my Fatherly Life

One in five Americans has hearing loss

2011-12-19T19:10:00.001-08:00

Perhaps this is genes-based... would yours be surviving the hard times?
Fathers, take note: your best half is more prone to this phenomenon.
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Posted: 15 November 2011

WASHINGTON: About one in five Americans age 12 and over suffers from hearing loss in at least one ear that is severe enough to interfere with daily communication, US researchers said Monday.

The estimate is the first to cover the entire United States instead of select populations according to location or age, said the study authors from Johns Hopkins University.

"I couldn't find a simple number of how common hearing loss is in the US," said lead author Frank Lin, an assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology. "So we decided to develop our own."

The findings, published in the November 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association, are higher than previous estimates of 21 to 29 million people with hearing loss.

The researchers took data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES), which has tracked Americans' health since 1971, and analyzed data from just over 7,000 hearing tests between 2001 and 2008.

Forty-eight million people, or 20.3 percent of people 12 and over in the United States, have hearing loss in at least one ear; while 30 million, or 12.7 percent of the population, has it in both ears, they found.

The researchers defined hearing loss as being unable to hear speech sounds of 25 decibels or less, which is the World Health Organization (WHO) definition for hearing loss.

Hearing loss becomes more frequent as people age, but the researchers found that it tended to happen less often in women than in men, and was also less frequent in blacks than whites.

Researchers are not sure why, but they suggested that the potential protective effects of the female hormone estrogen and the skin pigment melanin should be investigated as potential reasons.

According to the WHO, about 278 million people worldwide suffer from moderate to profound hearing impairment, or about four percent of the world population.

Hearing loss can be caused by a variety of factors, including infectious disease, loud noises, injury and simple aging. About half of all cases are preventable through prevention and early diagnosis, the WHO said.

-AFP/pn

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
One in five Americans has hearing loss

Dud in bed but a dude at home for the Pill women

2011-11-24T05:31:00.001-08:00

Posted: 12 October 2011

PARIS: Women who take the Pill tend to choose as partners men who are less attractive and worse in bed but a sounder bet for a long-term relationship, according to an unusual study published on Tuesday.

Probing the effect of contraceptive hormones on mating choice, researchers questioned 2,519 women in the United States, Czech Republic, Britain and Canada who had had at least one child.

The volunteers were asked to rate their relationship for general satisfaction and sexual pleasure and the attractiveness of their partner or, retrospectively, of their ex.

Oral contraception had been used by 1,005 women when they met their partner, while 1,514 had used no form of hormonal birth control at the first encounter.

"Our results show some positive and negative consequences of using the Pill when a woman meets her partner," said Craig Roberts of Stirling University, Scotland, who led the investigation.

"Such women may, on average, be less satisfied with the sexual aspects of their relationship but more so with non-sexual aspects. Overall, women who met their partner on the Pill had longer relationships -- by two years on average -- and were less likely to separate."

Roberts suspects the Pill skews the sub-conscious "chemistry" by which a woman makes a mating choice.

Previously, he found that using oral contraceptives altered women's preferences for men's body odour.

When they didn't take the Pill, women were subjected to the strong hormonal swings of the menstrual cycle.

During ovulation, they unwittingly preferred the smell of men who were genetically dissimilar.

The evolutionary explanation for this is that babies that are born from genetically dissimilar couples tend to be healthier and have a better chance of survival.

But when women took the Pill, they preferred the smell of genetically similar men, Roberts found in this earlier research.

This was because the normal hormonal swings of the menstrual cycle evened out under the effect of the contraception.

The hormone levels typically reflected the non-fertile phase of the menstrual cycle, when women "are more attracted to men who appear more caring and reliable -- good dads," said Roberts.

Although such men are a better choice for long-term partnerships, the risk of a relationship breakdown is still there.

"Women who used oral contraception when they met their partner tended to find him less attractive, engaged in compliant sex and rejected sexual advances more frequently as the relationship progressed, and were more likely to initiate separation if it occurred," the study notes bleakly.

The new research gives an important statistical push to the theory of sexual chemistry but also raises a dilemma.

Should a woman go for Mr. Hunk or Mr. Nice?

To women who are mistrustful of what their body is telling them, going off the Pill and using a condom could help provide the answer, suggests Roberts.

"Choosing a non-hormonal barrier method of contraception for a few months before getting married might be one way for a woman to check or reassure herself that she's still attracted to her partner," he says.

The volunteers for the study were recruited through personal contact, social networking sites and advertising on pregnancy and parenthood forum websites. Of the 2,519 women, 1,761 women were still in a relationship with the biological father of their first child.

-AFP/vl

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Dud in bed but a dude at home for the Pill women

Healthy men "don't need prostate screening"

2011-11-15T05:50:00.001-08:00

Posted: 08 October 2011

WASHINGTON: Routine screening for prostate cancer does not help save the lives of healthy men and often triggers the need for more tests and treatments, a US government health panel said Friday.

The US Preventive Services Task Force's draft recommendations, which will be open to public comment on Tuesday, are likely to face a push back from advocates of the PSA blood test as well as from drug makers and doctors who benefit from the now-lucrative screening industry.

Based on the results of five clinical trials, the recommendation to avoid a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test -- which measures the level of the protein in the blood -- applies to healthy men of all ages without suspicious symptoms.

But it could have an especially dramatic impact on the care for men aged 50 and older, who are routinely administered the PSA test.

"The low specificity of the PSA test coupled with its inability to distinguish indolent from aggressive tumours means that a substantial number of men are being over diagnosed with prostate cancer," the task force said.

"If any benefit does exist, it is very small after 10 years," it added, citing two major trials in Europe and the United States on the value of PSA testing.

The task force also found no evidence that other forms of screening, such as an ultrasound or digital rectal exam or ultrasound, are effective. It did not examine whether testing was beneficial to men who have already been treated for the disease or who show suspicious symptoms.

One million men who had had the PSA test and would otherwise not have been treated got surgery, radiation therapy or a combination of both between 1986 and 2005, the task force said.

It pointed to evidence suggesting that up to five in 1,000 men will die within a month of prostate cancer surgery and between 10 and 70 in 1,000 men will suffer from serious complications.

"Radiotherapy and surgery result in adverse effects," the task force added, noting that 200 to 300 in 1,000 men treated with such therapies have urinary incontinence or impotence.

An estimated 217,730 men in the United States were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 32,050 died last year of the second most common form of cancer in men after skin cancer.

But the task force noted that most men with the cancer only have "microscopic, well-differentiated lesions that are unlikely to be of clinical importance."

- AFP/wk

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:

Healthy men "don't need prostate screening"

Colon cancer advances faster in men

2011-11-14T06:59:00.001-08:00

Posted: 28 September 2011

WASHINGTON: Men with colon cancer tend to have more advanced tumors than women of the same age, said a study out Tuesday that suggested screening guidelines may need to be adjusted for sex and age.

Currently, men and women age 50 and older are urged to get a colonoscopy to screen for growths or polyps that could form into tumors. Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cancer killer worldwide, taking 610,000 lives per year.

The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined 44,350 participants in a national screening colonoscopy program from 2007 to 2010 in Austria.

The screenings look for adenomas, which are polyps or benign tumors as well as for particularly advanced adenomas and colorectal cancer.

