YORK GP ROW: Patients welcome move, says manager (From York Press)
YORK GP ROW: Patients welcome move, says manager
10:00am Friday 7th October 2011
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HALF the patients told by GPs in York that they would have to go private for some treatments have backed the controversial move, the practice manager has said.
John McEvoy, managing partner at Haxby and Wigginton Health Centre, said 15 of the 30 people who were sent letters informing them the NHS would no longer pay for minor surgical procedures have responded by saying they would use the option of private treatment.
He also said the practice had received no complaints about the letter and that it stood by its decision, despite a wave of criticism from health experts and the region’s health trust, NHS North Yorkshire and York, which has expressed “significant concerns” and said it plans to hold urgent talks with the centre.
The procedures which the practice said would not be funded by the NHS included dealing with ingrowing toenails and removing moles, warts and cysts, with the private service being offered through HBG Limited, a company which the health centre has a shareholding in.
“We’re not surprised that this emerged during the Conservative Party conference and debate about health changes, and we’re just unfortunate to be in the centre of a bigger political storm,” said Mr McEvoy.
“But what we have done is in no way morally reprehensible. We believe it has been done in the best interests of our patients and in an open fashion – we have nothing at all to hide.
“None of the patients we wrote to have complained and 15 of them have informed us they would use the private service. They are happy with the service we provide and we have also given them the option of three other companies.
“We’re aware these procedures may be considered minor by NHS North Yorkshire and York, but if you are living with a blemish or wart which is ruining your quality of life and making you uncomfortable, you might not see it as being minor.”
Mr McEvoy said the centre had invited NHS North Yorkshire and York to write and outline its concerns over the letter, which are understood to include using information on patient mailing lists for marketing purposes.
“We are happy to meet them whenever they want, but we are disappointed with the trust’s response and the lack of communication with us,” he said.
NHS North Yorkshire and York has said three of the eight procedures listed in the centre’s letter were routinely commissioned by the health trust, and that even in cases where treatments were not routinely provided, patients could still apply for NHS funding through its exceptions panel. It also said it had not been made aware of the letter in advance and, if it had been, would have advised against sending it to patients.
Toad toxin and medical marvels
Monday October 17, 2011
Steven D. Faccio
I was eating breakfast when I noticed a black duck quietly feeding on our small pond. It would occasionally “tip-up” — head underwater, tail skyward — in typical puddle duck fashion. Suddenly, the peaceful scene was interrupted as the duck began spinning wildly in circles, one wing flapping frantically as water splashed in all directions. Ten seconds later and just as suddenly, all was calm, including the duck, which was now floating belly-up.
I searched for signs of an underwater predator, perhaps an otter or the Loch Ness Monster, but saw nothing. A little shocked, I carefully fished the duck out and brought it to the office where a colleague and I conducted a quick necropsy. not really expecting any answers, we were quite surprised when we opened the gizzard and found it stuffed with at least a dozen undigested adult eastern newts. I was aware that newt skin contained toxins, but wondered if it was potent enough to kill a 3-pound duck so quickly.
At first glance, amphibians appear rather defenseless. Most are quite small, move relatively slowly, lack any protective armor or claws, and have tiny teeth that are incapable of providing meaningful defense. However, all amphibians have glands that, in addition to keeping their skin moist and improving respiration, also cause them to be slippery. While this in itself can aid in defense, they also have glands that produce toxic secretions, the potency of which is highly variable, ranging from distasteful, to a mild irritant, to deadly. In the case of the eastern newt (as well as all North American newts), it’s deadly.
Newts contain a powerful poison called tarichatoxin, which is biochemically very similar to tetrodotoxin, or TTX, found in pufferfish. A highly potent neurotoxin, TTX is the most poisonous non-protein substance known to science. once it enters the bloodstream, TTX acts quickly by blocking the conduction of nerve signals to the muscles, causing blood vessels to relax, leading to a sudden drop in blood pressure.
Basically, the toxin blocks the signals from your brain that tell your heart to beat and your lungs to breathe. there have been several cases of human poisoning from newts, including at least one death, but ordinary handling is not dangerous, as the poison must enter the digestive tract or the bloodstream. The bright orange, immature, terrestrial stage of the eastern newt, known as the red eft, contains 10 times as much TTX as the drab-colored adults.
