This paper presents an innovative design of an energy harvesting shock absorber using cable transmission called cable dynamics energy harvesting shock absorber (CD-EHSA). It includes the design, ...modeling, bench experiments, and road tests results. Experimental tests are carried out with the CD-EHSA system in an MTS 835 machine, in order to analyze its behavior and validate the computational model of the CD-EHSA with the tests carried out on the actual component. Likewise, the paper presents the results of recovered electric power by the system during road tests at a speed between 20 and 30 km/h. With four CD-EHSA installed in a Renault Twizy, an average power of 105 W and power peaks of 400-500 W when passing through speed bumps are obtained. The designed system mechanical can reach an efficiency of around 60%.
The penoscrotal (PS), infrapubic (IP), and subcoronal (SC) incisions are used for inserting an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). Each surgical approach has its advantages and disadvantages and ...experts continue to debate which technique has the best outcomes. We performed a critical review of the published English-language studies up to April 2020 investigating the PS, IP, or SC approach for IPP placement. The PS approach is the most frequently used incision. The available data do not suggest a difference between PS and IP approach in size of the implanted prostheses, achieved penile length, patient satisfaction, infection rate, and risk of urethral injury. The risk of dorsal nerve injury, even if low, seems to be greater for IP approach. IP technique is associated with shorter operative time and earlier use of IPP compared with PS approach. Despite limited available data it is reasonable to assume that SC approach, compared with other approaches, has longer operative time and similar infection rate. The time to device activation with SC technique could be similar to the IP approach, but there is only minimal data that can confirm this hypothesis.
The present study aimed to describe and critically discuss the current evidence regarding the penile girth enhancement procedures for aesthetic purposes. We designed a narrative review of the ...literature. A comprehensive search in the MEDLINE database was performed. Original articles in English-language, published until March 2021, were selected. A total of 29 studies were included (3 reporting non-invasive approaches, 11 injection therapies, and 15 surgical procedures). The vast majority of articles (26, 89.7%) were not randomized controlled trials, with overall low quality and limited level of evidence. Only 1 (33.3%) paper regarding non-invasive approaches reported a minimal (+0.03 cm) but a significant increase of penile girth (p = 0.034). A low rate (11.2-14.4%) of mild, temporary adverse events and poor-to-moderate patient satisfaction were found. Eight (72.7%) articles concerning injection therapies showed a significant increase in penile girth (p < 0.05). A low rate of mild complications, generally at the injection site, and a high patient satisfaction rate (75-100%) were highlighted. Nine (60%) papers on surgical treatments found a significant increase in penile girth (p < 0.05), while the other 6 (40%) studies reported a generic improvement in penile circumference. Skin necrosis or ulcers, wound infections, or need for reoperation were reported in 8 (53.3%) studies. A high patient satisfaction rate (60-100%) was reported. Our review highlighted the overall positive results of injection procedures, the poor outcomes associated with non-invasive techniques, and the good efficacy and satisfaction with a non-negligible risk of complications in patients undergoing surgical treatments. However, the adverse events are probably largely under-reported and these procedures should still be considered under investigation due to the limited evidence available and the lack of guidelines.
For some, “You bring the spices” may be an innocent statement. For me, it was not. Triggered by this racialized and sexualized statement, I created Taxonomía of a Spicy Espécimen, a performance art ...piece as well as public pedagogy that utilizes a multimodal reflection accompanied by aesthetic moving actions. Since taxonomy has been a Eurocentric enactment through which Otherness has been constructed, this public art pedagogy cooperates with its spect-actors to challenge the learned habits of hierarchizing, categorizing, and naming Otherness. As a critical self-reflective commentary for this journal, I intend to write a textual and visual description that at moments becomes storytelling vignettes about Taxonomía. At the same time, this autoethnographic account examines Taxonomía as an intersection between performance art and public pedagogy—a decolonial tactic to denounce and disrupt capitalist commodities of Black, Brown, and Caribbean Otherness for marketable consumption.
