U.S. researchers found that when men reach sexual maturity in settings where they far outnumber women, they live an average of three months less than males from areas with a more equitable gender ratio.

While previous studies have examined gender ratios and longevity in animals, this is the first time it’s been studied in humans, according to senior author Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medicine and medical sociology at Harvard Medical School, and a professor of sociology at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

“At first blush, a quarter of a year may not seem like much, but it is comparable to the effects of, say, taking a daily aspirin, or engaging in moderate exercise. A 65-year-old man is typically expected to live another 15.4 years. Removing three months from this block of time is significant,” Christakis said in a Harvard news release.

For this study, he and his colleagues analyzed data from the long-term Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which followed people who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. The researchers calculated the gender ratios of each high-school graduating class and then looked at the life spans of the graduates.

As of 2007, men from classes with more boys than girls didn’t live as long as those from classes that had a more even gender balance. For 65-year-old men, the difference in lifespan was 1.6 percent.

The study appears in the August issue of the journal Demography.

While the researchers didn’t look into the reasons for their finding — or prove that it was related to the struggle to find a mate — they believe a number of social and biological factors play a role. Trying to find a mate is stressful, and stress is a known contributor to health problems, Christakis noted.

The research isn’t the first to find such a link, said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego and a clinical professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego. He has found the same link in his own research.

The new study, he said, is “more evidence that when you fool around with hormones, you fool around with your sex life.”

The study is published in the current issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine; Goldstein is the journal’s editor-in-chief.

“In general, hormonal contraceptives are well-tolerated and are the best noninvasive method to prevent pregnancy,” said study co-author Dr. Harald Seeger, a researcher at University Hospital Tuebingen in Germany. He stressed that the study found a link, not cause-and-effect, and that many other factors come into play that can contribute to sexual problems.

The German research team evaluated 1,086 women, most in a stable relationship with the same partner for six months before answering questions about their sexual functioning and their contraceptive practices.

Using a standard index to measure female sexual function, the researchers found that nearly 33 percent of the women were at risk for female sexual dysfunction. The problems involved a range of factors, such as lack of orgasm, desire, satisfaction, arousal and lubrication.

Most of the women (87 percent) had used contraceptives in the past six months, and more than 97 percent had been sexually active in the past four weeks.

Oral contraceptives were the most popular, used by 69.5 percent of the women, followed by condoms (22.5 percent) and the vaginal contraceptive ring (7.3 percent). Others used a contraceptive implant, intrauterine methods, fertility awareness or other methods.

The researchers then zeroed in on the type of contraception and sexual functioning, excluding 11 women who used more than one type.

Women using non-hormonal contraceptives (such as condoms) were at lowest risk for sexual dysfunction. At next lowest risk were those using no birth control, the study authors found. At highest risk were those using non-oral hormonal contraception, followed by those using oral hormonal contraceptives.

When the researchers looked just at the desire and arousal parameters, both hormonal groups were at highest risk.

“Our data show that hormonal contraception in particular was associated with lower desire and arousal scores when compared with other contraceptives,” the authors wrote.

Researchers can’t explain the link, but one possibility is that oral contraceptives have been found to reduce circulating levels of androgens, perhaps leading to low circulating levels of testosterone, needed to trigger desire.

Other factors found to affect sexual functioning, the researchers noted, included stress, which was linked with lower desire, and relationship stability, which was linked with higher orgasm scores but lower desire, at least in the short-term.

Denise Bradley, a spokeswoman for Teva Pharmaceuticals, which makes oral contraceptives, said the company had no comment.

Goldstein said the new research points to the need for physicians to warn their patients about the possibility of a sexual dysfunction risk with contraceptive use. “From my point of view, this is more evidence that physicians should spend one extra minute [to tell patients], ‘If you want contraception and want to use the oral pill, it may affect your sexual functioning.’”

SOURCES: Harald Seeger, Ph.D., researcher, University Hospital Tuebingen, Germany; Irwin Goldstein, M.D., director, sexual medicine, Alvarado Hospital, San Diego, and clinical professor, surgery, University of California at San Diego;

Andre T. Guay, MD, FACP, FACE Kenneth J. Snow, MD Disclosures

Pre-Assessment: Measuring Educational Impact

To help us assess the effectiveness of our medical education programs, please take a few moments to read the following cases and complete the questions that follow before participating in the CME activity.

