Women's Health Commons^™

Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In Nicaragua, Freddy Solis, Ana Del Carmen Rojas, Gadea Adilia, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

Between September 2005 and April 2007, FRONTIERS and Alva, a Nicaraguan consulting firm, conducted a situation analysis of the provision and use of contraceptive services in postpartum, postabortion and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs. The project‘s objective was to assess the degree to which contraceptive services were linked to postpartum, postabortion and PMTCT services and if this allowed the programs to meet the contraceptive needs of their clients. The project proposes recommendations for improving the quality of these programs.

Using Operations Research To Enhance Delivery Of Postpartum/Postabortion Family Planning Services In The Arab Region, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

The FRONTIERS program in Cairo organized a two-and-half day workshop to share programmatic experiences and lessons learned in integrating family planning with service providers from Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen representing mid-level program managers and researchers. It was held in 2008 in tandem with a national end-of-project seminar for stakeholders in Egypt. Participants emphasized the need to capture missed opportunities in antenatal, delivery, postpartum or postabortion care by providing family planning services in all encounters between women and the health care system. They also agreed on an overarching need for operations research in assisting policy makers and program managers in …

Assessment Of Progress Of The Postabortion Care Initiative In Francophone Africa, Thierno Dieng, Mohamed Diadhiou, Nafissatou J. Diop, Youmane Niang Faye

Reproductive Health

The goals of this study were to assess the national situation concerning postabortion care (PAC) in six countries (Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo), including the process of introduction, integration and decentralization of PAC; the successes and obstacles in the process of introducing PAC; and recommended key steps to strengthen the introductory process. The study used two approaches: a comprehensive review of the introduction and institutionalization of PAC in the six countries, and a situation analysis of PAC services within each country.

Stress And Blood Pressure During Pregnancy: Racial Differences And Associations With Birthweight, Clayton J. Hilmert, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Tyan Parker Dominguez, Cleopatra M. Abdou, Calvin J. Hobel, Laura M. Glynn, Curt A. Sandman

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

OBJECTIVE: To extend findings that African American women report greater stress during pregnancy, have higher blood pressure (BP), and are twice as likely to have low birthweight infants relative to white women. This study examines a) racial differences in associations between stress and BP during pregnancy, and b) the combined effects of stress and BP on infant birthweight in a sample of 170 African American and white women.

METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal study of pregnant women was conducted in which measures of BP, stress, and other relevant variables were collected. Multiple measures of systolic and diastolic BP were taken at …

Relationship Between Premenstrual Symptom Severity And Catastrophic Thinking, Candon Deanne Norton

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is proposed as a cluster of severe emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms that affect a small percentage or women during the late luteal phase of their menstrual cycle and cease shortly after the onset or menses. Although some researchers hypothesize there is a difference in the amount or pain actually experienced during the premenstrual phase, others argue that there muy be differences in how women interpret the 'normal' fluctuations and bodily changes of the premenstrual phase. Perhaps women who experience severe premenstrual symptoms anticipate their symptoms and become hypervigilant in monitoring normal bodily sensations, which results …

Breast Cancer In Pakistan - Awareness And Early Detection, Saba Sohail, Shams Nadeem Alam

Department of Radiology

No abstract provided.

Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma Breast With Central Necrosis Closely Mimicking Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (Comedo Type): A Case Series, Shahid Pervez, Hassan Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Here we present a series of infiltrative ductal carcinoma breast cases (infiltrative ductal carcinoma with central necrosis) so closely mimicking 'DCIS with central comedo necrosis' that on initial morphological analysis these foci of tumors were labeled as DCIS (high grade, comedo). However on further histological work up and by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) for myoepithelial markers it was later confirmed that these were foci of infiltrative ductal carcinoma breast with central necrosis. This case series gives the realization that a breast carcinoma may be partly or entirely DCIS like yet invasive. In such a dilemma IHC especially for assessment of myoepithelial …

