A therapeutic effect for males with spinal cord injury using abdominal functional electrical stimulation for sexual functioning.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual functioning is a high priority for people with a spinal cord injury (SCI) yet this area has received little attention. Two SCI case reports are presented which suggests there may be greater potential for the recovery of sexual functioning than previously recognised. CASE PRESENTATION: A 74-year-old SCI male (AIS D, C5/C6) and a 36-year-old SCI male (AIS A, T4/T5) were treated for neurogenic bowel using 6 weeks of abdominal FES (ABFES) (40 Hz, 300 µ pulse width (current typically 30-60 MA) simultaneously delivered (8 s contraction with 2 s ramps and 3 s off period) from both channels). The 74-year-old AIS D, C5/C6 participant reported improved strength and duration of erectile function after using ABFES for 3 weeks. The 36-year-old AIS A, T4/T5 participant reported improvements in ejaculatory function and urine flow. Both reported a reduction in time required for bowel management. DISCUSSION: The findings could be attributed to an improved vascularisation of the abdominal area, an improved body image and self-esteem, direct innervation of nerves involved in parasympathetic pathways or innervation of the T11/T1 area implicated in the alternative psychogenic pathway. Both participants reported they had not used ABFES during sexual activity suggesting a therapeutic effect from the treatment.

Abdominal functional electrical stimulation for bowel management in multiple sclerosis.

Aim: Functional constipation is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and first line treatments are frequently ineffective. The current study explored the use of abdominal functional electrical stimulation (ABFES) for treating constipation in MS. Patients/methods: 20 people with MS and constipation (ROME IV criteria). The patient assessment of constipation-related quality of life questionnaire was administered at baseline and after 6 weeks of ABFES treatment alongside semi-structured interviews. Results: All patient assessment of constipation-related quality of life subscales were significant: satisfaction (p = 0.003), psychosocial discomfort (p = 0.008), physical discomfort (p = 0.001) and worries and concerns (p = 0.003). A long-term therapeutic effect, reduction in laxative use and improved sexual functioning were also reported. Conclusion: ABFES provides a potential alternative treatment intervention for people with MS and constipation.

Current Therapeutic Advances Targeting EGFR and EGFRvIII in Glioblastoma.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and EGFRvIII analysis is of current interest in glioblastoma - the most common malignant primary CNS tumor, because of new EGFRvIII vaccine trials underway. EGFR activation in glioblastoma promotes cellular proliferation via activation of MAPK and PI3K-Akt pathways, and EGFRvIII is the most common variant, leading to constitutively active EGFR. This review explains EGFR and EGFRvIII signaling in GBM; describes targeted therapy approaches to date including tyrosine kinase inhibitor, antibody-based therapies, vaccines and pre-clinical RNA-based therapies, and discusses the difficulties encountered with these approaches including pathway redundancy and intratumoral heterogeneity.