In Slate, Jezebel.com staff writer Lindy West has an interesting review on a new book by Florence Williams that came out this week: Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History. According to West, the book offers a comprehensive social, cultural, medical, and scientific history of the human breast, with writing that is “scientifically detailed yet warm and accessible.”

An excerpt from the review:

Williams’ journey begins when, alarmed by a news article about toxins in breast milk, she decides to get her own milk tested. And, surprise! It’s packed with toxins—specifically, chemical flame retardants—that Williams is funneling directly into her baby. (“Well, at least your breasts won’t spontaneously ignite!” her husband jokes, because that’s exactly what you want to hear when adjusting to the news that you’re a human baby-poison factory.) This sends her down a rabbit hole in search of deeper understanding of her own anatomy— into the evolutionary history of mammals, to Peru to investigate nursing and weaning, back to the first breast augmentation surgery, and all over the world to interview more boob experts than you can shake a pasty at.

And she discovers that breasts are complicated. Impossibly so. She learns that it’s the breast’s permeability that make it such an evolutionary powerhouse (lots and lots of estrogen receptors help human puberty occur at the optimal time; nutrient-rich breast milk makes for giant brains)—but that same permeability is also, partially, what causes one in eight women to develop breast cancer. Our breasts make us great but they also make us vulnerable, and you can’t help but come away from Williams’ book feeling a bit helpless. (Self-examinations! Self-examinations are key!) While she makes the story as dynamic as possible, there’s no escaping that this is science journalism—there are lots of PBDE levels and octa-203 and penta-47 and dioxin and “lobule type 4” and other such enemies of lively prose. But that’s OK—there are enough surprises and genuinely horrifying learning moments to keep a reader (especially a lady-reader), uh, latched on.

The review concludes with “Five Things I Learned About Breasts From Florence Williams’ Breasts,” with West taking a comedic approach, surprisingly, without undermining the book’s implications. Parting quips aside, the book appears to delve into uncharted areas of breast science and sociology, offering a fascinating exploration of the past, present and future of breasts, and what we can do to save them.

Amazon.com, I’ll take two please.

You can read the full review here: Your Breasts Are Trying to Kill You.

[ From slate.com (via: boingboing.net) ]

Researchers at Brown University have created an implant that deters breast cancer cell regrowth. The implant has what is referred to as a “bed-of-nails” surface at the nanoscale (dimensions one-billionth of a meter, or 1/50,000th the width of a human hair), which deters cancer cells from dwelling and thriving.

Made out of federally approved polymer, the implant is the first of its kind and works in a way that causes a reduction in the blood-vessel architecture that breast cancer tumors depend on, while at the same time attractive healthy breast cells. The implant materials are also said to drive down the rate of relapse.

“We’ve created an (implant) surface with features that can at least decrease (cancerous) cell functions without having to use chemotherapeutics, radiation, or other processes to kill cancer cells,” said Thomas Webster, associate professor of engineering and the corresponding author on the paper in Nanotechnology. “It’s a surface that’s hospitable to healthy breast cells and less so for cancerous breast cells.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer. Of those, many will undergo surgery to remove the tumor and will require some kind of breast reconstruction afterward – many involving some sort of implant. Cancer is difficult to beat though, and malignant cells return for about one-fifth of women originally diagnosed. This “bed-of-nails” implant may provide some resolve for the many unfortunate women who have had to grapple with this unfortunate disease, and those who are at risk for it in the future.

You can read the full article here.

[ From: sciencedaily.com ]

A dog may be man’s best friend, but in the case of British woman Wendy Humphreys, a cat is undoubtedly this woman’s best friend. And, her life saver.

Humphreys, 52, was bewildered at first when her 10-month-old cat, Fidge, began jumping on her right breast every night for weeks on end so she decided to visit a physician, the Daily Mail reports.

What doctors found astounded Humphreys. She had a malignant pea-sized tumor in her breast that could have metastasized if it hadn’t been discovered early. She is now scheduled to undergo chemotherapy and credits Fidge with saving her life.

What doctors found astounded Humphreys: She had a malignant tumor in her breast about the size of a pea that could have metastasized if it hadn’t been discovered early. She is now scheduled to undergo chemotherapy and credits Fidge with saving her life, according to the paper.

Studies have shown that dogs can also pick up on physical ailments and illnesses by detecting changes in people’s smell. Researchers in Japan conducted a study in 2011 to see how well a dog could identify people with colorectal cancer. The dog was accurate 98 percent of the time, NPR reported.

[ From: huffingtonpost.com ]

Labseed, a start-up company based in the Science Park in Ecublens, has developed a protective covering made up of a nanostructured surface and a layer of collagen that will prevent the body from rejecting the implant.

Most medically implanted devices, from implants to new hips and knees are seen as invaders by the body and are quickly isolated from the rest of the body by a special structure called a fibroblast. This hard capsule, which can become unattractive and even painful in breast implants, can prevent the implanted device from functioning correctly.

This new coating has done very well in lab tests and could become part of the manufacturing process as early as 2013. The collagen coating the device tricks the body into thinking it’s a natural part of our bodies and thus prevents or reduced the formation of fibroblasts.

[ Medical Xpress ]

A relatively new test performed on a sample of a woman’s saliva can help identify her risk of developing breast cancer. The test, developed by Intergenetics, can identify genetic markers which show how likely a woman is to develop breast cancer. Armed with the results, women can work with their physician to create a care plan to help ensure early detection of potential breast cancer. The test, which is called Onca Vue, is covered by many major insurance companies.

[ Fox News Latino ]