Nerve wrap targets post-surgery impotence that can jeopardize sex life

Wraps made with human placenta may reduce the risk of men becoming impotent after prostate cancer surgery.

When a woman gives birth, packets of placental tissue that are normally expelled are folded around the sensitive nerves that control a man’s erections.

This is done during cancer surgery to remove the prostate, a procedure that can damage sensitive nerves and leave men powerless later on.

The tissue called the amnion is a tough, flexible membrane that forms the innermost layer of the placenta, which is the source of nutrients and oxygen for the baby in the womb.

Amniotic fluid not only physically protects your nerves by enveloping them, but also contains a cocktail of various compounds, including growth factors and stem cells, that can help repair nerve damage during surgery.

Animal studies also suggest that these compounds reduce any harmful inflammation when they escape the placental tissue.

Research now shows that the technique accelerates the rate at which men regain their sexual function after surgery, called radical prostatectomy.

Around 5,000 men a year in the UK undergo radical prostatectomy (which involves removing the entire prostate and a small amount of surrounding tissue) to try to get rid of cancer.

While modern surgical techniques, known as nerve-sparing surgery, can reduce risks, the Prostate Cancer UK charity estimates that 80% of men who have their prostate removed will experience fairly severe erectile dysfunction. strains their relationship. Put deformation.

The challenge for surgeons is that the area around the prostate is a dense forest of nerves that controls erections as well as urinary continence. Any accidental damage or bruising can cause urinary incontinence or impotence.

Studies show that many men struggle with what they see as losing their masculinity because of the effect of surgery on their sex lives – more than two-thirds say they would rather live shorter lives if it means they can get back to it. sexually active.

Human placenta wraps may reduce men’s risk of becoming impotent after prostate cancer surgery

But placental wraps may not be a possible solution.

After birth, the placental tissue is sterilized and dried rather than discarded.

That’s why, when a surgeon uses them during prostate surgery, dry dressings get wet when they come into contact with blood and other bodily fluids – they instantly attach to nerve bundles without the need for stitches. The dressing is removed after use during surgery.

A recent study in the Journal of Robotic Surgery involving 600 men treated with a placental envelope by US researchers at Harvard University, the University of Central Florida and the State University of New York found after an average of just four months. In some cases, their sex life returned to normal within a few weeks.

Even with nerve-sparing surgery, it can often take up to a year for the nerves to heal completely if the nerves are not preserved in this way.

Professor Raj Persad, urologist at the Bristol Urology Associates private clinic, said of the research: “This is interesting, but we need a randomized controlled trial to explore its efficacy and safety. It is unclear how exactly this might work.

“It is possible for stem cells in the tissue to repair damaged erectile nerve cells. Sometimes nerves have to be sacrificed consciously during an operation to get rid of all the cancer cells.’

Eating more fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men under 65. Harvard University doctors followed nearly 50,000 men for decades and found that those who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 16% less likely to develop cancer and about 20% less likely to die from cancer. Clinical Nutrition.

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Snail slime helps heal wounds

Can snail mucus help wounds heal faster? That’s the theory behind a study in the journal Membranes.

The researchers found that slime, produced as a defense mechanism by the chocolate-banded snail found in Eastern Mediterranean countries, contains allantoin and glycolic acid, two compounds that have antimicrobial properties and can heal skin damage.

The study, based on laboratory rats from the University of Alexandria in Egypt, showed that wound size was about 25% smaller after just one day in those treated with a bandage containing snail mucus compared to a group of controls.

Hopefully, the study will pave the way for snail slime dressings.

Air quality due to hyperactivity

Researchers suggest that children living in polluted cities are at significantly higher risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

They compared ADHD rates in 37,000 children with the percentage of greenery and pollution levels in their neighborhoods.

According to the journal Environment International, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health team found that ADHD cases were 62% higher among youth living in residential areas. However, exposure to vegetation has been found to reduce this risk by half.

The toxic particles can cause inflammation in the brain’s nerve cells, the researchers said.

Researchers suggest that children living in polluted cities are at significantly higher risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Vitamin D reduces the risk of psoriasis

Vitamin D and omega-3 supplements reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, according to the BMJ.

Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA asked 25,000 seniors to take various vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid pills or placebo tablets and record their health over five years.

All supplementation regimens, except placebo, resulted in a lower rate of autoimmune disease over the study period.

American researchers think this is due to the anti-inflammatory effects of the supplements.