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Volume 3, Number 3
20 January 2003
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Unscientific
Findings (editorial)
Is it science or is it politics? That's the question this writer
argues that the American public should ask about two federal public
health Web sites that have been altered to conform more with conservative
social ideology regarding the association between breast cancer
and abortion and about the effectiveness of condoms in preventing
sexually transmitted diseases.
Vatican
Writes 'Glossary' on Sex Terminology (news article)
The Vatican wants to prevent cultural manipulation of the family
in no uncertain terms. Terms, in fact, are at the very heart of
it. The Holy See will soon publish a new glossary of 90 words related
to sexual and family issues, according to Cardinal Alfonso Lopez
Trujillo, director of the Pontifical Council for the Family. The
"Lexicon of the Family and Life" will also clarify the
Catholic Church's teachings on birth control, sex education, assisted
procreation and homosexuality.
SSL
Intl Wins Condom Court Battle Against China's Jissbon (news
article)
SSL International, the U.K.-based maker of Durex condoms and rubber
gloves, said it has won a court case against Chinese condom maker
Wuhan Jissbon Hygeine Products Ltd. Jissbon was found guilty of
making false claims about its condoms, and of copying the contents
of the Durex Web site, in the People's Beijing No 1 medium level
court.
FDA
Insists Oestrogen Products for Menopause Carry a Warning (news
article)
The Food and Drug Administration has announced that manufacturers
of drugs that contain either oestrogen alone or both oestrogen and
progestogen together for the treatment of symptoms associated with
menopause must include a new warning on the labels. The warning
must state that the drugs may increase the risk of heart attacks,
strokes, blood clots, and breast cancer.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Gender
Dimensions of User Fees: Implications for Women's Utilization of
Health Care 
(research article)
This article examines the effects of user fees on women's utilization
of health care services, based on selected studies in Africa. Despite
the proliferation of health sector reform strategies worldwide,
there is little hard evidence on the impact of user fees on women's
use of reproductive health services and on health outcomes in resource-poor
settings. Few studies have explored how women cope with rising health
care costs or examined the trade-offs they make in order to pay
for health care.
Amenorrhea
Associated with Contraception: An International Study on Acceptability
(PubMed abstract)
Surveys undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that amenorrhea
was unacceptable to most women, especially in developing countries.
More recent research suggests that increasing numbers of women in
the developed world prefer to menstruate less often. In a questionnaire
survey of 1001 women attending family-planning clinics and 290 contraceptive
providers in China, South Africa, Nigeria, and Scotland, only among
black women in Africa did the majority like having periods. In all
except the Chinese centers, the majority of women would be willing
to try a contraceptive which induced amenorrhea.
The
Social Organization of Commercial Sex Work in Moscow, Russia
(PubMed abstract)
Increased poverty, unemployment, and migration place the Russian
population at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
A qualitative study was undertaken to clarify the organization of
sex work and describe the likely contributions of different types
of sex work to disease transmission. Results showed that intermittent,
truck stop, and railway station sex workers may be the most important
groups in the dissemination of STIs. Sex work is widely disseminated
throughout the city. Identifiable positions in the social organization
of street sex work include pimps, assistant female pimps, guards,
drivers, "indicators," the sex workers themselves, and
recruitment "pluckers."
The
Patched Polymorphism Pro1315Leu (C3944T) May Modulate the Association
Between Use of Oral Contraceptives and Breast Cancer Risk (research
abstract)
The gene coding for the human homologue of the Drosophila segment
polarity gene patched (PTCH1) is mutated in several common human
tumors. Researchers found no mutations within the coding region
of PTCH1 in 17 human primary breast carcinomas. However, the biallelic
Pro1315Leu (C3944T) polymorphism of PTCH1 was significantly associated
with breast cancer in 41 Bavarian patients compared to 85 healthy
controls. However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed
an effect modification of oral contraceptive use (OC) on breast
cancer risk by Leu-carrier status. Compared to women who have Pro/Pro
and never used OC, Pro/Pro OC users had an increased odds ratio
for breast cancer of 1.7.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Vehicles
Promoting Reproductive Health Tour China (news article)
Special vehicles carrying reproductive health experts will be dispatched
to China's vast rural areas, according to sources from the State
Family Planning Commission (SFPC). These vehicles, whose task is
to educate people about pregnancy, reproduction, and adult sexual
life, will begin in north China's Hebei Province and in Beijing
and Tianjin municipalities. They will also offer free consultations
and provide free contraceptives.
