WASHINGTON (AP) - Most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, say new guidelines that conclude that is enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.
The change by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists comes amid a completely separate debate over when regular mammograms to detect breast cancer should begin. The timing of the Pap guidelines is coincidence, said ACOG, which began reviewing its recommendations in late 2007 and published the update Friday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The guidelines also say:
Routine Paps should start at age 21. Previously, ACOG had urged a first Pap either within three years of first sexual intercourse or at age 21.
Women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they've had three consecutive clear tests. Other national guidelines have long recommended the three-year interval; ACOG had previously backed a two- to three-year wait.
Women with HIV, other immune-weakening conditions or previous cervical abnormalities may need more frequent screening.
Paps can spot pre-cancerous changes in the cervix in time to prevent invasive cancer, and widespread use has halved cervical cancer rates in the U.S. in recent decades.
Cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of the extremely common sexually transmitted virus called HPV, for human papillomavirus. There is a new HPV vaccine that should cut cervical cancer in the future; ACOG's guidelines say for now vaccinated women should follow the same Pap guidelines as the unvaccinated.
But the updated guidelines reflect better understanding of HPV. Infection is high among sexually active teens and young adults. Women's bodies very often fight off an HPV infection on their own without lasting harm, although it can take a year or two. The younger the woman, the more likely that HPV is going to be transient.
Moreover, ACOG cited studies showing no increased risk of cancer developing in women in their 20s if they extended Pap screening from every year to every two years.
As for adolescents, ACOG said cervical cancer in teens is rare - one or two cases per million 15- to 19-year-olds - while HPV-caused cervical abnormalities usually go away on their own, and unnecessary treatment increases the girls' risk of premature labor years later.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Clint Eastwood: America Becoming More 'Juvenile'
Clint Eastwood is better known for his fists than his fashion sense, but that didn't stop GQ magazine from naming him a man of the year.
Eastwood joins Barack Obama, Tom Brady, the three stars of "The Hangover" and "Star Trek" actor Chris Pine on five special covers for the December issue (www.gq.com), which hits newsstands Tuesday.
Eastwood talks politics, love, religion, diet and women in a wide-ranging interview with deputy editor Michael Hainey, who calls the 79-year-old the "patron saint of late bloomers."
Eastwood gained fame for his acting in the spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, but won his first Oscar (for directing) for "Unforgiven" at age 62.
His new movie, "Invictus," is the true story of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and the mostly white South African rugby team that helped usher the country out of apartheid.
"The world needs this kind of story nowadays," Eastwood said. "It's just...everybody's so screwed up. It seems like our country's in kind of a morbid mood, because of the recession or whatever."
We're "becoming more juvenile as a nation," he said. "The guys who won World War II and that whole generation have disappeared, and now we have a bunch of teenage twits." Eastwood meditates twice a day, avoids saturated fats and does 30 minutes on the elliptical machine each morning.
He used to "find meaning" in chasing girls, but says he's now happily monogamous. "I never thought I'd get there, but I did. It feels good."
Eastwood joins Barack Obama, Tom Brady, the three stars of "The Hangover" and "Star Trek" actor Chris Pine on five special covers for the December issue (www.gq.com), which hits newsstands Tuesday.
Eastwood talks politics, love, religion, diet and women in a wide-ranging interview with deputy editor Michael Hainey, who calls the 79-year-old the "patron saint of late bloomers."
Eastwood gained fame for his acting in the spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, but won his first Oscar (for directing) for "Unforgiven" at age 62.
His new movie, "Invictus," is the true story of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and the mostly white South African rugby team that helped usher the country out of apartheid.
"The world needs this kind of story nowadays," Eastwood said. "It's just...everybody's so screwed up. It seems like our country's in kind of a morbid mood, because of the recession or whatever."
We're "becoming more juvenile as a nation," he said. "The guys who won World War II and that whole generation have disappeared, and now we have a bunch of teenage twits." Eastwood meditates twice a day, avoids saturated fats and does 30 minutes on the elliptical machine each morning.
