Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · May 2007
Family medicine physicians' advice about use of nonconventional modalities for menopausal symptom management.
This study explores the beliefs and practices of family medicine physicians regarding the use of nonconventional modalities for menopausal symptom management. ⋯ These data reveal some important trends about how family medicine physicians respond to nontraditional approaches for menopausal symptom management. Because family medicine physicians typically receive some training in behavioral and psychotherapeutic approaches and there is some evidence for the effectiveness of behavioral strategies in menopausal symptom management, it is not surprising that they are more likely to endorse these approaches. Most family medicine physicians, however, have little or no training in the other nonconventional modalities, and our data show that these modalities received lower levels of endorsement, suggesting that physicians are not clear on their advantages or disadvantages.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Controlled Clinical TrialThe association between soy nut consumption and decreased menopausal symptoms.
Epidemiological studies suggest a low incidence of hot flashes in populations that consume dietary soy. The present study examined the effect of soy nuts on hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. ⋯ Substituting soy nuts for nonsoy protein in a TLC diet and consumed three or four times throughout the day is associated with a decrease in hot flashes and improvement in menopausal symptoms.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2007
Opportunities and challenges of interdisciplinary research career development: implementation of a women's health research training program.
A key component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for Medical Research is the development of interdisciplinary research teams. How best to teach and foster interdisciplinary research skills has not been determined. An effort at promoting interdisciplinary research was initiated by the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at NIH in 1999. The following year, 12 academic centers were funded to support 56 scholar positions for 2-5 years under Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH). A second cohort of 12 centers, called BIRCWH II, was funded in 2002. ⋯ Challenges include arranging times to meet, developing a common language and knowledge base, dealing proactively with expectations and misunderstandings, focusing on a conceptual model, and providing timely feedback.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2007
The effect of race on provider decisions to test for illicit drug use in the peripartum setting.
Testing for illicit drugs may expose women who test positive to severe legal and social consequences. It is unknown whether racial disparities in drug testing practices underlie observed disparities in legal and social consequences of positive tests. ⋯ We identified racial differences in rates of testing for illicit drug use between black and nonblack women. We found equivalent positivity rates among tested black and nonblack women. The prevalence of drug use among untested women is unknown, however, so although tested women had equivalent rates of substance use detected, whether black and nonblack substance users are equally likely to be identified in the course of peripartum care remains uncertain.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2007
Age and gender differences in Medicare expenditures at the end of life for colorectal cancer decedents.
We examined age and gender differences in Medicare expenditures for colorectal cancer decedents in the last year of life (LYOL) through a cross-sectional study of Medicare administrative and claims data. Participants were aged Medicare beneficiaries (68+ years) with colorectal cancer, who were covered by Parts A and B for 36 months before death (1996-1999, n = 6657). We estimated differences in mean Medicare utilization and expenditures in the LYOL overall and by type of service (inpatient, outpatient, physician, skilled nursing facility [SNF], home health, and hospice). ⋯ Most of the gender differences in average Medicare expenditures were explained by gender differences in age and the lower average expenditures on older decedents with colorectal cancer. Remaining gender differences varied across age cohorts and were largest among those aged 68-74. Higher expenditures for women on each of the social supportive services (SNF, home health, and hospice), even among those who used a particular type of service, may reflect a lack of informal supports for older women compared with men.