Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, fluid coming from the nipple, or a red scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.

Risk factors for developing breast cancer include: female sex, obesity, lack of physical exercise, drinking alcohol, hormone replacement therapy during menopause, ionizing radiation, early age at first menstruation, having children late or not at all, older age, and family history. About 5–10% of cases are due to genes inherited from a person's parents, including BRCA1 and BRCA2 among others. Breast cancer most commonly develops in cells from the lining of milk ducts and the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers developing from the ducts are known as ductal carcinomas, while those developing from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas. In addition, there are more than 18 other sub-types of breast cancer. Some cancers develop from pre-invasive lesions such as ductal carcinoma in situ. The diagnosis of breast cancer is confirmed by taking a biopsy of the concerning lump. Once the diagnosis is made, further tests are done to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the breast and which treatments it may respond to.

Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev (Ukrainian: котлета по-київськи, kotleta po-kyivsky, Russian: котлета по-киевски, kotleta po-kiyevski; literally "cutlet Kiev-style") is a popular dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold garlic butter with herbs, then coated with eggs and breadcrumbs, and either fried or baked. The dish is also known in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish cuisines as côtelette de volaille (Russian: котлета де-воляй, tr. kotleta de-volyay, Polish: kotlet de volaille). The French de volaille means "of poultry" but denotes almost exclusively chicken dishes in French cookbooks. The French name means thus simply "chicken cutlet".

History

The history of the dish is not well documented, and various sources make controversial claims about its origin.

Côtelette de volaille

Despite the original French name, the recipe is unknown in French cuisine, where the term côtelette de volaille refers to chicken breasts in general and is used synonymously with chicken fillet or suprême. The French term also denotes a minced chicken cutlet. The general Russian term for chicken cutlets, kurinaya kotleta (куриная котлета), refers predominantly to minced cutlets, whereas kotleta de-voliay is applied exclusively to the stuffed chicken breast dish. The latter name appears in the pre- and post-revolutionary Russian literature (in cookbooks, as well as in fictional prose and in poetry) since the beginning of the 20th century and is usually mentioned as a common restaurant dish.

Breast milk

Breast milk is the milk produced by the breasts (or mammary glands) of a human female for her infant offspring. Milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to eat and digest other foods; older infants and toddlers may continue to be breastfed, either exclusively or in combination with other foods from around six months of age when solid foods may be introduced.

Benefits

The baby nursing from his or her own mother is the most common way of obtaining breast milk, but the milk can be pumped and then fed by baby bottle, cup and/or spoon, supplementation drip system, or nasogastric tube. Breast milk can be supplied by a woman other than the baby's mother, either via donated pumped milk (generally from a milk bank or via informal milk donation), or when a woman nurses a child other than her own at her breast, a practice known as wetnursing.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with solids gradually being introduced around this age when signs of readiness are shown. Supplemented breastfeeding is recommended until at least age two and then for as long as the mother and child wish. Breastfeeding offers health benefits to mother and child even after toddlerhood. These benefits include a 73% decreased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, increased intelligence, decreased likelihood of contracting middle ear infections, cold and flu resistance, a tiny decrease in the risk of childhood leukemia, lower risk of childhood onset diabetes, decreased risk of asthma and eczema, decreased dental problems, decreased risk of obesity later in life, and a decreased risk of developing psychological disorders, including in adopted children.

Breast

The breast is one of two prominences found on the upper ventral region of the torso of female and male primates. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secretes milk and feeds infants. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. At puberty, estrogens, in conjunction with growth hormone, cause breast development. Males do not develop pronounced or physiologically matured breasts because their bodies produce lower levels of estrogens and higher levels of androgens, namely testosterone, which suppress the effects of estrogens in developing breast tissue. The breasts of females are typically far more prominent than those of males.

Subcutaneous fat covers and envelops a network of ducts that converge to the nipple, and these tissues give the breast its size and shape. At the ends of the ducts are lobules, or clusters of alveoli, where milk is produced and stored in response to hormonal signals. During pregnancy, the breast responds to a complex interaction of hormones, including estrogens, progesterone, and prolactin, that mediate the completion of its development, namely lobuloalveolar maturation, in preparation of lactation and breastfeeding. Upon childbirth, the alveoli are stimulated to produce and secrete milk for infants.

Breast Wishes

Breast Wishes is an Australian musical comedy produced by Anne Looby, Simone Parrott and Neil Gooding with music and lyrics by Bruce Brown and a book by an ensemble of Australian writers: Merridy Eastman, Jonathan Gavin, Richard Glover, Wendy Harmer, Sheridan Jobbins, James Millar and Debra Oswald. It is a funny, tender and fully clothed look at breasts and those who support them.

Background

In January 2005, Anne Looby's sister, Amanda, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Wanting to help her in a meaningful way, Anne began work on a show to raise awareness and funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. From the beginning the show has engendered tremendous goodwill, with extensive workshops including the advice and talent of people such as Queenie van de Zandt, Annie McCubbin and others; the ultimate outcome is Breast Wishes.

Productions

Following several developmental workshops in 2006 and 2007, Breast Wishes premièred as a concert performance at The Sydney Theatre on 31 October 2008 as the closing event of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 2009 the musical opened at Everest Theatre Seymour Centre, Sydney, where it was part of the events for International Women's Day 2009. It then embarked on a national tour, playing in the Riverside Theatre Parramatta, the Playhouse Canberra and the Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane.