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EffEctS oN oVAriAN cANcEr riSK rEVEAlEd
Pill for any length of time had an approximately 15% lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who never took it at all — and the risk reduced further in women taking it for longer. The study, published in the British Journal of
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Cancer, examined how a range of reproductive factors affected the risk of ovarian cancer. Taking the Pill for more than 10 years had the biggest impact on reducing the risk of the disease, followed by pregnancy and having more than one child. Among women who used the pill for 1 year or
less, the risk of developing ovarian cancer was around 28 per 100 000 per year. For women who took the pill for at least 10 years, this risk fell by about half to around 15 per 100 000 per year. Women who had ever been through a full-term
pregnancy had a 29% lower ovarian cancer risk compared with women who had never been pregnant. Among women who had never been pregnant, the risk of developing ovarian cancer was 34 per 100 000 per year. For women who had at least one full-term pregnancy, this risk fell to around 24 per 100 000 per year. And the bigger the family, the greater the benefit — among women who have children, each additional child lowered the risk of ovarian cancer by a further 8%.
The research is part of ongoing work by the
european Prospective investigation of cancer (ePic) — a cancer Research uK co-funded study, and one of the largest studies into the links between diet, lifestyle and cancer. Research has not yet established how factors
like the Pill and pregnancy reduce ovarian cancer risk. One theory is that taking the Pill or getting pregnant changes the level of hormones that can affect a woman’s risk of the disease. While the Pill has a protective effect against ovarian cancer, women taking the Pill have an increased risk of breast cancer while using it, but which disappears after use has stopped. 'Women may be reassured to know that the
oral contraceptive is not only an effective contraceptive, but can have the added benefit of reducing their risk of ovarian cancer,' said Dr Richard edmondson, a cancer Research uK women's cancer expert based at the university of Newcastle.
aking the Pill for 10 years can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by almost half (45%), new research part-funded by cancer Research uK has shown. Overall, women who took the
Largest diabetes
study on foot ulcers What's crucial for a diabetic foot to heal is that the ulcer is superficial, blood circulation is normal, and the person has had diabetes for a short time. This is shown in the world's largest diabetes study regarding foot ulcers, which has been carried out by Magdalena Annersten Gerhater at Malmo University in Sweden. Diabetes is becoming more and
more common, and one prevalent complication is foot ulcers, which affect 12 000 diabetics in Sweden each year. This is a group that requires a great deal of highly specialised care in hospital to avoid amputation. 'People who have had diabetes for a long time often develop poor blood circulation in their legs, which hampers healing,' says Magdalena Annersten Gershater, a registered nurse and researcher at Malmö University. In some cases the foot ulcer is so
complicated that it's necessary to amputate. Gershater has performed a study to find out what factors are related to whether patients with diabetes and foot ulcers heal with or without amputation. The study shows that 65% of the patients healed without amputation. Nine percent were resolved with amputation of toes or the front of the foot, while 8% underwent leg amputation. Deep infections, vascular disease, the location of the sore, male gender, and other disease all increase the risk of amputation. Gershater now hopes that her findings will be applied to the treatment of patients with diabetes and foot ulcers.
Spinal membrane as a source of stem cells may advance spinal cord treatment The team focused their research
Italian and Spanish scientists studying the use of stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries have provided the first evidence to show that meninges, the membrane which envelops the central nervous system, is a potential source of self-renewing stem cells. The research, published in STEM CELLS, develops the understanding of cell activation in central nervous system injuries — advancing research into new treatments for spinal injuries and degenerative brain disorders.
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on spinal cord injuries. As the spinal cord lacks the ability to regenerate, the potential for patient recovery is severely limited. 'Our research offers the first
evidence that the spinal cord meninges, the system of membranes which cover the surface of the brain and the spinal cord, contains stem cells which are capable of self-renewal and proliferation,' said lead authors Dr Ilaria Decimo and Dr Francesco
November/December 2011 |
prime-journal.com
Bifari, at the University of Verona. Following a spinal injury meningeal cells increase in number and migrate to form glial scars, a process which the team believes explains the mechanism of stem cell activation in central nervous system diseases — something which could be used for treatments. Dr Decimo's team microdissected samples of spinal cord meninges from adult rats revealing that meningeal cells contain crucial stem cell properties. It is these
properties which increase following a spinal cord injury. 'Our research emphasises the
role of meninges cells in the reaction to spinal cord trauma and indicates for the first time that spinal cord meninges harbour stem cells which are activated by injury,' concluded Dr Decimo. 'Further testing could result in a strategic turnaround for advancing regenerative medicine for treating neurological disorders and spinal cord injuries.'
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