Planning Initiative Award – 2006-2007 Access To Reproductive Health Services For Low-Ses Pregnant/Parenting Teens In Clark County: A Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Nevada Institute For Children's Research And Policy Reports, Jennifer Zipoy, Tara Swanson, Jean Henry, Denise Tanata, Uzma Farmanali,, Karen Silcott

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The Planning Initiative Award (PIA) project was a collaborative effort between the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) and the Center for Health Promotion (CHP)/Department of Health Promotion, research centers in the School of Public Health. The purpose of the project was to conduct an assessment of the access to reproductive health services among lower SES pregnant and parenting teens in the Las Vegas Valley. The project was designed to identify gaps in existing services and assist researchers in developing communication networks between community members, providers, educators, and policymakers. The data collected during the project period has great …

Predictors Of Emotional Reactions In Women Treated For Breast Cancer, Erin E. Ramirez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Breast cancer can be a devastating disease that impacts a woman in all spheres of her life (Ingram, 1989). Previous studies have examined the impact of breast cancer on body satisfaction, as well as the impact on emotional well-being. Studies have also examined the role of the coping style that a woman engages in response to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the woman's psychological adjustment to the disease. However, to date, no research has introduced and tested a multifaceted model.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model predicting psychological maladjustment in women treated for …

Inhibition Of Proteasome Activity By The Dietary Flavonoid Apigenin Is Associated With Growth Inhibition In Cultured Breast Cancer Cells And Xenografts, Di Chen, Kristin R. Landis-Piwowar, Marina S. Chen, Q Ping Dou

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

Proteasome inhibition is an attractive approach to anticancer therapy and may have relevancy in breast cancer treatment. Natural products, such as dietary flavonoids, have been suggested as natural proteasome inhibitors with potential use for cancer prevention and therapeutics. We previously reported that apigenin, a flavonoid widely distributed in many fruits and vegetables, can inhibit proteasome activity and can induce apoptosis in cultured leukemia Jurkat T cells. Whether apigenin has proteasome-inhibitory activity in the highly metastatic human breast MDA-MB-231 cells and xenografts, however, is unknown.

Methods

MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell cultures and xenografts were treated with apigenin, followed by …

Paradoxical Antiproliferative Effect By A Murine Mammary Tumor-Derived Epithelial Cell Line, Esteban N. Gurzov, Sanaa M. Nabha, Hamilto Yamamoto, Hong Meng, O Graciela Scharovsky, R Daniel Bonfil

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Despite significant advancement in breast cancer therapy, there is a great need for a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in breast carcinogenesis and progression, as well as of the role of epigenetic contributions from stromal cells in mammary tumorigenesis. In this study, we isolated and characterized murine mammary tumor-derived epithelial and myofibroblast cell lines, and investigated the in vitro and in vivo effect of cellular soluble factors produced by the epithelial cell line on tumor cells.

Methods

Morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics, invasiveness, and tumorigenicity of epithelial (LM-234ep) and myofibroblast (LM-234mf) cell lines isolated from two murine mammary adenocarcinomas …

Avances En La Atención Postaborto En América Latina Y El Caribe: Investigando, Aplicando Y Expandiendo, Deborah L. Billings, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

This work by the Population Council and Ipas documents the intellectual, financial, and managerial effort that many organizations and institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean have made to achieve the objective of improving the quality and effectiveness of postabortion care services. This volume is a contribution to the preparation of directors, owners, and service providers, and to the creation and implementation of policies and programs based on scientific evidence, which will benefit women and the services themselves. Its five sections include an overview; results from country studies, and information about providers and program components; clinical care with various technologies, …

Study Of The Effectiveness Of Training Malian Social And Health Agents In Female Genital Cutting Issues And In Educating Their Clients, Nafissatou J. Diop, Fatoumata Traore, Habibatou Diallo, Ousmane Traore, Aissa Haidara Toure, Youssouf Diallo, Madina Sangare, Fatoumata Tandia, Keita Attaher Toure

