Effects of intensive lifestyle changes on erectile dysfunction in men

Introduction. Limited data are available supporting the notion that treatment of lifestyle risk factors may improve erectile dysfunction (ED). Aim. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of a program ofchanging in lifestyle designed to improve erectile function in subjects with ED or at increasing risk for ED. Methods. Men were identified in our database of subjects participating in randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of lifestyle changes. A total of 209 subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. The 104 men randomly assigned to the intervention program received detailed advice about how to reduce body weight, improve quality of diet, and increase physical activity. The 105 subjects in the control group were given general information about healthy food choices and general guidance on increasing their level of physical activity. Main Outcome Measures. Changes in erectile function score (International Index of Erectile Function-5 [IIEF-5]; items 5, 15, 4, 2, and 7 from the full-scale IIEF-15) and dependence of the restoration of erectile function on the changes in lifestyle that were achieved. Results. Erectile function score improved in the intervention group. At baseline, 35 subjects in the intervention group and 38 subjects in the control group had normal erectile function (34% and 36%, respectively). After 2 years, these figures were 58 subjects in the intervention group and 40 subjects in the control group, respectively (56% and 38%, P = 0.015). There was a strong correlation between the success score and restoration of erectile function. Conclusions. It is possible to achieve an improvement of erectile function in men at risk by means of nonpharmacological intervention aiming at weight loss and increasing physical activity. © 2009 International Society for Sexual Medicine

The Application of the HoRAM Method for a Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment of Emerging Solar Technologies: a Case Study on Perovskite and Organic Solar Cells

Despite the foreseen technical performance improvements, the deployment of Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) and organic Solar Cells (OSCs) faces uncertainties due to their relatively low maturity. Risks span from Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) impacts to material and investment costs, performance, as well as production process unreliability. Nevertheless, assessment of potential risks at the early stages of technological development is considered necessary to ensure the responsible and sustainable deployment of these technologies. Current methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), cost analyses, and technical feasibility studies provide valuable insights into specific aspects but fall short in addressing the complexity and uncertainty inherent in emerging technologies. The primary focus of this study is to introduce an innovative methodology, Holistic Risk Analysis and Modelling (HoRAM), a logic-based decision engineering tool that employs artificial intelligence, specifically cognitive computing, to comprehensively assess risks associated with PSCs and OSCs. The outcomes of this research are anticipated to provide decision-makers with critical insights at various stages of research and scaling up of PSCs and OSCs. By offering a methodology that goes beyond conventional assessment methods, HoRAM contributes to informed decision-making, reducing the reliance on extensive data sets and facilitating the responsible advancement of emerging solar technologies in the market. The results of our study highlight key differences in the cost structure of the two technologies. Although the expected costs for PSCs and OSCs are similar, at 148€ and 134€ respectively, the main cost drivers differ significantly. For OSCs, material costs are the predominant factor, whereas for PSCs, costs are more evenly distributed across CAPEX, OPEX, process unreliability and raw materials. These findings highlight the importance of ad hoc mitigation strategies for effectively reducing overall risk and, consequently, cost

PCA-CNN Hybrid Approach for Hyperspectral Pansharpening

This work proposes a simple yet effective method to adapt unsupervised convolutional neural networks (CNNs) from multispectral (MS) to hyperspectral (HS) pansharpening. Thus, it focuses on the fusion of a single high-resolution panchromatic (PAN) band with a low-resolution HS data cube. This is achieved by means of a decorrelation transform, following the principal component analysis (PCA) approach, which enables the compression of a significant portion of the HS image energy into a few bands. Afterward, a suitably adapted pansharpening network designed for four spectral bands is used to super-resolve only the principal components (PCs). Experiments demonstrate high performance in both quantitative and qualitative evaluations, favorably comparing against state-of-the-art methods

An unusual case of testicular disorder in sex development of arabian mare (64,xx sry-negative)

A 3-year-old Arabian mare underwent medical examinations due to the presence of abnormalities of the reproductive apparatus and stallion behavior (nervous temperament, aggressiveness, masculine attitude). During the clinical visit, an anovulvar distance shorter than normal was observed; moreover, vulvar lips were dorsally fused except for the lower neckline, showing a blind ending from which a penis-like structure protruded. The ultrasound examination revealed the presence of a cervix and corpus of a uterus, hypoplastic uterine horns, and small gonads with an echogenicity similar to a testis. Blood testosterone levels ranged from 0.4 to 0.6 ng/mL. Cytogenetic analysis showed a normal female karyotype (2n = 64,XX), while PCR amplification of SRY and ZFY genes revealed the absence of a Y chromosome. At necroscopic examination, internal genitalia arising from the genital ridge in the form of masculine type structures were found, while those deriving from the Mullerian ducts were of feminine type. In addition, an infundibular portion of the salpinx at the cranial pole of the gonads was found. This is the first case in equine species of DSD 2n = 64,XX SRY-negative, with the simultaneous presence of male (hypoplastic testicles, epididymal portions, and a penis-like structure) and female (cervix, horn and body of a hypoplastic uterus) genital structures

Article influence of the casein composite genotype on milk quality and coagulation properties in the endangered agerolese cattle breed