In many cases, it’s not the potency of the toxic secretion, but the stickiness or disagreeable taste that provides the amphibian with an opportunity to escape a potential predator. In many salamanders, including the spotted and Jefferson salamanders, poison glands are concentrated in the tail. When a predator is encountered, salamanders assume a defensive posture, often elevating or “waggling” their tail toward the attacker, while a sticky, whitish substance is secreted. if the predator “takes the bait” and gets a mouthful of noxious salamander “goo,” it often decides to seek more palatable prey elsewhere.
In most of our local frog species, including the American bullfrog, green, mink, and wood frogs, poison glands are uniformly distributed over the entire skin surface. While the toxicity of the secretions is relatively mild in these species, it is apparently distasteful to some mammals and birds.
Toads in the genus Bufo, on the other hand, including the widespread American toad, have poison glands concentrated in “warts” on their backs, and in two large paratoid glands behind their eyes. When grabbed by a predator (including dogs and cats), the paratoid glands release a whitish, foamy secretion consisting of three substances: bufogenin and bufotoxin — which affect the adrenal and cardiovascular systems — and bufotenin, an alkaloid which is a powerful hallucinogen also found in some mushrooms. In most cases, the toad is quickly released due to the repulsive taste of the toxins. then, for the next several hours, as a lingering reminder of the encounter, the predator is left with a variety of symptoms — including salivation, nausea, vomiting, heart arrhythmia, and hallucinations. if an entire toad is ingested, the symptoms range from convulsive seizures, to paralysis, neurological disorders, and even death.
Amphibian secretions are not all bad, however. More than 200 chemical toxins considered to be beneficial in medical research have been isolated from just a small percentage of the world’s amphibian species. one alkaloid produced by a tropical poison dart frog is a highly effective painkiller, 200 times stronger than morphine without being addictive. Skin secretions from the Australian green treefrog stimulate activity in the human pancreas and intestine, and commercial drugs are now available based on these compounds. Some amphibian skin secretions, like those of the African clawed frog, also have powerful antibiotic properties that help heal cuts and bruises, which may provide doctors with a whole new class of antibiotics in the years ahead.
Steven D. Faccio is a conservation biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies; he lives in Strafford. The illustration for this column was drawn by Adelaide Tyrol. The outside story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of new Hampshire Charitable Foundation:
STI spike hits baby boomers too
Safe sex: why older couples aren?t immune from STIs. Picture: Getty Images. Source: Supplied
MORE baby boomers are starting to discover sexually transmitted infections don?t discriminate according to age.
While the media has been filled with reports of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemic raging through the nation’s under- 30s, there have also been alarming rises in the over-50s.the rate of the most common STI, chlamydia, has steadily grown by 300 per cent in Australians under 30 in the past decade, but recently there has been a large rise in rates in the 40-to-64 age group, with the amount of cases doubling between 2004 to 2010, according to figures from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.It’s cause for alarm and action, says Dr Deborah Bateson, medical director for Family Planning NSW, which is hoping to roll out a campaign aimed at sexually active older singles. Dr Bateson co-led a recent survey with online dating site RSVP which found the safe-sex message has missed the baby-boomer generation. “what was concerning is that older women were more likely to have unprotected sex with a new partner,” she says. She adds they are also less likely to refuse to have sex without a condom. the need to arm older people with safe-sex information seems to be a global trend. A 2008 UK study found sexual risk-taking had led to STIs in the over-45s skyrocketing by 127 per cent, with genital warts accounting for 45 per cent of diagnoses.
>> Why the rise?there are several reasons for the increase in older people contracting STIs. the finger could be pointed at the rise of male sexual performance drugs such as Viagra, or the fact that newly single boomers are more likely to re-partner and have sex with several partners than previous generations.Dr Bateson says the internet has also opened up ways for older single people to form new relationships. “We found that 42 per cent of older women were just as likely to have met a new sexual partner on the internet in the past year as the younger group,” she says. She says possible explanations for the lack of safe-sex practices among older women include difficulty in negotiating condom use later in life and mistakenly assuming they are at minimal risk, as well as physical factors associated with older age. “Women who have reached menopause also don’t have the added incentive of using condoms to prevent pregnancy,” Dr Bateson explains. “It’s possible that older women are simply not part of the ‘condom generation’ and may have missed out on safe-sex campaigns which were aimed at younger people.”ABC Radio’s Health Report covered the topic earlier this year and received interesting responses from older women who are internet dating. A 50-year-old called “Rosie” said the main unspoken issue was “erectile dysfunction” and getting older men to successfully use condoms. She said: “despite being serious about safe sex, these are some of my experiences: older men who cannot maintain an erection while wearing a condom or who could not get enough of an erection to put a condom on; a man who pretended to put on the condom I handed him; and a man who pretended to get tested so that we could have unprotected sex.”
