Many people enjoy the flexibility of a wireless network and love the fact they can sit in their garden with their laptop and check their email. Whilst wireless networking is indeed a very useful technology it does come with its downsides. The truth is many people are not particularly tech savvy and will setup their wireless networking without implementing any wireless security, the same group of people are totally unaware of the massive threat to private data and their internet connections that arise from the no wireless security.
Having an unsecure network is like allowing someone to come into your house, plug a network cable into your router and start browsing the web as they please, you just wouldnt do it! Which is why you shouldnt leave a wireless network unsecure, it is inviting people to connect to it and do any of the following:
1: Download illegal content.
2: Use the connection for malicious activity
3: Intercept local traffic and have the ability to check what sites your visiting, your private data and even passwords.
This is just the beginning. There are many horror stories of peoples wireless networks being used and abused with criminal activities happening leaving the owner of the network responsible!
This is why wireless security is so important, if you leave your network open then your just asking for trouble, and you wont even know its happening! People can access your network from several houses down the street and you would be none the wiser.
So always implement Wireless Security, make sure that you are using a wireless key, preferably WPA or WPA2 as WEP is extremely vulnerable and can be cracked in a few minutes with freely available tools from the internet.
by Cyrus Jackson
How to avoid malware and spyware by Cyrus Jackson
Avoiding malware and spyware online is getting harder, its becoming more and more common and a lot of the time people get infected without even knowing.
The problem is most people are not very clued up when it comes to internet security, some people will browse the web on an old web browser (Internet explorer 6 for example) and no anti virus, this alone is a very dangerous combination as IE6 is vulnerable to all kinds of exploits and without any anti virus protection you could be a victim to a 'drive-by' web exploit.
Drive-By exploits - A drive-by exploit is when a malicious website is setup that attempts to automatically install malware or spyware once a user visits it. Users are often lured to the site through malicious links in emails or various other advertising techniques whereby a user thinks the page contains something of real value. These exploits are normally '0-day' which means that have been recently discovered by hackers and most the time will not have any kind of fix for them, because of this the success rate for infection is normally quite high. With a drive-by exploit unless your Anti virus manages to stop it you will have no idea what has happened and malware will be silently installed onto your machine.
With this is mind then its important to always use an up to date browser (personally I recommend firefox) and an up to date anti virus. It also wont hurt to use a malware scanning tool such as MalwareBytes AntiMalware to do a weekly scan of your system to make sure your not infected.
Remember that no anti virus / anti malware software will ever offer 100% protection, new threats are constantly being created and it can take time for anti virus vendors to find these and add them to their detection lists. This is why it is important to excercise caution whilst online; never visit any suspicious links and always be careful with what your downloading!
The problem is most people are not very clued up when it comes to internet security, some people will browse the web on an old web browser (Internet explorer 6 for example) and no anti virus, this alone is a very dangerous combination as IE6 is vulnerable to all kinds of exploits and without any anti virus protection you could be a victim to a 'drive-by' web exploit.
Drive-By exploits - A drive-by exploit is when a malicious website is setup that attempts to automatically install malware or spyware once a user visits it. Users are often lured to the site through malicious links in emails or various other advertising techniques whereby a user thinks the page contains something of real value. These exploits are normally '0-day' which means that have been recently discovered by hackers and most the time will not have any kind of fix for them, because of this the success rate for infection is normally quite high. With a drive-by exploit unless your Anti virus manages to stop it you will have no idea what has happened and malware will be silently installed onto your machine.
With this is mind then its important to always use an up to date browser (personally I recommend firefox) and an up to date anti virus. It also wont hurt to use a malware scanning tool such as MalwareBytes AntiMalware to do a weekly scan of your system to make sure your not infected.
Remember that no anti virus / anti malware software will ever offer 100% protection, new threats are constantly being created and it can take time for anti virus vendors to find these and add them to their detection lists. This is why it is important to excercise caution whilst online; never visit any suspicious links and always be careful with what your downloading!
Should I be using ColdFusion or PHP? by Sam Qam
There is a long running debate over which of these two languages is better for developing dynamic web pages. Each can provide a great deal of functionality and features (along with database access) to a website. Each are in high demand be web developers, and it seems that everyone has their preference for one reason or another.
