Women Can Take Steps to Prevent Cervical Cancer (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Women need to get recommended Pap tests, while girls and young women should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) to protect them from cervical cancer, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises during Cervical Health Awareness Month.

Cervical cancer kills more than 4,000 women in the United States each year. Many of them could have been saved by routine Pap tests, which look for abnormal cells in the cervix that can turn into cancer. When caught early, those abnormal cells are highly treatable, according to the college.

More than 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The good news is that the rate of cervical cancer in the United States has fallen more than 50 percent in the past three decades due to the widespread use of the Pap test, the college says.

Cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of HPV, a common sexually transmitted disease. HPV can also cause genital and anal warts and cancer of the mouth, head and neck, penis and anus.

Women can help protect themselves against cervical cancer by being monogamous, practicing safe sex and getting periodic Pap tests. In addition, girls and young women aged 9 to 26 should receive the HPV vaccine, the college recommends.

A young women should get her first Pap test when she turns 21 and continue having a Pap test every two years until age 30. Women age 30 and beyond who have three consecutive negative Pap test results can be screened once every three years, the college says.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about cervical cancer prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120126/hl_hsn/womencantakestepstopreventcervicalcancer

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Japan posts first annual trade deficit since 1980 (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980 as it imported expensive energy to offset shortfalls caused by the devastating tsunami and manufacturers shifted production overseas to avoid the damage inflicted by the strong yen.

The 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) deficit for 2011 reflected a 2.7 percent decline in the value of Japan's exports to 65.55 trillion yen ($843 billion). In December, the trade balance was a deficit of 205.1 billion yen, according to the Ministry of Finance figures released Wednesday.

"It reflects fundamental changes in Japan's economy, particularly among manufacturers," said Hideki Matsumura, senior economist at Japan Research Institute. "Japan is losing its competitiveness to produce domestically."

"It's gotten difficult for manufacturers to export, so they're they've moved production abroad so that products sold outside the country are made outside the country," he said.

The yen's surge to record levels against the dollar and euro has made Japanese exports more expensive and also erodes the value of foreign earned income when brought home. Recently, Nissan Motor Co. and Panasonic Corp. have shifted some of their output to factories overseas.

At the same time, Japan is facing intense competition from South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, where labor and production costs are cheaper.

Japanese manufacturers have been battered by a host of negatives in the past year. The tsunami temporarily disrupted the production of automobile makers and others. Weakness in the U.S. economy and Europe's debt problems and recent flooding in Thailand, where many Japanese automakers have assembly lines, also contributed to export declines.

Another major factor behind the figures was the impact of the expensive energy imports Japan turned to after the March disaster touched off a nuclear crisis and led the country to shut down, or not restart, a large portion of its reactors, said Martin Schulz, senior economist with the Fujitsu Research Institute.

He said pressure to import energy will continue to weigh heavily on Japan for the next year, but will subside as the country pursues greater efficiency measures.

Much of Japan's oil and natural gas is imported from the Middle East, with which Japan had a 10.88 trillion yen trade deficit last year, up 33 percent, figures showed.

Japan still has a trade surplus with the U.S., although that is shrinking. For 2011, exports exceeded imports by 4.10 trilion yen ($52.6 billion), down 8.2 percent from a year earlier. Exports to the U.S. declined 2.8 percent to 10.02 trillion yen during the year, while imports inched up 0.2 percent to 5.9 trillion.

Japan had a 1.57 trillion yen trade surplus with China for the year. A breakdown of figures showed a trade deficit with mainland China, but a big surplus with Hong Kong.

Trade with Germany was fairly balanced last year as imports grew nearly 10 percent to 1.86 trillion yen. Exports came to 1.87 trillion yen, giving Japan a relatively small trade surplus of 16 billion yen.

The turmoil in Europe and the U.S. has driven up the yen as global investors flock to the currency as a relative safe haven. The yen hit multiple historic highs against the dollar, and touched a record against the euro earlier this month as well.

The yen is trading at around 78 to the dollar recently, a level that is extremely painful for exporters. Five years ago, the dollar was trading above 120 yen.

Matsumura believes that Japan will likely log another trade deficit this year amid prospects for high energy prices and a persistently strong yen, but that renewed strength in the global and Asian regional economies could put Japan back into the black in 2013.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_trade

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Roche's Avastin helps colorectal cancer patients (Reuters)

ZURICH (Reuters) ? Patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received Roche's Avastin live longer when they also receive the drug as part of their second round of treatment, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday, citing a late-stage study.

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer first treated with Avastin and standard chemotherapy before being given Avastin with a different chemotherapy after their disease had progressed lived significantly longer than those given only chemotherapy in the second-line setting, Roche said.

The news is likely to boost sentiment around the drug, which recently suffered a major setback when U.S. authorities decided to revoke their backing of its use in breast cancer.

Roche will submit the results of the ML 18147 study at an upcoming medical meeting.

In Europe, Avastin is currently approved in colorectal, lung, renal, breast cancer and it has just won approval in ovarian cancer.

(Reporting by Katie Reid; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/hl_nm/us_roche

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Alabama tornadoes: Storm damage insurance claims could reach ...

This panorama photo by Birmingham News photographer Joe Songer shows damage in the Center Point area at 23rd Terrace NW.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Insured homes and businesses in Alabama suffered $15 million to $30 million worth of damage from the high winds and tornadoes that swept across the state early Monday, according to estimates developed by the catastrophe risk modeling firm EQECAT.

HOW TO REACH MAJOR INSURERS
Alfa
Mobile Response Unit: Chalkville Service Center, 2430 Old Springville Road
Also: 800-964-2532 or www.alfainsurance.com
Allstate
Mobile Response Units:
? 5150 Old Springville Road (Publix parking lot)
? 6730 Deerfoot Parkway, Clay, AL 35126 (Piggly Wiggly parking lot)
Also: 800-54-STORM or www.allstate.com
State Farm

Mobile Response Units:
? 1945 Center Point Parkway, Center Point 35215 (First Baptist Church of Center Point)
? 1885 Edwards Lake Road, Birmingham 35235 (Lowe's parking lot)
Also: 800-SF-CLAIM (800-732-5246) or www.statefarm.com
Cotton States
24/7 Claims Hotline: 866-714-6902
Online Claims Filing: www.cottonstates.com
Travelers
Mobile Response Units:
? 2100 Center Point Parkway, Center Point
? 1885 Edwards Lake Road, Birmingham (Lowe's parking lot)
Phone: 800-252-4633 (for individuals), 800-238-6225 for business or www.mytravelers.com

According to Jose Miranda, director of client advocacy at EQECAT, the firm predicts that the bulk of those losses were in north and northeastern Birmingham suburbs.

Ten tornadoes touched down in Alabama in the early morning hours Monday, with two striking Jefferson County -- one in Oak Grove in western Jefferson County and one in Center Point and Clay in northeast Jefferson County. The Jefferson County tornadoes killed two people: Christina Nicole Heichelbech, 16, of Clay and Bobby Frank Sims, 81, of Oak Grove.

On Wednesday, storm survivors continued gathering their belongings and securing storm-damaged homes before the predicted arrival of rain today. Along with utility crews and volunteers, insurance agents and adjusters were out in force.

Renee Carter, state director for the Alabama Insurance Information Service, urged everyone who suffered damage in the storms to contact their insurers as soon as possible. Several of Alabama's largest insurers have brought in extra personnel and have deployed mobile units to storm-damaged areas.

Carter said policyholders waiting for an agent should go ahead and make temporary repairs as needed to prevent further damage. Expenses for the materials to make repairs, like tarps and plywood, can be reimbursed under most policies, Carter said. So keep receipts, she advised. Carter said it helps to photograph or video contents of the home before removing items, to document damage.

If you can contact your insurance agent, and he or she is familiar with the property damaged, do that. But you also can call, visit a mobile response unit or file a claim on line.

While spring tends to be the most active time for tornadoes, January twisters are not unusual.

According to EQECAT, 2012 tornado activity is higher than the 50th percentile but far below the historic maximum for this date.

According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, 2011 had the second-largest number of tornadoes on record, at 1,700. The most was 1,817 in 2004.

According to insurer Swiss Re, insured losses nationally for tornado and hail damage in 2011 were $14 billion.

Insured losses in Alabama alone during the April 27, 2011, outbreak were more than $2.2 billion.

Join the conversation by clicking to comment or email Spencer at tspencer@bhamnews.com.????

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/01/alabama_tornadoes_storm_damage.html

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'Loser' host: Joe threw away a rare opportunity

By Randee Dawn

Trae Patton / NBC

Joe?s unexpected departure from ?The Biggest Loser? last week had fans in an uproar ? including the ones visiting our Facebook page. Joe?s reasoning? That his family needed him. ?I don?t buy it for one second,? ranted trainer Bob Harper on the show, calling it the ?biggest excuse ever.?

The thing is, when you quit in the third week of something like ?Loser,? whatever reason you give is going to sound like ?This is just too hard!?

But Harper and the fans weren?t the only ones irritated by Joe?s exit?-- so was host Alison Sweeney. ?Three weeks in to make a decision like that? It was shocking, no question,? she told TODAY.com. ?It?s the first time it ever happened like that. It?s crazy.?

But it?s more than just odd, said Sweeney, who is aware on a personal level of the many challenges that come with trying to lose weight.

?It?s frustrating,? she said. ?You feel like (the show) is an opportunity so many people would love to have -- and if it wasn?t right for you, I wish you would have figured that out before you took the spot from someone who would have loved it and made the most of it.?

Spots for ?Loser? are slim, and the pool of applicants is enormous, she said. People ask her all the time what they can do to get on the show. ?Unfortunately, there are not that many spots,? she said. ?So we just hope that the people who do view it as an opportunity make the most of it.?

That said, Sweeney, who has been with the show since 2004, wishes Joe nothing but the best. ?There?s no question that Joe?s a great guy," she said. "I hope he gets help to lose weight. All of those good things.?

Should the show do anything to punish contestants who quit the game? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page!

Related content:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10219716-loser-host-quitter-joe-threw-away-a-rare-opportunity

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Chinese New Year fireworks spark deadly Thai blaze (AP)

BANGKOK ? Fireworks set off during an official Chinese New Year celebration have sparked a blaze that burned homes, killed three people and injured others in central Thailand.

Suphanburi Governor Somsak Phureesrisak told TPBS TV by telephone the three were killed as at least 20 houses burned down late Tuesday.

Somjate Promsuntorn, head of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, said at least 20 people were injured. A local hospital, however, told Springnews.tv that it had treated 57 people.

The fireworks were part of an elaborate celebration led by former Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa. His political machine dominates prosperous rice-growing Suphanburi province.

He told TV Channel 9 the celebration would continue but without any more fireworks.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_chinese_new_year

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Judge's order raises issue over encrypted evidence (AP)

DENVER ? A federal judge has ordered a woman to provide an unencrypted version of her laptop's hard drive in a ruling that raises the question of whether turning over a password amounts to self-incrimination.

The Denver Post reports ( http://bit.ly/Ai8BH4) that U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn decided requiring Ramona Fricosu to provide the contents of her computer doesn't violate her Fifth Amendment protections. Blackburn says the content of the computer adds nothing to what the government already knows.

Friscosu's attorney, Philip Dubois, says he plans to appeal Monday's ruling.

Prosecutors say allowing criminal defendants to beat search warrants by encrypting their computers would make it impossible to obtain evidence.

Civil-liberties groups across the country are opposing the government. They're calling it a test of rights against self-incrimination in a digital world.

___

Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_hi_te/us_password_dispute

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