HPV Vaccine Protects against Anal Cancer in Women

Jeffrey Hamilton/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- New research offers women one more reason to get vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV).  In addition to lowering the risk of cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancer, the vaccine also protects against anal cancer.

It is believed that about 90 percent of anal cancer is caused by an HPV infection.  Although anal cancer is rare, it has become more prevalent in recent years in the United States, nearly doubling in prevalence in the past decade.  About 5,300 people are diagnosed with anal cancer each year, the majority of whom are women, according to the American Cancer Society.

"I think we can expect to see a profound reduction in anal cancer among women vaccinated," Aimée Kreimer, the lead author on the study and investigator at the National Cancer Institute, said.

"We know that screening for cervical works because rates have been plummeting, but for anal cancer, rates are on the rise and there is no official screening process for anal cancer in women.  With the vaccine, we can have women getting vaccinated for cervical cancer who will get this added benefit of protection against anal cancer," Kreimer said.

In a study of more than 4,000 women aged 18 to 25, researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health found that the HPV vaccine was protective against anal cancer in 62 percent of women.  Among women who had no previous exposure to HPV infection, the rate of prevention was even higher at 84 percent.  Researchers followed women for four years after the first vaccination.

"This is a significant study because we are accumulating evidence that anal cancers in men and women can be prevented by HPV vaccination," Dr. Kevin Ault, associate professor of gynecology and infectious disease at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said.

Although the Food and Drug Administration approved the HPV vaccine for the prevention of anal cancer in boys and girls ages 9 to 26 in December of 2010, the focus of research at that time was in preventing anal cancer in men who have sex with men.  What's exciting about this research, said Dr. Samuel Katz, professor and chairman of the department of pediatrics at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, is that now there's evidence showing that it's preventative in women as well.

Further strengthening the findings is the study's finding that the vaccine is effective even in women 18 and older.  Current recommendations suggest that girls get vaccinated as early as age 9 in order to increase the likelihood that they will be vaccinated before they become sexually active and might be exposed to HPV.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Hawaii Is the Happiest State in the Nation, Survey Finds

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- If Hawaii’s sunshine and beautiful beaches aren’t enough to get you to travel to The Aloha State, perhaps the happiness of its citizens will do the trick.

Hawaii is the happiest state in the nation in 2011, according to a new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. America's 50th state ranked number one, followed by North Dakota and Alaska.  At the bottom of the list is West Virginia.

The Well-Being Index score is an average of several factors, including job satisfaction, physical health, emotional health, access to health care and community satisfaction.  Scores are calculated on an ascending scale of 0 to 100.  The Well-Being Index is based on surveys of more than 177,000 Americans conducted between January and June 2011.

Here are the 50 U.S. states in order of their well-being scores:

Hawaii: 71.1
North Dakota: 70.5
Alaska: 69.4
Nebraska: 68.4
Minnesota: 68.3
Colorado: 68.3
Utah: 68.1
New Hampshire: 67.9
Iowa: 67.9
Kansas: 67.8
Vermont: 67.8
Maryland: 67.8
Massachusetts: 67.7
South Dakota: 67.6
Virginia: 67.6
California: 67.5
Washington: 67.2
Oregon: 67.2
Montana: 67.1
Connecticut: 66.9
Arizona: 66.9
New Mexico: 66.8
Idaho: 66.7
Wisconsin: 66.6
Maine: 66.6
Texas: 66.6
New Jersey: 66.5
Wyoming: 66.5
North Carolina: 66.5
Rhode Island: 66.2
Illinois: 66.2
Georgia: 66.2
Delaware: 66.0
Nevada: 65.9
Pennsylvania: 65.8
Michigan: 65.8
South Carolina: 65.7
Florida: 65.4
New York: 65.2
Missouri: 65.1
Alabama: 65.1
Indiana: 64.9
Arkansas: 64.9
Oklahoma: 64.8
Tennessee: 64.7
Louisiana: 64.6
Ohio: 64.4
Mississippi: 63.6
Kentucky: 63.0
West Virginia: 62.4

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Supermoms Are More Depressed, Researchers Say

Goodshoot/Thinkstock(SEATTLE) -- Working mothers who seem to have everything, including great jobs, fabulous kids and an overall wonderful life, may have something they don't want to brag about.

