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Women and Lung Cancer: Researchers Look For Gender Connection. Female Cancer Patients Sought For Large-Scale Clinical Trial

According to a recent survey on health concerns, women fear breast cancer most. Despite the fears expressed in the survey, conducted by the International Communications Research of Media for the Society of Women’s Health Research in 2005, lung cancer is actually the leading cancer killer of women. Lung cancer takes the lives of approximately 68,000 women each year.

While smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer, there is growing evidence that points to gender differences in the risk of developing lung cancer and the implications for treating the disease in men and women.

For example, while the number of men diagnosed with lung cancer has been going down, the number of women has risen 60 percent since 1990. In addition, women who are nonsmokers are 2.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men who are nonsmokers.

Scientific evidence points to estrogen as a factor in the difference between how lung cancer acts in men versus women. That biological difference promises to have important implications for lung cancer treatments.

It is believed that the estrogen in women may influence lung tumor growth by causing the synthesis of tumor-promoting proteins. Since women have higher levels of estrogen than men, and younger women have higher levels of estrogen than older women, this may in part be responsible for their higher risk for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Developing therapies that are favorably influenced by estrogen may provide a gender-targeted therapeutic approach to the treatment of the disease.

Researchers are currently studying a novel approach to targeting lung cancer in women that relies on a chemotherapy agent that exploits the presence of estrogen in women and its effect on the metabolism of proteins in the cancer cell. Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) developed XYOTAX (paclitaxel poliglumex) initially as a lung cancer drug for all patients-regardless of gender. Retrospective analysis of two Phase III clinical trials found the drug, as compared to standard chemotherapy treatments, had a significant survival advantage in women while having equivalent survival in men.

New clinical trial

Now, Cell Therapeutics is embarking on another clinical study exclusively in women to see if the theory proves true in a larger population of women. The trial, known as PIONEER, is the first approval trial for lung cancer exclusively targeting women and is expected to enroll 600 patients with advanced lung cancer.

Why You Should Be Worried About A Bird Flu Pandemic

You may have been hearing a lot in the news lately about a bird flu pandemic. You have probably been thinking what does that have to do with me? There is always something to worry about right? Natural disasters, terrorism and now a flu pandemic? The first twonatural disasters and terrorism have a lot in common. They both strike without warning, they leave death and destruction in their wake and they affect a local area. Now in the case of a natural disaster, that area can be fairly large, yet it doesnt always affect the whole country or the global population. Worse case scenarios usually involved thousands dead and hundreds of millions in damage. A meteor hitting the planet would probably affect everyone on earth. A super volcano blowing up could affect the whole planet. Those are scenarios that scientists play out on their computers to see what might happen. Chances of those happening are much less than tornados, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Lets take terrorism. Still, a very real threat and not one to be taken lightly. Lives are lost and millions of dollars of damage can be inflicted. But terrorists strike even more locally than natural disasters. If terrorists strike a major metropolitan area, it will affect that area and only ripple effects around the rest of the country. Deaths are in the immediate area, damage is confined again to the local area. A nuclear weapon going off, while local, would have a much more major impact on a larger number of people across the country. But life could go on in other areas of the country and world.

Now lets look at a pandemic. A bird flu pandemic would affect millions of people around the world, not just local populations. The death rate could be between 5 million and 100 million or more. The economic consequences would be catastrophic. The World Bank has estimated a pandemic lasting a year could cost the world economy $800 billion dollars. It would affect the lives of every American.

When your business in New York depends on deliveries from Texas and those deliveries cant be made because everyone in Texas is sick, then it will affect your business and your employees lives. Now multiply that across all states and across the globe, then you might start to see why a bird flu pandemic could have such a far-reaching impact. Millions of workers out sick, schools, businesses shut down, transportation interrupted. Financial markets in chaos, hospitals over whelmed, lost income and financial defaults. The list could go on. An avian influenza pandemic would be catastrophic, far more than any natural disaster or terrorist event.

At this time the chance of a pandemic is fairly low. Human to human transmission has not been confirmed but scientists fear if the virus mutates into a form that is easily passed from person to person, then the chance of a pandemic will increase. Health experts say it is only a matter of time. While federal, state and local governments are starting to prepare, many have not started and dont have the funds available to plan for a bird flu pandemic.

