Viagra can help patients with heart defects

Use of sildenafil, also known as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, may boost function of underdeveloped hearts in children and young adults with congenital heart defects, suggest a new study.


Researchers from The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia has reported that sildenafil significantly improved echocardiographic measures of heart function in children and young adult survivors of single ventricle heart disease palliation.

"Although researchers will need to evaluate clinical benefits over a longer period with a larger number of patients, this finding offers a potential advance in the management of patients with these types of heart defects," said study leader David J. Goldberg, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The researchers randomly assigned 27 children and young adults at Children`s Hospital to receive either sildenafil or a placebo for six weeks. After a six-week break in treatment, the subjects were switched to the opposite treatment course. The study team used echocardiograms to measure myocardial performance index (MPI), an indicator of the heart`s overall ability to pump blood.

The patients in this double-blind, short-term study, who had a mean age of 14.9 years, had undergone a Fontan operation in early childhood, a mean of 11.3 years previously. The Fontan surgery redirects blood circulation in patients born with a severely underdeveloped ventricle, one of the heart`s two pumping chambers. The operation is the third in a staged series of surgeries for life-threatening single-ventricle defects.

Although surgical advances over the past 20 years have dramatically improved survival for single-ventricle defects, patients with the condition continue to have long-term illness and risk of early death.

The staged surgeries do not recreate normal heart circulation, but instead redirect blood flowing from the veins directly to the lungs, bypassing the heart. However, blood vessels in the lungs develop resistance to this blood, often reducing a patient`s ability to tolerate exercise.

Sildenafil, which reduces blood vessel resistance to the flow of blood, is already used to treat pulmonary hypertension (high blood press in lung vessels), as well as erectile dysfunction. Because sildenafil has also shown promise as a treatment for adults with heart failure, the Children`s Hospital researchers are exploring whether it may benefit younger patients with certain types of congenital heart disease.

The current study is part of a broader phase 2 clinical trial at The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Sildenafil After the Fontan Operation (SAFO) trial.

A previous study from the same research team, published in March 2011, found improvements in exercise performance, as measured by ventilator efficiency, in children and young adults with single-ventricle disease who took sildenafil compared to those who took placebo.

The current study was the first to show that sildenafil improved echocardiographic measures of ventricular performance in children and young adults with single-ventricle physiology.

The biological mechanisms that affect ventricular performance are not fully understood, said Goldberg, but he noted that studies in other patients with heart disease suggest that inhibiting the abnormally high levels of the enzyme phosphodiesterase E5 (PDE5) may produce the physiological benefits seen in the single-ventricle patients.

Goldberg cautioned that further research should be pursued to determine if the observed improvements in ventricular performance persist beyond the short term and if they provide clear quality-of-life benefits.

"If sildenafil is safe over the medium and long-term, and if it produces durable functional improvements, patients with single-ventricle heart disease could have their first effective long-term treatment," he added.

The study appeared online recently in the journal Pediatric Cardiology.

Viagra in condom promises the lift

A patented gel in a new condom promises to boost lovemaking by promoting blood flow.

The gel inside the tip of the sheath rapidly permeates the skin to boost blood flow, giving men a welcome lift.


The Zanifil gel is based on nitroglycerin used in treating chest pain and heart failure since the 19th century. "It`s essentially Viagra in a condom," Daniel Mahony told Bloomberg.

However, unlike Pfizer`s Viagra, the condom will be available without prescription. There is no word yet from Durex, the manufacturer, on how much a packet will set you back, the Daily Mail reports.

The condom, known as CSD500, was awarded a CE mark in August this year, which means it can be sold across Europe in the same way as conventional condoms.

It followed a double-blind clinical trial that compared the CSD500 to a standard condom. A majority of testers reported improvements in their erection and penis size when using the new product, while many women reported a longer-lasting sexual experience.

The condom is likely to be a big business for both Futura and distributor Reckitt Benckiser, which owns Durex. Sales of Viagra have rocketed to 1.2 billion pounds since it was launched as a drug for erectile dysfunction in 1998.

A spokesman for Futura said: "The commercial potential of CSD500 is obvious with one in 10 men in the world having erectile dysfunction."

"However, CSD500 differs from erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra because it is specifically aimed at men who struggle to maintain an erection whilst wearing a condom."

Active ingredient in Viagra eases heart problems

An active ingredient in Viagra can alleviate heart problems, a new study has claimed.

According to Bochum’s researchers in cooperation with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota), sildenafil makes stiffened cardiac walls elastic again.

They researchers studied dogs with diastolic heart failure, a condition in which the heart chamber does not sufficiently fill with blood. They showed that sildenafil makes stiffened cardiac walls more elastic again.

The drug activates an enzyme that causes the giant protein titin in the myocardial cells to relax.

“We have developed a therapy in an animal model that, for the first time, also raises hopes for the successful treatment of patients,” Wolfgang Linke of the RUB Institute of Physiology, said.
Sildenafil inhibits a specific enzyme, phosphodiesterase 5 A, which causes the increased formation of a messenger substance (cGMP). The messenger substance activates the enzyme protein kinase G, which attaches phosphate groups to certain proteins.

