New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that high levels of estradiol present prior to ovulation decreases immune system effectiveness resulting in growth and promotion of infection

A new research report in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that a woman's ovarian cycle plays an important role in her susceptibility to infection. Specifically, researchers from Spain and Austria found that women are most susceptible to infection, such as Candida albicans or other sexually transmitted diseases, during ovulation than at any other time during the reproductive cycle.

The CDC has added still another vaccine to the recommended list: three doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Gardasil) for boys age 11-12. HPV causes genital warts, and four of about 100 strains have been linked to cancer, especially cervical cancer in women.

Controversy over Governor Rick Perry's effort to mandate the vaccine for sixth-grade girls spilled into the Presidential campaign when he was criticized by Michele Bachmann.

Women with cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke even when no conventional risk factors for CVD are present.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston are the first to investigate a potential connection between CVD and HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. Their findings are published in the November 1st issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have proposed new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. The proposed guidelines, which are now posted for public comment, generally advise that women reduce the number of tests they get over their lifetime to better ensure that they receive the benefits of testing while minimizing the risks. The proposed guidelines also include a preference for co-testing using the Pap test and HPV test for women age 30 and over.

A large proportion of teenagers regularly and frequently take some form of medication without receiving targeted information about the risks and benefits, according to a review of current research, to be presented at the annual congress of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) tomorrow (Tuesday).

Dr Priya Bahri will tell delegates that 35% of boys and 45% of girls in Europe and the USA take painkillers for headaches every month. In addition, they take a variety of other medicines for things like stomach aches, sleeping disorders, nervousness, asthma, infectious diseases and for pregnancy prevention. "Most teenagers take their medicines appropriately, but there is evidence of accidental or intentional inappropriate use or misuse," she says.