Your best defense is to stay informed about bird flu and avian influenza. Unlike a natural disaster or a terrorist event, a influenza pandemic can be prepared for. Well-prepared plans will help you and your family get through a pandemic crisis and recover quicker than those who are not prepared.

What To Look For When Evaluating Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Options: The Three “C’s” of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

People with Medicare can start saving money by enrolling in the government’s prescription drug plan, and with open enrollment running through May 15, 2006, there is still time to save.

“This is the most significant change to Medicare since the program’s inception, and it will offer people with Medicare more choices than ever before,” said Scott Latimer, M.D., Central and North Florida Market President for Senior Products at Humana, one of the nation’s leading private sector Medicare insurers. “In order to select the plan that best meets their needs, beneficiaries will need to carefully evaluate their options prior to enrolling.”

When choosing a plan, people with Medicare and their family members and friends involved in the process need to factor three areas into their decision: affordable cost, plan coverage of required drugs and services and ease of obtaining medications.

Cost

While some plans have a monthly premium, there are Medicare Advantage plans that provide Parts A and B medical coverage and include Part D drug coverage as a built-in benefit without an additional monthly premium cost.

Plans also have varying coverage of the coverage gap, which is commonly referred to as the “doughnut hole.” Some plans offer more choices than others, including $0 deductible options, varying co-payment levels and possibly generic drug coverage through the gap.

Additionally, people with Medicare will also pay part of the cost for prescriptions, which varies depending on the drug plan chosen.

Coverage

Each Medicare drug plan has a list of the prescription drugs it covers. When comparing plans, beneficiaries need to find plans that cover all or most of the drugs they take. Many plans may also offer lower-cost generics.

Of course, insurance plans can change the list of drugs they cover. Companies must provide at least 60 days’ notice before making a coverage change. Beneficiaries can then evaluate other options and speak to their doctors about the possibility of switching to an alternate drug that is on the plan or to a generic medication.

Convenience

All private insurers offering prescription drug coverage have pharmacy networks. These include both national pharmacies such as Wal-Mart, Rite Aid and CVS and non-chain independent pharmacies. Mail-order drug delivery services may also be an option, and may be particularly beneficial for people who take multiple medications daily.

People should speak with their pharmacist about the plan they are considering. It is important to know if that pharmacy will be part of that preferred network.

Web-based tools can help calculate prescription drug costs by plan, determine all out-of-pocket costs and even allow online enrollment.

While Parkinson’s disease has very distinctive features, it is rather a difficult disease to identify, particularly while it is in its early stages. Unfortunately there are no precise tests, which doctors can do to establish an exact diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and regrettably especially in its early stages it might be mistaken for other diseases. If and when this happens, it delays or prevents the appropriate action being administered in the quickest feasible time.

The trouble with diagnosing Parkinson’s disease accurately is just that the symptoms are not always as clear as doctors would like them to be, Actually there are suggestions that up to 25% of those people presently being treated for Parkinson’s disease might have been wrongly diagnosed and are thus getting inappropriate treatment.

Generally patients that are suspected of suffering from Parkinson’s disease are given tests to guarantee they are certainly not suffering from an illness that can be diagnosed using common methods such as CT scanning, urine sampling X-ray and blood tests etc. However just because these tests may have an inconclusive answer, it doesn’t always mean the person is definitely suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Regrettably some doctors think this is the case, and will automatically offer a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

Tests that can be carried out to test for Parkinson’s disease involve systematic neurological assessments that comprise testing the person’s reflexes, balance, muscle strength walk and common movement. Because there are a range of neurological disorders that have similar characteristics to Parkinson’s disease, it’s not very surprising that Parkinson’s disease is so regularly misdiagnosed. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, it doesn’t always hurt to ask your doctor for a second opinion or even better to request to be referred to a physician who specialises in this kind of disease.

An early accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is normally the key to the sufferer being able to preserve their independence and a decent quality of life for fairly a long time.

Some neurological conditions that are regularly confused with Parkinson’s disease include: -

Multiple system atrophy

Supranuclear palsy

Benign Essential Tremor
Multiple Sclerosis

Huntington’s disease

Striato-Nigral Degeneration

Brain tumour

Remaining as independent as feasible is vital to the wellbeing of most sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, and ensuring the symptoms are kept to a minimum by both an accurate diagnosis and treatment is the key to achieving this.

Roger Overanout

The Internet has revolutionized a consumer’s ability to research personal health issues and independently discover the available options of finding more affordable ways of obtaining his or her medications.

For the millions of Americans who have prescription drug plans as part of their health insurance, the actual cost of medications is somewhat obscured by the co-payment–usually a nominal fee compared to the actual cost of the drug.

But for the millions of Americans who don’t have access to prescription coverage, who must pay for their medications out of pocket, there is a crucial piece of knowledge that can save them a lot of money: The cost of prescription drugs varies from pharmacy to pharmacy. And in many cases, Internet-based pharmacies can offer even lower costs. For example, a recent survey showed that Walgreens was selling Plavix (75 mg, 90 tablets) for $405.09. SmartChoiceDrugstore.com sold the exact same drug and quantity for $353.49.

According to data collected by SmartChoice, Americans pay more for their prescription drugs than people in other countries. The reason is that pharmaceutical manufacturers sell at much higher prices to U.S. wholesale companies because they have no restrictions on pricing. Higher costs are also attributed to pharmaceutical companies spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year in sales and marketing people to push their medications on the U.S. public and doctors who prescribe the medications.

Just like online retailers from whom you’d buy books, appliances or even a car, Internet pharmacies are able to offer lower prices because of lower overhead. With no storefront (and accordant costs) to maintain, there’s less of a markup on the merchandise. The medication you receive from Internet pharmacies such as SmartChoice is identical to the medicines found at a neighborhood or chain drugstore. The only difference is what you pay. And if you take several different medications, the savings can be substantial.

At SmartChoiceDrugstore.com, each and every order is filled by a registered and licensed pharmacist. Like any U.S. pharmacy, SmartChoiceDrugstore.com undergoes rigorous governmental inspections regularly. The site is a full-service pharmacy that has access to all medications that any other pharmacy would have. And like traditional pharmacies, there are policies and procedures in place to validate prescriptions.

Some wearers of contact lenses may be tempted to save money by taking hygienic shortcuts when it comes to keeping their contacts clean. Instead of buying cleansing solution for their lenses, they may decide to rinse them with plain water or even attempt to use a homemade solution. While a few dollars may be saved by taking this nonchalant approach to cleaning the contacts lenses, the possible harmful consequences far outweigh the financial benefits of adopting a do-it-yourself mentality.

The problem with homemade concoctions is that these will lack anti-bacterial efficacy harmful bacteria will continue run rampant on contact lenses and can cause serious medical complications if the eyes become infected.

A corneal ulcer is an open sore or non-penetrating erosion in the transparent area at the front of the eyeball the cornea and is associated with infections caused by bacteria. This is exactly the kind of bacteria that freely grows on contact lenses when homemade solutions are substituted for commercial cleansing solutions. Corneal ulcers can also be precipitated by wearing soft contact lenses overnight.

Those who attempt to use their own homemade cleaning solutions also run the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis, Acanthamoeba is a water-borne, microscopic parasite that can wreck havoc in the form of an infection when it invades the cornea. While using homemade solutions are often the cause, swimming in lakes and swimming pools while wearing contacts can also trigger the condition.

The symptoms that accompany this infection are intense pain and redness, and those afflicted with the infection are often hospitalized. If corneal scarring results, a cornea transplant may be necessary. Treatment and therapy may last a year or more, and sometimes severe vision lost can be the outcome of a bout with Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Its crucial to remember that accessories like the lens cases for contact lenses must also be kept clean in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. These instructions will specify what cleansing solution to use or may even specify that the use of hot tap water to clean the lens case is permissible. A case that isnt properly cleaned can be a breeding ground for bacteria in the same way that improperly cleansed contact lenses can be. Eyecare professionals suggest discarding cases every three months or so and replacing them with new ones.

