Blogged Health

Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Mental Health Care for our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007 last week. This legislation would create a "Center of Excellence" in coordination with the Department of Defense in order to research and aid in the development of ways to prevent and treat traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers during their time of service.

Researchers at the American Academy of Neurology have recently localized two new genes that are associated with fever-related seizures in children.

In an effort to understand and help diagnosis the increasing number of brain injuries suffered by soldiers during their time of service, the United States Army will begin testing brain scanning equipment.

An estimated 20 percent of Asian men suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to pharmaceutical major Pfizer.

“It is a prevalent issue,” Jude Selvaraj, Pfizer’s medical adviser in Singapore and Malaysia, said at the launch of Pfizer’s new diagnostic kit to help men deal with erectile dysfunction.

“You are talking about 20 percent plus,” he said, giving a rough figure.

Sex is still a taboo subject in much of Asia and many men are reluctant to admit they suffer from the problem, or to seek medical help, said Selvaraj.

According to Pfizer, which makes the anti-impotency drug Viagra, erectile dysfunction affects between 13 and 28 per cent of all men aged 40 to 80.

The number of men suffering from the condition is estimated to increase to 322 million by 2025, from more than 152 million in 1995, Pfizer said.

Pfizer’s new diagnostic kit, the erection hardness score (EHS), grades erection hardness from one to four to provide a guide for assessing sexual status.

A score of four means the penis is completely rigid while a score of one means it is larger but not hard, Pfizer said in a statement.

“The EHS provides a quantitative measure of the degree of erection hardness and therefore treatment efficacy in patients with erectile dysfunction,” the firm said. Victoria Lehmann, a sex therapist from Britain, said the EHS was easy to use and would help couples address the problem.

“It’s quick. It provides a really clear language to both doctors and patients,” she said at the launch

Source : zeenews

I recently found this article on NewsWise.com from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) that discusses a very interesting topic: morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, as a result of traumatic brain injuries.