by Rakib

Does circumcision harm your sex life? This question has become more pressing than ever with the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization of circumcision as a means of reducing HIV infection in Africa (New Scientist, 31 March, p 7). But as two new studies show, it's proving tricky to resolve.

Kimberley Payne of the Riverside Professional Centre in Ottawa, Canada, and her colleagues tested the sensitivity of 20 intact and 20 circumcised men's penises as they watched erotic movie clips, by touching the penises with filaments that press down with predetermined amounts of pressure (The Journal of Sexual Medicine, DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00471.x). They found no difference in penile sensation between circumcised and uncircumcised men.

However, when Robert Van Howe of Michigan State University used a similar method to measure sensitivity at 19 points along the penises of 163 men, he found that the five most sensitive points were all in portions of the penis removed by circumcision, especially those in folds exposed as the penis becomes erect (BJU International, vol 99, p 864).

Van Howe says Payne's team might have had similar results if they had tested more men and made measurements at more than two points. He denied that funding by the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers, which opposes circumcision, influenced the result. "It would be hard to fake," he says. He hopes other groups will try to replicate the findings.

by Rakib

by Rakib

by Rakib

How the golden girl of pop went from super babe to slob and all the way back again ----By Maria Croce

POP princess Britney Spears is back in trim with a toned figure ... but it's not the first time she's changed shape.

Fresh from rehab, the 25-year-old singer was showing off her new look on a visit to a dance studio in Hollywood.

It looks like she's managed to turn her life around after the very public melt-down following her split from hubby Kevin Federline in November.

In December, she was spotted partying hard with heiress Paris Hilton - losing her knickers but not any weight.

She ballooned to a size 14 on a diet of takeaways, pizzas and burgers. Then in February she shaved her head before checking into the Promises rehab centre in Malibu.

But even before her split from dancer K-Fed, the mum of two had battled with her image.

And her weight has gone up and own over the years like a yo-yo.

However, it seems this time she's been following the lessons on healthy eating she learned in her recent rehab spell.

Now she's shed 14lbs and is down to a svelte size 10.

But she's apparently hoping to slim down further to a size six.

And while the rest of us can't afford personal trainers and experts on hand with diet and grooming tips, there are ways to a flatter stomach we could all try.

2007

OOPS she's lost weight again. This is the picture that shows the pop princess is a comeback queen - she's managed to slim back down to a size 10. The singer was snapped revealing her toned stomach as she wore a denim mini, bra top, fishnets and boots when she left the Millennium Dance Studios in North Hollywood. With a wig and a hat to complete the look, she's been on a healthy eating regime with plenty of exercise. Her personal trainer has been putting her through tough two-hour workouts at her Beverly Hills home up to four times a week.

2007

SHE'D recently shaved her head, then a baldy Britney went into battle with a brolly. She went crazy with an umbrella after desperately trying to see her kids at ex Kevin Federline's home in LA. It wasn't a new workout as Britney battered an empty car in a rage when K-Fed refused to let her see her kids. And it won't be a style she'd like to repeat.

2007

BRIT let her hair down and her stomach out as she turned into a bag lady. The star was pictured far from her best when she walked back to her hotel room with two Duane Reade bags at nearly 3am on a Sunday morning. It was apparently a freezing night and, not surprisingly, Britney gave the snappers a frosty reception. She'd left it until after dark before going out like that - but still looked a fright.

2006

IT was just before Christmas when Britney turned bunny girl to hit the town with her new best friend, heiress Paris Hilton. The duo hopped out in Las Vegas complete with bunny ears. But the hard partying was already beginning to show on Britney's figure, giving her a little more bounce than she'd had before.

2006

SHE'S been criticised for forgetting items of underwear on nights out - and this time Britney went bra-less for reasons best known to herself. It was a time when she really needed support - and not just emotionally. It was another bad image for the pop princess who thought a tea cosy, specs and vest was a good look. She'd had lunch at Dan Tana's restaurant then met up with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan in the Hyde Lounge. Surely she must have passed a mirror?

2003

AFRESH-FACED Britney was photographed during rehearsals for her performance on MTV's Total Request Live in Times Square. Although she should have sacked her stylist for encouraging her to wear this strange get-up, she was in trim and looking healthy back then.

2001

SHE discovered a new way to keep in trim - snake-lifting. The singer was toned and in shape when she performed with a reptile during the finale of the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. She later went on to marry one - in the shape of K-Fed.

2005

WITH a tight-fitting Madonna T-shirt straining across her middle and wearing baggy jeans, Britney stepped out for a family outing to a shopping mall in Malibu. She was struggling to lose her baby weight which she shouldn't be criticised for, but she could have chosen a more flattering outfit.

1999

THIS was the look that launched Britney when she appeared in her video for Hit Me Baby, One More Time dressed as a schoolgirl. The video was voted the second most groundbreaking of all time - and it certainly helped the singing star on the road to the top - even if her weight has been up and down ever since.