Dental Prism

In a new study that will be published in the July 17th issue of the journal Circulation, Canadian researchers reveal that the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (Sildenafil), may likely be effective in the treatment of patients with right-sided heart failure, principally because their study shows that only the hearts of these patients exhibit the target molecules that can be blocked by these types of drugs.

The study was led by Drs. Jayan Nagendran, a cardiac surgery resident and Evangelos Michelakis, professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta in Canada.

The researchers wanted to gain insight into the mechanism of how Viagra may benefit patients with pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lung vessels). This devastating condition usually leads to right-sided (right ventricle) heart failure.

In their study, the researchers evaluated heart specimens from 9 patients to assess their phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) activity and their response to specific type-5 PDE inhibitors such as Viagra.

PDE-5 is an enzyme that degrades the activity of cGMP, a chemical that relaxes smooth muscle cells. In the vasculature, relaxation of smooth muscle cells causes vessels to dilate thereby increasing blood flow.

PDE-5 is preponderant in the corpus cavernosum of the penis. When it's inhibited, it leads to higher cGMP levels and less dilation (more constriction) of the blood vessels that let blood escape from the corpus cavernosum and thereby leading to a sustained erection.

The researchers essentially found that PDE-5 was not expressed in heart samples from patients that were healthy. Conversely, they did discover that patients with enlarged right heart ventricles had marked increased PDE-5 activity.

When the research team used Viagra (the PDE-5 inhibitor) in their experiments, they found that it increased the activity of isolated cardiac cells and the strength of heart contractions only in unhealthy samples and patients and not in any of the healthy controls.

In the press release from the University of Alberta, Dr. Nagendran stated that "there are a number of medical conditions in both children and adults for which there is a need to boost the performance of the right ventricle, and this drug can be clinically and immediately relevant to help these patients"

Dr. Michelakis also added that "We have a number of drugs and therapies available to treat the left ventricle of the heart to prevent it from failing or to treat it after it has failed, bet we don't have anything for the right ventricle. The phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibtors, which include Viagra and similar other drugs may offer some important benefits in this case."

Viagra (Sildenafil) has been recently approved in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Source: Associatedcontent

We’ve all been burned by something at sometime in our lives, be it boiling water or the hot, summer sun. The key is to know how to treat the burn effectively.

Naturally, second and third degree burns require immediate medical treatment, but mild first degree burns are often superficial and can be treated at home. Any burn requires immediate cooling down, so run tepid water directly onto the wound for at least five minutes to reduce the heat and give pain relief. For a chemical burn the skin must be flushed with cold running water until all pain has subsided.

Once the water has cooled the skin, here are 6 suggestions for home treatment of mild burns:

1. For burns, apply plain yogurt to keep it cool, or you can make a poultice from honey and yogurt.

2. Cucumber mashed to a pulp and mixed with glycerine makes a wonderful moisturizing balm.

3. Cool the affected area with cider vinegar, and make sure that the person who has been burned drinks plenty of fluids.

4. Make a tea from lemon balm, which will perform two functions-it will calm the patient and provide further pain relief.

5. For scalds, olive oil can bring effective relief, and will improve the chances of healing without blisters or scars. If you have lavender essential oil handy, add a few drops to help ease the singing sensation.

6. For sunburn, lemon juice dabbed on the affected area will bring pain relief. If you have an all-over-sunburn that doesn’t allow you to sleep try adding 2 tablespoons of baking soda to a cool bath and soak you whole body in a tub of water. For face burns, bathe your face in buttermilk, or grate up some potatoes and apply. The starch will cool and sooth the burn. Use cold peppermint tea as a mild wash to alleviate the stinging.
Thanks to expert author, Wendy Evenson, for this great contribution!

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Natural Health

ED affects up to 50 per cent of men at some point in their lives and is generally treated with the use of oral medications like Cialis, Viagra and Levitra. A study by a psychologist finds oral drugs like Viagra improve sexual performance but not a man’s ‘sexual health’. Not to worry, another new study finds Viagra can improve heart function and potentially save the lives of people with specific heart problems. The net results imply a longer life with poor sexual health but good ‘sexual function’.

Viagra is a magic blue pill used to treat erectile dysfunction among men and can be obtained on prescription from anywhere. A new study finds Viagra can improve heart function and potentially save the lives of people with specific heart problems.