Survey Reveals Women Aren’t Doing All They Can to Support Breast Health

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Jul 26,2009

One A Day Launches Online Campaign to Urge Women to Take A Stand Against Breast Cancer

A recent Yankelovich survey unveiled that although a large majority of women know there are simple steps they can take to support breast health, few women are taking the necessary actions. What’s more, 80 percent of the women surveyed have been personally affected by breast cancer or know someone who has been. To address this issue, One A Day Women’s Multivitamins is encouraging women to join a virtual march against breast cancer through the One A Day Women’s Take A Stand Campaign.

From now through the end of October, everyone will have the opportunity to show that they’re taking a stand against breast cancer by going to www.oneaday.com and creating a customizable character in honor of someone special.

The survey also found that one in five women who support breast health or breast cancer awareness causes wish they could do more, and 60 percent of women who have not supported breast cancer organizations and causes say they lack the time or money. Joining the Take A Stand virtual march provides a quick, easy and free way for women to help raise funds to support breast cancer awareness and research. For each character created, the One A Day brand will make a donation to a breast cancer cause selected by consumers. The organizations that will be included are: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

“This program is part of our continued efforts to increase awareness about the importance of supporting breast health,” said Barton Warner, Vice President of Marketing and New Business for Bayer Consumer Care. “Last year One A Day Women’s woke women up about breast cancer through the One A Day Women’s Wake-Up Call program, and now it’s time women answer the call by taking a stand.”

The goal of this program is not only to raise breast cancer awareness and reach thousands of women by the end of October, but also to get women to take action to promote their own breast health. Each character created will help to spread the word about the simple things women can do.

“I encourage women to take a proactive approach to their overall health by exercising and maintaining a well-balanced diet,” said Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author and health reporter. “I was surprised that the survey found that only half of women know that taking a daily multivitamin with vitamin D is an essential behavior that supports breast and bone health. Just a few simple things can make a big difference like doing self-exams and if you are over 40, getting mammograms regularly. Also, women should eat healthy, exercise and take a multivitamin with high levels of vitamin D.”

One A Day Women’s multivitamins are formulated with 800 IUs, twice the daily value of vitamin D. Emerging research suggests that 1000 IUs of vitamin D per day can help support breast health.

For more information on One A Day Multivitamins and on how to join the march, visit www.oneaday.com.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted by Yankelovich, part of The Futures Company, on behalf of Bayer HealthCare. Results were obtained through telephone interviews among a nationally representative sample of 500 women 18 years of age and older. Interviews took place June 19-21, 2009. Additional findings include:

– Despite knowing what to do for breast health, many women are not taking such actions on a regular basis
– 95 percent know it’s important to eat a healthy diet for breast health, but only 53 percent report doing so regularly
– 93 percent know they should conduct regular breast self-exams, but only 47 percent do regularly
– 88 percent know they should get a mammogram every year, but only 68 percent of women 45 and older report doing so
– 84 percent know they should exercise, but only 33 percent say they regularly exercise vigorously for at least 30 minutes
– 59 percent know they should take a multivitamin daily with vitamin D; 53 percent report taking a multivitamin daily
– Eight in ten women have supported a breast cancer organization or cause
– 71 percent have given money; 32 percent have volunteered
– 80 percent have been personally affected by breast cancer or know someone who has been, with 16 percent being personally affected by breast cancer and 75 percent who were affected through someone they knew
– 21 percent of these breast health supporters are interested in becoming more active
– 60 percent of women who are not active say they lack the time or money

Breast Cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women (after skin cancer), accounting for more than 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in US women. In addition, 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The cause of breast cancer is unknown, and there is no known way to prevent breast cancer from occurring. However, women can learn the risk factors and promote early detection with regular breast self-exams, annual mammograms and clinical check-ups.

Source: Bayer Consumer Care


Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization to the company’s Focus Diagnostics business for its test for detecting the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (the “pandemic flu virus”), a strain of influenza A virus initially referred to as the swine flu virus.

The Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Real Time RT-PCR test is the first commercial lab test to be granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA for testing for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. It is also the first test to qualitatively detect RNA of the pandemic flu virus in a patient’s nasal or nasopharyngeal specimens. The test targets two separate regions of the hemagglutinin gene of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus to differentiate the presence of the pandemic virus from seasonal human influenza A virus. Turnaround time for reporting results is typically within 24 hours of receipt of specimen.

