Henrietta Lacks' Cells Are Still Helping Protect Women From Cervical Cancer
When Henrietta Lacks was being treated for cervical cancer more than 60 years ago, her cells were taken for medical research without her consent. This ethical controversy became the subject of a 2010 best-selling book, Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, and now an HBO movie of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey.
Despite radiation therapy and surgery, Lacks died from the cancer in 1951. But her cells, known to scientists as HeLa cells, have played a role in many scientific advancements ― and have helped protect other young women from the cervical cancer that took Lacks’ lif...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - April 21, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Who Was Henrietta Lacks? 5 Striking Facts About The ‘Mother Of Modern Medicine’
Hardly anyone knew of Henrietta Lacks’ life story prior to 2010.
That year, Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was released, and went on to become a New York Times best-seller. The biographical book told the story of a black woman born on a tobacco farm in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1920 who revolutionized medical research and saved the lives of millions, without ever knowing it. Now, a new film by the same name starring Oprah Winfrey aims to make her life and impact more widely known.
Who exactly was Henrietta Lacks? And why is she described as the “Mother of Medicine&...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - April 19, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
Who Was Henrietta Lacks? 5 Striking Facts About The ‘Mother Of Modern Medicine’
Hardly anyone knew of Henrietta Lacks’ life story prior to 2010.
That year, Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was released, and went on to become a New York Times best-seller. The biographical book told the story of a black woman born on a tobacco farm in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1920 who revolutionized medical research and saved the lives of millions, without ever knowing it. Now, a new film by the same name starring Oprah Winfrey aims to make her life and impact more widely known.
Who exactly was Henrietta Lacks? And why is she described as the “Mother of Medicine&...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - April 19, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Henrietta Lacks's Cells Made These Breakthroughs Possible
Since its establishment in 1951, the HeLa cell line has been used to study everything from influenza to in vitro fertilization—and HeLa cells can now be found in laboratories the world over. Among the breakthrough medical moments Lacks’s DNA made possible: 1952 Jonas Salk develops the world’s first polio vaccine—but the lifesaving advancement must be tested before being given to children. Enter the first HeLa distribution center, created to produce trillions of cells and expose them to the virus.
1953
HeLa cells are mistakenly mixed with a liquid that causes their chromosomes to unclump, offering a...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - April 17, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
Henrietta Lacks's Cells Made These Breakthroughs Possible
Since its establishment in 1951, the HeLa cell line has been used to study everything from influenza to in vitro fertilization—and HeLa cells can now be found in laboratories the world over. Among the breakthrough medical moments Lacks’s DNA made possible: 1952 Jonas Salk develops the world’s first polio vaccine—but the lifesaving advancement must be tested before being given to children. Enter the first HeLa distribution center, created to produce trillions of cells and expose them to the virus.
1953
HeLa cells are mistakenly mixed with a liquid that causes their chromosomes to unclump, offering a...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - April 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Pittsburgh docs on pap smears: Still relevant, but maybe not for long
Pap smears, once recommended annually to screen women for cervical cancer, have decreased in frequency in the past few years as screening and vaccinations for human papillomavirus, the virus that causes the vast majority of cervical cancer cases, have become more widespread — a trend Pittsburgh doctors say could lead medicine away from the pap smear altogether.
While countries like the Netherlands and Australia have abandoned the pap smear in favor of HPV-only testing, most U.S. doctors still… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - March 6, 2017 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Lydia Nuzum Source Type: news
We've Been Seriously Underestimating Cervical Cancer Risks
Women, especially black women, might face a greater chance of dying of cervical cancer than previously thought, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer.
Estimates from previous studies may have been artificially low because they included women who had had hysterectomies, a procedure to remove the uterus. The new study suggests that black women are dying at a rate 77 percent higher, and white women are dying at a rate 47 percent higher, than researchers had previously thought. After adjusting for hysterectomies, cervical cancer killed 10 out of every 100,000 black women and approximately 5 out ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - January 24, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
These Numbers Show Just How Safe Vaccines Are
Anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that President-elect Donald Trump asked him to lead a new government commission on vaccine safety. But science on this issue is already clear; numerous studies show that vaccines are safe and effective, and that serious side effects are rare.
On Jan. 10, Kennedy met with the president-elect at Trump Tower, and later told reporters about the new commission. However, the Trump administration did not confirm that such a commission was in the works. A spokesperson for Trump said only that the president-elect was “exploring the possibility of forming a committee on autism,&...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - January 17, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
These Numbers Show Just How Safe Vaccines Are
Anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that President-elect Donald Trump asked him to lead a new government commission on vaccine safety. But science on this issue is already clear; numerous studies show that vaccines are safe and effective, and that serious side effects are rare.
On Jan. 10, Kennedy met with the president-elect at Trump Tower, and later told reporters about the new commission. However, the Trump administration did not confirm that such a commission was in the works. A spokesperson for Trump said only that the president-elect was “exploring the possibility of forming a committee on autism,&...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - January 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
HPV Blood Test Could Predict Prognosis in Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancer patients who have a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection detectable with a blood-based biomarker have a better prognosis compared with HPV-negative patients. (Source: CancerNetwork)
Source: CancerNetwork - December 22, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Anna Azvolinsky Tags: Head & Neck Cancer News Source Type: news
Cervical screening every 10 years for healthy women is 'safe'
Conclusion
This long-term follow-up of women involved in the POBASCAM randomised controlled trial aimed to assess the risk of extending screening intervals to more than five years for HPV-based cervical screening programmes.
The study found that in women who were HPV negative, the long-term incidence of cervical cancer and abnormal cells was low.
The research team believes these findings mean the interval between cervical screening tests can be increased to more than five years for women over the age of 40.
This study was well designed, and included a large number of women with similar dropout rates between study arms. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medical practice Source Type: news
10-Year Interval for Cervical Cancer Screening Proposed 10-Year Interval for Cervical Cancer Screening Proposed
Women aged 40 years or older who test negative for human papillomavirus can safely be screened for cervical cancer every 10 years, say Dutch researchers.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Hematology-Oncology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Hematology-Oncology Headlines - October 6, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Hematology-Oncology News Source Type: news
Cervical cancer: gap between screenings ‘can be increased to 10 years’
Dutch researchers say tests suggest increase in screening intervals for HPV-negative women over 40 is justifiedThe length of time between cervical screenings can safely be extended to a decade for some women, research suggests.The findings from researchers in the Netherlands show that for women over the age of 40 who test negative for the human papillomavirus (HPV), the gap between screening rounds could be increased to 10 years.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 4, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Tags: Cervical cancer Health Society UK news World news Medical research Source Type: news
BD Submits Pre-Market Approval Application to FDA for BD Onclarity(TM) HPV Test
FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Sept. 6, 2016 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today that it has submitted a pre-market approval (PMA) application to the U.... Diagnostics, FDA BD, BD Onclarity, HPV Assay, human papillomavirus, HPV (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)
Source: HSMN NewsFeed - September 6, 2016 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Well: The Weekly Health Quiz: Happiness, Fracking and Fatal Music
Test your knowledge of this week ’ s health news. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - August 26, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: TOBY BILANOW Tags: Cervarix (Vaccine) Gardasil (Vaccine) Happiness Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Hydraulic Fracturing Infections medicine and health Musical Instruments Vegetables Featured Quizzes Source Type: news