He used to "find meaning" in chasing girls, but says he's now happily monogamous. "I never thought I'd get there, but I did. It feels good."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Soldier Mom Refuses Deployment To Care For Baby
SAVANNAH, Ga. – An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.
Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems.
Her civilian attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Monday that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care.
"For her it was like, 'I couldn't abandon my child,'" Sussman said. "She was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up they would send her to Afghanistan anyway and put her son with child protective services."
Hutchinson, who is from Oakland, Calif., remained confined Monday to the boundaries of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, 10 days after military police arrested her for skipping her unit's flight. No charges have been filed, but a spokesman for the Army post said commanders were investigating.
Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield, said he didn't know what Hutchinson was told by her commanders, but he said the Army would not deploy a single parent who had nobody to care for his or her child.
"I don't know what transpired and the investigation will get to the bottom of it," Larson said. "If she would have come to the deployment terminal with her child, there's no question she would not have been deployed."
Hutchinson's son, Kamani, was placed into custody overnight with a daycare provider on the Army post after she was arrested and jailed briefly, Larson said. Hutchinson's mother picked up the child a week ago and took him back to her home in California.
Hutchinson, who's assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments, Sussman said. She said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father.
The Army requires all single-parent soldiers to submit a care plan for dependent children before they can deploy to a combat zone.
Hutchinson had such a plan — her mother, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes said Monday she kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year.
Hughes said she's already having to care for her ailing mother and sister, as well as a daughter with special needs. She also runs a daycare center at her home, keeping about 14 children during the day.
"This is an infant, and they require 24-hour care," Hughes said. "It was very, very stressful, just too much for me to deal with."
Hughes said she returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before her scheduled deployment Nov. 5.
She said they told her daughter's commanders they needed more time to find another family member or close friend to help Hughes care for the boy, but Hutchinson was ordered to deploy on schedule.
Larson, the Army post spokesman, said officials planned to keep Hutchinson in Georgia as investigators gathered facts about the case.
"Spc. Hutchinson's deployment is halted," Larson said. "There will be no deployment while this situation is ongoing."
Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems.
Her civilian attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Monday that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care.
"For her it was like, 'I couldn't abandon my child,'" Sussman said. "She was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up they would send her to Afghanistan anyway and put her son with child protective services."
Hutchinson, who is from Oakland, Calif., remained confined Monday to the boundaries of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, 10 days after military police arrested her for skipping her unit's flight. No charges have been filed, but a spokesman for the Army post said commanders were investigating.
Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield, said he didn't know what Hutchinson was told by her commanders, but he said the Army would not deploy a single parent who had nobody to care for his or her child.
"I don't know what transpired and the investigation will get to the bottom of it," Larson said. "If she would have come to the deployment terminal with her child, there's no question she would not have been deployed."
Hutchinson's son, Kamani, was placed into custody overnight with a daycare provider on the Army post after she was arrested and jailed briefly, Larson said. Hutchinson's mother picked up the child a week ago and took him back to her home in California.
Hutchinson, who's assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments, Sussman said. She said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father.
The Army requires all single-parent soldiers to submit a care plan for dependent children before they can deploy to a combat zone.
Hutchinson had such a plan — her mother, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes said Monday she kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year.
Hughes said she's already having to care for her ailing mother and sister, as well as a daughter with special needs. She also runs a daycare center at her home, keeping about 14 children during the day.
"This is an infant, and they require 24-hour care," Hughes said. "It was very, very stressful, just too much for me to deal with."
Hughes said she returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before her scheduled deployment Nov. 5.
She said they told her daughter's commanders they needed more time to find another family member or close friend to help Hughes care for the boy, but Hutchinson was ordered to deploy on schedule.
Larson, the Army post spokesman, said officials planned to keep Hutchinson in Georgia as investigators gathered facts about the case.
"Spc. Hutchinson's deployment is halted," Larson said. "There will be no deployment while this situation is ongoing."
