Advancements in Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors: Unveiling Present and Future Perspectives

Optimum combined MET according to tolerability with efficacy, Silodosin Tadalafil versus Silodosin Vardenafil for distal ureteric stone: a prospective, double blinded, randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVES

To determine the optimum combination therapy of Silodosin-Tadalafil versus Silodosin-Vardenafil in terms of both tolerability and efficacy for the management of distal ureteric stones.

METHODS

This prospective, double blinded, randomized clinical trial included 140 patients with distal ureteric stones, randomized into two groups: Group I (n = 67) received Silodosin 8 mg once daily combined with Tadalafil 5 mg once daily, and Group II (n = 68) received Silodosin 8 mg once daily combined with Vardenafil 10 mg once daily. The primary outcome was the tolerability of the combination therapies, assessed through the incidence of adverse events. Secondary outcomes included stone expulsion rate, expulsion time, and the need for analgesics.

RESULTS

Both combination therapies demonstrated similar efficacy, with no significant differences in stone expulsion rate (70.1% vs. 67.6%, P = 0.754), expulsion time (19 ± 3 days for both groups, P = 0.793), and analgesic requirements (P > 0.05). However, the Silodosin-Tadalafil combination showed a significantly lower occurrence of adverse events, with notable differences in headache (23.9% vs. 57.4%, P < 0.001), dizziness (32.8% vs. 60.3%, P = 0.001), and gastrointestinal upset (9% vs. 66.2%, P < 0.001), and other adverse effects. The overall occurrence of any adverse event was significantly lower in the Silodosin-Tadalafil group (88.1% vs. 98.5%, P = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

Both Silodosin-Tadalafil and Silodosin-Vardenafil therapies are effective in managing distal ureteric stones. However, the Silodosin-Tadalafil combination is associated with a significantly lower incidence of adverse events, making it a more tolerable option for patients.

Priming mesenchymal stem cells to develop "super stem cells"

The stem cell pre-treatment approaches at cellular and sub-cellular levels encompass physical manipulation of stem cells to growth factor treatment, genetic manipulation, and chemical and pharmacological treatment, each strategy having advantages and limitations. Most of these pre-treatment protocols are non-combinative. This editorial is a continuum of Li et al's published article and Wan et al's editorial focusing on the significance of pre-treatment strategies to enhance their stemness, immunoregulatory, and immunosuppressive properties. They have elaborated on the intricacies of the combinative pre-treatment protocol using pro-inflammatory cytokines and hypoxia. Applying a well-defined multi-pronged combinatorial strategy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), pre-treatment based on the mechanistic understanding is expected to develop "Super MSCs", which will create a transformative shift in MSC-based therapies in clinical settings, potentially revolutionizing the field. Once optimized, the standardized protocols may be used with slight modifications to pre-treat different stem cells to develop "super stem cells" with augmented stemness, functionality, and reparability for diverse clinical applications with better outcomes.

Analysis of vacuum negative pressure therapy and traditional Chinese medicine lavage in combination with tadalafil for vascular erectile dysfunction

This study investigates the clinical effects of the novel Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) topical wash used in combination with negative pressure irrigation and tadalafil for the treatment of vascular erectile dysfunction. Eighty-seven patients with vascular erectile dysfunction were divided into an observation group and a control group. The observation group was administered negative pressure irrigation (TCM) in combination with oral tadalafil for four weeks, and the control group was administered oral tadalafil for four weeks. The observation group included 21 patients with arterial erectile dysfunction and 22 with intravenous erectile dysfunction. After treatment, IIEF-5, EHS, GAD scores, PSV, EDV and RI in observation group were improved compared with those before treatment (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, L0.000/R0.000, L0.000/R0.000, L0.003/R0.000). Erectile function (IIEF-5, EHS) was significantly improved compared with the control group (P = 0.008, 0.002). In the observation group, there were 21 cases of arterial erectile dysfunction and 22 cases of intravenous erectile dysfunction. After treatment, PSV of arterial ED improved significantly (P = L0.000/R0.000), but EDV did not decrease significantly (P = L0.084/R 0.098). In patients with venous ED, PSV increased (P = L0.026/R0.032) and EDV decreased significantly (P = L0.000/R0.000). These findings suggest that TCM negative pressure lavage combined with tadalafil improves the blood supply of the penile artery, relaxes smooth muscle, and improves the closing mechanism of venous vessels in patients with vascular erectile dysfunction, ultimately improving the erectile function.