healthmedicinet

• Manufacturers claim the single-use product will save millions of lives 
• Aim-Straight is a flushable paper cone that is slipped on to the penis
• It ensures straight aim but also contains substances that detect blood, glucose and protein in urine indicating diabetes and prostate cancer
• Reagents in the device react with foreign bodies in urine, changing colour 
• Inventors claim it has the potential to help stop the spread of STIs and detect raised alcohol levels helping to combat drink driving

By

Lizzie Parry for MailOnline

Published:
07:45 EST, 28 October 2014

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Updated:
10:56 EST, 28 October 2014

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A new disposable paper cone that helps men to urinate accurately could save ‘millions of lives’, by detecting the early signs of diabetes and prostate cancer.

The flushable invention is slipped on to the penis to ensure a straight aim while urinating.

But the device goes further than merely preventing unhygienic splashes in the bathroom.

The device harbours a number of reagents which react to foreign bodies, including blood and glucose, in urine causing the paper to change colour, alerting men to potentially life-threatening health problems.

Aim-Straight is the brainchild of UK inventors Michael Shelton and Peter Maxwell. 

They believe it could also help stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections, as well as cut drink-drive convictions. 

A new disposable paper cone that helps men to urinate accurately could ‘save millions of lives’, by detecting the early signs of diabetes and prostate cancer, its makers claim

In the last seven years, the product has evolved from a simple paper cone helping men urinate more accurately, to the flushable diagnostic medical device it is today. 

Mr Shelton told MailOnline: ‘With the stigma of a visit to the doctor, along with the saving in the doctor’s valuable time in the earliest stage of diagnosis, this could really be a game-changer for preventative health. 

‘A user of the product would be able to see any immediate change in the reagent and then make the call to the GP for further investigation.’

In developing Aim-Straight, the company carried out market research in Japan, identified as a key market with more than 40 million adult males.

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They found that 84 per cent of those surveyed approved of the product, with 71 per cent confirming they would use the device. 

Various reagents – substances used in a chemical reaction to detect or measure other substances – are incorporated into the lower tip of the paper cone.

They react to irregular levels of foreign matter, including blood, protein and glucose, in the urine allowing Aim-Straight to signal an early warning for conditions including diabetes and prostate cancer. 

The company behind the invention claim it can also promote penile health.

They say the paper cone can clean, medicate and dry the penis thanks to a hypo-allergenic antibacterial agent it contains.

A spokesman said: ‘Gynaecologists have recommended regular use of the product since Aim-Straight’s sanitising action can help to stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia, herpes, and genital warts.

Aim-Straight is a flushable cone that is slipped on to the penis to ensure a straight aim while urinating

Special substances in the cone react to abnormal levels of sugar, blood and protein in urine changing colour to alert a person to the early signs of illnesses including diabetes and prostate cancer

‘It can also prevent the spread of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that leads to cervical cancer.’

Another key use, the company says, is that the reagent can be one specifically designed to detect alcohol levels.

It means Aim-Straight could aid a man’s aim after a couple of pints, while also acting as a means of measuring his blood alcohol level, indicating whether he is over the legal drink-drive limit.

The spokesman said: ‘As well as potentially saving lives, companies that demonstrate a corporate responsibility to staff welfare by installing dispensers will, not only benefit from reduced illness due to early diagnosis and therefore saving thousands in lost productivity, but will also positively impact the finances of health care service providers globally.  

‘Aim-Straight helps men aim accurately minimising any unhygienic splash back or drips, a benefit not just to all ages but also for those with degress of disability, and the obese.

‘Accurate urination reduces the hazard of wet floors, cuts cleaning and the need for air fresheners.

‘After a single-use, the Aim-Straight flushes away and disintegrates so is environmentally friendly.

‘Wives, mothers, partners and cleaning contractors around the world will applaud this apparently simple invention.’ 

The disposable cones stack easily inside one another and are intended to be sold for domestic use in packs of 28, with dispensers also available.

The company say their innovative product is inexpensive, equating to just pennies per use, ‘a small price to pay for daily health checks’.

And there are plans for flat-packed versions, suitable for those in the armed forces, sportsmen, travellers and commuters. 

The company are currently in the process of finalising development of the product in order to bring it to market. 

SITTING DOWN TO PEE IS BEST FOR MEN WITH PROSTATE PROBLEMS

Men suffering prostate problems can urinate faster and more effectively by sitting down rather than standing up, a new study has found.

For those suffering conditions including lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), sitting down will allow them to urinate faster, with greater force, while leaving less urine behind in their bladder. 

A team of scientists at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands sought to investigate the benefits of men sitting down while urinating compared to standing.

A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE found men suffering prostate problems can urinate faster and more effectively by sitting down rather than standing

They searched 14 medical databases, selecting 11 viable studies from 96 different studies from 2,352 publications.

The researchers said: ‘We found that in patients with LUTS the sitting position is associated with a trend towards a more favourable urodynamic profile.’ 

Their findings confirmed men with LUTS who sat down while urinating did so faster, for longer, with greater pressure and released more urine than those with LUTS who stood. 

The team suggest one reason sitting is more effective, is due to the fact typical LUTS patients are elderly males who are prone to fall.

‘It is suggested that the fear of falling while standing can result in involuntary contractions of the pelvic muscles to stablise one’s position,’ the researchers said.

‘Contraction of the pelvic muscles is related to disturbed urinary flow.’ 

The study was published in the PLOS ONE journal.  

 

  

 

 

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