Posted May. 15th, 2012 Drugmaker Pfizers restructuring of its estrogen extraction plant at Brandon, Man. calls for about 40 per cent fewer employees by the end of next year. The company processes conjugated estrogen from pregnant mares urine (PMU) at Brandon to make the hormone replacement therapy Premarin, used to treat menopausal symptoms in women. Pfizer said Tuesday it plans to cut about 50 of 130 positions at the plant "gradually through to the end of 2013." The company said it "operates in a very competitive and challenging environment which requires a continual review of its operations to look for efficiencies and cost reductions by using our resources and technology more effectively." Changes at the Brandon plant "will enhance the sites competitiveness and best position it for the future," the company said. However, this decision "will not impact the sites rancher network who support the plants production," Pfizer said.The company sources raw PMU from a network of 26 equine ranchers across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Brandon facility was set up in the mid-1960s and became a Pfizer plant when the company bought fellow drugmarker Wyeth in 2009. Wyeth substantially downsized its PMU ranch network in the first half of the … Continue reading →

A substance found in celery and parsley could pack a powerful punch against breast cancer, according to a new study in mice. Researchers from the University of Missouri found that apigenin seems to have an effect on certain kinds of breast cancer tumors associated with the hormone progestin (given along with estrogen to women as part of hormone replacement therapy for menopause, and is known to increase the risk of breast cancer). "We do know that apigenin slowed the progression of human breast cancer cells in three ways: by inducing cell death, by inhibiting cell proliferation, and by reducing expression of a gene associated with cancer growth," study researcher Salman Hyder, a professor of biomedical sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Missouri, said in a statement. "Blood vessels responsible for feeding cancer cells also had smaller diameters in apigenin-treated mice compared to untreated mice," Hyder added. "Smaller vessels mean restricted nutrient flow to the tumors and may have served to starve the cancer as well as limiting its ability to spread." The study, published in the journal Hormones and Cancer, was conducted in specially bred mice that had breast … Continue reading →

KAYE CANDOZA-POELS. She was abused by her father for being a transgender. Photo by Dawn Fabrero MANILA, Philippines Kaye Candoza-Poels already knew she was female at the age of 6. Now 27, she looked every bit a woman as she walked down the UP main road in 5-inch heels. A member of the Society of Transsexual Women Philippines, Kaye led the march on Thursday, May 17, to the Commission on Human Rights central office in celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (Idaho). Kayes grandmother became her permanent caretaker at 7 when Kayes father started abusing her for being a transgender. At 13 years old, she started hormone replacement therapy with the help of her aunt. She is currently engaged to a Dutch from the Netherlands whose family has already welcomed and accepted her warmly. When asked how differently she thinks things would have turned out without the hormone replacement therapy, she simply said Babae pa rin ako. Pagkababae ko ay buong buo. (Im still a woman. My being a woman remains whole.) Getting it right The burden and challenge of acceptance in a predominantly Catholic country is one that transgenders face every day. Acceptance and understanding … Continue reading →

May 16, 2012 Image Credit: Photos.com Apigenin Slowed The Progression of a Human Cancer Accelerated by Hormone Replacement Therapy Apigenin is a natural substance found in the grocery store produce aisles. It shows promise as being a non-toxic treatment for an aggressive form of human breast cancer, following a new study at the University of Missouri. They found apigenin shrank a type of breast cancer tumor that is stimulated by progestin which is a synthetic hormone given to women to help ease symptoms related to menopause. This is the first study to show that apigenin, which can be extracted from celery, parsley and many other natural sources, is effective against human breast cancer cells that had been influenced by a certain chemical used in hormone replacement therapy, said co-author Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. In the study, Hyder and his colleagues implanted cells of a fast-growing, deadly human breast cancer, known as BT-474, into a specialized breed of mouse. Some of the mice were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA), a type of progestin commonly given to post-menopausal women. A control … Continue reading →