Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disease associated with a variety of factors such as age, psychological factors, physical conditions, and lifestyle, and it severely affects the patients quality of life. In the past, some non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) transcribed by genes but not translated into the protein were regarded as the "waste" in the process of gene expression. But in the recent years, ncRNAs have been found to play a crucial role in regulating gene expression and its products, which may affect penile erectile function. This review focuses on the recent progress in the studies of the relationship between ncRNAs and erectile dysfunction.
Erectile Dysfunction ; genetics ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; RNA, Untranslated ; physiology

Platelets, small pieces of cytoplasm with biological activity, split and fall off the megakaryocytes and mature from the bone marrow. After stimulated, platelets produce nitric oxide to inhibit their own activation and aggregation. Pathologically, the injury of endothelial cells activates platelets and changes their functions. The release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines induces and enhances the development and progression of atherosclerosis, and thereby promotes the occurrence of erectile dysfunction. Besides, platelets and their related functional parameters may serve as important indicators in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Atherosclerosis ; etiology ; Blood Platelets ; physiology ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Platelet Activation

Objective To review the causes of exudative retinal detachment(ERD),indications of vitrectomy for ERD and its outcomes.Design Retrospective case series.Participants 57 patients with ERD received vitrectomy in EENT Hospital,Fudan Uni- versity.Methods A retrospective analysis of clinical records were conducted.Main Outcome Measures Etiology,vitrectomy indica- tions and its outcomes.Results 57 cases(62 eyes)with ERD received vitrectomy.The disease distribution of vitrectomy were Coats dis- ease in 23 cases(45.2%),familial exudative vitreoretinopathy in 8 cases(12.9%),uveitis in 7 cases(11.3%),retinal hemangioma in 7 cases(11.3%),bullous retinal detachment in 6 cases(9.7%),endophthalmitis in 4 cases(6.5%)and pit of optic nerve in 2 cases(3.2%). Severe ERD and proliferative change were major indication for treatment with vitrectomy.During follow-up period,most patients gained useful vision in early stage.Follow up rate of 6 months or more was 64.9%.The recurrence of ERD was 5.4% and most patients also gained useful vision.Condusion Coats disease is the prominent cause of being treated with vitrectomy in ERD.When proliferation or vitreous hemorrhage happens or macula is involved,vitrectomy should be performed.Most patients can gain useful vision after vitrecto- my.(Ophthalmol CHN,2008,17:52-55)

Penile erection (PE) is a physiological phenomenon involving complex mechanisms. PE may occur as reactive erections, psychogenic erections in the conscious state and spontaneous erections during the sleep. Sleep-related PE refers to the erections occurring spontaneously during the sleep with rapid eye movement. Studies have shown a correlation between sleep and PE as well as between sleep disorders and erectile dysfunction but not yet revealed the exact mechanisms. This paper updates the relationship between sleep and erectile function.
Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Erection ; physiology ; Sleep ; physiology ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; complications ; Sleep, REM ; physiology

Penile vascular endothelial damage, vasomotor dysfunction, and blood flow deficiency are the major causes of erectile dysfunction (ED). Current management of ED mostly depends on selective phosphodiesterase type 5- (PDE5) inhibitors, which fail for some ED patients. For Peyronie's disease-induced ED, surgical and physical therapies are used in addition to PDE5I medication, but frequently it is difficult to achieve satisfactory results. Recent studies show that the low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy can promote angiogenesis and improve blood flow to the penis, which promises to be a novel effective therapy for ED and Peyronie's disease.
Erectile Dysfunction ; therapy ; High-Energy Shock Waves ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Induration ; therapy

Erectile dysfunction (ED) results from the interaction of many pathological factors. Studies show that a high incidence of ED is associated with chronic diseases of various systems, and its pathogenesis is not fully understood. This article outlines the progress in recent studies on the impact of chronic diseases on erectile function.
Chronic Disease ; Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Erection ; physiology

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) have been used as the first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) in recent years. However, with the increased clinical application of PDE5i, the incidence rate of PDE5i-induced adverse reactions is on the rise, which may involve the cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Most of the adverse reactions are mild to moderate, occasionally with serious or rare complications. The probability and severity of the adverse reactions are associated with the dosage and frequency of medication as well as with individual differences. Therefore individualized medication is necessitated and, for the patients with cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, psychosis, or anaphylactic conditions, PDE5i should be cautiously given or avoided. This review provides an overview of PDE5i-induced adverse reactions and countermeasures in the treatment of ED.
Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are a large class of RNA molecules that do not encode proteins, regulate gene expressions multifacetedly, and influence the metabolism, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of cells as well as the occurrence and progression of tumors. Some of the ncRNAs act as cancer genes, such as miR-19a, miR-125b, miR-616, miR-7, miR-221, MALAT-1, and PRNCR1, which are upregulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) tissues or cell lines, and promote the development and progression of CRPC, some act as tumor suppressor genes, including miR-185, miR-342, miR-15, miR-16, and miR-146, which are downregulated in CRPC tissues or cell lines and inhibit or delay the occurrence of CRPC, and still others, such as miR-7, miR-19a, miR-125b, miR-221, and MALAT-1, are differentially expressed in the serum or tissue and can be used as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis and prognosis of CRPC. This article presents an overview on the roles of ncRNAs in the occurrence, progression, diagnosis, and prognosis of CRPC and advances in their studies.
Humans ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant ; genetics ; RNA, Untranslated ; genetics

Objective To evaluate the indications and clinical results of less invasive stabilizing system (LISS) in the treatment of complex fractures around the knee. Methods Screws in this system can be inserted through the aiming handle and can be locked into the plate-holes. Between Dec. 2003 and Jun. 2004, 41 cases(29 males, 12 females) of complex fractures around knee were treated with LISS. The mean age of the patients was 40.6 years (range 24 to 67 years). The proximal tibia was involved in 28 cases and distal femur in 13. In all 41 cases, there are 22 (53.7%) polytrauma, 6 (14.6%) delayed fractures and 1 revision surgery. All fresh fractures were operated in a minimal invasive way (only articualr surfaces need open reduction), fractures in metaphyseal area and tibial shaft were reduced indirectly and stabilized with minimal invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis(MIPPO). The delayed and revisional fractures were reduced with limited approach and stabilized with MIPPO. Results The mean operation time was 87.2 min. The follow-up averaged 16 months(range 13 to 21 months). 3 patients with bone deficit in distal femur underwent a bone graft which unioned eventually, the other patients had a mean healing time of 15.1 weeks(11 to 23 weeks) and a mean weight bearing time of 16.8 weeks (12 to 25 weeks). One pulling device broken and one screw lost in the tibial medullary cavity occured intraoperatively. Postoperatively, one loss of reduction occurred, no deep infection, loosening, breakage or failure of implants was noted. According to Rasmussen criteria of fracture reduction, excellent in 31 (75.6%) cases, good in 10 (24.4%). One year postoperatively, the mean ROM of the knees was 2.4? to 95.6?, the mean HSS knee score was 88.4 points(58 to 98 points)with 27 excellent, 10 good, 3 fair and 1 poor according to HSS scoring system. Conclusion LISS, with a novel operating concept and technique different to traditional methods, is an effective and alternative way for complex juxtaarticular fractures around the knee, especially for those difficult to deal with in traditional way. As a novel product further clinical studies are required to verify its effectiveness.

Objective To explore the effects of 1,25-(OH) 2-D 3 in combined with DBMC to induce tolerance on heterotopic rat cardiac allografts.Methods After the establishment of a stable rat cervical heterotopic heart transplantation model, inbred male Wistar rat hearts were transplanted to male SD rats. The experimental rats were divided into the following groups: Group A served as experimental control group, group B receiving 1,25-(OH) 2-D 3 5000 ng/kg, group C being treated with 1?10 8 DBMC, group D being treated with 1?10 8 DBMC in combined with 1,25-(OH) 2-D 3 5000 ng/kg and group E being treated with CsA 10?mg/kg. The survival time of donor hearts was observed, meanwhile, the donor specific mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and concentrations of TNF-alpha and ICAM-1 in grafts were measured. HE staining inspected all specimens of heart grafts.Results The mean graft survival time (days) in the groups A, B, C, D and E group was 7.2 ? 1.6 , 10.6 ? 2.3 , 12.4 ? 2.5 , 68.3 ? 9.9 and 17.5 ? 4.4 , respectively. The results showed there were significant differences in graft survival time between the group D and the other groups ( P