8 Hot Swimsuits for Under $50

With warm weather on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start shopping for great deals on fun bathing suits for your vacation and summer planning needs. As we all know, bathing suit shopping can be a real drag that comes with a high price tag, so we’ve done the work for you with these fun options that come at an affordable price. So grab one, or a few—you can never have enough!

Women’s Bralette Bikini Top and Strappy Hipster Bottoms ($15 each; target.com)

Looking for something sexy? Try a top that has crisscross detailing, which adds dimension to smaller busts.

Dolfin Bellas Printed Bikini Set ($50; kohls.com) 

Hit the pool in a bikini that will keep you supported when it’s time to do some laps, and look stylish when you’re lounging poolside.

Aerie Scoop Bikini Top and Hipster Bottoms ($27 and $23; ae.com)

The ruffle detail on the straps and bottoms give this suit a flirty look–plus the camo green color flatters every skin tone (trust us!).

Women’s Surplice Draped Halter One Piece Swimsuit ($45; target.com)

Create the illusion of a slimmer waist with a one-piece that looks like a two-piece. The solid bottom half will minimize your hips, and the striped top will give the illusion of more larger breasts.

Tropical Mesh-Back Bikini Top and Cheeky Bikini Bottoms ($15 and $13; forever21.com)

Want to make heads turn? Pair a high-neckline top with bottoms that reveal the results of all those squats you did this winter.

Short-Sleeve Rashguard and Ruched Hipster Bottoms ($25 and $23; oldnavy.com)

If you want to keep yourself protected from the sun, a rashguard with UPF 50 protection keeps you covered.

Bandeau Push-Up Bikini Top and String Bikini Bottom ($18 and $15; target.com)

Give the girls a lift in a push-up top with removable straps.

Aerie Crochet One-Piece Swimsuit ($50; ae.com)

Who says one-pieces are for grandmas? The cutout at the chest shows a little extra skin, and the v-back shape flatters your toned shoulders.

 

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The HPV Vaccine Is Lowering Infection Rates

Most people don’t think of vaccinating themselves to protect against cancer, but when public health experts in the U.S. began recommending in 2006 that young girls, and eventually boys, be immunized against HPV, that’s exactly what they had in mind. Several strains of human papillomavirus are linked to cervical cancer, and because HPV is spread during intercourse, vaccinating young people before they become sexually active is a way to lower their risk of developing cancer.

Now, in a study published in Pediatrics, Dr. Lauri Markowitz and her colleagues show how critical the vaccine can be to health. They report that rates of HPV infection among teens ages 14 to 19 dropped by 64% six years after the shot was recommended, and by 34% among people ages 20 to 24.

RELATED: HPV Vaccine May Work For People Who Already Had the Virus

What’s interesting about the decline, says Markowitz, is that it’s much larger than she would have expected given the relatively low rates of HPV vaccination. Because many parents saw the shot more as a way to protect against the sexually transmitted HPV infection, getting teens and young people immunized against HPV has been both controversial and a challenge. Despite being a recommended immunization, in 2013 only 38% of girls had received all three doses of the vaccine, and 57% had received at least one dose.

Markowitz says there are two possible explanations for the dramatic reduction observed in the study. First, there is some evidence that even people who receive less than the three recommended doses get some protection against infection with HPV. “I wouldn’t want to encourage people and say that one dose is enough,” she says. “We don’t know that. But it is possible that there is effectiveness in getting less than three doses.”

The other factor contributing to the lower HPV infections rates could be herd immunity, which occurs when unvaccinated people benefit from living around a sizable number of immunized people who keep the virus from spreading. While her study didn’t directly see evidence of herd immunity, Markowitz says that other countries have seen similar effects—most notably in Australia, where only girls were vaccinated against HPV but there were large declines in infection among men as well.

RELATED: States With High HPV-Vaccine Rates Have Less Cancer

It will take at least a decade or more before researchers can see whether the HPV vaccine is helping to lower cervical cancer rates, since that cancer generally doesn’t develop until mid-life. But there are hopeful signs that with lower infection rates, lower cancer rates will follow. Already, other studies have found declines in genital warts and drops in precancerous lesions in the cervix. “HPV is one of the most effective vaccines we have in our immunization program,” says Markowitz. “If we had higher coverage, we would have even more impact.”

This article originally appeared on Health.com.

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Someone Photoshopped Ronda Rousey… and She’s NOT Happy About It

Heart Irregularities May Be Linked to Pregnancy Complication

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Heart abnormalities between pregnancies may help spot which women with a history of pregnancy-related high blood pressure (preeclampsia) might have an increased risk for the condition in future pregnancies, researchers report.

Preeclampsia is a serious condition that occurs in 3 percent to 8 percent of pregnancies, according to the Italian authors of a study published Feb. 22 in the journal Hypertension. When preeclampsia occurs, sometimes the baby needs to be delivered early to prevent harm to both mother and child, the researchers said.

“Women who have early preeclampsia in their first pregnancy should be informed of their risk and should be carefully followed,” said lead author Dr. Herbert Valensise, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Tor Vergata University School of Medicine, in Rome.

“Physicians have to look at the complicated pregnancy history as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular complications later in life, and in a subsequent pregnancy,” Valensise said in a journal news release. “When we ask about heart risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, family history of heart and blood vessel disease, we should also ask about possible high blood pressure during pregnancy, especially early preeclampsia.”

Previous research found that women with a history of preeclampsia are seven times more likely to develop the condition in later pregnancies, and more likely to have heart and blood vessel disease later in life, the study authors said. However, it isn’t yet possible to identify which women are at greatest risk for these complications.

The new study included 75 women who had preeclampsia during their first pregnancy. It also included 147 women who didn’t have the condition during their first pregnancy. The average age of the women was 34. All of the women underwent heart-imaging tests 12 to 18 months after having their baby. Within 24 months, all of the women became pregnant again, the study authors said.

Twenty-nine percent of the women who’d previously had preeclampsia developed it again in the second pregnancy, the study found.

Compared to women who never had preeclampsia or had it once, the women who developed the condition in both pregnancies had between-pregnancy abnormalities in the size and function of their heart’s left ventricle, which pumps blood throughout the body.

Specifically, the left ventricle was thicker than normal. That means the left ventricle has to work harder to pump significantly less blood, the study authors said.

The researchers noted that this was a small study. They said larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about high blood pressure in pregnancy.

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Vaginal Ring Offers Some Protection Against HIV, Study Says

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An insertable vaginal ring containing a month’s supply of a continuous-release HIV prevention drug reduced the risk of HIV in African women by at least 27 percent, a new study found.

The ring works by slowly and continuously delivering a highly localized and controlled amount of the antiretroviral medication dapivirine. This drug aims to halt the ability of HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — to replicate inside a healthy cell. The goal: to prevent HIV infection, rather than treat it, the researchers said.

“These results come after a number of challenging years in the effort to find ways to improve HIV control,” said study lead author Dr. Jared Baeten, a professor in the departments of global health, medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. “But while the dapivirine vaginal ring isn’t commercially available yet, I’m really very optimistic about our findings, because they show that this type of HIV prevention approach can be quite safe and effective.”

However, not everyone was as excited by the study’s results.

“Compared with people who take an antiretroviral pill to prevent infection, among whom you would expect 97 percent or so protection, the finding of 27 percent is very poor, of course,” said Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, a senior scientific consultant for programs for amfAR, an HIV/AIDS research organization.

“But this does offer some protection. And it may be easier for some people to stick to it compared with taking a pill. So in a vulnerable group, this might certainly be better than nothing,” he added.

The study was published in the Feb. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

A nonprofit group called International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) is behind the development of the vaginal ring. The ring was created to give girls and women another way to help prevent HIV, in addition to condoms and a daily pill. In sub-Saharan Africa, women between 15 and 24 years old are twice as likely to be infected with HIV compared to young men, the IPM said.

The partnership said that a single ring, once in place, can provide about a month’s worth of HIV protection. The group is working on developing a ring that provides protection for three months.

“And the nice thing is that this ring sits right in the vagina, which has several practical advantages. For one, it means the drug goes where it needs to go, and very little of it is absorbed by peripheral tissue or in the bloodstream, where it would not be helpful,” Baeten explained.

“And it serves as an additional prevention option for those women who do not always have full control over prevention, when the principle available tool is the male condom,” he added. “Because this ring can be used discretely. When the woman chooses to use it. And then she can just forget about it for a month.”

Baeten also said the ring “bypasses the need for day-to-day adherence,” a critical requirement for patients who embark on a daily regimen of the oral antiretroviral Truvada.

“A daily pill is a great option for those who can adhere to it. But not every woman can. And if a daily pill is not taken regularly, or not taken at all, it provides no protection whatsoever,” he said.

The new study focused on more than 2,600 women between the ages of 18 and 45. All lived in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda or Zimbabwe.

In the end, investigators found that women who were provided a dapivirine vaginal ring saw their risk for HIV infection fall slightly less than one-third compared to women who weren’t offered the ring. In women older than 21, where usage was “more consistent,” the infection rate was cut by 56 percent, the study said.

Baeten estimated that the cost of the ring will be around $5. However, the ring currently remains “investigational,” because questions remain, he said.

For example, Baeten said it’s unclear whether the vaginal ring could theoretically provide better protection against HIV if it contained more than one antiretroviral at a time.

More information

There’s more on the vaginal ring at the International Partnership for Microbicides.

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Botox-Like Injection Might Ease Runners’ Knee Pain

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A Botox-like injection, added to physical therapy, may relieve a type of knee pain that’s common in runners, cyclists and other active people, a new study suggests.

The condition — called lateral patellofemoral overload syndrome (LPOS) — affects more than one in eight people who regularly exercise, the British research team explained. The condition causes pain in the front and side of the knee joint, and healing can be a challenge, experts said.

“Knee pain in runners and cyclists is often difficult to treat,” said Dr. Victor Khabie, chief of sports medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. “Most will respond well to traditional therapy, but some will continue to have pain.”

According to the study authors, prior research has shown that 80 percent of people with LPOS have ongoing symptoms after undergoing conventional treatment, and 74 percent have reduced activity levels. Current methods of treatment include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid injections. If these therapies fail, patients may opt for surgery, according to the investigators.

The new study was led by researchers at Imperial College London and included 45 patients. Each received an injection of a type of botulinum toxin called Dysport to relax a muscle at the front and outside of the hip, followed by physical therapy sessions.

The hip was targeted because, in prior research, the researchers had noted that people with LPOS tended to overuse this particular hip muscle, instead of using the gluteal muscles in the buttocks.

According to the investigators, two-thirds (69 percent) of the patients required no further treatment and were free of pain when assessed five years after the injection into the hip muscle.

“It can be incredibly frustrating to run out of treatment options for patients with this painful condition,” said study co-author Jo Stephen, a physiotherapist at Imperial College London and Fortius Clinic.

In a college news release, she said that “many athletes who took part in this study had exhausted all other treatment options and this was their last resort. We are really excited that our approach is showing positive results for patients, which could have implications for active people around the world.”

Khabie agreed. “This is a very important finding, because in the past surgery was the only other option [for these patients],” he said.

The Dysport injection “relaxes a very tight muscle/tendon unit on the outer aspect of the leg, which is often very tight in runners and cyclists,” Khabie explained. “Physical therapy aims to relax this muscle, but when therapy is not enough, this study shows that [the] injections are an option.”

Dr. Allyson Shrikande is a physiatrist (rehabilitation specialist) at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She believes that use of the injection “offers a wonderful solution to aid in those who have failed a course of physical therapy.”

But, Shrikande also cautioned that the injected toxin may “spread” to adjacent tissue and so the “optimum dose” needs to be determined for each patient.

The study was funded by the Fortius Clinic and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about knee problems.

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Lung Cancer Survivors May Be Getting Too Many PET Scans

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Many lung and esophageal cancer survivors have PET imaging scans as part of ongoing monitoring for the possible return of cancer, but a new study suggests that many of those scans may be unnecessary.

In addition, the researchers found that having the pricey scans as the first line of imaging detection might not improve survival rates.

PET scans can detect early signs of cancer. But these tests can be expensive and aren’t recommended by experts as the first option for long-term monitoring of cancer survivors. Medicare limits follow-up PET scans for cancer survivors to three per patient, the study authors noted.

“PET scanning is a great technology and very effective, but using it [to screen for cancer recurrence] doesn’t seem to make any difference for these cancers that have a relatively poor prognosis,” said study author Dr. Mark Healy, a surgical resident and research fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

“The appropriate use of PET scanning in follow-up care for lung and esophageal cancer is after findings on lower-cost imaging options,” he said in a university news release.

National guidelines call for this method of using PET scans, the researchers said, but this study suggests they are not being followed.

The researchers looked at Medicare data from more than 100,000 people nationwide who had lung and esophageal cancer in the mid-2000s and received follow-up care through 2011. More than 22 percent of the lung cancer survivors had a PET scan without first having another type of medical imaging. For esophageal cancer survivors, 31 percent had a PET scan alone, the study revealed.

Use of PET scans to monitor the patients varied widely among hospitals. In some hospitals, PET scans were almost never done. In others, the advanced technology was used often. Some hospitals used PET scans eight times more often than others, the researchers said.

But lung cancer patients who received follow-up at a low PET-use hospital were just as likely to survive two years as those who went to a high PET-use hospital, the study reported.

“Our work shows that almost no one is getting to the three-scan limit set by Medicare. But, with many thousands of patients getting one or two scans across the whole country, this is still a very large number, with very high costs. If the intention of the policy is to curb overuse, this doesn’t seem to be a very effective method, and the agency should reevaluate how it structures its limits,” Healy said.

The study was published online Feb. 22 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

More information

RadiologyInfo.org has more about PET scans.

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Study Shows Just How Big a Role Cellphones Play in Car Crashes

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In a finding that demonstrates how crucial it is to pay attention when behind the wheel, researchers report that video taken inside cars showed drivers were distracted seconds before an accident in more than two-thirds of crashes.

Not surprisingly, the findings link cellphone use to many crashes. But the investigators said they also discovered something new: The risk of crashes rose significantly when drivers were emotional — angry, sad, tearful or agitated.

“We now have a very clear picture that distraction continues to be a great detriment to driver safety, despite growing awareness that engaging in a distracting activity is risky,” said study author Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg, Va.

Determining the causes of crashes is difficult because of the typical lack of information about what drivers were doing and seeing right before impact. Researchers have turned to crash investigations and driving experiments, but they don’t give a full picture, Dingus said.

By contrast, the new study is the most extensive of its kind, Dingus said. And, he added, it’s “also the first time we are able to evaluate driver risk through a comparison to alert, attentive and sober driving, or what we call ‘model’ driving in this analysis.”

In the new study, researchers turned to internal automobile video taken of more than 3,500 U.S. drivers, aged 16 to 98, over a three-year period. The participants, all volunteers, allowed their cars to be equipped with cameras and devices that tracked information such as speed and location.

The researchers focused on 905 crashes that caused injuries, property damage or both. By their calculations, almost three-quarters of crashes involved some type of error, and drivers were clearly distracted 68 percent of the time.

“The distractions that take a driver’s eyes away from the roadway for an extended period of time create the greatest crash risk,” Dingus said. Of all the causes of distraction analyzed in the study, he said, the most dangerous were using or reaching for a handheld cellphone, reading or writing, reaching for an object, and using touchscreen menus on the dashboard.

