With the death toll rising rapidly in the battle between the Liberian Government and rebels for control of Monrovia, the African press is unimpressed with the pace of efforts to bring an end to the conflict.

“To the continent’s discredit, Africa has reacted to the crisis with the customary speed of a snail,” South Africa’s Business Day comments.

“Instead of finding solutions, our leaders are bogged down in issues of process.

“In the Liberia case, Africa should be exhorting the leaders of west Africa to use their influences and leverage to prevent further violence by controlling their borders and not allowing the flow of weapons into the country.”

Impotence

Senegal’s Le Soleil agrees. “It is as if the international community, but also the African community, were admitting their impotence and waiting for chaos in Liberia before they act,” it laments.

Taylor wants to stay to the bitter end Fraternite Matin, Ivory Coast

It might appear difficult to interfere in a country’s internal affairs, the paper reasons, “but between that and remaining passive observers of this tragedy, there are steps which could and should have been taken.”

But Nigeria’s Guardian is unhappy about that country’s continued impotence vacuum pump in Liberian affairs.

“Two steps taken recently indicate unequivocally that Nigeria is once again spearheading a erectile dysfunction treatment
costly initiative supposedly to bring peace to war-ravaged Liberia,” it writes.

“The earlier treat impotence from 1990 to 1997,” it reminds readers, “was a fiasco that resulted in huge losses in human and material terms.

“Nigeria should explore other ways in conjunction with Ecowas and other interested parties to bring peace to Liberia. Nigeria’s human and material sacrifices are enough already”, the paper says.

Taylor’s refuge

The Guardian is incensed by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s offer of asylum in Nigeria to beleaguered Liberian President Charles Taylor.

“Nigeria already has enough international problems to grapple with,” the paper says. “These should not be compounded by providing a roof for Taylor.”

Fraternite Matin in the Ivory Coast is also no fan of President Taylor.

What Africa needs is not endless aid but respect Monitor, Uganda

“Taylor wants to stay to the bitter end. In spite of the war which is raging in Monrovia. In spite of the hospitality offered him by Obasanjo,” it says.

“The old warrior is clinging on, leaving behind him a field of ruins,” the paper says, adding that the treat impotence for the Liberian economy and people matter little to him: President Taylor wants to “cling on to power at any cost”.

Cri du coeur

Further afield, Uganda’s Monitor is not inclined to dwell on African acupuncture impotence treatment.

“What Africa needs is not endless aid, but respect,” the paper says, “and an end to US- and European-sponsored conflicts that have ruined our various economies.”

The conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Angola have “all been sponsored and nurtured by these so-called democrats”.

“The oil struggles in Sudan and in the Horn of Africa are all foreign-sponsored. We want all these conflicts ended.”

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

The discovery could prompt the discovery of drug treatments to help those at highest risk.

This protein it produces plays a role in the growth of blood vessels. but too much of it may increase stroke risk.

Writing in the journal Nature Genetics, the scientists said people with certain forms of a gene called PDE4D may be most at risk.

Proteins from a similar “family”, called phosphodiesterase (PDE), are linked to other illnesses, such as asthma, inflammation and even erectile impotence meds
.

This suggests that it may be possible to develop a drug to block the effects of the gene - the breakthrough impotence drug Viagra already works by targeting another member of the PDE family.

Solveig Erectile dysfunction pills
and colleagues at a company called deCode Genetics in Reykjavik believe this gene is associated with an increased risk of stroke.

They carried out DNA tests on over 1,700 people in Iceland, half of whom had suffered strokes.

The Icelandic population is generally regarded as the best testing ground for geneticists.

This is because the gene pool is relatively pure. Unlike most other countries, there has been little immigration since the first Vikings arrived almost 1,000 years ago.

Scientists working on this latest study say they have identified genetic differences between those people who have had strokes and those who have not.

These differences centre on the gene PDE4D, located on chromosome 5.

They have found that three different isoforms of the gene were expressed at lower levels in people who had strokes.

Isoforms are groups of proteins that are produced by a gene.

They also found different combinations of genes in regions of chromosome 5 flanking the PDE4D gene in people who had strokes.

It is already known that this gene provides the coding which enables a protein called a phosphodiesterase to work.

Stroke risk

But the Icelandic scientists believe that too much of it may increase the risks of atherosclerosis - furring up of the arteries.

This causes the arteries to narrow, which can trigger a stroke.

“We propose that PDE4D is involved in the pathogenesis of stroke, possibly through atherosclerosis, which is the primary pathological process underlying ischemic stroke,” the scientists said.

They believe that blocking the protein in people with these potentially problematic forms of the PDE4D gene could protect them against stroke.

There are already drugs available to do this. These so-called phosphodiesterase inhibitors are used to treat asthma, inflammation and erectile dysfunction, with Viagra probably the best known.

However, much further study is needed before these drugs could be used to treat people who may have a high risk of having a stroke.

Viagra, for one, has potentially serious side effects if taken by men with underlying health problems.

