Sexual Health News

[sammyboyfor]

Originally Posted by Big Sexy

Age of first sexual intercourse may impact teens' risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/304398.php

Stupid study and a waste of time and money. It goes without saying that the earlier you start being sexually active, the higher the chance of getting infected by some nasty.

You don't need to gather statistics to draw that conclusion. It's plain common sense.

[Big Sexy]

Researchers take first step in precision medicine for penile cancer
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/304150.php

Researchers have identified potential genetic alterations in penile cancer that could pave the way for targeted treatments.

For many patients with this rare cancer, surgery is all that's needed. But in aggressive forms of penile cancer, few therapeutic options exist, particularly targeted therapies.

The new study, led by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, describe a complex landscape that could suggest potential clinical trials of targeted therapies - and potential limitations in some patients.

"We saw that determining the best targeted therapies may be more complicated in penile cancer than in other cancers based on the combinations of genetic changes and variability between primary tumor and metastases," says senior study author Scott A. Tomlins, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and urology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Researchers performed next generation sequencing on 43 cases of penile squamous cell carcinoma. The cases varied in stage, grade and subtype. Fourteen samples were matched to include the primary tumor and metastatic tissue.

The researchers found a common combination of alterations in the genes KRAS, HRAS and NRAS, as well as alterations in the gene EGFR. Although tumors such as colon cancer are commonly treated with EGFR inhibitors, tumors with KRAS or NRAS mutations are resistant to EGFR inhibitors. Importantly, clinical trials are planned using EGFR inhibitors in penile cancers based on anecdotal examples of clinical response.

"In colon cancer, there are so few HRAS mutations that they haven't been tested for predicting resistance to EGFR inhibitors. But based on the biology of HRAS, NRAS and KRAS, we would predict that they do cause resistance. As HRAS mutations are relatively common in penile cancer, this alteration may impact the tumor's response to an EGFR inhibitor in this cancer type," Tomlins says.

In addition, the researchers found differences between the original primary tumor and metastases in the pelvic lymph nodes. In most cancers, the best therapeutic targets are the same in primary tumors and metastases, suggesting that genetic changes occur early in cancer's development. These findings indicate that aggressive forms of penile cancer mutate as they begin to spread and more than one area of tumor may need to be studied to identify the best therapeutic target for a given patient.

"It may not be as simple as matching one drug with one mutation based on a single sample in penile cancer. We may need to take the genomic profile in total from one or more areas to determine best strategies," Tomlins says.

Sequencing was done using the Oncomine Comprehensive Panel, a new assay that assesses the most common genetic variants across cancer types. The assay is filtered to include variants associated with potential therapies that are approved or being studied in clinical trials. The assay is being used in the National Cancer Institute MATCH trial. It was developed and validated by researchers at the University of Michigan and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The study is published in Cancer Research.

Penile cancer represents about 17 percent of all cancers in men. While a rare disease, the study also revealed key similarities with other squamous cell cancers, such as lung cancer, head and neck cancer, and cervical cancer.

"This provides a roadmap to design better, more informed trials for penile cancer. We have some good leads for potential therapeutic approaches. This is the basic knowledge we need to open the door to more individualized trials and treatments in the future," Tomlins says.

[Big Sexy]

Surgical treatment restores penis length
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/304399.php

A new study shows that a surgical treatment can be effective for treating Peyronie's disease, a disorder that leads to scarring and shortening of the penis.

After undergoing surgery involving a "sliding technique" and penile prosthesis implantation, 28 patients experienced an average penile lengthening of 3.2 cm. In questionnaires relating to erectile dysfunction, scores improved significantly at various times points after surgery, indicating improvements in function. The study is the first multi-center prospective study on the surgical technique.

"The sliding technique is also currently under study as applied to conditions other than Peyronie's, with early promising results," said the University of Turin's Dr. Marco Falcone, co-author of the BJU International study.

study abstract here

[Big Sexy]

Have sex workers revealed a connection between semen exposure and HIV resistance?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1209135759.htm

Researchers have studied how long-term sex work may change susceptibility to the HIV-1 virus

Date: December 9, 2015
Source:The Wistar Institute
Summary: In a new study, scientists have found that continued semen exposure in sex workers sustains changes in the cervical and vaginal microenvironment in a way that may actually increase HIV-1 resistance. This information may lead the way to better preventative strategies that block the transmission of the virus and improved designs for future HIV vaccine studies that can monitor the described changes when recruiting sex workers into vaccine trials.