Most would argue or even agree that ColdFusion is easier to use. Its tag based setup makes it very similar to writing HTML. As such the transition from one into the other is easier and the vast array of tags provides an extensive source of functions. As you would expect, this makes ColdFusion very accessible and the small amounts of concise code make debugging a very straight forward process. Furthermore it is very simple to make the transition from one database system to another in ColdFusion as the process only required one element of the code to be changed. ColdFusion also has built in functionality such as XML integration, charting and POP mail retrieval.
However there are those who would argue that the simple tag based nature of ColdFusion makes it difficult to discern from the HTML it is embedded in. You might also argue that is limited in comparison to PHP as is also slower at performing. It is also quite expensive to run ColdFusion.
PHP is open source and as such is completely free and there are vast quantities of shared source code and functions as a result. PHP is a far more 'coder' based system in that is more suited to the hard coders out there who like to have everything exactly their way. PHP has a greater scope for function as it is not limited by the same tag structure as ColdFusion.
As a result PHP is a very powerful language but is hampered by the fact that it is not very user friendly. The debugging process is more time consuming and it is difficult for an administrator to alter someone else's code.
What really sets these two apart is the fact that PHP is open source making it a firm favourite among many small business programmers or those doing website design for personal reasons. However, when it comes to big business ColdFusion is a firm favourite throughout web design and SEO UK despite its cost as it offers an efficient and very effective service.
What it always comes down to is personal preference. There's no one better language, just the better language for you. But don't get me started on ASP.
Most would argue or even agree that ColdFusion is easier to use. Its tag based setup makes it very similar to writing HTML. As such the transition from one into the other is easier and the vast array of tags provides an extensive source of functions. As you would expect, this makes ColdFusion very accessible and the small amounts of concise code make debugging a very straight forward process. Furthermore it is very simple to make the transition from one database system to another in ColdFusion as the process only required one element of the code to be changed. ColdFusion also has built in functionality such as XML integration, charting and POP mail retrieval.
However there are those who would argue that the simple tag based nature of ColdFusion makes it difficult to discern from the HTML it is embedded in. You might also argue that is limited in comparison to PHP as is also slower at performing. It is also quite expensive to run ColdFusion.
PHP is open source and as such is completely free and there are vast quantities of shared source code and functions as a result. PHP is a far more 'coder' based system in that is more suited to the hard coders out there who like to have everything exactly their way. PHP has a greater scope for function as it is not limited by the same tag structure as ColdFusion.
As a result PHP is a very powerful language but is hampered by the fact that it is not very user friendly. The debugging process is more time consuming and it is difficult for an administrator to alter someone else's code.
What really sets these two apart is the fact that PHP is open source making it a firm favourite among many small business programmers or those doing website design for personal reasons. However, when it comes to big business ColdFusion is a firm favourite throughout web design and SEO UK despite its cost as it offers an efficient and very effective service.
What it always comes down to is personal preference. There's no one better language, just the better language for you. But don't get me started on ASP.
Teeth Whitening And Remedies by credulous jolly
Teeth whitening can be an expensive experience. If you have ever been to a dentist or asked how much a professional teeth cleaning is, you might have been quoted anywhere from $500 to $5000. Its true, teeth whitening is expensive when done by a professional. If you start asking around for ways to get this done then you might hear crazy stories and old wives tales of home remedies that might work.
One of the things that you would expect when getting your teeth whitened at the dentist's office are blazing lights and professionals working with highly priced tools and solutions to help to make your teeth shine. Undoubtedly, this will not be cheap and some dentists charge for every piece of the entire process.
Home remedies:
Strawberry: Take one strawberry and half tbsp of baking soda. Crush the strawberry and mix it. Spread this mixture evenly on the teeth for about 5 minutes. Now brush your teeth thoroughly, rinse and floss to remove the mixture of strawberry and soda.
Baking soda: After putting some toothpaste on your toothbrush, dip it in BS. Now brush with it. You can also use only BS on your toothbrush and brush with it
With salt: Baking soda/salt mixture is effective as it works as a whitener and salt as an abrasive. Take 3 tablespoons of BS and 1 tbsp of salt and use on your toothbrush similar to toothpaste
With hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is effective in treating dental issues, especially stained teeth. Take 1 tbsp of baking soda and few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Mix these ingredients to form a paste.
With Lemon juice: Take 1 tbsp of baking soda and half tbsp of lemon juice. Use this mixture as a tooth paste to brush.