The analysis found "a significantly higher rate of these lesions among men compared with women in all age groups, suggesting that male sex constitutes an independent risk factor for colorectal carcinoma," according to the study.

For instance, five percent of men age 50-54 had advanced adenomas compared to just 2.9 percent of women.

The rate of colorectal cancer in 55-59-year-old men (1.3 percent) was about the same as in women a decade older (65-69-year-old women were diagnosed at a rate of 1.2 percent).

The prevalence of colorectal cancer overall was twice as high among men, at 1.5 percent, compared to 0.7 percent in women.

The researchers noted that "deciding whether to adjust the age at which screening begins also requires considering whether the recommended age for women should be older or the recommended age for men younger."

However, the study stopped short of saying what that new age should be, saying further studies "are needed to demonstrate the relative clinical effectiveness of screening at different ages."

-AFP/pn

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Colon cancer advances faster in men

Study: Many Obese Patients Unconvinced Weight Poses Health Risks

2011-10-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia(GAINESVILLE, Fla.) -- A majority of overweight and obese patients seen in hospital emergency departments do not consider their weight to be a threat to their health, and say that doctors have never informed them of the risks of excessive weight gain, a new study finds.

HealthDay reports that researchers surveyed 450 randomly selected patients seen in the emergency department at Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and asked them to respond to two questions. The first question that was asked was, “Do you believe your present weight is damaging to your health?” followed by, “Have other health professionals ever told you that you are overweight?”

The study found that only 19 percent of respondents who reported that their weight was unhealthy said they'd ever discussed it with a health care professional. Thirty percent of respondents who were told that their weight was unhealthy by their health care provider agreed with that opinion.

The study also found that 47 percent of obese and overweight men believed their weight was a problem, while the majority—53 percent—felt it wasn’t an issue.

Study author Dr. Matthew Ryan, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at University of Florida, found that women were more aware of the health issues surrounding obesity, as 62 percent reported that their weight was negatively affecting their health.

"We see the manifestations of obesity in the emergency department. Obesity is directly linked to other diseases—hypertension, diabetes, cancers, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, heart disease, strokes, and metabolic syndrome," Ryan said. "We see the acute exacerbations of chronic diseases."

Even amid all the health problems surrounded by excessive weight, only 36 percent of overweight or obese men and 50 percent of overweight/obese women reported discussing the issue with their doctors.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Taken from WTMA.com; source article is below:
Study: Many Obese Patients Unconvinced Weight Poses Health Risks

9/11 firefighters "cancer prone"

2011-10-18T04:29:00.001-07:00

Would you take up this job, even if "the way that makes you earn a living is going to kill you"?
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Posted: 02 September 2011

LONDON: Firefighters exposed to the World Trade Centre attacks are more likely to get cancer, while 9/11 rescue workers still suffer high illness rates generally, according to studies published Friday.

In a 10th anniversary edition of medical journal The Lancet, scientists said however that death rates among emergency staff and civilians who survived the disaster were lower than those of the wider New York City population.

"The events of that day changed the historical trajectory of America and the world. They have had -- and continue to have -- profound consequences for health," the Lancet journal said in an editorial.

One study showed that New York City firefighters who rushed to the doomed Twin Towers a decade ago are 19 per cent more likely to have cancer than their non-exposed colleagues and a comparable section of the city's population.

There were 263 cancer cases in the exposed firefighters compared with 238 expected from general population data, while from the non-exposed group there were only 135 compared with 161 expected from the general population.

The study, led by David Prezant, chief medical officer of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), and colleagues, looked at 9,853 male firefighters with health records dating back to well before 9/11.

Another study in the Lancet showed a high burden of both physical and mental illness in the estimated 50,000 rescue and recovery workers involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York by Al-Qaeda.

Data gathered from more than 27,000 of those workers, who enrolled in a federally funded monitoring programme, showed that 28 per cent had developed asthma, 42 per cent sinusitis, and 39 per cent gastrooesophageal reflux disease.

Twenty-eight per cent had depression, 32 per cent had post traumatic stress disorder and 21 per cent had panic disorder, said the study by Juan Wisnivesky, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York state.

"Our findings show a substantial burden of persistent physical and mental disorders in rescue and recovery workers who rushed to the site of the WTC and laboured there for weeks and months 10 years ago," the study said.

But World Trade Centre-exposed rescue workers and civilians have had lower death rates than New York City general population, a third study by researchers at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

They said the fact that most of those exposed were employed and that they had volunteered for the study -- both employed people and study volunteers are largely healthier than the overall population -- could account for the result.

-AFP/wk

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
9/11 firefighters "cancer prone"

Liver cancer linked to male sex hormones: HK study

2011-09-04T22:45:00.001-07:00

Now, if this is true, is this hereditary?
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Posted: 21 July 2011

HONG KONG: Hong Kong researchers have found that men are more likely to develop liver cancer due to a type of gene which is linked to male sex hormones.

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said a study conducted since 2008 found more than 70 percent of patients with liver cancer produced high levels of a gene called cell cycle-related kinase (CCRK).

The study said the gene, one out of more than 17,000 in the human body, is directly controlled and activated by the receptor protein of the male sex hormone, or androgen.

"This study has a potential clinical impact as it depicts the correlation between androgen receptor and liver cancer development," university vice chancellor Joseph Sung and research team leader Mok Hing-yiu said.

"It also provides an explanation on why men have a higher risk of liver cancer than women," they added in a joint statement posted on the university's website.

Researchers examined risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and occupation to explain the gender disparity but none could fully explain the difference.

The study has used mouse models and found either lowering the level or blocking the androgen-receptor-CCRK pathway could significantly reduce the tumour growth rate.

Liver cancer is the third deadliest type of cancer in the world after lung and colon cancer and there is currently no effective treatment.

Men are three times more likely to develop liver cancer than women in Hong Kong, said the study, whereas in certain areas in China and Japan men are seven times more likely to develop it.

Around 40 percent of liver cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, with that proportion reaching 80 percent in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

In the United States more than 19,000 people are diagnosed annually with liver cancer, and some 17,000 die each year of the disease.

- AFP/al

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Liver cancer linked to male sex hormones: HK study

Back after 3 weeks out

2011-06-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

Image by Unitopia via FlickrI was out for about 3 weeks, and it was quite an urgent trip that I had to make, me and my family.

At 83 years old, my mother was on a sick and frail physique, and at her last days, 5 in the hospital, where she showed recovery, then 5 at home, where she finally transpired, she was already begging for drugs so she can go away peacefully.

And in most cases of an impending death, on her last day, she summoned all her strength to savor a meal before passing over to her next life.

We will miss her, and we have to take care of our equally aged father who is left behind, now aged 87.

Hope to get back in circulation soon.

Scotland has alcoholism as top health problem

2011-05-15T17:33:00.003-07:00

Image via WikipediaAlcohol remains a destroyer till now when everything is deemed technologically advanced...
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Study finds alcohol was a factor in more than 5500 GP consultations in Scotland in one day.

03 May 2011

Alcohol was a factor in more than 5500 GP consultations in Scotland on one day alone last month, according to a new survey.

