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The purpose of this study is understanding women's experiences regarding health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the context of living with coronary artery disease (CAD). Sampling was purposive and continued until data saturation. The women participated in semistructured interviews that were tape-recorded and completed in less than 1 hour. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that CAD influenced the participants' HRQOL. This occurred through categories the investigators labeled 'dealing with one more thing,' 'surrendering roles and pleasures,' 'managing the health system,' 'understanding CAD,' and 'resolving to be strong.' The thoughtful responses of the women in this study suggest that understanding the HRQOL of women who have CAD lies in the context of considering their quality and quantity of social support. Thus, it behooves health care providers to assess patients' levels of social support and intervene as appropriate. Keywords: cardiovascular; clinical focus; qualitative methods; adult; population focus

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of aerobic exercise interventions on cardiopulmonary function and body composition in women with breast cancer. Of 24 relevant studies reviewed, 10 studies (N = 588) met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicated that aerobic exercise significantly improved cardiopulmonary function as assessed by absolute V[O.sub.2] peak (standardized mean difference [SMD] .916, p < .001), relative V[O.sub.2] peak (SMD .424, p < .05), and 12-minute walk test (SMD .502, p < .001). Similarly, aerobic exercise significantly improved body composition as assessed by percentage body fat (SMD -.890, p < .001), but body weight and lean body mass did not change significantly. Aerobic exercise during or after cancer adjuvant therapy seems to be an effective means of improving cardiopulmonary function and decreasing percentage body fat in women with breast cancer. Further studies are needed to examine the long-term benefits of aerobic exercise. Keywords: exercise; meta-analysis; breast cancer; cardiopulmonary function; body composition

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.02.024 Byline: Myriam Khlat (a), Florence Jusot (b), Isabelle Ville (c) Abstract: This study investigates the relation between early life conditions and adult obesity in France, using a rich data set collected through the 2003 nationally representative Life History Survey. No salient factor emerged in men, while in women, after controlling for current socio-demographic characteristics, a relation was found between obesity and the following factors: father's occupation (OR=3.2 for women whose father was a clerical worker, versus those whose father was in a higher-level occupation); experience of economic hardship in childhood (OR=2.0), and; high parity (OR=2.1 for parities of more than 3 versus parity of 1). Neither early family history nor mother's working status surfaced as significant factors. Those findings highlight a definite gender pattern, with a strong association between early disadvantage and obesity in women, but not in men. Potential mechanisms are discussed, particularly the 'habitus', the 'thrifty phenotype' and the 'feast-famine' hypotheses, and possible interactions with childbearing and motherhood. An integration of social and biological perspectives is needed to reach a better understanding of the processes involved, and to achieve progress in primary and secondary prevention. Author Affiliation: (a) INED, 133 boulevard Davout, 75980 Paris Cedex 20, France (b) Universite Paris-Dauphine (Leda-Legos); Institut de Recherche et Documentation en Economie de la Sante, Paris, France (c) CERMES-INSERM, Villejuif, France

Summary This article provides an overview of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. It considers cardiovascular risk, investigations and treatment. Gender bias, controversies and current debates are highlighted. Issues concerned with [...]

The diagnosis of a chronic illness is a life changing event that affects the biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of a person's life. The purpose of the present study was to compare the experiences of pain, physical and psychological well-being, stress, patient satisfaction, social support, and attitudes toward menstruation of women who suffer from endometriosis and women who suffer from chronic migraine headaches. It was hypothesized that women with endometriosis would have more negative scores than women who have migraines on all measures because endometriosis is not understood by society to be a valid source of pain. Participants were 41 women with endometriosis and 32 women with migraines who were recruited from support groups and online listservs. Women with endometriosis reported significantly more pain, stress, and negative attitudes toward menstruation than did women with migraines. Implications for the differential treatment of women with chronic illnesses related to the menstrual cycle are discussed. doi: 10.1300/J013v46n01_08 KEYWORDS. Endometriosis, migraines, women's health, attitudes toward menstruation, pain, satisfaction with healthcare

Women are approximately twice as likely as men to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the cause of this disparity remains unclear. This study evaluated 2 alternative explanations of gender differences in PTSD, one pointing to an intrinsic vulnerability in women and the other emphasizing sexual violence across the life span. To test these competing theories, the authors analyzed National Violence Against Women Survey data from 591 victims of partner aggression. Results suggested that gender, when considered alone, has a small but significant effect on PTSD symptom severity. However, once models factor in sexual victimization history, the latter replaces gender as a key determinant of PTSD symptoms. These findings argue against theories of 'feminine vulnerability,' instead linking PTSD risk to sexually violent situations. Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, gender, sexual assault, partner aggression

Urinary incontinence, defined generally as involuntary leakage of urine, is a common health problem among women. There are several nonpharmacological, pharmacological, and surgical treatments available that are effective in managing the symptoms of this problem.