The
Philippines: Condoms Popular at Parties - as Balloons (news
article)
Rural health care workers in the Philippines reportedly are using
contraceptives in ways never anticipated by donor agencies. The
country's health secretary was quoted as saying that contraceptive
pills are being used to fertilize plantations of orchids, while
condoms have found a new role as party balloons.
Secrets
of Embryo Success Revealed (news article)
In one of the more remarkable recent findings in reproductive biology,
scientists are reporting the first detailed explanation for how
the early- stage human embryo becomes implanted in the womb. The
findings raise the possibility of new treatments and diagnostics
for infertility, abnormal pregnancies and a condition known as pre-eclampsia,
one of the most common pregnancy-related disorders.
Fertility
Techniques Up Risk of Childhood Illness (news article)
Fertility techniques and cloning can increase the odds of babies
developing a rare childhood illness which predisposes them to birth
defects and cancer.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Partner
Notification for HIV and Syphilis: Effects on Sexual Behaviors and
Relationship Stability (PubMed abstract)
A prospective study in New Orleans comparing outcomes of HIV infection
and syphilis partner notification found no difference in the rates
of partnership dissolution, new partner acquisition, and violence.
Related PubMed abstract: Changes
in Partnerships and HIV Risk Behaviors After Partner Notification
A study of persons receiving HIV partner notification, compared
with a control group of persons not receiving it, showed that partner
notification did not increase partnership dissolution or formation
and was associated with higher condom use.
Related news article: Study
Backs Disclosure of HIV to Partners
More than two decades into the AIDS epidemic, only about a third
of US health departments seek out the sexual partners of HIV patients
to let them know they may have been exposed to the virus. Now, two
new studies argue that qualms about the notification programs are
unfounded.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
AIDS in Asia: The Continent's Growing Crisis Cambodia Finding Success vs. AIDS: Government Orders Condoms in Brothels -- Infections Drop (news article)
Workers
at Risk: Cambodian 'Beer Girls' Add to HIV Epidemic; Activists Say
Brewers Must Get Involved (news article)
These articles address different aspects of the growing AIDS crisis
in Asia and government's response.
AIDS
Drugmakers Say They're Boosting African Supply (news article)
Pharmaceutical companies said they were increasing the supply of
life-saving AIDS medicines to Africa but acknowledged that current
efforts only scratched the surface of the problem. Industry figures
show more than 35,500 Africans were receiving cut-price HIV/AIDS
drugs at the end of March 2002, a four-fold increase over the previous
18 months but still only 0.01% of those infected on the continent.
Since then, the six companies behind the accelerating access initiative
believe numbers have increased significantly, though full figures
for 2002 will not be available for some months.
UN
Envoy: Bangladesh Faces AIDS Epidemic Unless It Acts Now (news
article)
Bangladesh could face an AIDS epidemic in the next decade if it
does not take action now, a UN envoy warned. UN Secretary-General's
Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, noted that Bangladesh (a predominantly
Muslim nation of 130 million people) currently has an HIV/AIDS infection
rate of less than 1%. But she said the rate is likely to increase
because of a lack of awareness and high-risk behavior.
Pfizer
Extends HIV/AIDS Drug Program in Africa, Haiti (news article)
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc. and the Pfizer Foundation announced
an agreement to indefinitely extend their Diflucan Partnership Program
in southern Africa and Haiti, which provides free doses of the drug
Diflucan that treats two opportunistic infections associated with
HIV/AIDS.
A
Muppet Tackles AIDS Attitudes in South Africa (news article)
In spite of - or because of - the prevalence of AIDS cases in South
Africa, the stigmatization of and discrimination against those diagnosed
as HIV-positive begins at an early age. The latest government initiative
to combat such attitudes began three months ago, with the addition
of the character Kami to the television program "Takalani Sesame."
India: Condom Adverts Too Much for Prudish Minister to Bear (news article)
The mention of condoms in a new anti-Aids television campaign has
upset India's traditionalist Minister for Information and Broadcasting,
who has castigated it as indecorous.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Effect
of Fetal Sex on Labour and Delivery: Retrospective Review (research
article)
Related news article: Boy
Births 'More Trouble'
Women are more likely to suffer a tough labour if they are giving
birth to a baby boy rather than a baby girl. Research carried out
at Dublin's National Maternity Hospital suggests that deliveries
of baby boys do seem more likely to involve extra intervention from
doctors, such as forceps, drugs, or emergency caesarean section.
