Health groups issue proposed cervical cancer screening guidelines

ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2011) ? The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have proposed new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. The proposed guidelines, which are now posted for public comment, generally advise that women reduce the number of tests they get over their lifetime to better ensure that they receive the benefits of testing while minimizing the risks.

The proposed guidelines also include a preference for co-testing using the Pap test and HPV test for women age 30 and over.

After a public comment period that begins immediately and a multi-stakeholder symposium in November to discuss the proposed recommendations among a broad group of experts, the recommendations will be revised and incorporated into a final guideline from the American Cancer Society, anticipated in mid-2012.

The proposed guidelines were released on the same day that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) formally released its proposed guidelines update for cervical cancer screening. ACS, ASCCP and ASCP worked independently of the USPSTF to review existing evidence and develop these draft recommendations.

• The ACS-ASCCP-ASCP proposed guidelines would include some changes from the current ACS guidelines.
• They would recommend that all women start screening at age 21, and drop the recommendation that women under 21 begin screening three years after starting vaginal intercourse.
• They propose that for women 21 to 29, Pap tests (conventional or liquid-based) be done every three years, and recommends against annual Pap testing. Current guidelines call for a conventional Pap test every year, or a liquid-based Pap test every two years for this age group.
• For women 30 and over, the guidelines propose that Pap tests be done every three years, recommending against annual or more frequent Pap testing. Current guidelines say women 30 and over who have had three normal Pap tests in a row may be tested less often, every two to three years.
• The guidelines propose that Pap test plus HPV testing every 3-5 years be the preferred strategy for women aged 30 and older, and recommend against screening with any test or combination of tests more often than every three years. Current ACS guidelines call for testing no more frequently than every three years with a Pap test plus the HPV DNA test 'an option' for women over 30 who have normal immune systems and no abnormal Pap results.
• The proposed recommendations also say screening is not recommended for women 65 or older who have had three or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years, or who had two or more negative HPV tests in the last 10 years. Current guidelines say women may choose to stop being tested at age 70 when they've had three or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years.

"These draft recommendations are being presented for review by interested individuals and stakeholders, primarily clinicians and researchers, who are invited to provide feedback through a web-based open comment period," said Debbie Saslow, PhD, director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society."The six working groups that developed these recommendations will then consider the submitted comments, and make revisions to these proposed recommendations based on that input and available evidence."

Other new recommendations included in the proposed guideline:

• Women who have a normal Pap result and a positive HPV test result should receive genotyping for HPV 16 and 18 or repeat both the Pap and HPV tests in one year.The proposed guideline recommends against immediate colposcopy.
• Women having a mildly abnormal Pap result (called ASC-US) and a negative HPV test result should be followed by either HPV testing plus Pap or HPV testing alone at intervals of three years or longer.
• At this time there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against a comprehensive program for primary screening with HPV testing alone (with defined follow-up testing) in the US.
• Women who have been vaccinated against HPV should begin cervical cancer screening at the same age as unvaccinated women, i.e. at age 21.

The proposed recommendations can be reviewed at: www.asccp.org/practice-management/molecular-screening-symposium

The proposed recommendations from the USPSTF can be viewed at: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/tfcomment.htm

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020025027.htm

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Chlorine Accidents Take a Big Human Toll

Five workers were fatally injured and two others were seriously injured when an explosion occurred in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production unit at Formosa Plastics in Illiopolis, Illinois, east of Springfield. Image: U.S. Chemical Safety Board

Beverly Martinez was sitting at her desk in the office of a California scrap metal recycling plant when she felt the blast rattle her window.

One of her co-workers, Leonardo Morales Zavala, rushed through her door, struggling to breathe. ?Run!? he yelled. He had just cut into a one-ton tank to recycle it in the yard ? a football field away ? and out poured a noxious substance. He didn't know what it was.

The workers ran as fast as they could toward the street. But they couldn't escape the giant, greenish-yellow cloud. A couple dozen people ? workers and customers ? dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Martinez fell, too.

