Implantation of the inflatable penile prosthesis AMS 700 CX

The paper demonstrate the surgical approach used by the authors to implant the AMS 700CX penile prosthesis. Pre- and postoperative management are also discussed.     

Cadmium uptake and defense mechanism in insect cells

The uptake of cadmium and the defense mechanism against this heavy metal were studied in the Aedes albopictus C6/36 cell line. The internalization of cadmium was a very quick process and exhibited saturation kinetics over the metal concentration gradient (1.37 to 131 micromol/L). Cd toxicity and influx were both shown to be temperature dependent. The uptake was not influenced by a 2, 4-dinitrophenol pretreatment but was significantly decreased by the Ca2+ antagonist verapamil. These data suggest that cadmium is readily taken up through mediated transport, not requiring metabolic energy. A considerable amount of the metal passes through the Ca2+ channels, but probably (an)other transporting molecule(s) also play(s) an important role in the uptake process. The remarkable, nonsigmoid viability pattern of Cd-treated cultures suggests that CdCl2 concentrations above 33 micromol/L induce a cellular defense system. This phenomenon went together with increased protein synthesis. We found a major induction of a group consisting of 71-, 75-, and 78-kDa proteins, probably belonging to the HSP70 family, as similar proteins were induced by heat shock. A slight induction of a 120-kDa protein also occurred. At the highest Cd concentrations 98-, 108-, and 110-kDa proteins were induced. These data suggest that heat shock proteins may play an important role in the Aedes cell protection against Cd insult.     

Effects of a low-intensity worksite-based nutrition intervention

Male employees from four local worksites were recruited to participate in a short-term and low-intensity nutrition intervention which focused on promoting low-fat dietary habits. The sites were randomized to control conditions or to the intervention programme that consisted of an individualized health risk appraisal, group sessions, mass media activities and environmental changes. Participants were seen before and three months after intervention to measure blood lipids, nutrition knowledge and dietary changes. Eighty-three per cent of all eligible subjects were screened (n = 770) and follow-up measures were obtained for 82%. The score for nutrition knowledge improved significantly in the intervention group. There was also a net reduction in the intake of total calories and in the percentage of energy from total fat. Reported intake of carbohydrates and proteins increased. For all employees assessed, there were no changes in mean total cholesterol level or fatty acid composition. Only among participants with hypercholesterolemia was a significant reduction in blood cholesterol observed. This low-intensity intervention programme achieved some self-reported dietary changes and was successful (at least in part because statistical regression needs to be considered) in obtaining a more short-term beneficial cholesterol level in employees at higher cardiovascular risk.     

Associations between haptoglobin polymorphism, lipids, lipoproteins and inflammatory variables

The haptoglobin allele frequencies and the phenotype distribution were determined in 741 male Caucasian workers, aged 35 to 59 years. The association of the haptoglobin polymorphism with various clinical and biochemical parameters was investigated. Furthermore a possible interaction with the apo E polymorphism on lipid and lipoprotein traits was analysed. The frequency of Hp1 and Hp2 was found to be 0.401 and 0.599, respectively. The observed distribution of Hp types (Hp 1-1, 15.5%; Hp 2-1, 49.3%; Hp 2-2, 35.2%) was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake and blood pressure were comparable between the three Hp groups. Subjects with Hp 2-2 had significantly higher serum total and free cholesterol concentration compared to those in other haptoglobin types (P = 0.006 and P = 0.003). Similarly, apo B levels were significantly higher among Hp 2-2 individuals (P = 0.02). No significant differences were demonstrated between the Hp phenotypes in HDL cholesterol, apo A-I, apo E, Lp(a), cholesteryl esters, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein concentrations, although for the latter an increase was noticed in Hp 2-2. The effects of Hp type and apo E type on Lp(a) and on free cholesterol levels were found to be significantly multiplicative, with the highest free cholesterol values observed in subjects having Hp 2-2 and the apo epsilon4 allele. Significantly lower Lp(a) levels were observed in individuals carrying Hp 1-1 and an epsilon2 allele than in subjects without the epsilon2 allele. In conclusion, haptoglobin polymorphism may play an important role in the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and could contribute to the risk of coronary heart disease. Larger samples are needed to clarify the clinical relevance of the gene-gene (Hp-apo E) interaction on lipids and lipoproteins.     

No reduction of metabolic rate in food restricted Caenorhabditis elegans

Dietary restriction (DR) is the most consistent means of extending life span throughout the animal kingdom. Multiple mechanisms by which DR may act have been proposed but none are clearly predominant. We asked whether metabolic rate and stress resistance is altered in Caenorhabditis elegans in response to DR. DR was imposed in two complementary ways: by growing wild-type worms in liquid medium supplemented with reduced concentrations of bacteria and by using eat-2 mutants, which have a feeding defect. Metabolic rate was not reduced when we fed wild-type worms reduced food and was up-regulated in the eat-2 mutants in liquid culture, as assessed by oxygen consumption rate and heat production. The specific activity levels of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase showed small increases when we reduced food in wild-type worms, but restricted worms acquired no elevated protection against paraquat and hydrogen peroxide. eat-2 mutants showed elevated specific activities of SOD and catalase relative to wild type in liquid culture. These results indicate that the effects imparted by DR and the eat-2 mutation are not identical, and they contradict, at least in C. elegans, the widespread belief that CR acts by lowering the rate of metabolism.     

Characterization of Open-Cell Sponges via Magnetic Resonance and X-ray Tomography

The applications of polymeric sponges are varied, ranging from cleaning and filtration to medical applications. The specific properties of polymeric foams, such as pore size and connectivity, are dependent on their constituent materials and production methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) offer complementary information about the structure and properties of porous media. In this study, we employed MRI, in combination with µCT, to characterize the structure of polymeric open-cell foam, and to determine how it changes upon compression, µCT was used to identify the morphology of the pores within sponge plugs, extracted from polyurethane open-cell sponges. MRI T₂ relaxation maps and bulk T₂ relaxation times measurements were performed for 7° dH water contained within the same polyurethane foams used for µCT. Magnetic resonance and µCT measurements were conducted on both uncompressed and 60% compressed sponge plugs. Compression was achieved using a graduated sample holder with plunger. A relationship between the average T₂ relaxation time and maximum opening was observed, where smaller maximum openings were found to have a shorter T₂ relaxation times. It was also found that upon compression, the average maximum opening of pores decreased. Average pore size ranges of 375–632 ± 1 µm, for uncompressed plugs, and 301–473 ± 1 µm, for compressed plugs, were observed. By determining maximum opening values and T₂ relaxation times, it was observed that the pore structure varies between sponges within the same production batch, as well as even with a single sponge.