More than half of all people infected by the HIV-1 virus worldwide are women. Commercial sex workers, who are at increased risk of contracting HIV because of repeated exposure to the virus, have long been studied to test preventive behavioral and vaccine approaches aimed at decreasing the number of infections. In some areas of the world where HIV prevalence is higher, a small number of female sex workers continue to test negative for the infection despite repeated sexual activity and low rates of condom use. However, the reason as to why these women are protected from HIV infection has eluded scientists, since they seem to have none of the known immune responses against HIV itself.

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have now hypothesized that these women experienced changes in their tissues as well as alterations in how their immune systems responded that are different from the type of responses that vaccines generate. Now, newly published data shows that continued semen exposure in these sex workers sustains changes in the cervical and vaginal microenvironment that may actually increase HIV-1 resistance. This information may lead the way to better preventative strategies that block the transmission of the virus and improved designs for future HIV vaccine studies that can monitor the described changes when recruiting sex workers into vaccine trials.

The results of the study were published in the November issue of the journal Mucosal Immunology.

"Making the link between sex work, changes in immune state and semen exposure gives us an important piece of information that will hopefully help us establish whether or not chronic semen exposure and its effects on to the female reproductive tract can contribute to HIV resistance in sex workers that remain uninfected despite low condom use," said Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., the Herbert Kean, M.D., Family Professor at The Wistar Institute, director of Wistar's HIV-1 Immunopathogenesis Laboratory, and lead author of the study. "It also clearly indicates that women are equipped to activate mechanisms of resistance due to sex itself, which we did not expect to find at the start of this research."

Prior studies have shown that long-term sex work does not always result in infection. For example, groups of long-term female sex workers in Africa have consistently remained uninfected despite the fact that condom use among these women is low, therefore subjecting these women to chronic exposure to both semen and HIV-1. Even though female sex workers in San Juan, Puerto Rico are within an area that has 5-10 times lower HIV-1 prevalence than Africa, the Wistar team was able to address how long-term sex work, frequency of intercourse and condom use may change the immune and female reproductive areas exposed to virus.

Wistar's team collaborated with investigators from the University of Puerto Rico Maternal Infant Studies Center and analyzed a cohort of long-term female sex workers in San Juan who tested negative for the HIV-1 virus and compared them with a group of women with self-reported low semen exposure recruited in the same area. Among the sex workers in the cohort, the median age was 35.50 years and they had been working in the trade for at least three years. The groups were also compared based on rates of unprotected sex, what types of contraceptives were used (if any) and excluded sex workers who had any active sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia or syphilis.

The researchers identified three distinct mechanisms that may contribute to the decreased rate of infection among these sex workers.

First, they observed lower rates of immune activation in the blood and mucosal tissue of these women. This is an important observation because the HIV virus actually thrives in activated immune systems, with the activation actually helping the virus achieve infection and spread once it has been transmitted. Second, these women had enhanced expression of interferon ε in epithelial cells, which are signaling proteins responsible for protecting the female reproductive tract from viral and bacterial infections. The researchers also showed that levels of interferon ε were associated with the number of condomless sex acts and that semen could increase the expression of this protein in cervical cell lines grown in the laboratory. Third, factors in this mucosal tissue that the HIV virus needs to infect were expressed at lower levels in these women. Genes like CD4 and Nucleoporin 153 are critical for HIV to survive and spread, so lower levels of these and other similar genes keep the virus at bay.

"It is important to note that the study does not make a case for sexual intercourse without a condom, as doing so will increase the overall risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases," Montaner said. "Instead, this study identifies unexpected effects that long-term semen exposure may have on the cervix and vagina that may lower but not remove the likelihood of infection."

