We're pleased to announce that a new research summary has been posted to our website. This study, authored by Selim Cellek, MD, PhD; Trinity J. Bivalacqua, MD, PhD; Arthur L. Burnett, MD, MBA; Kanchan Chitaley, PhD; Ching-Shwun Lin, PhD, was published in the September 13, 2012 online edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The title is "Common Pitfalls in Some of the Experimental Studies in Erectile Function and Dysfunction."

As the number of studies on erectile function and dysfunction has grown in the past few decades, so has the potential for mistakes while conducting that research.

This study examines common pitfalls in these types of studies and offers advice on how to avoid them. Specific topics include:

• Measurement of Intracavernosal Pressure (ICP) to Cavernous Nerve Stimulation (CNS)
• CN Injury Models
• Best Practice Recommendations
• Experimental Strategies
• Hypertension-Associated Erectile Dysfunction
• Cigarette Smoke-Associated Erectile Dysfunction
• Measurement of NOSs, NO, and cGMP nNOS vs. eNOS vs. Inducible NOS (iNOS)
• Measurement of NO and cGMP
• ROS
• Stem Cells (SCs) in ED Field

Please click here to see a more detailed summary of this research.

The prevalence and risk factors for sexual dysfunction vary by age among male veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, American researchers have reported.

The researchers analyzed data from over 4,700 veterans who sought treatment in a Houston, Texas veterans' medical center. 

The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 5.5% for the entire study group However, the rate was 3.6% for men aged 18-40 years and 15.7% for men over age 40.

The researchers also found that the two age groups had different risk factors for sexual dysfunction. Annual income, marital status, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and hypertension were significant risk factors for the younger men. For the older group, the most prominent risk factors were being African American, having PTSD, and hypertension.

The study was published online in the Journal of Sexual Medicine last October. To learn more, please click here. 

As we begin 2013, we would like to again thank you for your continued support and loyalty to the International Society for Sexual Medicine. It is you, the membership community, who drives and shapes the ISSM.

In order to ensure that you will have uninterrupted access to all of ISSM's membership benefits, including the Journal of Sexual Medicine, we kindly ask you to pay your ISSM membership dues for 2013 in a timely manner either through one of our affiliated societies or directly with us through this link. Of course, if you have already paid your membership dues, we thank you.

Also, if your contact information has changed, please take a moment to update it through Your ISSM Membership.

Best wishes for 2013!