IIEF-5 cannot be used as a tool for differential diagnosis of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the 5-item version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) as a method to differentiate the causes of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In all, 103 ED patients (mean age 46.8 +/- 18.7) were reviewed by IIEF-5. Penile blood flow was also assessed in each patient after an intracavernosal injection (ICI) and audio-visual sex stimulation by duplex Doppler ultrasonography. The 99mTc-(113m)In dual radioisotope test was performed to confirm specific vascular causes in the vasculogenic ED cases. Kruskal-Wallis TEST was employed to compare the scores of IIEF-5 with the results of ICI, duplex Doppler ultrasonography and the 99mTC-(113m)In dual radioisotope test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the total number of ED cases, 37 (37/103, 35.9%) were nonvasculogenic, 18 (18/103, 17.5%) arteriogenic, 35 (35/103, 34.0%) venogenic and 13 (13/103, 12.6%) combined vasculogenic. There was no significant difference in the IIEF-5 scores either between the vasculogenic group and the non-vasculogenic one (P = 0.253) or among different groups of the vasculogenic ED patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IIEF-5 cannot be used as a tool for differential diagnosis of vasculogenic ED, or to compare its specific vascular causes, nor can the scores of IIEF-5 reflect penile vascular conditions.</p>

Desmoplastic small round-cell tumor of the paratesticular region: a case report and review of the literature / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical and pathological features of paratesticular desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT), and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One case of paratesticular DSRCT was studied retrospectively and a considerable amount of related literature from Medline and Chinese journals reviewed. The patient was a 27-year-old man presenting with a painless testicular mass in the left hemiscrotum. On physical examination, a cystic mass was palpable while the testis was not in the left hemiscrotum.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During the operation the paratesticular area was found full of multiple nodular tumor masses of various sizes ranging from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm in diameter. Pathological examination showed the characteristic histological pattern of nests of small undifferentiated cells embedded in a dense fibrous stroma. The tumor presented an immunohistochemical feature of epithelial, mesenchymal as well as neural multidirectional differentiation. Following testicular tumor orchiectomy, chemotherapy was performed with DDP, VP16, ifosfamide and EPI. Three years follow-up found no tumor recurrence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Desmoplastic small round cell tumor has a specific clinicopathologic stigmata, usually occurring in young males, for which surgical resection with chemotherapy is the treatment of choice. DSRCT located in the paratesticular region may have a better prognosis than its more frequently abdominal counterpart.</p>

Comparison between sildenafil plus sertraline and sertraline alone in the treatment of premature ejaculation / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the efficacy and safety of sildenafil plus sertraline with those of sertraline alone in the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventy-two patients with PE but without any obvious organic cause were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into Groups A and B of equal number. Group A received 50 mg sertraline daily 4 to 6 hours before planned sexual activity for 12 weeks, and Group B were given 50 mg sertraline daily plus 50 mg sildenafil as needed, 1 hour before planned sexual activity, for 12 weeks. Before and after the treatment, the mean intravaginal ejaculation latency time, the intercourse satisfaction, the mean number of coituses per week and the drug-related side effects were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean intravaginal ejaculatory latency time was (0.59 +/- 0.12), (3.9 +/- 0.15) minutes (P < 0.001) at baseline and post-treatment in Group A, and (0.56 +/- 0.11), (5.6 +/- 0.12) minutes (P < 0.001) in Group B, improved in both of the 2 groups, but more significantly in Group B (P < 0.05). Before and after the treatment, the mean intercourse satisfaction domain values of the IIEF were (8.9 +/- 1.2), (10.8 +/- 1.1) (P < 0.05) and (8.8 +/- 1.1), (13.8 +/- 1.3) (P < 0.001) in Groups A and B, respectively, significantly greater in Group B than in Group A (P < 0.05) after the treatment; the mean numbers of coituses per week in Groups A and B were (0.9 +/- 0.2), (1.9 +/- 0.3) (P < 0.05) and (1.0 +/- 0.2), (2.7 +/- 0.2) (P <0.001) respectively, significantly larger in Group B (P<0.05) after the treatment. As for the side effects, there was a higher rate of headaches (P < 0.01) and flushing episodes (P < 0.001) in Group B than in Group A.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sertraline combined with sildenafil can produce significantly better results than sertraline alone in patients with premature ejaculation. However, the combined treatment is associated with a slight increase in the drug-related side effects.</p>

Effects of growth hormone supplementation on erectile function and expression of nNOS in aging rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of growth hormone( GH) supplementation on erectile function and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves in aging rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 18 months were randomly divided into Groups A and B, and ten 2-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats included in Group C. 1 U/(kg x d) GH was given to Group A, and the same volume of saline to Groups B and C. After 8 weeks of treatment, evaluation was made of the erections induced by apomorphine (APO), maximal intracavernous pressure (ICP) induced by intracavernous papaverine injection and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves by streptavidin-peroxidase immunohistochemical techniques.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 8 weeks of treatment, the erection frequency, maximal ICP and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves of the rats in Groups A and C were significantly higher than those in Group B (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Growth hormone supplementation can improve the erectile function of aging rats, which may be attributed to the increase in the expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves.</p>

Survey on reproductive health status of Shanghai college students / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore reproductive health condition of college students in Shanghai and provide scientific basis for reproductive health education.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From July 2004 to March 2005, 1192 college students (majors including medicine, science and engineering, arts and culture; 618 medical students and 549 non-medical; 555 male and 612 female) from seven time-day colleges in Shanghai were investigated with a reproductive health questionnaire involving sex. The questionnaire was constituted by 72 topics, involving the need of education, sex attitude, sex videos, sex hygiene knowledge and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), etc.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>39.33% (459/1167) students thought they had accepted formal sex education; 49.19% (574/1167) students chose lecture as the favorite way; 41.90% (489/1167) students thought the reproductive health education would not increase the incidence of premarital sexual behavior; 64.10% (748/1167) students thought it was necessary to give college students reproductive health instructions and knowledge. On the other hand, we found 45.05% (250/555) boys and 27.45% (168/612) girls could accept the premarital sexual behaviors; 35.32% (196/555) boys and 39.38% (241/612) girls could accept premarital pregnancy; 44.39% (518/1167) students could calculate the safe period accurately; 71.38% (833/1167) students knew emergency contraception measures; 57.67% (673/1167) students knew how to and when to use condoms; To our surprise, only 2.19% (12/549) non-medical students and 12.14% (75/618) medical students knew exactly the whole 4 sexually transmitted diseases that needed to be essentially prevented in China.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>At present, the reproductive health condition of college students in Shanghai is sophisticated. Much more education on sex safety, self-protection skills and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, etc should be reinforced.</p>

The effect of endothelin receptor in androgen-independent prostate cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of ET receptor and the apoptosis after intervened with ET receptor antagonist in androgen-independent prostate cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PC3, an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line, was used. The expression of ETA and ETB receptor in PC3 was measured through RT-PCR. After intervened with selective ETA and ETB receptor antagonist, the apoptosis in PC3 was studied through flow cytometry and electron microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Clear signal was obtained in PC3 for ETA receptor mRNA transcript, while the signal for ETB receptor mRNA transcript was very weak. The expression of ETA receptor mRNA was obviously reduced and the apoptosis of PC3 cell was observed after intervened with selective ETA receptor antagonist. There was no change after intervened with selective ETB receptor antagonist.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>ET-1 exerts its effects through the ETA receptor subtype and ETB receptor is silenced in PC3. The expression of ETA was reduced and the apoptosis was observed in PC3 when ETA receptor was blocked. It was dose-dependent.</p>