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New Ovarian Transplant Technique Could Expand Use Of Procedure To Preserve Fertility
Two recent advancements in ovarian transplant techniques could potentially expand the availability of the procedure for women seeking to avoid fertility problems as they age, researchers reported Monday at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. According to the AP/Yahoo! News, ovary transplants traditionally have been performed on women with cancer as a method of preserving fertility after chemotherapy or other treatments that can affect the reproductive system. The procedure involves removing the ovaries before treatment and re-implanting them after treatment is complete. Because only a handful of these procedures have been successful, ovarian transplants have been an option only for women with serious diseases. However, as more women delay having children until their 30s or 40s, researchers say the new techniques, in theory, could make it simpler for healthy younger women to have an ovary removed, frozen and then re-implanted later in life when they are ready to have children.The first study examined how many eggs were lost or preserved in fresh and frozen ovarian tissue of 15 young women prior to the start of cancer treatment. According to the study, there was no difference in the quantity of eggs in the fresh tissue and in the ovaries frozen using a new ultra-fast technique. The study found that about 50% of a woman"s eggs were lost using the traditional, slow-freezing methods of preserving the ovaries.The second study reported on a new surgical technique to restore an ovary"s function after transplantation. For the study, Pascal Piver of Limoges University Hospital and colleagues divided the transplant process into two separate procedures in an attempt to more quickly re-establish blood and hormone supplies to the ovary. In the first procedure, the researchers performed a graft of small pieces of ovarian tissue to prompt blood vessels to grow. They performed the ovary transplant three days later. The technique was successful in a woman who lost fertility because of treatment for sickle cell anemia.Sherman Silber, director of the St. Louis Infertility Center in Missouri and a researcher for the first study, said the new techniques "could dramatically expand our reproductive life span." He added, "This is not an experimental procedure for cancer patients anymore. The question is whether more women should be able to have this option" (Cheng, AP/Yahoo! News, 6/29).
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Cholesterol-Regulating Genes Identified By Scientists
Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, have come a step closer to understanding how cholesterol levels are regulated. In a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the researchers identified 20 genes that are involved in this process. Besides giving scientists a better idea of where to look to uncover the mechanisms that ensure cholesterol balance is maintained, the discovery could lead to new treatments for cholesterol-related diseases.
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The Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) Announces New Survey Results Highlighting Major Gaps In Public Awareness Of Gout
The Gout & Uric Acid Education Society announced that new survey results reveal alarming gaps in the public"s awareness of gout, a painful and potentially debilitating form of arthritis that affects three to five million Americans. In a survey of more than 2,000 Americans, 65% of adults admitted to being "not at all knowledgeable" about gout and just over 70% did not know that gout is a form of arthritis. In fact, gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis among adults.
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A Selection Of Editorials And Opinions

A Lifeline For Primary Care The New England Journal of Medicine Primary care in the United States needs a lifeline. In 2009, for the 12th straight year, the number of graduating U.S. medical students choosing primary care residencies reached dismally low levels (Bodenheimer, Grumbach and Berenson, 6/25). The Drug Industry"s Offer The New York Times Before anyone gets too ecstatic, we will need a lot more details about what industry is giving up and what it is getting (Editorial, 6/25). Government Health Plans Always Ration Care The Wall Street Journal If these proposals are implemented and fail to produce savings, government will turn to a less appealing but more familiar tool to cut costs: the regulation of access to drugs and medical services (Gottlieb, 6/25). Iowans Will Suffer Unless Doctors" Medicare Payments Are Fair The Des Moines Register Expanding [Medicare and Medicaid] without changing the payment system could bring more problems if the expansion simply replaces private insurance (Kitchell, 6/25). Calculating Insurance Interests The Boston Globe The industry should be relieved that all Obama is threatening it with is a rival plan and not a SWAT team (Editorial, 6/25). The Prescription From Obama"s Own Doctor The New York Times I hope President Obama tunes out the A.M.A. and reaches out instead to somebody to whom he"s turned often for medical advice. That"s Dr. David Scheiner, a Chicago internist who was Mr. Obama"s doctor for more than two decades (Kristof, 6/25). ObamaCare Isn"t Inevitable The Wall Street Journal To argue, as Mr. Obama does, that a government-run health-care plan can control costs better than a market-based system is a mistake (Rove, 6/25). 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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