For information on studies being conducted at UT Southwestern visit www.utsouthwestern.edu and enter Studies in the search field.

Preserving Fertility and Surviving Cancer A new study indicates that young women diagnosed with early stage ovarian cancer may be able to preserve their fertility without compromising their survival. Findings published in the journal Cancer summarized a retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database that showed women who were age 50 or younger upon diagnosis with early stage ovarian cancer had similar survival rates if they had a radical hysterectomy or if they preserved their non-cancerous ovary or uterus.  These results give hope to young ovarian cancer survivors who plan to have children and may also protect women from health complications associated with low estrogen levels following removal of the uterus and ovaries.  Read more: Hope for young cancer survivors [AWIS Washington Wire, August 2009 Issue I]

The Pill and Obesity Mounting evidence indicates that oral contraceptives may be less effective in obese women. A recent clinical study in the journal Contraception showed oral contraceptive treatment in women classified as obese (i.e., with a body mass index greater than 30) took longer to reach measurable levels in the bloodstream than in their non-obese counterparts. In addition, synthetic progesterone, one component of the oral contraceptive, did not always reach effective circulating concentrations to suppress ovulation. Future studies are required to determine if oral contraception practices should be altered for obese women.  Read more: Pill's potency in question [AWIS Washington Wire, July 2009 issue II]

Calling All Women-To Clinical Trials  Recent findings reported in the journal Cancer highlight the issue of under-representation of women in clinical trials for cancer therapies.  Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed the enrollment of men and women in clinical trials for several common cancers.  They observed that women were under-represented in 75% of the studies. This discrepancy confirms earlier trends, in spite of efforts by the National Institutes of Health to promote gender equality in its funded clinical trials.  These alarming results suggested that cancer clinical trials are not as accessible to women as they are to men, and the influence of gender on trial outcomes is not being understood completely. Fewer women in clinical trials [posted June 24, 2009]

Ovarian Conservation and Longevity New findings from the Nurses' Health Study indicate improved longevity for women who keep their ovaries following a hysterectomy.  Historically, hysterectomies have included the removal of both the uterus and ovaries and have resulted in a dramatically reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer. This study followed thousands of women for more than two decades following their hysterectomies, and showed that women who had their ovaries removed were more likely to develop heart disease or die than women who kept their ovaries. These unexpected findings suggest that physicians and patients should take into account the family history of cancer and heart disease when considering ovary removal.  Hold the Ovaries  [from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009, Issue II]

Early Soy Staves off Breast Cancer A large study of Asian-American women suggests that lifelong consumption of soy protects against breast cancer.  This study, recently published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, supports earlier findings indicating a protective effect of soy consumption, but goes on to show that childhood consumption may be the most valuable. A particular group of chemicals in soy, known as isoflavones, may specifically block estrogen-associated cancer development, and their impact may be most powerful in children.  Researchers also hope to confirm this intriguing observation in future studies. Soy in Youth for a Healthy Life [from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009]

Unhappy Wives, Unhappy Hearts New findings from psychology researchers indicate that marital stress adversely affects both the physical and mental status of married women. This study, being presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, shows that women dealing with conflict and anger from their spouse are at an elevated risk of high blood pressure, obesity and other factors contributing to heart disease. Surprisingly, these physical effects were not apparent in their male counterparts, although both men and women were equally at risk for depression. These results lend further evidence to the powerful effects that emotional and mental health have on one's overall health.  Strained Relationships Strain the Heart [from AWIS Washington Wire, Mar. 2009]

Multivitamins Not Reducing Risk for Heart Disease or Cancer  Doubt has been cast on the effectiveness of daily multivitamins in reducing the risk for common cancers or heart disease in women based on the results of a new study out this week.  Over 160,000 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative were followed for nearly a decade, and approximately forty percent of these women reported taking a daily multivitamin. The majority of the women taking multivitamins had a lower body mass index, were more likely to participate in regular physical activity, and eat more fruits and vegetables.  These women were also less likely to smoke, although they were also more likely to consume alcohol when compared to women who did not take a multivitamin.  In spite of these seemingly healthy habits, the incidence of death, heart disease, and common cancers, including breast, colorectal, and lung cancer, was not significantly different in women using daily multivitamins compared to women not taking vitamins.  This large study supports previous findings that suggest no clear health benefit for consumption of multivitamins. Multivitamins Miss the Mark [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

Encouraging Results for Women Using Anti-HIV Microbicide The first large-scale clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of anti-HIV topical microbicides in women shows some protection against infection. Topical microbicides are gels or creams that are applied topically prior to sexual intercourse and can prevent infection by sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.  This Phase II/IIb trial was carried out in South Africa and included more than 3,000 women, some of whom received placebos, and others who received one of two different microbicides.  Women were enrolled in this trial for approximately 20 months and HIV infection was detected 194 women.  One of the microbicides, called PRO 2000, showed some effectiveness in preventing infection, but this finding was not statistically significant. Nonetheless, this large study lends further momentum into research for topical microbicides against HIV.  Microbicides Hinder HIV Infection [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

The Importance of Timing Elective C-sections  Results from a multi-center study in a diverse number of US hospitals following the outcome of babies delivered by elective Caesarean sections have shown that delivery before 39 weeks of gestation is associated with elevated risks for respiratory complications, hypoglycemia, and hospitalization for five days or more. More than 13,000 women were enrolled in this study based on their decision to undergo a repeat elective C-section and more than 35% of these deliveries were performed before 39 weeks. The significant occurrence of adverse neonatal outcomes, including respiratory complications, in babies delivered before 39 weeks suggests that elective C-sections should ideally be performed at 39 or 40 weeks of gestation. Increased risks with early elective ceasarians  [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

Maternity Leave Good for Mother and Baby  Two new studies show less complications and better health for mothers and babies among those who take maternity leave both in their ninth month of pregnancy and after the baby is born. Women who took leave in the ninth month of pregnancy were 73% less likely to have a Caesarean section than those who worked up until delivery. The study found taking leave also affects success in breastfeeding. And while currently only five states offer paid leave, having a job that offered maternity leave was not associated with the establishment of breastfeeding but length of postpartum leave was.  Benefits of Maternity Leave [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

Brain Adjusts to Cope with Life's Upsets Roberto Cabeza, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, has co-authored a study comparing brain activity of young and old women. The results suggest that older women's brains process negative images differently. Older women on average remembered less of the negative images shown in the study. This outcome fits in with the theory that older adults are suppressing the processing of negative information. Researches noted there could be differences between the genders on this front, and hope to look at middle-aged people in the future.  Living and Learning to deal with the negative  [from AWIS Washington Wire Jan. 2009]

Linking Breast Density and Breast Cancer Risk Recent findings of the Mayo Clinic are revealing why dense breast tissue is often linked to higher breast cancer risk.  Researchers presented posters from two studies at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center-American Association for Cancer Research (CTRC-AACR) San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. One study showed that denser breast tissue has a different composition than non-dense tissue and may contain more cells that can give rise to cancer. The second study revealed that dense breast tissue contains higher levels of the aromatase enzyme, a molecule required for conversion of androgen hormones to estrogen, and higher estrogen levels can promote breast cancer growth. Both of these studies are novel because they used biopsies from dense and non-dense breast tissues from the same healthy volunteers, while earlier breast density studies have been done with breast disease.  Dense Breasts and Cancer  [from AWIS Washington Wire Jan. 2009]

Vitamin K Does Not Prevent Bone Density Loss Vitamin K has been widely promoted as a supplement for decreasing bone loss in postmenopausal women.  A new study finds it does not protect against age-related decreasing bone density, but may protect against fractures and cancers in postmenopausal women.  The scientists concluded that a daily high dose of vitamin K provides no protection against the age-related decline in bone density in postmenopausal women, and that it cannot be recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become more fragile and more likely to break.  http://www.plos.org/press/plme-05-10-cheung-summary.pdf  [from AWIS Washington Wire Oct 2008 Issue I]

AAUW Receives National Science Foundation Grant The National Science Foundation awarded the American Association of University Women a two-year grant to research, write, and disseminate a report on recent key findings on girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math. [From AAUW Mission & Action September/October 2008 email broadcast]

Look Good, Feel Good According to a new survey by the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), the nation's leading source for women's health information, women who are dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance are significantly less likely to be up to date with preventive screenings, such as mammography and breast self-exam.  Women were also asked about their greatest health concerns and their attitudes about surviving a diagnosis of breast cancer. Fifty-one percent of respondents identified breast cancer as the top health concern about which they worry versus those who worry about heart attack (48%), diabetes (42%) and lung cancer (31%). http://www.healthywomen.org/Documents/BreastCncrSrvySummary.pdf [from AWIS Washington Wire Sept. 2008 issue II]

Women's Health Resources is a service from the National Library of Medicine's Specialized Information Services (SIS). It was developed to support the mission of the NIH's Office of Research on Women's Health. The site includes resources from key NLM and NIH information repositories on important issues in women's health, as well as pre-defined searches of PubMed. [posted 3/08]

Please note that the above searches of PubMed do not provide access to all of the full-text available via UT Southwestern Medical Center Library. A quick-and-easy workaround is to first open PubMed using the Library's special link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?dr=abstract&otool=utswmlib ), and then click on the search links.  This trick saves the Library's settings so that you will see the FindIt!@Library icon, thus leading you to the full-text.

Most Online Info on Breast Cancer Accurate Can you identify false or inaccurate online breast cancer information? According to a recent study published in Cancer, most breast cancer data found online is accurate - only 1 in 20 breast cancer Web pages had inaccuracies. However, sites that featured complementary and alternative medicine were 15 times more likely to contain false or misleading health information. While many consumers look to online sites for sites that identify the credentials of authors who claim to publish particular studies, the researchers of the present study caution that none of these criteria ensure accuracy. Although the researchers were unable to find a combination of criteria that allowed them to differentiate the Web sites with accurate information from the ones with inaccurate information, they hope to use such quality criteria in order to develop a tool to help consumers screen for sites with misinformation. Their recommendations? Be skeptical, make sure that what you read is applicable to your specific medical well-being, and don't take action without consulting a clinician. Health Online [from AWIS Washington Wire 02/14/08]

Heart Disease Deaths Declining in Women According to a recent study analyzing the number of heart disease deaths of American women in 2005, conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, women are living longer and healthier lives, and dying of heart disease at much later ages than in the past years. While this sounds like good news, serious challenges do remain - one in four women die from heart disease. Women of color have higher rates of some risk factors for heart disease and are more likely to die of the disease. More than 80 percent of middle-aged women have at least one risk factor and many of them don't know it. In 2002, NHLBI introduced The Heart Truth's Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness, which sparked a national movement that has united partners to promote the common goal of a greater awareness of heart disease and better heart health for all women. About half of women recognize the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease and about half of women are aware that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Raising Heart Health Awareness among Women Nationwide [from AWIS Washington Wire 02/14/08]