BMA Scotland, which carried out the study, said this equates to 1.4 million consultations per year, costing the NHS more than £28m.

It warned that a "significant proportion" of adults are risking alcohol-related health problems, with alcohol killing five people a day.

Dr Alan McDevitt, deputy chairman of the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee, said: "Those who suffer from alcohol related health problems are not just alcoholics or heavy binge drinkers.

"By regularly drinking over and above recommended limits, a significant proportion of the adult population is at risk of experiencing health problems that are linked to the alcohol they consume whether it is high blood pressure, breast cancer or even domestic abuse.

"In just one day, nurses and doctors working in general practices across Scotland saw more than 5500 patients where alcohol had contributed to their ill health.

"But the patients seen in general practice are just the tip of the iceberg. The impact of alcohol misuse across the rest of the NHS, in hospitals and in our communities is far greater."

The organisation called on candidates in all the political parties to acknowledge the damaging influence of alcohol misuse on individuals and in communities every day in Scotland.

It urged them to spend one of the last few days of the election campaign outlining how they will tackle alcohol misuse in the next Scottish Parliament.

Other health organisations backed the BMA's call for action to tackle the country's alcohol problem.

Alcohol Focus Scotland called on politicians to consider a minimum unit price for alcohol while the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland suggested more alcohol liaison nurses to help reduce re-attendance at A&E and hospital admissions.

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Taken from news.stv.tv; source article is below:
More than 5500 GP visits a day in Scotland are alcohol related, survey finds

Does Circumcision Have Health Benefits?

2011-05-15T17:33:00.001-07:00

This is another article taken in its entirety. Read with discretion.
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Michelle Bryner, Life's Little Mysteries Contributor
29 April 2011

The debate over surgically removing an infant's penis foreskin has continued over the years, with proponents touting circumcision's health benefits, and opponents arguing against what they say is the barbaric nature of the procedure. An anticircumcision group in San Francisco is the latest to join the fray, pushing for a ban on the practice.

Circumcision proponents, however, argue against the proposal, citing the procedure's history as a religious ritual, as well as its sexual health benefits -- some research suggests that circumcision helps prevent the spread of HIV.

Plenty of research has been conducted on both sides of the debate, so which point of view does the science favor?

An ancient tradition

Circumcision started as a ritual act by the Egyptians as far back as 2500 B.C. and later by Jewish people. They did it to mark a boy's passage into manhood, some believe. Other proposed reasons include: as a marking to distinguish those of higher social status; as a male "menstruation," or sign of the onset of puberty; and as a way to discourage masturbation.

Since then, however, people of many faiths began following suit: Circumcision is now the most common surgery performed on males in the United States. In a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the period 1999 to 2004, 79 percent of men reported that they were circumcised.

Circumcision is widely believed to prevent diseases, such as HIV, and there is some evidence that it reduces the risk of male-to-female HIV transfer. The proposed mechanism is that circumcision removes what are called Langerhans cells in the foreskin, which are more susceptible to HIV infection. Langerhans cells are equipped with special receptors that may allow HIV access into the body.

Three studies published in 2009 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews revealed that circumcised men were 54 percent less likely to get HIV than uncircumcised men. The trials included more than 11,000 men in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya between 2002 and 2006.

The practice may also protect women from contracting the virus that causes AIDS. A review of past medical files of more than 300 Uganda couples, in which the man was HIV positive and the woman wasn't, showed circumcision reduced the likelihood that the female partner would become infected by 30 percent. That study was presented in 2006 at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

While HIV prevention is becoming a well-supported argument for circumcision in developing countries, it is not as strong of an argument for the United States.

"A number of important differences from sub-Saharan African settings where the three male circumcision trials were conducted must be considered in determining the possible role for male circumcision in HIV prevention in the United States," according to a report published by the CDC. The report goes on to say that, "studies to date have demonstrated efficacy only for penile-vaginal sex, the predominant mode of HIV transmission in Africa, whereas the predominant mode of sexual HIV transmission in the United States is by penile-anal sex among [men who have sex with men]."

As for medical complications, a review of 52 relevant studies from 21 countries found circumcision of infants by trained professionals rarely showed adverse health outcomes. For instance, the researchers found that among those under age 1, there was just a 1.5 percent average risk of minor adverse events such as excessive bleeding, swelling and infection. Severe complications were very rare, the study found, which was published in 2010 in the journal BMC Urology. However, risk of both minor and severe complications went up when inexperienced providers did the circumcisions.

Despite the benefits of circumcision and a lack of strong evidence showing negative side effects, the debate continues as opponents look for ways to outlaw the practice.

Put it to a vote?

A proposal to ban circumcisions in San Francisco has moved forward as proponents of the ban delivered more than 12,000 signatures to the Department of Elections this week. If the petition has enough valid signatures from registered voters, the ban will appear on the ballot in the November election. The ban would make circumcision of any male under the age of 18 a misdemeanor and carry with it a fine of up to $1,000 and jail time of up to one year.

According to Reuters reports, Lloyd Schofield, the leader of the proposal, says circumcision is "excruciatingly painful and permanently damaging surgery that's forced on men when they're at their weakest and most vulnerable."

The CDC disagrees that the procedure is painful. "Data has shown that with anesthesia, the majority of infants have no objective pain reaction," Scott Bryan, a spokesperson for the CDC, told Life's Little Mysteries.

The banning of circumcision may be an extreme measure, especially given the fact that the procedure is not mandatory. There are also still many unanswered questions on both sides of the argument. We'll have to wait until November to see how the debate actually plays out.

Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @LLMysteries.

This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience.

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Taken from livescience.com; source article is below:
Does Circumcision Have Health Benefits?

In India and China: The 'lost boy' generation

2011-04-14T00:09:00.001-07:00

I think it is because the male is considered as a viable gender, while a female is said to be a liability - and the imbalance brought by that perception we now see.

I have all girls, and I am thankful for all four of them.
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Posted: 15 March 2011

WASHINGTON: Abortions of female foetuses have led to a massive surplus of young unmarried men in India and China, raising fears of an outcast group that could threaten the social fabric, a study said on Monday.

The trend took root in the 1980s when ultrasound technologies made it easier for families to detect foetal sex early and to abort if it was not what the parents desired, said the analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Sons have traditionally been preferred over daughters in many parts of China, India and South Korea due to social, cultural and financial motivations. Sex-selective abortion is outlawed but can be difficult to enforce.

The phenomenon was first spotted in South Korea in the early 1990s, when the sex ratio at birth (SRB) - typically 105 male births to every 100 female births - rose to 125 in some cities.

Similar rises in male births were seen in China, "complicated by the one-child policy, which has undoubtedly contributed to the steady increase in the reported SRB from 106 in 1979, to 111 in 1990, 117 in 2001 and 121 in 2005," said the study.

India has seen "sex ratios as high as 125 in Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat in the north but normal sex ratios of 105 in the southern and eastern states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh," it added.

In parts of China where a second child is allowed, after a daughter is the first born, the SRB for the second is 143, suggesting that many choose to abort a second girl foetus in favour of trying again for a boy.

Estimates of China's actual population difference in 2005 pointed to 1.1 million excess males, with men under 20 exceeding the number of females by around 32 million, said the study led by Therese Hesketh, University College London Centre for International Health and Development.