A new study found that supermoms who aspire to seamlessly juggle their kids and career are more likely to be depressed than their more relaxed counterparts. Researchers at the University of Washington, in Seattle, say the reason is frustration caused by a mismatch between their expectations and the reality of obstacles in the workplace.  

They say working moms should cut themselves some slack and realize that it feels difficult because it is difficult.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Researchers Examine Toxicity of Breast Cancer Drugs

Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Drugs called aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer in post-menopausal women.  They work by inhibiting the production of estrogen which stimulates the growth of breast cancer cells.

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute looks at why the drugs, called AIs, are associated with a reduction in breast cancer recurrence but not in improved survival.

Researchers found that, compared with Tamoxifen -- another breast cancer drug -- longer use of AIs was associated with a number of adverse toxic effects -- among them, increased heart disease and bone fractures.

The authors conclude that the toxicity of AIs over long periods of treatment may explain the lack of overall survival benefit despite a positive effect on breast cancer recurrence.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Drug Shortages Pave Way for Price 'Gougers'

Comstock/Thinkstock(DENVER) -- Ryan Stice, pharmacy director at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, says he gets inundated daily with phone calls, emails and faxes from pharmaceutical vendors who promise to provide drugs that are in short supply at his hospital. But there is a catch -- their prices are high, and their practices can seem questionable.

"I have a story about one of these vendors calling on a Friday night, lying to a staff member to get approval for shipment, and sending their products for Saturday delivery to avoid our normal safeguards on bogus shipments and invoicing," Stice said.

Operating in the semi-legal "gray market" of pharmaceuticals, this network of distributors works outside the normal drug supply chain, stockpiling vital drugs and offering to sell them to hospitals and clinics at inflated prices.

According to an analysis by Premier Healthcare Alliance, a national organization that collects and analyzes clinical and financial data from its member hospitals, recent unprecedented drug shortages have enlivened this "gray" pharmaceutical market.

The Food and Drug Administration currently lists 180 drugs that are in short supply around the nation, including drugs used to treat cancer and sedate patients for surgery and care. Mike Alkire, the chief operating officer at Premier Healthcare Alliance, which published data on drug price-grouging practices last week, said these shortages have left many hospitals scrambling for supplies of these vital medicines.

"When quantity decreased, demand increased, and so did the price," said Alkire.

Premier analyzed nearly 2,000 sales offers from "gray market" distributors and found an average price markup of 650 percent for drugs used to treat cancer and other critical illnesses, as well as sedate patients for surgery, that have been in short supply in recent months. The analysis found that 96 percent of the markups offered were at least double the normal price of the drugs. The highest markup was for the drug lebetalol, used to treat high blood pressure. Lebetalol usually sells for $25.90, but "gray market" offers priced it at $1,200.

Most hospitals don't buy drugs from "gray market" vendors, and inflated pricing isn't the only reason. These distributors often get their drugs from "quasi-legal sources," said Alkire, that may not store, ship and handle the drugs according to the manufacturer's standards. This decreases the safety and effectiveness of the drugs. Another worry is that "gray market" vendors sell drugs that are diluted or completely fake.

Some U.S. drug manufacturers try to keep their drugs off the "gray market." Debra Lynn Ross, a spokeswoman for drug manufacturer APP Pharmaceuticals, said the company only deals with authorized wholesalers and distributors. She said APP has started shipping drugs directly to hospitals and clinics to discourage stockpiling and reselling by gray-market vendors.

Hospitals have struggled to adjust to the drop in drug supplies. For some drugs, there may be equally effective alternatives that doctors can substitute in treatments. But other drugs have few options. Stice said when supplies of some drugs get too low, nurses and pharmacists mix drug doses in smaller sizes than usual, potentially decreasing waste when a medication is stopped early or changed.

Jeffrey Smerage, medical director of infusion at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, said doctors there have had to make hard choices about which patients get the most effective drugs. "None of those decisions are fair or easy, but we had few options," he said.

Premier recommends that hospitals and pharmacists take precautions in dealing with drug vendors, such as checking that the vendor is a licensed, authorized distributor of the drug, and to report suspect suppliers to authorities.

But Michigan's Smerage said the best way to deal with price-gouging vendors is to fix the dwindling supplies of drugs.