The aim of this study was the characterization of CSN1S1, CSN2 and CSN3 genetic variability in Agerolese cattle, and the investigation of the effect of casein composite genotypes (CSN1S1, CSN2 and CSN3) on quality and coagulation traits of the corresponding milk. To these purposes, blood and milk from 84 cows were sampled and analysed. Allele frequencies at CSN2 and CSN3 revealed no Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in the population with a prevalence of allele A2 for CSN2 and allele B for CSN3. BBA1A2AB and BBA2A2AB composite genotypes were the most common in the population. BBA1A2AB showed a higher total solids and fat content (12.70 ± 0.16 and 3.93 ± 0.10, respectively), while BBA2A2BB showed the best coagulation properties (RCT 12.62 ± 0.81; k20 5.84 ± 0.37; a30 23.72 ± 1.10). Interestingly, the A2 allele of CSN2 was very widespread in the population; thus, it will be intriguing to verify if A2A2 Agerolese cattle milk and the derived cheese may have better nutraceutical characteristics

Radiographers and COVID-19 pneumonia: diagnostic performance using CO-RADS

Introduction: A more structured role of radiographers is advisable to speed up the management of patients with suspected COVID-19. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiographers in the detection of COVID-19 pneumonia on chest CT using CO-RADS descriptors. Methods: CT images of patients who underwent RT-PCR and chest CT due to COVID-19 suspicion between March and July 2020 were analysed retrospectively. Six readers, including two radiologists, two highly experienced radiographers and two less experienced radiographers, independently scored each CT using the CO-RADS lexicon. ROC curves were used to investigate diagnostic accuracy, and Fleiss’κ statistics to evaluate inter-rater agreement. Results: 714 patients (419 men; 295 women; mean age: 64 years ±19SD) were evaluated. CO-RADS> 3 was identified as optimal diagnostic threshold. Highly experienced radiographers achieved an average sensitivity of 58.7% (95%CI: 52.5–64.7), an average specificity of 81.8% (95%CI: 77.9–85.2), and a mean AUC of 0.72 (95%CI: 0.68–0.75). Among less experienced radiographers, an average sensitivity of 56.3% (95%CI: 50.1–62.2) and an average specificity of 81.5% (95%CI: 77.6–84.9) were observed, with a mean AUC of 0.71 (95%CI: 0.68–0.74). Consultant radiologists achieved an average sensitivity of 60.0% (95%CI: 53.7–65.8), an average specificity of 81.7% (95%CI: 77.8–85.1), and a mean AUC of 0.73 (95%CI: 0.70–0.77). Conclusion: Radiographers can adequately recognise the classic appearances of COVID-19 on CT, as described by the CO-RADS assessment scheme, in a way comparable to expert radiologists. Implications for practice: Radiographers, as the first healthcare professionals to evaluate CT images in patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, could diagnose COVID-19 pneumonia by means of a categorical reporting scheme at CT in a reliable way, hence playing a primary role in the early management of these patients

DNA fragmentation and morphometric studies in sperm of stallions supplemented with maca (Lepidium meyenii)

The reproductive performances of livestock play an essential role in the economic management of the farm. The improvement of semen quantity and quality through the use of food supplements that lack substances which are forbidden in animal feeding, or that may have detrimental effects, is an important goal. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a plant that has been used for centuries in the Andes for nutrition and fertility enhancement in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of food supplementation of stallions with maca during the breeding season on spermatozoa parameters such as DNA fragmentation and shape, which are two predictive indexes of spermatozoa functionality. For this purpose, ejaculate volume, semen gel-free volume, sperm concentration and motility, total sperm count, sperm DNA fragmentation and sperm head parameters (length, width, perimeter, area, shape factor, roughness) were measured in four stallions. Maca food supplementation in stallions during breeding reduced the percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA, increased significantly sperm concentration and exerted an elongation of the spermatozoa head, a condition that is believed to improve spermatozoa functionality, suggesting that food supplementation of maca could be useful in horse breeding during the breeding season

Determination of a possible relationship between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of the <i>SIRT1</i> gene and production and reproduction traits in the Agerolese cattle breed

Sirtuins (sir2-like proteins) belong to the family of class III NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases. Among them, SIRT1 is the most studied sirtuin. It plays a key role in many biological processes in the liver, adipose tissue, muscle, pancreas, testis, ovary and mammary gland. It has an important function in endocrine signaling, with a specific role in glucose and fat metabolism. To date, in bovine species, only few SIRT1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported in the literature. Thus, the aims of the present study were to estimate the allele and genotype frequencies at the g.-274C&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;G locus in the promoter region of the SIRT1 gene and to investigate, for the first time, the relationship among different genotypes and milk production and some reproduction traits in a sample of cows belonging to the Agerolese breed. All the animals were genotyped at the abovementioned locus using the PCR-RFLP technique. The investigated population was found to be polymorphic at the investigated locus. Concerning milk production performances, significant differences between genotypes were found in daily milk yield (DMY), fat percentage (FC), lactation length (LL), peak daily milk yield (PY) and 305-day milk yield (305MY). Moreover, the effect of the g.-274C&thinsp;&gt;&thinsp;G genotype on age at first calving and calving period was significant. In conclusion, our findings are promising and should encourage scientists to further investigate the effect of genetic polymorphism of sirtuins on milk performance and reproductive traits.</p