The Susan G Komen for the Cure charity took an unpopular position regarding abortion and now the knives are out, including among the very people who praised them for so long. Here is the latest salvo against them.
Professors Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin of the Center for Medicine and the Media at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice argue that last year's breast cancer awareness month campaign by Susan G Komen for the Cure "overstates the benefit of mammography and ignores harms altogether."
Their views are published on bmj.com today as part of an occasional series highlighting the exaggerations, distortions, and selective reporting that make some news stories, advertising, and medical journal articles "not so."
A growing and increasingly accepted body of evidence shows that although screening may reduce a woman's chance of dying from breast cancer by a small amount, it also causes major harms, say the authors. Yet Komen's public advertising campaign gives women no sense that screening is a close call.
Instead it states that the key to surviving breast cancer is for women to get screened because "early detection saves lives. The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer when caught early is 98%. When it's not? 23%."
This benefit of mammography looks so big that it is hard to imagine why any woman would forgo screening. But the authors explain that comparing survival between screened and unscreened women is "hopelessly biased."
For example, imagine a group of 100 women who received diagnoses of breast cancer because they felt a breast lump at age 67, all of whom die at age 70. Five year survival for this group is 0%. Now imagine the women were screened, given their diagnosis three years earlier, at age 64, but still die at age 70. Five year survival is now 100%, even though no one lived a second longer.
Overdiagnosis (the detection of cancers that will not kill or even cause symptoms during a patient's lifetime) also distorts survival statistics because the numbers now include people who have a diagnosis of cancer but who, by definition, survive the cancer, the authors add.
"If there were an Oscar for misleading statistics, using survival statistics to judge the benefit of screening would win a lifetime achievement award hands down," they write.
But that doesn't stop people from misinterpreting survival statistics. Disturbingly, in a recent survey, the authors found that most US primary care doctors also mistakenly interpret improved survival as evidence that screening saves lives.
Mammography certainly sounds better when stated in terms of improving five year survival - from 23% to 98%, a difference of 75 percentage points, they say. But in terms of its actual benefit, mammography can reduce the chance that a woman in her 50s will die from breast cancer over the next 10 years from 0.53% to 0.46%, a difference of 0.07 percentage points.
The Komen advertisement also ignores the harms of screening, they add. For every life saved by mammography, around two to 10 women are overdiagnosed. These women cannot benefit from unnecessary chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. All they do experience is harm.
"Women need much more than marketing slogans about screening: they need - and deserve - the facts," conclude the authors. "The Komen advertisement campaign failed to provide the facts. Worse, it undermined decision making by misusing statistics to generate false hope about the benefit of mammography screening. That kind of behaviour is not very charitable."
Fiscal Year Ends on Positive Note, $2.3 Million Up
Higher than anticipated revenues and cost cuts in general government, public safety, and reductions in debt service and insurance expenses netted Westport a $2.3 million favorable balnce for the fiscal year ending June 30, Gary Conrad, Westport?s finance director and acting personnel director, announced today.
He said the money that will be rolled back into the town?s fund balance.
Conrad, who submitted the unaudited results to Board of Finance members in advance of tonight?s meeting, said the savings make good on First Selectman Gordon Joseloff?s pledge last fall to reduce budgeted town expenditures by at least $500,000 in the 2011-12 fiscal year. Expenses were estimated to be $950,000 under budget, Conrad said.
In addition, he said revenues are expected to be $1.3 million favorable due mainly to higher tax collections, interest on past due taxes, parking violations payments and Emergency Medical Services reimbursements.
More "Fiscal Year Ends on Positive Note, $2.3 Million Up"
NEW YORK (AP) ? "Fifty Shades of Grey" author E.L. James will soon make her first visits to two hotspots featured in her erotic trilogy: Seattle and Portland.
Vintage Books announced Thursday that the Britain-based writer is including the two U.S. Pacific Northwest cities on a tour this fall to promote her multimillion-selling novels. James will appear at Seattle's Third Place Books on Sept. 22 and at Portland's Powell's Books on Sept. 24.
James will also travel to Houston, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
New broadband policy focus urged The Press Association (UKPA) ? 12 minutes ago. The Government?s broadband policy has become "preoccupied" with delivering certain speeds to consumers and needs greater focus on access to the internet through a national broadband network, a report by peers has concluded. See all stories on this topic ?
