Antidiabetic effects of a dietary supplement "Pancreas Tonic"

Pancreas Tonic, a dietary supplement, contains plant products shown to possess hypoglycemic activity. This study investigated the effect of Pancreas Tonic on serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and pancreatic islet cell regeneration of rats. Results showed that body weights of three groups of rats were not significantly different from each other before the study period, and after the 12 week study, weights increased with nonsignificant difference among the groups. The diabetic group had significantly higher serum glucose levels compared with controls, and the diet-treated group had significantly lower serum glucose levels compared with the diabetic group. The diabetic group's glycosylated hemoglobin was significantly higher compared with the control group, and the diet-treated group had significantly lower glycosylated hemoglobin levels compared with the diabetic and control groups. Histological analysis of the pancreas showed a generalized reduction in size and number of islets in the diabetic group and regeneration of islet cells in the diet-treated group compared with the diabetic group. The diabetic group had a significant reduction in the number of cells compared with controls. The diet-treated group contained a significantly increased number of cells compared with the diabetic group. These data suggest that Pancreas Tonic induced an antidiabetic effect through pancreatic islet cell regeneration in experimental rats.     

Study of sexual function in male hemodialysis patients--a sexual function survey using a questionnaire

Sexual dysfunction is a well-documented complication among male hemodialysis patients. To evaluate it in detail, we conducted a sexual function survey using the Sapporo Medical University Sexual Function Questionnaire. Two hundred five male patients receiving outpatient hemodialysis were entered into this study. Patients with diabetes mellitus and severe anemia (Hb value < 8.0 g/dl) were excluded. The control group consisted of 3,462 healthy male subjects. Of male hemodialysis patients, 33.7% showed deterioration of libido, while 44.4% showed deterioration of potency, both of them decreased greatly with age. Ejaculatory ability correlated with potency. We compared the frequency of sexual intercourse in male hemodialysis patients with that in normal males. Twelve point nine percent of hemodialysis patients (HP) ranging from 30 to 39 in age versus 3.5% of age-matched normal males had no sexual intercourse and 22.4% of HPs from 40 to 49 versus 3.0% of age-matched normal males, 52.2% of HPs from 50 to 59 versus 7.5% of age-matched normal males, and 89.3% of HPs from 60 to 69 versus 18.0% of age-matched normal males had no sexual intercourse. These results revealed that the sexual frequency in hemodialysis patients decreased more than that in normal males in all age groups and with age.     

Development of a dietary supplement database

Data describing the composition of dietary supplements are not readily available to the public health community. As a result, intake from dietary supplements is generally not considered in most dietary surveys and, hence, little is known about the significance of supplement intake in relation to total diet or disease risk. To enable a more comprehensive analysis of dietary data, a database of the composition of various dietary supplements has been compiled. Active ingredients of all dietary supplements sold in Australia are included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), maintained by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Products included in the database were restricted to those vitamin, mineral and other supplements identified in dietary data collected from studies conducted in southeast Queensland and New South Wales (850 supplements). Conversion factors from ingredients compounds to active elements were compiled from standard sources. No account has been made for bioavailability, consistent with current practice for food composition databases. The database can be queried by ARTG identification number, brand, product title, or a variety of other fields. Expected future developments include development of standard formulations for use when supplements are incompletely specified, and expansion of products included for more widespread use.     

The effect of diabetes on sexual behavior and reproductive tract function in male rats

As part of a study of the diversity of myosins, we have cloned a cDNA encoding a myosin-like protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. This is the first molecular motor of any kind to be cloned from a higher plant. The predicted polypeptide (molecular weight 131 kDa) has a motor domain (head) very similar to those of other myosins, but the remainder of the sequence is unusual. The tail contains four potential calmodulin binding sites ("IQ-motifs"), but no sequence motifs suggestive of actin or phospholipid binding, like those found in other myosins. There is also a small region of probable alpha-helical coiled-coil, which suggests that the molecule could be dimeric, though unlikely to form filaments. The N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the molecule are unique. We present a phylogenetic analysis of myosin head sequences, which suggests that this is a new type of myosin.     

Causal attributions and male sexual arousal: The impact of attributions for a bogus erectile difficulty on sexual arousal, cognitions, and affect.