Reproductive Health

This report documents findings of a study to assess the education and training of social and healthcare workers in Mali regarding female genital cutting (FGC). After two decades of campaigning against FGC in Mali, the results are not satisfactory when compared to the levels of human and financial investment. The Mali Division of Family and Community Health, with technical support from the Population Council, conducted this research to highlight certain issues related to the practice of FGC in Mali, in particular health consequences and the role health personnel can play in eradicating the practice. The continued prevalence of FGC among …

Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

The Kenyan Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, with support from UNFPA/Kenya, commissioned the Population Council to conduct a situation analysis of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) programs in Kenya, with the overall objective of documenting the current status of and trends in FGM/C programming and to help identify crucial elements that need to be prioritized for support. Results show marked declines in prevalence nationally between generations, suggesting a decline in the practice as well as trends toward “medicalization” in recent years. The practice still continues for different reasons, such as rite of passage, for marriageability, controlling sexuality, religious …

Comparative Predictive Value Of Three Prognostic Markers--S-Phase Fraction, Pcna And Mitotic Count On Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis In Carcinoma Breast, Shahid Pervez, Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Muhammad Israr Nasir

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Axillary lymph node metastasis is the single most important prognostic factor in carcinoma of the breast. Therefore, prognostic markers that may reliably predict probability of lymph node (LN) metastases are of great value. This study was conducted to compare the predictive value of two novel prognostic / proliferative markers i.e. S-phase fraction (SPF) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in parallel with mitotic index.

Methods: Data of consecutive cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) breast diagnosed from July 2003 to July 2004 at the section of the Histopathology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, were reviewed. A total of …

An In Vitro Model Of Ovarian Cancer: Studying The Effects Of Talc And Pycnogenol®, Amber Renée Buz'zard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The American Cancer Society has suggested that poor diet, talc and industrial pollutants may increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Talc is ubiquitous and concern is raised about its safety, role as a possible carcinogen and known ability to cause irritation and inflammation. Due to the silent nature of ovarian cancer, chemoprevention is a high priority. The most useful chemopreventive compounds will inhibit, delay or reverse carcinogenesis, and can be taken for long periods of time with …

Women’S Health In Developing Countries, Javed Rizvi, Nadeem F. Zuberi

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Healthcare priorities are different in developing and developed countries. A more effective resource allocation, complemented by efforts to implement only those practices that are effective, should be a priority for improving reproductive health services in developing countries. A large burden of gynaecological disease exists in developing countries and it is difficult to envisage serious reforms and improvements without an increase in public-sector spending. However, communities themselves could assume some responsibility for women's health in ways that prioritize women's own perceptions and primary needs. In this chapter we have compiled existing evidence regarding various gynaecological problems faced by women in developing …

Frequency And Characteristics Of Breast Lymphomas Presenting To A Tertiary Care Hospital, Pakistan, Nausheen Yaqoob, Shahid Pervez, Naila Kayani, Rashida Ahmed, Zubair Ahmed, Sheema Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To assess the relative frequency of (primary and secondary) mammary lymphomas presenting to a tertiary care hospital, Pakistan and its categorization according to WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms.

Methods: All NHLs (nodal and extra nodal) diagnosed in the section of histopathology during 1992-2004 were retrieved and reviewed. All patients (n=30) diagnosed with lymphomatous involvement of the breast were selected. Distinction between primary and secondary breast lymphomas was not made owing to lack of availability of clinical information.

