The blue pill (sildenafil) and its descendants: an overview

An increasing number of men around the world suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED). Indeed, according to the sexuality study conducted by Professor Izdebski, 1 out of 10 men in Poland suffers from ED. The problem is found among men of any age, however, 60% of all patients are between 40 and 60 years old, thus in their prime, and who still want to fully enjoy life. Not only do the effects of ED affect a man, but they have influence on his relationship and partner as well. In spite of a growing awareness within society, the problem remains perceived as embarrassing, which leads patients to treat themselves on their own, delaying a visit to their doctors. Meanwhile, in many cases, ED may be the first symptom of more serious diseases, such as diabetes, or result from the sideeffects of applied drugs. A breakthrough in the oral medication treatment of ED was observed when a new phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE-5-inhibitor) - sildenafil citrate (Viagra®) - was introduced. Nowadays, 5 active substances from this group are being applied. The current medical guidelines recommend PDE-5 inhibitors as the firstline therapy for most men with ED, irrespective of the cause and severity of the disease. Recently, sildenafil at the dose of 25 mg came into the market without prescription. This paper presents an overview and update of the PDE-5 inhibitors.

ISLAM DAN SEKSUALITAS: BIAS GENDER DALAM HUMOR PESANTREN

<p>Humor becomes an important part in institutionalizing the culture of pesantren. Yet, the humor in pesantren often ignores the values that respect gender equality. Understanding Islam pesantren patriarchy becomes the root for establishing the themes of humor that exploit women’s bodies and sexuality. Study of humor and sexuality in pesantren in Indonesia are still unnoticed. This study used a qualitative research approach with a feminist analysis in pesantren Priangan West Java. The results of this study showed that Islam patriarchy in pesantren institutionalized within the themes of humor created by kiai, teachers, and students in pesantren. As the implication, humor in pesantren contains the values and ideology of gender bias in the form of stereotyping, objectification, and the domestication of women. Dominant objects in pesantren humor are the body and female sexuality. The body becomes the center of worship and praise despite the epicenter definition, identity, and control on women by men.</p><p>Humor menjadi bagian penting dalam pelembagaan budaya pesantren. Akan tetapi humor-humor di pesantren sering mengabaikan nilai-nilai yang menghargai kesetaraan gender. Pemahaman Islam pesantren yang patriarki menjadi akar pembentukan tema-tema humor yang mengeksploitasi tubuh dan seksualitas perempuan. Kajian humor dan seksualitas di lingkungan pesantren di Indonesia termasuk yang luput dari perhatian. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan penelitian kualitatif dengan analisis feminis di pesantren Priangan Jawa Barat. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa patriarkisme Islam pesantren terlembagakan dalam tema-tema humor yang dibuat kiai, guru, dan santri di pesantren. Implikasinya humor-humor di lingkungan pesantren mengandung tata nilai dan ideologi bias gender berupa stereotip, objektifikasi, dan domestifikasi perempuan. Objek yang dominan humor di pesantren yaitu tubuh dan seksualitas perempuan. Tubuh menjadi pusat puja dan puji, tetapi menjadi episentrum pendefinisian, pemberian identitas, dan kontrol pada perempuan yang dilakukan laki-laki.</p>

Attitudes of Medicine and Nursing Students Towards the Sexuality of Older People

There is a paucity of research in attitudes of undergraduate students of medicine and nursing regarding sexuality of patients namely the older people. In previous studies we paid attention on staff attitudes of residential homes to aged people in what concerns with sexuality. With the same methodology, in this study it was evaluated the attitudes of undergraduate students of medicine and nursing and resident's on psychiatry towards the sexuality of older people.Design:A descriptive questionnaire survey using the attitudinal part of Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS).Participants and setting:Students of medicine and nursing of Oporto University.We know from previous studies that little experience in the work with older people is predictive of negative attitudes towards sexuality. Nevertheless, in this sample we found a mean ASKAS score of 66 which reflects moderately positive and permissive attitudes toward later life sexuality. Medicine students were more permissive than nursing students (p< 0.01).Conclusions:Undergraduate students and psychiatry residents have positive attitudes toward sexuality of older people. Later life sexuality study should be included in the curriculum of undergraduate formation of doctors and nurses.

Relationships between condoms, hormonal methods, and sexual pleasure and satisfaction: an exploratory analysis from the Women's Well-Being and Sexuality Study

Background: Little is known about how condoms and other contraceptives influence women’s sexual enjoyment, which could shape use patterns. Methods: Data from an online study of women’s sexual health and functioning were used to examine how three categories of contraceptive use – hormonal method only, condoms primarily, and dual use – could help predict decreased sexual pleasure associated with contraceptive method and overall sexual satisfaction in the past 4 weeks. Results: In analyses controlling for age, relationship length, and other variables, male condoms were most strongly associated with decreased pleasure, whether used alone or in conjunction with hormonal methods. Women who used hormonal methods alone were least likely to report decreased pleasure, but they also had significantly lower overall scores of sexual satisfaction compared with the other two groups. Dual users, or women who used both condoms and a hormonal method, reported the highest sexual satisfaction scores. Conclusions: Because male condoms were viewed by many of these women as decreasing sexual pleasure, sexual risk practices are likely to be affected. Although hormonal only users were highly unlikely to report decreased pleasure, they reported lower sexual satisfaction compared with the other two groups. Dual users, who had the highest sexual satisfaction scores, may have been the most sexually satisfied because they felt more fully protected against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmissible infections – consistent with previous qualitative documentation of ‘eroticising safety.’ This exploratory study suggests that different contraceptives affect sexuality in various ways, warranting further research into these sexual dimensions and how they influence contraceptive practices.