>> taking responsibilityGynaecologist Dr Elizabeth Farrell, of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, says older men and women starting relationships need to follow the “no condom, no sex” rule until they have both been tested. Dr Farrell believes the best way to get this message out is via the online dating sites. “if this is how they’re meeting each other, then I’d like to see more information about safe-sex practices that particularly target older men and women on these sites,” she says.Jo Dinnison, community manager of 50and.com.au, an online meeting place for people over 50, agrees dating sites can play a vital role in spreading the safe-sex message to older Australians.“Online dating sites have really opened up opportunities for people over 50 to meet someone new for a relationship or something more casual,” she says. “given this shift in the landscape and resulting behaviours, the safe-sex message is definitely an important one to impart to this age group. We already take steps to educate our members about protecting themselves online - it’s a natural step to encourage safe behaviour in real life as well.”Dr Bateson is equally passionate about spreading the safe-sex message to older people. “I dream of running classes on condom-negotiation skills for older women,” she says.>> Sexual health 101A health check is advised if you:+ are starting a new sexual relationship - make sure your partner gets one too.+ Have had unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex.+ think you may have an STI.+ Have other sexual partners. the same goes for your partner.
Not all STIs have symptoms. the majority of people with chlamydia exhibit no symptoms at all.
STIs have nothing to do with your character. they are increasingly common.
Symptoms to watch for: Genital blisters, lumps and sores, itchiness, pain during sex, pain passing urine and unusual discharge.+ get the information you need on sexual health at bodyandsoul.com.au/factsheets
Link Between Watching Pornography And Having Sex Younger
The internet is bad! Before it came along and opened up the eyes of youngsters everywhere to online porn, little boys had to steal from their fathers’ secret stash of Playboy, or, at the very least, the swimsuit of Sports Illustrated. but a study published in CyberPyschology and Behaviour revealed that men between 12 and 17 who regularly viewed porn had sex at an earlier age and were more likely to initiate oral sex. Women who watched pornography at younger age also lost their virginity earlier. “The internet is having some kind of accelerant effect, influencing and changing behavior,” said Shane Krauss, a psychologist from Castleton State College in Vermont, who performed the survey. “Males are having oral sex and losing their virginity much younger when they are exposed to pornography, sometimes by a good three or four years for oral sex or two years for their virginity.” In short, make sure your kids stay on the Disney website, rather than clicking over to X Tube if you want them to remain chaste longer. [Sunday Herald (Scotland)]
Celts have red-hot sex life
A new survey from Durex to launch National Condom Week today has revealed that 34 per cent of Irish people have called in sick to work for a bit of ‘the other’.
According to the survey which queried 1016 respondents, Irish people favour women on top and doggy style positions, while the IT age has made its way into bedrooms too in the form of kinky gadgets.
There is good news for phone companies too as one in four are no stranger to phone sex, with 16 per cent saying they have texted a naked picture of themselves to someone.
One in ten Irish people have also admitted to bedding a new lover after only an hour or meeting them, while one in five have confessed to getting into the sack with someone new after knowing them for less than two hours.
The survey also reveals that 38 per cent of Irish people have discussed fantasies with their partner, 22 per cent have taken food into the bedroom, one in five have done a strip tease for their partner and 19 per cent have engaged in role play.
Gone are the days when we threw a handkerchief over the statue of the Virgin Mary’s face when the saucy Levi’s advert came on.
The Irish Durex National Condom Week runs from Monday 24 to 30 October and is an annual initiative aimed at promoting safer sex and encouraging the country to use condoms.
Dublin Aids Alliance has joined up with Durex to distribute 20,000 condoms and educational cards throughout Ireland.
Only seven per cent of people surveyed said they regularly have checks for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
According to respondents, 16 per cent of them are most afraid of contracting HIV, over other STIs, such as chlamydia (13 per cent), genital herpes and warts (11 per cent) and gonorrhoea (10 per cent).
Miriam Abel, Brand Manager at Durex says: “it is fantastic to see 53 percent of people always use a condom, but also concerning that only seven percent get regular STI checks. Carrying a condom can quite literally be lifesaving and should be as commonplace as picking up your keys or your wallet,” she said.
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Turkey quake death toll 430 people
VAN, Turkey, Oct. 25 (UPI) — the devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the eastern Turkish province of Van killed more than 430 people, officials said Tuesday.
