Objective:
To assess determinants of ED in men who asked for a free of charge andrologic consultation during a week focused on andrologic prevention in Italy.
Methods:
Men were invited to attend 178 ...participating andrology centers for a free of charge visit for counselling about urologic or andrologic conditions. Data were recorded with a simple questionnaire used by all centers.
Results:
2499 (19.9%) were diagnosed having ED. The frequency of ED increased with age, ranging from 4.6% in men under 25 years, to 37.6% in men over 74. In comparison with men with primary education the OR of ED was 0.8 (95% CI 0.7–0.9) in men with secondary education and 0.7 (95% CI 0.6–0.9) in those with university degree. After adjusting for age, the risk of ED was significantly higher in men consuming more than 3 glasses/day of alcoholic drinking (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–2.0), in subjects smoking more than 10 cigarettes/day (OR 1.2, CI 95% 1.1–1.4) and in former smokers (OR 1.2, CI 95% 1.1–1.4). Men performing at least two hours per week of physical activity had a decreased risk of ED (OR 0.8, CI 95% 0.7–0.9). We found an increased risk of ED in men with diabetes (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.4), hypertension (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.4), cardiopathy (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.8) and hypercholesterolemia (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.6).
Conclusions:
This study provides further data on determinants of ED risk in a large data set and underlines the relationship between ED and cardiovascular diseases.
O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o crescimento de mudas de pau-brasil (Caesalpinia echinata Lam.), submetidas a cinco níveis de sombreamento. As mudas, com 18 meses de idade, foram submetidas aos ...níveis de 0, 20, 40, 60 e 80% de sombreamento, sob estrutura de telados pretos, tipo sombrite. Os maiores valores para altura foram obtidos em plantas cultivadas sob 20, 40 e 60% de sombreamento. Plantas sob pleno sol e sob 20% de sombreamento apresentaram maiores diâmetros do colo e menores relações entre altura e diâmetro do colo, o que revela maior equilíbrio no crescimento. O maior número de folhas foi obtido em plantas sob pleno sol. O aumento da luminosidade ocasionou maiores massas de matéria seca da parte aérea, do sistema radicular e total, além de menores índices entre massa de matéria seca da parte aérea e das raízes, o que sugere maior investimento de biomassa para as raízes. Os maiores valores do Índice de Qualidade de Dickson (IQD) foram observados em mudas cultivadas sob menores índices de sombreamento, sendo um bom indicador da qualidade das mudas.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of seedlings of Caesalpinia echinata Lam, subjected to five levels of shade. The seedlings, with 18 months of age, were subjected to 0%, 20, 40, 60 and 80% shade, obtained by with black polypropylene screen. The highest values for heights were obtained in plants grown under 20, 40 and 60% shade. Plants in full sun and 20% shade showed a higher stem base diameter; lower height/stem base diameter ratio, which reveals more balanced growth. The larger number of leaves was obtained in plants under a full sun. Considering the biomass allocation, increasing luminosity occasioned higher shoot, root and total dry mass accumulation and lower shoot/root ratios, suggesting greather investment of biomass to the roots. The highest values of Dickson´s Quality Index were observed in seedlings grown under lower levels of shading, being a good indicator of quality seedlings.
Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is an inherited disease characterized by reduced tissue sensitivity to thyroid hormone. Approximately 90% of subjects with RTH have mutation in the thyroid hormone ...receptor beta (TRbeta) gene. Approximately 10% of subjects diagnosed as having RTH do not carry mutation in the TRbeta gene. A possible linkage was reported with the retinoid X receptor-gamma (RXR-gamma) gene in two families. The aim of this study is to search for mutation within the RXR-gamma gene in unrelated subjects with diagnosed RTH without mutations in the TRbeta gene. Four subjects with RTH were studied, and sequence variants in the RXR-gamma gene were searched by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Analysis of all the 10 exons of the RXR-gamma gene, including intron-exon boundaries, promoter region and 3' untranslated region (UTR) reveled two variant bands in subjects II and III. Sequencing of these variants showed two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): 447C > T in exon 3 for patients II and IVS9 + 6A > G for patient III. Both SNPs were also present at high frequency in a group of normal subjects and in nonaffected relatives of subject III. In conclusion, in patients with RTH we have found two SNPs in the RXR-gamma gene; these SNPS are common in the general population, thus excluding a role for the RXR-gamma gene in these patients.
The behavioral activity of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analogue, L-6-ketopiperidine-2-carbonyl-leucyl-L-prolinamide (RGH 2202), has been studied in animal models of central ...neurotransmission disruption. In 24-month-old rats, repeated administration of the peptide (5 or 10 mg/kg/day, injected IP for 20 days) was followed by a facilitated acquisition of active avoidance behavior in the shuttle-box test and retention of passive avoidance reaction in a step-through passive avoidance task. Also, ambulation in an open field was increased and motor performance and co-ordination in the rotorod test was facilitated by the treatment. Scopolamine-induced amnesia was reverted by RGH 2202 in adult rats tested both in active and passive avoidance tasks. Cognitive deficits induced in rats by prenatal manipulation with methylazoxymethanol (MAM) were reduced in adulthood by repeated administration with RGH 2202. These results indicate that the TRH-analogue, RGH 2202 may improve cognitive and motor disturbances in aging or induced by central neurotransmission disruption. It is possible that the peptide is functioning, at least in part, by intervening with the central cholinergic neurotransmission.
The effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T) on the decrease in H Max/M Max ratio, an index of the spinal motoneurone pool, induced by haloperidol, was studied in 15 healthy ...volunteers. In all subjects, the H response was examined by an electromyographic apparatus. The values were expressed as H Max/M Max ratio, that gives an index of excitability of the spinal motoneurone pool. It was found that the mean H Max/M Max ratio value significantly decreased after haloperidol administration, but this effect was completely reversed by the injection of TRH-T. This finding suggests that the peptide may modulate motoneurone functions.
Through the analysis of the antigenic phenotype of a recently established human renal carcinoma cell line (KJ29), we have demonstrated that alpha 3 subunit of the integrin family is selectively ...expressed by the plastic adherent cell subpopulation. Because of the scanty availability of monoclonal antibodies to this adhesion molecule, we have used KJ29 cell line as immunogen to raise novel murine monoclonal antibodies. We isolated an hybridoma secreting the mAb M-KID 2 of the IGg1k isotype that immunoprecipitates from intrinsically 35S-Methionine labeled KJ29 cells, an heterodimer of 130/130 and 110/150 Kd, in reducing and nonreducing conditions respectively. This reactivity was completely abolished by immunodepletion of the cell extract with a polyclonal anti alpha 3 chain antiserum. Treatment of M-KID 2 immunoprecipitates with various solutions of pH ranging from 2 to 10.5, to dissociate alpha 3 from beta 1 chains, showed a retention of both alpha 3 beta 1 chains thus indicating that the epitope identified by mAb M-Kid 2 is likely to be constituted by the alpha 3 beta 1 heterodimer. Furthermore immunohistochemical studies on selected frozen and paraffin embedded tissues with mAb M-Kid 2 have provided staining pattern indicating the recognition of Vla-3. These findings demonstrate that mAb M-KID 2 can represent a valuable reagent for the study of Vla-3 integrin in normal and pathologic conditions.
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