An experimental vaccine to treat precancerous vulvar growths eliminated the growths in nine of 20 women participating in a small trial, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports.

During a press conference on Thursday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned that the "global economic crisis and calls to commit funds to other health crises" threatened to undermine recent gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports. MSF "says money for other health issues should be given in addition to money for [HIV/]AIDS" (11/5).

Child Mortality In Kenya Still High, Survey Shows "The most current data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics under the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) launched on Wednesday shows mortality among children under five years stands at 7.4 percent, while that of infants is at 5.2 percent," Business Daily reports.

New research shows that during natural menstrual cycles, women with asthma who were not taking oral contraceptives (OC) had lower exhaled nitric oxide levels (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation associated with asthma, than women who were taking OC. Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada, studied 17 women with asthma during their menstrual cycles.

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) acknowledged Tuesday that lawmakers likely will combine a few fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills into an omnibus measure to allow for quick passage before the end of the calendar year, Roll Call reports (Pierce, Roll Call, 11/3). While the House has passed all 12 of its bills, the Senate has passed only seven and has five remaining (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 11/4).