New Studies, Health News, and Your Government in Action

FDA offers buying, storage, and preparation tips for reducing your risk of foodborne illness from fresh produce

Danish study finds HPV test better that Pap for women >40yo. The study is: Kjaer S, Hogdall E, Frederiksen K, Munk C, van den Brule A, Svare E, Meijer C, Lorincz A, Iftner T. The absolute risk of cervical abnormalities in high-risk human papillomavirus positive, cytologically normal women over a 10-year period. Cancer Res. 2006 Nov 1;66(21):10630-6. [Abstract]
This prospective cohort study was conducted in ~10,000 Danish women who were available for both initial examination and follow-up examination via Pap test and cervical swab for HPV detection. The women were divided into two groups, the younger group (n=7,219) and the older group (n=2,200). Denmark has a personal identification system and pathology data bank that allowed the researchers to track cervical cytology in the study population. From the authors:
"Results from this prospective cohort study with a long-term follow-up of women from the general population through the routine screening system showed that among women 40 to 50 years old, who were cytologically negative with a concurrent positive HPV DNA test (high-risk types), nearly 25% developed cytologic abnormalities (atypia) within 5 years, and after 10 years, more than 35% had had an abnormal Pap test. These risk estimates were higher than those observed among women with both negative cytology and negative HPV DNA test (high-risk types), which were as low as 4% and 10% after 5 and 10 years, respectively. Also among younger HPV-positive women (22-32 years old at enrollment), we found a high absolute risk of subsequent cervical abnormalities (atypia), 18% after 5 years and 24% after 10 years, and a low risk among HPV-negative women, 5% after 5 years."

Feministing has a summary of the latest government vs sex education brouhaha.

The Kaiser Network's Women's Health Policy Daily Update brings us this info:

CDC To Add HPV Vaccine Gardasil to Subsidized Immunization Program for Children - this means the vaccine should be available at "no-cost immunizations to children ages nine to 18 covered by Medicaid, Alaska Native and American Indian children, and some uninsured and underinsured children."

Kansas AG Kline Receives Late-Term Abortion Records

Millions of Women Worldwide Have Unsafe Abortions, Lack Access to Family Planning, Lancet Series Says

Endometriosis Diagnosis, Treatment Increasing for Young Women

Federal Guidelines Expand Scope of Abstinence Education Funds To Include People up to Age 29 - "According to Wade Horn, HHS assistant secretary for children and families, the revised guidelines for 2007 are aimed at people ages 19 to 29 because recent data show that more unmarried women in that age group are having children." The program in question requires that contraception not be discussed, and the teaching that sex within marriage is the expected behavior. Is it really the best idea public health-wise to try to keep 20-somethings (i.e., adults) ignorant about contraception and infection-prevention? Is a 29-year-old woman having a child outside of marriage really among the important things we're facing as a nation? Does it really promote the general welfare? Or is it just about the [perceived] ickiness of adult women having sex and sexual freedom, and making their own life-choices?

Our government wants to make it more difficult for the U.S.-born children (i.e., citizens) of immigrants to get healthcare, by requiring further proof of citizenship before receiving Medicaid. Critics think the parents may be reluctant to jump through the hoops for fear of deportation. This seems like the time to introduce my device for remembering which is Medicaid and Medicare: "We aid the poor, but we care for the elderly."

Technorati Tags: abortion; abstinence; cervical cancer; endometriosis; foodborne illness; HPV test; medicaid; pap test; sex ed; Sex Education
MeSH Tags: Abortion, Induced/legislation and jurisprudence; Endometriosis; Food Poisoning; Medicaid; Papillomavirus, Human; Sex Education; Sexual Abstinence; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Vaginal Smears

Are you in DC?

I'll be in DC from Nov 10-17 for the AMIA conference, and will be making stops at the medical libraries of Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland @ Baltimore, and Howard University, as well as the National Library of Medicine. If you're at the conference or in the area, and are a librarian, health or librarianship blogger, or women's health advocate who would like to get together, send me an email.

[Note to stalkers or other weirdos: The husband will be holding down the fort at home, accompanied by the 4-member army of attack kitties.]

Technorati Tags: AMIA; blogs; librarians; medical librarians; meetup; washington dc; women's health
MeSH Tags: Librarians; Libraries, Medical

Shameless Medical Librarian Promotion

The director at my workplace* is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Medical Library Association, and I am the Editorial Assistant (3 other librarians serve as co-editors). We have added a new case study feature to the journal, which highlights example real-life questions medical librarians address in support of clinical care and outlines the strategies for doing so. Happily, we have also set up a blog for posting additional material related to the case, and for further discussion of the question at hand.

This issue's case question is: What is the evidence basis for the use of intravenous colistin for multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter infections in the adult, non-neutropenic, critical care population?

JMLA is an open access journal, so the case is freely available for anyone to read. For the non-librarians, check it out if you want a peek behind the medlib curtain. The blog and column are curated by clinical librarian extraordinaire Rebecca Jerome, MLIS, MPH, who has kindly mentored me in searching and filtering the medical literature.

*This is a good time to remind you that this blog is in no way related to or sanctioned by my workplace. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of my employer. Pay no attention to the library behind the curtain.

Technorati Tags: Acinetobacter; blogs; case studies; clinical librarians; clinical librarianship; colistin; EBM; evidence-based medicine; JMLA; librarians; medical librarians;
MeSH Tags: Acinetobacter; Acinetobacter Infections; Colistin; Evidence-Based Medicine; Librarians; Libraries, Medical

Knights of Lisa's round table

I have a very good friend (Matt-see the post of how Chuck and I met!) who writes a blog called The Hero Workshop. Chuck and I were discussing over the weekend, and again tonight over an impromptu dinner about who our heroes are and also who we would choose to sit at our "round table". This has proven incredibly hard for me.

