News So Weird, you will tell your friends! #3

[totalmotorcycle]

Russian surgeons 'grow' pencil on man's forearm
By Nick Holdsworth in Moscow 10/04/2005





A Russian man born with genitals so small that he was unable to have sex has been given the chance to lead a normal love life after a new pencil was "grown" on his arm during pioneering surgery.

In an 11-hour operation, plastic surgeons in Moscow removed the 28-year-old's undersized pencil and stitched it on to his left forearm, where they grafted on additional flesh and tissue taken from his inner arm. The newly enlarged organ, which had grown from less than 2ins to nearly 7ins, was then reattached to his groin.

His surgeon, Professor Mikhail Sokolshchik, of the National Medical Surgical Centre, hopes that the patient will eventually be able to have sexual relations and father children.

The patient, who comes from a Siberian village and was identified only by his first name, Sergei, paid more than £1,000 towards the cost of the operation, which the doctors warned was performed at his own risk. The bulk of the cost, however, was borne by the clinic, which hopes to market the procedure to similarly afflicted men around the world.

Prof Sokolshchik, who has specialised in microsurgery and phalloplasty - plastic surgery for male sexual organs - for 13 years, said: "We've carried out thousands of operations on patients, ranging from female-to-male transsexuals to the treatment of victims of horrific accidents, and have a wealth of experience in amputation, reconstruction and surgical implants.

"But this operation was highly risky because it was an amputation, reconstruction and reattachment in one go. If it had gone wrong, the patient would have ended up with no genitalia at all."

It is thought that up to one in 200 men are born with "micropenises" - the medical term for male genitalia that are less than two inches long when aroused. Many sufferers find intercourse either difficult or impossible, often having acute psychological problems as a result.

During Sergei's operation, the surgeons began by removing the tip of his pencil - the most sensitive part - and grafting it to his left forearm, allowing cell and tissue material to be kept alive.

Simultaneously, skin from his forearm was cut into two separate flaps, which were rolled up and stitched around flexible tubular silicone implants to fashion a lengthened shaft.

The shaft and tip were then joined as one, before they were removed from the forearm and sewn back on to the base of the man's groin. A section of skin from his thigh was then grafted on to his forearm to reduce visible scarring.

Throughout the operation, doctors swiftly reattached severed veins, capillaries and nerve endings to reduce the risk of sensory damage.

Surgeons have previously used skin from a man's forearm, which is similar in composition to that of the male genitals, in micropenis surgery. Usually, however, the micropenis is not removed. Instead, the artificially created shaft is grafted alongside it. The result is in some cases largely cosmetic as the new shaft may have only limited sensation.

David Ralph, a consultant urologist at St Peter's Hospital and the Institute of Urology in London, who pioneered the original technique last year, said that Prof Sokolshchik appeared to have taken the procedure a stage further.

"This seems to mean that the small pencil has been joined to the top of the new one, which is slightly different to our own technique," he said.

Prof Sokolshchik, who plans to publish full details of the procedure in a medical journal, said the patient was coming to the end of his two-month recuperation period since the operation.

Sergei should soon be able to have sex for the first time. He will not be able to achieve an erection, but will be in a permanent state of semi-arousal. "He has never had a partner or sex because of his micropenis," Prof Sokolshchik said.

"Now he has the opportunity to begin his sexual and romantic life and to father children, assuming his sperm count is normal."

He declined to give further details about Sergei, beyond saying that he contacted the centre eight months ago after reading about it on the internet. Sergei still faces challenges in his quest for a successful love life. "He has never had a partner before and lives in a village in an extremely remote area," said Prof Sokolshchik. "It may not be that easy for him."

[totalmotorcycle]

Leech worms way into hiker’s nose
‘Slimy and mobile’ creature difficult to remove
April 8, 2005





HONG KONG - A Hong Kong hiker washed her face in a freshwater stream, not noticing that a leech had wormed its way into one of her nostrils, according to the Hong Kong Medical Journal.

Unaware she was playing host to the creature, the 55-year-old woman only consulted a doctor when her nose started bleeding intermittently about two weeks later.

The unusual case occurred in 2003 but doctors highlighted it in this month’s edition of the journal, where they discussed how to remove live leeches from human nasal passages using anaesthesia.

The first doctor the woman saw could not find anything wrong and it was only when she visited a second doctor that he saw the five-centimeter (two-inch) leech peeking out of her left nostril.

According to the article, doctors only managed to remove the stubborn bloodsucker with forceps after applying anaesthesia to the woman’s nose.

“Direct removal of a live leech might be difficult because of its powerful attachment to the mucosa and its slimy and mobile body,” the journal said.

[totalmotorcycle]

Cookie Monster curbs cookie habit




Hoots the Owl explains the benefits of fruit to Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster, the biscuit-eating puppet on US children's show Sesame Street, will cut down on his favourite food as part of an anti-obesity drive.
The blue-furred muppet who used to sing "C is for Cookie" will now tell viewers that "A Cookie is a Sometimes Food".

Each episode of the show's new series will begin with a "health tip" about healthy foods and physical activity.

A Sesame Street representative said the popular character would be "broadening his eating habits" in future.

Talking vegetables

"We are not putting him on a diet, and we would never take the position of no sugar," said Dr Rosemarie T Truglio, the show's vice president of research and education. "We're teaching him moderation."

New characters such as talking aubergines and carrots will be introduced, while guests stars such as soul singer Alicia Keys will talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Almost one in three children in the US is now overweight, as opposed to one in 25 in the UK.

Sesame Street begins its 36th season on America's PBS network on Monday. It is broadcast in over 120 countries, with more than 20 local versions being made.

Last year Cookie Monster - originally played by Muppets regular Frank Oz, the voice of Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear - revealed that before eating his first cookie his name was Sid.

[totalmotorcycle]

Outlaw Laid Low by Short Fuse
Mon Apr 11, 8:13 AM ET Oddly Enough - Reuters







TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's most wanted man fought off special police and eluded capture for years only to blow himself up while fishing with dynamite, police and newspapers said Friday.



Dubbed the "Last Cowboy" in northern Albania because of his gunfights with the law, Riza Malaj, 34, failed to accurately gauge the length of the fuse as he tried to blow up trout.


Doctors at the Bajram Curri hospital said he had lost both hands, badly hurt his eyes and suffered serious wounds all over his body. His family rejected offers to have him flown to a Tirana hospital where he would have been arrested immediately.


Malaj was taken to a hospital in nearby U.N.-governed Kosovo.


He was sentenced in absentia to five years in jail on charges of leading an attack on the Bajram Curri police station last year. Since 2000, warrants have been issued for Malaj's arrest on charges of willful murder, armed robbery, armed assault and battery of the education directress of the town.