Objective
To systematically review the literature in order to investigate the efficacy and safety of surgical and non‐invasive penile enhancement procedures for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes.
...Methods
A systematic search for papers investigating penile enhancement procedures was performed using the MEDLINE database. Articles published from January 2010 to December 2019, written in English, including >10 cases, and reporting objective length and/or girth outcomes, were included. Studies without primary data and conference s were excluded. The main outcome measure was objective length and/or girth improvement. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) statement.
Results
Out of 220 unique records, a total of 57 were reviewed. Eighteen studies assessed interventions for penile enhancement in 1764 healthy men complaining of small penis. Thirty‐nine studies investigated 2587 men with concomitant pathologies consisting mostly of Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction. Twenty‐five studies evaluated non‐invasive interventions and 32 studies assessed surgical interventions, for a total of 2192 and 2159 men, respectively. Non‐invasive interventions, including traction therapies and injection of fillers, were safe and mostly efficacious, whereas surgical interventions were associated with minor complications and mostly increased penile dimensions and/or corrected penile curvature. Overall, the quality of studies was low, and standardized criteria to evaluate and report efficacy and safety of procedures, as well as patient satisfaction, were missing.
Conclusion
The quality of the studies on penile enhancement procedures published in the last decade is still low. This prevents us from establishing recommendations based on scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of interventions that are performed to increase the penis size for aesthetic or therapeutic indications.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 200-250 individuals. Patients with FH are at increased risk of premature coronary artery ...disease. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for improving clinical outcomes. In many cases, however, the genetic diagnosis is not confirmed. At present, routine genetic testing does not analyze the 3′UTR regions of LDLR and PCSK9. However, 3′UTR-single nucleotide variants could be of interest because they can modify the target sequence of miRNAs that regulate the expression of these genes. Our study fully characterizes the 3′UTR regions of LDLR and PCSK9 in 409 patients with a suspected diagnosis of FH using next-generation sequencing. In 30 of the 409 patients, we found 21 variants with an allelic frequency of <1%; 14 of them at 3′UTR-LDLR and 8 at 3′UTR-PCSK9. The variants’ pathogenicity was studied in silico; subsequently, a number of the variants were functionally validated using luciferase reporter assays. LDLR:c.∗653G>C showed a 41% decrease in luciferase expression, while PCSK9:c.∗950C>T showed a 41% increase in PCSK9 expression, results that could explain the hypercholesterolemia phenotype. In summary, the genetic analysis of the 3′UTR regions of LDLR and PCSK9 could improve the genetic diagnosis of FH.
Multiplexed immunofluorescent testing has not entered into diagnostic neuropathology due to the presence of several technical barriers, amongst which includes autofluorescence. This study presents ...the implementation of a methodology capable of overcoming the visual challenges of fluorescent microscopy for diagnostic neuropathology by using automated digital image analysis, with long term goal of providing unbiased quantitative analyses of multiplexed biomarkers for solid tissue neuropathology. In this study, we validated PTBP1, a putative biomarker for glioma, and tested the extent to which immunofluorescent microscopy combined with automated and unbiased image analysis would permit the utility of PTBP1 as a biomarker to distinguish diagnostically challenging surgical biopsies. As a paradigm, we utilized second resections from patients diagnosed either with reactive brain changes (pseudoprogression) and recurrent glioblastoma (true progression). Our image analysis workflow was capable of removing background autofluorescence and permitted quantification of DAPI-PTBP1 positive cells. PTBP1-positive nuclei, and the mean intensity value of PTBP1 signal in cells. Traditional pathological interpretation was unable to distinguish between groups due to unacceptably high discordance rates amongst expert neuropathologists. Our data demonstrated that recurrent glioblastoma showed more DAPI-PTBP1 positive cells and a higher mean intensity value of PTBP1 signal compared to resections from second surgeries that showed only reactive gliosis. Our work demonstrates the potential of utilizing automated image analysis to overcome the challenges of implementing fluorescent microscopy in diagnostic neuropathology.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objectives
To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of the hexanic extract of Serenoa repens (HESr, Permixon®; Pierre Fabre Médicament, Castres, France), at a dose of 320 mg daily, as ...monotherapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH).
