the journal of men's health & gender RSS feed: Current Issue. THIS JOURNAL HAS NOW BEEN RENAMED : Journal of Men's Health .http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. the journal of men's health & gender1571-891344December 2007 © 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002336/abstract?rss=yesEditorial Board10.1016/S1571-8913(07)00233-6the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9iiiiiihttp://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002154/abstract?rss=yesContents10.1016/S1571-8913(07)00215-4the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9381381http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS157189130700218X/abstract?rss=yesThe 7th National Men's Health conference in Adelaide, Australia, the European Men's Health Forum ‘Inquisition into the prevention and management of LTHCs’ workshop at the 10th European Health Forum in Gastein and, in particular, the 5th World Congress on Men's Health and Gender (WCMH 07), with participants from 32 countries and especially strong representation from the United States and from former Eastern European bloc countries, all indicate that men's health is on the global agenda more than ever.Growing global focus on men's healthSiegfried Meryn10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.11.001the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Editor-in-Chief Editorial382385http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS157189130700204X/abstract?rss=yes5th Biennial World Congress on Men's Health and Gender10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.10.002the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9ISMH News and Views386389http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002026/abstract?rss=yesWe live in a strange age. Despite the unprecedented availability of information at our fingertips, the propensity of human beings to form conclusions based on imagination, ‘mob’ propaganda, and sheer fantasy has distressingly continued unchanged over the centuries , reminding us all too vividly of our tribal beginnings and shortcomings. Not infrequently these days, the make-believe ideas we engender are accompanied by ‘data’ and we are all wearied by the recognition that pretty much any position that an individual or group takes can be supported by ‘data’. One of my wise colleagues in psychiatry once put it this way: ‘Data is not evidence. Data is evidence when combined with wisdom, thoughtfulness and common sense’. In the behavioral sciences (itself a misnomer!), this is especially a problem because we lack specific parameters and indicators in the laboratory to judge a phenomenon and must resort to questionnaires, interviews, and nuance, all of which are deeply biased by current social mores and the social setting (set) in which these phenomena take place. So many times we have seen medicine, and especially psychiatry, follow the wrong Gods unquestioningly, leading us into blind alleys from which it takes years to extricate ourselves. All of which provides a particular dilemma for peer reviewers and journal editors. Which articles go beyond simply a point of view, and are substantiated by wisdom and depth, and which are merely an outgrowth of a current social trend? And which articles are motivated by the current social trend to KNOW that men are inherently defective in some manner and the task is simply to delineate that, and that women do not share these defects.Reality versus virtual reality: which articles, which dataArnold Robbins10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.09.003the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Editorial390392http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002038/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: If we look at today's high male suicide rates as the outermost evident proof for men being mentally ill and consider the links between an individual male's depression and their suicidality, a major challenge appears: to improve the determinants and preconditions for men's wellbeing and health even on an aggregate societal level.This means identifying and further increasing men's levels of autonomy, to counteract their helplessness, to facilitate a mutual and pluralistic gender tolerance, to support and restore males’ sense of social cohesion and existential meaning and to give, in a new way, a place for the often traditional masculine values of integrity, pride, status and dignity – even in our modern societies of gender transition.Females and males are ‘sitting in the same boat’. Both genders define and influence each other's identity and societal position. This means that men and women in a societal and/or individual crisis often become each other's problem, which can cause violence as well as suicide, with concomittant abuse, risk-taking behaviour and stress-related somatic disorders – all afflicting both genders.Thus, increasing understanding and communicative ability, as well as social interaction between genders, seems to be one of the strongest health promotional actions that can be carried out, on a political level, at a societal level, in families and directed to the individual person. This should be done in parallel with improving early detection and possibilities for therapeutic intervention, especially concerning common but atypical conditions of ‘male depression’ as well as depression-related aggression and suicidality.Suicidality in men – practical issues, challenges, solutionsWolfgang Rutz, Zoltan Rihmer10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.046the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Review393401http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001987/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: Men with prostate cancer experience elevated levels of anxiety and depression, with some previous data suggesting that this is due to loss of previously-available social and personal reinforcing pleasant activities and abilities. Little is currently known about the range of activities/abilities that these patients lose, leaving open the question of how to best target lifestyle changes designed to help them overcome these negative effects on their mental health. This study used personal interviews to gather details of the pattern of lost activities/abilities from a sample of men with prostate cancer so that a self-report questionnaire might be developed for use in large-scale studies of the ‘causal map’ of anxiety and depression among these patients.Method: Ten men who had received a diagnosis of, and treatment for, prostate cancer during the previous 30 months were voluntary participants in a personal interview that tapped their experiences of the diagnostic and treatment processes and the effects of these upon their lifestyles.Results: Data confirmed the primary effect of lost activities/abilities (particularly sexual) on these men as being causal vectors for the development of anxiety and depression.Conclusion: As well as providing an insight into the experiences of these prostate cancer patients, the findings reported here allowed for the development of a 50-item self-report questionnaire for exploration of the causal factors underlying anxiety and depression among prostate cancer patients.Causal’ mapping’ of depression and anxiety among prostate cancer patients: a preliminary interview studyChristopher F. Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David R.H. Christie10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.09.001the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Original Articles402408http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002014/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: There has been an increasing scientific interest concerning childbirth-related fear among women. Few studies have paid attention to men's fear and its implications. This study investigates the experience of intense childbirth-related fear from the father's perspective.Method: Twenty Swedish men who, in a previous survey, had assessed their fear related to childbirth as intense, were interviewed about what this experience had meant to them. The interviews were analyzed using the similarity–difference method in grounded theory.Results: The men's fear was primarily related to ‘the health and life of their partner and child’, and their main worry concerned the woman. The presence of fear was often described as a ‘mental occupation’, but also as ‘increased vigilance’ or ‘bodily sensations’. The ways of dealing with this fear could be characterized as attempts to ‘increase the sense of control of the situation’ and to ‘diminish the very emotion of fear’. Most men had not expressed or spoken about their fear explicitly due to ‘thoughtfulness for one's partner’, feelings that there was ‘no point in talking about the fear’, and difficulties related to ‘gender constructions’. Despite their fear, all the men had attended the birth of their children; their motives were described from the viewpoints of ‘responsibility’, ‘involvement’ and ‘obligation’.Conclusions: Experiencing intense fear related to childbirth constitutes a significant burden for expectant fathers. This calls for antenatal strategies for identifying and supporting fearful fathers in their own right without violating the autonomy of the pregnant woman.Men's experiences of intense fear related to childbirth investigated in a Swedish qualitative studyCarola Eriksson, Pär Salander, Katarina Hamberg10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.045the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Original Articles409418http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002002/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: Male hypogonadism arises from a deficiency in testosterone secretion that may occur naturally with increasing age, or as a result of malfunction of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland or testes. Tostran® (also known as Fortigel®, Itnogen® and Tostrex®) is a metered-dose gel formulation of 2% testosterone that was recently developed to treat male hypogonadism and to overcome the disadvantages exhibited by some testosterone formulations.Methods: A prospective Phase II trial of Tostran in men with primary or secondary hypogonadism evaluating the effect of showering was conducted.Results: This trial demonstrated that showering 2h after application of Tostran has no significant effect on serum testosterone levels.Conclusion: Market research in the UK and Germany has indicated that endocrinologists would consider switching patients to Tostran from other formulations, especially other gels. Their preference is due to the dosage and administration advantages of Tostran, the flexibility of the metered-dose formulation, and the ability to shower 2h after application.A novel metered-dose 2% testosterone gel treatment for male hypogonadismDuncan C. Gould10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.044the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Original Articles419427http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001999/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: African-American men lack knowledge of cancer facts and risk factors, and their personal attitudes and beliefs along with health care system interactions are barriers to cancer prevention. This paper highlights cancer prevention information from men in the Southeastern United States.Methods: This community-based participatory research project surveyed 12,444 Black adult residents in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee and in Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia regarding their cancer prevention knowledge, attitudes and practices. A sample (928) of 1407 men's responses was analyzed for education and income differences.Results: Analyses found no significant differences in cancer prevention practices between men with high income and high education versus those with lower income and lower education level, but did show significant differences between education and income groups in cancer prevention knowledge and attitudes.Conclusions: Income and education are not equal predictors of cancer prevention. Direct outreach efforts to black men of low education and income levels may be effective if interventions are tailored to separate socio-economic groups. Clear and thorough information about diseases, including their risks, prevention/detection procedures, treatment and cure are needed within the health care system itself, as well as for patients in the office, clinic, and community in innovative interactions to assist underserved men to increase and improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding health promotion.Improving the health of African American men: experiences from the Targeting Cancer in Blacks (TCiB) ProjectJane G. Fort10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.043the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Original Articles428439http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS157189130700194X/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: Increasing concerns regarding the health of men – in particular, the rising prevalence of male-related conditions and men's suggested poor access and uptake of health services – has focused the minds of health practitioners and policy makers on understanding the role of masculinity in shaping men's health and on promoting greater gender-sensitivity and equality of access to health services. However, taking a gendered approach to health service delivery necessarily requires the development of effective strategies for accessing and engaging different constituencies of men. While a series of new initiatives and pilots to bridge the gap between men and their service needs has been established throughout the UK, as elsewhere in the world, few of these have been formally evaluated. This paper reports on the qualitative findings from one such initiative in the North of England: the Preston Men's Health Project.Methods: Taking account of age, ethnicity and sexuality, the Preston Men's Health Project was established as a response to the diverse health needs of men living in socially marginalised areas of inner-city Preston. Using a combination of focus groups, semi-structured and narrative interviews with project staff and service users, this article focuses on men's health as an embedded social practice and describes how men's health is mediated by family and community structures.Results and Conclusions: The Preston men's Health Project demonstrates how the successful deployment of outreach approaches provides a first-contact for men who wish to gain greater control over their health through a dual focus on formal services and informal supports, thus providing a bridge to healthcare-access for groups who traditionally fall outside the reach of orthodox service delivery.Formal health services in informal settings: findings from the Preston Men's Health ProjectCiara Kierans, Steve Robertson, Michael D. Mair10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.08.006the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Original Articles440447http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001963/abstract?rss=yesModern male circumcision is most notably known as a ritual practiced by Jews for more than three millennia, despite the fact that biblical circumcision was restricted to amputating only the part of the infantile prepuce protruding beyond the glans penis; the ritual took its more radical form only in the 1st century AD . In the 19th and 20th centuries, British and American physicians attributed many moral and health problems to masturbation and a non-retractile prepuce. In their eyes the best remedy for all these ills was circumcision, both male and female . In modern American medicine from the later part of the 20th century, female circumcision lost its appeal, but male circumcision has been touted as a good preventative measure for a host of more fashionable diseases: urinary-tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, penile cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and AIDS . As a debate article on male circumcision, this paper aims to present a somewhat different perspective on the topic, with an emphasis on themes that are less frequently discussed in relation to male circumcision.Relation of male circumcision to cervical cancer, sexuality and female circumcisionAvshalom Zoossmann-Diskin10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.042the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9For Debate448453http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002324/abstract?rss=yesAccreditation Pages10.1016/S1571-8913(07)00232-4the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Continuing medical education454455http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001938/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Background: Carcinoma of the prostate (CaP) is the most common male