"These men will be unable to marry, in societies where marriage is regarded as virtually universal, and where social status and acceptance depend, in large part, on being married and creating a new family," said the authors.

Referred to in China as "guang gun," meaning "bare branches," these men are presumed to be unable to bear fruit by coupling and raising a family.

"In China and parts of India the sheer numbers of unmated men are a further cause for concern," said the study.

"Because they may lack a stake in the existing social order, it is feared that they will become bound together in an outcast culture, turning to antisocial behaviour and organised crime, thereby threatening societal stability and security."

Other concerns include the possibility that the surge of unmarried men will boost the sex industry, which has already expanded in India and China over the past 10 years.

However, "the part played by a high sex ratio in this expansion is impossible to isolate; there is no evidence that numbers of sex workers are greater in areas with high sex ratios," said the study.

Ninety-four percent of unmarried people aged 28-49 in China are male, and 97 percent of them have not completed high school, it said.

"Despite the grim outlook for the generation of males entering their reproductive years over the next two decades, there are encouraging signs," said the study.

A crackdown on sex-selective abortion in South Korea has resulted in a more normalised male-to-female birth rate in recent years, and China and India are both down from their peak SRBs due in part to public awareness campaigns and relaxed one-child policies.

But it will likely be several more decades before the sex ratios return to normal, the authors said.

The article was co-authored by Zhu Wei Xing of Zhejiang Normal University in China.

- AFP/de

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Abortions give rise to Asia's 'lost boy' generation

Popular drugs for men impact their sexual health

2011-04-07T00:45:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipediapublished on March 7, 2011

A new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals that, for the first time, 5a-reductase inhibitors commonly used to treat urinary problems in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and found in popular medications to treat hair loss, can produce, persistent erectile dysfunction (ED), depression and loss of libido, even after the medication has been discontinued.

Researchers led by Abdulmaged M. Traish, MBA, PhD, of BostonUniversity School of Medicine, examined data reported in various clinical studies from the available literature concerning the side effects of the 5 alpha reductase inhibitors, finasteride and dutasteride.

Prolonged adverse side effects on sexual function, such as ED, depression and diminished libido, were reported by a subset of men. Drug-related reduction in libido occurred in 4.2% and 1.8% of patients in the dutasteride and placebo groups, respectively. Reduced ejaculation and semen volume were also reported and in some patients, these drugs were associated with depression.

“For these reasons, patients and doctors are urged to discuss these issues openly and candidly and assess the risk benefit ratio prior to commencing therapy with 5a-reductase inhibitors” Dr. Traish notes.

Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, has seen and evaluated numerous such patients. He further explained the importance of this study. “Young men are being prescribed 5 alpha reductase inhibitors as hair loss treatmentsthat may negatively impact their sexual life, possibly for a prolonged time after stopping the medication. Older men with symptoms of lower urinary tract symptoms or fearful of prostate cancer, now have to deal with new onset sexual and mental health problems. The growing use of 5 alpha reductase inhibitors is causing concerns.” Clearly more research is needed to better understand the basis for these drug-associated side effects but it is evident that 5 alpha reductase inhibitors prevent the synthesis of very critical central nervous system neurosteroids and lower a very important sex steroid hormone, dihydrotestosterone.

Taken from scienceblog.com; source article is below:
Popular drugs for common male health problems can affect their sexual health

Junk food and our kids

2011-03-01T22:35:00.001-08:00

Here is one short article on the impact of junk foods to our kids - truth be told!
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Posted: 08 February 2011

PARIS - Toddlers who have a diet high in processed foods may have a slightly lower IQ in later life, according to a British study described as the biggest research of its kind.

The conclusion, published on Monday, comes from a long-term investigation into 14,000 people born in western England in 1991 and 1992 whose health and well-being were monitored at the ages of three, four, seven and eight and a half.

Parents of the children were asked to fill out questionnaires that, among other things, detailed the kind of food and drink their children consumed.

Three dietary patterns emerged: one was high in processed fats and sugar; then there was a "traditional" diet high in meat and vegetables; and finally a "health-conscious" diet with lots of salad, fruit and vegetables, pasta and
rice.

When the children were eight and a half, their IQ was measured using a standard tool called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale.

Of the 4,000 children for which there were complete data, there was a significant difference in IQ among those who had had the "processed" as opposed to the "health-conscious" diets in early childhood.

The 20 per cent of children who ate the most processed food had an average IQ of 101 points, compared with 106 for the 20 per cent of children who ate the most "health-conscious" food.

"It's a very small difference, it's not a vast difference," said one of the authors, Pauline Emmett of the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol.

"But it does make them less able to cope with education, less able to cope with some of the things in life."

The association between IQ and nutrition is a strongly debated issue because it can be skewed by many factors, including economic and social background.

A middle-class family, for instance, may arguably be more keen (or more financially able) to put a healthier meal on the table, or be pushier about stimulating their child, compared to a poorer household.

Emmett said the team took special care to filter out such confounders.

"We have controlled for maternal education, for maternal social class, age, whether they live in council housing, life events, anything going wrong, the home environment, with books and use of television and things like that," she said.

The size of the study, too, was unprecedented.

"It's a huge sample, it's much much bigger than anything anyone else has done," she said in an interview with AFP.

Emmett said further work was needed to see whether this apparent impact on IQ persisted as the children got older.

Asked why junk food had such an effect, she suggested a diet that was preponderantly processed could lack vital vitamins and elements for cerebral development at a key stage in early childhood.

"A junk food diet is not conducive to good brain development," she said.

The paper appears in the peer-reviewed Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, published by the British Medical Association (BMA).

- AFP/rl

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Junk food diet linked to lower IQ

Starting To Pick Up

2011-01-24T20:25:00.001-08:00

Image via WikipediaLast Saturday, around evening time, I went out with my third child to buy food for our dinner – my wife usually takes some time off on weekends – and she gets it without a fight.

For the past weeks, I’ve been doing some gardening, and without a piece of land to settle the plants in, we make do with pots. That is our life here: our abode is hanging in the air, suspended between levels and levels of flats above and below. Did I excite you momentarily? I was just saying that living in a foreign land and not having finances in excess will not allow you to enjoy the same benefits, or privileges, than when you are at your birth place. Yes, I am a foreigner in my present land of abode. I may convert into a citizen, but that doesn’t change my skin.

My daughters are usually coming out to see what I’m doing whenever I do my planting things. One time they were so curious as to see if other than plants, there are living creatures. And they did. Millipedes. Earthworms. Ants. My third child was quite shaky getting near, but still, curious to see how an earthworm is in real life. The one I had in one of the pots was very small and short, and is almost invisible to the unobserving eye. You have to stare and search for it. And it seems it was a loner.

Anyway, the other 2 girls saw it, and they were discussing it. She didn’t, and she keeps on asking if I’ve touched it someway, somehow, etc., etc. So what I did is to look for the teeny-weeny earthworm, scooped it up with some soul, and then showed it once more to them. The crawler crawled a bit, then it landed on my palm where there is no soil, and she was like, “What? Didn’t bite you?” And I just showed to her that it is harmless. She’d grown up in a place where there isn’t anything much to offer when it comes to being dirty and soiled with naked earth. It is all concrete and asphalts, and the trees and plants are taken care of by paid workers. And if you don’t do these things at home in a miniature level, there’ll be no other place or other chance that your children will come face-to-face with such down-to-earth experiences, and their existence on this earth will have a missing part – that’s sad.