Hydrogen Peroxide: After brushing, rinse your teeth with hydrogen peroxide and spit it out when it bubbles out. After this procedure, rinse your mouth with water and brush with toothpaste
Orange peel: Take the inner part of the orange peel and rub your teeth with it.
Strawberries: Mash some ripe strawberries and make them into a paste.
Home Remedies:
1. Whitening Teeth with Lemon Juice
The Procedure is brushing teeth with lemon juice. The way lemon juice works is by making your teeth to lose calcium which gives teeth some of their off-white color. Once that calcium is lost, your teeth become very susceptible to decay.
2. Whitening Teeth with Wood Ash
Procedure: Brushing teeth using wood ash (i.e. from your fireplace)
Wood ash contains potassium hydroxide (aka lye), and that is why this was one of the most used home remedies for teeth whitening by our grandparents.
3. Whitening Teeth with Strawberries
Procedure: Brushing teeth using mashed strawberries
Rubbing a strawberry on your teeth may whiten them for a short period of time, but sugar and acid in the strawberry will harm your teeth more than it will help if you don't brush your teeth after.
4. Whitening Teeth with Baking Soda
Procedure: Using Baking Soda with toothpaste while brushing.From all the home remedies for teeth whitening, this one doesn't really whitens your teeth, but it will help get plaque off and make them shine.
One of the things that you would expect when getting your teeth whitened at the dentist's office are blazing lights and professionals working with highly priced tools and solutions to help to make your teeth shine. Undoubtedly, this will not be cheap and some dentists charge for every piece of the entire process.
Home remedies:
Strawberry: Take one strawberry and half tbsp of baking soda. Crush the strawberry and mix it. Spread this mixture evenly on the teeth for about 5 minutes. Now brush your teeth thoroughly, rinse and floss to remove the mixture of strawberry and soda.
Baking soda: After putting some toothpaste on your toothbrush, dip it in BS. Now brush with it. You can also use only BS on your toothbrush and brush with it
With salt: Baking soda/salt mixture is effective as it works as a whitener and salt as an abrasive. Take 3 tablespoons of BS and 1 tbsp of salt and use on your toothbrush similar to toothpaste
With hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is effective in treating dental issues, especially stained teeth. Take 1 tbsp of baking soda and few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Mix these ingredients to form a paste.
With Lemon juice: Take 1 tbsp of baking soda and half tbsp of lemon juice. Use this mixture as a tooth paste to brush.
Hydrogen Peroxide: After brushing, rinse your teeth with hydrogen peroxide and spit it out when it bubbles out. After this procedure, rinse your mouth with water and brush with toothpaste
Orange peel: Take the inner part of the orange peel and rub your teeth with it.
Strawberries: Mash some ripe strawberries and make them into a paste.
Home Remedies:
1. Whitening Teeth with Lemon Juice
The Procedure is brushing teeth with lemon juice. The way lemon juice works is by making your teeth to lose calcium which gives teeth some of their off-white color. Once that calcium is lost, your teeth become very susceptible to decay.
2. Whitening Teeth with Wood Ash
Procedure: Brushing teeth using wood ash (i.e. from your fireplace)
Wood ash contains potassium hydroxide (aka lye), and that is why this was one of the most used home remedies for teeth whitening by our grandparents.
3. Whitening Teeth with Strawberries
Procedure: Brushing teeth using mashed strawberries
Rubbing a strawberry on your teeth may whiten them for a short period of time, but sugar and acid in the strawberry will harm your teeth more than it will help if you don't brush your teeth after.
4. Whitening Teeth with Baking Soda
Procedure: Using Baking Soda with toothpaste while brushing.From all the home remedies for teeth whitening, this one doesn't really whitens your teeth, but it will help get plaque off and make them shine.
The importance of Wireless Security
by Cyrus Jackson
Many people enjoy the flexibility of a wireless network and love the fact they can sit in their garden with their laptop and check their email. Whilst wireless networking is indeed a very useful technology it does come with its downsides. The truth is many people are not particularly tech savvy and will setup their wireless networking without implementing any wireless security, the same group of people are totally unaware of the massive threat to private data and their internet connections that arise from the no wireless security.