This so-called phosphorylation causes blood vessels to relax, which was why the “potency pill” Viagra originally came onto the market. The Bochum and Rochester researchers found that the cardiac muscle protein titin is also phosphorylated through the same mechanism.

“The titin molecules are similar to rubber bands. Bochum``s researchers in cooperation with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota),” the Bochum physiologist said.

The activity of the protein kinase G causes titin to relax. This makes the cardiac walls more elastic. The effect occurs within minutes of administering the drug.

“Of all the patients aged over 60 who are in hospital because of a weak heart, half suffer from diastolic heart failure,” Linke said.

“Although we know that the decreased distensibility of the cardiac walls is the cause, the disease cannot be treated properly with today’s medicines,” Linke added.

The study has been published in the journal Circulation.

Viagra may be used to combat skin cancer

Researchers have found that sildenafil, which is better known under its trade name, Viagra, may be used to treat malignant melanoma.

Professor Dr. Viktor Umansky, immunologist at DKFZ and University Medical Centre Mannheim and his team studied chronic inflammation caused by malignant melanoma.

For their research, they used genetically modified (transgenic) mice that spontaneously develop a type of skin cancer, which is very similar to human melanoma.

The melanoma mice were then given sildenafil. This substance had already been reported to improve tumour immunity in experimental animal models several times before.

Of the mice that had been given the substance with their drinking water, more than twice as many were still alive after about seven weeks compared to their untreated fellows.

In the animals that had been treated, both the number of tumour-specific T cells and the level of activating molecules had returned to normal.

This means that sildenafil successfully neutralizes the chronic inflammation in the melanoma environment and combats the immunosuppressive activity of MDSC.

“Our research approach is special because the disease takes a very similar course in mice as melanoma does in humans,” Viktor Umansky said explaining the medical relevance of his findings.

“Therefore, it is very well possible that sildenafil can also inhibit the immunosuppressive effects of inflammation and thus improve anti-tumour immunity in people with melanoma.

“In this way, the drug may contribute to achieving better treatment results in malignant melanoma,” he added.

After herbal Viagra, now herbal Drinking water

After the successful launch of 'Laboob Sager', the herbal Viagra, a state-owned corporation of Tamil Nadu government would soon launch yet another health product - herbal drinking water, claimed to be first of its kind in the country.

It contained herbal extracts with useful bio-active properties that play a major role in maintaining good health as evidenced by Siddha and Ayurveda literatures and modern scientific studies, Tamil Nadu Medicinal Plant Farms and Herbal Medicines Corporation Ltd. (TAMPCOL) officials said.

The herbal water, to be sold in 1,000 ml and 500 ml pet bottles and competitively priced in the growing mineral water market, was likely to be launched in the next two months, company Chairman and managing director GA Rajkumar said.

TAMPCOL was in the final process of getting the ISI certificate and other related licences, he said.

The company had recently launched 'Laboob Sager', herbal aphrodisiac using an ancient 'Sastric' Unani formulation, billing the drug as substitute for the costly Viagra with "no side effects" and it become a runaway hit with good demand.

Rajkumar said the herbal extracts that would be added with the water include 'tulsi' (holy basil), 'nannari' (Indian sarasaparilla) and 'Adhimadhuram' (licorice).

"Volatile active properties from these herbal extracts are obtained by steam distillation process and are mixed with the drinking water in suitable proportions," Rajkumar said.

Rajkumar said packaged water companies were offering only pure drinking water. "These do not contain any health promoting substances. Our herbal water, certified by state Drug Licence Authority, will have elements that are good for health," he claimed.

Explaining about the elements, he said 'Nanari' herb mixed in this water was widely used by the people in 'sorbet' (sweet drink) for quenching thirst and for cooling effect and 'tulsi' was commonly used for better health.

He said the licorice with sweet taste and pleasant aroma contain many active principles and were widely used in many Indian system of medicines.

Quoting some research findings, he said it had been established that all the three herbal extracts were good sources of antioxidants which were helpful in fighting aging, cancer, renal diseases among others, he said.

"Regular consumption of the herbal water may help our body to get the benefit of antioxidants present in the water," he claimed.

TAMPCOL marketing manager G Ramanathan said the company would produce one lakh bottles of herbal water to start with. Initially, it would be marketed in Southern states. "We will be setting up another manufacturing unit, which would cater to the needs of the North Indian market," he added.

Viagra treatment for Footballers

A Bolivian football team's former physiotherapist says he gave players the sex drug Viagra to help them play at high altitude in the main city.

Rodrigo Figueroa told La Prensa newspaper he had prescribed Viagra, which oxygenates the blood, to at least nine players in his team, Blooming.

The team from Santa Cruz, 400m (1,300ft) above sea level, were playing at more than 3,500m in La Paz.

Players were unaware of what they were taking, the physiotherapist said.

He stressed that Viagra was not on the list of banned drugs.

"We prescribed it for several players, especially those who suffered most from altitude," said Mr Figueroa.

He had, he explained, administered the product by mixing it with fruit juice.

Asked about his former side's results using the product, Figueroa, who is now with Bolivar in La Paz, replied:

"At altitude you win, you draw, you lose. The best results came when the team relied on strong tactical nous."