Now, I've been doing this planting and repotting chore for a number of times, and at times, one of them would come out alone, and would have a chance to do hands-on. Another time, it will be the other one. So to say, they are having their chance, each one of them.

I should say that their interest is gaining momentum.

Now, as said at the beginning, we went out, me and my third daughter, to buy food at the food hawker center for our dinner. Since there are some other items to buy, we went over to the variety store afterwards. Aside from grocery items and the usual prime commodities for sale, they have a limited collection of plants in small pots, along with a limited set of plastic pots, pot stands, garden soil, and some other gardening accessories. Whenever I pass by that shop, I’d take a look, at times, very short, at times, longer, scrutinizing what they have. They sell it cheap compared to the other shops nearby or within the larger vicinity. So that shop is a no-brainer choice – if they have what you are looking for, it’s a steal!

My daughter went with me when I went over to the stall where the plants are. She looked and checked, looked closer, left and right, then picked one small plant. She knows what we already have at home, and although those plants belong to the whole family, the decision on things like what gets thrown away (when the time comes to clear up) or what stays, what’s repotted, what’s pruned, etc., still rests on me and my wife, the father and the mother. So knowing that, she picked a plant of her liking, and said, “Can I buy my own plant?”

I was glad that she showed the interest, and I would be more than glad to guide her in her newfound passion, but I said, “Mama will scold you if you use your money and buy that plant.”

“But how come you can buy plants and she don’t get angry?”

I ignored that question, and continued to look at other plants, all the while trying and attempting to find some answers to throw back.

Since she didn’t insist on having an answer, I delayed a few more seconds, then I finally said, “That doesn’t look very nice. Let’s come back and see if there comes a better one next time.”

And with that we left. She didn’t complain, knowing that she can have her own plant, when the right time comes.

I mentioned this to my wife, to which she explained, that she had agreed with our kids, that whatever they save from their daily allowances, they can buy whatever they like.

So perhaps, to be true to my word, and to let my child be happy, we’ll come back next time to see what would be on sale.

Then we can do our gardening together.

Finger's tell-tale on men's prostate cancer

2010-12-13T16:50:00.001-08:00

Would you believe it now? This is quite a breakthrough - why your index finger can tell you a lot about your getting prostate cancer.

How about that?
-----

Finger length predicts prostate cancer risk

PARIS - Men whose index fingers are longer than their ring, or fourth, fingers run a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a study published Wednesday in the British Journal of Cancer.

The chances of developing the disease drop by a third, and even more in younger men, the study found.

"Our results show that relative finger length could be used as a simple test for prostate cancer risk, particularly in men aged under 60," said Ros Eeles, a professor at the Institute of Cancer Research in Britain and co-author of the study.

Finger pattern could help identify which men should undergo regular screening, especially in combination with genetic testing or other risk factors such as a family history of the disease, she said.

From 1994 to 2009, Eeles and colleagues questioned more than 1,500 prostate cancer patients in Britain, along with 3,000 healthy control cases.

For more than half the men, the index was shorter than the ring finger. Compared to this group, men whose index and ring fingers were the same length -- 19 per cent of the cohort -- had a similar prostate cancer risk.

But when the index finger was longer, the risk of developing the disease dropped by 33 per cent.

Men under 60 were 87 per cent less likely to be in the cancer group.

The relative length of the two fingers in question -- set before birth -- appears to be a marker of different levels of sex hormones to which a baby is exposed in the womb, with less testosterone correlating with a longer index finger.

Earlier research has shown that testosterone promotes the growth of prostate cancer.

Underlying the unexpected connection between digits and cancer are two genes, HOXA and HOXD, that control both finger length and the development of sex organs.

Other studies have found a link between exposure to hormones before birth and the development of other diseases, including breast cancer and osteoarthritis.

- AFP/rl

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Finger length predicts prostate cancer risk

We have moved!

2010-12-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

We have moved!

The renovation is not 100% done yet, but they are finishing touches only.

I was on leave from work for 3 days to do the unboxing and arranging and rearranging. That is usually the rigorous part of it. I'd usually go with the movers when they move the boxes and furnitures here and there, but for the 2nd batch, I stole away from them. I had to be in the flat for the houseworks!

Before the boxes came, we had to do a quick tidying up of the place. The usually debris and fine dust from the sawing and cutting and all others is quite a health hazard, so we did that before anything can be laid down on the floor. We did that on a Saturday night, and then concluded the neatening work on Sunday. So Monday morning was a clean day to unload and uncrate. it is not exactly a shining clean flat, but one that is now ready for transferring the whole motherload of things we brought from the other flat.

And today I'm back to work. 2 days, and I'd be again out for a weekend escapade with the whole family. It's been planned so long ago, last year actually, when we attempted, but was unsuccessful due to full booking on the rooms and all. So we thought of having it this year, and the booking was early, earlier than most folks would do, just to make sure we have slot available.

So, till then. We're next to the top, so I'll be snapping up some scenes, and be the judge whether or not they are nice pictures.

Au revoir!

In less than a week...

2010-11-23T01:07:00.001-08:00

And so, after all the trouble, after all the waiting time, after all the frustration and disappointments, we'd be occupying the new flat by next Monday!

And all the while, we thought that the previous owner was simply buying time in order to be escaping the responsibility of reinstalling the balcony grills - a fixture which we deemed is necessary - due to the height, 11th floor, next to the highest in that block, but more importantly, we have kids. Small kids. Playful kids. Unrestrained kids. And a baby.

However, what we initially thought to be a buy-time game or escapade, we got the news that the grill permit was approved by the housing authority. And boy, it really took a time and a season in the review and approval process. I even sent a text message to the previous owner telling that it was taking a long time, while my other contractor only took a day for his renovation permit to get approved.

And how wrong we are in our assumptions!

On the other hand, there are lessons that we have learned some time ago, that were proven once again:

Think through very well what you do when angry
In your anger, do not lash out with unkind words
If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything
If you aren't really sure of things, better don't think - thinking based on assumptions are usually wrong
Patience is a virtue
Live one day at a time
Be thankful - count your blessings

Think through very well what you do when angry

Getting angry isn't the issue at all. It is when you do things out of control that is. When you let yourself be controlled by your anger, then the problem begins (or continues). When you drink, and you get drunk, and you let yourself loose, controlled by the liquor that you consumed, it is almost the same thing as being under the manipulation of your anger. And most of the time, you don't think when you are angry, simply letting your anger off, steaming out, crashing and hitting on anyone and anything that lies on your way to supposed 'anger dissipation' - to your regret later on.

So rein in your anger. It won't be putting you under its control. You won't fuel its engine, and you won't be swayed by its uprooting power. You would have stayed your ground.

In your anger, do not lash out with unkind words

The most evident display of anger is our words, seconded by our actions. As violent as our actions, are our cutting words and remarks. And boy, how wrong we are about the way we handle and think about our words. It has been a common rebuttal when we were kids, to say,

Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words will never hurt me.

but that is not true at all. The physical pain is gone in a day or two, the bruises go away with time, wounds heal and while there is a scar, the pain is no longer felt.

