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Depression Medications May Reduce Male Fertility
As many as half of all men taking the antidepressant medication paroxetine (trade names Seroxat, Paxil) may have increased sperm DNA fragmentation -- a predictor of compromised fertility. Research led by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center also found that the changes are reversible with normal levels of sperm returning after discontinuation of the drug.

Baylor Health Care System Receives $8M From French Government To Develop HIV Treatment
The French government has awarded Baylor Health Care System with an $8 million grant to develop a therapeutic method of controlling HIV without medication, the Dallas Morning News reports. The funds will go toward establishing an HIV research unit at Baylor"s Institute of Immunology Research, which will focus on researching the immune system cells of people living with HIV (Roberson, Dallas Morning News, 6/17).
News of the day
National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting (NASPER) Act Receives Senate Support
The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) announced that the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting (NASPER) Act has received the support of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee.
Medical Devices

Identification Of Genes That Influence Start Of Menstruation

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, along with collaborators from research institutions across Europe and the United States, have for the first time identified two genes that are involved in determining when girls begin menstruation. The work will be published in Nature Genetics this weekend. The findings of the study could have ramifications for normal human growth and weight too, because early-age menstruation is also associated with shorter stature and increased body weight. In general, girls who achieve menstruation earlier in life tend to have greater body mass index (BMI) and a higher ratio of fat compared to those who begin menstruation later. The study carried out an analysis of 17,510 women across eight different international population-based s. This number included women of European descent who reported the age at which they reached menstruation of between nine and 17 years. The two genes identified were on chromosomes nine and six. One in 20 females carry two copies of each of the gene variations which result in menstruation starting earlier, and they will start menstruating approximately four and half months earlier than those with no copies of the gene variants. Dr Anna Murray from the Peninsula Medical School, commented: "This study provides the first evidence that common genetic variants influence the time at which women reach sexual maturation. Our findings also indicate a genetic basis for the associations between early menstruation and both height and BMI." She added: "The study takes us nearer to understanding the biology of the processes involved in puberty and early growth and to understand what constitutes "normal" in growth and development." Fellow author John Perry, also from the Peninsula Medical School, added: "Understanding the biological mechanisms behind reproductive lifespan may also help inform us about associated diseases that affect a lot of women as they get older, including diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer." Andrew Gould The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry


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