Google shows ISPs how to build a superfast network CNET (blog) Google is showing the cable companies and telecommunications providers how a broadband network should be built. On Thursday, the company took the wraps off its new Google Fiber and Google Fiber TV services, which through a fiber connection directly ? See all stories on this topic ?
FCC, SD utilities split on broadband fund reforms Businessweek The FCC announced this past week that CenturyLink Inc. has accepted $140000 in Connect America Fund money to provide broadband in 180 locations in South Dakota. The company must complete two-thirds of its new broadband commitments within two ? See all stories on this topic ?
US program to boost rural Va broadband access CBS News The FCC?s Connect America Fund will help CenturyLink Inc. connect more than 2000 locations statewide to broadband service. Under the deal, CenturyLink must complete two-thirds of its new broadband installations within two years, and the rest by the third ? See all stories on this topic ?
Entropic Communications Announces Production Release for Its New? MarketWatch (press release) The new Broadband Access solution is designed for the China EoC market, as regional Multiple System Operators (MSOs) and Cable Network Operators require solutions that can satisfy China?s NGB (Next Generation Broadcasting) bandwidth requirements. See all stories on this topic ?
Do we need a new National Broadband Plan? Ars Technica Google may be rolling out 1Gbps Internet access to Kansas City, but there are about 19 million American households and businesses that still lack any access to broadband, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Most of them are in rural ? See all stories on this topic ?
Broadband policy could bring back BT monopoly, claims Lords report ZDNet (blog) The idea of hubs is not new ? indeed, the government itself kicked off its broadband policy by calling for a "digital hub" in every community, but then quietly let it drop over time. "A key feature of open access fibre-optic hubs would be the fact they are precisely ? See all stories on this topic ?
Broadband Research?s Kinnucan Pleads Guilty in Tip Case Businessweek He told U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts that he both obtained and gave tips to clients of his expert-networking firm, including two in New York. ?From approximately 2008 to 2010 I worked with others to obtain material nonpublic information from employees of ? See all stories on this topic ?
Iowa View: New FCC rules pose problems for rural broadband expansion DesMoinesRegister.com However, this just got tougher with the implementation of new federal rules. In its efforts to expand broadband access, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved rules that are forcing rural providers to reassess how they will deploy ? See all stories on this topic ?
Like this:
Be the first to like this.
This entry was posted on July 31, 2012 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
While smartphones are taking on many of the features of personal computers, it is not really practical to leave them plugged into a wall throughout the day. This is a problem as apps, navigation services and faster network connections are causing our batteries to run out of juice more quickly than ever.
Thankfully, there are some obvious and not so obvious ways to extend battery life on our phones. Here are five tips worth exploring right away.
Know the good apps from the bad
Did you know that many of the more than one million apps available to download to smartphones contain programming errors and software bugs that mishandle power control? This means your devices can remain active when they should be sleeping. Yikes! Fortunately, not all apps are bad apples. In fact, there are a few out there dedicated to improving battery life. One recent offering called Carat (available on both iOS and Android devices) does more than simply monitor battery use. Over time, it observes how you use your smartphone and then makes suggestions about which apps you might be able to ditch to save battery juice. The app is still very much a work in progress, but it offers a lot of potential and at the very least can help you identify the most rotten app offenders.
If you?re an Android user, an app like JuiceDefender could be well worth a look. It offers many customizable features to help you get the best battery life. It can automatically and transparently manage most battery draining components, like 3G/4G connectivity and Wi-Fi. You can set a schedule when you want things to switch on or off, and the app is even ?location aware? so it knows when to do things like switch off Wi-Fi when you are away from a known signal.
A more extreme and controversial way to save battery life on Android devices is to ?root? the phones by using a custom read-only memory (ROM). While this can improve battery life by removing the pre-installed apps that drain juice every time you turn on your phone, rooting may lead to other complications that only advanced users can figure out. And most manufacturers and carriers won?t honor warranties after a phone has been rooted. So proceed with caution, if at all.
Learn to identify apps running in the background (and know how to close them)
There is a good chance that there are apps running in the background of your phone that you think you closed or reappear each time you reboot your device. Fortunately, it?s easy to identify and correct this on the iOS and Android operating systems with a few easy steps.
