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• Feature Article

   Erectile Dysfunction & Smoking

• Featured Stories

  Society and Sexual Preferences

  MBI for Breast Cancer Screen

  Trans Fat and Colon Polyps
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   The Gap - Yoga & Cancer
• Articles of the Month

   New Concepts in Contraception
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Erectile Dysfunction and Smoking

Men who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction, and the more cigarettes smoked, the greater the risk, according to a study by Tulane University researchers published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

A team of researchers led by Jiang He, Professor of Epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, examined the association between cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction in a 2000-2001 study in China involving 7,684 men. The researchers used questionnaires to assess the status of cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction. Those surveyed were men between the ages of 35-74 who did not have vascular disease.

The team found that there was a significant statistical link between the number of cigarettes that men smoked and the likelihood they would experience erectile dysfunction. The association between smoking and erectile dysfunction was even stronger in participants with diabetes. An estimated 22.7 percent of erectile dysfunction cases among Chinese men might be attributable to cigarette smoking, says the study.

Although erectile dysfunction is not a life-threatening condition, it compromises well-being and quality of life. The Tulane study results suggest that smoking prevention should be an important approach for reducing the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Adapted from materials provided by Tulane University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Society and Sexual Preferences

A unique new study from the Swedish medical university suggests that the attitude of families and the public have little impact on if adults decide to have sex with persons of the same or the opposite sex.

Instead, hereditary factors and the individual's unique experiences have the strongest influence on our choice of sexual partners.

The study is the largest in the world so far and was performed in collaboration with the Queen Mary University of London. More than 7,600 Swedish twins (men and women) aged 20-47 years responded to a 2005 - 2006 survey of health, behaviour, and sexuality.

"The results show, that familial and public attitudes might be less important for our sexual behaviour than previously suggested.

The conclusions apply equally well to why people only have sex with persons of the opposite sex and to why we have sex with same-sex partners. However, the conclusions are more difficult to transfer to countries where non-heterosexual behaviour remains prohibited.

Adapted from materials provided by Karolinska Institutet.

Attitudes Towards Sexual Relationships Can Be Judged From Photos Of Your Face

Suitors can tell a young person's attitude to sexual relationships by the look on their face, according to new research which gives deeper insight into mate attractiveness.
The Durham University-led study of 700 heterosexual participants also found that young men and women look for complete opposites when it comes to relationships with the other sex.

Men generally prefer women who they perceive are open to short-term sexual relationships whilst women are usually interested in men who appear to have potential to be long-term relationship material.

The scientists say the research shows people can use their perceptions to make more informed partner selection depending on the type of relationship they are pursuing. The study is a significant step in further understanding the evolution of partner choice, according to the research team from Durham, St Andrews and Aberdeen Universities.

Participants were asked to judge the attractiveness and attitudes to sex of the opposite sex from their facial photographs. These perceptual judgments were then compared with the actual attitudes and behaviors of the individuals in the photographs, which had been determined through a detailed questionnaire. The people in the photographs were all in their early 20s.

The experiments found that the men and women taking part could generally judge from photographs who would be more interested in a short-term sexual relationship. In the first study sample of 153 participants, 72 per cent of people correctly identified the attitudes from photographs more than half of the time. However, further questioning showed that the participants were not always confident in their judgments.

The research, published in Evolution and Human Behavior, also found that women who were open to short-term sexual relationships were usually seen by others as more attractive -- although researchers can not determine precisely why without further investigation. The men who were most open to casual sex were generally perceived as being more masculine-looking, with facial features including squarer jaws, larger nose and smaller eyes. These findings support previous research carried out by the Durham team which found that women see masculine men as more likely to be unfaithful and as worse parents.

The results suggest that although some people can judge the sexual strategy of others simply from looking at their face, people are not always sure about their judgments possibly because the cues are very subtle. Yet preferences for different types of face were actually quite strong.

This shows that these initial impressions may be part of how we assess potential mates -- or potential rivals -- when we first meet them. These will then give way over time to more in depth knowledge of that person, as you get to know them better, and may change with age".

Many studies have shown that people can judge a lot about a person from their face, including things like health and even some personality traits like introversion, but this really is the first study to show that people are also sensitive to subtle facial signals about the type of romantic relationships that others might enjoy.

Peoples faces do hold cues to sexual attitudes, men should not presume any kind of relationship is wanted from appearance alone since women's choice is what matters. Indeed most women found promiscuous-looking guys unattractive for both short and long-term relationships.

In the study, participants were shown pairs of photographs or 'averaged' facial images of men and women in their early 20s with two opposing attitudes to relationships. The participants were asked to choose the face that they felt would be more open to short-term sexual relationships, one-night stands and the idea of sex without love. They were also asked which face they thought was the most attractive for a long- or short-term relationship, who was more masculine or feminine, and who they thought was generally attractive.

This research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.

The Gap

In 2007, about 3.4 million Americans enrolled in the Medicare Part D drug plan reached a gap in their prescription coverage known as the "doughnut hole," leading some of them to stop taking prescribed drugs, says a Kaiser Family Foundation study released Thursday.

Women who take yoga classes during radiation treatment for breast cancer may function better physically and feel better about their overall health, according to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers
 

Yoga and Breast Cancer

The yoga program was designed specifically for breast cancer patients, emphasizing breathing and relaxation, and excluding some positions that might be difficult given the patients' possible weakened range of motion.

After just one week of yoga and radiation, the patients reported significantly increased physical function, as well as improved general health, compared to the control group.

The study participants also reported marginally better social functioning, significantly lower levels of sleep-related daytime dysfunction, as well as marginally lower levels of fatigue overall. No differences in the level of depression or anxiety were found between the two groups.


Source: Medical Week

Latest research into dual-purpose contraceptives and non-hormonal contraception will be presented August 27 at a major scientific conference in Melbourne.

Professor Aitken, a world-leader in reproductive biology, will discuss the need to develop novel, safe, effective, dual-purpose contraceptive agents that combine the prevention of pregnancy with protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). His research has explored the development of a contraceptive agent that immobilizes – but does not kill – sperm. The agent also possesses microbicidal activity simultaneously reducing the risk of infection with sexually transmitted diseases, such as Chlamydia.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Newcastle, Australia.

Special Notes:

Be sure to visit Positive Singles - A place where STD people will never feel lonely. 

70 million are afflicted with STDs in the U.S. alone and an estimated over 400 million worldwide. Are you one of them?

When you have Herpes, HPV, HIV/AIDS, or any other STD, it can feel like you are all alone in the world. Do you wish there was a place where you didn't have to worry about being rejected or discriminated?

Positive Singles is a warm-hearted and exclusive community for singles and friends with STDs. Here you can get on with your life and meet new friends, partners or potential spouses, or learn about STD medical information. If you just need to find someone to talk to or give them help or advice, this is the best place. Never feel lonely again!

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Thanks for the article on Yoga and breast cancer.  Not long ago I too was diagnosed with a small questionable pencil point size spot in my left breast. Yoga has definitely helped me keep my sense of self.  If anyone has gone through anything remotely like what I have or worse, they should try yoga.  It's meditative and has restored in me my sense of self. - Sarah G., Hartland, MI

Wouldn't it be great if they could really come up with a contraceptive that could prevent pregnancy and protect against STDS?  Thanks for the article.  I hope to read more about this in the future.  As advanced as we are as a country, I can't understand why we have taken so long to even be having this conversation.  This should already be a reality. - Vanessa C., San Diego, CA

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