Respiratory

Regular Use of Painkillers Linked to Erectile Dysfunction
Men who take painkillers regularly to treat pain such as the aches that come with age may be increasing their risk for another common condition of aging, erectile dysfunction (ED), a study suggests. Middle-aged men in the study who reported regularly taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were more likely to have erection problems than men who took the drugs less frequently or not at all. The study is published in The Journal of Urology. Regular use of aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn), and other NSAIDs was more common in older men. Not surprisingly, so was erectile dysfunction (ED).

Male Pattern Balding May Be Due to Stem Cell Inactivation
Given the amount of angst over male pattern balding, surprisingly little is known about its cause at the cellular level. In a new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team led by George Cotsarelis, MD, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has found that stem cells play an unexpected role in explaining what happens in bald scalp. Using cell samples from men undergoing hair transplants, the team compared follicles from bald scalp and non-bald scalp, and found that bald areas had the same number of stem cells as normal scalp in the same person.