The study, by the British Medical Association, says smoking has caused impotence in 120,000 men aged 30-50.

It is responsible for up to 5,000 miscarriages a year, reduces the chances of successful IVF and is implicated in cases of cervical cancer.

The BMA is calling for tough anti-smoking measures, including help for pregnant women to avoid passive smoke.

BMA recommendations Women exposed to passive smoking at work should be entitled to leave of absence on full pay throughout their pregnancy Tobacco warnings should include risks to reproductive health Smoking should not be glamorised in the media Government targets to reduce smoking should be more ambitious Enclosed public places should be smoke-free

The report concludes that the damage inflicted by smoking is evident throughout reproductive life - from puberty to middle age.

Not only can smoking prevent people starting a family, the report says, it can also damage their children.

It says smoking reduces the chances of a woman conceiving by up to 40% per cycle.

And women who smoke during pregnancy are three times more likely to have a low birth-weight baby. Low birth weight is closely linked to illness and death in infancy.

There is also evidence that smoking may increase the risk of certain foetal malformations, such as cleft lip and palate.

Women who smoke have also been found to produce smaller volumes of lower quality breastmilk.

Passive smoking is linked to cot death, premature birth, respiratory infection in children and the development of childhood asthma.

It is estimated that each year more than 17,000 children under five years old are admitted to UK hospitals because of respiratory illness caused by exposure to other people's cigarette smoke.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, said: “The sheer scale of damage that smoking causes to reproductive and child health is shocking.

“Women are generally aware that they should not smoke while pregnant but the message needs to be far stronger.

“Men and women who think they might want children one day should bin cigarettes.

“And we're not just talking about having children. Men who want to continue to enjoy sex should forget about lighting up given the strong evidence that smoking is a major cause of male sexual impotence.”

Impotence pill impact

Deborah Arnott, director of anti-smoking charity ASH, said: “This report clearly shows the erectile dysfunction sex
impact of smoking on generations to come.

“Stopping smoking should be the number one priority for anyone who wants to have children.

“This is important not just to increase the chances of conception but also to give your child the best start in life.

“By stopping smoking, parents will not only improve their own health but will lessen the chances of their children developing illnesses such as asthma and pneumonia.”

The drug, used by millions of men, slowed the increase in the strength of heart contractions by half.

The Johns Hopkins University study, published in Circulation, found the drug acted as a “brake”.

However, UK heart experts warned men with heart conditions should talk to their doctor about taking the drug to ensure they use it safely.

Mixing this drug with other heart medicines or taking it if you have angina without advice from a health professional or GP can be dangerous for heart patients Dr Charmaine Griffiths, British Heart Foundation

Viagra, also known as sildenafil, helps men with erectile dysfunction by making genital blood vessels expand in order to maintain an erection.

The Johns Hopkins team have previously shown Viagra can block the short-term effects of hormonal stress in the heart in mice.

But it had been thought to have little direct effect on the human heart.

Man impotence

This study looked at 35 men and women, with an average age of 30 and no previous signs of coronary artery disease.

They were all given an injections of an adrenaline-like chemical called dobutamine, which increases heart rate and pumping strength in the same way as emotional or exercise stress, or heart failure.

They were then randomly assigned to either take 100mg of Viagra or a dummy pill before receiving a second injection. Heart function was measured before and after each jab.

After the first injection of dobutamine, the force of heart contraction increased by 150% in both groups.

In the dummy pill group, the same effect was seen after the second injection.

However, in the group treated with Viagra the increased heartbeat was slowed by 50%, resulting in a smaller increase in blood flow and blood pressure generated by the heart in response to chemical drug for impotence levitra.

No adverse side effects on the heart were seen.

Viagra helps maintain erections by blocking the action of an enzyme which prevents the relaxation of blood vessels in the penis.

The same enzyme, called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5A), is also involved in the breakdown of a key molecule, cyclic GMP, which helps control stresses and limit heart enlargement.

Heart warning

Professor David Kass, the cardiologist who led the study, said: “Sildenafil herbal impotence cure puts a 'brake' on chemical stimulation of the heart.”

He added: “Knowing more about the effects of sildenafil on heart function will allow for safer evaluation of its use as a treatment for heart problems.

“Until now, it was widely thought that drugs like sildenafil had no effects on the human heart and that its only purpose was vasodilation in the penis and the lungs.”

He said further studies should be carried out to investigate Viagra's immediate and long-term effects on the heart.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, from the British Heart Foundation, said: “Viagra has been a real advance in treating impotence, which affects nearly half of men between 40 and 70 years old.

“The findings that Viagra affects blood pressure is not surprising - before it was known as a successful treatment for impotence, it was actually being researched for lowering effects on blood pressure.”

But she added: “If you have a heart condition you should check with your doctor before taking Viagra.

“Mixing this drug with other heart medicines or taking it if you have angina (heart pain on exercise) without advice from a health professional or GP can be dangerous for heart patients.”