On iOS, a double click of the home button pops up a row of icons at the bottom of the screen. These are the most recent apps that you used. Holding your finger on one of the icons for a second brings up the ability to fully ?kill? the app in question. Do this regularly and you will very quickly discover some battery life improvements.
On Android, in the ?Settings? screen, choose ?Applications.? Under the ?Running Services? tab you?ll be able to see which apps are still running, even if you think you?ve backed out of them and closed them down. It?s usually safe to stop certain apps, but it should be noted that some system apps run all the time, and terminating them early could cause issues. For example, killing certain Google services may mean you don?t get notified of incoming Gmail, so exercise caution.
Speaking of Google, Android users should also check the ?Accounts & Sync? section in their Settings. Turning off automatic syncing for some of the apps may help gain back some battery life. Sure, you may still want to always sync your email, but you might be able to live without constantly syncing services like weather, Flickr, Twitter and other services perhaps. This advice applies to both iOS and Android users: check all your apps and see if they have options that let you switch off background syncing or updates. Some Android users also swear by various ?task killer? apps to keep their phone running smoothly and free of battery-sapping processes.
Keep your battery cool when charging (and while in use)
Your smartphone most likely uses a Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery. Be aware that extreme temperatures can negatively impact battery life so whenever possible keep your device in elements between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While a frigid phone should reclaim its functionality once it returns to room temperature, an overheated device could permanently ruin your battery. Over the course of a year, prolonged exposure to climates above 95 degrees could reduce a phone capacity by as much as 35 percent.
Beyond the obvious tips of keeping your phone out of the sun for prolonged periods of time or removing it from the car?s glove compartment on a hot summer day, there are less straightforward and equally important methods you can embrace to keep it cool. Remove any protective cover or accessory every time your phone is being charged. When you?re walking around, keep your phone in a ventilated holster or belt clip rather than a sweaty hand or pocket. And while over-charging will also contribute to an overheated phone, Ars Technica reminds us that it?s best to plug your phone in when low on juice rather than to run it out completely.
Only use 4G connections and other advanced services when you need to
While Apple?s iPhone continues to be a 3G-only device for now (expect 4G LTE capabilities for its next iteration come October), Android users are enjoying the spoils of running their smartphones on super-fast 4G LTE networks offered by Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Trouble is, 4G can be a real battery zapper, especially if you?re using it in an area of marginal coverage. If in doubt, your Android probably has a toggle setting where you can set your phone to use only 3G, You will soon see an extension to battery life that way while not really compromising speed or service.
And disabling a 4G connection when not needed is just the start. If you know you?re going to be away from home or a known wireless Internet connection, turn off your Wi-Fi locator. Also, GPS is particularly handy if you find yourself navigating somewhere new, but don?t leave it on all the time if you?re not using it. The same thing applies to Bluetooth.
One of the biggest battery suckers of modern smartphones are their bright, high-resolution displays. Automatic brightness controls that adapt to light can help, and you may want to check sound and vibration notifications and adjust those too.
Invest in an extra battery, booster or charger
If you discover your smartphone seems to be running out of battery life quicker than ever despite your habits remaining unchanged, it could be worth investing in a spare or new battery. It?s worth noting that aftermarket batteries not made by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are considerably cheaper. They do, however, vary in quality. Some aftermarket batteries can be trusted, but be aware of ?too good to be true? prices for smartphone batteries on retailers like eBay. You could end up with junk, or worse, a faulty battery that permanently damage your device. Buy carefully and smartly from trusted retailers to be safe.
And if you own an iPhone or other smartphone that doesn?t allow you to remove or replace its battery, consider buying a battery booster or at least an extra charger. Though they will add a bit of bulk to your usually-svelte device, something like the Mophie Juice Pack Air could effectively double the talk time of your iPhone 4 or 4S. There?s even the ReVIVE Series Solar Restore, a solar-powered accessory that will give a little bit of extra battery boost to your smartphone. Though these can only charge about 50 percent of an internal battery, that could still be enough to get you through the day. If not, an extra charger for the car or office should do the trick.
Stopping statin therapy increases risk of death for rheumatoid arthritis patients Public release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell
Study highlights importance of therapy compliance to reduce cardiovascular disease mortality
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who discontinue use of statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes. According to the findings of a population-based study now available in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), RA patients should be advised of the importance of compliance to their statin therapy to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk.