But not our words. They remain embedded in our brain, and brought up from time to time when similar conditions occur and recur, hurting our feeling and ego afresh.

So restrain your hands, but more than that, restrain your tongue. It isn't just our spoken words anymore, because we actually can send cutting remarks in our text messages and e-mails, and in all other forms of high-tech-gadget-using communications.

If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything

The old saying still is valid, and so, keeping things in perspective, I'll keep it short: if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything. There is always the tendency to be saying a word or two that is misplaced, and even with well-meaning intentions, those misplaced words will spark the flame that fires up the misunderstanding and miscommunication.

As Solomon says it, "In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking", and if you want to avoid that, keep away from many words. Talk only when necessary. And be quick to listen instead. Arguments don't die with continuous flow of scathing words and remarks. And remember, the one who talks more is usually the guilty party.

If you aren't really sure of things, better don't think - thinking based on assumptions are usually wrong

Boy, this is another area where we show our commonality as men, though strong, are but weak. Really an irony. We claim to be the top of the created kingdom, but fall so easily, especially with the faculty that we say separates us from all other creatures - our brain. We tend to misuse our brain more than our lower-in-the-rank counterparts.

Why is this so? Because a man's intellect is usually strongly influenced by his emotions. And it is in this area where we mostly go wrong. There is intuition, but emotion is completely different, and when emotion paints and colors our intellect, and we start thinking and assuming, we are led down the wrong path.

Patience is a virtue

There's always a classic example of how patience plays a very important role in our life. But I am sure that you can think of one in your life where it really happened. And more of when it didn't - when you were impatient.

Point is, you know the difference between being patient and being impatient, where a lot of battles have been won simply by exercising a great deal of patience. For patience, to be the real virtue that it is, patience has to be in overflowing abundance. There is no such thing as an abrupt patience, or a spontaneous patience, or a "God, grant me patience. And I want it now!" thing. You have to have it, and have abundantly.

Why is that?

When it is needed, it is needed like in a sudden, and it is needed in great amount.

So if you don't have that overflowing dam of patience, when the gate is opened, the trickle that you have won't be enough. You need to flood the situation with your deep and abundant patience.

Live one day at a time

When patience is in play, it is teaching you to live one day at a time. And what better way of exhibiting patience than by living one day at a time?

There are many, many things in our life that simply has to wait until the next day. There is no such thing as expediting things, and hoping that it will be completed all in a day.

It doesn't mean that you slow down to a stop, and quit doing things and leave them be. It simply means, sit down and find out what is important, and all the rest can wait. And while many things can't wait, or seem so, pray that you will have the wisdom to sift through the rubble and know which is which.

When everything has been put in their proper places, you'll be thrilled that what you've been pursuing for so long and spent all your energies on are vain things, a chasing after the wind.

If you know what is important in your life, your steps will get some direction, your path will show some clearance, and your vision will start clearing up. The rest will simply be brushed off to the sides.

So live one day at a time.

Be thankful - count your blessings

And if you live until tomorrow, count your blessings. The Bible talks about 'singing new songs' to the Lord. And Morrison explained this is not singing a new song every day, but telling in detail daily the blessing and blessings that you receive from God.

Simply, if you can't tell in detail, then you are not mindful of the good things that you get from the Lord. But when you are able to list down in detail what you have, and not fret about what you don't have, or what will not have, then you have learned to be a contented man, a blessed woman, one who can live each day at a time, who won't be distracted (not that you are not affected) by the unpleasant things happening around, but that you can rise above the situation, and be able to face each day with a peaceful heart and mind - and be thankful.

When you are able to list down everything that you are receiving from the Lord, good and bad, and still thank God in everything, then you are able to sing a new song every day. You'll be living one day at a time, and will be able to count your blessings, and give thanks spontaneously.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithfulness extends to all generations!

Dads, beware of belly bottoms!

2010-11-08T16:54:00.001-08:00

Australian study finds diabetes link to flabby dads

SYDNEY - Men with high-fat diets are more likely to have diabetic children, research showed Thursday, in the first study linking a baby's health to what their father ate.

The study tracked a group of rats that were fed fatty foods until they were obese and showing precursory signs of type 2 diabetes and were then bred with females of average weight, explained lead researcher Margaret Morris.

Morris said that despite being reared on a strictly healthy diet, their offspring developed impaired glucose tolerance and insulin production when they reached young adulthood.

"If what we seeing here in a rat translates to a human it may well explain the emerging earlier rates of diabetes in younger and younger people," said Morris, from the University of New South Wales.

Rather than passing their ill health onto their children genetically Morris said the metabolic issues appeared to have come from damage done to the rats' sperm by their diet. It was the first study to uncover such a link, she added.

"We've known for a while that overweight mums are more likely to have chubby babies, and that a woman's weight before and during pregnancy can play a role in future disease in her children," she said.

"But until now, the impact of the father's environment - in terms of diet - on his offspring had not been investigated."

Morris said the message of the research, published in the latest edition of Nature, was that "blokes as well as women need to eat healthier, reduce smoking and reduce alcohol excess" before having children.

- AFP/rl

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Australian study finds diabetes link to flabby dads
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Men with prostate cancer at higher colon cancer risk: study

2010-10-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

And this is one more thing that men should be watching out for.
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WASHINGTON - Men who have prostate cancer have a higher risk of developing colon cancer than men who do not have prostate cancer, US researchers said on Tuesday.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo (UB) in New York state found in a study of more than 2,000 men that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer had significantly more abnormal colon polyps, known as adenomas, and advanced adenomas than men without prostate cancer.

Most colon cancers begin as adenomas, the researchers said as they presented the findings of their study at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Antonio, Texas.

"Our study is the first to show that men with prostate cancer are at increased risk of developing colon cancer," said report author Ognian Pomakov, an assistant professor at UB's department of medicine.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, only behind lung cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States.

The researchers reviewed the patient records, colonoscopy reports and pathology reports, as well as data on the prevalence of adenomas, advanced adenomas, cancerous adenomas and their location within the colon, in 2,011 men who had colonoscopies at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Buffalo.

When the researchers compared the colonoscopy results from 188 men diagnosed with prostate cancer with the rest of the patients, they found that the prostate cancer patients had significantly higher prevalence of abnormal polyps and advanced adenomas compared to the rest of the study sample.

Forty-eight per cent of prostate cancer patients had adenomas, compared to 30.8 per cent of the men without prostate cancer. More than 15 per cent of
prostate cancer patients had advanced adenomas compared to 10 per cent of the men without prostate cancer.

Pomakov stressed the importance of men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer having routine screening for colon cancer and called for larger studies to be done to determine if screening for colorectal cancer should begin earlier for prostate cancer patients than the currently recommended age of 50.

- CNA/al

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Men with prostate cancer at higher colon cancer risk: study
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About menopause: Scientists move closer to early menopause test

2010-10-28T00:46:00.001-07:00

Would you like to have babies even in old age? This may be a sign of hope...
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LONDON: New research into the genetics of early menopause may lead to a simple test that could allow women to make decisions sooner about having children, according to a British study published on Monday.

