Rise in anti-sweat Botox treatments for men

May 2010  

There has been an increase in the number of men receiving Botox injections to prevent sweating, new figures show.

According to the Harley Medical Group's director, Liz Dale, there has been a 26 per cent increase in bookings from men who are keen to avoid moist hands, damp underarms or sweaty feet.

The treatment can be injected into the palms of the hands, underarms, chest or soles of the feet and lasts for up to six months.

Nearly ten per cent of Botox injections administered over the past month have been anti-sweat treatments for men, Ms Dale revealed.

'Many are thinking ahead to the warmer summer months and want to avoid embarrassing sweat patches as they face rising temperatures on commuter-packed public transport,' she explained.

'Dubbed 'Sweatox', this treatment is ideal for both those suffering from the medical condition hyperhidrosis, as well as those just wanting to combat visible wet patches and clammy palms.'

About three per cent of people in England are thought to be affected by hyperhidrosis, which usually begins during teenage years or in early adulthood.

Psychological effect of prostate cancer testing highlighted

April 2010  

Men should be warned by their doctors that prostate cancer testing may lead to anxiety and distress despite the fact that they generally cope well with such news, Cancer Research UK experts have recommended.

Research published by the organisation in the British Journal of Cancer shows that one in five men can feel distressed at the prospect of having a biopsy after discovering they have a raised Prostate Specific Antigen level (PSA).

The psychological effects of testing should be clearly explained to men who decide to have a PSA test because nine per cent continue to feel anxious even after being given the all clear sign, said the scientists.

Professor Kavita Vedhara, lead author on the study conducted from the University of Bristol, explained: 'Even 12 weeks after receiving a negative biopsy result, nine per cent of men said they still felt distressed.

'While it's crucial that men are aware of the difficulties they may face when deciding what to do with their results, it's also important they’re aware that they may find the whole process stressful.'

The most common cancer in men, prostate cancer is responsible for 25 per cent of newly diagnosed cases of the condition in England and Wales, according to the NHS.

Equipment refinements could improve prostrate cancer treatment

April 2010  

Future treatment for prostate cancer could improve following technical improvements to a microchip-based device used for detecting and analysing tumour cells in the bloodstream.

Refinements to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Engineering in Medicine-developed CTC-chip may allow better monitoring of how circulating tumour cell (CTCs) levels react to treatment for the condition.

A report in Science Translational Medicine revealed that the changes could also make it possible for scientists to identify key biological properties of the cells and improve treatments.

Lead study author Dr Shannon Stott of the MGH Center for Engineering in Medicine said scientists' ability to analyse 'cellular factors that could be markers for important properties of the tumours' were limited before the changes.

'The earlier versions of the CTC-chip required hand-counting of thousands of microscopic images, which was sufficient for the initial proof-of-principle studies but far too time-intensive for handling high volumes of patient samples,' he explained.

Prostate cancer is characterised by common symptoms such as pain on passing urine, as well as blood in the urine or semen.

Fear of dying increased by supportive relatives

 30 March 2010  

Studies of people aged over 65 in the UK have revealed that elderly individuals from ethnic minority groups with a large number of supportive relatives are likely to have a greater fear of dying.

The finding, which has been published in Postgraduate Medical Journal, seems to contradict views that the presence of supportive informal family carers eases the fear of death.

In a bid to gauge attitudes to death and dying, 1,000 people aged 65 and over were asked about how much they feared dying, the manner of death, losing control over their death and suffering pain.

More than half of the ethnic minority sample, which included people of Indian, Pakistani, Black Caribbean, and Chinese origin, had the worst scores for death and dying and quality of life compared to another group of predominantly white British people.

Older age was found to reduce fears around death in the latter sample, but having more relatives to assist in practical tasks increased fears in three of the four question segments among those in the ethnic group.

People are advised to write a will, which can help to address all the fears they may have about what will happen after their departure.