A Survey of Patients with Inflatable Penile Prostheses: Assessment of Timing and Frequency of Intercourse and Analysis of Implant Durability

Introduction.  This study was conducted to determine how long after inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) surgery patients attempt sexual intercourse and the frequency of subsequent relations. We also examined survival‐related factors for the AMS 700 CX, Mentor Alpha 1, and Mentor Alpha Narrow Base. Aims.  The aim was to survey men who received IPPs and collect information about their return to sexual function and frequency of use, and to assess the resilience of their devices. Methods.  Phase I involved retrospective chart review of 1,298 virgin IPP surgeries performed by one surgical team from January 1992 to December 1998. Phase II included 330 subjects selected by stratified, systematic, random sampling from phase I patients. Data were collected by computer‐assisted telephone interview, using a 27‐question survey. All patients had been instructed to wait 4 weeks before using the implant and were taught how to inflate/deflate their prostheses at the 4‐week postsurgical visits. Main Outcome Measures.  The survey examines the length of time after surgery for men to resume sexual function. In the same study, information was garnered about mechanical durability of the device. Results.  Among phase I subjects, the 5‐year survival rate was 83% (N = 1,069) for IPP revision for any reason. Of the 330 phase II subjects, 248 (75%) were successfully contacted; 199 (80%) responded to the full survey and 49 (20%) responded to selected parts of the survey. Sexual intercourse was resumed postoperatively at 1–4 weeks for 41% (78/190), at 5–6 weeks for 31% (59/190), at 7–8 weeks for 16% (30/190), and at >8 weeks for 12% (23/190) of the patients. More than 60% of patients reported using their IPP at least once weekly. Conclusion.  The three‐piece IPP has excellent 5‐year survival rates. Most patients return to sexual activity relatively quickly, with high frequency of usage of their prostheses. Henry GD, Brinkman MJ, Mead SF, Delk JR II, Cleves MA, Jennermann C, Wilson SK, and Kramer AC. A survey of patients with inflatable penile prostheses: Assessment of timing and frequency of intercourse and analysis of implant durability. J Sex Med 2012;9:1715–1721.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92055/1/j.1743-6109.2012.02729.x.pd

In Situ Localization of PPAR Gamma and Uncoupling Protein in Mouse Embryo Sections Using Digoxigenin-Labeled Riboprobes

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and has been shown in vitro to regulate genes involved in lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. By Northern analysis, we and other researchers have shown that expression of this receptor predominates in adipose tissue in adult mice, and appears first in whole-embryo mRNA at 13.5 days postconception. In situ hybridization was used to find out in which developing tissues PPARg is specifically expressed.Digoxigenin-labeled riboprobes were generated using the Genius™ 4 RNA Labeling Kit from Boehringer Mannheim. Full length PPAR gamma, obtained by PCR from mouse liver cDNA, was inserted into pBluescript SK and used as template for the transcription reaction. Probes of average size 200 base pairs were made by partial alkaline hydrolysis of the full length transcripts. The in situ hybridization assays were performed as described previously with some modifications. Frozen sections (10 μm thick) of day 18 mouse embryos were cut, fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and acetylated with 0.25% acetic anhydride in 1.0M triethanolamine buffer. The sections were incubated for 2 hours at room temperature in pre-hybridization buffer, and were then hybridized with a probe concentration of 200μg per ml at 70° C, overnight in a humidified chamber. Following stringent washes in SSC buffers, the immunological detection steps were performed at room temperature. The alkaline phosphatase labeled, anti-digoxigenin antibody and detection buffers were purchased from Boehringer Mannheim. The sections were treated with a blocking buffer for one hour and incubated with antibody solution at a 1:5000 dilution for 2 hours, both at room temperature. Colored precipitate was formed by exposure to the alkaline phosphatase substrate nitrobluetetrazoliumchloride/ bromo-chloroindlylphosphate.</jats:p

Evaluation of Satisfaction and Axial Rigidity with Titan XL Cylinders

The inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) has high patient satisfaction rates and good mechanical reliability rates in multiple studies. The number one patient compliant at six months is penile length. Recently, new technique for aggressive sizing of the cylinders has been published on in the literature. One IPP company has produced a new product that has longer length cylinders (XL) than those available. However, traditionally long cylinders were felt to lack axial rigidity. Therefore, a prospective, multicenter, central IRB-approved, monitored study was performed on the new product to address these concerns. At 2 centers, a total of 17 patients underwent surgical implantation of these new XL cylinders. These patients were questioned for patient satisfaction and tested for axial rigidity using a Fastsize Erectile Quality Monitor. The results showed excellent patient satisfaction rates and great axial rigidity with the Fastsize Erectile Quality Monitor. The XL cylinders appear to give the IPP surgeon the ability to use longer cylinders with good patient satisfaction and great axial rigidity

UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP) : scenario 5

The University of British Columbia Food System Project (UBCFSP) is an ongoing collaborative effort between AGSC 450 students, project collaborators and partners to build a more sustainable food system at UBC. The focus of scenario five was to expand the LFS Garden to the west side of the MacMillan building. The expansion was purposed to further enhance small scale organic production; provide food in the LFS community; and provide opportunities for hands on interdisciplinary learning. The group reviewed literature of previous AGSC 450 reports and communicated with project stakeholders, including Martin Hilmer, Jeff Nulty, Megan Halstead, Pearl Yip, Sophia Bake-French, Nick Gallant, Dr. Art Bomke, and Dr. Gwen Chapman. Through consultations, the group devised a business proposal that would be helpful for the development of LFS Garden which focused on: signage and communication; garden management; garden layout; composting; production, harvesting and distribution plan; budget and supply list; and education opportunities. The group also found that the LFS Garden had a potential to be implemented into education such as in Agroecology courses. In addition, the group has created garden management committed which includes Art Bomke, Martin Hilmer and Liska Richer. For the garden manager, all scenario 5 groups agreed to formulate an email that was sent out to all students in the faculty to attract students to the position. Furthermore, the group designed the garden layout that followed the concerns of community stakeholders, while utilizing creativity and imagination to create a garden that is a beautiful social space that is also sustainable. The project concludes with prioritizing the next steps towards implementation of the proposals. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat