A surgical procedure being pioneered by University College London (UCL) urologists is enabling men born with a very small penis to acquire an average-sized, functioning penis which not only allows them to urinate normally, but for many, to enjoy a full sex life for the first time.
In a talk to be given on Wednesday 8 December at the European Society for Sexual Medicine conference in London, Dr David Ralph will present the results from recent operations performed at UCL to correct t
Natural honey-bee products such as propolis, royal jelly, caffeic acid, honey and venom may have applications in cancer treatment and prevention, say Croatian researchers in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture this month.
Nada Orsolic and colleagues from the University of Zagreb found that bee products significantly decreased tumour growth and / or spreading (metastasis) in mice when they were applied orally or by injection.
The researchers tested both the p
With the current success of the BBC programme ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ you may be led to believe that only fit, young celebrities can get the most out of regular dancing, but research by Dr Sara Houston, currently at the University of Surrey, shows otherwise. Older people, whatever their physical condition, can take part in dance and may reap many benefits from their participation.
The project took place over three years and saw a regular programme of dance introduced to around 40
A vitamin B pill that drastically lowers blood levels of the toxic amino-acid homocysteine could one day be used to prevent dementia, and save health services billions of pounds annually.
Clinical trials, starting in January 2005, will seek to confirm that adding the B vitamins to a powerful antioxidant results in “prompt, striking and sustained clinical improvement” in patients. The move follows a licensing agreement this week between COBALZ Limited, a U.K. company specialisin
The type of fat ingested may create the conditions for or, on the other hand, prevent the development of obesity. This is the conclusion drawn by Patricia Pérez Matute, PhD student at the Department of Physiology and Nutrition at the University of Navarre in her research which has received an international award from the medical journal, Clinical Science.
The work was presented at the 6th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL, 2004) held in Br
Women with suspected coronary artery disease and smaller social networks die at twice the rate of those who have a larger circle of social contacts, according to a new study.
Thomas Rutledge, Ph.D., of VA San Diego Healthcare System and colleagues found that women who had more social contacts and saw them more often also had lower blood glucose and blood pressure levels, lower rates of smoking and other factors that reduced their risk for coronary disease. Women with larger social
The current flu vaccine shortage demonstrates the importance of better protecting the elderly against disease.
Scientists at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have made a discovery that helps explain why our immune system worsens with age. The work was led by Janko Nikolich-Zugich, M.D., Ph.D., a senior scientist at the VGTI. The scientists hope this new information can be used to better protect the elderly from infectious diseases by f
A new study from Ohio State University provides the first laboratory evidence that certain antioxidants found in dark leafy green vegetables can indeed help prevent cataracts.
Vitamin manufacturers often add the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin to their products, but until now there has been no biochemical evidence to support the claim that these substances help protect the eyes, said Joshua Bomser, a study co-author and an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio State Universi
A successful method for healing spinal injuries in dogs has been developed by Purdue University researchers, offering hope for preventing human paralysis.
Lab tests have shown that an injection of a liquid polymer known as polyethylene glycol (PEG), if administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, can prevent most dogs from suffering permanent spinal damage. Even when the spine is initially damaged to the point of paralysis, the PEG solution prevents the nerve cells from r
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have utilized an animal model to trace how the virus that causes AIDS in humans may enter and spread throughout the body following an oral exposure.
By innoculating monkeys with SIV, the simian version of HIV, scientists traced which tissues in the mouth and digestive tract were infected during the first week. Furthermore, they traced which organs and lymph nodes were first infected and uncovered likely routes of infection.
The missing link in understanding how the body reacts to being short of oxygen has been discovered in a ‘molecular fishing expedition’ by Leeds researchers.
Professor Chris Peers and Paul Kemp from cardiovascular medicine and biologist Dr David Iles and colleagues set out to complete the puzzle of what identifies low oxygen levels in the body and triggers cells to respond. The processes from the cell’s response to the nervous system’s reaction – which makes us breath harder – has
Drugs that work in the liver to reduce fatty triglyceride levels and improve insulin resistance, are also effective at inhibiting the formation of cholesterol-laden plaques that cause atherosclerosis in artery walls, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.
In studies with mice published in the Dec. 1, 2004 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers found that drugs that activate two types of proteins call
We are admonished not to gain weight during winter’s two big eating holidays — but might a little temporary fat actually strengthen our immune systems?
Indiana University Bloomington assistant professor and biologist Gregory Demas is studying the relationship between fat reserves and immune function in animal models.
So far, Demas has found that sudden weight loss leads to the rapid depression of immune function, and he says the opposite also holds true: an increase in fat
Early identification of potential stress fractures with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can reduce the threat of season-ending injuries for college basketball players, according to a Duke University Medical Center radiologist.
The findings — based on the study of 26 male college basketball players — suggest that such diagnostic work should perhaps be included as a standard part of physical examinations for male and female basketball players, who regularly place considerable
St. Jude study shows three-week treatment with methylphenidate led to significant improvement of attention and behavior problems due to central nervous system exposure to radiation, chemotherapy
Children who suffer from behavioral and learning problems after their central nervous systems have been exposed to chemotherapy or radiation appear to benefit from treatment with methylphenidate (MPH), the drug commonly known by the brand name Ritalin®. This finding, from investigators a
Nearly as many women who received only one embryo at a time gave birth as women who received two embryos. At the same time the risk of giving birth to twins is minimized. These are the findings of a major study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, at Göteborg University in Sweden.
In-vitro fertilization, IVF, is a successful method to help childless couples to become parents. To maximize the chance of pregnancy, physicians have generally reintroduced more than one embryo. This has led to
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