A leading epidemiologist has attacked Swedish research that looked at inequalities in patients’ access to cancer drugs across Europe and the world. [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today

In response to the recent final decision by NICE on the use of Velcade for cancer patients with myeloma, the bone marrow cancer, charities Myeloma UK, Cancerbackup and Leukaemia CARE issue the following response: The distant awaited decision on Velcade has resulted in a positive approval of the treatment, but many patients will now be ineligible to receive it after a change in the guidance since the preliminary ruling in June. [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today

Technology has made life better for people with a condition known as gender dysphoria. But according to soon-to-be woman Madison Kelly, it’s breaking down social and emotional barriers that’s the hard part

“I realize that the medical aspects of this transition may be the easy part,” Kelly writes. “While coming to grips with my condition on a personal level was hard enough, transitioning my friends and family for this radical change is even harder.”

From medical procedures to social impact, Kelly shares her experiences this week on Betterhumans, to counter misinformation about what it means to be transgendered or transsexual.

“I do not claim in any way that all trans-folk share my experiences, nor do I expect what I have found to be ‘right’ is also right for anyone else,” she writes. “That said, a considerable amount of commonality exists, and I hope this helps to bring about an improved understanding of what could drive a person such as me to make such a radical change.”

Also this week on Betterhumans, George Dvorsky addresses the false promise of pseudoscience in his biweekly Transitory Human column.

“This unholy mixture of pseudoscience and science is symptomatic of rampant scientific illiteracy in our society today. Far too many people — many of them clearly influenced by popular culture — can’t properly discriminate fact from fiction or reality from wishful thinking,” he writes. “Of course, you can’t have your cake and eat it too; either you commit to the scientific method or you don’t. Integrating science with pseudoscience is just as bad as no science at all.”

For all this and more, go to http://www.betterhumans.com. To read Madison Kelly’s report, go to http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reports/. To read George Dvorsky’s column, go to http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Transitory_Human/.

The number of uninsured U.S. residents grew by 2.2 million in 2006 to 47 million, up from 44.8 million in 2005, according to notes released on Tuesday by the Census Bureau, USA Today reports (Appleby, USA Today, 8/29). [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today

Treating diabetes during pregnancy can break the link amidst gestational diabetes and childhood obesity, according to a Kaiser Permanente study featured in the September issue of Diabetes Care.The largest study of its kind, that research shows that the risk of childhood obesity rises in tandem with a pregnant woman’s blood sugar level and that untreated gestational diabetes nearly doubles a child’s risk of becoming obese by age 5 to 7. [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today

The Vatican and some Italian legislators on Monday called for changing the country’s abortion law after news of a case in which a healthy twin fetus mistakenly was aborted instead of the other fetus, which had been diagnosed with Down syndrome, AFP/New York Times reports. [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today

An increased number of U.S. companies have opened onsite health clinics for employees as part of an effort to “reign in rising health care costs,” Gannett/Asbury Park Press reports. About 23% of companies with at least 1,000 employees have opened onsite health clinics, and an additional 6% plan to open such clinics in the next year, according to a [click link for full article]

Original post by Women’s Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today