Study: Link between obesity and cesarean section

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found that patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) at the time of delivery are at a greater risk of having a c-section.

Researchers involved in the study examined data on roughly 125,000 women who had a baby between 2002 and 2008, including the way in which each baby was delivered, as well as other information surrounding the birth. Each woman was part of the National Institutes of Health’s Consortium on Safe Labor.

Along with her team, lead researcher Dr. Michelle Kominiarek, a fetal and maternal medicine physician at Indiana University Hospital, found that for each additional unit in BMI, the risk that a woman would need to undergo cesarean section increased by 4 percent. Of the women included in the study, 14 percent had c-sections.

In the U.S., about a third of all births are delivered through c-section, which can increase the risk of bleeding, infection and hysterectomy. The rate of c-section is now about 50 percent higher than it was just two decades ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If your child has suffered an injury that may have been preventable, please call or e-mail Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. One of our experienced birth injury attorneys will evaluate your case at no cost. We have helped clients across New York, including those with Bronx birth injury, Queens birth injury, Brooklyn birth injury, Manhattan birth injury and Long Island birth injury cases.

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New Way to Detect Common Cancers

According to scientists, a sensor known as an “electronic nose” may be able to identify chemical variations in a person’s breath that indicate cancer. The breath test was found to be able to identify prostate, breast, lung and bowel cancers by making a distinction between healthy and malignant breath.

Although this technology is still in its earliest stages of development, the clear usefulness of this tool could be a huge step in diagnosing these types of cancer earlier than before. The study that gave way to this report, which was published in the British Journal of Cancer, was conducted using 177 participants. Each person’s breath was tested to detect whether cancer was present or not.

Early detection of cancer allows for earlier treatment and a better prognosis. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treating cancer, the cancer malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call us today, or submit an instant inquiry now. Our firm has helped clients with Queens cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Bronx cancer malpractice, Long Island cancer malpractice and other New York cancer malpractice cases.

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New Pap Smear Guidelines for Young Women

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released new guidelines stating that for women under 21 years of age, Pap smears may cause more damage than good.

These new guidelines support previous cervical cancer screening recommendations from late 2009. However, in addition to the previous guidelines, the new recommendations also state that for young girls with weakened immune systems, Pap smears should be performed before they turn 21. A compromised immune system as a result of organ transplant, HIV or other condition may permit human papillomavirus (HPV) infections to become cancer more easily than in a healthy young woman, so earlier screening is recommended.

Roughly 20 million people in the U.S. are currently infected with HPV, making it the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HPV rarely leads to cervical cancer in women under 21, making Pap smears for women in this age group uncalled for.

National Cancer Institute data shows that so far in 2010, more than 12,000 women have been newly diagnosed with cervical cancer, which is almost always caused by HPV infections. If you or a loved one have experienced a delay in diagnosing cancer and have questions about the quality of the medical care you received, call or email the cancer malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We have helped clients with Bronx cervical cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cervical cancer malpractice, Queens cervical cancer malpractice and Long Island cervical cancer malpractice cases. Call today for your FREE case evaluation.

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Home Care for Cystic Fibrosis as Effective as Hospital Treatment

A new study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has found that for patients living with cystic fibrosis, treatment at home is just as effective as hospital care when recuperating from a respiratory flare-up. The study also suggests that antibiotic treatment for a longer period has no added benefits compared to short-term antibiotic treatment.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition which causes serious damage to the lungs, as well as nutritional deficiencies, according to the Mayo Clinic. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University looked at more than 1,500 patients with this condition to reach their conclusions. They found that whether a patient was given antibiotics at their home or in the hospital, a decline in lung function frequently followed respiratory worsening.

Current treatment practices for flare-ups usually involve therapy for 10 to 21 days. However, the research team found that the most advantageous length of therapy for improving lung function is 7 to 10 days.

Cystic fibrosis can be life-threatening if the proper treatment is not received. If you or a loved one was harmed by a doctor or hospital’s misdiagnosis or delay in treatment for cystic fibrosis or some other condition. Call or email the medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for a free case evaluation. We have helped clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

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Study: Link found between heart rate and kidney disease

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, there may be a connection between a person’s heart rate and the health of their kidneys.