Materials and methods
We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies in patients with LUTS/BPH identified through searches in Medline, Web of Knowledge (Institute for Scientific Information), Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and bibliographic references up to March 2017. Articles studying S. repens extracts other than Permixon were excluded. Data were collected on International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), nocturia, quality of life, prostate volume, sexual function, and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Data obtained from RCTs and observational studies were analysed jointly and separately using a random effects model. A sub‐group analysis was performed of studies that included patients on longer‐term treatment (≥1 year).
Results
Data from 27 studies (15 RCTs and 12 observational studies) were included for meta‐analysis (total N = 5 800). Compared with placebo, the HESr was associated with 0.64 (95% confidence interval CI −0.98 to −0.31) fewer voids/night (P < 0.001) and an additional mean increase in Qmax of 2.75 mL/s (95% CI 0.57 to 4.93; P = 0.01). When compared with α‐blockers, the HESr showed similar improvements on IPSS (weighted mean difference WMD 0.57, 95% CI −0.27 to 1.42; P = 0.18) and a comparable increase in Qmax to tamsulosin (WMD −0.02, 95% CI −0.71 to 0.66; P = 0.95). Efficacy assessed using the IPSS was similar after 6 months of treatment between the HESr and 5α‐reductase inhibitors (5ARIs). Analysis of all available published data for the HESr showed a mean improvement in IPSS from baseline of −5.73 points (95% CI −6.91 to −4.54; P < 0.001). HESr did not negatively affect sexual function and no clinically relevant effect was observed on prostate‐specific antigen. Prostate volume decreased slightly. Similar efficacy results were seen in patients treated for ≥1 year (n = 447). The HESr had a favourable safety profile, with gastrointestinal disorders being the most frequent ADR (mean incidence of 3.8%).
Conclusion
The present meta‐analysis, which includes all available RCTs and observational studies, shows that the HESr (Permixon) reduced nocturia and improved Qmax compared with placebo and had a similar efficacy to tamsulosin and short‐term 5‐ARI in relieving LUTS. HESr (Permixon) appears to be an efficacious and well‐tolerated therapeutic option for the long‐term medical treatment of LUTS/BPH.
Objective
To assess the perioperative outcomes of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in real‐life practice and investigate the factors influencing the safety and effectiveness of the ...technique.
Patients and Methods
Critical analysis of patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) treated with HoLEP over 10 years of routine practice in three hospitals. Analysed variables included: preoperative characteristics (prostate size, active antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy, blood parameters. prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, maximum urinary flow rate Qmax, and International Prostate Symptom Score IPSS), intraoperative variables (operation time, concomitant removal of bladder calculi, and complications), early postoperative outcomes (change in blood parameters, catheterisation time, and hospital stay), and 12‐month follow‐up outcomes (change in IPSS, PSA level, and Qmax).
Results
The analysis included 963 patients, aged 48–91 years, with a mean (range) prostate size of 91 (35–247) mL. The mean (sd) operation time was 77 (29) min, and the hospital stay and catheterisation time were 4 (2) and 1.3 (2) days, respectively. In all, 56 patients (5.6%) required concomitant removal of bladder calculi and 36 (3.7%) were converted to open prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate due to intraoperative complications. Patients had a significant decrease in haemoglobin and haematocrit, but no differences were seen between patients with and without anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy and those with prostates ≥ and <100 mL. The concomitant removal of bladder calculi and having a prostate ≥100 mL resulted in a longer operation time, but did not influence the safety and effectiveness outcomes.
Conclusions
HoLEP is suitable for real‐life patients with BPH, irrespective of the presence of active treatment with anticoagulant/antiplatelet, bladder lithiasis or a prostate ≥100 mL.
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