1. In your experience, which of the following is the most important barrier to the optimal management of male patients with low testosterone level? Not including hypogonadism in the differential diagnosis list in at-risk men Lack of consensus in testosterone level below which therapy is indicated in patients with signs and symptoms of hypogonadism Fear of increased rate of prostate cancer as a result of testosterone therapy Normal testosterone level in otherwise healthy patients with signs and symptoms of hypogonadism

2. How confident are you that you are up-to-date in the diagnosis and management of male patients with low testosterone level? Not at all confident Somewhat confident Confident Very confident Copyright © 2007 by Joslin Diabetes Center, Inc. All rights reserved. These materials may be used for personal use only. Any rebroadcast, distribution, or reuse of this presentation or any part of it in any form for other than personal use without the express written consent of Joslin Diabetes Center is prohibited.

In healthy people, raised blood pressure is known to be associated with decreased sensitive-to-acute pain, but in individuals with chronic pain, such as chronic low back pain or chronic orofacial pain, elevated blood pressure is associated with increased acute pain responsiveness. Stephen Bruehl, PhD, and colleagues[5] speculated that this difference reflects failure of overlapping systems modulating pain and blood pressure. They conducted a retrospective review on randomly selected records of 300 patients with chronic pain evaluated at a university tertiary care pain center and 300 “nonpain” internal medicine patients seen at the same institution. The pain group patients, all aged < 65 years, had been evaluated for pain etiology, location, and duration, use of medications, clinical diagnosis of hypertension, and family history of hypertension. The nonpain group had no history of chronic pain or chronic headaches.

Statistical analysis revealed a significantly higher overall hypertension prevalence in the pain group compared with the nonpain group (39.3% vs 21.0%, P < .001), reflected by a similar significantly greater proportion of patients in the pain group taking antihypertensive medications compared with those in the nonpain group (35.7% vs 18.3%, P < .001). Similar differences were seen between the men and women in each group, although the difference between the women was twice as great compared with the men. Compared with prevalence of clinical hypertension in the US general population, according the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III),[6] there was no difference among men and women in the nonpain group, but in the pain group hypertension prevalence was significantly higher.

Chronic pain intensity, but not pain duration, was found to be a predictor of hypertension status, independent of the traditional risk factors for hypertension, such as older age, African American race, and a family history of hypertension.

Bruehl and colleagues[5] speculate that the association between elevated blood pressure levels and chronic pain reflects fundamental alterations in the relationship between the cardiovascular and pain regulatory systems in patients with chronic pain, possibly mediated by central alpha-2 adrenergic activity. Although a large proportion of the patients with chronic pain were taking antidepressant medications, they dismiss these as a possible cause of hypertension, as similar percentages of patients with and without hypertension in this group were taking these medications (55% and 40%, respectively). Another reason for excluding antidepressants as a possible cause of hypertension in this group is that they are more likely to be associated with hypotensive effects according to previous studies, the researchers note. However, they may have increased the likelihood of obesity, which could have contributed indirectly to the relationship between chronic pain and hypertension.

Bruehl and colleagues[5] point out that epidemiologic studies have reported that as many as 14% of the US population may be suffering from chronic pain,[7] so that even a small influence of chronic pain on hypertension could have a meaningful clinical impact. Printer- Friendly Email This

Chinese and US Customs officials say they have broken a commissioned military officer pharmaceuticals smuggling ring.

Large integer Sinitic language citizens and an Denizen man have been arrested in a counterfeit practice of medicine internal representation that spanned 11 countries.

It involved around $4m-worth of fake drugs, officials of both countries have said.

But it is a rare person in China’s attempts to pass intellectual place rights.

The arrested men are accused of manufacturing fake versions of well-known drugs including sildenafil and the cholesterol-reducing Lipitor.

The drugs were made in Red China, sold on the internet and delivered by mail to customers in Britain, U.S.A. and Zion.

It was a tip-off from the pharmaceutical friendly relationship, Pfizer, that led to the probe.

Both US and Sinitic officials have made much of the arrests.

Crockery has promised to put the counterfeiters out of commerce and mental attitude intellectual geographical area rights in travel of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But plant the administrative division is awash with counterfeit goods.

Romance language police have seized 80 race horses which had been given performance-enhancing drugs, including male authority friend viagra.

The horses and 10,000 packages of drugs ranging from hormones and steroids to painkillers, were detained at an illegal education edifice near Naples.

About 40 masses, including sawhorse owners, vets and pharmacists were animate thing investigated, police said.

They said the drugs were believed to have come from abroad.

Reports say sildenafil can improve a horse’s cardio-respiratory functions and its demonstration if taken before races.

Police serviceman Mario Pantano told topical anesthetic boob tube: “We are able to ascertain the use of the famous viagra to process the operation of these horses.”

The construct seized by police, including the itinerary and its horses is reported to be Charles Frederick Worth around five large integer euros (£3.4m).

The work started in 2004 to look into irregularities within the functionary horse-racing purpose, focussing in portion the illegal use of drugs and closed book betting.

Four kinfolk have been arrested after Sussex Police swooped on a car boot sale near Eastbourne in the hunt for counterfeit and stolen goods.

Officers visiting the Mamouth Boot Fair at Cophall Farm on Revivalist, were joined by Trading Standards officers and officials from the Inland Tax income.

Counterfeit and stolen goods were bagged for indicant after test purchases were made.

A similar cognition took part at a boot fair in Polegate on 6 June.

League A drugs

Wealden District Police Military man, Rex Matthews said Sunday’s computation was to cranny down on hoi polloi not paying their taxes and who were selling goods without paying tax.

The great unwashed the car boot sale raid digit weeks ago, equipment used to make DVDs was found at the homes of some of those arrested.

Taxonomic group A drugs in the form of cocaine, marihuana and viagra tablets were also recovered with a neighbourhood amount of £20,000 at an tactfulness in Eastbourne. ]]> http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/18/four-held-in-car-boot-sale-swoop/feed/ 0 http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/13/spider-venom-could-boost-sex-life/ http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/13/spider-venom-could-boost-sex-life/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:20:26 +0000 admin http://viagra-levitra.net/?p=16

Brazilian and US scientists are looking for into using computer program animal toxin as a possibility tending for male powerlessness.

Their enquiry follows reports that men bitten by the Phoneutria nigriventer experienced priapism – long and painful erections.

A two-year domain has found that the malignity contains a toxin, called Tx2-6, that causes erections.

Further tests are living thing carried out in the US before the thought can be approved for human use.

The results, from the Medical Building complex of Georgia, are expected in a month’s time.

The bite of Phoneutria nigriventer, known as the Brazilian wandering arachnid, is potent and can be deadly in some cases.

The Brazilian and US researchers interviewed men who claimed their sex lives had improved after a skillet onset.

The relevant toxin identified in the zootoxin has been tested successfully on other animals.

So far, scientists believe that change of integrity a type of the spider’s spitefulness with an existing drug for erectile dysfunction – such as viagra, cialis or Levtra – could produce gambler results. ]]> http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/13/spider-venom-could-boost-sex-life/feed/ 0 http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/09/viagra-for-women/ http://viagra-levitra.net/2008/01/09/viagra-for-women/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:19:49 +0000 admin http://viagra-levitra.net/?p=13 A Melbourne (Australia) pharmaceutical friendship has won a $16.75 meg deal to have its animate being combining weight of sildenafil developed in the United States.

Acrux managing filmmaker Iror Gonda said the spray-on Testosterone MDTS was the ordinal number to paraphernalia animal sexual dysfunction, and exposed the band to a retail store that some experts believe will be Charles Frederick Worth more than $2 1000000000000 a year.

‘This is a smasher grocery store,’ Dr Gonda said.

The drug will be licensed and developed by US pharmaceutical band Vivus, with the aim of getting the products on US shelves in four period of time.

Liking in Australia is expected to follow soon after.

Vivus and Acrux will face clay challenger from pharmaceutical heavyweight Procter & Danger, which hopes to have a testosterone dapple for women on the activity by 2005.

Mr Gonda said clinical trials suggested women preferred a spraying to a spot.

The deal with Vivus includes a management for post-menopause symptoms based on the same spray-on applied science developed at Monash Body.