The good news is that the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis can be minimized by adopting these simple measures:

*Avoid the use of homemade cleansing solutions

*Make sure you use commercial cleansing solutions

*Msure you clean the cases for your contacts; discard and replace the cases every three or four months

*Be aware that sometimes wearing soft contact lenses overnight can cause infections for some people

*Be aware of all factors that may cause infections and medical complications, such as wearing contacts while swimming in lakes, pools or the ocean

Dont allow destructive bacterial to build up on your contact lenses and in your cases. Eye-damaging conditions like A keratitis can be held at bay by following a simple set of hygeinic procedures that will help to ensure that your eyes stay healhly and infection free.

You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors. Granted that you cannot control every risk factor for heart disease such as family history but you can definitely do something about your behavior. Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease. Oral chelation can have a very beneficial effect on reducing your risk of heart disease.

Major Risk Factors of Heart Disease

Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a type of a lipid, a soft, fat-like substance that serves as a source of fuel. Excessive cholesterol can cause build-up of atherosclerotic plaque. Accumulation of plaque in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, is transported to sites throughout the body, where it’s used to repair cell membranes or to make hormones. LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of your arteries. HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” cholesterol, transports cholesterol to the liver, where it’s altered and removed from the body.

Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure level is defined as less than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure and less than 85 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. The higher the blood pressure, the more likely it is to take a toll on the heart and on the brain. Blood pressure should be checked whether or not your levels are high. For normal, check once every two years. For high-normal, check once a year. If extremely high, you should get immediate care. Then get multiple measurements to know if a high level is sustained over time.

Diabetes

Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, is associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition.

Tips For Controlling Risk of Heart Disease

Stop Smoking

The effect of smoking on your lungs can cause almost every other medical condition.

Get Active

Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of the best way to prevent heart disease. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure preventing heart disease.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer to prevent heart disease. People who drink large amounts of alcohol (six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure.

Watch What You Eat

Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily to prevent heart disease.
Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.
Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol to stay away from heart disease.

Consider using a quality edta or oral chelation product in your diet.

Resources:

http://www.edta-oral-chelation-product-reviews.com

http://www.oral-chelation-products-reviewed.com

Yeast infection treatments can be administered at home with prescription medication or potentially after recommendations from people who have experienced it. Treatment can take effect within a week. If your infection is not too severe, you can continue with your home treatment, but if you are experiencing heavy infections, it is important to consult your doctor. There might be some symptoms that means your particular infection is not appropriate for self-treatment or medication.

You can buy yeast infection treatments over the counter (OTC) in drugstores without a prescription from the doctor. Some examples of common treatments are: Miconazole, Tioconazole, Butoconazole and Clotrimazole.

These medications are known as the azole treatments, which block the production of ergosterol. Ergosterol is present in yeast cell walls. In the absence of ergosterol, the yeast cell wall deteriorates and the yeast cell dies. Azole treatments are proven safe to use and are known to effectively fight probable symptoms of yeast infection.

Nystatin and amphotericin B. are good treatments, which can be found in Polyene antifungals. Nystatin is known to be effective for superficial candidal infections and also for thrush while amphotericin B is reserved for more serious cases of fungal infection. These works by attacking ergosterol in the yeast cell wall.

These treatments are applied by topically over a period of 1-7 days, but always read the labels carefully for the correct application procedure. You should watch carefully in case irritation occurs. If it does, you should discontinue using the medication immediately. Pregnant women are not advised to use these medications without prescription from their doctors.

Other medical treatments include pills, creams, troches, lotions and vaginal depositories. To know the right and safe option, you should always seek the advice of your doctor.

OTC products are useful in treating vaginal yeast infections. They tend to be made up of four active ingredients that stop the spread of yeast infection. These drugs are part of the anti-fungal family, which works actively to stop and break down the cell wall of the Candida and bacteria. OTC treatments have been approved by the FDA to effectively stop forms of yeast infection, however, it is useful to be aware that antibiotics may disrupt the balance of healthy bacteria present in the vagina and intestine, which may lead to diarrhea, vaginitis and constipation.

