In an advance that could one day enable surgeons to reconstruct and restore function to damaged or diseased penile tissue in humans, researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have used tissue engineering techniques to completely replace penile erectile tissue in rabbits. This is the most complete replacement of penile erectile tissue to date and suggests the possibility of using the same approach for men with erectile dysfunction or conditions that require reconstruction, including penile cancer and congenital abnormalities.

Personal lubricants have long been recommended to women to improve the comfort of intercourse and to reduce the risk of vaginal tearing, which can increase risks for STIs and HIV. Public health professionals also recommend the addition of lubricant to condoms during sexual activity. Despite this routine advice, strikingly little is known about situations in which lubricants are used or whether there are any associated vaginal symptoms. These studies provide insight into lubricant use.

Boys diagnosed with cancer before reaching puberty have a unique option for possibly preserving future fertility, which is often endangered by cancer therapies. In an experimental procedure, the boys can have a tiny portion of their testis removed and frozen for their potential future use. Parents of prepubertal boys are willing to agree to the procedure and are grateful for the opportunity, even though there is currently no guarantee of clinical success.

Researchers have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.

Men with lower cholesterol are less likely than those with higher levels to develop high-grade prostate cancer -- an aggressive form of the disease with a poorer prognosis, according to results of a new study.

A patient's socioeconomic status (income, martial status and race) has absolutely no impact on his outcome following curative radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a new study. It is unique in that nearly 50 percent of patients in the analysis are African-American.

New research shows that women with asthma who are on oral contraceptives may have better outcomes than women who are not on the medication.

A study of 572 men with localized prostate cancer suggests that size and shape of tumor blood vessels may predict whether the tumor will grow aggressively and require immediate treatment or grow slowly and allow therapy and its risks to be safely delayed. Aggressive prostate tumors tend to have blood vessels that are small, irregular and primitive in cross-section, while slow-growing or indolent tumors have blood vessels that look more normal.

A shorter, five-week course of radiation treatment that delivers higher doses of radiation in fewer sessions, known as hypofractionation, appears to be just as effective and as safe in reducing the risk of prostate cancer from returning as standard radiation therapy, yet is delivered in two-and-a-half weeks less time, according to interim results of a randomized study.

Researchers report that radiation therapy alone can reduce prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels below detectable amounts in prostate cancer patients. Patients who have an undetectable level of PSA after therapy have less chance of biochemical failure than other patients and a good chance of being cured.