In addition, officials said Sunday’s earthquake injured at least 1,300 and toppled 2,262 buildings.
A stream of humanitarian aid ranging from blankets, baby formula, medicine, clothing, boots, personal care items, tents, food and drinking water has been flowing into the affected areas as well, Today’s Zaman reported.
More than 1,000 medical personnel, 256 excavators and dozens of ambulances and medical helicopters were dispatched to the area, officials said. the Turkish Red Crescent sent 18,000 units of blood. the business community offered private jets to fly supplies to Van.
Nilufer Narli, a sociology professor at Bahcesehir University, told Today’s Zaman the disaster brought out a positive aspect about society.
Rescuers Tuesday in Ercis celebrated when a 2-week-old baby and her mother were rescued from the rubble of a multistory building, CNN reported.
Police arrest Occupy Oakland protesters
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (UPI) — Police arrested dozens of Occupy Oakland protesters encamped at a plaza near the California community’s City Hall Tuesday and began dismantling the camp.
Police tossed “flash-bang” grenades into the Frank Obawa Plaza and warned protesters via a public-address system that they faced possible arrest if they didn’t vacate the plaza, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The Occupy movement began in New York’s Wall Street district where demonstrators have been protesting corporate greed and other social ills for more than a month.
The police action began at 4:45 a.m. and involved officers from at least 10 law enforcement agencies, officials said. some protesters chanted, “Cops, go home!”
The city initially waived ordinances that ban camping and allowed the occupation of the plaza. since Thursday, however, the city has issued orders for protesters to vacate, citing concerns about fire hazards, sanitation issues, graffiti, drug use and violence.
In the nation’s capital, some of the 6,500 homeless have begun to join in the Occupy D.C. protests and looking for cots in the demonstration’s tent city in McPherson Square and bunks in the smaller stop the Machine tent city in Freedom Plaza, the Washington Post reported.
Obama announces jobs plan for vets
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) — President Obama announced two new initiatives Tuesday to help create jobs for U.S. military veterans.
The Community Health Center Hiring Challenge is an initiative seeking to hire 8,000 veterans in three years, the White House said in a release.
The healthcare reform law provides funding for community health centers to serve more Americans and hire more workers, the White House said. now, the Department of Human Services will ask centers to begin reporting the number of veterans that they employ. the departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs will work together to link veterans to the health clinics’ job openings, the White House said.
“Health centers improve the health of the nation and assure access to quality primary healthcare services at more than 8,000 service delivery sites around the country,” the White House said.
The second initiative would help veterans become physician assistants.
Perry outlines tax, spending plan
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (UPI) — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry presented his plan to revamp the U.S. tax code and budgeting, saying it jolts the economy out of the doldrums.
Among other things, his “Cut, Balance and Grow” plan would give U.S. taxpayers a choice of paying their current tax rate or pay a flat rate of 20 percent. his plan also sets a goal of balancing the budget by 2020, caps federal spending at 18 percent of the gross domestic product, bans earmarks and future bailouts, and seeks a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
It also freezes federal civilian hiring and salaries until the budget is balanced and a regulatory freeze.
“Those who oppose it, they’re going to wrap themselves in the cloak of status quo,” Perry said Tuesday in a speech in Columbia, S.C. Details about his approach have surfaced in recent days.
“Central to my plan is getting every American the option of throwing out that 3 million words of the current tax code, and I might add the cost of complying with all of that code, in order to pay a 20 percent flat tax on their income,” he said.
While speaking, Perry motioned to file boxes stacked that represented all of the pages in the U.S. tax code, the Hill reported. Then he held up a postcard-sized piece of paper.
“Taxpayers will be able to fill this out and file their taxes on that,” Perry said.
Advisers say boys should get HPV vaccine
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) — the U.S. government already recommends girls get the human papilloma virus and it may recommend the same for boys, officials say.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccinations, voted to recommend males age 11-12 be vaccinated for HPV, a cause of cervical cancer in women and other cancers in men and women, CNN reported.
The HPV vaccine is already recommended for females ages of 9-26, ideally before they become sexually active, to reduce the risk of cervical cancer. the CDC recommends girls get the vaccine at age 11 or 12.
The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, approved in 2006, and Cervarix, approved in 2009, is given in three doses.
Gardasil also protects against most genital warts and also protects against anal, vaginal and vulvar cancers, all of which are associated with certain strains of HPV, the CDC said.