One in 20 women starts the menopause before the age of 46 - which can affect chances of conceiving as early as a decade beforehand.

The study, by scientists from the University of Exeter and the Institute of Cancer Research, found that four genes working in combination appear to significantly raise the risk of early menopause.

The findings could eventually help identify women at greater risk, allowing them to make earlier decisions about starting a family.

Menopause usually occurs when the number of remaining eggs in the ovary falls below around 1,000. But the factors which determine how quickly the egg reserve depletes are less well understood.

The research, published in Human Molecular Genetics, looked at 2,000 women who had experienced early menopause and a similar number who had entered the menopause at the normal age.

It found that the presence of each of the four genes appeared to have some influence on the timing of the menopause. When more than one of the genes was found in the woman's DNA, the effect was even more pronounced.

"It is estimated that a woman's ability to conceive decreases on average 10 years before she starts the menopause," said Dr Anna Murray, who led the research.

"Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.

"These findings are the first stage in developing an easy and relatively inexpensive genetic test which could help the one in 20 women who may be affected."

Susan Seenan of Britain's Infertility Network, which supports women who are infertile as early as their twenties as a result of early menopause, welcomed the findings.

"It's early days yet, but we would welcome any research that may help women to plan ahead and make earlier decisions about having children," she said.

- AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Scientists move closer to early menopause test
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IVF births result in taller children: NZ study

2010-10-19T01:36:00.001-07:00

If this is all true, would you be utilizing IVF to get taller kids? Just like that?
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WELLINGTON : Children born using in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are likely to be taller than their naturally conceived counterparts, New Zealand researchers have found.

The study by Auckland University's Liggins Institute found IVF children conceived from fresh, rather than frozen, embryos were about 2.6 centimetres (1.02 inches) taller than non-IVF children by the age of six.

The research, which examined about 200 children, found the height difference was statistically significant, even after adjusting for variables such as the parents' height.

Liggins Institiute director Wayne Cutfield said the phenomenon was most striking in girls.

"At this stage, we don't know what the catalyst for that is," he told Radio NZ on Thursday.

Cutfield said appeared IVF children from fresh embyros had a different hormone profile to regular children, which could promote growth.

This could be caused by the drugs mothers took to induce ovulation during the conception process or by the culture medium the embryos were developed in for 36 hours before being transferred to the womb, he said.

Cutfield said another possibility was that medical workers simply picked the largest, most developed embryos because they were most likely to survive the IVF process.

He said the study showed the need for more research into children born through IVF, which has assisted in up to four million births globally over the past 32 years.

"There's been remarkable little research done on IVF children," he said.

"There's been several studies that have looked at intelligence and cognitive function that havent shown any differences with IVF. This is the first study that's looked very precisely at growth resultation and metabolism."

Cutfield was sceptical about previous studies suggesting IVF children were more prone to conditions such as asthma and arthritis, saying the finding could be explained by other factors.

"Within the IVF cohort, children are more likely to be born particularly small at birth, they are more likely to be born premature, there are more likely to be twins and triplets," he said.

"They're all groups of children who are likely to have greater health problems and you need to be able to adjust for that."

British scientist Bob Edwards, whose pioneering work made possible the birth of the first IVF baby Louise Brown in 1978, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine this month.

- AFP

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:IVF births result in taller children: NZ study
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Social heritage, a soulful search

2010-10-18T18:28:00.001-07:00

Image via WikipediaI am not a Singaporean, but seeing the same issues and problems one way or another besetting this nation where I currenlty reside, I would be very interested to see how things will be in a couple of decades more - if I live to see how different things will be by then.

An article already highlighting the cries and anguish of this nation's history being 'unknown', both to locals and foreigners, it being absent from the web - this medium of information passing being specifically identified - I would restrain myself from saying anything else, not adding or subtracting.

For what do I know after all?
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by Dr Faith Leong

A bus ride downtown in Singapore reveals a very sleek and polished look of buildings, shop windows and modern landscaping. It reveals the quantum leap Singapore has made as a developed nation.

We have arrived through the painstaking yet visionary policies of the founding leaders. With Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew well in his 80s, two generations of capable leaders are passing on their baton to younger members of the society.

The question is whether our education and social enculturation have developed capable Singaporeans who are visionary, prudent and ethically staunch to bring Singapore to greater heights in the midst of global challenges. A nation that reacts to the times, but which is not proactive, is in danger of being swallowed up by a tsunami.

Lately, the nation is saddened at the passing of Madam Kwa Geok Choo. We see in her a life well-lived and worthy of emulation. We should tap on the wisdom of the leaders who remain with us. There have been published interviews, books about MM Lee and his contributions to Singapore. But what percentage of the general public is aware of these?

My interest in the enculturation of our social heritage was spurred by an exhibition at the National Library on the late Senior Minister S Rajaratnam. Through the display, I got to know his role as a visionary writer and thinker in the founding decades of Singapore.

Of equal importance is the contribution of the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, who passed away this year. How much documentation has been done on the thoughts, principles and values of those who had been instrumental in shaping Singapore into what it is today?

The passing on of worthy figures without recording their legacy allows a notable era and its spirit to be swallowed up in eternal silence.

With the recent passing on of Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan, obituaries, a blog and letters by Members of Parliament were posted in the Voices section of Today. These memoirs act to perpetuate in social memory the admirable qualities of the late Dr Balaji for a future generation to emulate. These actions also help to shape the national consciousness of Singaporeans. But shall we speak of these noteworthy people only when they are gone? It would be more helpful if their spirit and mind are tapped when they are still alive.

Singapore is fortunate that we have not undergone a cultural revolution. But as a migrant society with a survival mentality (mainly economical), we have developed into a narrow-minded society.

Economic prosperity has been the focus of the nation and her members for a long time. The driving force is to stay afloat in a highly-competitive world. Sad to say, the alleged $12 million fraud of two ex-employees of the Singapore Land Authority may be seen as an extreme example of how wrongly-directed material pursuit could have developed.

A recent report in Today ("Singapore's rich skip art for fast cars, diamond watches") reflects that "the millionaires in our midst prefer to splurge on fast cars, diamond encrusted watches and drink, rather than on paintings".

Using "paintings" as a figure for "soulful expression", we see Singaporeans lacking an engagement with meaning, values and thinking that expresses itself through a medium. If the public had complained about Phua Chu Kang (though it was an admirable attempt to reflect on life in Singapore), then some capable ones in our midst should take up the responsibility of growing the soul of the society in another admirable way.

"Soulful" interviews and artistic portrayals are examples of how the heritage of a society can be perpetuated. An example would be an extensive interview by New York Times with MM Lee (Today, Sept 13). In it, MM Lee responds very honestly to the difficult questions posed on life and nation-building.

Recently I saw the paintings of Cheong Soo Pieng at the National Art Gallery. The paintings were not what impressed me the most, rather the life behind the person who produced them. Stories of those who had made a mark speak of Singapore's heritage. I would not have known of this Singaporean painter, nor about the late S Rajaratnam, had I not visited the exhibitions.

Telling stories takes time, and so do listening to them, but in a narrative-starved society that is ever so busy, there is nothing more needful than the things that would spur us to think more deeply about life and civilisation, and of the wisdom and tenacity which our forefathers had exhibited.