Having an unsecure network is like allowing someone to come into your house, plug a network cable into your router and start browsing the web as they please, you just wouldnt do it! Which is why you shouldnt leave a wireless network unsecure, it is inviting people to connect to it and do any of the following:
1: Download illegal content.
2: Use the connection for malicious activity
3: Intercept local traffic and have the ability to check what sites your visiting, your private data and even passwords.
This is just the beginning. There are many horror stories of peoples wireless networks being used and abused with criminal activities happening leaving the owner of the network responsible!
This is why wireless security is so important, if you leave your network open then your just asking for trouble, and you wont even know its happening! People can access your network from several houses down the street and you would be none the wiser.
So always implement Wireless Security, make sure that you are using a wireless key, preferably WPA or WPA2 as WEP is extremely vulnerable and can be cracked in a few minutes with freely available tools from the internet.
Many people enjoy the flexibility of a wireless network and love the fact they can sit in their garden with their laptop and check their email. Whilst wireless networking is indeed a very useful technology it does come with its downsides. The truth is many people are not particularly tech savvy and will setup their wireless networking without implementing any wireless security, the same group of people are totally unaware of the massive threat to private data and their internet connections that arise from the no wireless security.
Having an unsecure network is like allowing someone to come into your house, plug a network cable into your router and start browsing the web as they please, you just wouldnt do it! Which is why you shouldnt leave a wireless network unsecure, it is inviting people to connect to it and do any of the following:
1: Download illegal content.
2: Use the connection for malicious activity
3: Intercept local traffic and have the ability to check what sites your visiting, your private data and even passwords.
This is just the beginning. There are many horror stories of peoples wireless networks being used and abused with criminal activities happening leaving the owner of the network responsible!
This is why wireless security is so important, if you leave your network open then your just asking for trouble, and you wont even know its happening! People can access your network from several houses down the street and you would be none the wiser.
So always implement Wireless Security, make sure that you are using a wireless key, preferably WPA or WPA2 as WEP is extremely vulnerable and can be cracked in a few minutes with freely available tools from the internet.
Two Arrested in UK for Spreading Trojan Virus
Two people have been arrested in Manchester, in England's north, after they came under suspicion of helping to spread some of the most aggressive viruses on the Internet. The couple were arrested at the beginning of this month.
The pair have actively helped spread the trojan computer programmes Zbot and ZeuS, known as the "most notorious pieces of malware of recent times." It infected and disabled thousands of computers across the globe.
The virus steals personal information from an infected user and feeds it back to the hackers, with police stating that, "the potential financial gains to the culprits and losses to individuals and institutions are very substantial."
The pair have actively helped spread the trojan computer programmes Zbot and ZeuS, known as the "most notorious pieces of malware of recent times." It infected and disabled thousands of computers across the globe.
The virus steals personal information from an infected user and feeds it back to the hackers, with police stating that, "the potential financial gains to the culprits and losses to individuals and institutions are very substantial."
15-Year-Old Girl Stabs Taxi Driver
In Pailin province, Cambodia, a 15-year-old girl took a taxi to a secluded mountain where she then stabbed the taxi driver with a knife and attempted to rob him of his vehicle.
After the girl stabbed the taxi driver, he started yelling for help and some villagers who were nearby came to the man's aid. Police have arrested the teenage girl.
After the girl stabbed the taxi driver, he started yelling for help and some villagers who were nearby came to the man's aid. Police have arrested the teenage girl.
Iran war games to defend nuclear sites
Iran's Al-Alam TV has been showing footage of military exercises
Iran has begun five days of large-scale war games to simulate attacks on its nuclear sites, officials said, warning it will retaliate if provoked.
The head of Iran's air defence said the aim of the exercises was to thwart aerial reconnaissance and air attacks.
Another official warned Tehran would retaliate with a missile strike on Tel Aviv, if it was attacked by Israel.
Iran is under intense pressure over its nuclear programme, which critics say is intended to produce nuclear weapons.
The US and Israel have not ruled out the prospect of a military attack to prevent Iran developing nuclear bombs. Tehran insists its programme is peaceful.
Annihilation warning
The head of Iran's air defence, Brig Gen Ahmad Mighani, told state media the aim of the war games, which will cover an area of 600,000 sq km (230,000 sq miles), was "to display Iran's combat readiness and military potentials.
"Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is our duty to defend our nation's vital facilities," he said.