Research has been carried out on HIV-infected women in sub-Saharan Africa. The role of socioeconomic, demographic and environmental risk factors for pneumonia in these women has been investigated, and the details are reported.

Research has been conducted on C-reactive protein and its relationship to mortality in HIV-1-infected women. Results demonstrate that this protein can be a predictor of HIV disease mortality in women.

Research has been copnducted on proteinuria or elevated serum creatinine incidence in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. The hypothesis that these abnormalities are mortality predictors has been tested, and the results suggest that proteinuria or elevated serum creatinine management should be a priority for HIV-infected people.

Research has been conducted on HTLV infection and its association with HIV and other risk factors. Results demonstrate that the association between HTLV-1 and HIV-2 for men and women was different and that that common sexual risk factors cannot explain the co-occurrence of HIV-2 and HTLV-1 in women.

Hysteria moved from being a disease that happened to both sexes to being primarily thought of as a disease of women by the end of the 18th Century. The popularity of hysteria as a diagnosis and the gendering of the disease is described.

Recent studies of men have shown that job stress is important in understanding the occupational gradient in coronary heart disease (CHD), but these relationships have rarely been studied in women. With increasing numbers of women in the workforce it is important to have a more complete understanding of how CHD risk may be mediated by job stress as well as other biological and behavioural risk factors. The objective of this study was to examine the occupational gradient in CHD risk in relation to job stress and other traditional risk factors in currently employed women. We used data from the Stockholm Female Coronary Risk Study, a population based case-control study, comprising 292 women with CHD aged 65 years or younger and 292 age-matched healthy women (controls). An inversely graded association was observed between occupational class and CHD risk. Compared with the highest (executive/professional), women in the lowest occupational class (semi/unskilled) had a four-fold (95% CI 1.75-8.83) increased age-adjusted risk for CHD. Simultaneous adjustment for traditional risk factors and job stress attenuated this risk to 2.45 (95% CI 1.01-6.14). Neither job control nor the Karasek demand-control model of job stress substantially explained the increased CHD risk of women in the lowest occupational classes. It is likely that lower occupational class working women face multiple and sometimes interacting sources of work and non-work stress that are mediated by behavioural and biological factors that increase their CHD risk.

About one-fourth of the women living in some rural parts of South Africa may be HIV-positive, according to a study of 2,013 pregnant women who visited a prenatal clinic in Hlabisa in 1997. Twenty-six percent were HIV-positive, and among women between 20 and 24 years old, 34% were HIV-positive.

Objective To evaluate an educational intervention about the food label designed specifically for women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Design A pretest-posttest control group design. Participants received random group assignment. Subjects/setting Forty-three women aged 40 to 60 years with type 2 diabetes living in a rural community in Pennsylvania participated. Forty participants (93%) completed the program. Intervention Nine weekly group sessions were developed on the basis of findings from previous research among this sample. Principles from Ausubel's learning theory were also incorporated into program design and evaluation. Main outcome measures The effectiveness of the food label education program on participants' knowledge was determined using a multiple-choice test designed to measure declarative and procedural knowledge. A skills inventory assessed participants' perceived confidence in using the food label. The validity and reliability of the instruments had been established previously. Statistical analyses Analysis of variance was performed to compare groups. Paired t tests compared pretest and posttest results. Results The experimental group showed a greater gain than the control group in total knowledge (P, Nutrition therapy is an essential component of successful diabetes management. Food selection affects the nutrient and energy content of the diet and the metabolic control of levels of glycated hemoglobin, [...]

Our preliminary family studies have suggested that some female first-degree relatives of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have hyperandrogenemia per se. It was our hypothesis that this may be a genetic trait and thus could represent a phenotype suitable for linkage analysis. To investigate this hypothesis, we examined 115 sisters of 80 probands with PCOS from unrelated families. PCOS was diagnosed by the combination of elevated serum androgen levels and [less than or equal to]6 menses per year with the exclusion of secondary causes. The sisters were compared with 70 healthy age- and weight-comparable control women with regular menses, no clinical evidence of hyperandrogenemia, and normal glucose tolerance. Twenty-two percent of the sisters fulfilled diagnostic criteria for PCOS. In addition, 24% of the sisters had hyperandrogenemia and regular menstrual cycles. Circulating testosterone (T) and nonsex hormone-binding globulin-bound testosterone (uT) levels in both of these groups of sisters were significantly increased compared with unaffected sisters and control women (P < 0.0001 for both T and uT). Probands, sisters with PCOS, and hyperandrogenemic sisters had elevated serum luteinizing hormone levels compared with control women. We conclude that there is familial aggregation of hyperandrogenemia (with or without oligomenorrhea) in PCOS kindreds. In affected sisters, only one-half have oligomenorrhea and hyperandrogenemia characteristic of PCOS, whereas the remaining one-half have hyperandrogenemia per se. This familial aggregation of hyperandrogenemia in PCOS kindreds suggests that it is a genetic trait. We propose that hyperandrogenemia be used to assign affected status in linkage studies designed to identify PCOS genes.

Evidence that lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) is caused by TSC2 (ital) mutations has been found but genetic transmission of LAM has not been reported. On chromosome 16p13 loss of heterozygosity has been found in angiomyolipomas and lymph nodes of women with LAM, a rare disease which involves diffuse proliferation of smooth muscle cells and can only be treated by transplanting lungs. LAM may or may not be associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), an autosomal dominant tumor suppressor gene syndrome. Loss of heterozygosity is found in the chromosomal region for the TSC2 (ital) gene in 60% of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated angiomyolipomas. It seems pathogenesis of sporadic LAM may be related to TSC2 (ital). Women with LAM may have low-penetrance germ-line TSC2 (ital) mutations or may be mosaic, having TSC2 (ital) mutations in the kidney and lungs and not in other organs.

Young women should be taught safe sex and other ways to prevent HIV infection while they are teenagers, preferably before they begin having sex. Data on AIDS in US women from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that women made up 19% of all adult AIDS cases in 1995. Black women and women living in the Northeast and in urban areas had the highest rates. The biggest increases in the 1990's were seen in the South and in heterosexual women. The greatest increase in the rate of AIDS development occurred in women who were 21 to 25, indicating that they became infected while teenagers., Context. -- The effect of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic on women is substantial and warrants an updated analysis. Objective. -- To describe AIDS incidence trends in women. Design. -- We analyzed national surveillance data on women 13 years of age and older with AIDS reported through June 1996. Data were adjusted for reporting delay, unreported risk, and the 1993 change in AIDS surveillance case definition to assess overall trends and examine trends by age group and birth cohort. Setting. -- Surveillance conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with state and local health departments. Results. -- In 1995, women accounted for 19% of AIDS cases in adults; AIDS incidence rates per 100 000 women were highest in black women (50.1), women in the Northeast (22.3), heterosexual contacts (5.5), and women living in metropolitan statistical areas with more than 1 million residents (15.9). Greatest increases in rates between 1991 and 1995 by region and mode of transmission were in the South and in heterosexual contacts. Greatest increases in AIDS incidence rates were observed in heterosexually infected women born between 1970 and 1974, ie, women who were 14 to 18 years old in 1988. Conclusions. -- These trends predict continued growth of the number of AIDS cases in women, especially in those in the South and those infected heterosexually, and suggest that successive cohorts of young women may be at risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection as they reach adolescence and young adulthood. Prevention programs must reach young women before they initiate sexual activity and drug use. JAMA. 1997;278:911-916

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were analysed on bone collagen of 43 Sudanese Nubians from the X-Group period to test dietary hypotheses for the high frequency of osteopenia in this population. Stable carbon isotope ratios indicate that both normal and osteopenic individuals consumed the same mixed diet of C3 and C4 sources, which are assumed to have been constituted by the grain staples wheat/barley and sorghum/millet respectively. Females with osteopenia, however, have significantly elevated [[Delta].sup.15]N values. The enrichment effect is greatest in the third and fifth decades of life, and is consistently patterned with microstructural and frequency differences previously reported by other researchers. It is suggested that [[Delta].sup.15]N is reflecting differences in urea excretion and the renal processing and clearance of calcium and phosphorus. The study not only alerts us to the susceptibility of stable nitrogen isotopes to non-dietary (i.e. physiological) factors, but also identifies nitrogen isotope ratios as a possible new marker for osteopenia. KEY WORDS osteopenia; stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes; Nubia; nutrition; reproduction; kidney function

Health care providers should educate themselves about the risk factors and preventive measures concerning secondary amenorrhea, or menstrual dysfunction, and related osteoporosis. Amenorrhea in adolescent and young adult women can lead to a reduction in bone density and eventual osteoporosis. Anorexia nervosa, oral contraceptives, and long-term, strenuous exercise can lead to amenorrhea. A physical assessment of patients with amenorrhea and possibly a prescribed change in diet and exercise routine can help prevent loss of bone density mass.

An increasing number of young and sexually-active women are becoming involuntarily sterile because of an epidemic caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea. These bacteria are responsible for the majority of STD-related reproductive tract damage in women. The asymptomatic nature of these bacteria makes detection and prevention more difficult. Furthermore, delay in treatment could complicate the infection which could lead to infertility. This could be prevented through prompt and accurate treatment in case of an infection and by educating people about chlamydia.