"I couldn't get up. I felt like I was being strangled. I thought, 'I'm going to die. I'll never see my granddaughter grow up,? ? Martinez said.

As she struggled to reach the building across the street, she heard a voice. "Bev, Bev, help!" It was Ricky Mejia, a 23-year-old inspector, calling to her from the ground.

"Ricky couldn't breathe, he couldn't walk. I'm stocky, and I told him to grab my side. Myrna Navarro was already hanging on my shoulder. She was praying enough for everyone. In my head, I was getting to the Firestone tire warehouse across the street. It seemed like an eternity,? she said.

?Then, I couldn't do it anymore. I said to Ricky, 'Your wife is pregnant. You've got a baby coming. Get up!' "? They finally made it to the warehouse, where Mejia collapsed.

More than a year later, the ghost of a chlorine cloud lingers like a vivid nightmare at Tulare Iron and Metal Inc., located in the heart of California?s Central Valley.

On that June afternoon in 2010, 23 people were taken to hospitals and six were kept for treatment, including Mejia, who was hospitalized for 11 days, two of them on life support. Sixteen months later, the workers are still beset with health problems, including lung, stomach and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.

Over the past 10 years, chlorine has been involved in hundreds of accidents nationwide, injuring thousands of workers and townspeople, and killing some, according to federal databases. It is second only to carbon monoxide when it comes to the percentage of accidents that cause injuries, according to the newest federal data.

?Chlorine is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals in the world today, with 13 million tons produced annually in the United States alone.?

An element that is abundant in the Earth?s crust and oceans, the powerful, corrosive substance is considered essential to an array of products. It is used in manufacturing plastics, synthesizing other chemicals, purifying water supplies, treating sewage and making refrigerants, varnishes, pesticides, drugs, disinfectants, bleaches and other consumer products.

In recent years, accidents have occurred when chlorine leaked or spilled, pressurized tanks were punctured, train cars derailed or when other chemicals were improperly ? and often unknowingly ? mixed with it. In some cases, thousands of people have been evacuated after an accident at a factory or during transport of liquefied chlorine. Janitors, housekeepers and others also have been exposed when they mix acidic household chemicals with bleach or swimming pool chemicals.

The worst chlorine gas accident in the country occurred in 2005, when 18 freight train cars derailed and released 120,000 pounds of chlorine gas in the mill town of Graniteville, S.C. Nine people were killed and at least 1,400 people were exposed, resulting in more than 550 people treated at hospitals, including some with serious lung injuries. More than 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

Chlorine gas is particularly insidious. Even small exposures can trigger coughing, choking and wheezing, and burn the eyes, skin and throat. Inhaling large amounts constricts the airways by inflaming the lining of the throat and lungs. At the same time, fluid accumulates in the lungs, making it doubly hard to breathe. People can literally drown in their own body fluids. At high exposures, a few deep breaths are lethal.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=e75c596db292eb6837a79f5216e61152

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Celebrity Birthdays Today: Zac Efron, Freida Pinto, Bristol Palin & More!

Happy Tuesday, readers! It is such a beautiful day in my neck of the woods, how about yours? In today’s edition of Celebrity Birthdays, ‘Joanie’ is 51 years old today, ‘Mindy’ turns 61, and ‘Mary Ann’ is 73. Who are those celebs blowing out candles on their birthday cake today? Happy Birthday, Zac Efron! The former ‘High School Musical’ star is 24 years old today. We have virtually seen this hunky actor grow up right before our eyes! From his days of the ‘High School Musical’ franchise to his transition to the big screen, he’s done quite well for himself, eh? His next film due out is ‘New Year’s Eve’, where he is part of quite a line up of stars – Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sofia Vergara, Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, yada yada yada, the list goes on and on. Watch for the flick to premiere later this year, on December 9th. Happy Birthday, Freida Pinto! The ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star is 27 years old today. Pinto was one of the Women in Hollywood honorees sponsored by Elle magazine last night, and she looked absolutely gorgeous at the 18th annual event! Check out some pics [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/Rr6XZEGQ5Wg/

