Andy Health blog

UroToday.com - Dr. Kevin McVary (Chicago) presented the AUA lecture. generic soma online buy The incidence of ED increases to over 60% by age 60. He showed data that ED increases with increasing severity of LUTS, independent of age. Across all age groups, increasing LUTS correlated with worse ED even after adjusting for other factors such as diabetes mellitus. This suggests a common pathophysiology or causal relationship between ED and LUTS.
In the MTOPS data, sexual function domains were stratified against AUA symptom indices and all sexual function domains correlated with LUTS. Prostate volume also correlated with ED as increasing size and worsening ED were linked. Several theories may explain these findings. Nitros oxide (NO) can be reduced by smoking, diabetes, etc. and result in prostatic hyperplasia that contributes to LUTS. In a canine prostate model, exposure to NO results in increased relaxation of smooth muscle, consistent with the hypothesis. Dr. McVary’s research has shown decreased NO as men age. The enzyme PDE-5 in the prostate and bladder is increased and may contribute to ED. Experimental models of PDE-5 inhibitors result in increased smooth muscle relaxation.
He spoke about using the PDE-5 inhibitor concept to treat LUTS. A placebo run-in phase is important in LUTS trials. Sildenafil was tested in a combined ED/LUTS trial, and LUTS scores improved by over 6 points. Both obstructive and irritative scores improved. He cited Dr. Steif’s vardinafil study that also demonstrated an improvement in LUTS. Despite symptom improvement, Dr. McVary did not find any improvement in urinary flow rate.
He also spoke about atherosclerosis induced chronic ischemia causing bladder and penile fibrosis and contributing to both voiding and erectile symptoms. Another theory is that increased autonomic activity correlates to ED and LUTS. He presented data in patients to support this correlation. A causal relationship was not demonstrated. Increased sympathetic tone from obesity, physical inactivity and other causes lead to effects on erectile function and LUTS.
Presented by: Kevin McVary, MD, at the European Association of Urology - 23rd Annual EAU Congress - March 26 - 29, 2008 - Milan, Italy
Reported by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Christopher P. Evans, MD, FACS
UroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice.
To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday, go to:
www.urotoday.com
Copyright © 2008 - UroToday
Buy fosamax pills | generic clomid online buy | Buy propecia without prescription

"Men with diabetes who are having trouble keeping an erection could be at increased risk of serious heart problems", BBC News reported. It said that a study has found that those with erectile dysfunction are twice as likely as other men with diabetes to develop heart disease. This finding could apparently be used to "alert both patients and healthcare providers to the future risk of coronary heart disease".
This study followed 2,306 diabetic men for four years and found that the men with erectile dysfunction were 1.58 times more likely to have a cardiac event (fatal or non-fatal heart attack or surgery for heart disease). It has some potential weaknesses, for example it might not have used the most accurate method for classifying erectile dysfunction, some of the participants may already have had heart disease before the study began, and other drugs they were taking could have had an effect.
Despite its shortcomings however, this research corroborates what other studies have suggested. It suggests that an assessment of erectile dysfunction could be useful when assessing the risk of heart disease in men with diabetes.
Where did the story come from?
Dr Ronald Ching-Wan Ma and colleagues from the Chinese University of Hong Kong carried out the research. The study was supported by an MSD University Grant and by the Hong Kong Foundation for Research and Development in Diabetes. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
What kind of scientific study was this?
It is known that men with diabetes have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction and its prevalence increases with age, and duration and severity of the diabetes. Previous research has suggested a close association between erectile dysfunction and atherosclerosis, while other studies have indicated that it could be used as an indicator of coronary, peripheral or cerebrovascular disease.
The authors of this study aimed to be the first to use a prospective analysis to see if the presence of erectile dysfunction can be used as a predictor of adverse cardiovascular events such as coronary heart disease. In this prospective cohort study, the researchers included men with diabetes at the Prince of Wales Hospital Diabetes Centre, Hong Kong between 1995 and 2005. The suitability of 3,640 men who had been referred to the centre was assessed. The researchers excluded any men who had type 1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease at the start of the study (through medical history or abnormal ECG or stress test) or for whom there was incomplete information on erectile dysfunction.
This left 2,306 men with type 2 diabetes who had been assessed for the complications and risk factors associated with their condition. The participants had a series of clinical and laboratory assessments, including at least two urine collections to measure protein levels. This would give an indication of kidney function. In addition, they were asked whether they suffered from erectile dysfunction (they could answer yes or no).
The researchers followed up the participants for an average of four years, during which time they collected data on hospital admissions and mortality. In Hong Kong, all residents have a unique identification number and researchers used this to link hospital records and diagnoses (e.g. death from acute heart attack or other coronary cause, or non-fatal cardiac events) with the participants’ original data from the study. In this way, they could see if there was an association between heart problems and erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes.
When analysing this association, the researchers took into account other factors that can have an influence on erectile dysfunction or heart disease, including; smoking history, age, how long they had diabetes, use of blood pressure and other medications, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI and waist circumference.
What were the results of the study?
The researchers found that at the beginning of the study, 27% of the men reported having erectile dysfunction. These men were older, had higher blood pressure, had had diabetes for longer, and had higher blood cholesterol.
During approximately four years of follow up, new cardiac events occurred in about 5% of men. Men with erectile dysfunction were 1.58 times (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.30) more likely than men without erectile dysfunction to experience a cardiac event during follow up. This analysis took into account some other factors that might be responsible for the association. Erectile dysfunction was not the only factor that increased cardiac events; age, duration of diabetes, high levels of protein in urine, and use of medications for high blood pressure were also independently associated.
What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?
The researchers conclude that there is an association between erectile dysfunction and new cardiac events in men with type 2 diabetes. They say that erectile dysfunction is a "surrogate marker" for future heart problems.
What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?
The researchers raise several possible problems associated with this study. These should be kept in mind when interpreting the results:
- Studies that assess sensitive topics such as erectile dysfunction are difficult to carry out accurately. The men who took part might not have fully reported the extent of their erectile dysfunction, leading to an underestimation of the problem. For example, if a large number of men with erectile dysfunction did not report it and were free of cardiac events during follow up, their results may have swayed the conclusions to being not significant. On the other hand, if some men didn’t report their erectile dysfunction and experienced cardiac events, the study will have underestimated the strength of the association.
- The researchers say that the single question they asked to determine whether a man suffered from erectile dysfunction, may not have been as appropriate as using other questionnaires that ask more objective questions. If men with more severe dysfunction were more likely to answer yes, then the study’s findings would be biased.
- The study was carried out in Hong Kong and the men who took part might not be representative of men from other countries. In particular, it’s unclear if the findings from the study are applicable to men in western countries as lifestyle factors across cultures may contribute differently to a person’s overall risk profile.
- Though the researchers tried to exclude any men with evidence of cardiac problems, they say that "comprehensive cardiac assessments were not routinely performed in asymptomatic patients". This means that people with no obvious clinical symptoms could have been included. If this were the case, the researchers had no way of identifying those whose erectile dysfunction was actually a result of their heart problems.
- This study suggests that there are several independent factors associated with erectile dysfunction - namely age, use of medications, duration of diabetes and high protein levels in urine. Buy lasix without prescription Determining which of these is the most important is difficult. Future studies should particularly assess the contributions made by drugs such as lipid lowering statins that are known to cause erectile dysfunction. Most people with diabetes will be on multiple drugs with the potential to cause this condition.
It is known that men with diabetes are more likely to have erectile dysfunction and that this problem is associated with atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries). This study provides data to support the association that other studies have found between erectile dysfunction and cardiac problems. It is important that these results are confirmed in larger populations and across cultures.
Links to the headlines
Sex problems ‘may be heart alert’. BBC News, May 21 2008
Links to the science
Erectile Dysfunction Predicts Coronary Heart Disease in Type 2 Diabetes.
R C-W Ma, So W-Y, Yang X, et al.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2008; 51: 2045-2050
This news comes from NHS Choices
Buy generic ultram | Generic propecia pills no prescription | Buy lasix pills

