• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2 s.32
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• pp.73-87
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• 1996

Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to attain and maintain penile rigidity sufficient to allow sexual intercourse. Although erectile dysfunction is usually considered a benign disorder, it has a dramatic impact on quality of life of the patients as well as their sexual partners. And it is common in men between the age of 40 and 70 years, and its incidence increases with age. The prevalence is reported to occupy 10% at the age of 40 years, 20% in 50s, 30% in 60s and 50% at the age of 70 years, and is more prevalent as stress in modern life and interest onsexual behavior increase. This article has aims to investigate and summarize the current trend of treatment for erectiledysfunction so as to suggest the effective and available way to treat the disease. In oriental medicine, erectile dysfunction has been treated with herb medicine and acupuncture with good results. Some of herb drugs have the substances which induce penile erection. So it should be investigated on the neurotransmitter or endothelial mediator which can be included in herb drugs. The acupuncture therapy stimulates the erectile nerves and is reported to be effective for erectile dysfunction. And suppository, locus injection therapy and topical agent are found to be effective as well as stellate ganglion block and biofeedback treatment. So the study on the approach and application of these treatments on erectile dysfunction would be necessary.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.304-310
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• 2003

Background : Recent discoveries on the physiology of an erection have demonstrated that the organic causes of impotence are more common, and psychogenic impotence is correspondingly less common than was formally believed. The incidence of sexual dysfunctions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is largely unknown or may be perfunctorily attributed to the associated illness or to aging. This study investigated whether or not the impotence was related to the COPD itself as well as whether or not it nay stem from organic causes in a notable proportion of such patients. Methods : The sexual function was evaluated in 10 COPD patients and 10 normal control subjects. A nocturnal Rigi Scan was performed to evaluate the erectile function of each group. The level of hormones such as the free testosterone, prolactin and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was measured, and a pulmonary function test and arterial blood gas analysis was performed. Results : The time duration and frequency of a penile erection were significantly lower in COPD patients than the controls (p<0.05). In addition, the $PaO_2$ levels correlated with the time duration of the penile erection. Conclusion : These results suggest that COPD is one of the causes of organic erectile dysfunction.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.391-396
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• 1998

Foreign bodies in genitourinary tract are common and almost of them are within the bladder. These foreign bodies were inserted or applied for autoerotic, psychiatric, therapeutic, or no definite reasons by the patient. Foreign bodies(a thermometer and a piece of cloth) in the bladder were inserted as a mean of masturbation in two cases, and a cooper wire in the posterior urethra was introduced by iatrogenic causes in one case. In one case, four magnets were inserted into the bladder for the purpose of forceful penile erection. Clinical history, symptom, radiologic study, and endoscopic examination were required to diagnose foreign body. They were easily removed by endoscopic manipulation or open surgical procedure.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.336-340
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• 1995

Impairment of erectile function, although normally a benign disorder, has a profound impact on the well-being of many men. Penile erection is produced by a complex series of events involving cognition, peripheral sensory input, central and peripheral autonomic nervous events and hormonal vascular events. The multiplicity of potential determinants identified suggest that impotence does not inexorably accompany age, but it is an arugmented significantly modifiable paraaging phenomena. A 53 year old male patients developed sudden impotence. The patients did not respond to intracavernous injection of papaverine. This patient was successfuly treated with 4 repeated stellate ganglion blocks.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.599-605
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• 1996

This study was designed to examine the mechanism of penile erection in adult bull by analyzing the responses of bovine proximal retractor penile muscle strips(BRP) to electtical field stimulation(EFS), exogenous nitric oxide(NO), NO synthesis precursor(L-arginine), NO synthase inhibitors(L-NAME, L-NMMA), guanylate cyclase inhibitor(methylene blue) and nonspecific potassium channel blocker(tetraethylammonium, TEA) treatments. Isometric tension of BRP was measured using physiograph. Results were summarized as follows: 1. EFS of nonadrenergic noncholinrgic(NANC) nerve in BRP produced frequency-dependent inhibitory responses to the contraction induced by co-treatment of epinephrine, guanethidine and atropine. The inhibitory responses to EFS were blocked by tetrodotoxin(TTX, $1{\mu}M$). 2. Treatment of L-NAME ($10,\;20{\mu}M$) inhibited the relaxation to EFS whereas L-NMMA ($100{\mu}M$) had no effect. 3. Treatment of NO($20,\;40{\mu}M$; as an acidified solution of $NaNO_2$) induced concentration-dependent relaxation whereas preincubation of TTX($1{\mu}M$) and L-NAME($20{\mu}M$) had no effect on the relaxation response. 4. L-arginine treatment(10mM) blocked the inhibitory effect of L-NAME($20{\mu}M$). 5. Pretreatment of methylene blue($40{\mu}M$) reduced the NANC-induced relaxation of BRP. 6. Tetraethylammonium(TEA, 80mM) reduced NANC relaxation. These results suggest that NO may act as a NANC neurotransmitter in BRP and the effects might be mediated by cGMP and potassium channel.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.371-376
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• 1994