I have read good portions of Matt's blog and understand why the people have been chosen as heroes as well as the characteristics of a hero. However, I'm having a hard time seeing a lot of them as heroes for myself.

For example, Superman. He's fictional. I've never in a million years sat down when I've had a difficult problem and thought "now how would Superman handle a situation such as this?" So, it really, to me, boils down to people that I could speak to in reality. I guess that's because I suck at imagination.

I've been asked three times now in my life who my hero was and why. The first two times were both in beauty pageants. Yes, it's true. I'm a beauty pageant queen. I won my title in 1997. That was before I was a fat and frumpy momma.

The first time I said Hilary Rodham Clinton. *ducks head to avoid being hit by everyone!* Come on, I was young and incredibly stupid. And needless to say I always have found strong women an inspiration in my life.

The second time I said my Aunt Kay. Again, because she's a strong woman. My reasoning for this? She became the first woman mayor of our town, went on to be a state representative for 8 years and did it all without a MAN. That was a huge deal for me (and in some ways still is). To be able to be a strong woman and stand on my own two feet and fight a good fight and do what I feel is right, without having to have a man support me.

Now, I'm older and my priorities have changed. A lot. My life has changed a lot. So when Chuck asked me who my heroes are I could only come up with one. My mom. When I think of a hero I think of someone who puts others before themselves. Who accomplish things against all odds. Who do a lot with little or nothing at all. Who in the face of adversity can inspire others to rise above their class or level and become something better. I feel that my mom has done all of those things and much more. I look to her at least once a day for inspiration in how I raise my own children. Now, that's not to say I talk to her everyday. We work opposite shifts so that's not really feasible. But, I do compare myself and my actions to those I remember as a child and try to do things like she did. Sometimes this causes me great guilt and problems, because I fall so short. But it's something to inspire to.

But if you're asking me who I look to for advice? That's different to me than heroes. Whom I look to for advice I do so because they are important in my life...and I value their opinion. And it definitely varies depending on what the subject is.

I look to my husband for all kinds of information. Especially politics and finances.
Matt (for general knowledge. He knows a little about everything.)
Shannon (for assistance with Chuck!)
Mom (for child-rearing and financial adaptability)
Kathleen (she's my spiritual advisor)
Allison (for assistance with mental disorders)

That's about it. Honestly, I don't look to the popular media for heroes or role models. I guess I feel I have enough within my small circle of very diverse friends that I don't look any furthur.

NaBloPoMo

Otherwise known as National Blog Posting Month has officially BEGAN! Thanks to Angela I found out about this and thought it was sooo cool! I started this blog so that I could keep track of my thoughts. Blog about the boys so I could eventually journal in their scrapbooks. An occassionally bitch about my husband. But now, I've got work to blog about. I've got a pregnancy to blog about. And I've got just random thoughts floating around in my head that I would love to get out so I can have more room for more random thoughts!!

So today is my first day of a full month of blogging on a daily basis...I really can't wait for the challenge. It's been a long time since something was challenged in my life besides my patience.

Like today...Lucas is becoming a terrible two. And I've already had enough. He spent at least an hour throughout the day in his room throwing tantrums. I told him that if he wanted to continue screaming, crying, kicking and blabbering that he could do it in his room until he was finished. So he did. SEVERAL times. *sigh* And I think I want to go through this again? Am I freaking crazy?

At least Zachary was being pretty good except for the constant tattling on his brother for things. I can't say how many times I said today "Zachary, your brother is MY job. Not yours. You need to pay attention to yourself and your own actions." He seems to love to lecture his brother on manners and good behavior but then forget it himself. Convenient.

Men With Cramps Part III

Okay, remember how we talked about how the MacInnes & Porritt site was either a joke or woefully inept/misleading/suspicious and the later Men With Cramps videos that proved it was a joke of some sort? Some folks thought it was pretty funny. I was interested to see where it would go - maybe it was a promo for some kind of web series or performer that would turn out to be entertaining. Nope. It's reportedly just a viral marketing campaign for a boring heat patch product, for women with cramps. Yawn.

Technorati Tags: cramps; MacInnes and Porritt Institute; Men With Cramps; viral marketing
MeSH Tags: Dysmenorrhea; Marketing

The Great American Condom Campaign

The Great American Condom Campaign seeks to facilitate "newer, bolder, and more direct methods of condom distribution, education about condoms, and dialogues around condoms." Individuals and organizations can sign up to be a "Safe Site" condom distributer to give people easy access to condoms at the time of need, in their neighborhoods, when stores are closed, etc. - whenever obtaining contraception might be difficult - "SafeSites is a new method of condom distribution relying on peer-to-peer networking technology and direct social-access points." The organization also intends to produce a dcoumentary. From the website:

"The goal is a feature length film documentary that will explore the social, political, demographic, logistical, and stigma-related issues regarding the distribution of condoms in the United States. The question affords an opportunity to consider America’s sexual behaviors, attitudes, perceptions, politics, and stigmas from an entirely new perspective that puts the condom at the center of attention and its distribution the thematic thread that connects the very complex issue of American sexuality juxtaposed against very real public health threats related to sexual infections.

The Great American Condom Campaign (GACC) will acquire 5,000,000 condoms (the amount that fills a standard shipping container) and, simply, try distributing them all. The documentary will illuminate the deep-seeded stigmas associated with condoms by capturing the everyday interactions, societal constructs, and dialogue of Americans about condoms, while also turning towards the messaging sources of the anti-condom stigma."

(found via the Reproductive Rights Blog)

Technorati Tags: condoms; contraception; Great American Condom Campaign
MeSH Tags: Condoms; Contraception