Results: A total of 5637 breast malignancies were diagnosed in our department during the study period of 10 years and the total …

Imaging Breast Adipose And Fibroglandular Tissue Molecular Signatures By Using Hybrid Mri-Guided Near-Infrared Spectral Tomography, Ben Brooksby, Brian W. Pogue, Shudong Jiang, Hamid Dehghani, Subhadra Srinivasan, Christine Kogel, Tor D. Tosteson, John Weaver, Steven P. Poplack, Keith D. Paulsen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Magnetic resonance (MR)-guided near-infrared spectral tomography was developed and used to image adipose and fibroglandular breast tissue of 11 normal female subjects, recruited under an institutional review board-approved protocol. Images of hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, water fraction, and subcellular scattering were reconstructed and show that fibroglandular fractions of both blood and water are higher than in adipose tissue. Variation in adipose and fibroglandular tissue composition between individuals was not significantly different across the scattered and dense breast categories. Combined MR and near-infrared tomography provides fundamental molecular information about these tissue types with resolution governed by MR T1 images.

In Our Own Hands: Swaa-Ghana Champions The Female Condom, Kathleen Cravero, Michelle Skaer, Victoria Ebin, Martha Brady

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes the vital role played by the Ghana branch of the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) in introducing the female condom, the only female-controlled method for protection from HIV. By addressing issues of gender inequity and communication within relationships, SWAA used the female condom to empower women to regain control of their bodies. Also in this issue are profiles of three other approaches to programming for the female condom from Brazil, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Reproductive Health Update Trainings For Health Workers In North Eastern Province, Garissa, Kenya Ministry Of Health, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Somali community living in Kenya has practiced the severest form of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), infibulation, for centuries. To understand the context within which the practice takes place, and how its complications are managed, FRONTIERS undertook a diagnostic study in North Eastern Province and in the Eastleigh area of Nairobi. The study found that the health system is ill equipped to serve women who have been cut, and particularly infibulated women who are pregnant and delivering, stemming from an overall weakness in the availability and quality of maternal and neonatal heath services. Specific recommendations could strengthen these services so …

Strategies For Encouraging The Abandonment Of Female Genital Cutting In West Africa: Experiences From Senegal, Burkina Faso, And Mali, Nafissatou J. Diop, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

This article explores efforts to encourage abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC) in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The strategy of encouraging traditional practitioners to stop performing FGC is not effective as community-level support for the practice remains high. Training health staff significantly improved healthcare providers' levels of knowledge about FGC and its complications. Consequently, it was recommended that such training be incorporated into preservice medical training. The use of community-based strategies like the Village Education Program (VEP) showed the most promise, as their multifaceted approach addresses knowledge, attitudes, actions, and communal support in an integrated manner. The way forward …

Analyse De L'Evolution De La Pratique De L'Excision Au Burkina Faso: L'Environment Institutionel, Politique Et Programmatique De La Lutte Contre La Pratique De L'Excision, Nafissatou J. Diop, Zakari Congo, Aina Ouedraogo, Alphosine Sawadogo, Lydia Saloucou, Ida Tamini

Reproductive Health

La présente analyse du projet Frontiers du Population Council fait un tour historique des événements majeurs de la lutte contre la pratique de l’excision au Burkina Faso avant d’aborder les conventions internationales auxquelles le pays a adhéré ainsi que les textes nationaux adoptés en ce qui concerne les droits de l’homme, spécifiquement le droit des femmes et des enfants. Elle analyse également l’application de la loi à travers l’évolution des cas de condamnation depuis l’adoption de la loi. Enfin, elle s’intéressera à quelques programmes d’intervention mis en place en identifiant les acquis et les limites. Ce travail fait partie d’une …

Predictors Of Intention To Use Contraception, Given Alcohol Consumption, Among Women In Southeast Alaska, Donna Louise Hebbeler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fetal alcohol exposure is a serious public health problem and is 100% preventable. Traditionally, FASD prevention programs and research recommendations have targeted peri-conceptual or pregnant women. Another approach to the prevention of FASD involves preventing pregnancy in women who use alcohol. The purpose of this cross sectional study was to identify factors that predicted women’s intention to use contraception using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), to determine if predictors of the theoretical constructs varied in women depending on alcohol use, and to examine interactions between alcohol use and TPB constructs. Qualitative data was gathered to triangulate with the quantitative …