Palatin Technologies,
Inc. (Amex: PTN) announced that dosing has been initiated in a Phase
2a clinical study of PL-3994, a novel, long-acting natriuretic peptide
receptor A agonist, in subjects with controlled hypertension.
The study is placebo-controlled and double-blinded, and will include up
to five cohorts receiving escalating doses. As many as 35 subjects will be
included, with six active subjects and one placebo subject per dose cohort.
Subjects passing screening are admitted to a research clinic, placed on a
controlled diet and have baseline blood pressures and laboratory values
monitored for 24 hours. The next morning, subjects receive a single dose of
PL-3994 or placebo with blood pressures and laboratory values monitored for
24 hours. Every other week, another cohort of subjects will receive a
higher dose of PL-3994 until a pre-specified blood pressure decrease is
observed.
"We are excited with our PL-3994 program’s rapid progress. Data from
these hypertensive patients will provide key indications of the compound’s
therapeutic potential," stated Dr. Trevor Hallam, Palatin’s Executive Vice
President for Research and Development. "We look forward to the completion
of this study as well as the reporting of results next quarter."
Based on the results of this study and the previously completed Phase 1
trial in healthy, non-hypertensive volunteers, a Phase 2 trial in patients
with episodes of hypertensive urgency is planned for later this calendar
year. Palatin is also developing PL-3994 for the treatment of acute
decompensated congestive heart failure and plans to initiate a separate
Phase 2 study in these patients later this calendar year.
About Acute Systemic Hypertension
An acute elevation of blood pressure, or acute hypertension, is a
life-threatening condition that can cause permanent damage to the brain,
heart, kidneys and blood vessels. It occurs in nearly 50 percent of
patients presenting to the hospital with acute heart failure and is a
common occurrence for patients with renal dysfunction. It is critical to
rapidly manage and maintain optimal blood pressure to minimize risk of
death and damage to vital organs. Of the over 35 million people in the
United States with hypertension, over one million people each year will
have one or more acute episodes of high blood pressure, requiring treatment
in an acute care setting.
About Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Currently in the U.S., CHF affects nearly 5 million people with 550,000
new cases of CHF diagnosed each year. Despite the treatment of CHF with
multiple drugs, almost all CHF patients will experience at least one
episode of acute CHF that requires treatment with intravenous medications
in the hospital. There were over 1,100,000 hospitalizations for CHF in
2004. Congestive heart failure has tremendous human and financial costs.
Estimated direct costs in the U.S. for CHF were $29.6 billion in 2006.
About Palatin Technologies, Inc.
generic viagra online buy Palatin Technologies, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company primarily
focused on discovering and developing targeted, receptor-specific peptide
and small molecule therapeutics, including melanocortin ("MC")-based
therapeutics. Therapeutics affecting the activity of the MC family of
receptors may have the potential to treat a variety of conditions and
diseases, including sexual dysfunction, obesity and related disorders,
cachexia, hemorrhagic shock and inflammation-related diseases. The Company
is exploring other receptor-specific therapeutics, including natriuretic
peptide receptor A ("NPRA") agonist compounds for use in treatment of acute
systemic hypertension, congestive heart failure and other diseases.
Palatin’s strategy is to develop products and then form marketing
collaborations with industry leaders in order to maximize their commercial
potential. The Company currently has collaborations with AstraZeneca and
the Mallinckrodt division of Covidien. For additional information regarding
Palatin, please visit Palatin Technologies’ website at

Forward looking Statements
Statements about the Company’s future expectations, including
statements about its development programs, proposed indications for its
product candidates, pre-clinical activities, marketing collaborations, and
all other statements in this document other than historical facts, are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements shall be
subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Palatin’s actual results may
differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements
for various reasons, including, but not limited to the Company’s ability to
fund development of its technology, ability to establish and successfully
complete clinical trials and pre-clinical studies and the results of those
trials and studies, dependence on its partners for certain development
activities, need for regulatory approvals and commercial acceptance of its
products, ability to recommence marketing and gain commercial acceptance of
NeutroSpec(R), ability to protect its intellectual property, and other
factors discussed in the Company’s periodic filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Company is not responsible for updating for events
that occur after the date of this press release.
Palatin Technologies, Inc.