“This emergency use authorization means that the Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Real Time RT-PCR, when combined with clinical and epidemiological assessments, can aid physicians in diagnosing patients infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus versus other influenza A virus strains,” said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, Quest Diagnostics. “This capability could be critically important in aiding clinicians in determining which Influenza A virus is causing an infection should there be a surge in flu cases during the fall and winter flu season. We will continue to work closely with public health officials, who have done an outstanding job managing the pandemic, to mitigate its effect on public health.”

Quest Diagnostics’ Focus business, which has a track record of being first to market with new laboratory testing services for emerging infectious diseases, developed and, in May 2009, launched the laboratory developed test to help offload an expected backlog of testing from public health laboratories. In the U.S., public health labs employ the CDC’s rRT-PCR test, which the FDA authorized for emergency use in April 2009. Public health labs may use the CDC test to determine if certain high-risk patients who test positive for influenza A virus by commercial tests are infected with the pandemic flu virus.

Since Focus Diagnostics began to perform its laboratory developed test at its Cypress, CA, laboratory two months ago, orders placed by physicians for patients suspected of being infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus increased dramatically before peaking in late June. While test volume has since declined, it remains more than 30 times higher than the company’s typical rate of influenza virus testing in July.

Of those samples tested by Focus Diagnostics, approximately three fourths for patients between the ages of five and 20 years have tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. By comparison, positivity rates in adults 21 to 40 years of age have averaged approximately 49 percent over the past two months. Adults 41 to 60 years of age have experienced positivity rates of 36 percent, while those 61 to 80 years of age have experienced positivity rates of approximately 14 percent.

“Our data are consistent with CDC data suggesting that this pandemic flu virus is disproportionately affecting children and young adults, as compared to older adults,” Jay M. Lieberman, M.D., medical director, Focus Diagnostics, said. “In fact, almost 60 percent of all positive results identified by our test have been in children 18 or younger.

“In addition, our data, consistent with CDC data, reveal that not only has this pandemic virus not faded away, it is behaving differently than the seasonal flu, which is typically absent during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere,” Dr. Lieberman continued. “When you also factor in the rapid global spread of the virus, particularly the increasing number of cases in certain countries in the Southern Hemisphere, it appears increasingly likely that this novel H1N1 virus could be a major influenza strain circulating in the U.S. this flu season.”

Quest Diagnostics is currently in the process of validating the test at a number of its CLIA high complexity laboratories around the U.S. capable of performing the test in compliance with the emergency use authorization. The Quest Diagnostics Focus laboratory in Cypress, CA, currently is the only laboratory performing this test.

For more information about Quest Diagnostics and influenza testing options, please visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com/2009H1N1 or www.FocusDx.com.

About the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency because of the outbreak of the pandemic flu virus. The FDA, in response to requests from the CDC, has issued emergency use authorizations to make important diagnostic and therapeutic tools available to public health and medical personnel in order to identify and respond to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus under certain circumstances.

The FDA has not cleared or approved any tests for the identification of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The emergency use authorization authority allows the FDA, based on the evaluation of available data, to authorize the use of unapproved or uncleared medical products or unapproved or uncleared uses of approved or cleared medical products following a determination and declaration of emergency, provided certain criteria are met. In the case of the Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Real Time RT-PCR, the FDA has only authorized its use for the duration of the declaration of emergency, which is currently set to expire on April 26, 2010, unless it is terminated, revoked sooner or renewed.


Introducing Healthspottr: The New Voice of Healthcare Innovation

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Jul 24,2009

First Web Digest Completely Focused on Progress, Innovation in Healthcare

Healthspottr Media, LLC. announced the debut of its flagship editorial offering Healthspottr, a weekly web digest devoted to covering the ideas, technologies, business models and individuals driving innovation in the healthcare industry. Focused exclusively on opportunities for progress in healthcare, Healthspottr delivers select, forward-thinking content in an efficient digest format to a diverse readership of healthcare professionals, investors and entrepreneurs. In addition to its own debut, Healthspottr also announced today the results of its first Future Health 100, an annual listing designed to honor the most influential innovators working in healthcare today.

Healthcare emerges as a key issue during presidential election years; however, interest can wane in the years in between. The Obama administration changed this by making healthcare a top public priority. As a result, healthcare industry visibility is higher than ever before and the urgency to innovate has never been greater. Despite the growing excitement within the industry, the majority of healthcare media remain focused on “everything wrong” with healthcare today. Healthspottr co-founders Carleen Hawn and Larry Leisure saw a need for a more optimistic voice focused on uncovering the most innovative solutions to healthcare’s most daunting problems.