To reevaluate the clinical usefulness of erection penography for diffential diagnosis of impotence, we reviewed retrospectively the data of penography in 56 patients who were diagnosed as impotence by various diagnostic workup. Twelve normal males were studied as control group. Papaverine HCl 30mg was injected into the corpus cavernosum and simultaneously $^{99m}Tc$-HSA 20mCi was injected via an antecubital vein. After injection radioactivities in the penile area were detected for 30 minutes by gamma camera and time activity curve was displayed. We defined that transit time(TT) is the time to reach peak activity and erection persistent time(EPT) is the duration of time to maintain peak activity and venous index(VI) is the ratio of radioactivity($R_{30}/R_{max}$). The results were as follows. The TT of arteriogenic group($10.7{\pm}2.8min$) was significantly increased compared with those of control and venogenic groups(P<0.05, respectively). The EPT of venogenic group ($6.2{\pm}6.8min$) is significantly decreased compared with those of control and arteriogenic groups(P<0.05, respectively). The TT of psychogenic($15.2{\pm}5.5min$) is significantly increased compared with those of control and arteriogenic groups(P<0.05, respectively). In conclusion erection penography was very useful for the diagnosis of vascular and psychogenic impotence and for differentiation between arteriogenic and venogenic but it could not differentiate mixed type or neurogenic from vascular or psychogenic.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.75-77
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• 2010

Until now, the main treatment for impotence has been the vasodilator injection, penile implants and etc. Among many methods, most effective way is known to be the medical therapy. The oral drug for an impotence remedy has to be above all, effective to the erection, and second, safety when taking in long-term. However, so far the drug in such condition and sufficiency has not been discovered. Consequently, it is crucial to develop the new medicine, made of natural materials only, without any uncertainty of side effect. The silkworm is very difference in physiological chemical change according to growth stage. Therefore the functional effect shows a very big difference according to preparation method with a growth stage. This research carry out the experiment with the pupa powder immediately before the eclosion, eclosion adult, the pupa extract immediately before the eclosion, and the silkworm powder of 5 instar 3rd day. The result showed not a big chance in weight, feed and water intake quantity. But testosterone hormone secretion effects of the freeze drying powder of the pupa immediately before the eclosion was very high 7.31 ng/ml, compared to 2.37 ng/ml of non treatment and 2.67 ng/ml of alcohol extraction method. As this result, the freeze drying pupa powder of the pupa immediately before the eclosion was confirmed to promote the secretion of the testosterone hormone more than alcohol extraction method of existing.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2 s.32
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• pp.88-99
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• 1996

Impotence is defined as a consistent inability to achieve or maintain penile erection that is adequate for completion of sexual intercourse. In oriental midicine, the chief cause of impotence is the decline of the fire from the gate of life, and in western medicine that is psycogenic and organic. Because of the increase aging people and psycologic stress that modern people get, impotence became common. This bibliographic study on impotence in the oriental and western medicine books has come to the following conclusions. 1. The main cause of impotence in the oriental medicine is the decline of the fire from the gate of life(命門火衰), followed by the deficiency of both heart and spleen(心脾兩虛), the depression of Liver energy(肝氣鬱結), and attack of blended wetness and heat to the lower wanner(濕熱下注). 2. The theraphics of impotence in oriental medicine are warming and strenghthening Kidney. softness of Liver energy, tonifying the Kidney to relieve mental strain, clear away the wetness-heat, and infairment of Heart and Spleen. 3. The prescriptions of impotence are Yugyeyum, Gyibitang, Soyosan, Sunjitang, and Yongdamsagantang. 4. In the western medicine, psycotherapy, medical therapy and surgical therapy are the major way to treat impotence.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2006