"This work could provide insight into why cohorts of women at risk recruited for preventive trials in the United States have demonstrated lower sero-conversion rates than expected based on community prevalence," said Carmen D. Zorrilla, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Puerto Rico and one of the authors of the study. Zorrilla was one of the investigators in a cohort study of 799 participants, including sex workers with sustained condomless sex, that did not have high enough HIV incidence to pursue a prevention study even though the researchers used geography and sexual network characteristics that would normally warrant further study.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants CA AI08414, R01 AI094603, and T32 AI070099, with additional support provided by The Philadelphia Foundation (Robert I. Jacobs Fund), Henry S. Miller, Jr. and Kenneth Nimblett, AIDS funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) Program, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Penn Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI 045008), and the Duke University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Immunology Core NIH Grant (5P30 AI064518). Core facilities support was provided by the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) CA010815.

Other co-authors of this study from The Wistar Institute include Shaheed Abdulhaqq, Xiangfan Yin, Jocelin Joseph, Livio Azzoni, Andrew Kossenkov, and Louise Showe. Other co-authors of the study from other institutions include Vivian Tamayo-Agrait and Sheyla Garced from the Maternal-Infant Studies Center at the University of Puerto Rico; Guobin Kang and Qingsheng Li from the Nebraska Center for Virology at the University of Nebraska; Kelly E. Seaton and George D. Tomaras at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University; Kristin A. Linn from the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania; Andrea S. Foulkes from the Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts; and Matthew VerMilya and Christos Coutfaris from the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

[MrMuscleman]

So dun use condom better prevention for hiv?

[Big Sexy]

Men's sexual health: are the supplements safe?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305124.php

Over-the-counter dietary supplements and therapies sold to improve male sexual health may be ineffective and even unsafe, says a report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Around 40-70% of men experience sexual dysfunction at some time.

To avoid paying for prescription drugs, or the embarrassment of discussing such matters with their physicians, many turn to over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Sales of dietary supplements doubled in the US from 1999-2007, and around 50% of Americans use them for a variety of conditions.

The dazzling array of products, from horny goat weed to ginseng, costs from $0.83 to $5.77 per day. But lack of regulation on dosage, purity or ingredients, and limited information regarding health effects confuses patients and medical practitioners alike.

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, reviewed the scientific evidence for the effectiveness and safety of the most common ingredients in top-selling men's health products.

They wanted to provide urologists with a guide for counseling patients who present with sexual health problems and who are taking such supplements.
Prescription ingredients sold OTC

There was no scientific evidence to support claims that many products positively impact erectile function, libido and sexual performance, and some were likely to be unsafe.

Some products advertised as "natural" contain traces of phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors (PDE5Is), the same class of medication that includes prescription drugs such as Viagra, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction. PDE5Is cannot be legally sold over the counter in the US, because using them without a physician's supervision could be risky.

Patients with advanced heart disease or who take nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, should not use PDE5Is, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

PDE5Is should also be avoided by men with severe liver impairment or end-stage kidney disease. Those with enlarged prostates who take medications such as Flomax (tamsulosin), terazosin or doxazosin should only take it with supervision, as interactions may cause dizziness, leading to falls and fractures.

In one study, 81% of OTC products purchased in the US and Asia contained PDE5Is.
Pros and cons of popular ingredients

The findings on some of the best-selling products can be summarized as follows:

DHEA is a hormone naturally made by the human body and produced in laboratories from chemicals found in wild yam and soy. While findings do not suggest a benefit, it appears to be relatively safe, as the impact on hormone levels is not significant
Fenugreek features in 1 in 3 top-selling men's health supplements. It may improve sexual arousal and orgasm, muscle strength, energy and well-being. There was no evidence of adverse effects
Ginkgo biloba is taken for numerous conditions, but data does not support its use in erectile dysfunction. It can cause headache, seizures and significant bleeding, especially if taken alongside Coumadin
Ginseng is the most common ingredient in top-selling men's health supplements; it can cause headache, upset stomach, constipation, rash and insomnia. It can also lower blood sugar, risky in cases of diabetes
Horny Goat Weed is generally safe with rare reports of toxicity leading to fast heart rate and hypomania; it has no apparent benefit for sexual function
L-arginine is the top amino acid in men's health supplements, featuring in 1 in 3 best sellers. It may improve erectile function in some patients and seems relatively safe. It has been associated with a drop in blood pressure but without significantly changing the heart rate
Maca is the most common vegetable among top-selling men's health supplements. Maca has been associated with increased sexual behavior in animals but not in humans. Rare cases of toxicity and a mild increase in liver enzymes and blood pressure have been reported.

