Health
Healthwise
A female Viagra in the making
11/10/98
The New Straits Times
The New Straits Times Press
Life And Times; 2*
Page 06
THE GOOD NEWS
AN experimental compound called prostaglandin E-1 may be useful in
treating female sexual arousal disorder, according to researchers.
In a study of 10 female rabbits, Dr Darryl See and colleagues at the
Harvard Scientific Corporation of Burlington, Massachusetts, found
that a gel containing the compound increased vaginal blood flow by about
50 per cent and had no adverse effects on the animals. The drug will be
tested in clinical trials starting next month, in which it will be compared
with a placebo in 10 healthy postmenopausal women. (Currently, there
are no drugs on the market to treat female sexual disorders.)
"Postmenopausal women are more prone to sexual dysfunction because
of estrogen deficiencies and a higher incidence of coronary artery
disease," said Dr See, "and studies have shown a direct correlation
between decreased blood flow to the vaginal area and sexual
dysfunction."
According to Harvard Scientific , if clinical trials of the prostaglandin
gel give positive results, and the Food and Drug Administration approves
the product, it could be on the market in the year 2000.
* A BRIEF few months of psychotherapy may help teenagers with minor
depression, according to a study published in the Journal of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
"Milder forms of depression may benefit from initial supportive therapy or
short trials of more specialised psychotherapy," say psychiatric
researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The researchers compared the emotional health of 100 adolescents, aged
13 to 18, before, during, and after three to four months of depression
therapy.
They conclude that brief supportive psychotherapy "may be sufficient for
milder forms of adolescent depression." On the other hand, they say,
children with "more severe depression may require more specialised
psychotherapy for longer periods."
THE BAD NEWS
WOMEN are at increased risk of malaria during pregnancy, with the
greatest risk in the first pregnancy. In a report published in the journal
Nature, researchers suggest a reason for this: antibodies found in the
blood of women who have previously been pregnant appear to offer
protection against malaria, but women who have not been pregnant
before lack these antibodies.
A vaccine based on the antibodies, called anti-adhesion antibodies,
"would benefit millions of pregnant women and infants in the tropics,"
according to the report.
Malaria is caused by infection with a microscopic parasite, transmitted to
humans via the bite of mosquitoes. The international team of researchers
led by Dr Michael Fried of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
studied the infection rates of pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas of
Africa and Asia.
They found that less than two per cent of women in a second or
subsequent pregnancy became infected with the malaria parasite,
compared to over seven per cent of women in their first pregnancy.
Closer investigation revealed that women in subsequent pregnancies
develop what the authors describe as "anti-adhesion antibodies, which
limit the accumulation of parasites in the placenta."
* REPORTS of latex allergy, which can be life-threatening, have grown
with the increased use of latex gloves and condoms, according to a
report presented by the American Academy of Dermatology. And the
popularity of body piercing is sending more perforated patients to their
dermatologists complaining of skin problems, mostly due to sensitivity to
the nickel in jewellery.
Skin redness, itching and swelling followed by a thick, crusted patch are
symptoms of irritant contact dermatitis, caused by direct contact with
chemicals in latex or other glove components. Allergic contact dermatitis,
however, affects the immune system and has caused deaths.
People with spina bifida are 500 times more likely to become allergic to
latex. Those with a history of eczema, hay fever and asthma, and people
who have undergone multiple surgical procedures, are also at
higher-than- average risk of latex allergy.
"Nickel is the leading cause of contact allergy in America," the
dermatologists said. The rise of nickel allergies has coincided with the
popularity of body piercing. Redness, itching, swelling and crusting may
mimic infections, but are probably an indication to avoid nickel products,
they said.
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