Crib Recall - Health Canada

Health Canada recalls crib

Health Canada is asking parents to stop using a particular crib that was manufactured in Chile and imported to Canada by Bambino Reale Furniture, a company that's gone out of business.

There is a potential for a serious fall-related injury, although to date Health Canada says it hasn't received any reports of injuries related to these cribs.

The model number is 612C19CH.

Because the company, a subsidiary of Quebec-based Ragazzi Furniture, has gone out of business, Health Canada hasn't been able to determine how many of the cribs were sold in Canada, or when they were sold.

The warning was issued following a complaint by a consumer in Alberta and a determination that the cribs don't meet labelling and minimum side height requirements for cribs.

Health Canada says the cribs don't provide an adequate barrier to prevent infants and young children from falling out or climbing out.

The cribs should be disassembled and disposed of in a way that they won't be used again.

Source: theGlobeandMail.com

Alcohol Linked to Cancer - Harmful to Women's Health

Booze linked to cancer

Even moderation harmful

There's yet another reason to stay away from booze.

Drinking alcohol can now be definitively added to the list of factors that contribute to cancer.

It's long been known that alcohol is a carcinogenic, but new research confirms that even moderate drinking poses a cancer risk. New research shows one drink of alcohol a day increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 7 to 10%.

In light of this disturbing trend, the Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) will be holding a seminar today at the St. Lawrence Hall with cancer experts on alcohol, cancer and public policy to address research and emerging prevention opportunities.

"We will give biological reasons on how alcohol is acting to influence all these cancers and look into the number of people who are actually being killed by alcohol via cancer," said Dr. Jurgen Rehm, section head of public health and regulatory policy at CAMH.

According to the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, almost 460,000 cancer deaths worldwide in 2002 were caused by alcohol.

In Canada, alcohol is killing more than 1,800 people a year and leading the number of deaths caused by alcohol is esophageal cancer in men at 400 deaths a year and breast cancer in women at 300 deaths.

For more information, log onto camh.net

Source: Sun Media

75 to Feel Alive

Bit of exercise helps overweight women improve fitness: study

Exercising about 75 minutes a week may be enough to improve fitness levels in inactive women who are overweight, researchers say.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. National Institutes of Health recommend at least a half hour on most days a week of moderate exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Dr. Timothy Church of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and his colleagues set out to look at the effects of exercising 75 minutes a week, 135 minutes a week or 190 minutes a week — half, the same and 150 per cent of the recommended amount.

"This information can be used to support future recommendations and should be encouraging to sedentary adults who find it difficult to find the time for 150 minutes of activity per week, let alone 60 minutes per day," the researchers wrote in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Surveys suggest about one in five adults in the U.S. report no physical activity, and lack of time is the major reason they give.

The researchers studied 427 overweight women with high or borderline-high blood pressure who had an average age of 57. Participants were randomly assigned to not exercise or to do one of the three levels of moderate intensity physical activity, by walking on treadmills or riding stationary cycles, three or four times a week.

"The lowest exercise dose, the 75 minute a week group, actually not only did not lose fitness, but they actually gained fitness during the six months, and that's an exciting result — that 75 minutes a week produces significant health benefits," Church said in a release.

Slimmer waists

All of the women who exercised were fitter based on measurements of oxygen intake during exercise, and their waists were smaller. That is important because belly fat increases the risk of premature death, Type 2 diabetes, cholesterol problems and hypertension.

None of the women in the exercise groups showed significant changes in blood pressure values or weight after six months compared with the control group, although the study was not designed for weight loss.

The more women exercised, the more they improved their physical fitness, the researchers found. They did not recommend lowering public health guidelines for physical activity, but suggested taking the results into account as revisions are developed.

Given cost and feasibility concerns, the trial used three patterns of physical activity, while in real life there are infinitely more, I-Min Lee of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a journal commentary.

"The study by Church et al does provide important information on the dose of physical activity to improve physical fitness, a strong predictor of chronic disease and premature mortality," Lee wrote.

"This may be succinctly summarized for patients and clinicians as 'Even a little is good; more may be better!'"

Source: CBC.ca

Potential Spot Reducing Effects of Cardio Training

Source: Women's Health May 2007

Oral Sex and Throat Cancer Link

Oral sex can lead to throat cancer

The same virus that causes cervical cancer is the principal cause of throat cancer, according to a new study.

The research also suggests that unprotected oral sex is a major reason people are contracting throat cancer - not just smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, as previously believed.

"It's the human papillomavirus that drives the cancer," said Maura Gillison, assistant professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and lead author of the study.

She said the more oral-sex partners a person has, the greater the risk of contracting oral cancers (located in the tonsils, back of the tongue and throat). The good news is that the risk remains low over all.

"People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon, and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer," Dr. Gillison said.

A new vaccine protects against infection by several strains of HPV, including the one associated with oral cancer, HPV-16. However, Dr. Gillison said it has not been specifically tested for its effectiveness against oral cancer.

The new research is published in today's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, which features several articles about HPV and the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Sold by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. under the brand name Gardasil, the vaccine prevents infection by four strains of human papillomavirus that account for roughly 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer.

Gardasil offers protection that lasts for at least three years, according to newly published data in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Another study, published today in the journal, suggests the vaccine protects against cancer of the vulva and cancer of the vagina, which are principally caused by HPV. (Penile cancer is also caused largely by the virus, although the effectiveness of the vaccine in men has not yet been demonstrated.)

In the most recent federal budget, the Conservative government set aside $300-million for an HPV vaccination program, which would target girls aged 9 to 11.

Health groups are divided on the wisdom of an immunization program, given the cost of the vaccine (more than $400 for the required three doses) and the limited data on its long-term effectiveness. There is also debate about whether vaccination should be limited to girls, and whether the vaccine should be offered to older teens who are already sexually active.

The new research should help assuage fears a bit, and broaden the appeal of the vaccine because of its effectiveness against other types of cancer.

About 1,350 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007, and an estimated 390 will die. By contrast, approximately 3,200 Canadians will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year, and 1,100 will die, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Dr. Gillison's study involved 100 men and women who were newly diagnosed with oral cancer. They were compared to 200 similar people without cancer.

Dr. Gillison and her team found that those with HPV infection were 32 times more likely to have developed cancer. By comparison, the risk increased threefold for smokers and twofold for drinkers.

Study participants who reported having oral sex - be it fellatio or cunnilingus - with six or more partners were at greatest risk of contracting oropharyngeal cancer.

There is no screening test for oral cancer; it is usually detected when there is a sore in the mouth that does not heal.

Source: The Globe and Mail