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Washington Post Examines Lack Of Information About Stillbirths, Bill To Expand Data Collection
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that stillbirth occurs in about one in every 160 pregnancies in the U.S., but physicians rarely warn pregnant women or their partners about the possibility, Washington Post staff writer Alan Goldenbach writes in an article discussing his experience when his wife"s pregnancy ended in stillbirth. In the U.S., the clinical definition for stillbirth is the death of a fetus after 20 weeks" gestation or weighing 350 grams if the age is unknown.There are about 26,000 stillbirths annually in the U.S., according to CDC. Goldenbach writes that this is "10 times the number of deaths attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, which has been identified as a key public health issue, and four times the incidence rate of Down syndrome, for which prenatal testing has become almost ritual." He continues that many doctors told him and his wife "that they don"t see any point in discussing stillbirth, that it"s a catch-all term for an event, and one that is frequently unexplained." Doctors contend that if they knew the causes or signs of stillbirth, they would warn patients or take preventive action, he adds. Noting that awareness of SIDS spurred research into preventive measures, Goldenbach writes that "[w]e can"t know if improved technology or more stringent standards of monitoring can lower stillbirth rates unless we do the research."Ruth Fretts, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School and chair of the scientific committee for the International Stillbirth Alliance, said, "It"s a trade-off -- you are going to frighten a lot of people" by discussing stillbirths. According to Fretts" research, the leading cause of fetal death after 28 weeks" gestation is an unexplained . Goldenbach writes, "Several doctors told us privately that many ob-gyns fear charges of malpractice following a stillbirth, leading them to avoid citing a cause of death."Stillbirth Legislation in Development Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is drafting legislation similar to a stillbirth prevention bill that then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) introduced in June 2008. According to s familiar with the bill, it will be brought to the Senate floor before the August recess. The legislation will expand stillbirth registries already in operation in Iowa and metropolitan Atlanta. The bill"s supporters hope to have as many as 12 states participating in the registry and installing a standard protocol for data collection after each stillbirth. Another provision would create a campaign to increase public awareness and strengthen grief support services, Goldenbach writes (Goldenbach, Washington Post, 7/6).
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First Skin Cancer Patients Treated With Electronic Brachytherapy (eBx) At University Of Wisconsin Riverview Cancer Center
Earlier this month the University of Wisconsin Cancer Center Riverview became the first medical facility in the world to treat patients with a breakthrough treatment of skin cancer. Located within Riverview Hospital, Wisconsin Rapids, the UW Cancer Center Riverview is the first to treat skin cancer patients with the FDA-cleared Axxent(R) Electronic Brachytherapy System from Xoft, Inc. Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx(TM) , delivers a high therapeutic dose to a cancer tumor while sparing nearby normal tissue by using a miniaturized X-ray rather than radioactive isotopes.
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Combination Clomiphene Citrate And Antioxidant Therapy For Idiopathic Male Infertility: A Randomized Controlled Trial
UroToday.com - Empirical medical treatment for idiopathic male factor infertility is a controversial issue. Several medications are used empirically for the treatment of idiopathic male factor infertility, including follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), antiestrogen, L-carnitine, and antioxidants. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination of clomiphene citrate and vitamin E in the management of men with idiopathic infertility.
Public Health

A Selection Of Viewpoints And Perspectives

A Red State Booster Shot - The Washington Post Those in the red states still smarting over Barack Obama"s election victory can perhaps take solace in this: The Democrats" No. 1 domestic policy initiative, universal health care, is likely to help red America at the expense of blue (Alec MacGillis, 5/31). Better Health Care: Balancing Better Options - Politico I have developed a proposal that helps to unlock access to affordable health coverage by requiring insurance companies in every state to offer a low-cost health insurance policy to every person, regardless of his or her health or what job he or she has (Sen. Judd Gregg, 6/1). The Wisdom Of Mandates - The Boston Globe For all the fiscal problems the Commonwealth now faces, its three-year-old universal health insurance reform cannot be blamed for driving up state government costs uncontrollably (Editorial, 5/31). Health Reform"s Savings Myth - The Washington Post The idea is that Congress can add a massive health-care program this year -- covering the uninsured -- and use the same measures that pay for the health reform to fix the broader budget problems. If that sounds too good to be true, there"s a reason (Maya MacGuineas, 5/31). Obama Targets Wrong Tax For Health Reform - The Detroit News Obama should instead admit that John McCain was right -- we need to fix the inefficient tax treatment of employer-sponsored health insurance (Joseph Antos, 5/30). Health Reform Would Be Expensive. So Would No Health Reform. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch A lot of the debate about reforming health care revolves around a false choice - the simplistic idea that transforming the health system would be far more expensive than sticking with the current system. A growing body of scholarly evidence points to the fallacy of that argument (Editorial, 5/31). A Rogue Industry - The New York Times It is time to grant the F.D.A. the power to regulate the content and marketing of tobacco products (Editorial, 5/30). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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