After viewing 2 sexually explicit films, 52 sexually functional participants were given bogus feedback indicating a low erectile response. The men were given either an external, fluctuating attribution (i.e., poor films) or an internal, stable attribution (i.e., problematic thoughts about sex) for the low arousal. As hypothesized, participants in the external, fluctuating group evidenced greater erectile response and subjective arousal during a 3rd film than did participants given the internal, stable attribution. This may indicate that after an occasion of erectile difficulty, the cause to which the difficulty is attributed plays an important role in future sexual functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of a sexual enhancement and a communication training program on sexual and marital satisfaction.

A total of 30 volunteer couples were randomly assigned to a sexual enrichment, a communication training, or a wait-list control condition. The sexual enrichment and communication training groups met for 3-hr sessions, 1 day per week for 4 consecutive weeks. All three conditions were assessed immediately before, immediately after, and again 3 months after completion of the programs. Analyses of covariance revealed that wives who participated in the sexual enhancement program derived more pleasure from their sexual relationships than did wives in the other two groups. In addition, participants in the sexual enhancement program felt there was a greater amount of affectional expression, and rated their overall marital satisfaction as significantly improved. Couples participating in the communication training program also evinced limited changes in their sexual and marital relationships, whereas couples in the wait-list control condition reported no changes. We conclude that communication training is an important component in sexual enrichment programs and that more evaluative research is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An NMDA antagonist impairs copulation and the experience-induced enhancement of male sexual behavior in the rat.

Sexual experience facilitates subsequent male sexual behavior; activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor may play a role in this experience-induced enhancement. In this article, the authors report that systemic injections of MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist, impaired male sexual behavior in sexually naive and sexually experienced male rats. Furthermore, saline-treated rats that received 7 daily exposures to an inaccessible estrous female instead of sexual experience displayed enhancement of copulation on the following day. Injections of MK-801 before each of these exposures inhibited the experience-induced enhancement on the drug-free test on Day 8. These data suggest that stimulation of NMDA receptors enhances sexual performance immediately and mediates the experience-induced enhancement of subsequent copulatory behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantitation of vitamin E and a carotenoid pigment in cataractous human lenses, and the effect of a dietary supplement

The quantitation of tocopherols and carotenoids in lipid extracts of cataractous human lenses was performed in parallel with those of matched samples of plasma, which was also analysed at the same time. Alpha-tocopherol in cataractous lenses from elderly human subjects was present at 4.4 mumoles/kg wet weight, much less than the mean of 33 mumoles/l in plasma from these subjects. The mean ratio of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols was 3.5 in the lenses, and 11.3 in plasma. Lens extracts contained no detectable alpha- or beta-carotene, lycopene, or beta-cryptoxanthin. However, all the lens extracts contained a pigment with the retention time and spectrum of lutein and zeaxanthin. Using the molar extinction coefficient of lutein this was present at ca. 0.03 microM, compared with 0.2 microM in plasma. Seven patients with bilateral cataracts had one of their cataractous lenses removed and analysed, and were then given either an oral placebo, or an oral supplement of ascorbate, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene. Three months later, the second cataractous lens, and a blood sample, were analysed. Three of the seven had received the active supplement, as confirmed by substantially raised blood levels of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene, and raised aqueous humour levels of vitamin C. However, lens tocopherol levels remained unchanged, and no beta-carotene could be detected in the lenses after supplementation. This preliminary evidence needs to be confirmed in larger studies.     

The need for power, stress, immune function, and illness among male prisoners.

Previous studies have demonstrated that a strong power motive in college students as assessed by the TAT (nPow), if inhibited and/or stressed, was associated with impaired immune-function reports of more serious illnesses. 133 male prisoners' (mean age 28 yrs) motives were assessed from the TAT, stress and illness from self-report inventories, and immune function from concentrations of immunoglobulin A in saliva (S-IgA). Those high in nPow and in reported stress showed the highest levels of reported illness and the lowest concentrations of S-IgA—significantly different from those high in nPow and low in stress, but not from those simply high in stress. The motive/stress and lowered immune-function connection cannot be attributed to response bias. As expected, high concentrations of S-IgA were associated with reports of fewer upper respiratory infections, supporting the hypothesis that some motive/stress and illness connections may be mediated by impaired immune functions. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decline of sexual behavior in castrated male rats: effects of female precopulatory behavior

Ventricle cells from neonatal rats were cultured in a medium preventing cell proliferation on a modified Roller apparatus with a defined pericellular oxygen partial pressure (pO2) of 38 or 0.6 mm Hg for about one week. The cells were harvested after the second and eighth day of culture (corresponding to one or seven days of culture under a defined pO2) and prepared for electron microscopy. Electron micrographs of this material were examined by stereologic techniques. The obtained results showed some deviations of mitochondrial fine structure of heart muscle cells depending on oxygen supply. During cultivation with a pO2 of 0.6 mm Hg (hypoxic conditions) we observed a proportional increase in mitochondria without cristae and an increase in size accompanied by a more irregular shape. On the contrary, the mitochondria of cells cultured with a pericellular pO2 of 28 mm Hg, which we consider to be a normoxic condition, did not show any deviation of inner membrane arrangement, but an increase in number and a decrease of size during cultivation was apparent. The mitochondria-myofibrils ratio decreased during cultivation in both conditions of oxygen supply. The ratio between sarcoplasmatic reticulum and myofibrils decreased markedly at a pO2 of 0.6 mm Hg.     

Comparison of the effects of stanozolol, oxymetholone, and testosterone cypionate on the sexual behavior of castrated male rats.

In 3 experiments, adult male Long-Evans rats were castrated and treated daily with an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) compound (either stanozolol, oxymetholone, or testosterone cypionate) for 6 weeks. Subjects were assigned to 5 groups that received injections of a high, medium, or low dose of the AAS, testosterone propionate, or the oil vehicle. Stanozolol failed to maintain ejaculation at any dose tested. Although some subjects receiving the low dose of oxymetholone ejaculated, oxymetholone generally failed to stimulate ejaculation above the levels of the oil group. Testosterone cypionate sustained ejaculation at all doses tested. The relative potency of the medium dose of each AAS in the sex accessory tissues was (from most potent to least potent): testosterone cypionate?>?stanozolol?=?oxymetholone?=?oil. Thus, these 3 AAS compounds produced a range of behavioral and endocrine responses in castrated male rats. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of conventional proctocolectomy on sexual function

Seventy-one women who had a proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis (n. 41) or Crohn's disease (n. 30) were interviewed in the follow-up clinic for gynaecological problems and fertility. Forty-nine per cent (35/71) of the women had a distressing vaginal discharge after proctocolectomy, compared with 9% before surgery. At the gynaecological examination 45% (32/71) had a heavy vaginal secretion without any signs of an acute vaginal infection. In 68% (30/44) fluid retention in the vagina was associated with a caudally firmly-fixed and dilated posterior vaginal fornix. Twelve per cent (8/66) of the women reported dyspareunia before surgery. After surgery, 27% (18/66) complained of this symptom. Fertility was significantly reduced after surgery since only 37% (10/27) of the women who attempted to become pregnant succeeded within five years follow-up. The corresponding figure before surgery was 72% (39/54). Those who conceived went through pregnancy and parturition without any incident, 6 of 24 delivered by cesarean section. Fifty-seven men who had a proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis (n.41) or Crohn's disease (n. 30) were interviewed in the follow-up clinic for the presence of sexual disturbances and their incidence was studied. Fifty-seven per cent of elderly patients (above 40 years old) complained of reduced libido and sexual satisfaction. In younger patients (below 40 years old) 33% complained of an impaired quality of sexual life and 22% complained of an impaired sexual satisfaction. However, despite some sexual dysfunction, 56% reported improved sexual life and 67% improved sexual satisfaction. This may be explained by improved general health and increased libido after removal of diseased bowel.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The significance of dopamine, versus other catecholamines, for L-dopa induced facilitation of sexual behavior in the castrated male rat