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Fort Hood Suspect Charged With Murder; Additional Count Could Be Added
FORT HOOD, Texas – The Army psychiatrist suspected in a deadly rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, has been charged in a military court with 13 counts of premeditated murder.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey told a news conference Thursday at the Texas base that additional charges may also be filed against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.
Hasan is suspected of killing 12 soldiers and one civilian in last Thursday's shooting spree at Fort Hood. He was shot and wounded by two police officers at the base, and remains in recovery at an Army hospital in San Antonio. His attorney says he was read the charges at the hospital.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military officials say the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 and wounding 29 in last week's shooting rampage at his military post in Texas will face 13 charges of premeditated murder under the military's legal system. The decision makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
A formal announcement about the charges against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is expected later Thursday. Two U.S. military officials described the charges to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case publicly.
The officials said it is not yet decided whether to charge Hasan with a 14th count of murder related to the death of the unborn child of a pregnant shooting victim.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey told a news conference Thursday at the Texas base that additional charges may also be filed against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.
Hasan is suspected of killing 12 soldiers and one civilian in last Thursday's shooting spree at Fort Hood. He was shot and wounded by two police officers at the base, and remains in recovery at an Army hospital in San Antonio. His attorney says he was read the charges at the hospital.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military officials say the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 and wounding 29 in last week's shooting rampage at his military post in Texas will face 13 charges of premeditated murder under the military's legal system. The decision makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
A formal announcement about the charges against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is expected later Thursday. Two U.S. military officials described the charges to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case publicly.
The officials said it is not yet decided whether to charge Hasan with a 14th count of murder related to the death of the unborn child of a pregnant shooting victim.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
President and First Lady Pay Respects At Military Base
Veteran's Day took a more poignant and somber meaning as President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama paid their respects to the victims of last week's military massacre at the Fort Hood Army Base in Kileen, TX. Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan, a military psychiatrist upset about being deployed overseas, marched into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center where soldiers are sent before being deployed; opening fire with two handguns killing 13 and wounding 30 others. President Obama condemned the killings saying "No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor," he continued "And for what he has done,we know that the killer will be met with justice--in this world and the next." The President did not mention Hasan by name. President Obama and the First Lady began meeting with families of the victims offering consolation and meeting with the wounded.
DC Sniper Executed For 2002 Slayings
John Allen Muhammad, mastermind of the DC sniper attacks that gripped and shocked the Nation, was executed last night for his role in the slayings. Muhammad was executed by lethal injection and was declared dead at 9:11pm yesterday at the Greensville Correctional Facility in Virginia. He appeared unrepentant and offered no final statement. Muhammad and his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo who was 17 years old at the time, killed 10 people in a cross county killing spree that stretched Maryland, Virginia and the District Of Columbia earning the pair the name the DC Snipers. Malvo's age prevented him from receiving the death sentence; he instead was tried and convicted for his role in the slayings and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Malvo testified against Muhammad at one of the trials calling Muhammad a "coward" for brainwashing him. Muhammad sought the Supreme Court to overturn his sentence and grant him a new trial. The high court refused to hear his case and his appeal was denied. Muhammad also sought clemency from Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine who saw no reason to intervene and denied Muhammad clemency clearing the way for his execution.
Friday, November 6, 2009
'Precious' Movie Receives Stellar Reviews
The new Lee Daniels film 'Precious' is receiving stellar reviews from movie critics nationwide. The movie which is based on the critically acclaimed novel "Push" by Sapphire, tells the story of a pregnant teen (Precious)who is struggling to survive while being abused at the hands of her mother and sexually abused by her father becoming pregnant by him twice. Without giving too much away about this film, the best word to sum up this film is POWERFUL! So powerful in fact that Oprah and film master Tyler Perry (sans Madea) are the executive producers of this film. NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MADEA MOVIE!!! The subject matter related to this film as well as its content is of a serious nature and accordingly has been rated "R". PARENTAL DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED. 'Precious' stars Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and Gabourney Sidibe as Precious. 'Precious' opens today in theaters. Check your local listings.For more information about 'Precious' visit www.weareallprecious.com
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