All of these actions increased the risk of a crash compared to driving in a safe way, the findings showed. Using a cellphone, in particular, boosted the odds of an accident by almost four times compared to driving safely.

That number lacks some context, however. The researchers didn’t calculate how many drivers who took part in risky behaviors, such as using a cellphone, got into accidents overall compared to safe drivers. Dingus said that may be part of a future study.

Less risky activities included eating or drinking a non-alcoholic beverage, adjusting one’s hair and tuning the radio, Dingus said.

Dr. Karen Sheehan, a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, praised the study, calling it “amazing” because it relied on video inside cars.

However, “since these people volunteered to be in the study and consented to be filmed, they are probably better drivers than non-volunteers. This is a scary thought because the study participants participate in plenty of less-than-model driving behaviors,” Sheehan said.

What can be learned from the findings?

“On average, the crash rate — particularly the fatal crash rate — has been declining in the U.S. for several decades,” Dingus said. Several factors account for the better numbers, including safety improvements in vehicles and roads.

“Despite this improvement, though, the U.S. has not kept pace with other developed countries in terms of overall traffic safety,” he said. “A large part of the reason why the U.S. has fallen behind in traffic safety may be attributed to factors associated with driver behavior and performance.”

The study is published in the Feb. 22 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More information

For more about distracted driving, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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More American Women Opting for Mastectomy, Study Finds

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — More women in the United States are undergoing mastectomies, even though the overall rate of breast cancer has remained stable, a new federal government report reveals.

The rate at which American women opted for mastectomy jumped by more than a third (36 percent) from 2005 to 2013, according to data from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

In sheer numbers, the mastectomy rate increased from 66 to 90 per 100,000 women during the study period. There was a particularly steep climb in double mastectomies, which more than tripled: From nine to 30 per 100,000 women. By 2013, double mastectomies accounted for one-third of all mastectomies, the AHRQ said.

Double mastectomies seem to be happening at a younger age, as well, the report found. In 2013, women who had double mastectomies were about 10 years younger than those who had single mastectomies — an average age of 51 years versus 61 years, respectively.

The rate of women without breast cancer who underwent preventive double mastectomies also more than doubled, from two to more than four per 100,000 women, the report found.

Some women with a genetic risk for breast cancer may undergo a double mastectomy as a preventive measure, even if they do not have cancer. Most notably, in 2013, actress and director Angelina Jolie made headlines when she announced she would undergo a double mastectomy after learning that she carried a variant of the BRCA1 gene that raises the risk for breast cancer.

The new report also found that both single and double mastectomies are increasingly being performed as an outpatient surgery. In 2013, 45 percent of all mastectomies were outpatient procedures, the AHRQ report found.

The data “highlights changing patterns of care for breast cancer and the need for further evidence about the effects of choices women are making on their health, well-being and safety,” Rick Kronick, AHRQ director, said in an agency news release.

“More women are opting for mastectomies, particularly preventive double mastectomies, and more of those surgeries are being done as outpatient procedures,” he added.

One breast cancer specialist believes that a number of factors may be driving these trends.

Dr. Stephanie Bernik said the overall survival rate of breast cancer patients who opt for mastectomy or a more conservative, breast-preserving “lumpectomy” is roughly the same. Still, women are increasingly choosing the more radical procedure.

“Some of the reasons behind this trend are likely due to increased genetic screening, improved reconstruction options and a woman’s desire to potentially reduce the chance of developing a breast cancer in the opposite breast,” said Bernik. She is chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“What most studies fail to acknowledge is that although survival may not be improved by [preventive mastectomy], it does decrease the chance of developing a second cancer in the opposite breast,” she added. “Furthermore, with improved reconstructive options, many patients opt for a bilateral procedure for symmetry.”

Another breast cancer expert believes that the patient’s “emotional journey” is often key to decisions involving breast surgery.

