News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms March 10, 2008

What's in the news for moms and kids:


Vaccine for 'strep throat' may be near
Researchers said it may be possible to make a safe vaccine against the type of bacteria best known for causing ”strep throat” and rheumatic fever. It has been tricky to try to design a vaccine against GAS because the antigen — the piece of the bacteria most easily recognized by the body’s immune system — is also the most dangerous part.

Group A streptococcal (GAS) infections affect more than 600 million people each year and kill 400,000 globally. Most infections cause throat inflammation known as “strep throat,” which is easily treated with antibiotics.


Study of hormone of therapy shows some risks persist
A follow-up analysis of women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) found their heightened risk of breast cancer persisted even after they stopped taking the drug combination.