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Motorola Droid RAZR: Thinnest of All. Kevlar. Splashproof. Yes. [Droid RAZR]

After crashing and burning in a blaze of mediocrity, the once-legendary RAZR lineage has a new successor. The Droid RAZR is a 4G LTE, 1.2 GHz dual-core-CPU-powered, kevlar-constructed wafer of a phone that protects against water. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/urW_wnuhcWQ/motorola-droid-razr-the-worlds-thinnest-smartphone

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White children far more likely to receive CT scans than Hispanic, African-American children

ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2011) ? White children are far more likely to receive cranial computed tomography (CT) scans in an emergency department following minor head trauma than are African-American or Hispanic children, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

The study findings do not indicate that CT scans are underused in treating African-American and Hispanic children, the researchers said. Rather, they suggest that white children may receive too many CT scans -- and for that reason may be exposed to unnecessary radiation.

The study results were presented?October 16 at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Scientific Assembly by JoAnne E. Natale, associate professor of pediatric critical care medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the study's lead author.

"The higher rates of cranial CT scan use in children at low risk for clinically significant brain injury may represent overuse in white children, leading to increased radiation exposure and health-care costs," Natale said.

Cranial computed tomography imaging commonly is used to determine the severity of injury in children and adults in emergency departments. Cranial CT scans use X-rays to image the cranium, brain, eye sockets and sinuses.

However, in children with mild head trauma, earlier studies have found that fewer than 10 percent of CT scans identify a traumatic brain injury. CT scans use a significant amount of radiation and thus increase the risk of potential subsequent malignancies.

For the current study, researchers examined data from children whose race and/or ethnicity was Hispanic, non-Hispanic African American, or non-Hispanic white. Although all of the children had minor head trauma, some could be categorized as being at greater risk of a clinically significant injury in which a CT scan may be indicated.

Natale, who also is the medical director of the UC Davis Children's Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, said that the study utilized data compiled for a seminal 2009 study by UC Davis authors, which found that CT scans are not necessary for children at very low risk of clinically significant traumatic brain injury.

The 2009 study was lead by Nathan Kuppermann, co-author of the current study and chair of the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine. That study enrolled more than 40,000 children nationwide with minor head trauma who presented at 25 U.S. emergency departments, under the auspices of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) between 2004 and 2006.

The current study found that a child's race and/or ethnicity did not influence the likelihood of receiving a CT scan among children with minor head trauma at the greatest risk of having a clinically important brain injury. However, among lower-risk children, non-Hispanic white children were more likely to receive a CT scan than were non-Hispanic African-American children and children of Hispanic descent.

In addition to the increased risks posed by radiation exposure, overuse of CT scans in non-Hispanic white children also has impacts on overall health-care costs, Natale said. She said that the overuse of CT scans is part of a well-documented pattern of providing more care than is necessary to individuals of certain racial and/or ethnic groups, which in turn places additional burdens on health-care costs.

"Clearly, further studies should focus on explaining racial differences in the use of emergent neuroimaging," Natale said. "Our study highlights the importance of strong, evidence-based guidelines to ensure equal and optimal care for all children."

The study was funded by a grant from the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Other study authors include David Wisner, Nathan Kuppermann, and James F. Holmes, all of UC Davis. Authors from other institutions include Alexander J. Rogers, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Jill G. Joseph, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Prashant Mahajan, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit; Michelle L. Miskin, PECARN Central Data Management and Coordinating Center, Salt Lake City; John D. Hoyle, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital/Michigan State University, Grand Rapids; Shireen M. Atabaki, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; and Peter S. Dayan, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/y0FKnwJrfuw/111016212014.htm

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AP Source: Big East leaders slated to vote Monday

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Big East knows which schools it wants to add. Now it's just a matter getting those programs to come aboard.

To help convince some of the candidates ? such as Boise State ? that the Big East will be stable in the long run, the conference has a plan in place to double its exit fee to $10 million.

