Hepatic vascular lesions associated with dacarbazine treatment.

Dacarbazine is widely used in the treatment of melanoma. Transient abnormalities of liver function tests are well-recognised side effects of the drug, but acute liver failure due to vascular occlusion in patients receiving single-agent chemotherapy with dacarbazine has been noted only rarely. Two cases are reported in which hepatic vascular lesions developed during treatment with dacarbazine and were confirmed at necropsy. Hepatic vascular occlusion due to treatment with dacarbazine may be less rare than was previously thought. Greater caution may be needed when dacarbazine is prescribed, particularly as an adjuvant agent in stage I and II disease.     

The role of prostaglandins in the aetiology and treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Both animal and human penile tissue synthesize prostaglandins (PGs). Furthermore, intracavernous injection of certain PGs elicits erection in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). It is also well established that PGs are involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus (DM). Since atherosclerosis and DM are major risk factors for ED, it has been suggested that the disruption of PG synthesis in penile tissues and related vasculature may play a role in the pathogenesis of ED. In this review, we discuss the role of PGs in normal penile erection as well as on the pathophysiology and treatment.