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Mammography Screening Rates Have Plateaued
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2008, 81.1% of women aged 50 to 74 years reported receiving a mammogram in the prior 2 years, about the same as in 2006, when the rate was 81.5%. The CDC used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which in 2008 included 120,095 women in the age group. Women aged 50 to 59 years had the lowest prevalence at 79.9%, followed by women who did not finish high school at 72.6%, American Indian/Alaska Natives at 70.4%, women with an annual household income of less than $15,000 at 69.4%, and women without health insurance at 56.3%; among women with insurance, the prevalence rate was 83.8%, a difference of 27.5%. Women living in Massachusetts had the highest screening mammography prevalence rate at 89.8%, and those in Nevada had the lowest rate at 72.1%.
NIH Reissues Funding Opportunity
The Office of Research on Women's Health and cosponsoring National Institutes of Health institutes and centers reissued the Advancing Novel Science in Women's Health Research funding opportunity, PAS-07-381. The new announcement number is PAS 10-226. The aim of the grants is to promote innovative, interdisciplinary research that will advance new concepts in women's health research and the study of sex/gender differences. The office is particularly interested in encouraging extramural investigators to undertake new interdisciplinary research to advance studies on how sex and gender factors affect women's health, but applications addressing other areas of women's health and gender differences are welcome. Applications must be made through the Grants.gov online system, which will begin accepting applications on September 16, 2010. New applications for this year should be submitted by October 16, 2010, and resubmissions 1 month later.
Epigenomics Funding Opportunity
The National Institutes of Health has released a funding opportunity seeking applications proposing highly innovative research that will investigate the epigenetic basis of human diseases. This may include studies to discover epigenetic marks and interactions between cells and tissues or mechanisms by which epigenetic changes occur in diseased states. The participating NIH agencies will commit $6.7 million to the program, with 10 to 15 researchers anticipated to receive funding. Applications for RFA-ES-10-002 must be submitted through Grants.gov and received by September 29, 2010.
FDA Approves Real-Time Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Test
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Abbott (Des Plaines, IL) clearance to market the Abbott RealTime Chlamydia trachomatis/Neisseria gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) assay, a molecular diagnostic test, and the Abbott m2000 System, a testing instrument. The assay and m2000 system must be used together to simultaneously check for the bacteria in different specimen types, including urine, urethral, vaginal, and endocervical swabs. The FDA also approved the Abbott multi-Collect Specimen Collection Kit for collecting and transporting samples at ambient temperature. The in vitro polymerase chain reaction assay can detect a new variant Chlamydia strain discovered in Sweden but not reported as yet in the United States. Chlamydia infection is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified of 1.2 million infections in 2008, up 9% from 2007. Many people with Chlamydia infection are co-infected with gonorrhea.
Grants for Tribal Maternal-Child Visiting Program Announced
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration, is accepting fiscal year 2010 applications for the Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program. The agencies have $3 million in funding to award to tribes or tribal organizations in support of a 5-year program that will conduct community needs assessments; plan for and implement high-quality, evidence-based home visiting programs in at-risk tribal communities; and participate in research and evaluation activities to build the knowledge base on home visiting among tribal populations. Grants in the first year will be awarded for needs assessment, planning, and capacity building. Pending successful completion of that phase, additional funding for an implementation phase will be provided for year 2 and beyond.
ORWH to Celebrate 20th Anniversary
The Office of Research on Women's Health will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the formation of the office on September 27, 2010, with a symposium to highlight scientific advances that have increased people's understanding about women's health, gender differences, and implications for appropriate clinical care and personalized medicine. During the program, the office will unveil and launch the third scientific agenda for women's health research, which will take place during the coming decade. The daylong celebration includes a reception and a forum to recognize major contributors involved in establishing the office and promoting progress in women's health research. The event will take place at the Natcher Conference Center at the National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, campus.
FDA Approves Osteoporosis Treatment for Postmenopausal Women
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Prolia (denosumab), from Amgen Manufacturing Limited, a subsidiary of Amgen (Thousand Oaks, CA), to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fractures. The injectable Prolia suppresses bone turnover and is approved for delivery once every 6 months. A 3-year clinical trial found the agent could decrease the incidence of vertebral, nonvertebral, and hip fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Back pain, extremity and musculoskeletal pain, high cholesterol levels, and urinary bladder infections were reported side effects. Serious adverse reactions associated with the drug include hypocalcemia; serious infections, including infections of the skin; and dermatological reactions, such as dermatitis, rashes, and eczema. The FDA approved Prolia with a Risk Evaluation and Management Strategy, with a medication guide for patients and education for providers about risks and benefits.
CDC Issues Contraception Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, adapting World Health Organization guidelines suggesting the best contraceptive methods for patients with certain characteristics or medical conditions. The recommendations are intended to help providers determine the safest birth control methods for their patients. It is not meant to replace medical advice. CDC made modifications to the WHO recommendations for women with thromboembolism, valvular heart disease, ovarian cancer, and uterine fibroids and for postpartum and breastfeeding women. It added guidance for women with rheumatoid arthritis, a history of bariatric surgery, peripartum cardiomyopathy, endometrial hyperplasia, inflammatory bowel disease, and solid-organ transplantation. The CDC also eliminated guidance about combined injectables, levonorgestrel implants, and norethisterone enanthate because these methods are not available in the United States. In addition to the lengthy article, the CDC has produced a quick reference chart for clinicians.
USPSTF Offers New Osteoporosis Screening Recommendations
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued draft recommendations for screening for osteoporosis. The task force suggests women aged 65 years or older receive bone measurement testing, as should younger women who have a fracture risk equal to that of a 65-year-old woman. The agency found insufficient evidence to recommend screening in men. It concluded that the bone density screening, most commonly with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the hip and lumbar spine, and quantitative ultrasound of the calcaneus can predict short-term risk of osteoporotic fractures in men and women, but the long-term predictive value is modest. The task force found no controlled studies assessing the effect of screening on fracture rates or fracture-related morbidity or mortality. It did not find any new studies showing harm related to screening for osteoporosis. Final recommendations will be issued after the task force considers public comment.
FDA Approves Ovarian Cancer Test
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Abbott's test to monitor ovarian cancer. The Abbott Park, IL, company's ARCHITECT human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) assay is the first automated test of its kind available in the United States. ARCHITECT HE4 tests blood to aid in monitoring for the recurrence or progression of ovarian cancer. The test can be used in conjunction with CA125 and other methods to provide a more comprehensive clinical picture of what is happening with the patient.
Endocrine Society Releases Evaluation of Hormone Replacement Therapy
The Endocrine Society released an objective evaluation of the benefits and risks associated with menopausal hormone therapy, a new term for hormone replacement therapy, at ENDO 2010, the society's annual meeting. The organization states that it revisited the menopausal hormone issue after reanalyses of the Women's Health Initiative data found that age and time since the start of treatment influence the agents' benefit-risk profiles. New data indicate women who started on the drugs soon after menopause commenced, aged 50 to 59, responded differently from women aged 60 or older. Women who began the drugs soon after menopause and stayed on them for 5 years experienced a 30% to 40% decline in mortality, no increased risk of heart disease, and a 90% reduction in menopausal symptoms. Richard Santen, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and chair of the task force that wrote the statement, said that menopausal hormone therapy may be beneficial to some women.
United Nations Creates a New Entity to Boost Gender Equality
The United Nations has formed a HYPERLINK “
More Women Not Bearing Children
Eighteen percent of American women, 1.9 million, aged 40 to 44 years, end their childbearing years childless, up from 10% in 1976, according to new data from the June fertility supplement of the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and released by the Pew Research Center. The childless rate increased for all racial and ethnic groups but decreased for women with advanced degrees. Although the most highly educated women were the most likely not to have children, the rate of childless women aged 40 to 44 years with a master's, doctoral, or professional degree declined from 31% in 1994 to 24% in 2008. Public attitudes toward childlessness have become more accepting, according to the Pew researchers, who reported that social pressure to bear children has diminished, and improved job opportunities and contraceptive methods have created alternatives for women who do not want children.
ACOG Releases Guidelines for Noncontraceptive Use of Hormonal Contraceptives
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends providers not order combined oral contraceptives to treat existing functional ovarian cysts. The guidelines also state that evidence indicates combined hormonal contraception can decrease the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer, and it can regulate and reduce menstrual bleeding, treat dysmenorrhea, decrease symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms, and treat acne. For long-term menstrual suppression, ACOG suggests continuous combined hormonal contraception, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, and the levonorgestrel intrauterine system. Guideline authors suggest, based on limited data, that combined oral contraceptives do not increase the chance of uterine leiomyomas and that the drugs should be considered in women who may desire further pregnancies but need treatment for menorrhagia.