Healthsystem

Background
Topical ionic contraviral therapy (ICVT) with digoxin and furosemide inhibits the potassium influx on which DNA viruses rely for replication. Therefore, ICVT was hypothesized to be a potential novel treatment for cutaneous warts.
Objectives
To assess the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of ICVT in adults with cutaneous warts. The secondary objective was to gain insight into the underlying working mechanism of ICVT.
Methods
Treatment with ICVT was assessed for efficacy, safety and tolerability in a single‐ centre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase IIA trial. Eighty adult patients with at least two cutaneous warts (plantar or common) were randomized to one of four treatments: digoxin + furosemide (0·125%), digoxin (0·125%), furosemide (0·125%) or placebo. The gel was administered once daily for 42 consecutive days. Predefined statistical analysis was performed with a mixed‐model ancova. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with number NCT02333643.
Results
Wart size and human papillomavirus (HPV) load reduction was achieved in all active treatment groups. A statistically significant reduction in wart diameter of all treated warts was shown in the digoxin + furosemide treatment group vs. placebo (−3·0 mm, 95% confidence interval −4·9 to −1·1, P = 0·002). There was a statistically significant reduction in the HPV load of all treated warts in the digoxin + furosemide group vs. placebo (−94%, 95% confidence interval −100 to −19, P = 0·03). With wart size reduction, histologically and immunohistochemically defined viral characteristics disappeared from partial and total responding warts.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates the proof of concept for the efficacy of topical ICVT in adults with cutaneous warts.
Cutaneous warts, or verrucae, are a common benign skin condition with an estimated prevalence of 3–13% in the general population in the Western world.1 Most people are affected by cutaneous warts, either plantar warts (located on the foot soles) or common warts (mostly located on the hands or dorsal feet), at some point in their life.1, 2, 3, 4
Although cutaneous warts are benign and usually resolve spontaneously,5 they cause both physical and psychosocial discomfort.6 Many patients use a variety of wart‐removing products.6, 7, 8 Efficacy rates of common treatments are approximately 39% for cryotherapy, 24% for salicylic acid and 46% for monochloroacetic acid, whereas spontaneous regression rates are around 16%.7, 9, 10, 11 As current treatments such as cryotherapy and monochloroacetic acid often have side‐effects (e.g. pain, erythema and burning sensation)12 and low efficacy rates, there is a need for therapies with a greater efficacy and minimal side‐effects.13, 14, 15
Cutaneous warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The great majority (> 80%) of verrucae in the general population are related to HPVs 1, 2, 27 and 57.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 It is well known that papillomaviruses are dependent of the milieu of the infected host cell for proliferation.22, 23 More specifically, it has been shown that DNA viruses, such as HPV, rely on potassium ion influx for replication.24 The cardiac glycoside digoxin and loop diuretic furosemide both inhibit K+ influx by interacting with the cell‐membrane ion cotransporters Na+/K+‐ATPase and Na‐K‐Cl. These two compounds may therefore be valuable for the treatment of HPV‐induced diseases, such as cutaneous warts. In 2006, an in vitro study found that the inhibitory effect on DNA replication was most potent when digoxin and furosemide were combined. This new approach with two well‐known, established drugs, described as ionic contraviral therapy (ICVT), is suggested to be most effective via local application.25
A previous phase I/II open‐label study recently demonstrated the safety and efficacy of ICVT in a group of 12 healthy patients with common warts.26 The aim of the current proof‐of‐concept study was to assess the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of ICVT in adults with cutaneous warts in a single‐centre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase IIA trial. The secondary objective was to gain insight into the underlying working mechanism of ICVT.

They might feel like their bodies aren’t s*xy enough, their p***ses aren’t big enough, they can’t last long enough, get hard enough, aren’t experienced enough, and so on. Some guys worry about some of these, while others think of these things at the same time.

RELATED: Premature Ej*******on Myths, Debunked

Unsurprisingly, grappling with these fears internally typically doesn’t produce the best results when it comes to enjoying yourself or pleasing your partner. The best way to approach the situation, more often than not, is to simply open up about what you’re struggling with. But that can be daunting for men raised in a culture where admitting weakness is seen as something to avoid altogether.

In order to get a handle on how to navigate conversations about perceived s*xual inadequecies, AskMen spoke to a handful of s*x experts about different things guys worry about in bed, why they can be so stressful, and what to do if your partner is unkind about something you’re sensitive about. Here’s what they had to say:

Common S*xual Inadequacies Men Experience
When men are worrying that they don’t measure up, there’s no limit as to how many ways they can arrive at that conclusion. But there are a handful of more common ones that guys tend to settle on.

“As a s*x advice columnist, I can safely say the biggest fear men have is not being big enough (i.e., p***s size),” says Zachary Zane, brand ambassador for Promescent.

To this list, Kenneth Play, s*x educator and creator of the S*x Hacker Pro Series, would add premature ej*******on (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED), noting that people see their inadequecies as “an innate issue that is set in stone.” That’s hardly the case, though, according to Daniel Saynt, founder of the New Society for Wellness (NSFW), who suggests the issue is more of a psychological one for most men.

