Normative ranges of testosterone in young men have been identified on the basis of a nationally representative data in a new study, and these data are expected to provide guidance when evaluating younger individuals presenting with signs and symptoms of potential testosterone deficiency, according to the investigators.
It has long been known that the ranges of normal testosterone differ by age, but the authors of this study contend that this is the first large-scale, population-based analysis conducted in the United States of testosterone levels among in men aged 20-44 years.

Potential once-daily male oral contraceptives have passed a first clinical hurdle, showing a degree of testosterone suppression that should be sufficient for a contraceptive effect without causing symptomatic hypogonadism, according to phase 1 study results to be presented at ENDO 2022. There are two pills in development and the studies so far suggest that both or a combination might be able to provide an acceptable balance of efficacy and tolerability

Vocal characteristics that can't actually be heard, discernible only by computer, might help identify individuals with confirmed or suspected heart disease who are at increased risk for a cardiovascular (CV) event over the next several years, a prospective study suggests. The research is only the latest to suggest a potential role for "voice biomarkers" — acoustic features discernible with machine-learning algorithms — for CV risk assessment, with implications for screening, noninvasive risk stratification, and telemedicine, investigators say. Voice recordings of the study's 108 patients were processed and assigned scores based on how much they expressed the inaudible biomarker. Patients with assigned scores in the top third, compared with scores in the lower two-thirds, showed 2.6 times the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or presenting to the hospital with chest pain over about 24 months. They showed triple the risk for a positive stress test or coronary artery disease (CAD) at angiography.

Maintaining a healthy plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk for both total stroke and ischemic stroke, results from a study of three large cohorts suggest. A plant-based diet was not associated with risk for hemorrhagic stroke, however, and the data also showed no association between a fully vegetarian diet and total stroke risk, the researchers report.

@anup A session at the AAD's virtual annual meeting in April will address climate change and dermatology – the second such session at an annual meeting — and the first two of three planned virtual symposia led by Rosenbach and his colleagues, have been hosted by the Association of Professors of Dermatology. The ERG encouraged the AAD's adoption of a position statement in 2018 about climate change and dermatology and its membership in the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.

@tiash People in the alternate-fasting group ate more than the prescribed amount on fasting days and less on feasting days, whereas people in the daily-calorie-restriction group were more compliant with their prescribed regimen. The best approach for one person is undoubtedly the worst approach for another. At the end of the day, whatever strategy a person employs to manage their weight, they'd better like it enough to stick with it, as temporary efforts generally only lead to temporary outcomes

@tiash The prognosis of selective mutism is fair to good and depends on the severity of impairment of functioning associated with avoidance of social situations and public speaking and on the presence or absence of secondary gain factors that tend to discourage persons from changing their adaptation to anxiety. Perhaps related to the higher incidence of associated speech and language disorders, children who have social phobia when they are younger than 10 years have a better long-term prognosis. Prognosis is poorer in children older than 12 years who have social phobia than in younger children. Long-term prognosis is perhaps related to the implications of having fewer overall communication skills in social settings or with peers for long-term social skills and language skills development. Also, the baseline problems that provoke the adolescent have the potential to be more long-standing and more serious.
Although behavior therapy, including CBT, integrated behavior therapy, and S-CAT, are standard treatments for selective mutism, other approaches to treatment include music therapy, play therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, short-term psychoanalytic therapy, hypnosis, and a two-session behavior therapy approach using mobile apps.
S-CAT principles include a three-session CBT intervention for the child and parentat home and then extendeds as school-based CBT, as children with selective mutism tend to be most symptomatic in the school environment. Defocused communication as a general treatment principle included six central components:
To sit beside rather than opposite the child;
To create joint attention using an activity the child enjoys rather than focusing on the child;
To ‘think aloud’ rather than asking the child direct questions;
To give the child enough time to respond rather than talking for the child;
To continue the dialog even though the child does not respond verbally; and
Try to receive a verbal answer in a neutral way rather than praising the child.

@awanish An alteration in mental status refers to general changes in brain function, such as confusion, amnesia (memory loss), loss of alertness, disorientation (not cognizant of self, time, or place), defects in judgment or thought, unusual or strange behavior, poor regulation of emotions, and disruptions in perception, psychomotor skills, and behavior. While an altered mental status is obviously characteristic of a number of psychiatric and emotional conditions, medical conditions and injuries that cause damage to the brain, including alcohol or drug overdose and withdrawal syndromes, can also cause mental status changes. Confusion, lethargy, delirium, dementia, encephalopathy, and organic brain syndrome are all terms that have been used to refer to conditions hallmarked by mental status changes.

Hello, How to protect children from third wave of COVID? Like adults, even children are falling prey to Covid-19 and the cases are rising at an alarming rate. It is the need of the hour to safeguard the children from this deadly virus and help them to stay healthy. Please leave your comments.

Hello, I am 21 years old. I am suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome. At the same time I am getting facial hair. They are growing fast. I feel embarrassed. Shall I seek doctor's opinion? I have once shaved the hairs, but still I am getting facial hair. Please let me know how to prevent facial hair growth.