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Tragic Death Highlights Perils Of Binge Drinking, UK
Commenting on the tragic death of 22-year-old Gary Reinbach, who died as a result of binge drinking since the age of 13, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
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Human Milk And Blood Serum SRMs For Contaminant Measurements Issued By National Institute Of Standards And Technology
Responding to scientists" need to measure organic contaminants in human body fluids, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently made four new Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available for purchase. Developed in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the human milk and serum SRMs have certified levels of contaminants, including flame retardants and pesticides, commonly found in the U.S. population. Scientists at the CDC and other laboratories will use the SRMs as controls in their experiments to ensure their methods are providing trustworthy results.
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Daily Women's Health Policy Report Summarizes Research In Breast, Ovarian Cancer
The following summarizes recent articles on breast and ovarian cancer research.~ Breast cancer: For the first time, a large international breast cancer study to determine the effectiveness of radiation therapy after mastectomy will include 200 Chinese women, the New York Times reports. Asian women traditionally have had relatively low breast cancer rates. However, that trend is reversing in China, where breast cancer is on the rise because of rapid urbanization, pollution and diet changes. In addition, China"s one-child policy could be contributing to the trend, as breast cancer is less common in women with more children. Chief researcher Ian Kunkler, a professor at the Edinburgh Cancer Research Center, said that although pharmaceutical companies have done clinical trials of chemotherapy drugs in China, "no patient in China has ever been recruited into a randomized controlled trial for breast radiotherapy." Kunkler"s trial will include about 3,700 participants overall from Australia, Britain and other parts of Europe, Japan and Singapore (Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 8/3).~ Ovarian cancer: Two recently published studies have provided new insight into the early stages of ovarian cancer, potentially increasing the likelihood of developing better diagnostic tests, the Wall Street Journal reports. A study published in the journal Nature Genetics has identified a common gene variation called BNC2. Scientists predict that when BNC2 is combined with other gene variations, the result dramatically increases the risk of ovarian cancer. Researchers involved in a study published in the online journal PLoS have determined that ovarian tumors of the BRCA1 mutation exist in the body for about four years before metastasizing but remain less than one centimeter in diameter during that time. They also found that only about half of the tumors grow to be three centimeters in diameter when they do spread (Beck, Wall Street Journal, 8/4).
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Risk Of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection In Pregnancy Reduced By Fruit And Vegetable Intake

Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have observed in a study of pregnant women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The BUSM study appears online in the journal Public Health Nutrition. URTIs include the common cold and sinus infections, which can lead to lower respiratory problems, such as asthma or pneumonia. Even though the majority of URTIs are uncomplicated colds, identifying ways to prevent their occurrence is important because colds are the most common reason for school and work absences. Eating nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables, improves immunity but hadn"t previously been associated with reducing the risk of URTIs in pregnant women. BUSM researchers studied more than 1,000 pregnant women and found those who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 26 percent less likely to have URTI relative to those who ate the least amount. Neither fruit nor vegetable intake alone was found to be associated with the five-month risk of URTI. The patterns observed for total fruit and vegetable intake and either fruit or vegetable intake alone in relation to the three-month risk of URTI were consistent with those when assessing the five-month risk of URTI. Women in the highest quartile of fruit and vegetable intake had a stronger reduced three-month risk than the five-month risk of URTI. Moreover, there was a significant decreasing linear trend for the three-month risk of URTI with consumption of fruits and vegetables. Pregnant women have been recommended to consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This study showed that intake of higher levels, 6.71 servings per day, was associated with a moderate risk reduction for URTI. "Pregnant women may require more fruits and vegetables than usual because of the extra demands on the body," said senior author Martha M. Werler, M.P.H., Sc.D., professor at Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. This study was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The Institute had no role in the design and conduct of the study, the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, or the preparation, review and approval of the manuscript. Michelle Roberts Boston University Medical Center


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