“So many of the shortcomings that men deal with privately can be attributed to low self-esteem due to size of p***s or body dysmorphia, depression, stress, anxiety, the pressure to perform or to have s*x when they don’t want to,” he says. “Men are expected to lead. They are expected to know how to please [their partners.] They are expected to always come or be rock hard. They’re expected to always want s*x and to know what we’re doing without any education outside of p**n. They are expected to have a certain body type.”

The list goes on. And to no real surprise, worrying about these kinds of things while in the act isn’t exactly an aphrodisiac.

The Right Way to Open Up About Your Inadequacies in Bed Don’t let PE, ED, size or anything else hold you back from good s*x.

Beli for Men Helps Guys Optimize Their Reproductive Health
Give Your S***m a Boost With Beli for Men's Innovative Fertility Multivitamin
Jack Dawes
October 11, 2021
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The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

When Beli set out to make a comprehensive multivitamin to enhance fertility and improve a couple's chances of conceiving, they naturally focused on women's health. After all, it is women who bear the greater burden after conception, so it only makes sense that optimizing their prenatal health would also matter most, right?

Well, the more Beli's researchers dug into problems of modern infertility, the more they came to the startling conclusion that we men are playing a central role in the problem. It was a light-bulb moment for Beli, and a massive step forward for the fertility industry.

RELATED: Beli Vitality for Men Multivitamin Can Increase S***m Count

In the words of Joni Hanson Davis, the CEO of Beli: "Fertility issues are on the rise. One in five couples will seek fertility care over their lifetimes, and the root cause for more than 40% of couples experiencing fertility trouble is poor s***m quality or low s***m count."

The science backs Davis up: a recent meta-analysis of infertility problems found that a whopping 50% of pregnancy issues involve problems with the man’s reproductive system, with 20% of all problems being male-exclusive. And with our modern trend of delaying marriage and childbirth, fertility troubles are sadly becoming much more common: an estimated one in four couples in the developing world experience some form of infertility, with 15% of couples unable to conceive after one year of trying and 10% unable to conceive after two years of trying.

There is one important gender difference in infertility, however: whereas women’s fertility can suffer for a wide variety of reasons, men’s fertility issues almost always come down to a combination of low s***m count and poor s***m quality. The average ej*******on contains roughly 55 million individual s***m, but typically only fifteen ever make it through the female reproductive tract, and when you’re facing odds like that, it helps to have more than luck on your side.

There's good news for the guys, though: your health is in your hands. You can take active steps to improve your fertility and boost your s***m count and quality. Here's Davis again: "You would be surprised by how much power you have over the health and vitality of your s***m. It's been well established that nutritional deficiencies in men contribute to risk factors around s***m health, fertility, conception, miscarriage, birth defects, overall health, and the future health of the baby. One of the easiest ways to increase s***m health is to take a men's prenatal that is optimized for men's unique nutrient needs.

That’s where Beli for Men comes in. They basically revolutionized prenatal supplementation by refocusing the industry on the neglected half of the equation: men. Their unique prenatal vitamin formula is designed to restore your s*xual health by increasing s***m count, improving s***m quality and egg pe*******on, and nurturing infant s***m with the nutrients they need to grow. And for a limited time, AskMen readers can get 15% off by using the code AskMen15 at checkout.

Quercetin protects against chronic prostatitis in rat model through NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways
Ling-Quan Meng 1, Fei-Ya Yang 1, Ming-Shuai Wang 1, Ben-Kang Shi 2, De-Xi Chen 3 4, D**g Chen 1, Qiang Zhou 5, Qing-Bao He 1, Lin-Xiang Ma 1, Wen-Long Cheng 6, Nian-Zeng Xing 1
Affiliations expand
PMID: 29654614 DOI: 10.1002/pros.23536
Abstract
Background: Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a common disease of urology, of which the pathogenesis and therapy remain to be further elucidated. Quercetin has been reported to improve the symptoms of CP/CPPS patients. We aimed to verify the therapeutic effect of quercetin on CP/CPPS and identify the mechanism responsible for it.

Methods: A novel CP/CPPS model induced with Complete Freund Adjuvant in Sprague Dawley rats was established and the prostates and blood specimens were harvested for further measurement after oral administration of quercetin for 4 weeks.

Results: Increased prostate index and infiltration of lymphocytes, up-regulated expression of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, MCP1, and TNFα, decreased T-SOD, CAT, GSH-PX, and increased MDA, enhanced phosphorylation of NF-κB, P38, ERK1/2, and SAPK/JNK were detected in CP/CPPS rat model. Quercetin was identified to ameliorate the histo-pathologic changes, decrease the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, MCP1, and TNFα, improve anti-oxidant capacity, and suppress the phosphorylation of NF-κB and MAPKs.

Conclusions: Quercetin has specific protective effect on CP/CPPS, which is mediated by anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and at least partly through NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Keywords: Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome; anti-inflammation; anti-oxidation; quercetin; signal pathway.