Radiation therapy after surgery for men with prostate cancer lessens the chance of the cancer coming back, regardless of whether the radiation was administered immediately after surgery or after the cancer recurred, according to a new study in the June 2004 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

Many studies recently have shown that radiation after surgery reduces that chances that the prostate cancer will recur. For prostate cancer, there are two main types of postoperative radiation therapy - adjuvant and salvage. Adjuvant is administered after the primary treatment (in this case, surgery) has been completed and it appears the cancer cells have been killed. Salvage is administered if prostate cancer has started to come back and the physician is trying to save the patient by treating the disease with radiation therapy. In this study, the researchers wanted to see which type of postoperative radiation therapy was best for men with prostate cancer.

Between 1989 and 1997, 69 patients were referred for adjuvant radiation therapy and 88 patients with evidence of a recurrence were treated with salvage radiation therapy. The men in the salvage group received radiation, on average, 40 months after surgery while the patients in the adjuvant group were treated with radiation an average of three months post surgery. According to the study, salvage radiation therapy was significantly less effective when the patient's PSA level rose over 1.

"The PSA level was the key factor in this study," said Michael Hagan, M.D., Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a member of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond. "Today, practitioners follow prostatectomy patients very closely. As a result, salvage radiation therapy is usually initiated quite early. The results from both centers in the study were excellent when radiation treatment was initiated while the serum PSA level was less than 1 ng/ml."

Dr. Hagan added, "This study shows that the policy for salvage radiation therapy is likely to be as effective as adjuvant radiation therapy only when the institution or practitioner monitors the patient's PSA level very closely after prostatectomy."

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 7,500 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.

http://www.astro.org/
http://cancerprostate-fr.blogspot.com/

A new version of the human male is a distinct possibility, given the genetic erosion of the "junk" sex-determining chromosome that makes men male.

The Y-chromosome, which carries an essential gene known as SRY that induces embryonic testis development (and thus the release of male hormones), is self-destructing, shedding 97 per cent of its other genes in the 300 million years since it evolved, ANU geneticist Professor Jenny Graves said in a Jubilee Lecture delivered at University House this week.

"The human Y chromosome is running out of time. It has lost 1393 of 1438 genes it began with 300 million years ago. At this rate it would lose the last 45 in just 10 million years."

In humans, as in other mammals, females have two X chromosomes, and males a single X and a Y. The X and Y evolved from an ordinary pair of chromosomes, as the Y chromosome was progressively degraded. This evolution must have happened in the last 300 million years, as birds and reptiles have completely unrelated sex-determining systems.

Professor Graves, the Head of the Comparative Genomics Group in the Research School of Biological Sciences at ANU, has compared the Y chromosome of the three mammalian groups, allowing her and her team to subdivide the human Y into a tiny ancient region shared by all.

"We saw that most of the original human Y has been lost - it was saved from extinction only by adding bits from another chromosome," Professor Graves said. "Most genes on the human Y have partners on the X from which they evolved."

"Even the sex-determining gene SRY has a partner on the X, the brain-expressed SOX3, raising questions about how a gene involved in brain development became the gene for testis formation."

Although it may seem the decline of the Y chromosome and the essential SRY gene would lead to the end of the human race, Professor Graves said nature has proved this is not necessarily the case.

"SRY has been lost in at least two groups of rodents. The mole voles of eastern Europe, and the country rats of Japan have no Y chromosome, and no SRY," Professor Graves said. "Somewhere else in their genome, a new sex determining gene must have taken over the function of SRY. Which gene or genes took over this task, and how they work, are questions we will be investigating in future."

Professor Graves predicts that as the human Y-chromosome deteriorates, one or more sex-determining genes will develop, possibly within different human populations.

"What would happen if different new sex determining genes arose in different human populations? Could mole vole man breed with country rat woman? Probably not, so the two populations would ultimately become different hominid species."

 
 vasectomy reversal surgery

Obesity among men appears to be a common factor responsible for much of the burden of poor health, according to a leading edge study undertaken by the University of Adelaide's Department of Medicine.

Launched today by the Hon Lea Stevens, Minister for Health in the South Australian Government at the Port Adelaide Football Club, the Florey Adelaide Male Aging Study (FAMAS) involved randomly selected men aged between 35 and 80, and residing in the North Western Suburbs of Adelaide.

"The analysis of the first set of data obtained reveals a high prevalence of obesity, chronic physical and psychological disease and a high prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease," said Associate Professor Gary Wittert, Head, Department of Medicine, University of Adelaide. "And obesity appears to be a common factor responsible for much of the burden of poor health."

Dr Wittert said it is also clear that erectile and sexual dysfunctions are common disorders, also related to obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors, and associated with significant misery and distress.

The study focused on three aspects of aging men:

Their utilisation of health services;

Endocrinology of ageing, particularly androgens; and

Prostate health and function in relation to the hormonal changes of aging.

"I do not believe these issues have been addressed in any of the cohort studies of aging men conducted in Australia, or South Australia.

"South Australia has the oldest age profile in the country and this demographic feature has significant economic and social consequences," Dr Wittert said.

