Sexual Dysfunction in Men Who Abuse Illicit Drugs: A Preliminary Report
Bang-Ping Division of Urology, Department of Surgery Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital
Introduction: Despite being seen as aphrodisiacs, illicit drugs are reported to have detrimental effects on male sexual function but most studies have been based on small case numbers with ambiguous results.
AIMs: To assess the impact of illicit drugs abuse on male sexual function. Main Outcome Measures: International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and global assessment questions.
Methods: Illicit drug abusers in a Drug Abstention and Treatment Center were recruited to complete the questionnaires and their data were compared with an age-matched control.
Results: The abusers (N=701, mean age 33,8 yrs) had a lower mean IIEF score in each domain than that of the controls (N=196, mean age 35.4 yrs). Heroin, amphetamine and MDMA (‘Ecstasy’) were the leading drugs used. Erectile dysfunction (ED) was reported in 36.4% of the abusers and the odds ratio of having ED (compared with the controls) in mono-users of heroin, amphetamine and MDMA was 4.8 (p<0.05), 3.2 (p<0.05) and 1.4 (p>0.05), respectively. Of the abusers, 38.6% reported to have decreased sexual desire with illicit drug use, more often seen in the heroin mono-users (46.7%), and 18.4% reported to have enhanced sexual desire, more often seen in the amphetamine mono-users (22.6%). Mean IIEF sexual desire domain score of the abusers was lower than that of the control, even for those who reported to have enhanced sexual desire. Increased and decreased ejaculation latency affected by illicit drugs was reported in 49.9 and 14.3%, respectively, of the abusers, showing no significant difference among the mono-users of 3 different drugs.
Conclusions: Illicit drug male abusers were prone to have ED, decreased sexual desire and increased ejaculation latency. ED and decreased sexual desire were most commonly seen in heroin, followed by amphetamine and MDMA mono-users, while increased ejaculation latency occurred commonly in all of the abusers.
男性學論文獎基礎組
The Role of Chloride Channels in Rat Corpus Cavernosum: In Vivo Study
Yuh-Chen Kuo, MD#, Shiu-Dong Chung, MD*+, Shih-Ping Liu, MD+ Hong-Chiang Chang, MD+, Hong-Jeng Yu#, MD, and Ju-Ton Hsieh, MD+ *Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, Ban Ciao, Taipei, Taiwan;
+Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan,
#Department of Urology, Yang-Ming Branch of Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Introduction: Recent studies have identified the existence of outward, depolarizing chloride currents in isolated rat, rabbit, and human corpus cavernosum muscle cells. However, few articles have demonstrated the functional role of chloride channels in vivo in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle.
Aim: To investigate the role of calcium-dependent chloride channels in erectile function of rat corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were used to perform an in vivo study in a rat model of erection. Both crura of the rats were isolated to in order to record intracavernosal pressure (ICP) during basal condition and electrical stimulation of erection, with and without intracorporeal injection of norepinephirine, chloride transport inhibitors, and chloride channel blockers. Main Outcome Measure: ICP.
Results: ICP increased as the amplitude of electrical stimulation increased, and decreased in a dose-dependent manner (during electrical stimulation) as norepinephrine injection strength increased. Injection into the corpus cavernosum of the Cl- channel blockers, niflumic acid, anthracene-9-carboxylic acid, and 4, 4’-diisothiocyano-2,2’-stilbene-disulfonic acid increased ICP. Injection into the corpus cavernosum of the Cl- channel transport inhibitors bumetanide, ethacrynic acid, and HCO3-free-4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-1-piperazine ethanesulphonic acid buffer, and also increase the ICP. The effects of both Clchannel blockers and Cl- channel transport inhibitors on ICP were concentration-dependent.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that chloride channels play an important role in the regulation of corpus cavernous smooth muscle tone in vivo.
輝瑞論文獎臨床組
The Association among GNB3 C825T Polymorphism, Erectile Dysfunction, and Related Risk Factors
Yung-Chin Lee, MD.* Hui-Hui Lin, MS,1 Chii-Jye Wang, MD. PhD.* Chia-Chu Liu, MD..* Wen-Jeng Wu, MD, PhD.*, Chun-Hsiung Huang, MD, PhD..* and Lin-Li Chang, PhD.1 *Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
1 Department of Microbiology, Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
2 Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital,
3 Department of Microbiology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Introduction: Vascular etiologies are the most common risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED). Published studies have reported the associations of GNB3 C825T polymorphism with many vascular diseases. However, there are few reports about the association between this gene polymorphism and ED. Aim: To investigate the associations among GNB3 C825T polymorphism, ED and related risk factors in Taiwanese subjects.
Methods: A total of 155 patients with ED and 81 healthy controls were enrolled. All the men had complete clinical histories taken. The 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) was used to assess erectile conditions. The GNB3 C825T polymorphisms were determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Main Outcome Measures: Patients with ED were defined as those having an IIEF-5 of < 21.
Results: 236 men were enrolled with a mean (standard deviation) age of 59.0 (10.2) years. Diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension and age were the three most significant independent risk factors for ED in a multiple logistic regression analysis (P = 0.008, 0.003 and 0.007, respectively). The prevalence of DM, hypertension and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in GNB3 825T allele (CT/TT) carriers (P = 0.023, 0.049 and 0.035, respectively). There was no significant difference of ED prevalence between T and C allele carriers (69.1% vs. 56.2%, P = 0.07). However, the T allele carriers had significantly lower IIEF-5 scores (P = 0.02) associated with an increment of the T allele number (16.4(CC) vs. 14.4(CT) vs. 13.2(TT), P = 0.04).
Conclusions: In the present study, DM, hypertension and BMI had significant associations with GNB3 825T allele carriers. Our results failed to show a significant association of the GNB3 C825T polymorphisms with ED prevalence. However, we cannot exclude that the presence of the T allele might influence the risk for ED severity indirectly through an increased risk for some vascular diseases.
輝瑞論文獎基礎組
Curcumin Blocks the Activation of Androgen and Interlukin-6 on Prostate-Specific Antigen Expression in Human Prostatic Carcinoma Cells
From the *Department of Urology and the+ Molecular Image Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and the#School of Nursing and the ΩDepartment of Anatomy, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Curcumin, a naturally occurring compound, exhibits anticancer chemopreventive effects. We evaluated the effects and mechanisms of curcumin on the gene expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in human androgen-sensitive prostatic carcinoma cells. LNCaP cells were used to determine the effect of curcumin on PSA expression. Quantitative PSA expression was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunoblot assay. The modulation of androgen, interlukin-6 (IL-6), and prostate-derived Ets factor (PDEF) on the PSA gene was identified by transient gene expression assay with the use of a PSA reporter vector. The effect of curcumin on the activity of androgen receptors was evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Immunoblot assays, RTPCR, and ELISA indicated that curcumin treatments blocked the stimulation of methyltrienolone (R1881) and IL-6 on PSA gene expression in LNCaP cells. The effects of curcumin appear to be mediated via the androgen response element of PSA gene. Results from immunoblot assay and EMSA revealed the modulation of curcumin on the expression of androgen receptor and androgen receptor binding activity on androgen response element of PSA gene. Although overexpression of PDEF dramatically enhanced PSA gene expression, the results of immunoblot assays and transient reporter assays indicated that curcumin treatments did not affect the gene expression of PDEF. Curcumin inhibits R1881-and IL-6– mediated PSA gene expression in LNCaP cells through down-regulation of the expression and activity of androgen receptors.