Background: Korean ginseng (KG) has been used as a general tonic, and for voiding dysfunction for a long time in oriental society. However, scientific basic studies on the use of KG, have been rare, especially for voiding and erectile dysfunction. This study was performed to investigate the effects of KG on voiding and erectile function by examining the effects of total saponin (TS) on the bladder, urethral and penile cavernosal smooth muscle. Materials and methods: To examine the effects of TS, NewZeland white rabbits were used to obtain tissue strips from the smooth muscle of the bladder, proximal urethra and corpus cavernosum. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were used to examine the changes in urodynamic findings and penile erection after administration of TS. Results: In proximal urethral strips, the rate of relaxation of the proximal urethra was increased from $9.0{\pm}2.9$ to $33.7{\pm}4.8%$ in a dose-dependent manner when the concentration of TS was added accumulatively from 0.25 mg/ml to 4.0 mg/ml (p<0.05). However, no significant response was observed in the bladder strips within these concentration ranges. For the corpus cavernosal strips, the rate of relaxation ranged from $5.8{\pm}2.1$ to $36.7{\pm}5.8%$, increasing in a dose-dependent manner when TS was increased from 1.0 mg/ml to 4.0 mg/ml (p<0.05). After administration of 0.1 ml of TS (32 mg/ml) in the rat, the bladder pressure was $37.5{\pm}8.5$ mmHg at $52.1{\pm}7.0$ sec. during isovolumetric bladder contraction, showing no significant differences from $35.7{\pm}7.8mmHg$ and $50.7{\pm}7.2$ sec, respectively, before treatment. However, when 0.1 ml of TS (32 mg/ml) was administered, the relative reduction of urethral pressure was $6.9{\pm}0.5mmHg$ at $62{\pm}7.5$ sec, which was significantly higher compared to $4.6{\pm}1.1mmHg$ at $45{\pm}10$ sec before treatment (p<0.05). For the cavernosal injection study, the change in intracavernosal pressure (${\Delta}ICP$) was examined after administering 0.1 ml of TS. The cumulative additions of TS at concentrations from 0.5 mg/ml to 32 mg/ml increased ${\Delta}ICP$ from $1.3{\pm}0.5$ to $21.3{\pm}7.8mmHg$ in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). The duration of tumescence was from $0.3{\pm}0.1$ to $5.2{\pm}0.2$ min, showing dose-dependent increase (p<0.05). Furthermore, the cumulative addition of TS at concentrations from 0.5 mg/ml upto 32 mg/ml did not cause any significant change in systemic blood pressure. Conclusion: These results suggest that ginseng improves voiding functions, which is mainly achieved by TS relaxing the proximal urethra, the most important part of the bladder outlet function. In addition, ginseng safely induced a penile erection hemodynamically by relaxing the corpus cavernosum.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2000

The purpose of this work is to develop a transurethral suppository containing prostaglandin $E_1\;(PGE_1)$, which stabilizes the drug, gives no irritation to physiological body and enhances the erectile response of $PGE_1.\;PGE_1$ transurethral suppositories were prepared with various amounts of compositions such as saturated polyglycolysed glyceride $(Suppocire^{\circledR}\;AP,\;SAP)$, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil (HCO-50) and ethanol. The melting points, viscosities and $PGE_1$ release of the suppositories were investigated. Ocular irritation test was carried out after application of $PGE_1$ suppository to rabbit's eye. The intracavernous pressure (ICP), penile length and duration of erectile response were determined after transurethral administration of $PGE_1$ suppository and compared with those after intracavernosal injection of $PGE_1$ solution to cats. HCO-50 hardly affected the melting points and viscosities of $PGE_1$ suppositories. Additionally, $PGE_1$ transurethral suppositories, whose melting point ranges was $34-35^{\circ}C$, was speedily melted in physiological body. HCO-50 significantly decreased the dissolution rates of $PGE_1$ from the suppositories. Dissolution mechanism analysis showed the release of $PGE_1$ was proportional to the square root of time, indicating that $PGE_1$ might be released from the suppositories by Fickian diffusion. The release rate of $PGE_1$ from $PGE_1$ suppository [PGE1/SAP/HCO-50/ethanol (1/94.5/2.5/2%)] was about 80% within 2 h. This $PGE_1$ suppository gave no significant irritation to the ocular tissue, expecting that it gave no irritation to the urethral tissue less sensive than ocular tissue. Furthermore, $PGE_1$ in this suppository was stable at $4^{\circ}C$ for 2 years. This suppository increased the ICP and penile erection similar to those of injectable $PGE_1$ solution. However, it gave 2.5-fold increased duration of erectile response than injectable $PGE_1$ solution. Our results suggested that it gave more effective erectile response than injectable $PGE_1$ solution in cats. It is concluded that this $PGE_1$ suppository with good safety, excellent stability and enhanced erectile response, could be a more effective and convenient transurethal delivery system of $PGE_1$.