The researchers looked at more than 8,000 births - half male, half
female - all of which were first babies from mothers who went into
labour naturally at full term. Labours involving male infants tended
to last longer, and far fewer were delivered in a straightforward
natural way. Among the boys, there were 249 caesarean sections,
as opposed to 170 among the girls, and 925 uses of the forceps or
ventouse compared with 771 among the girls.
A
Prospective Randomized Study to Compare the Use of Repeated Doses
of Vaginal with Sublingual Misoprostol in the Management of First
Trimester Silent Miscarriages (reseach abstract)
A randomized controlled trial comparing sublingual with vaginal
administration of misoprostol for medical management of silent miscarriages
was carried out. Eighty women who had silent miscarriages (<13
weeks) were randomized to receive 600 µg of misoprostol every
3 h for a maximum of three doses either sublingually or vaginally.
Results showed that the current regimen of misoprostol is useful
for the management of silent miscarriage in terms of complete miscarriage
rate and patient acceptability. Sublingual misoprostol may offer
an alternative for women who do not like repeated vaginal administration
of the drug.
Monitoring
Compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk
Substitutes in West Africa: Multisite Cross Sectional Survey in
Togo and Burkina Faso (research abstract)
Researchers designed a multisite cross sectional survey, in order
to monitor compliance with the International Code of Marketing of
Breastmilk Substitutes in health systems, sales outlets, distribution
points, and the news media in Togo and Burkina Faso, west Africa.
Results showed that forty commercial breast milk substitutes violated
the labelling standards of the code: 21 were manufactured by Danone,
11 by Nestlé, and eight by other national and international
manufacturers. Most (148, 90%) health providers had never heard
of the code, and 66 mothers (63%) had never received any counselling
on breast feeding by their health providers. Researchers concluded
in west Africa manufacturers are violating the code of marketing
of breast milk substitutes. Comparable levels of code violations
are observed with (Burkina Faso) or without (Togo) regulating legislation.
Legislation must be accompanied by effective information, training,
and monitoring systems to ensure that healthcare providers and manufacturers
comply with evidence based practice and the code.
Demographic
and Health Surveys: Caesarean Section Rates in sub-Saharan Africa
(research article)
The authors analyzed Demographic and Health Surveys performed at
two different times in eight sub-Saharan African countries and calculated
cesarean section rates for singleton live births that occurred during
the three years before the interviews. Cesarean section rates were
lower than 5% in all countries except Kenya, and the rates were
lower than 2% in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Niger, and Zambia. Cesarean
section rates decreased in five countries between 1991-3 and 1996-9.
The authors contend that access to cesarean sections is not improving
in sub-Saharan Africa and that it might be worsening.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Mexico
Hospital Had Inadequate Resources (news article)
A southern Mexico hospital where 25 babies died last month lacked
adequate resources, but the deaths largely resulted from premature
births and a lack of prenatal care, health officials said.
Nigerian
Immunisation Programme Sees Results (news article)
The National Programme on Immunisation (NPI) has just released a
report that shows a continuing and dramatic decline in the incidence
of fatal childhood diseases in Nigeria.
One
in Ten US Women Drink Alcohol During Pregnancy (news article)
In spite of widespread educational campaigns about the dangers of
drinking alcohol while pregnant, a new study found that more than
1 in 10 moms-to-be drink. The US Surgeon General warns that alcohol
use during pregnancy puts a fetus at risk of a wide range of medical
problems, including premature birth, mental and physical retardation,
and even death.
New
Simplified C-section Less Painful, Saves Blood (news article)
Doctors from the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) have developed a
new technique for performing a caesarean section that is less painful
and faster than traditional methods. The "caesarean light"
takes 20 minutes and has successfully been tested on 1,000 women
at the Department of Gynaecology at the Vienna AKH over a period
of two years.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Prevalence
of Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Caucasian
Mediterranean Males: An Autopsy Study (research abstract)
The prevalence of carcinoma of the prostate gland (CaP) and high-grade
prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) was assessed in a Spanish
population, representative of the Caucasian Mediterranean (CM) ethnic
group. Data were compared with those described in populations from
other geographical regions and in other ethnic groups. Researchers
concluded that microscopic foci of CaP and HGPIN can be documented
in CM males from the 3rd decade of life onwards. The lesions become
more frequent and extensive as age increases. The prevalence of
both lesions seems to be significantly lower in the CM population
than in Caucasian American and African American males in all the
age groups evaluated.