Tribulus promises to treat a range of conditions, but evidence is lacking to prove its effectiveness; two young men suffered liver and kidney toxicity after taking high doses. Yohimbine is a well-established product that may improve male sexual function, but it can also cause hypertension, headache, agitation, insomnia and sweating. Zinc appears to be safe but not beneficial.
How pure is my product?

Purity is a concern. Because dietary supplements are currently classified as foods rather than drugs, the manufacturers themselves are largely responsible for ensuring the safety, purity and efficacy of the products.

Four major retailers have recently been targeted by the New York attorney general for selling misleading or adulterated dietary supplements.

Dr. Ryan Terlecki, associate professor of urology and senior author, says:

"While certain natural supplements we reviewed show promise for improving mild sexual dysfunction, they lack robust human evidence."

Dr. Terkecki adds that his team is unlikely to recommend the products to patients due to concerns that they are impure or ineffective.

[Big Sexy]

Men, take note: eat more fruits to reduce risk of erectile dysfunction
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305046.php

Erectile dysfunction can be one of the most distressing conditions a man experiences. But a new study suggests eating more foods rich in flavonoids - such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and citrus fruits - could reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction for middle-aged men by more than a fifth.

Lead researcher Prof. Aedin Cassidy, from the UK's University of East Anglia (UEA), and colleagues from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA, publish their findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It is estimated that around 30 million men in the US have erectile dysfunction - the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to engage in sexual intercourse.

Men over the age of 60 are at greatest risk for erectile dysfunction, though it occurs in around 12% of men under this age.

Previous research has shown that regular exercise may lower men's risk for erectile dysfunction. However, in this latest study, Prof. Cassidy and her team suggest that eating more flavonoid-rich foods is as beneficial for erectile dysfunction as walking briskly for up to 5 hours weekly.

"We already knew that intake of certain foods high in flavonoids may reduce the risk of conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease," notes Prof. Cassidy. "This is the first study to look at the association between flavonoids and erectile dysfunction, which affects up to half of all middle-aged and older men."
Exercise, flavonoid-rich diet reduced erectile dysfunction risk by 21%

The researchers analyzed population-based data of more than 50,000 middle-aged men. Information was collected on the men's ability to get and maintain an erection firm enough for intercourse, and dietary data was collected every 4 years from 1986.

More than a third of study participants reported new onset erectile dysfunction.

The researchers found that men who consumed foods high in flavonoids - particularly anthocyanins, flavones and flavanones - had a lower risk of erectile dysfunction than men who did not consume such foods.

Anthocyanins are present in blueberries, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, radishes and blackcurrants, while flavones and flavanones are found in citrus fruits.

"The top sources of anthocyanins, flavones and flavanones consumed in the US are strawberries, blueberries, red wine, apples, pears and citrus products," notes Prof. Cassidy.

Men with a higher total fruit intake were found to have a 14% reduced risk of erectile dysfunction, compared with men with lower total fruit intake, and men who regularly consumed foods rich in anthocyanins, flavones and flavanones had a 10% reduced risk of erectile dysfunction.

"In terms of quantities, we're talking just a few portions a week," says Prof. Cassidy.

What is more, men who combined a flavonoid-rich diet with regular exercise were found to have a 21% reduced risk of erectile dysfunction, compared with men with low flavonoid consumption and low physical activity.

After accounting for potential confounding factors, including physical activity, body weight, caffeine consumption and smoking status, the findings remained.

Overall, the link between a flavonoid-rich diet and reduced risk of erectile dysfunction was stronger for younger men.
There are benefits for heart health, too

While the findings suggest a flavonoid-rich diet could benefit sexual health for middle-aged men, senior author Dr. Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard, says such a diet may also benefit the heart:

"Erectile dysfunction is often an early barometer of poor vascular function and offers a critical opportunity to intervene and prevent cardiovascular disease, heart attack and even death.

Men with erectile dysfunction are likely to be highly motivated to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising more and eating the right foods - which would greatly benefit their long-term cardiovascular health as well."