“There are almost 1000 blogs and news media outlets currently covering healthcare today,” said Carleen Hawn, co-founder and editor of Healthspottr. “Many are focused on news, wellness or the policy debate and most are rather pessimistic in tone. There was not one outlet focused on where healthcare innovation is happening. Rather than rehash old problems, Healthspottr takes a solution-based approach by finding opportunities for progress in healthcare and the innovative ways they’re being pursued.”

“Healthcare is a $2.2 trillion industry well-known to be burdened by inefficiencies and information overload,” said Larry Leisure, co-founder, Healthspottr. “This market, more than almost any other, needs an influx of innovation in order to spark dramatic change. Sensing the big opportunity that lies ahead, venture capitalists have invested more in healthcare than in any other industry – a total of $10 billion invested in healthcare in 2007. Healthspottr is in the right place at the right time,” added Leisure.

Unique Editorial Focus

Healthspottr consists of short, digest-sized stories profiling new solutions to today’s most pressing healthcare challenges. Stories will describe the innovative idea, how it was developed into a product or service, how it was implemented, its ultimate impact, and other useful information. Regular editorial features and columns will include:

1. Weekly Innovation Digest – Short-form stories that are easy to consume, informative and entertaining
2. The Future Health 100 – Our annual index of top healthcare innovators
3. Healthspottr Black Book – A curated calendar of key conferences and industry events
4. Editor Column “The Reason Why” – Explains our healthcare coverage in the context of global trends
5. Doctor Column – Identifies innovations that work best in clinical situations and explains why
6. Premium Content – Includes long-form profiles and Q&As with key figures in healthcare


Injection Reverses Heart-Attack Damage

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Jul 24,2009

Growth factor enhances heart regeneration, improves heart function without need for cardiac stem cells

Injured heart tissue normally can’t regrow, but researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have now laid the groundwork for regenerating heart tissue after a heart attack, in patients with heart failure, or in children with congenital heart defects. In the July 24 issue of Cell, they show that a growth factor called neuregulin1 (NRG1), which is involved in the initial development of the heart and nervous system, can spur heart-muscle growth and recovery of cardiac function when injected systemically into animals after a heart attack.

After birth, heart-muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) normally withdraw from the cell cycle – meaning they stop dividing and proliferating. But the researchers, led by Bernhard Kuhn, M.D., and Kevin Bersell of the Department of Cardiology at Children’s, were able to restart the cell cycle with NRG1, stimulating cardiomyocytes to divide and make copies of themselves — even though they are not stem cells.

“Although many efforts have focused on stem-cell based strategies, our work suggests that stem cells aren’t required and that stimulating differentiated cardiomyocytes to proliferate may be a viable alternative,” says Kuhn, the study’s senior investigator and a practicing pediatric cardiologist at Children’s since 2007.

When the team injected NRG1 into the peritoneal cavity of live mice after a heart attack, once daily for 12 weeks, heart regeneration was increased and pumping function (ejection fraction, assessed on echocardiograms) improved as compared with untreated controls. The NRG1-injected mice also lacked the left-ventricular dilation and cardiac hypertrophy that typify heart failure; both were seen in the controls.

When the researchers also stimulated production of a cellular receptor for NRG1, known as ErbB4, cardiomyocyte proliferation was further enhanced, demonstrating that NRG1 works by stimulating this receptor. They also identified the specific kinds of cardiomyocytes (mononucleated) that are most likely to respond to treatment.

In 2007, Kuhn and colleagues first demonstrated that the heart has dormant regenerative capacities that can be reawakened. Kuhn developed a sponge-like patch, soaked in a compound called periostin that is abundant in the developing fetal heart (and in injured skeletal muscle) but scarce in adult hearts. When the patch was placed over the site of cardiac injury in rats, it induced cardiomyocyte proliferation and improved heart function (Nature Medicine 2007; 13:962-9). Similar results were seen in larger animals, and periostin is now in preclinical development at Children’s Hospital Boston for future application in human patients with heart failure.

The new work adds a second compound to the heart-regeneration toolbox, and reveals how both periostin and NRG1 work at the cellular and molecular level, an essential step in predicting possible side effects. Both compounds ultimately act on the same cellular pathway, Kuhn found.

“We applied periostin locally at the site of cardiac injury, but NRG1 works when given by systemic injection – a very promising result that suggests it may be feasible to use this in the clinic to treat heart failure,” says Kuhn, who won a first prize Young Investigator Award, from the American College of Cardiology in 2007.

The study was funded by the Department of Cardiology at Children’s Hospital Boston, the Charles Hood Foundation, and the American Heart Association.

Source: Children’s Hospital of Boston


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