Sun bathing can reduce sperm count

A recent has shown that too much heat can decrease sperm count, and retard the surviving sperm.

Researchers at the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgeshire have suggested that soaking up the sun in tight trunks may not be the best preparation for fathering a child.

Many couples believe that a foreign break develops their probability of conceiving by allowing them to loosen up fully.

However, sperm takes eight weeks to fully grow in the testes, and during that period, is susceptible to any changes in temperature.

The testes physically hang outside the body to keep them cool, and locking them up in tight underwear, or dipping them in the hot tub may not be a good idea, researchers say.

'We find that at an initial consultation men may have a normal sperm count, but in some cases this has declined when we check again before treatment, which may be several months later. It is only recently that it has occurred to us that there may be a seasonal effect at work,' the BBC quoted Dr Thomas Mathews, the Medical Director at Bourn Hall, as saying.

He said experiments had found that exposing the testes to heat over long periods resulted in a decreased sperm count.

However, other experts shed uncertainty on the claims, although they said it may be wise to be cautious.

Women less likely than men to have cholesterol controlled

Women are significantly less likely than men to have their LDL cholesterol controlled to recommended levels, according to a new study.

The study, by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), to be published in the May/June edition of Women's Health Issues, investigated gender differences in cardiovascular disease prevention, treatment and risk factors based on national health care quality data from commercial and Medicare managed care plans.

Elevated LDL cholesterol is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading single cause of death for both women and men.

The study, "Improving the Quality of Care for Cardiovascular Disease: Using National Managed Care Performance Data to Investigate Gender Differences in HEDIS Measures Related to Heart Disease," analysed data from a national sample of 46 commercial managed care plans and 148 Medicare plans across 11 HEDIS® measures of care for cardiovascular conditions and diabetes.

The results, controlled for other factors such as age, income and ethnicity, showed equal or better outcomes for women on most dimensions of care-with the notable exception of cholesterol control, where significant disparities existed between men and women.

"This study highlights the importance of not just knowing your health, but also taking an active role in your care," said NCQA President Margaret E.

O'Kane. "The data shows that we've got our work cut out for us in terms of raising awareness among both physicians and patients." "Women must know their risk for heart disease and how to manage it," said Ileana L Piña, National Go Red For Women Spokesperson and Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

The study also investigated disparities in care owing to race and income level, and found significant gaps in care. For example, based on the study findings, 55.4 per cent of white men with recent cardiac events who were in commercial plans met the recommended lipid control level.

For other groups the comparable figures were 46.2 percent for white women, 44.8 per cent for African-American men and 34.2 per cent for African American women. Similar disparities were found based on income level.

HIV patients who remain under doctor's treatment live longer

A new study has found that HIV patients who drop out of care do not live as long as those who remain under a doctor's treatment.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Thomas Giordano at Baylor College of Medicine and Veterans Affairs.

As part of the study, researchers looked at 2,619 men with HIV for more than four years. Most were diagnosed between 1997-1998 at a VA hospital or clinic and began treatment after Jan. 1, 1997.

Researchers divided the men into four groups based on the number of quarters they visited their HIV physicians or health care provider in the first year after starting treatment.

Sixty-four percent of them had at least one visit in all four quarters, 18 percent in three of four quarters, 11 percent in two of four quarters and 6 percent in only one quarter. The researchers then looked at how long the patients survived after that first year.

Researchers found that 16 percent of the patients died. Those who had poorer retention in care or visited the physicians less during the year after starting treatment had a greater risk of dying than those who saw the physicians at least once each quarter.

The study also found that patients with visits in one quarter had nearly twice the risk of dying compared to patients with visits in all four quarters.

"In an era when highly active therapy directed against HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS) is keeping people alive, understanding the value of regular medical care is crucial," Giordano said.

"We know that adherence to medications is critically important. Patients who have trouble taking their medicines regularly will do less well. But what about those people who aren't even seeing a doctor regularly. Before this study, we had only a vague understanding of the magnitude of the problem, and we certainly didn't know whether it affected survival," Giordano added.

"The next step is to figure out how to get them to stay in care," he added.

The findings of the study were published in the June issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and are available on line.

Regular exercise may improve male sexuality

Regular exercise can improve a man's sexuality, says a study.

Although erectile dysfunction is not life threatening, it can impair the quality of life. A Harvard study has linked regular exercise to a 41 percent reduction in the risk of erectile dysfunction - all it took was 30 minutes of walking a day.

In 2004, a randomised clinical trial had reported that moderate exercise - averaging less than 28 minutes a day - can help restore sexual performance in obese, middle-aged men with erectile dysfunction, reported health portal Medical News Today.

Exercise also offers protection against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, memory loss, colon cancer, fractures and depression, reports the May 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Diabetes may affect men's fertility

Scientists have found that diabetes damages DNA in men's sperm and may affect fertility.

The researchers from Belfast, Northern Ireland showed that the DNA in the nuclei of the sperm cells had greater levels of fragmentation in diabetic men (52%, versus 32% in non-diabetic men), and that there were more deletions of DNA in the tiny, energy-generating structures in the cells called mitochondria (4 versus 3).

"As far as we know, this is the first report of the quality of DNA in the nucleus and mitochondria of sperm in diabetes. Our study identifies important evidence of increased DNA fragmentation of nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA deletions in sperm from diabetic men. These findings cause concern, as they may have implications for fertility," said Dr Ishola Agbaje who undertook the research

Dr Agbaje and his colleagues examined sperm from 27 diabetic men, with an average age of 34, and 29 non-diabetic men with an average age of 33.

They found that although semen volume was significantly less in diabetic men (2.6 versus 3.3 ml), there were no significant differences in sperm concentration, total sperm output, form and structure of the sperm or their ability to move.

When they measured DNA damage they found that the percentage of fragmented nuclear DNA was significantly higher in sperm from the diabetic men and that the number of deletions in mitochondrial DNA was also higher - the number of deletions ranged from three to six (average four) in the diabetic men and from one to four (average three) in the non-diabetic men.

"Our study shows increased levels of sperm DNA damage in diabetic men. From a clinical perspective this is important, particularly given the overwhelming evidence that sperm DNA damage impairs male fertility and reproductive health. Other studies have already shown that, while the female egg has a limited ability to repair damaged sperm DNA, fragmentation beyond this threshold may result in increased rates of embryonic failure and pregnancy loss. In the context of spontaneous conception, sperm DNA quality has been found to be poorer in couples with a history of miscarriages," said Professor Sheena Lewis, scientific director of the Reproductive Medicine Research Group.

However, Prof Lewis said that it was not possible to say from this current study whether the DNA damage caused by diabetes would have the same effect on men's fertility and the health of future children as DNA damage caused by other factors such as smoking.

"This is just one, relatively small study that highlights a possible concern. Further studies need to be carried out in order to understand the precise nature of the diabetes-related damage, the causal mechanisms and the clinical significance. Given the global rise in the prevalence of diabetes, it is also vital to examine the reproductive outcomes of pregnancies fathered by diabetic men, and the prevalence of diabetes amongst men attending for infertility treatment," she concluded.

The study is published in the 3 May edition of the journal Human Reproduction.