The effects of a wide dose range of L-DOPA on male rat sexual behavior were investigated. The animals were castrated as adults and supplied with small amounts of testosterone propionate. It was found that doses of L-DOPA up to 2.5 mg/kg facilitated, while higher doses inhibited, sexual behavior in animals pretreated with pargyline, 20 mg/kg, + MK486, 50 mg/kg. The effects of L-DOPA on sexual behavior were not restricted to the copulatory act, but included elements preceding the copulatory act as well. Most of the facilitatory effects of L-DOPA 2.5 mg/kg were prevented by the dopamine receptor blocker pimozide; 0.10 mg/kg. It is concluded that dopamine is the catecholamine of major importance in mediating the L-DOPA induced facilitation of sexual behavior in the castrated male rat. However, some elements of the copulatory act appear to be modified by noradrenaline and/or adrenaline as well.     

Expectancies, alcohol, and sexual arousal in male social drinkers.

Randomly assigned 40 undergraduate males, all social drinkers, to 1 of 2 expectation conditions in which they were led to believe that the beverage they were administered contained either vodka and tonic or tonic only. For half of the Ss in each expectation condition, the beverage contained vodka; the others drank only tonic. After their drinks, measures of penile tumescence were taken from Ss using a penile strain gauge during 2 erotic films, 1 depicting a heterosexual interaction, the other a male homosexual interaction. Although analyses of variance failed to reveal any effect of alcohol per se, there were significant effects of expectation on penile tumescence during both the heterosexual and homosexual films. Ss who believed that they had consumed an alcoholic beverage manifested significantly greater sexual arousal than those believing they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage, regardless of the contents of their drinks. Although no consistent effects were observed on additional measures of sexual arousal, including the TAT, the Word Association Test, and forehead skin temperature, there was a significant positive correlation between self-report measures of sexual arousal and penile tumescence. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence that male sexual orientation is a matter of degree.

Whether male sexual orientation is best represented by discrete categories or by a continuum has been the focus of much debate. These alternatives were compared in an analysis of 1,138 men's scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 Masculinity—Femininity Scale, an established correlate of male sexual orientation. Mixtures of 2 or 3 latent distributions did not fit the observed distribution of scores better than a single normal distribution, suggesting that the latent variable underlying male sexual orientation is not discrete. Additional taxometric analyses provided convergent support for continuity. The findings were inconsistent with accounts of male sexual orientation that invoke single preponderant causes, whether genetic or environmental, and call some forms of taxonomic theorizing about sexual orientation into question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lack of opioid or dopaminergic effects on unconditioned sexual incentive motivation in male rats.

The effects of dopaminergic and opioidergic drugs on sexual incentive motivation were evaluated in sexually inexperienced male rats subjected to a choice procedure. Various parameters of ambulatory activity were recorded as well. Two drugs stimulating dopaminergic neurotransmission, amphetamine and apomorphine, failed to affect sexual incentive motivation, although ambulatory activity was enhanced by amphetamine. The dopamine antagonist cis(Z)-flupenthixol reduced sexual incentive motivation, but only at a dose that severely disrupted motor function. Morphine had marginal effects on sexual motivation but reduced ambulatory activity. These effects were not reduced by a peripheral opioid antagonist, methylnaloxone. Loperamide, a peripheral opioid agonist, reduced sexual motivation through an opioid-independent action. Naloxone was ineffective. Neither dopamine nor opioids seem to be important for sexual incentive motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the effects of 17 α–methyltestosterone, methandrostenolone, and nandrolone decanoate on the sexual behavior of castrated male rats.

In a series of 3 experiments, adult male Long-Evans rats were castrated and treated with 1 of 3 different anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) compounds ( 17 α-methyltestosterone, methandrostenolone, or nandrolone decanoate) for 6 weeks. In each experiment, subjects received daily injections of a high, medium, or low dose of AAS or the oil vehicle. The AAS effects on body weight in gonadectomized male rats were modest, and no effects on locomotor activity were observed. The AAS compounds administered at doses comparable with human abuse levels were not equipotent in maintaining male sexual behavior patterns (nandrolone decanoate > methandrostenolone > 17 α-methyltestosterone). In addition, the behavioral actions of AAS compounds did not parallel stimulation of sexual accessory glands. The authors reported that this study is the first to quantify the dose–response characteristics of individual AAS compounds with regard to these behavioral and endocrine measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)