New low-dose, extended-cycle pills with levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol: an evolutionary step in birth control

Anita NelsonHarbor-UCLA Hospital, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USAAim: To review milestones in development of oral contraceptive pills since their introduction in the US 50 years ago in order to better understand how a new formulation with low-dose estrogen in an extended-cycle pattern fits into the evolution of birth control pills.Methods: This is a review of trends in the development of various birth controls pills and includes data from phase III clinical trials for this new formulation.Results: The first birth control pill was a very high-dose monophasic formulation with the prodrug estrogen mestranol and a first-generation progestin. Over the decades, the doses of hormones have been markedly reduced, and a new estrogen and several different progestins were developed and used in different dosing patterns. The final element to undergo change was the 7-day pill-free interval. Many of these same changes have been made in the development of extended-cycle pill formulation.Conclusion: The newest extended-cycle oral contraceptive formulation with 84 active pills, each containing 20 μg ethinyl estradiol and 100 μg levonorgestrel, represents an important evolution in birth control that incorporates lower doses of estrogen (to reduce side effects and possibly reduce risk of thrombosis), fewer scheduled bleeding episodes (to meet women’s desires for fewer and shorter menses) and the use of low-dose estrogen in place of placebo pills (to reduce the number of days of unscheduled spotting and bleeding). Hopefully, this unique formation will motivate women to be more successful contraceptors.Keywords: extended-cycle oral contraceptives, low-dose extended-cycle pills, Lo Seasoniqu

Parents' perceptions of risk and the influence on children's everyday activities

Parents say they just want their children to be happy but there is evidence and growing concern across disciplines that children in Western countries are experiencing unhappiness (e.g., anxiety, depression) in increasing numbers. In a society that is increasingly risk-averse, parents’ perceptions of risk can have an impact on the everyday activities they offer children. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a detailed understanding of parents’ perceptions of risk gathered from 47 parents and teachers. Some of the children they discussed were typically developing; others lived with disability. I asked the adults about their perceptions of risk and they frames they used for viewing it: as a barrier to or a catalyst for developing practical skills to achieve health, happiness and well-being and resilience. Participants’ narratives were subjected to constant comparative analysis using an adaptation of Charmaz’s approach to social analysis and Packer’s perspectives on qualitative methods of analysis. The first two chapters of this thesis comprise an introduction and an extended review of literature related to happiness and well-being. These are followed by two journal articles(Chapter 3 and 4 ) that include detailed accounts of (a) parents’ perceptions of everyday risks, the costs and benefits, and (b) their struggles and the strategies they used to offer children age-appropriate risk-taking opportunities. Risk reframing is described in a third journal article (Chapter 5) as a process used to help educators and parents shift their perspective of everyday risk as danger and threat to one of challenge, uncertainty and opportunity by helping them to disrupt their automatic protective responses. I conclude (Chapter 6) by discussing the costs and benefits of offering children opportunities for age-appropriate risk taking to achieve common goals for children: health, happiness and well-being and resilience

Interview with Dr. Phyllis Perrin Wilcox: The Accreditation Process

Dr. Phyllis Perrin Wilcox, professor emerita, taught the first sign language class at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1971 when eight students were enrolled in a one-credit class. Many years and many students later, the University of New Mexico offers a Bachelor of Science in Signed Language Interpreting (SLI), and Dr. Wilcox headed the faculty as they sought accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education (CCIE; see http://ccie-accreditation.org/). In this interview, Dr. Wilcox describes the experience of preparing for review and becoming accredited, as well as the impacts accreditation, has had on the program. Her insights and advice will help support other SLI programs considering CCIE accreditation. Anita Nelson-Julander, a graduate student in the Master’s Interpreting Pedagogy program at the University of North Florida, who has worked at the Sorenson VRS Interpreting Institute for 7 years, interviewed Dr. Wilcox

Copyright Transfer Agreements in an Interdisciplinary Repository

Copyright Transfer Agreements (CTA) are a rich source of rights information related to self-archiving. According to the Eprints Self-Archiving FAQ, To self-archive is to deposit a digital document in a publicly accessible website, preferably an OAI-compliant Eprint Archive. (1) This poster describes a study undertaken by DLIST whereby the CTAs of selected LIS journals were analyzed for publisher statements on the rights of authors related to self-archiving. The study differs from efforts such as the SHERPA/RoMEO database (2) that resulted from the large open access studies of Project RoMEO (3). The main differences are: 1) our focus on LIS journals and 2) focus on journals rather than publishers, since publishers appear to have different policies and CTAs for each of their journals. RoMEO/SHERPA focus on publishers in all disciplines and as such LIS is not fully/adequately represented. DLIST, Digital Library of Information Science and Technology is an Open Access Archive (OAA) for Library and Information Science and Technology based on E-prints; a cross-institutional disciplinary repository for the Information Sciences that focus on cultural heritage institutions such as Archives, Libraries, and Museums using interdisciplinary perspectives. To some researchers cultural heritage institutions and formal educational organizations are the critical information infrastructures for building the knowledge societ