malignancy worldwide and the highest incidence has been recorded in black men. CaP appears to have a more aggressive biology in this sub-population but the reasons for these observed differences have not been fully elucidated. This article is a review of the current published evidence on the disease in black men.Methods: We searched Pubmed and Google for articles on CaP with an emphasis on those focusing on sub-population differences. Published abstracts of presentations at international scientific meetings were also reviewed.Results: Molecular studies suggest that black men have a genetic predisposition to the development and/or progression of CaP. Variations in several genes and cellular pathways have been implicated in their increased CaP risk. Clinicopathologic differences include more prevalent and extensive high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values at initial diagnosis. Sociocultural differences in access and uptake of health care resulting in delayed presentation along with differential care are also thought to contribute to the poorer outcomes associated with prostatic malignancy in black men.Conclusion: Considerable evidence exists on the effect of black ethnicity on the molecular and clinical characteristics of CaP. More studies into the racial differences in the incidence and prognosis of CaP are required to provide information about the mechanisms responsible for this observation.Update on prostate cancer in black menMudashiru A. Salami, Blessing Etukakpan, E. Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.07.041the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Practicing Medicine456463http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002075/abstract?rss=yes This is an outstanding and comprehensive text book that covers all the important topics in Men's Health. Joel Heidelbaugh, the editor, and his colleagues focus on a general overview of the construct of Men's Health with special attention being given to in-depth evaluations of topics such as organising preventive healthcare in men, gender disparities on a global scale, the problem of health-seeking in men, and pertinent medical and biopsychosocial issues in the developing male from infancy to adolescence. They comprehensively review common system-based conditions that unequally impact adult men and, finally, provide an excellent overview of the special concerns of unique populations of today's males. All of the chapters are concise, yet deliver an important message. The format of the presentation is excellent with the inclusion of a short message paragraph in each chapter.Siegfried Meryn10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.10.005the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Book Review464464http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002063/abstract?rss=yesEvents Calendar 200810.1016/j.jmhg.2007.10.004the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Update465465http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001975/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The vulnerable health status usually preceding the onset of overt disability is often referred to as frailty. A stringent definition is elusive, but it may be viewed as a physiological syndrome, characterised by decreased reserve and diminished resistance to stressors, resulting from cumulative decline across multiple physiological systems and causing vulnerability to adverse outcomes. Many elements of frailty are related to the neurological system, metabolism, joints, bones and muscles. Central to frailty is the dramatic decline in muscle mass and strength with ageing. Therefore, sarcopenia seems to be the major determinant of frailty.Several components of the frailty syndrome are related to the physiological actions of testosterone. Testosterone also has effects on psychological functioning. Testosterone (or its aromatisation product oestradiol) is required for the maintenance of bone mineral density. Testosterone also stimulates red blood cell formation.Testosterone thus has a profound effect on body composition. A significant characteristic of ageing and a factor in frailty is the loss of muscle mass and the increase in fat mass. Androgens promote differentiation of mesenchymal multipotent cells into the myogenic lineage and inhibit their adipogenic differentiation, thus reversing the development of a downward spiral of loss of muscle mass and increase in fat mass. Skeletal muscles of older men are as responsive to the anabolic effects of testosterone as those of younger men, indicating that age as such should not be an impediment to elderly men benefiting from the anabolic effects of testosterone. So, while frailty is obviously a complex syndrome, some elements are androgen-associated and these may improve in men with subnormal testosterone levels.Frailty and its relationship to late onset hypogonadismLouis Gooren10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.09.002the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Educational Grant466473http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307001951/abstract?rss=yesAround the World with Men's Health and Women's Health Organizations. Men's Health Forum (England and Wales)10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.10.001the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Forum474475http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/jmhg/article/PIIS1571891307002051/abstract?rss=yesAcknowledgement of Reviewers10.1016/j.jmhg.2007.10.003the journal of men's health & gender 4, 4 (2007)2007-12-01the journal of men's health & gender2007-12-0144S1571-8913(07)X0018-9Referee Acknowledgement476476