Extended
Peripheral Zone Biopsy Schemes Increase Cancer Detection Rates and
Minimize Variance in Prostate Specific Antigen and Age Related Cancer
Rates: Results of a Community Multi-practice Study (PubMed abstract)
The authors assessed the impact of age and prostate specific antigen
(PSA) on extended systematic biopsy schemes for detecting prostate
carcinoma and better characterized these tumors as a function of
patient age and PSA. They retrospectively reviewed the records of
2,299 consecutive patients who underwent initial systematic biopsy
performed by 167 community based urologists. A total of 12 systematic
biopsies of the peripheral zone were obtained in all patients. Results
showed that on biopsy 1,020 patients (44.4%) had cancer. Detection
rates increased with increasing patient age. Increasing age and
PSA were associated with larger, higher grade tumors.
Human
BOULE Gene Rescues Meiotic Defects in Infertile Flies (research
abstract)
Related news article: UCSF
Study of Ancient Fly Gene Offers Insights Into Male Fertility
Using a human gene, UCSF scientists were able to correct a defect
in infertile flies that prevented them from carrying out a key step
in the creation of sperm. The finding advances the effort to identify
the genes involved in human male infertility, the researchers say,
and suggests a possible target for a male contraceptive.
Testicular
Germ-Cell Apoptosis in Stressed Rats Following Combined Exposure
to Pyridostigmine Bromide, N,N-Diethyl m-Toluamide (Deet), and Permethrin
(research abstract)
Related news article: Gulf
War Chemicals Linked to Testicular Damage
A combination of chemicals given to protect Gulf War soldiers against
deadly diseases and nerve gas might have inadvertently damaged their
testes and sperm production, according to animal experiments at
Duke University Medical Center.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Alcohol's
Effects on Testosterone (news article)
A new study has found that acute administration of alcohol can induce
a rapid increase in plasma and brain concentrations of testosterone
in some rodents. "These differences in animals may reflect
similar individual differences in humans, and provide new insights
for understanding individual differences in the behavioral and endocrine
pathology associated with alcohol abuse," said the senior author
of the study.
Viagra
May Influence Blood's Stickiness: Study (news article)
An international team of scientists has announced that they believe
they have hit upon an explanation for why a few men suffered heart
attacks after taking the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. "With
regard to Viagra, we found that this drug encourages (blood) platelets
to clump," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Xiaoping
Du of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Platelets are necessary
for normal blood clotting and protect against blood loss by clumping
together at the site of a vessel injury. However, "clumping
of platelets is (also) important in causing heart attack and stroke,"
he added.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Statistical
Abstract of Palestine (selected statistics)
Related news article: Worldwide
Palestinian Population Reaches 9.3 Million
According to the latest census by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics,
Palestinians in Palestine and the Diaspora have reached 9.3 million.
Population
Growth and Social Security Financing (research abstract)
This paper analyzes the effect of a tax reform that involves an
introduction of consumption taxation for social security financing.
It found that population growth and labor supply play an important
role in determining the effect of the tax reform.
POPULATION NEWS
France's
New Baby Boom (news article)
While birth rates in the rest of Europe are in decline, French women
are having more children every year. The average number of children
per woman is now 1.9. Part of the reason for this may be cultural,
but there are other important factors, including a financial one.
The French state classifies a couple with three or more children
as a "famille nombreuse" a status which opens the door
to all kinds of benefits.
US:
Census Bureau to Test Phone-In Response (news article)
The Census Bureau wants to know whether response to the census would
improve if people could call in their answers rather than mail back
questionnaires. The phone-in option will be offered as part of a
test survey to be mailed by the bureau in two weeks to 250,000 homes
nationwide, the bureau said.
Indian
PM Unsatisfied with Population Control (news article)
The Indian Prime Minister expressed his concern over the "unsatisfactory"
performance of some state governments in population control.
Bangladesh:
High Population, Politics Pique Country's Growth (news article)
The special advisor to the UN secretary-general on millennium development
goals and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University
has said Bangladesh needs to interconnect private sector development,
investment in human capital, environment management and scientific
advancement to achieve the millennium goals.
Greece's
Population Over 11 Million (news article)
Greece's population has surpassed 11 million, while it increased
by 30,000 people between January 2002 and January 2003 according
to Eurostat.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Oral
Contraceptives: A Risk Factor for Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Among
Hypertensive Women (PubMed abstract)
The objective of the study was to assess the association between
systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and the use
of oral contraceptives (OC) in hypertensive women. In a prospective
cross-sectional study, the authors evaluated 171 women who were
referred to the Hypertension Outpatient Clinic of Hospital de Clinicas
de Porto Alegre, Brazil; 66 current users of OC, 26 users of other
contraceptive methods, and 79 women who were not using contraception.