Study of Ayurvedic management and Pathyapathya of Kushtha (skin diseases)

The principle of treatment is three-fold in Ayurveda as Nidana Parivarjana, Apakarshana (Shodhana) and Prakriti Vighata, this treatment given by Charaka in Krimi chapter. This treatment is given on the basis of Rogabala, Rugnabala, Kala, Vayu, Agni, etc. Among the Pancha Shodhana, Vamana, Virechana, Nasya and Raktamokshana are indicated in the Kushtha. Vamana is to be applied in the treatment of Kapha predominant Kushtha, Virechana and Raktamokshana in the treatment of Pitta predominant Kushtha. After Shodhana Shamana Chikitsa is indicated to subside the remaining Doshas. In present life style when people do not have enough time from their busy schedule for Shodhana therapy in such cases Shamana therapy is to be advised. Charaka has described Shamana therapy with Tikta and Kashaya Dravyas

American Home Economics Association Convention

Eleven hundred home economics workers made the pilgrimage to Ashville, North Carolina in June to attend the 20th annual meeting of the American Home Economics Association. Something less than that number attended all of the meetings for the lure of the beautiful country made truants of some of the most ardent of the pilgrims

The potential for intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate as a self-bridging emergency contraceptive.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the rate of ovulatory disruption when intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is administered across graded stages of dominant follicle development. STUDY DESIGN: We assigned enrolled participants to one of three preassigned dominant follicle size groups: 12-14 mm, 15-17 mm and ≥ 18 mm. We followed dominant follicles via serial transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) until the follicles reached their assigned size, at which time we administered DMPA. For 5 consecutive days thereafter, we followed the follicles via TVUS to observe follicle rupture and obtained serum luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, and progesterone concentrations. In the following 2 weeks, we collected serum progesterone concentrations twice weekly to detect possible ovulatory delay or dysfunction. We also collected serum medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) concentrations at 1 and 24 h after DMPA administration to examine against ovulatory outcomes. RESULTS: Twenty-six of 29 enrolled women completed the study. DMPA suppressed ovulation in 17/26 (65%) and caused ovulatory dysfunction in 1/26 (4%) participants. Larger follicles were more likely to rupture despite DMPA (12-14 mm: 0/10 (0%); 15-17 mm: 3/10 (30%); ≥ 18 mm: 6/6 (100%); p < .01). Pre-DMPA LH concentrations ranged from 13.8 to 93.7 IU/L (mean 49.0 IU/L) in cases of follicle rupture. We observed no cases of follicle rupture when DMPA was administered through cycle day 12. All 24-h MPA concentrations exceeded those needed for ovulation suppression. CONCLUSION: DMPA suppressed and additionally disrupted ovulation in 65% and 4% of observed cycles, respectively. DMPA may provide effective emergency contraception as well as ongoing contraception if administered prior to an expected ovulation and specifically before the LH surge. IMPLICATIONS: DMPA may be an alternative form of emergency contraception that can also self-bridge to ongoing contraception. As ovulation was not observed among any follicles when DMPA was given through cycle day 12, women who initiate DMPA up through cycle day 12 may not require backup contraception

Rotational Temperature Modeling of the Swan Δν = 0 Band Sequence in Comet 122P/de Vico

We modeled observations of the C$_2$ $\mathrm{d} ^3\Pi_g - \mathrm{a} ^3\Pi_u$ (Swan) $\Delta \nu = 0$ sequence observed in spectra of comet 122P/de Vico obtained with the 2.7m Harlan J. Smith Telescope and Tull Coude spectrograph of McDonald observatory on 10/03/1995 and 10/04/1995. The data used spanned 4986-5169\AA at R=$\lambda/\Delta\lambda$=60,000. We used the PGOPHER molecular spectra model to generate and fit synthetic spectra with the d$^3\Pi_g$ having one and two rotational temperatures. We found the excited state had a two component rotational temperature, similar to that found for comet Halley. The modeled spectrum was sufficiently high quality that local perturbations were important to include. The large perturbation, b$^3\Sigma_g^-(\nu=10)$, was added to our fits and some new estimates on its molecular constants were found.Comment: This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Journal of Physical Chemistry, Part A:Isolated Molecules, Clusters, Radicals, and Ions; Environmental Chemistry, Geochemistry, and Astrochemistry; New Tools and Methods, copyright American Chemical Society after peer revie