An official in the Big East told The Associated Press that conference leaders are slated to vote Monday on raising that fee, which will clear the way to invite six new members.

Along with Boise State, which would be invited only to play football in the Big East, the league also wants to invite Air Force and Navy as football-only members and Conference USA members Central Florida, SMU and Houston to join in all sports.

The official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league wasn't announcing its plans publicly, said he is confident the league's members are ready to move forward with the plan.

The Big East has only six football schools committed to the league beyond this season. The conference would like to get to 12 football members and split into two divisions, East and West, and play a championship game.

"Everybody realizes there is a window of opportunity here to get these six teams," the official said Saturday.

Boise State and Air Force, currently in the Mountain West Conference, and Navy, an independent in football, have concerns about the long-term health of a league that has already had three defections during this latest round of conference realignment.

"I don't have any idea right now from just reading accounts in the media of who's going to be in, who's going to be out, there's a great deal of uncertainty out there," Boise State President Bob Kustra told the AP before the Broncos played at Colorado State. "And so if anybody asked me today, if anybody invited me today, I wouldn't know what I was getting invited to. And so the first thing is to nail that down and be more certain."

In a short statement given to the AP on Saturday, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto stressed the conference "has not extended membership invitations to any institutions."

Kustra also told the AP: "We've not been extended an invitation."

Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced last month they will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, though Big East rules require them to stay in the league for the next two seasons and Marinatto has said he will hold the Panthers and Orange to that. It seems unlikely Pitt and Syracuse will be forced to stay if the Big East can get to 12 football members by 2012.

TCU was slated to join the Big East in 2012, but the Horned Frogs reneged on that commitment and accepted an invitation to the Big 12 last week. TCU is free to go immediately because it was never an official member, but the Big East is expecting to collect a $5 million exit fee.

Trying to recruit new members has been tricky for the Big East because its remaining members have not committed to stay in the league.

Louisville and West Virginia are possible targets for the Big 12 if it needs to replace Missouri ? which is pondering a move to the Southeastern Conference ? or if it decides to expand back to 12 teams.

Connecticut has interest in joining the ACC if it expands again, and there has been speculation about Rutgers moving, too.

The Big East also has eight members that do not compete in football: Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence, Seton Hall, Marquette, DePaul and Notre Dame.

The agendas of the football members and the ones that don't play football in the conference have often conflicted. But they came together this week to agree on a plan that they hope will allow the Big East retain its automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series, and the millions in revenue that goes with it, for years to come.

Neither the Mountain West Conference nor Conference USA has an automatic BCS bid, which makes the Big East attractive to Boise State despite being nearly 1,900 miles away from Louisville, the closest current Big East member.

"Well, there's no doubt that for a long time the coaches have felt like this distinction between AQ and non-AQ isn't fair," Kustra said. "I've been very vocal about my thoughts regarding the BCS and when they organize in 2013, I hope there's a way to deal with some of these inequities.

"But in the meantime, it seems like our responsibility is to get as close as we can to AQ status. And that's the reason why we're not just shutting down any interests from others who ask us questions about what are your future plans? Our future plans are to do whatever we can to work out a better TV arrangement, get on more TVs in more living rooms and at the same time work toward AQ status."

___

AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton in Fort Collins, Colo., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at http://Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-15-FBC-Big-East-Expansion/id-f738db36dafa4979b6f94733b8d560cc

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Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper: Spotted Together Again!

Looper is so on!

A month after a source verified that Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper went on a date in NYC, the stars were spotted out together again yesterday. See the actress/singer shield her face from photographers while out with The Hangover stud HERE.

Like what you see, Jen?

"She does like his attention, and it makes her feel good that he seems so into her," an insider tells People. "She has a fun time with Bradley and he makes her laugh."

Another mole breaks it down to even simpler terms: "She likes him," this friend says.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/jennifer-lopez-and-bradley-cooper-spotted-together-again/

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