Current smokers positive for HPV-16 were more than 14 times more likely to have CIS than HPV-negative current smokers. In nonsmokers, HPV-16 positivity only increased the risk of cancer by 5.6-fold.

Current smoking coupled with a high HPV-16 load raised the risk of CIS by 27-fold compared with HPV-16-negative smokers. In nonsmokers, the elevated risk with a high HPV-16 load was just 5.9-fold.

"We were surprised to see this dramatically increased risk among women with high viral loads who smoked," Gunnell commented.

A significant correlation between smoking duration and HPV-16 positivity was noted, the researchers state.

"Our study would imply a synergistic action between HPV and smoking that would greatly increase the likelihood of women developing cervical cancer if they are HPV-positive smokers. This would put them in a risk group worthy of careful monitoring," Gunnell emphasized.

SOURCE: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention November 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

CPAP may help preemies breathe easier

Last Updated: 2006-11-17 12:46:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Michelle Rizzo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a study hint that nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can be used to support the breathing of extremely preterm infants soon after delivery.

The benefit of CPAP "had been doubted because in this form of support the babies have to take their own breaths and it was not clear if they could sustain this," Dr. A. David Edwards, of Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK, said in an interview with Reuters Health.

"The more conventional approach is to use a mechanical ventilator, which blows air into the lungs," he explained. "Unfortunately mechanical ventilation seems to damage the lungs leading to chronic lung disease and even death."

In his experience, Edwards said, CPAP "improves survival (with) less long-term lung damage in very preterm infants."

In the Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, Edwards and colleagues describe their experience with attempts at going from the ventilator to nasal CPAP in a group of infants born at less than 27 weeks' gestation. The mean birth weight was 778 grams and the mean gestational age was 25.3 weeks.

Of 53 infants on ventilators, extubation was attempted in 21 on day 1 and was successful in 14. On day 2, extubation was attempted in 15 of 35 infants, and was successful in 12. Five infants died within 48 hours.

By day 7, a total of 30 of the 43 surviving infants were on nasal CPAP.

The investigators report that 5 of 23 infants who were on mechanical ventilation at 48 hours of age were on air at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age and 11 had died. Among 26 infants on CPAP at 48 hours, 12 were on air at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age while 3 had died.

The probability of an infant remaining on CPAP on day 1 was 66 percent and on day 2 was 80 percent.

Based on these promising results, the researchers call for further studies of the use and value of CPAP in extremely preterm infants soon after delivery.

SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, November 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.