[Big Sexy]

Global Fund rushes HIV drugs to Uganda amid shortage
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ug...-idUSKCN0V321T

The Global Fund, a partnership that sends HIV drugs to poor countries, says it plans to send an advance supply of antiretroviral therapy to Uganda, after the East African country ran out three months before the end of last year.

Health activists say the shortage, which began last September, hit about 240,000 patients on publicly funded treatment programs, forcing them to modify their treatment or stop altogether. Private-sector clinics were not affected.

The government said a weak currency and insufficient foreign exchange had hampered its ability to finance drug imports.

Some activists said they suspected runaway election spending was behind the shortfall, but officials denied the charge.

President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his three decades in power in a presidential election on Feb. 18.

In Uganda, about 1.5 million people, or about 4 percent of the population, live with the HIV virus, of whom about 820,000 receive antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, which help keep the patient's viral load low and prevent transmission.

"The Global Fund has already delivered shipments of drugs as scheduled for existing patients and is front-loading an additional 12-month supply of drugs," Seth Faison, the Fund's head of communications, said in an email response to questions.

"The first consignment of the 12-month front-load will arrive next month, he said. But he acknowledged that front-loading the delivery of drugs, while not increasing the total amount of drugs it sends, was a "short-term solution."

"The government needs to mobilize resources to fill the gaps and find a long-term solution," Faison said.

The Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a public-private partnership set up in 2002 which has made considerable progress in tackling epidemics of those three deadly infectious diseases.

Uganda has made dramatic gains against HIV/AIDS, bringing the infection rate down from about 18.5 percent in 1992, according to United Nations figures.

But Joshua Wamboga, who heads the Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations (UNASO), said "drug holidays" - when a patient stops taking prescribed medication - could spur the development of drug-resistant HIV strains and cause patients to be more vulnerable to opportunistic infections, like malaria.

"NO ARVs means death," he said. "If you have a virus that kills you and you don't get treatment, you die."

[Big Sexy]

Study examines associations of HPV types, risk of head and neck cancers
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/305432.php

A new study suggests detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 in the oral cavity was associated with 22-times increased risk of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The study by Ilir Agalliu, M.D., Sc.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and coauthors also reports positive associations of other oral HPVs usually detected on the skin with the risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which suggests the role of HPV in HNSCC may be more important than currently recognized.

The study was carried out among 96,650 participants from two large study groups who were cancer-free at baseline and had available mouthwash samples. There were 132 cases of HNSCC identified during an average follow-up of almost four years. The study included 396 healthy individuals (three for every case of HNSCC). The authors note limitations of the study because of its small sample size, which reflects the rarity of HNSCC. "The use of easily collected oral mouthwash samples can provide a prospective marker for risk of HNSCC and oropharyngeal SCC," the study concludes.

Article: Associations of Oral α-, β-, and γ-Human Papillomavirus Types With Risk of Incident Head and Neck Cancer, Ilir Agalliu MD, ScD, Susan Gapstur PhD, Zigui Chen PhD, Tao Wang PhD, Rebecca L. Anderson MPH, Lauren Teras PhD, Aimée R. Kreimer PhD, Richard B. Hayes PhD, Neal D. Freedman PhD, Robert D. Burk MD, JAMA Oncology, doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.5504, published online 21 January 2016.

The study includes funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

[Big Sexy]

Can herpes contribute to cognitive decline?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306175.php

Worldwide, an estimated 417 million people under the age of 50 have the type of herpes simplex virus typically associated with genital herpes. Given that this is a significant chunk of the world's population, it would be disquieting if the virus was linked to something more nefarious. Prepare to be disquieted: a new study finds that certain chronic viral infections - including the herpes simplex virus - may contribute to cognitive decline in healthy older adults.

The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's Disease and Associated Disorders, is led by Dr. Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define cognition as a "combination of mental processes that includes the ability to learn new things, intuition, judgment, language and remembering."

When someone experiences cognitive impairment, they have trouble with these processes, affecting their everyday life. For example, they may be unable to care for themselves or carry out everyday tasks, such as preparing their own meals or managing their money.

And when an individual has cognitive decline or dementia, their ability to effectively manage medications and existing medical conditions becomes a concern.

Needless to say, as our population begins to age, understanding cognitive decline risk factors becomes a public health concern.

