Presentation is key in antenatal information, research suggests

The font type of written text and how easy it is to read can be influential when it comes to engaging people with important health information and recruiting them for potentially beneficial programmes, new research by The University of Manchester and Leeds Beckett University has found.Led by Dr Andrew Manley, a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Leeds Beckett, the study – published in the latest issue of Patient Education and Counseling journal – assessed the extent to which the title and font of participant information sheets can influence a person’s perception of written information.Thirty-five pregnant women and 36 trainee midwives took part in the research and were randomly presented with one of four participant information sheets describing an antenatal programme.

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Studies show young people ‘wish they were better informed about sex’

Researchers investigating how young men and women learn about sex found that a gap exists between the type of sex education young people want and what they receive.The researchers also identified differences between how men and women learn about sex and relationships. The two studies, published in BMJ Open, utilized data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) – the largest scientific study of its kind in the UK.”The terrain young people have to navigate as they are growing up has changed considerably over the past 20 years and it will inevitably continue to do so,” says study author Dr. Clare Tanton. “This means that while we need a more structured approach towards sex and relationships education, we must also be able to adapt to these changing needs.”In one of the two studies, data from Natsal-3 for 3,869 participants, conducted between 2010 and 2012, was compared with data from surveys conducted in 1990-1991 and 1999-2001, in order to assess how sources of information about sex may have changed over time.

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IUDs and hormonal implants have become ‘five times as popular’ over past decade

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report finds a shift in preferences for birth control among American women, who are increasingly opting for long-lasting reversible contraceptives.Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal hormonal implants. Although IUDs were used more commonly in the US during the 1970s, concerns over their safety prompted a decline in use of these devices.Since then, however, IUDs have been redesigned with safety in mind, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report shows that there has been growing interest in IUDs and 5-year contraceptive implants – which were approved in 1990 – because these contraceptive methods are highly effective at preventing unintended pregnancies.IUDs are placed inside the uterus, where they release hormones or copper to prevent pregnancies. The CDC say that the failure rate for IUDs is below 1%, making them more effective than the birth control pill, which – partly due to users sometimes forgetting to take the pill – has a failure rate of about 9%.

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New pathway for stalling BRCA tumor growth revealed

Findings could lead to new therapies for breast, ovarian, and other cancers

Inhibiting the action of a particular enzyme dramatically slows the growth of tumor cells tied to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations which, in turn, are closely tied to breast and ovarian cancers, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.Senior investigator and NYU Langone cell biologist Agnel Sfeir, PhD, says that if further experiments prove successful, these findings could lead to a new class of targeted therapies against cancers with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The researchers’ findings in experiments in mice and human cells are described in the journal Nature online.Dr. Sfeir and her collaborators say their discovery about the enzyme — called polymerase theta, or PolQ — resulted from efforts to answer a fundamental biological question: How do cells prevent the telomere ends of linear chromosomes, which house our genetic material, from sticking together? Cell DNA repair mechanisms can stitch together telomeres broken as part of cell metabolism. But such fusions, the researchers say, compromise normal cell growth and survival.

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My Video: Melba A Berbano, MD, FACOG

Melba Berbano, MD, FACOG, works at a private practice in Stockton, California. She specializes in the health and wellness of women, and is also on staff at Dameron and St. Joseph’s Hospitals. For her services with patients, she awarded the Royal College of London award.

My Entry into The Leading Physicians of the World

Hey Everyone! Check out my official entry into The Leading Physicians of the World:

Seasoned and Skilled OB/GYN Physician, Melba A. Berbano, MD, FACOG, Portrayed in The Leading Physicians of the World