generic soma online buy | Buy diflucan pills | Buy generic propecia

If you clean your house vigorously for twenty minutes non-stop once a week, your anxiety, distress or depression may improve, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study also stresses that any type of vigorous physical exercise, sustained for a 20-minute period can have a good impact on your mental health. The scientists, from University College London, say that the more vigorous and frequent the activity, the greater the impact.
Buy diflucan without prescription The study examined a survey of 20,000 men and women who were quizzed for the Scottish Health Survey about their state of mind and how much weekly physical activity they engaged in. Over 3,000 participants were deemed to be suffering from stress and/or anxiety. They found that people who did sports at least once a week were 33% less likely to suffer from mental health problems. Those who did vigorous housework once a week regularly were 20% less likely to suffer from mental health problems. This drop in risk held even after taking into account such factors as age, gender, and the presence of a long term condition.
The researchers stressed that vigorous housework does not include some little light dusting. As well as lasting at least 20 minutes, the activity has to make you feel at least slightly breathless.
The scientists explain that physical activity reduces inflammation, glucose intolerance and cardiovascular problems, all biological factors which are linked to depression risk. They believe these biological factors are probably key to helping physically active people enjoy better mental health. On the other hand, they accepted that it is possible it might be the other way round - people with mental health problems perhaps do not exercise as much.
Mark Hamer, University College London, research team member, explained that several studies seemed to show a link between better mental health and physical activity. This is the first study that quantifies the amount of activity needed to have an impact. He added "But it is a chicken and egg issue - as those who suffer from stress or anxiety may be less likely to take part in physical activity in the first place."
"Dose-response relationship between physical activity and mental health: the Scottish Health Survey."
Online First Br J Sports Med 2008; doi 10.1136/bjsm.2008.046243
Click here to view abstract online
Written by - Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Buy clomid without prescription | Buy generic soma | generic cialis online buy

Unlike the world of high-tech, Israel’s biotech community is populated with women leading life-changing companies into the new millennium. They are CEOs and business development experts who sniff out new technology possibilities from Israeli academia and then bring them to life.
One of these women is Anat Eitan, the founder and CEO of two young biotech startups AllergyFight and VacciGuard. After working at Teva Pharmaceuticals in innovative R&D for 12 years, "I learned all I needed to know for developing drugs," Eitan tells ISRAEL21c.
Before becoming an entrepreneur she was the CEO of Metabogal (now Protalix), and worked as a consultant in technology transfer.
Recognizing an opportunity in the research of Prof. Irun Cohen from the Weizmann Institute of Science, early last year Eitan founded VacciGuard within the Misgav Venture Accelerator.
The company, which intends to develop vaccines against diseases such as lung cancer, could improve the odds for the 350,000 Americans who die from lung cancer each year.
Now in the stage of establishing the proof-of-concept in animal models for both West Nile Virus and lung cancer vaccines, VacciGuard, if it passes clinical trials, could open up an entire new world for disease treatment.
"VacciGuard enables the body’s immune system to effectively respond to non-immunogenic antigens, such as peptides or polysaccharides, expressed either on pathogens or cancer tissues," says Eitan. "These antigens usually do not activate the immune system to generate effective antibodies against themselves."
In other words, VacciGuard technology converts weak antigens into strong immunogens and creates remarkably effective vaccines, she explains.
The lung-cancer vaccine of VacciGuard would be administered after cancer surgery and chemotherapy when the doctor removes the primary tumor, at which point survival from lung cancer is pretty low - about 15 percent over five years. Cancer re-occurrence is very likely at this point and Eitan hopes that VacciGuard will be able to stop cancer in its tracks.
It could also work against other pathogens such as meningitis and pneumonia.
Her second company AllergyFight, supported by the Ashkelon Technology Incubator, was initiated in late 2007.
Rather than mask the symptoms of allergies, which is how most drugs work today, AllergyFight’s technology, based on the research of Prof. Israel Pecht from the Weizmann, and Prof. generic ultram online buy Anna Erdei of the Budapest University, Hungary, is founded on a disease modifying agent, rather than one that just alleviates symptoms.
Allergies afflict about 40-50 million people in the US every year and among them about 36 million also suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. Besides the misery allergies cause, they can also lead to life-threatening conditions. A safe and effective drug for preventing and treating allergies is very much needed.
Eitan is happy to play her part, and recognizes a strong entrepreneurial playing field in Israel, open to both men and women. "Being an entrepreneur is something in my nature," she says. "I always felt that I would become one."
With two children of her own, she likens the development of new drugs to childrearing. "To take something from a beginning stage and to bring it to maturation, I see the connection between my work and the feminine spirit."
And if Eitan wasn’t working on developing news drugs, she could easily see herself shift into the life of a world-traveler - a sort of anthropologist living among a tribe in Africa or deep in the jungle somewhere.
Maybe in her next life?

Generic diflucan pills no prescription | Buy generic soma | generic clomid online buy