'These infections are common,' so this is a public health concern

Dr. Nimgaonkar and colleagues say that previous cross-sectional studies (studies that look at data from a single time point) have found a link between exposure to certain viruses and decreased cognitive functioning.

These viruses include: cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV) and the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii, which many people are familiar as the parasite found in cat feces.

"Our study is one of the few to assess viral exposure and cognitive functioning measures over a period of time in a group of older adults," Dr. Nimgaonkar says.

He adds that it is possible that these viruses "are triggering some neurotoxic effects."

To further investigate, the researchers used the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) study, which involved over 1,000 adults over the age of 65 years who were evaluated annually for 5 years to detect any cognitive change.

After looking for signs of viral exposures in blood samples, the researchers found that exposure to CMV, HSV-2 or toxoplasma is linked with aspects of cognitive decline typically considered to be age-related decline.

Commenting on their findings, study author Dr. Mary Ganguli says:

"This is important from a public health perspective, as these infections are very common and several options for prevention and treatment are available.


As we learn more about the role that infectious agents play in the brain, we might develop new prevention strategies for cognitive impairment."

HSV-1 not linked to cognitive decline

Although the results give us cause for concern, there is some good news in the findings: HSV-1, which is the type of herpes associated with cold sores - and which an estimated 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 have worldwide - is not associated with greater temporal cognitive decline.

The researchers do note that their findings are independent of general age-related variables, so the link between CMV, HSV-2 and toxoplasma exposure and cognitive deterioration is significant.

For future study, they are aiming to determine if there are subgroups of people who are more vulnerable to the effects of these chronic viral infections.

HSV spreads through direct contact, and some people have no symptoms, which means they may be at risk without knowing.

[Big Sexy]

Study examines associations of HPV types, risk of head and neck cancers
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/305432.php

A new study suggests detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 in the oral cavity was associated with 22-times increased risk of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The study by Ilir Agalliu, M.D., Sc.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and coauthors also reports positive associations of other oral HPVs usually detected on the skin with the risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which suggests the role of HPV in HNSCC may be more important than currently recognized.

The study was carried out among 96,650 participants from two large study groups who were cancer-free at baseline and had available mouthwash samples. There were 132 cases of HNSCC identified during an average follow-up of almost four years. The study included 396 healthy individuals (three for every case of HNSCC). The authors note limitations of the study because of its small sample size, which reflects the rarity of HNSCC. "The use of easily collected oral mouthwash samples can provide a prospective marker for risk of HNSCC and oropharyngeal SCC," the study concludes.

Article: Associations of Oral α-, β-, and γ-Human Papillomavirus Types With Risk of Incident Head and Neck Cancer, Ilir Agalliu MD, ScD, Susan Gapstur PhD, Zigui Chen PhD, Tao Wang PhD, Rebecca L. Anderson MPH, Lauren Teras PhD, Aimée R. Kreimer PhD, Richard B. Hayes PhD, Neal D. Freedman PhD, Robert D. Burk MD, JAMA Oncology, doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.5504, published online 21 January 2016.

The study includes funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

[Big Sexy]

............ double post

[Big Sexy]

Testosterone gel boosts sexual function, mood for older men
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306752.php

Testosterone treatment in the form of a topical gel boosts sexual function, mood and walking ability for older men with low levels of the hormone. This is the conclusion of new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study - co-led by Dr. Ronald Swerdloff, a researcher at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA Biomed) in California - reveals the results of the first three trials that form part of the Testosterone Trials (TTrials).

The TTrials are a set of seven double-blind, placebo-controlled studies that aim to determine the safety and effectiveness of testosterone treatment among men aged 65 and older.

The initial results suggest that over a 1-year period, daily application of a testosterone gel boosted blood testosterone levels of older men to levels normally seen in younger men, which improved their sexual function, mood and walking ability.

The results are likely to be welcome news for men, who often experience a reduction in testosterone levels as they age; levels of the hormone typically fall by around 1% annually after the age of 30 or 40.

Testosterone - primarily produced in the testicles - helps preserve men's muscle strength and mass, sex drive, sperm production, bone density, red blood cell production, fat distribution and facial and body hair.

As such, a reduction in testosterone may lead to reduced sexual function, physical changes - such as weight gain and reduced bone density, which can cause mobility problems - and emotional changes, including depression and a reduction in motivation and self-confidence.

