Researchers warn test has potential for encouraging sex-selection Pregnant women could find out whether they are carrying a boy or a girl as early as five weeks, after scientists developed a pioneering non-invasive test. A team at Cheil General Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, found that various ratios of two enzymes, which can be extracted from a pregnant mother’s blood, indicate the baby’s gender as early as five or six weeks. Read more…

Ultrasounds and tissue samples have failed to prove existence of erogenous zone It’s a sexual quest that has frustrated many couples for decades – and now scientists say there may be no such thing as a ‘G-spot’ after all. First described in western medicine by Dr Grafenberg in 1950, the bean-shaped area of the vaginal wall is supposed to guarantee a female orgasm as soon as it is stimulated. Earlier Indian texts such as the Kama Shastra seem to support this claim, describing a sensitive area in the vagina that induces great pleasure. Read more…

Boys must be immunised against the most common sexually transmitted virus, health experts have said. The call comes after figures revealed an alarming rise in cancer linked to oral sex in young men. Cases of throat cancer have more than doubled to more than 1,000 a year since the mid-1990s. Previously the figure had been stable for many years. More than 70 per cent of cases are caused by human papilloma virus, compared with less than a third a decade ago. HPV, which can be transmitted during sex and open-mouth kissing, is the main cause of cervical cancer in women, with almost 3,000 women a year...

A hospital is considering calling in Army medics to staff their A&E department after a critical shortage of doctors forced it to close at night. Pontefract Hospital has only been open a matter of months after a £60m PFI revamp but has already run into difficulties. A shortage of middle grade A&E doctors has meant managers have been forced to close the emergency department from from 10pm to 8am since November 1st. A recruitment drive has failed to attract doctors and now managers are considering turning to the Army for help. Army trained doctors can work in the NHS but this is very...

Removing obstacles that prevent internationally trained health-care professionals from working in Saskatchewan is the goal of $5 million in new funding from the federal and provincial governments. A second funding announcement also made Friday in Saskatoon will focus on improving efficiency of chronic disease prevention and management and improve access to care for vulnerable populations. “The first will put more health-care professionals here on the ground in Saskatchewan,” said Federal Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq. “The demand for people with the required skills just keeps growing,”...

HOUSTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) — Heart patients who can climb two flights of stairs or walk briskly without symptoms should be able to have sex, U.S. researchers say. Dr. Glenn Levine of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and colleagues, who worked on the scientific statement for the American Heart Association, said it is reasonable for patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease to receive a comprehensive evaluation from their healthcare provider before resuming sexual activity. However, heart patients with unstable disease or severe symptoms should be stabilized before attempting sex, Medpage...

OAK LAWN, Ill. — Dante Autullo was sure he’d merely cut himself with a nail gun while building a shed, and thought doctors were joking when they told him what an X-ray revealed: A 3 1/4-inch nail was lodged in the middle of his brain. Autullo was recovering Friday after undergoing surgery at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where doctors removed the nail that came within millimeters of the part of the brain controlling motor function. “When they brought in the picture, I said to the doctor ‘Is this a joke? Did you get that out of the doctors joke file?’” the 32-year-old...

The vote marks a significant victory for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been rallying for years to protect the health of porn actors by asking agencies in California to mandate condom use during film shoots. In a significant defeat for the adult film industry, the Los Angeles City Council has given final approval to a city ordinance requiring porn actors to wear condoms while performing. The 9-1 vote Tuesday marks a significant victory for the L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been rallying for years to protect the health of porn actors by asking agencies in California...

About 20% of American adults reported having had a mental illness during the preceding year, a government survey found. The figure rose to almost 30% of those in the 18 to 25 age group, compared with 14.3% of patients 50 and older, according to researchers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). And of the nearly 46 million U.S. adults who reported having had a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder when surveyed in 2010, some 60% didn’t receive any treatment for the condition. The most common reason for not getting mental healthcare was not being...

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all – at – Medcare Provider 2011