The authors concluded that current OC use was independently and
significantly associated with prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension.
They concluded that hypertensive women using OC present a significant
increase in DBP and poor blood pressure control, independent of
age, weight, and antihypertensive drug treatment.
Vitamin
D Receptor Gene Polymorphism and Bone Metabolism During Low-dose
Oral Contraceptive Use in Young Women (PubMed abstract)
With the aim to determine whether bone metabolism in young women
using low-dose oral contraception is influenced by vitamin D receptor
(VDR) genotype, researchers designed a prospective clinical study
of 41 healthy women aged 20-27 years. Twenty-one women of the study
group were prescribed an oral contraceptive (30 mcg ethynyl estradiol
and 150 mcg levonorgestrel) and 20 women of the control group a
nonhormonal contraceptive or none. The study shows that in young
women VDR gene polymorphism could influence bone metabolism during
low-dose oral contraceptive use.
International
Collaborative Ovarian Neoplasm Trial 1 and Adjuvant ChemoTherapy
In Ovarian Neoplasm Trial: Two Parallel Randomized Phase III Trials
of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Early-Stage Ovarian Carcinoma
(research abstract)
Related news article: Improving
the Odds Against Ovarian Cancer
The odds of surviving early-stage ovarian cancer may increase significantly
when surgery is followed by chemotherapy. That's the heartening
finding of two European studies. Together, they represent the largest
randomized studies done on the impact of chemotherapy on women with
early-stage ovarian cancer.
YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH
Youth, HIV/AIDS and the Importance of Sexual Culture and Context
(research report)
Related news article: South
Africa: Understanding Youth Culture is Key
Over 60 percent of HIV/AIDS infections in South Africa occur before
the age of 25, a recent report from the South African University
of Cape Town has revealed. The report focuses on "high risk"
sexual activity among the youth and makes particular reference to
South Africa. HIV/AIDS awareness programmes aimed at promoting safer
sex practices should come from understanding youth sexual culture,
the report suggests.
Correlates
of Continued Risky Sex Among Pregnant African American Teens: Implications
for STD Prevention (PubMed abstract)
This exploratory study identified correlates of engaging in relatively
frequent penile-vaginal sex, unprotected by a condom, among inner-city
African American adolescents during their first or second trimester
of pregnancy. Significant bivariate correlates of relatively frequent
unprotected vaginal sex were older age, primiparity, not being enrolled
in school, not residing with at least one parent, reported infrequent
sexual communication (communicating about sex) with the boyfriend,
spending at least 30 hours each week with the boyfriend, reporting
that the age of the current relationship was at least 2 years, and
using marijuana in the past 30 days. Given the potential of STDs
to complicate pregnancy outcomes, clinic-based and community-based
programs addressing relational dynamics and relational obstacles
to safer sex may be warranted, particularly for adolescents not
residing with parents.
Diet
and Sex Hormones in Girls: Findings From a Randomized Controlled
Clinical Trial (research abstract)
Related news article: Diet
During Puberty Influences Sex Hormone Levels, Possibly Breast Cancer
Risk
A modest reduction in fat intake during puberty is associated with
changes in the levels of certain sex hormones, according to a new
study of adolescent. In adults, elevated levels of sex hormones
are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk.
YOUTH HEALTH NEWS
US: Parents Demand Say on Sex Education (news article)
Lately, US school officials are facing a wide range of challenges
involving the long-standing debate on how sex education should be
taught. Both school and health officials say they have seen a surge
in parents filing complaints.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
New
Book Explores How Communication Can Combat HIV/AIDS (book)
As governments and health officials look for ways to control the
spread of HIV/AIDS in developing countries, they should not overlook
the influence of communication, according to the authors of a new
book, "Combating AIDS: Communication Strategies in Action."
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
"WE'LL
KILL YOU IF YOU CRY": Sexual Violence in the Sierra Leone Conflict
(report)
Related news article: HRW
Releases Report On Sexual Abuses During Conflict
Throughout the armed conflict in Sierra Leone thousands of women
and girls were subjected to widespread and systematic sexual violence
perpetrated by both sides in the conflict but mostly by the rebels
between 1991 and 2001, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in this
new report.
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