Testosterone gel vs. placebo

While some studies have hailed testosterone therapy as effective for treating some of these problems in older men, other research has suggested the opposite, making it hard to draw conclusions about the treatment.

"Although testosterone treatment consistently increased muscle mass and decreased fat mass, effects on physical performance, sexual function, and energy have been inconsistent," say Dr. Swerdloff and colleagues.

The TTrials were launched to gain a better understanding of how testosterone therapy impacts men aged 65 and older who have low testosterone levels.

For the three trials - the Sexual Function Trial, the Physical Function Trial and the Vitality Trial - the researchers screened 51,085 men over the age of 65, identifying 790 men who had low testosterone levels and who met all other criteria.

The men were divided into two groups. One group was required to apply a testosterone gel - called AndroGel - daily for 1 year, while the other group applied a placebo gel daily.

At the start of treatment and 6, 9 and 12 months after, participants were required to complete questionnaires disclosing their sexual and physical function, as well as their vitality, mood and symptoms of depression.

Incidence of heart attack, stroke, death from cardiovascular causes, prostate problems and other adverse events were assessed during the treatment periods for each trial.
Testosterone therapy improved all areas of sexual function

On analyzing the men's blood samples, the researchers found that those who received testosterone therapy demonstrated blood testosterone levels that were comparable to those of men aged 19-40.

Compared with men who used the placebo gel, the researchers found that those who used the testosterone gel experienced significant improvements in all areas of sexual function - including sexual desire, sexual activity and the ability to get an erection.

What is more, testosterone therapy also improved men's mood and symptoms of depression. While the treatment did not increase walking distance in the Physical Function Trial alone, it did increase the distance participants could walk within 6 minutes when the results of all three trials were considered.

The researchers identified no improvements in energy with testosterone treatment.

Across all three trials, the team found no differences in adverse events between men who received testosterone therapy and those who received the placebo. However, they stress that because there were a small number of study participants, no firm conclusions can be made about the safety of testosterone therapy.

"To fully evaluate the potential risks of testosterone treatment, a larger and longer study may be needed," notes study co-leader Dr. Christina Wang, also of LA Biomed.

Commenting on their findings, Dr. Swerdloff says:

"These initial results from the TTrials show some benefit from testosterone treatments in older men who have low testosterone levels.

While these initial findings are encouraging for men with low testosterone levels, the TTrials will continue to analyze the data to determine whether testosterone treatment improves cognitive function, bone density, cardiovascular health and anemia, as well as the risks of testosterone treatment."

[hugs]

Originally Posted by waynelimyenyew

So dun use condom better prevention for hiv?

Originally Posted by Big Sexy

Have sex revealed a connection between semen exposure and HIV resistance?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1209135759.htm
Researchers have studied how long-term sex may change susceptibility to the HIV-1 virus

Date: December 9, 2015
Source:The Wistar Institute
Summary: In a new study, scientists have found that continued semen exposure in sex sustains changes in the cervical and vaginal microenvironment in a way that may actually increase HIV-1 resistance.

"a small number of female continue to test negative for the infection despite repeated sexual activity and low rates of condom use. However, the reason as to why these women are protected from HIV infection has eluded scientists, since they seem to have none of the known immune responses against HIV itself"

"Making the link between chronic semen exposure and its effects on to the female reproductive tract"

"It also clearly indicates that women are equipped to activate mechanisms of resistance due to sex itself, which we did not expect to find at the start of this research."

"Prior studies have shown that long-term sex does not always result in infection. frequency of intercourse may change the immune and female reproductive areas exposed to virus."

"It is important to note that the study does not make a case for sexual intercourse without a condom, as doing so will increase the overall risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases," Montaner said. "Instead, this study identifies unexpected effects that long-term semen exposure may have on the cervix and vagina that may lower but not remove the likelihood of infection."

I think it basically means girls should not stop having sex and should have it as often as they want.

[Big Sexy]

take that post with a grain of salt mate....

i am skeptical abt such news... i remember reading many years ago abt this group of prostitutes from africa being immune to HIV but later got it when they stop the trade..

Originally Posted by hugs

I think it basically means girls should not stop having sex and should have it as often as they want.