Meanwhile, Mojhtaba Zolnoor, an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Iran would respond to any Israeli attack.
"If the enemy attacks Iran, our missiles will strike Tel Aviv," he was quoted as saying by the official Irna news agency.
The commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards' air force wing said Iran's air defence forces would "annihilate" Israeli warplanes if they attacked.
"Their [Israeli] F-15 and F-16 fighters will be trapped by our air defence forces and will be annihilated," Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran's Fars news agency.
"Even if their planes escape and land at the bases from which they took off, their bases will be struck by our destructive surface-to-surface missiles."
Deal in doubt
The exercises come as the UN Security Council's permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany, urge Tehran to reconsider its rejection of a proposal that would see some of its nuclear material being enriched outside Iran and returned as fuel rods.
The deal - brokered by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency - envisages Iran sending about 70% of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods for a research reactor in Tehran.
Such a process would prevent Iran enriching uranium to the degree necessary to make a bomb, the UN says.
But Iran has rejected a key part of the deal, seeking further guarantees.
The UN Security Council has called on Iran to stop uranium enrichment and has approved three rounds of sanctions - covering trade in nuclear material, as well as financial and travel restrictions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8372985.stm
Iran has begun five days of large-scale war games to simulate attacks on its nuclear sites, officials said, warning it will retaliate if provoked.
The head of Iran's air defence said the aim of the exercises was to thwart aerial reconnaissance and air attacks.
Another official warned Tehran would retaliate with a missile strike on Tel Aviv, if it was attacked by Israel.
Iran is under intense pressure over its nuclear programme, which critics say is intended to produce nuclear weapons.
The US and Israel have not ruled out the prospect of a military attack to prevent Iran developing nuclear bombs. Tehran insists its programme is peaceful.
Annihilation warning
The head of Iran's air defence, Brig Gen Ahmad Mighani, told state media the aim of the war games, which will cover an area of 600,000 sq km (230,000 sq miles), was "to display Iran's combat readiness and military potentials.
"Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is our duty to defend our nation's vital facilities," he said.
Meanwhile, Mojhtaba Zolnoor, an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Iran would respond to any Israeli attack.
"If the enemy attacks Iran, our missiles will strike Tel Aviv," he was quoted as saying by the official Irna news agency.
The commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards' air force wing said Iran's air defence forces would "annihilate" Israeli warplanes if they attacked.
"Their [Israeli] F-15 and F-16 fighters will be trapped by our air defence forces and will be annihilated," Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran's Fars news agency.
"Even if their planes escape and land at the bases from which they took off, their bases will be struck by our destructive surface-to-surface missiles."
Deal in doubt
The exercises come as the UN Security Council's permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany, urge Tehran to reconsider its rejection of a proposal that would see some of its nuclear material being enriched outside Iran and returned as fuel rods.
The deal - brokered by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency - envisages Iran sending about 70% of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods for a research reactor in Tehran.
Such a process would prevent Iran enriching uranium to the degree necessary to make a bomb, the UN says.
But Iran has rejected a key part of the deal, seeking further guarantees.
The UN Security Council has called on Iran to stop uranium enrichment and has approved three rounds of sanctions - covering trade in nuclear material, as well as financial and travel restrictions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8372985.stm
Pregnancies & Sexually Transmitted Diseases on the Rise Among Teens
More teenagers and young adults are having sex, sparking an increase in teen births in both 2006 and 2007, and putting an end to more than a decade of significant decline. In fact, nearly three quarters of a million pregnancies occurred among American females under the age of 20 in 2004 that reversed the downward trend from 1991 to 2004.
To make matters work, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans are also on the rise. The annual rate of AIDS cases among boys ages 15 to 19 has almost doubled over the past decade, while the number of syphilis diagnoses are up among both teens and young adults. In addition, almost a quarter of teen girls aged 15 to 19 were infected with a human papilomavirus (HPV) from 2003 to 2004, as were almost half of young women between the ages of 20 and 25.
The troubling news comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report was based on data compiled during the years 2002 through 2007 that was gathered from the National Vital Statistics System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Survey of Family Growth and studies of hundreds of thousands children and young adults ranging in age from 10 to 25.
According to the report, the numbers indicate that the American youth is in need of better sex education that includes emphasis on STD and pregnancy prevention. In the report, the CDC writes, “The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexual risk behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes.”
The report found that although more than 80 percent of boys and girls reported having received formal instruction before age 18 on how to say no to sex, among those 18 to 19 years of age, only 49.8 percent of girls and just 35 percent of boys had discussed methods of birth control with a parent. In general, nearly 70 percent of teen girls as well as 66 percent of boys reported receiving instruction on methods of birth control.
Other discoveries included that for boys ages 15 to 17, about 32 percent had engaged in sex compared to thirty percent of girls in the same age range. However, among those ages 18 to 19, almost 65 percent of boys and 71 percent of girls had experienced sex. Disturbingly, nearly 10 percent of young women ranging from 18 to 24 years reported that their first intercourse had been involuntary. About 100,000 females among the age range of 10 to 24 were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal sexual assault injuries during the period between 2004 and 2006.
Among those sexually active teens, infections with the human immune deficiency virus that causes AIDS rose from 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.5 cases in 2006 among boys aged 15 to 19. The syphilis rates among females aged 15 to 19 increased from 1.5 cases per 100,000 in 2004 to 2.2 cases per 100,000 in 2006 after having significantly declined between 1997 and 2005. Gonorrhea infections rates have leveled off after decreasing for more than two decades. Approximately 1 million American teens and young adults ages 10 to 24 reported contracting chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis in 2006, accounting for nearly half of all incident sexually transmitted diseases and 25 percent of the sexually active population.
The researchers concluded from their findings, “The sexual and reproductive health of America's young persons remains an important public health concern,” and also noted, “Earlier progress appears to be slowing and perhaps reversing."
To make matters work, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans are also on the rise. The annual rate of AIDS cases among boys ages 15 to 19 has almost doubled over the past decade, while the number of syphilis diagnoses are up among both teens and young adults. In addition, almost a quarter of teen girls aged 15 to 19 were infected with a human papilomavirus (HPV) from 2003 to 2004, as were almost half of young women between the ages of 20 and 25.
The troubling news comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report was based on data compiled during the years 2002 through 2007 that was gathered from the National Vital Statistics System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Survey of Family Growth and studies of hundreds of thousands children and young adults ranging in age from 10 to 25.
According to the report, the numbers indicate that the American youth is in need of better sex education that includes emphasis on STD and pregnancy prevention. In the report, the CDC writes, “The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexual risk behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes.”
The report found that although more than 80 percent of boys and girls reported having received formal instruction before age 18 on how to say no to sex, among those 18 to 19 years of age, only 49.8 percent of girls and just 35 percent of boys had discussed methods of birth control with a parent. In general, nearly 70 percent of teen girls as well as 66 percent of boys reported receiving instruction on methods of birth control.
Other discoveries included that for boys ages 15 to 17, about 32 percent had engaged in sex compared to thirty percent of girls in the same age range. However, among those ages 18 to 19, almost 65 percent of boys and 71 percent of girls had experienced sex. Disturbingly, nearly 10 percent of young women ranging from 18 to 24 years reported that their first intercourse had been involuntary. About 100,000 females among the age range of 10 to 24 were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal sexual assault injuries during the period between 2004 and 2006.
Among those sexually active teens, infections with the human immune deficiency virus that causes AIDS rose from 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.5 cases in 2006 among boys aged 15 to 19. The syphilis rates among females aged 15 to 19 increased from 1.5 cases per 100,000 in 2004 to 2.2 cases per 100,000 in 2006 after having significantly declined between 1997 and 2005. Gonorrhea infections rates have leveled off after decreasing for more than two decades. Approximately 1 million American teens and young adults ages 10 to 24 reported contracting chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis in 2006, accounting for nearly half of all incident sexually transmitted diseases and 25 percent of the sexually active population.
The researchers concluded from their findings, “The sexual and reproductive health of America's young persons remains an important public health concern,” and also noted, “Earlier progress appears to be slowing and perhaps reversing."
Women's Health Cancer Patients with Dense Breasts Face Greater Risk of Disease Recurrence
Women who have dense breasts, and undergo lumpectomies for the treatment of breast cancer, are at a greater risk of a recurrence of the disease. In fact, breast cancer patients with more dense breasts are four times as likely to have their cancer return than women with less dense breasts.
The new information comes from research performed by Steven A. Narod, M.D., of the Women's College Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues. According to Dr Narod, “The composition of the breast tissue surrounding the breast cancer is important in predicting whether or not a breast cancer will return after surgery.” The study report can be found in the journal Cancer.
The researchers analyzed data on 335 breast cancer patients having an average age of 63.5 years, who had undergone lumpectomies for the removal of cancerous tumors from their breasts. Findings revealed that for women having more dense breasts, the risk of the cancer recurring over 10 years was more than four times higher at 21 percent than the 5 percent average. In addition, women who did not receive radiation as part of their initial treatment faced an even higher risk (40 percent) of a tumor recurrence that puts them at an 8 times greater likelihood of developing the disease again.
With the use of mammography, about one in three of the women in the study were found to have large amounts of dense tissue in their breasts. Breast density was discovered to be higher among the younger women in the study, and these women were less likely to be postmenopausal than the others. Of the total number of women in the study, 99 had low-density breasts with dense tissue in less than 25 percent of the breast, 107 had intermediate density in 25 percent to 50 percent of the breast, while 129 women had high-density breasts with more than 50 percent density.
Although it is not known why the density of a woman’s breast has an impact on the risk of developing cancer, it is known that high breast density can reduce the sensitivity of a mammogram by causing a masking effect. In addition, it is the belief of the researchers that the hormonal profile of denser breast tissue makes it more susceptible to cancer. Although Dr Narod noted that breast density has been found to be modifiable to some extent by physical activity and hormone therapy, the researchers cautioned that it is not clear whether these measures would impact the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Due to this significant increase in risk for cancer recurrence, the researchers maintain that women having more dense breasts should undergo additional treatment after surgery to decrease the chances of the cancer returning. On the other hand, since radiation therapy appeared to eliminate the increased risk for cancer recurrence, they also acknowledged that the findings are an indication that women with low-density breasts may be able to safely avoid radiation. However, they also cautioned that because the study was small, further research will be necessary determine if this is the case.
According to The American Cancer Society an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2009, and of these 40,170 lives will be lost. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death among women, after lung cancer. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some time during life, and about 1 in 35 will lose the battle against the disease
The new information comes from research performed by Steven A. Narod, M.D., of the Women's College Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues. According to Dr Narod, “The composition of the breast tissue surrounding the breast cancer is important in predicting whether or not a breast cancer will return after surgery.” The study report can be found in the journal Cancer.
The researchers analyzed data on 335 breast cancer patients having an average age of 63.5 years, who had undergone lumpectomies for the removal of cancerous tumors from their breasts. Findings revealed that for women having more dense breasts, the risk of the cancer recurring over 10 years was more than four times higher at 21 percent than the 5 percent average. In addition, women who did not receive radiation as part of their initial treatment faced an even higher risk (40 percent) of a tumor recurrence that puts them at an 8 times greater likelihood of developing the disease again.
With the use of mammography, about one in three of the women in the study were found to have large amounts of dense tissue in their breasts. Breast density was discovered to be higher among the younger women in the study, and these women were less likely to be postmenopausal than the others. Of the total number of women in the study, 99 had low-density breasts with dense tissue in less than 25 percent of the breast, 107 had intermediate density in 25 percent to 50 percent of the breast, while 129 women had high-density breasts with more than 50 percent density.
Although it is not known why the density of a woman’s breast has an impact on the risk of developing cancer, it is known that high breast density can reduce the sensitivity of a mammogram by causing a masking effect. In addition, it is the belief of the researchers that the hormonal profile of denser breast tissue makes it more susceptible to cancer. Although Dr Narod noted that breast density has been found to be modifiable to some extent by physical activity and hormone therapy, the researchers cautioned that it is not clear whether these measures would impact the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Due to this significant increase in risk for cancer recurrence, the researchers maintain that women having more dense breasts should undergo additional treatment after surgery to decrease the chances of the cancer returning. On the other hand, since radiation therapy appeared to eliminate the increased risk for cancer recurrence, they also acknowledged that the findings are an indication that women with low-density breasts may be able to safely avoid radiation. However, they also cautioned that because the study was small, further research will be necessary determine if this is the case.
According to The American Cancer Society an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2009, and of these 40,170 lives will be lost. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death among women, after lung cancer. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some time during life, and about 1 in 35 will lose the battle against the disease
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)