Along with his team of researchers, Dr. Daniel Brotman of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that in patients with higher risk for kidney disease, there was a greater likelihood of having a high resting heart rate and low variability beat-to-beat.

The study, which included 13,241 American adults age 45 to 64, suggests that certain types of kidney disease may be indicated by autonomic nervous system that fails to function correctly. This system is responsible for regulating various involuntary functions of the body, including blood pressure, temperature and heart rate.

Brotman and his colleagues found that people with a high resting heart rate had twice as much risk of developing kidney disease later on in life. The researchers also found that people with a low beat-to-beat variability were 1.5 times as likely to develop kidney failure.

Kidney failure can be fatal and requires intensive treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic. If a doctor or hospital misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose your serious medical condition, speak with one of the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We have helped clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

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High Blood Pressure in Pregnant Diabetics Not Lowered by Vitamin Supplements

A recent study appearing in the online journal The Lancet has found that vitamin supplements taken by type 1 diabetic women during pregnancy does not lower the risk of preeclampsia, a disorder where blood pressure increases suddenly after 20 weeks of gestation.

Earlier research suggested that antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins C and E, may prevent the decreased level of antioxidants and increased oxidative stress linked to type 1 diabetes. However, this study, which was presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting, has found that the vitamin supplements have little effect on increased blood pressure.

For the study, British researchers assigned the 762 expecting mothers with type 1 diabetes participating in the research to a daily regimen of either a placebo pill or 1000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E. The women were started on the supplements or placebo between their 8th and 22nd week of pregnancy and delivery.

Researchers found that in the group taking the vitamin supplements, the rate of preeclampsia was 15 percent. For the placebo group, the rate was 19 percent. The research team found that women who were given vitamins C and E had a lower risk of preterm delivery. In addition, women in the vitamin group with low antioxidant status at the beginning of the study were found to have a considerably lower risk of preeclampsia, as well as a reduced risk of giving birth to a baby with a low birthweight.

If left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious complications or death for mother and baby, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you or your baby suffered an injury during labor or delivery that may have been preventable, please call or e-mail the experienced birth injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today for a free case evaluation. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. has helped clients with Bronx medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice, Brooklyn medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases.

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Estrogen-Lowering Therapy before Surgery Benefits Breast Cancer Patients

A new study presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago has found that for some breast cancer patients, receiving estrogen-lowering drugs prior to surgery may help avoid full mastectomies, instead allowing them to receive lumpectomies that could help conserve the breast.

Researchers used data from a national survey involving almost 120 hospitals in the U.S. to reach this conclusion. Roughly 350 postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer participated in the study, which placed them on a four month treatment schedule of estrogen-lowering drugs before surgery. ER+ breast cancer, in which tumor growth is stimulated by estrogen, is the most common form of breast cancer.

In each participant, tumor growth was monitored before starting treatment, as well as after. The women were also placed into one of three groups. Women in the “marginal” category qualified for a lumpectomy; however the procedure may have required additional procedures. Women categorized as “mastectomy-only” were not believed to be eligible for a lumpectomy. Finally, women whose cancer was thought to be untreatable, even through mastectomy, were classified as “inoperable”.

Following the estrogen-lowering regimen, researchers discovered that more than 80 percent of women in the “marginal” category were now considered eligible for lumpectomies, which would conserve more of their breast. Of the women in the “mastectomy-only” group, more than 50 percent were able to receive lumpectomies, and about 75 percent considered inoperable were able to have a lumpectomy. The estrogen-lowering drugs were found to shrink the tumors in many of the participants, allowing them to have less disfiguring surgeries.

Earlier treatment usually results in a better prognosis for patients with breast cancer. If you or a loved one has breast cancer medical malpractice questions in New York, please contact the cancer malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We have helped clients with Manhattan breast cancer, Bronx breast cancer, Brooklyn breast cancer, Long Island breast cancer, and Queens breast cancer cases.

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