A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that RA affects up to one percent of the population in developed countries. Studies have shown that death rates among those with RA are 1.5-fold higher than in the general population, with CVD cited at the leading cause of mortality in this patient group. Statinsdrugs such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) that are used to lower cholesterol and manage heart diseaseare a common therapy for RA patients who are at greater risk of heart disease. Previous research reported 38% of RA patients permanently discontinue statin therapy, consequently increasing their heart attack risk by 67%.
"Our study provides evidence of the harmful effects of ceasing statin therapy," said lead author Mary De Vera, Ph.D., with the University of British Columbia School of Population & Public Health and Arthritis Research Centre of Canada. Using data from the British Columbia Ministry of Health records, researchers indentified 37,151 RA patients who received health services between January 1996 and March 2006. Of those with RA there were 4,102 patients who used statins. The team defined statin discontinuation as non-use of the prescribed medication for three months or more, anytime during the course of therapy.
The mean age of the RA group was 67 years, with 60% of the group being women. More than 16,144 person-years of follow-up were recorded for patients using statins, with roughly 45% of statin users discontinuing therapy at least once during the 4-year follow-up period. The authors reported 198 deaths from CVD and 467 deaths overall. Of the CVD deaths, 31% were from heart attacks and 15% from strokes.
Further analysis revealed that statin discontinuation was associated with a 60% increased risk of CVD deaths and 79% for deaths from all causes, which was not moderated by timing of the first statin prescription, age, or gender. "RA patients who discontinue statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease," concludes Dr. De Vera. "Our study findings emphasize the importance of medication compliance in RA patients who are prescribed statins."
###
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact healthnews@wiley.com
Full citation: "Impact of Statin Discontinuation on Mortality in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis A Population-Based Study." Mary A. De Vera, Hyon Choi, Michal Abrahamowicz, Jacek Kopec and Diane Lacaille. Arthritis Care & Research; Published Online: March 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.21643).
About the Journal:
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed research publication that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2151-4658.
About Wiley-Blackwell:
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Stopping statin therapy increases risk of death for rheumatoid arthritis patients Public release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell
Study highlights importance of therapy compliance to reduce cardiovascular disease mortality
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who discontinue use of statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes. According to the findings of a population-based study now available in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), RA patients should be advised of the importance of compliance to their statin therapy to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk.
A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that RA affects up to one percent of the population in developed countries. Studies have shown that death rates among those with RA are 1.5-fold higher than in the general population, with CVD cited at the leading cause of mortality in this patient group. Statinsdrugs such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) that are used to lower cholesterol and manage heart diseaseare a common therapy for RA patients who are at greater risk of heart disease. Previous research reported 38% of RA patients permanently discontinue statin therapy, consequently increasing their heart attack risk by 67%.
"Our study provides evidence of the harmful effects of ceasing statin therapy," said lead author Mary De Vera, Ph.D., with the University of British Columbia School of Population & Public Health and Arthritis Research Centre of Canada. Using data from the British Columbia Ministry of Health records, researchers indentified 37,151 RA patients who received health services between January 1996 and March 2006. Of those with RA there were 4,102 patients who used statins. The team defined statin discontinuation as non-use of the prescribed medication for three months or more, anytime during the course of therapy.
The mean age of the RA group was 67 years, with 60% of the group being women. More than 16,144 person-years of follow-up were recorded for patients using statins, with roughly 45% of statin users discontinuing therapy at least once during the 4-year follow-up period. The authors reported 198 deaths from CVD and 467 deaths overall. Of the CVD deaths, 31% were from heart attacks and 15% from strokes.
Further analysis revealed that statin discontinuation was associated with a 60% increased risk of CVD deaths and 79% for deaths from all causes, which was not moderated by timing of the first statin prescription, age, or gender. "RA patients who discontinue statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease," concludes Dr. De Vera. "Our study findings emphasize the importance of medication compliance in RA patients who are prescribed statins."
###
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact healthnews@wiley.com
Full citation: "Impact of Statin Discontinuation on Mortality in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis A Population-Based Study." Mary A. De Vera, Hyon Choi, Michal Abrahamowicz, Jacek Kopec and Diane Lacaille. Arthritis Care & Research; Published Online: March 28, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.21643).
About the Journal:
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed research publication that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2151-4658.
About Wiley-Blackwell:
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (http://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 28-Mar-2012
Share ]