The deadly cancer on the rise among women in Uganda
Cervical cancer is the commonest cancer among women in their mid-30s. Symptoms of this type of cancer vary according to their stage, with no symptoms in the first stage. recent data from the Uganda Cancer Registry indicates that the cervical cancer incidence rate (new infections) has risen from 38.1 per 100, 000 women annually in 1991-1995 to 52.4 per 100, 000 annually.
This increase is attributed to the fact that more ladies are undergoing screening, there is increased public awareness and health workers are efficiently detecting the virus that causes cervical cancer.
Oncologists say the main cause of this cancer is sub-type 16 and 18 of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which account for 70 per cent of all cervical cancer cases in the world. However, not all the women who have this virus develop the cancer. Dr Fred Okuku, a medical oncologist at Mulago Hospital, says young ladies are the most vulnerable group. this is because the epithelial lining in the cervices of these girls is not fully developed.
Therefore, if they engage in sex at this age, the friction would damage the epithelium. if it were with a man who has cancer of the penis (a chronic and persistent ulceration of the penis), the lady would in the process get HPV.Dr. Okuku explains, “Since the lining is delicate (immature), if the young women engages in sexual intercourse, it damages their cervices, and thus, exposes them to infection.
No symptoms in the early stagesduring the first 10 to 15 years after infection, there are no symptoms. In this phase, the lady might not even suspect that she has cervical cancer. so the viral infection gnaws their cervix. It is because there are no symptoms in this stage that medical oncologists urge all ladies to go for pap-smears.
Pap smears are free of charge in government hospitals. But in private health facilities, the charge ranges between Sh20,000 to Sh50,000. during a pap smear, an oncologist or medical attendant inserts a small brush in the cervix and lightly rubs it against the walls of the cervix to get some cells that will be tested for cancerous cells using a microscope. if the oncologist detects cancerous cells, they could use cryotherapy, that is, put a very cold swab in the cervix to incapacitate the cells that could be turning cancerous. the oncologist surgeon could also remove a section of the cervix to prevent spreading of the cancerous cell.
In extreme cases, they will remove the uterus, which would mean no more conceiving. such surgery is done free of charge in the government hospitals.“In the private health facilities, removal of the uterus costs Sh2m to Shs3m,” says Dr Okuku. But once cervical cancer matures, the infected lady will experience pain during intercourse. she will also bleed as a man tries to penetrate her. And in some cases, she could bleed even when not engaging in sex. “This bleeding sometimes confuses some women who are infected with the HPV virus into thinking that their period is taking unusually long to end,” says Dr Okuku.
Once it is in the advanced stages, cervical cancer could be treated through chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy alone. Chemotherapy is usually free at the Uganda Cancer Institute “as stocks last”. if you go there when the stocks are out, you would have to buy the drug. only one drug is used for chemotherapy. There is a user fee of Sh50,000 for radiation therapy.
Other symptoms are pelvic and lower abdominal pains, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, and anaemia due to over-bleeding. Dr Okuku says the other factors that put ladies at risk of HPV include HIV/Aids infection, sexually transmitted diseases and polygamy. Partly because of these, there is a lot of stigma.
A polygamous man could have a wife with the HPV, from whom he would acquire it and later transmit it to a woman who was not infected. Dr Okuku says cervical cancer is easier to control – as long as the group at risk goes for early testing and if diagnosed with the HPV, seeks early treatment.
Presently, efforts are being made to prevent the scourge. Vaccine trials are being piloted in Uganda targeting girls around primary five and who have neither engaged in sexual activity nor been infected with the HPV. the vaccines are meant to produce antibodies to that will be used to protect vulnerable women from HPV.
Link administered between cognitive training and biological structure of the brain – Health Jockey
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A new study has first time revealed the complex interaction between cognition and the biological structure of the human brain. Through scans, they have shown that the active training of the working memory triggers noticeable changes in the number of dopamine D1 receptors in the brain cortex. this study was conducted by the Karolinska Institutet.
Professor Torkel Klingberg, who led the study, says that, “Brain biochemistry doesn’t just underpin our mental activity; our mental activity and thinking process can also affect the biochemistry. this hasn’t been demonstrated in humans before, and opens up a floodgate of fascinating questions.”
It is stated that the neurotransmitter dopamine is a key element in certain functions of the brain. thus, a disturbance in the dopamine system could adversely affect the process of the memory, which could in turn make recollection of data over a short period of time difficult. Impaired working memory is found to be, in turn, linked to various cognitive related complications like schizophrenia and ADHD.
