Adult Stem Cell Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction

A new experiment on stem cell research shows great promise for the technology on stem cell as a cure for erectile dysfunction on older men. According to a study being conducted by several researchers from the American Urological Association, headed by Dr. Tom Lue, it is possible for a autologous adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) to be used to regenerate erectile function.

In adipose tissue there are stem cells as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blotting experiments. The adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) reside near small blood vessels. CD34 staining identifies 60% of peri-vascular areas as harboring ADSCs. It occurs in new blood vessels, and is a sign of regeneration. ADSCs can be harvested by liposuction or fat excision. Adipose cells are digested and ADSCs are cultured for further induction, labeling or gene transfection. ADSCs can also be used for in vivo tissue engineering. In vitro induction can result in hepatocytes, beta cells to produce insulin or endothelial cells. In vivo, ADSCs placed in muscle can differentiate into skeletal muscle, placed near blood vessels become smooth muscle and in fat can become fat cells. The differentiate into component cell types and integrate into the tissue. Four weeks after injection of ADSCs following cavernous nerve crush injury in a rat model, there is return of function.

A study showed injection of umbilical cord blood stem cells into men having failed PDE5 inhibitors resulted in improved erectile function. This is only a pilot experiment, but shows great promise.

These results were presented by Dr. Lue at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association held at Orlando, Florida las May 2008.

Stomach Surgery May Save Sex Life of Obese Men

According to a research recently presented at the 103rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association, losing weight may actually help resolve erectile dysfunction in obese men. This after finding out that morbid obesity can cause sexual dysfunction independent of other common confounders such as diabetes, hypertension and smoking.

In this study, several obese men who underwent gastric bypass surgery for them to lose weight found out that their sexual function was normalized after the operation.

"This study shows that weight loss and other risk factors which are alleviated by weight loss may be keys to restoring sexual function," said Anthony Y. Smith, M.D. "These results give men another reason to improve their health by losing weight."

For this study, 95 patients who are about to undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss were asked to complete the Brief Sexual Inventory (BSI) pre- and post-operatively. On average, BSI scores improved in all categories, including sexual drive, erectile function, ejaculatory function, problem assessment and sexual satisfaction. The amount of weight lost predicted the degree of improvement in all areas of the survey.

Gastric bypass surgery, a procedure that reduces the body's caloric intake, can be used to induce significant weight loss in the obese. Calorie reduction is accomplished by making the stomach smaller and bypassing part of the stomach and small intestines so that fewer calories are absorbed. The patient feels full faster and learns to reduce the amount of food that he/she eats.

Work-related Stress Can Trigger Erectile Dysfunction

A new study has shown that one in every ten men experience erectile dysfunction as a result of work-related stress. The same study also revealed that one in five men suffer a loss of sexual libido. This suggests that 90% of men have shown at least one clinical feature of stress due to work but only 54% know that stress from work may be the cause of their sexual condition.

Stress, either from work or at home, is known as one of the common cause of ED because it is associated with low testosterone levels.

Unfortunately, only 44% of men with this condition won't go to their doctors for consultation. The majority of those who do consult professional help in dealing with this problem only do so after 17 months of their first symptom.

One of the researchers who conducted the study said that work-place stress clearly has a strong impact on the incidence of erectile dysfunction in men. Men should think about the underlying cause of their ED, including how to combat their stress levels; not staying too late at work, a balanced and healthy diet, and regular exercise.