Dr Wittert said the study would provide information that will influence future planning and delivery of men's health care and policy information in South Australia. To date, data has been collected from 600 men and the next round of recruitment will commence later this month.

"The extent to, and ways in which, men access and interact with the health care system remains unclear. The quality of, and factors that affect, that interaction and might produce the most optimal outcome are not known, and will be the focus of our ongoing research," Dr Wittert said.

Dr Wittert said what is clear is that in order to effectively intervene and reduce the prevalence of these non-communicable diseases, the following require attention:

Behavioural risk factors (tobacco use, diet and physical inactivity);

Socioeconomic and environmental conditions; and

Adequate screening and management of intermediate risk factors (hypertension, blood lipids, obesity/overweight, glucose intolerance and diabetes, depression and anxiety).

Last year, the study received $450,000 from the Florey Foundation and the University of Adelaide along with support from Bayer, the Northern Community Health Foundation, Department of Human Service, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Eli Lilly, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Fauldings (Mayne Pharma) and In-Business magazine.

Media Contact:
Associate Professor Gary Wittert
Head, Department of Medicine
Work: +61 8 8222 4157
Mobile: 0409 411 789

David Ellis, Media Office
Telephone: +61 8 8303 3173 (work), 0414 559 773 (mobile)

childhood obesity

Men's Health News
 
 
 

Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in the United States. To help combat this epidemic, studies throughout the United States pinpoint dietary guidelines to reduce risk including a recent release from the American Heart Association which stated that hypertensive patients should avoid alcoholic beverages.

According to lead author J. Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH, a cardiologist with BWH and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, "Clinical trials and studies to date have discovered a variety of factors that increase and/or decrease risk for cardiovascular disease and death. Because of this research, scientists have demonstrated that commonly held beliefs - such as diabetics needing to refrain from alcohol consumption - simply are not true. It is important to not that, to date, research has not been conducted that highlights the risks or benefits associated with alcohol intake in patients who already have a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease - hypertension. The results from this study are the first step in better understanding the potential benefits moderate alcohol intake can have on men's health and bring us one step closer to better addressing the epidemic of cardiovascular disease."

Studies to date have shown moderate alcohol consumption helps reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. This study's goal was to determine if the same was true for hypertensive patients as well. Researchers analyzed data from 14,125 men, all part of the Physicians' Health Study, with a history of treatment for hypertension but free of heart attack, stroke, cancer and liver disease. These same subjects had previously identified themselves as either nondrinkers or rare drinkers, or light or moderate drinkers. Histories for all the subjects were followed for 5 years, with researchers using cardiovascular disease mortality as the end point. The study found that, compared with nondrinkers, weekly and daily drinkers had demonstrated respectively, a 39 percent and a 44 percent decrease in risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.

"Researchers agree that these findings need to be corroborated in other studies," Gaziano said. "However, based on these findings, patients who maintain a lifestyle of light to moderate alcohol intake do not have a compelling reason to change their lifestyle and eliminate a possibly beneficial habit. Hypertensive, as well as other patients, should consult with their own physicians to help determine adverse versus the beneficial effects of alcohol based on their on personal histories."
 
 

Shrinking 3 centimeters or more may trigger bone loss that increases chance of illness, study suggests   

Men who grow significantly shorter as they age are at increased risk for heart disease and death, a new British study says.

The 20-year study of 4,213 men -- who were 60 to 79 years old when the study ended -- found that those who'd lost 3 centimeters or more of height were about 64 percent more likely to die and also more likely to suffer coronary heart diseases events than men who lost less than 1 centimeter of height.

The findings were published Dec. 11 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and other non-cancer diseases accounted for most of the additional deaths in the men who lost 3 centimeters or more of height.

The reasons for the association between height loss and increased risk of illness and death aren't clear, said the researchers from the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London. It's possible there could be an underlying mechanism that contributes to both bone loss, which results in height loss, and heart disease and other illnesses, the researchers said.

Many men and women become shorter as they age, due to changes in bone, muscles and joints. A small amount of height loss is normal, but more significant height loss may be a sign of osteoporosis. Major height loss can cause problems with breathing and digestion, resulting in poor eating habits and weight loss, according to background information in the article.

weight loss surgery

Premature ejaculation is ejaculation that occurs too early, usually before, upon, or shortly after penetration.

Many males, especially adolescents, ejaculate sooner than they or their partners would like. Premature ejaculation is not just ejaculation that occurs before a man wants it to but rather ejaculation that occurs very soon—often within a minute or two—after penetration.

Many experts believe that premature ejaculation almost always results from anxiety or other psychologic causes. Others think that unusually sensitive penile skin may be a cause. Premature ejaculation is rarely caused by a disease, although inflammation of the prostate gland or a nervous system disorder can cause the condition.

Premature ejaculation can distress a man and his partner. If the man ejaculates too early, the partner may be left unsatisfied sexually and may become resentful.

Behavior modification therapy can help most men overcome premature ejaculation. A therapist provides reassurance, explains why premature ejaculation occurs, and teaches the man strategies for delaying ejaculation.