The study investigators had earlier revealed that an enhancement of the working memory could be undertaken through a few weeks of intensive training. In unison with the Stockholm Brain Institute, these investigators attempted to better understand this issue. In the present study, through the use of Positron Emission Tomography they have assessed the brain.
The study authors say that the answer to poor working memory cannot be given by the changes noticed in the number of dopamine receptors in the brain. these changes could have taken place as a result of the absence of memory training, or even other environmental factors. they hope to soon discover new treatments that include both memory training and treatment drugs.
They state that their findings could benefit patients suffering from cognitive impairments linked to stroke, chronic fatigue syndrome, ageing, etc.
Their findings are published in the Science journal.
Growths Linked to Venereal Virus Are on Rise in Women
DENISE GRADY Published: Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 12:30 a.m. last Modified: Friday, October 21, 2011 at 11:07 p.m.
Precancerous growths on the genitals are becoming more common in women, particularly those in their 40s, a medical group said Thursday, reporting a fourfold increase in women over all from 1973 to 2000.
Most of the growths are caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, a common sexually transmitted virus also known to cause cancers of the cervix, penis, anus and parts of the throat. The genital precancers do not always turn into cancer, but doctors say they should be removed anyway because it is impossible to predict which ones will progress.
The growths, called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, or VIN, form on the external parts of the genital area, or vulva, including the labia and clitoris. The anus and thighs may also be affected. Surgery, lasers or drugs can be used to get rid of the growths.
The reason for the increase in genital precancers is not known, but some doctors think it is that people are having more sexual partners than in the past and more chances to be exposed to HPV. More than half of sexually active men and women become infected, and 80 percent of women have been exposed by age 50, researchers estimate.
But the infection leads to cancer in only a very small minority; in most people, the infection is transient because the immune system fights off the virus.
Vulvar cancer itself is rare, with only 3,900 cases and 920 deaths in 2010, and does not appear to be increasing, according to the National Cancer Institute. The reason may be that the precancers are being successfully treated or that not enough time has passed yet for cancers to develop, said Dr. L. Stewart Massad, a professor of gynecologic oncology at Washington University in St. Louis and a spokesman for the medical group, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
VIN is probably more common than actual cancer cases, but there are no reliable nationwide statistics on the condition, he said. The group’s estimates of increase were based on studies from individual institutions and also a 2006 study that used data from cancer registries that included about 14 percent of the United States population.
Dr. Massad said most specialists reported seeing more cases than in the past. He said he now saw about one a week.
Gardasil, the HPV vaccine made by Merck to prevent cervical cancer, can also prevent VIN in women. but the vaccine does not work in people who are already infected, so the shots are recommended for young people before they become sexually active.
A report on the growths is being published on Thursday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. a main purpose of the report is to alert doctors to changes in the classification system for abnormal growths on the vulva, to avoid needless biopsies and surgery on lesions that are not precancers.
“there was concern about overtreatment,” Dr. Massad said. Some genital abnormalities are just warts, he said, and do not need aggressive treatment. The warts are also caused by HPV, but by different strains from the ones that cause cancers and precancers.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday : newsday.co.tt :
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With Divali just days away, people are searching for the ideal vegetarian dish that carries that flavour from the East. Paneer (cheese) dishes might just be the answer. making paneer at home is quite easy and you can then have fresh cheese to be added to your favourite dishes.
Tofu is made from soybeans, water and a coagulant, or curdling agent. it is high in protein and calcium and well known for its ability to absorb new flavours through spices and marinades.
The ?bottlestop? sign catches the eye on the Saddle Road curve where Boissiere Village flows into Maraval proper.
The heavy showers that fell all over the country on Saturday and left a number of areas underwater failed the dampen the proceedings at the Petroleum Women?s Club 20th Annual Chili and Chutney Cook Off, held at St John?s Ambulance Headquarters in Port-of-Spain.
Salad dressings come in all shapes and sizes, from the basic ?rub a cut clove (peg) of garlic around a wooden salad bowl add a shake or two of salt and pepper to taste, about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and half a tablespoon of vinegar (regular, red wine or balsamic), whisk like mad and pour over prepared salad vegetables? to all manner (…)
Simone de la Bastide, Chairman of WAND (Women in Action for the Needy and Destitute) has a keen interest in photography, and recently sent me copies of some of her portfolio. The picture of her colourful ?Vege Dish? immediately caught the eye. Colourful yes, but very nutritious as well.
General Manager of Heineken Trinidad, Arjen Reijnierse oversaw the launch of Heineken Treasure Hunt 2011 at the recently opened Stumblin on the Avenue on Saturday night.
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