In this way, if a tsunami strikes again, we would collectively be rooted and strong enough to withstand it.

From TODAY, Voices - Friday, 08-Oct-2010
Social heritage, a soulful search
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Mass screening for prostate of little value?

2010-09-19T19:07:00.001-07:00

Mass screening for prostate brings few benefits

PARIS: Mass screening of men for prostate cancer has little impact on the toll from the disease and carries a risk of over-treatment, according to a review published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday.

University of Florida professor Philipp Dahm looked at the outcome of six trials in which populations of men were tested either using a digital rectal examination or a blood test for an antigen linked to prostate cancer, or were untested.

Screening had negligible effect on the death toll from this disease or indeed on overall mortality.

"Our findings suggest that the expected impact in absolute terms would be modest at best," according to the paper.

Prostate cancer is the commonest non-skin cancer among men worldwide and, after lung tumours, is the second biggest cause of death from cancer among men in the United States. Most cases occur among men aged in their sixties.

Many countries have routine screening programmes for men in their middle age, but this policy is controversial.

One of the problems is that the so-called PSA antigen test, now 20 years old, cannot distinguish between low-risk tumours and aggressive lesions that are often fatal.

Antigen levels can also fluctuate according to the individual and may be skewed by prostate inflammation.

As a result, experts looking at systematic screening have squabbled over whether the benefit of detecting men in danger outweighs the potential harm of over-diagnosing and over-treating men who are healthy.

In a separate study published by the BMJ, researchers found that the level of antigen, as found among men at the age of 60, strongly identified those most at risk.

This would curb the need for repetitive PSA testing among those who were least vulnerable, say its authors.

Others who should be closely monitored are young men with a family history of prostate cancer or who have a relatively high level of PSA in their initial test.

- AFP/de

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below: Mass screening for prostate brings few benefits
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STD afflicts 1 in 4 US teenage girls

2010-04-27T06:47:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

This is now a sad fact, where promiscuity is taking its toll, and not on the adults, but on the teens. When science says, "nothing can happen without a cause," it has a basis for that premise.

The recent study on US teenage girls yielded just that: where there is 'free sex', there is free transmission of diseases; while it is said that 'the exercise of freedom makes us freer', it is the precedent act that makes us bolder to try again, and again, and again.

When the conscience is seared, and continuously seared, there comes a time when it already keeps mum and dies within us - until we realize the wrong that we have done.

A study reveals the seared conscience of the youth in the US, and other countries have the same social problem: where promiscuity rules, AIDS and other similar sexual diseases follow suit.

Here's is the report from AFP, lifted from ChannelNewsAsia.com:

1 in 4 teenaged US girls has sexually-transmitted disease: study

CHICAGO - One in four teenaged girls in the United States has been infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first study to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States estimates that at least 3.2 million teens aged 14 to 19 are currently infected.

Since the study only tested for the four most common sexually transmitted diseases, it is possible that the total prevalence among US teens is greater than the study's rate of 26 percent, the authors warned.

"Today's data demonstrate the significant health risk STDs pose to millions of young women in this country every year," said Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

"Given that the health effects of STDs for women -- from infertility to cervical cancer -- are particularly severe, STD screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities."

Half of the 838 girls who participated in the study reported ever having sex and of those, 40 percent were infected with an STD.

African American girls were particularly at risk: 48 percent of all African American girls were infected with an STD compared to 20 percent of white teens tested.

The most common STD overall was human papillomavirus, or HPV, with an infection rate of 18.3 percent.

Chlamydia was discovered in 3.9 percent of the teens, trichomoniasis in 2.5 percent and herpes in 1.9 percent.

Infections rate rose to 50 percent among girls with three or more partners while 20 percent of those who had only had sex with one person had been infected.

"High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," said John Douglas, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention.

"STD screening and early treatment can prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs."

The CDC recommends HPV vaccination for all girls and women between the age of 11 and 26 and annual Chlamydia screening for sexually active women under the age of 25.

While most HPV infections will clear on their own, some will persist and can cause cervical cancer.

Two other studies released Tuesday found inadequate screening of high-risk teens.

The first study found that just 27 percent of young women seeking emergency contraception were screened for chlamydia or gonorrhea.

The second study revealed that only 38 percent of young women receiving contraceptive services associated with unprotected sex such as pregnancy tests were offered STD testing, counseling or treatment. - AFP/fa

Lifted from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
1 in 4 teenaged US girls has sexually-transmitted disease: study
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Parents asked to leave kids alone in Facebook

2010-04-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

There were responses to the letter that was sent in by one teenager, who wanted to be left alone with his peers, insisting on his 'privacy online' while hanging around social networks.

I know, there comes a time when kids grow up, and an age group dictates in their growing up years that they wanted to be left alone and on their own - if not with their peers. This is the dangerous years, and while it is beneficial to let them off at times, letting and leaving them alone also spells disaster.

It is a balance, therefore.

For the responses to that kid's letter, read on below...

Give teenagers space

Letter from Dennis Toh

I REFER to "Parents as Facebook friends? No thanks" (April 19). I am a lecturer with Temasek Polytechnic Business School and I share Tan Ren Yi's views.

Parents should not be overly concerned when their children are actively engaged on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

While technology has its flaws, we should leverage on the advantages that it brings to us.

For example, Facebook allows people to share positive thoughts and encouragement on a viral nature. Such positive doses of energy, when injected at the right time, can help us live better as individuals.

Parents should also question their motives of making friends with their kids on Facebook. Is it really a form of surveillance tool or genuinely a platform to communicate and understand them better?

Ren Yi has the right to choose his own friends, as we all do. Give teenagers and young adults some space to live their "social media lifestyle". Empowerment breeds contentment. And being contented as an individual will help this world a better place.

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It's about communication

Letter from Shobha Vadrevu

I REFER to "Parents as Facebook friends? No thanks".

This issue throws up an important point that is often missed whenever the Internet or any aspect of it is the subject of discussion: At the heart of the issue is usually a non-Web related factor.

In this case, it is that of communication between parents and children. If basic communication channels have been established, then parent-child interactions on Facebook will likely be framed by mutual respect and acceptance that each age group has a different way of conversing with friends.

This is true even for off-Facebook interactions. On the other hand, if basic communication is lacking, then Facebook becomes just another front for the tussle for the trust and respect between the two factions that is taking place in real life.

The feeling of being "stalked" by parents on Facebook does not pop up suddenly from Facebook alone.

Neither does the feeling that children are conducting their interactions inappropriately.

Activity on the Internet is similar to activity anywhere else - it is just that it is more intense, compacted as it is into particular sites in a shorter time frame, giving us the impression that (a) it is a whole new problem, and (b) we can take site-specific shortcuts to control it.

Neither is true.

It is only an old problem in a new sphere, and because of that, any steps to control it lie mostly outside of that sphere- - at the dinner table, in the car and on all those other occasions when parents and children can reach out to each other.

The Internet does bring with it some particular problems and issues that need to be specifically dealt with, but being your child's Facebook friend should be an extension of your friendship in real life.

If you are there to check up on your child, then perhaps you should look elsewhere for the problem.

Taken from TODAY, Voices - Tuesday, 20-April-2010
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my Fatherly Life

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