Other methods that can help a man delay ejaculation include drug treatment. Sometimes a combination of drug treatment and behavioral therapy enables a man to delay ejaculation even longer than he might be able to with only one of these treatments. When premature ejaculation is caused by more serious psychologic problems, psychologic therapy may help.

A new study on a mouse model by boffins at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto has found that type 1 diabetes may be triggered by faulty nerves in the pancreas.

Scientists and doctors have for long describe type 1 diabetes as an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system targets islet cells in the pancreas, eventually destroying their ability to produce insulin.

Without insulin, the body cannot convert glucose into energy, forcing people with type 1 diabetes to turn to insulin injections to survive.

Now, boffins have found that the original attack on the pancreas may be initiated by faulty nerves.

An earlier study had show the researchers that certain sensory nerves of the pancreas release a neuropeptide called "substance P" and are usually responsible for ensuring that islet cells produce the right amount of insulin.

When the team examined the nerves of diabetes-prone mice and compared them with control model, they found that the nerves of diabetes-prone mice do not producing enough substance P - something that causes islet cells to overproduce insulin, leading to insulin-resistance and eventually islet-cell death.

This is the point, the researchers state, that the immune system kicks in, triggering diabetes.

juvenile diabetes

The problems of an enlarged prostate will often start in middle age and will
be evident in the majority of men by the time they reach retirement. This
article examines the common problem of the enlarged prostate.

Once a man reaches middle age then there is a better than even chance that
he will develop an enlarged prostate by the time he retires. This particular
problem will normally start to appear in men at about the age of 45 and by
the age of 60 will affect 1 in every 2 men. As age continues to increase so
too does the problem and by the age of 80 an enlarged prostate will be seen
in 9 out of every 10 men.

The prostate gland, which forms a part of the male reproductive system, puts
on a spurt of growth during puberty and reaches the size of a walnut by the
time a man reaches maturity. It then continues its growth very slowly
throughout the remainder of a man's life.

In middle age however cell growth often accelerates in an area of the
prostate known as the transition section or zone of the prostate. This cell
growth, which is non-cancerous, is confined to the transition zone of the
prostate, which partially surrounds the urethra - the tube which carries
urine out of the body from the bladder.

At first the enlargement caused by cell growth in the transition section is
slow and many men will not experience any symptoms from it at all, while
others will find that the symptoms are so slight that they will dismiss them
as nothing more than part of the normal ageing process.

As the prostate enlarges further however it will begin to pinch the urethra
causing increasing problems with the flow of urine from the bladder. At this
point symptoms will begin to become evident and, while neither painful nor
discomforting, they will become increasingly annoying as men experience such
things as difficulty in urinating, a week flow of urine, the need to get up
during the night to urinate and what is often seen as an embarrassing
tendency to dribble urine after they have been to the bathroom.

At this point your enlarged prostate is certainly beginning to impinge upon
your lifestyle and you should consult your doctor.


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Prostate Cancer Explained

prostate

Drugs that help men with erectile dysfunction now also show promise in unmasking cancer cells so that the immune system can recognize and attack them, say scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

Tests at Hopkins on mice with implanted colon and breast tumors showed that tumor size decreased two- and threefold in sildenafil-treated animals, compared to mice that did not get the drug. In mice engineered to lack an immune system, tumors were unaffected, proof of principle, the scientists say, that the drug is abetting the immune system's own cellular response to cancer.

In a report published in the Nov. 27 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers revealed that boosted levels of the chemical messenger nitric oxide appear to dampen the effects of a specialized cell that diverts the immune system away from tumors, allowing swarms of cancer-attacking T-cells to migrate to tumor sites in the rodents.

source:http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=63885

A new male 'pill that is hormone free and can be taken hours before sex could usher in a revolution in male contraception.

This would make it much more acceptable to men than other 'male pills' under development, which alter hormone levels and have to be taken over the long term.

The hormone-free 'male pill' was inspired by two medicines already in use and so the scientists hope it could be on the market within as little as five years.

Experts believe it could transform family planning by allowing couples to share the responsibility for contraception - a role that traditionally falls to women.

The new contraceptive is likely to appeal to women who are uneasy about the female Pill's ability to raise the risk of strokes, heart attacks and potentially-fatal blood clots.

Critics argue, that men lack women's motivation to prevent pregnancy, making it hard for women to trust them to take a contraceptive pill.

Other male pills are under development but many of them are based on hormones that trick the brain into switching off sperm production. These are typically being developed as injections, implants and patches.

However the new pill being researched by scientists at King's College London, contains chemicals that prevent ejaculation and could be in tablet-form.

Men could take one daily, just like the female pill, or have one a few hours before sex as a one-off contraceptive.

Sexual satisfaction is not affected and the absence of hormones means that a man's fertility should return to normal within hours of stopping the treatment.

"The non-hormonal male pill could be taken when and as needed," researcher Dr Nnaemeka Amobi was quoted by the daily Mail, as saying..

"If the man was taking the pill over a period of several months and decided to come off it, we would expect his fertility to return just as quickly as if he had taken it on a one-off basis," fellow researcher Dr Christopher Smith added.