It is important to carefully understand and take seriously yeast infection treatment. If it is your first time visiting your doctor regarding a yeast infection, you should be open and candid with the symptoms that you have as this will help the doctor determine if your infection is manageable or needs more serious treatments. When the doctor explains the effects and how the treatments can be handled properly, you should listen closely so that you can apply the treatment effectively. The use of vaginal suppositories and creams need the right dosage as if used incorrectly your infection may get worse.

Are you aware that arthritis has become one of the most invasive diseases in the United States today, afflicting one of every seven Americans? People who are already fifty years of age or more are the ones usually afflicted with arthritis but there are plenty of younger people who have the disease.

While arthritis is a disease related to aging due to the deterioration of a persons joints as he ages, it is generally a manageable disease. Arthritis can affect almost anyone but it can be avoided or the pain lessened through proper diet, exercise and even surgery. The presence of arthritis can be diagnosed by undergoing x-rays to show the quality of your bones and also by having blood tests.

Once arthritis has set in, there is a great possibility that it will be a disease you have to live with for a long time. Resorting to proper treatments and medication can however help you live with arthritis.

You probably have arthritis if you experience pain excruciating pain in your joints. An inflamed joint can be very sensitive and painful to touch or even with light movements. Arthritis can start with joint or muscle pains which last for a few days.

Arthritis can be debilitating because it can inhibit your movements and your regular functions. This disease can be very painful even for those who are just lying or sitting down. Once arthritis sets in, the ordinary actions like writing, seating or buttoning your shirt can be very painful. People who have arthritis tend to have a limited mobility so they tend to be more irritable and depressed.

There are ways to keep arthritis pain manageable such as proper treatment or weight management plans. There are different kinds of arthritis and knowing which kind you have can help you manage tour pain properly. It also helps to be more vigilant of your daily tasks and to stop putting stress on your joints.

The pain you experience is actually a sign that some parts of your body is not doing fine. However, fibromyalgia or the pain that comes with arthritis is a different kind of pain and harder to manage than ordinary pain. The secret to living with arthritis is managing the pain that it gives you.

Arthritis pain can get worse with fatigue, stress and too much physical work that encourages arthritis attack. A person who have arthritis pain attacks can learn to minimize his pain by not focusing too much on the pain and by resorting to proper exercises, relaxation techniques and appropriate medicine. Others resort to topical relievers that can stop the pain for a few moments, hot and cold sponges and other things to divert their attention off the pain.

While strenuous exercises can worsen arthritis pain, there are activities that can minimize pain and even prevent it like swimming and biking. However, you have to consult your doctor before doing any physical activity as it can worsen your pain when done the wrong way.

What Is The Avian Flu – Also Known As The Bird Flu?

The Avian flu is a virus carried by birds and spread through their feces and other secretions. Those most at risk are people who come into contact with infected birds. Of the people who have been infected, many are from families that keep chickens around the home.

There have been no signs of the Bird Flu in the United States as yet, and the virus is not easily transmitted from birds to humans. However, once confined to Asia, the Bird Flu has now been identified in other countries. Those that have been diagnosed with the Bird Flu have been in close contact with the infected poultry.

A trial vaccine is being developed for the Bird Flu, however since the virus is constantly changing there will have to be a vaccine created to the specific strain that is spreading.

Bird flu in poultry does not pose any food safety risk because it is unlikely a sick chicken would be slaughtered for consumption, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs would kill the virus. Dr Judith Hilton, the head of microbiological safety at Britain’s Food Standards Agency, said salmonella poses more of a risk to consumers than bird flu. She added that people generally get flu through the respiratory system, not from what they eat. Dr. Hilton advises thorough cooking of poultry meat and eggs. If you cook your poultry and your eggs thoroughly, you would get rid of any viruses present.

The symptoms of the Bird flu are common flu like symptoms:

Fever
Aches
Pains
Chills
Sore throat
Diarrhea
Respiratory disease
Pneumonia

Precautions that should be taken are avoiding contact with live poultry. Do not keep live poultry at your residence. If you do come in contact with live poultry wash your hands very thoroughly. If you suspect you have come in contact with poultry and have flu like symptoms see your doctor immediately.