Clioquinol And Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate Complex With Copper To Form Proteasome Inhibitors And Apoptosis Inducers In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Kenyon G. Daniel, Di Chen, Shirley Orlu, Qiuzhi Cui, Fred R. Miller, Q Ping Dou

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

A physiological feature of many tumor tissues and cells is the tendency to accumulate high concentrations of copper. While the precise role of copper in tumors is cryptic, copper, but not other trace metals, is required for angiogenesis. We have recently reported that organic copper-containing compounds, including 8-hydroxyquinoline-copper(II) and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline-copper(II), comprise a novel class of proteasome inhibitors and tumor cell apoptosis inducers. In the current study, we investigate whether clioquinol (CQ), an analog of 8-hydroxyquinoline and an Alzheimer's disease drug, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a known copper-binding compound and antioxidant, can interact with copper to form cancer-specific proteasome …

The Role Of Aromatase Inhibitors In Ameliorating Deleterious Effects Of Ovarian Stimulation On Outcome Of Infertility Treatment, Mohamed Fm Mitwally, Robert F. Casper, Michael P. Diamond

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Clinical utilization of ovulation stimulation to facilitate the ability of a couple to conceive has not only provided a valuable therapeutic approach, but has also yielded extensive information on the physiology of ovarian follicular recruitment, endometrial receptivity and early embryo competency. One of the consequences of the use of fertility enhancing agents for ovarian stimulation has been the creation of a hyperestrogenic state, which may influence each of these parameters. Use of aromatase inhibitors reduces hyperestrogenism inevitably attained during ovarian stimulation. In addition, the adjunct use of aromatase inhibitors during ovarian stimulation reduces amount of gonadotropins required for optimum …

Kutibu Majeraha, Kutia Matumaini: Ushirikiano Wa Watanzania Dhidi Ya Fistula Obstetrikia, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes a partnership formed to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The Bugando Medical Center, the Women’s Dignity Project, the Tanzania Midwives Association, and the government cooperated on an extensive program for surgical repair, prevention, and policy research and activities. Lessons learned: 1) Fistula programs need to address social as well as medical issues. 2) Most repairs are successful, making an enormous difference in women’s lives. 3) Relatively little funding is necessary to start up a fistula program. 4) Fistula programs are vehicles for broader conversations about gender and poverty.

African American Breast Cancer Health Disparities, Theresa Lynn Gaul

Honors Program Theses

Health disparities are "the differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States" (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2002). Racial and ethnic minorities experience serious disparities in health access and outcomes. Disparities in the burden of death and illness experienced by African Americans in particular, as compared with our nation's population as a whole, are particularly striking. There are a variety of factors contributing to these inequalities. The purpose of this report is to examine these factors and the consequential effects on the African American's …

Healing Wounds, Instilling Hope: The Tanzanian Partnership Against Obstetric Fistula, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes a partnership formed to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The Bugando Medical Center, the Women’s Dignity Project, the Tanzania Midwives Association, and the government cooperated on an extensive program for surgical repair, prevention, and policy research and activities. Lessons learned: 1) Fistula programs need to address social as well as medical issues. 2) Most repairs are successful, making an enormous difference in women’s lives. 3) Relatively little funding is necessary to start up a fistula program. 4) Fistula programs are vehicles for broader conversations about gender and poverty.

Guérir Les Blessures, Faire Naître L’Espoir: Le Partenariat Tanzanien Contre La Fistule Obstétricale, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité describes a partnership formed to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania. The Bugando Medical Center, the Women’s Dignity Project, the Tanzania Midwives Association, and the government cooperated on an extensive program for surgical repair, prevention, and policy research and activities. Lessons learned: 1) Fistula programs need to address social as well as medical issues. 2) Most repairs are successful, making an enormous difference in women’s lives. 3) Relatively little funding is necessary to start up a fistula program. 4) Fistula programs are vehicles for broader conversations about gender and poverty.