"In the end, you wouldn't have a gray market and you wouldn't have markups if there wasn't a drug shortage," he said.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Surfing Dog, Ricochet, Helps Disabled Surf

Comstock/Thinkstock(SAN DIEGO) -- There are dogs who play ball, dogs who chase cats and dogs who catch Frisbees. But near San Diego there is Ricochet, a 3-year-old golden retriever who catches waves and captures hearts.

Ricochet helps teach disabled people how to surf by acting as a canine co-pilot.

"She stabilizes the board," said Sabine Becker, who was born with no arms. "Somehow, she does it so we're not off-balance. She is just standing there and just surfs with us."

Surfing isn't even Ricochet's first career. From birth, she was trained to be a service dog, a companion to someone who needed help with everyday tasks. But she is a little mischievous and likes to chase birds -- poor traits for a companion who needs to provide constant attention.

Owner Judy Fridono discovered Ricochet had other ways to help.

"I wanted her to make a difference in one life, and she's touched millions and millions now," Fridono told ABC News.

Ricochet started boogie boarding at 8 weeks old and is now a pro on the surfboard. Fridono swears she adjusts her balance and stance depending on the disability of the person she is surfing with.

Ricochet is just as valuable on land: She has raised more than $100,000 for different charities on her Facebook page and her videos have gone viral, garnering more than 3 million views.

She is also a finalist for the annual "Hero Dog Award" from the American Humane Association, where she is up against a guide dog and even a military dog -- all amazing animals. And while they all might rate a 10, only Ricochet can hang ten.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Hospitals Giving Faster Help to Heart Attack Victims

Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Hospitals all over the country are getting faster at giving life-saving angioplasties to patients who have heart attacks, according to a report published Monday in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation.

The five-year study of more than 300,000 patients found that the average time it took for doctors to perform an angioplasty -- a procedure used to open a blocked or narrowed artery in the heart -- after they were admitted decreased from 96 minutes in 2005 to 64 minutes in 2010.

During a heart attack, blocked blood vessels prevent the heart from getting the blood it needs to function. Angioplasty opens the blood vessels -- often using a balloon passed through the narrowed locations which is then inflated -- and, if performed quickly, can keep the patient's heart from getting damaged by a lack of blood.

Previous practice guidelines have recommended that patients should get emergency angioplasty in less than 90 minutes after a heart attack. In 2006 and 2007, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association launched campaigns to get cardiologists and hospitals to lower their door-to-balloon times to give the best care to heart attack patients.

Mike Valentine, a cardiologist at Centra hospital in Lynchburg, Va., said patients with heart attacks there get angioplasty in an average of 43 minutes. Several years ago, the door-to-balloon time was about 80 minutes.

"Our times are excellent, but we try to never be satisfied," Valentine said. "We're constantly trying to improve those times and get that care to our patients faster."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Marriage, Divorce Lead to Unhealthy Weight Gain

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(LAS VEGAS) -- Forget the "freshman 15."  New research suggests marriage and divorce can lead to significant, often unhealthy weight gain.

A study of more than 10,000 people found that marital changes can leave both partners packing on the pounds, with the most worrisome weight gain in newlywed women and recently divorced men.

"After marriage or divorce, both men and women gain weight.  But women tend to gain more weight after marriage, and men tend to gain more after divorce," said study author Zhenchao Qian, a sociology professor at Ohio State University.  Qian and postdoctoral student Dmitry Tumin presented their findings at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Previous studies have linked marriage -- considered a healthy union overall -- with weight gain, and divorce with weight loss.

"But those studies looked at average changes in weight, so you couldn't get a good picture of who was gaining or losing, or maybe gaining a lot of weight," said Qian.  So Qian and Tumin sought to uncover how gender and age factor into the marital mass equation.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth -- a biannual survey of men and women from 1986 to 2008 -- the researchers tracked body mass index of people who were never married, stayed married or divorced.  Within two years of marriage or divorce, some BMIs ballooned.  Although they can't tell why from their study, Qian and Tumin have a theory.

"After marriage, women will take care of their families and maybe eat the way their husband does or their children so," he said, explaining that the change in routine can trigger weight gain for some women.  Men, on the other hand, "tend to be healthier after marriage in terms of diet," Qian said.

Married men are also more likely to go for routine checkups.  After divorce, Qian said, men may lose that protection.

Susan Heitler, a marriage counselor in Denver and author of poweroftwomarriage.com, has another theory.

