GOOD NEWS

Cancer survival

Injecting anti-cancer drugs into the body cavity, not just into a vein, can lengthen the lives of women with advanced ovarian cancer, says a study carried out at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, US. The treatment can be difficult to endure, but it improves the average survival time by nearly 16 months and cuts the risk of death from advanced ovarian cancer by 25 per cent, reports the New England Journal of Medicine. Women who received intraperitoneal chemotherapy directly into their body cavity survived for 66 months, 32 per cent longer than those receiving standard care.

Diarrhoea killer

Two studies by the researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, US, claim that experimental vaccines by drug-makers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline can prevent severe childhood diarrhoea caused by rotaviruses. These microbes cause diarrhoea and vomiting that last for days, killing an estimated 600,000 children a year. Most of the deaths are in the developing countries, but the disease is found even in countries with good sanitation and clean water.

BAD NEWS

Tortured children

Children who see their mothers physically abused may often suffer their own emotional and behavioural problems in response, a new study shows. According to researchers at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center in San Diego, US, the study adds to evidence that witnessing violence in the home can have serious consequences for children’s mental health and ability to function in daily life, reports in the journal Pediatrics. The findings suggest that systematic efforts are needed to ensure that mental health needs are identified and addressed appropriately in children.

Smoker moms

Women who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day after giving birth may wean their babies off breastmilk much more quickly than nonsmokers, a University of South Carolina study says. According to researchers who conducted the study, some people may think that “smoking postpartum is okay” for babies, but the shortened breastfeeding duration among these women is “one adverse consequence.”