Dr. Frank Monteleone directs the Breast Health Center at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. He said that even though a mastectomy is not always medically warranted, “some women would rather endure the mastectomy rather than go through frequent mammograms and potential biopsies down the road, which can produce anxiety each time.”

The new report is based on data from 13 states with more than 25 percent of the United States’ population. AHRQ is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More information

Breastcancer.org has more about mastectomy.

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Racial Gap in U.S. Cancer Deaths Is Narrowing: Report

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The gap in cancer deaths among blacks and whites in the United States has narrowed for most cancers, but disparities remain for two common cancers, a new report from the American Cancer Society says.

For deaths from breast cancer in women, the gulf between blacks and whites has widened, the report noted. For deaths attributed to colon cancer in men, the racial divide has remained the same. This imbalance is likely caused by inequalities in access to care, screening and treatment, the researchers said.

“There is good news. Cancer death rates among black women are decreasing for all of the top cancers, but compared to whites not as much progress has been made — particularly for breast cancer,” said lead researcher Carol DeSantis, an epidemiologist with the cancer society.

In men, the death rates for colon cancer have remained 50 percent higher for blacks than whites, she said. “For all of the major cancers, deaths are higher for blacks than whites,” she added.

Reductions in overall cancer deaths since the early 1990s have saved more than 300,000 black lives over the past 20 years, the report said.

Deaths from cancer are declining because improved screening detects many cancers earlier, and improvements in care have made treatments more effective, DeSantis said. “The disparities remain because not everyone is getting access to the best cancer therapies,” she said.

The disparity in care is more economic than racial, DeSantis said. “It’s just that there are more poor blacks,” she said.

The report was published Feb. 22 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Cancer death rates have dropped faster among blacks than whites for all cancers combined, and for lung, prostate and colon cancer in women, the researchers found.

Other highlights from the report:

• In 1990, the cancer death rate for men was 47 percent higher in blacks than in whites, but dropped to 24 percent higher in 2012. Among women, the disparity decreased from 19 percent higher in 1991 to 14 percent in 2012.
• Since 1990, deaths from breast cancer dropped 23 percent among black women and 37 percent among white women, widening the racial disparity. In 2008-2012, breast cancer deaths were 42 percent higher in black women than white women, despite historically lower breast cancer rates overall. Researchers said the higher death rates among black women are likely due to a number of factors, such as differences in cancer progression at diagnosis, obesity, other chronic illnesses, tumor type and access to care.
• From 2003 to 2012, colon cancer deaths dropped faster among black women than white women (3.3 percent versus 2.9 percent per year). But the drop was slower among black men than white men (2.5 percent versus 3.0 percent). The racial gap is narrowing in women, but since 2005, rates in men have remained about 50 percent higher in blacks than in whites.
• For most cancers, fewer blacks than whites survive five years. Much of this difference is due to limited access to “timely, appropriate and high-quality care,” according to the report. These barriers result in later diagnosis, when treatment choices are limited and often less effective.
• Obesity increases the risk for cancer, and black women have the highest obesity rates of any group. In 2013-2014, nearly six in 10 black women were obese, compared with about four in 10 white women. The prevalence of obesity is similar in black and white men (38 percent and 35 percent, respectively).

Dr. Christopher Flowers is chair of the Health Disparities Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He said, “There is some promising news that there is a narrowing of the gap in cancer disparities, but [this study] also raises the concern that there still is a gap between black and white patients in terms of cancer deaths.”

Flowers added that ASCO is trying to develop new ways to educate doctors and improve the quality of care in hospitals that “serve traditionally underserved populations.”

He said Medicaid reform might help to address the racial disparities in cancer care, and added that that’s another area where ASCO is working to make changes.

DeSantis noted that changes in insurance access will likely help. In particular, she said, the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) may help narrow the gap between blacks and whites, because more people will have health insurance. “That’s a huge step,” she said.

More information

For more on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

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