"Joy and grief are strong emotions that can lead to an increase or decrease in appetite," Heitler said, adding that newlyweds often gain small amounts of weight because they're content.  But in people who are newly divorced, depression can cause substantial weight gain.

"There's an impulse to self-soothe with food combined with a drop in self-control that comes with depression or grieving," Heitler said.  "People will think, 'Not only do I feel like eating a candy bar, but I just don't have the will power to say no.'"

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Trial Begins in Amputated Penis Case

Comstock/Thinkstock(SHELBY COUNTY, Ky.) -- Phillip Seaton went to the hospital in October 2007 for a routine circumcision to treat inflammation but left the operating room without a penis.

Seaton sued his surgeon, Dr. John Patterson, for removing his penis without his permission, and the trial got under way Monday in Shelby County (Kentucky) Circuit Court. Seaton and his wife, Deborah, seek damages for "loss of service, love and affection."

Patterson said he found cancer while performing the routine circumcision, and Patterson's defense attorney, Clay Robinson, said the surgeon had no other options but to remove the penis immediately, according to court documents.

Judge Charles Hickman instructed both lawyers to refrain from commenting on the case because it is ongoing.

Despite the alleged seriousness of Seaton's penile cancer, experts contacted by ABC News said that the doctor needed consent from the patient before surgically removing his sex organ.

"I think the doctor made a big mistake, and will not win the case," said Dr. David Crawford, a professor of surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Partial penectomy, or a partial removal of the penis, Mohs surgery, a precise surgery used to remove several types of skin cancer, laser and radiation therapies were all options when treating penile cancer, said Crawford.

Because the surgeon had said the cancer was so severe, Robinson told the courtroom that Patterson could treat it only by surgically removing the organ.

Nevertheless, "a surgical consent is needed to do this," said Dr. Glenn Bubley, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "This is the standard of care. There would be no reason to breach standard of care in this case."

Seaton also sued Louisville's Jewish Hospital, where the surgery was performed. The hospital settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Does Parasite Cause Rats to Love Cats?

Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(STANFORD, Calif.) -- While the smell of cat urine is normally a turn-off for rats, a group of Stanford University researchers found a certain group of rats was actually attracted to that same odor.

Cat urine is naturally a warning to rats to stay away from an area where their natural predators may be lurking. But study rats infected by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii ("toxo" for short) didn't show that fear and, instead, parts of their brains associated with sexual arousal were activated.

"Normally, we would expect toxoplasma to knock out the normal fear function in the brain, but in these rats the parasite also tapped into the sexual arousal pathway, which is strange," said Robert Sapolsky, a professor of neuroscience at Stanford University and a co-author of the study.

The belief is that the mind-manipulating parasite acts that way in order to ensure its reproduction. Toxo can only reproduce in the guts of cats, so if an infected rat wanders into cat territory, then there's a possibility the cat will eat the rat and toxo can multiply.

"The parasite does actually alter the brain of its host," said Patrick House, a doctoral student who is also a co-author of the study. "The fact that a parasite can get into an organism, target its brain, stay there without killing the host and alter the circuitry of the brain -- we've seen this is insects and fungi, but it's the first time we've seen it in a mammalian host."

Toxoplasma affects a rat's amygdala, the part of the brain associated with fear and anxiety.

"It atrophies some of the neurons along the pathway associated with fear," said Sapolsky. "What we don't understand is how it affects the fear response and then accesses the sexual arousal circuitry."

Toxo does infect humans. Humans contract the parasite by consuming contaminated food or water or by coming into contact with cat feces.

"It doesn't make people sick at all. It just infects them and the body holds it off, and it becomes a latent infection," said Dr. William Schaffner, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

But occasionally, Schaffner added, people who are immunocompromised can become ill. Pregnant women who are infected can also pass toxo along in the womb, which can cause serious complications, including still birth and neurological problems.

Previous research has linked to the parasite to schizophrenia and depression, but little is known about how it causes changes in human behavior. Some experts, including Schaffner, are skeptical that toxoplasmosis has a link to mental illness at all.

But while Sapolsky believes there could be an association between human behavior and infection with toxoplasma, that relationship needs additional study before making any firm conclusions.

His future research, he said, will once again focus on rats. He hopes to learn more about how this mysterious parasite affects rats and whether it plays tricks on the human mind, as well.

"One of the more interesting questions," he said, "is: How many cases are there of parasites manipulating human behavior?"

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio