situation showed them to community members, who helped her find new housing.
Teti is working on the project through a grant from the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Training Program for Scientists Conducting Research to Reduce HIV/STI Health Disparities.
Source:
Christian Basi
University of Missouri-Columbia
четверг, 19 апреля 2012 г.
Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor Resumes Meetings With Senators; Confirmation Vote Still Unclear
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, on Thursday will hold a third round of private meetings with senators who will be voting on her confirmation, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The AP/Tribune reports that by Friday, Sotomayor will have met with more than one-quarter of the Senate and a majority of members on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will lead an as-yet-unscheduled set of hearings for her confirmation.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to receive and examine a large collection of documents for the hearings -- including Sotomayor's writings, speeches and unpublished rulings -- as part of a questionnaire response on personal and financial data, possible conflicts of interest and the procedure that led to her nomination. According to the AP/Tribune, the White House in recent days has been rallying support for Sotomayor, with first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday talking about the nominee at a high school graduation (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Wednesday failed to reach an agreement on a timeline for Sotomayor's confirmation hearings and vote, CongressDaily reports. According to CongressDaily, Democrats and Republicans generally are "at odds" over the issue, particularly over when the confirmation hearings should start (Friedman, CongressDaily, 6/3). Leahy said that he would like hearings to begin next month, with the goal of scheduling a confirmation vote before the month-long congressional recess that begins in early August. Sessions has called for the process to be spread out over the summer to allow committee members to analyze the large volume of Sotomayor's records, with hearings beginning in September (AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).
Leahy -- who will have the final say on the start of the hearings -- on Tuesday said that "it would be irresponsible to leave [Sotomayor] hanging out there" until September (CongressDaily, 6/3).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to receive and examine a large collection of documents for the hearings -- including Sotomayor's writings, speeches and unpublished rulings -- as part of a questionnaire response on personal and financial data, possible conflicts of interest and the procedure that led to her nomination. According to the AP/Tribune, the White House in recent days has been rallying support for Sotomayor, with first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday talking about the nominee at a high school graduation (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Wednesday failed to reach an agreement on a timeline for Sotomayor's confirmation hearings and vote, CongressDaily reports. According to CongressDaily, Democrats and Republicans generally are "at odds" over the issue, particularly over when the confirmation hearings should start (Friedman, CongressDaily, 6/3). Leahy said that he would like hearings to begin next month, with the goal of scheduling a confirmation vote before the month-long congressional recess that begins in early August. Sessions has called for the process to be spread out over the summer to allow committee members to analyze the large volume of Sotomayor's records, with hearings beginning in September (AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/4).
Leahy -- who will have the final say on the start of the hearings -- on Tuesday said that "it would be irresponsible to leave [Sotomayor] hanging out there" until September (CongressDaily, 6/3).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.
четверг, 12 апреля 2012 г.
Gender Bender, Do Gender Knee Implants Provide Better Outcomes?
A gender-specific total knee prosthesis was developed to more closely match the anatomy of the female knee, aiming to be a better fit resulting in better outcomes for women. However, a recent study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that 85 women who received a gender-specific implant in one knee and a standard prosthesis in the other knee found no clinical benefits of the gender-specific knee.
"We conducted this study to investigate whether women derive less benefit, or perhaps less predictable benefit, from total knee replacement using a standard conventional total knee implant," said Young-Hoo Kim, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and lead author of the study.
After receiving knee implants one gender-specific and one standard prosthesis the women were assessed for at least two years after surgery. The knees with the gender-specific implant and the knees with the standard implant had similar knee scores and similar range of motion while lying down (125 degrees for the knees with standard implants and 126 degrees for the knees with gender-specific implants). All patients except three were able to bend their knees at least 90 degrees.
Additionally, patient satisfaction with the implants was similar (8.3 points for the standard implants and 8.1 points for the gender-specific implants). A rating of 6 to 8 meant "satisfied," and a rating of 9 to 10 meant "fully satisfied."
Important findings included:
-- The majority of women in the study (71 females or 84 percent) had no preference between the two implants
-- eight women (9 percent) preferred the standard prosthesis, and
-- six (7 percent) preferred the gender-specific prosthesis.
Implantation prostheses of either design resulted in improved quality of life in terms of pain, walking distance, deformity, and function after surgery.
Although the gender-specific implants were specially designed to fit women, Dr. Kim's study showed that the standard prostheses fit women's knees better than the gender-specific implants. "Our data demonstrated that the standard prosthesis fit the distal part of the femur (where the thigh and knee connect) better than the gender-specific prosthesis did," said Dr. Kim, who is from The Joint Replacement Center of Korea, Ewha Women's University School of Medicine in South Korea. The gender-specific prosthesis was so small that it exposed more bone, which resulted in increased bleeding immediately after surgery.
Dr. Kim and his colleagues were surprised by the study results. "We indeed expected the gender-specific prostheses to outperform the standard prostheses," he said.
Because the women in the study did not have any clinical benefit from the gender-specific knee implants, Dr. Kim now recommends that women receive a properly sized standard total knee prosthesis. "We have learned that gender-specific total knee prostheses fail to show any clinical benefits. So, we feel that proper size standard total knee prostheses are needed for both men and women," he added.
Although patients were only followed for approximately two years, studies have shown that results after two years are similar to those seen five to ten years after total knee replacement. "Because the duration of follow-up was short, we can draw no conclusions about the advantage of the gender-specific prosthesis with regard to long-term function," Dr. Kim concluded.
Disclosure: The authors did not receive any outside funding or grants in support of their research for or preparation of this work. Neither they nor a member of their immediate families received payments or other benefits or a commitment or agreement to provide such benefits from a commercial entity.
Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
"We conducted this study to investigate whether women derive less benefit, or perhaps less predictable benefit, from total knee replacement using a standard conventional total knee implant," said Young-Hoo Kim, M.D., orthopaedic surgeon and lead author of the study.
After receiving knee implants one gender-specific and one standard prosthesis the women were assessed for at least two years after surgery. The knees with the gender-specific implant and the knees with the standard implant had similar knee scores and similar range of motion while lying down (125 degrees for the knees with standard implants and 126 degrees for the knees with gender-specific implants). All patients except three were able to bend their knees at least 90 degrees.
Additionally, patient satisfaction with the implants was similar (8.3 points for the standard implants and 8.1 points for the gender-specific implants). A rating of 6 to 8 meant "satisfied," and a rating of 9 to 10 meant "fully satisfied."
Important findings included:
-- The majority of women in the study (71 females or 84 percent) had no preference between the two implants
-- eight women (9 percent) preferred the standard prosthesis, and
-- six (7 percent) preferred the gender-specific prosthesis.
Implantation prostheses of either design resulted in improved quality of life in terms of pain, walking distance, deformity, and function after surgery.
Although the gender-specific implants were specially designed to fit women, Dr. Kim's study showed that the standard prostheses fit women's knees better than the gender-specific implants. "Our data demonstrated that the standard prosthesis fit the distal part of the femur (where the thigh and knee connect) better than the gender-specific prosthesis did," said Dr. Kim, who is from The Joint Replacement Center of Korea, Ewha Women's University School of Medicine in South Korea. The gender-specific prosthesis was so small that it exposed more bone, which resulted in increased bleeding immediately after surgery.
Dr. Kim and his colleagues were surprised by the study results. "We indeed expected the gender-specific prostheses to outperform the standard prostheses," he said.
Because the women in the study did not have any clinical benefit from the gender-specific knee implants, Dr. Kim now recommends that women receive a properly sized standard total knee prosthesis. "We have learned that gender-specific total knee prostheses fail to show any clinical benefits. So, we feel that proper size standard total knee prostheses are needed for both men and women," he added.
Although patients were only followed for approximately two years, studies have shown that results after two years are similar to those seen five to ten years after total knee replacement. "Because the duration of follow-up was short, we can draw no conclusions about the advantage of the gender-specific prosthesis with regard to long-term function," Dr. Kim concluded.
Disclosure: The authors did not receive any outside funding or grants in support of their research for or preparation of this work. Neither they nor a member of their immediate families received payments or other benefits or a commitment or agreement to provide such benefits from a commercial entity.
Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
четверг, 5 апреля 2012 г.
HHS Approves California Plan To Expand Coverage To Unborn Children
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today approved a proposal by California to extend health care coverage to pregnant women and their unborn children with family incomes of up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. The state currently covers children ages 0-19 with family incomes of up to 250 percent of poverty.
The state estimates that 123,052 pregnant women and their unborn children will be eligible for coverage under this expansion of its State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
"This new coverage will give California children a healthy start by providing access to prenatal care," Secretary Leavitt said. "Prenatal care can be a life-long determinant of health and we should do everything possible to make this care available to everyone."
Coverage of this type was authorized by a 2003 HHS regulation that defines a child as an individual under the age of 19 including the period from conception to birth.
"Prenatal care is one of the most effective ways to prevent low birth weight, premature delivery and other health problems that can be permanently disabling," said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Eight states have now expanded prenatal care services to more women, and we are ready to work with other states on similar programs to improve maternal and child health."
The federal poverty level for an individual for 2006 is $9,800 and $20,000 for a family of four.
California is the eighth state to adopt this policy. Other states include: Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Washington.
hhs
The state estimates that 123,052 pregnant women and their unborn children will be eligible for coverage under this expansion of its State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
"This new coverage will give California children a healthy start by providing access to prenatal care," Secretary Leavitt said. "Prenatal care can be a life-long determinant of health and we should do everything possible to make this care available to everyone."
Coverage of this type was authorized by a 2003 HHS regulation that defines a child as an individual under the age of 19 including the period from conception to birth.
"Prenatal care is one of the most effective ways to prevent low birth weight, premature delivery and other health problems that can be permanently disabling," said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Eight states have now expanded prenatal care services to more women, and we are ready to work with other states on similar programs to improve maternal and child health."
The federal poverty level for an individual for 2006 is $9,800 and $20,000 for a family of four.
California is the eighth state to adopt this policy. Other states include: Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Washington.
hhs
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