Role of oxidative stress-induced systemic and cavernosal molecular alterations in the progression of diabetic erectile dysfunction

Background Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prevalent complication of diabetes, and oxidative stress is an important feature of diabetic ED. Oxidative stress-induced damage plays a pivotal role in the development of tissue alterations. However, the deleterious effects of oxidative stress in the corpus cavernosum with the progression of diabetes remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate systemic and penile oxidative stress status in the early and late stages of diabetes. Methods Male Wistar streptozotocin-diabetic rats (and age-matched controls) were examined 2 (early) and 8 weeks (late) after the induction of diabetes. Systemic oxidative stress was evaluated by urinary H2O2 and the ratio of circulating reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG). Penile oxidative status was assessed by H2O2 production and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) formation. Cavernosal endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was analyzed by quantitative immunohistochemistry. Dual immunofluorescence was also performed for 3-NT and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and eNOS–α-SMA. Results There was a significant increase in urinary H2O2 levels in both diabetic groups. The plasma GSH/GSSG ratio was significantly augmented in late diabetes. In cavernosal tissue, H2O2 production was significantly increased in late diabetes. Reactivity for 3-NT was located predominantly in cavernosal smooth muscle (SM) and was significantly reduced in late diabetes. Quantitative immunohistochemistry revealed a significant decrease in eNOS levels in cavernosal SM and endothelium in late diabetes. Conclusions The findings indicate that the noxious effects of oxidative stress are more prominent in late diabetes. Increased penile protein oxidative modifications and decreased eNOS expression may be responsible for structural and/or functional deregulation, contributing to the progression of diabetes-associated ED

The Road to Telemedicine: mobile solutions for Nuclear Medicine

The present dimension of the concept “Telemedicine” includes the application of mobile communication technologies and information systems to provide Health Care at distance. In the medical imaging field, and particularly in Nuclear Medicine, this concept is broader, involving the application of a variety of software and mobile applications at several steps of the process: digital imaging display and processing, data transfer and storage, but also decay calculations and inherent corrections, often in real-time and automatically performed, as well as the exchange of theoretical information. This paper aims to review the current status concerning available software and applications, with a clear accent on those with a close relation to cloud computing and interfacing with smart phones and/or tablet

PET imaging using titanium-45: Could it be useful?

In the last decade a wider application of positron emission tomography (PET) as one of the most powerful medical imaging technologies was observed. This was largely due to the increased availability of equipment dedicated to production of radioisotopes, mainly due to the installation of low energy cyclotrons in hospitals, research institutes and pharmaceutical industries specialized in radiopharmaceutical production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Thermo mechanic response of a ceramic material coated with gold

The present report has as the main objective to obtain, via the experimental process, the thermal response of a ceramic material coated with gold, when subjected to a variation of temperature. Under this context, the main information that it is important to be obtained consists in the calculation of the specific deformation, ε of the composite material (ceramic substrate coated with a gold top layer) that it is generated due to a temperature variation of about 100ºC. This information is of extreme importance because it imposes the adoption of specific techniques to be implemented in civil construction. It must be enhanced that the experimental activity also considered the study of the chemical composition and the morphology of the materials that were supplied by the manufacturer. In fact, this is essential information, since its knowledge helps to correlate and to interpret the thermo-mechanics response

The use of radiolabeled nanoparticles for biomedical imaging

Introduction: In the last years, the practice of medicine is being changing with a special emphasis on the application of technological innovations where medical imaging modalities play an important role. Between several imaging modalities, Molecular Imaging (that is essentially based on Nuclear Medicine) is one of the most interesting solutions. On the other hand, assuming that nanoparticles are being studied as drug delivery systems, its application as vectors for radionuclide-based imaging is in a clear growing

220601

In Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems, road users and traffic managers share information for coordinating their actions to improve traffic efficiency allowing the driver to adapt to the traffic situation. Its effectiveness, however, depends on the user’s decision-making process, which is the main source of uncertainty in any mobility system and depends on the ability of the infrastructure to communicate timely and reliably. To cope with such a complex scenario, this paper proposes a game theory perspective based on the n-Person Prisoner’s Dilemma as a metaphor to represent the uncertainty of cooperation underlined by communication infrastructures in traveller information systems. Results highlighted a close relationship between the emergence of cooperation and network performance, as well as the impact of the communication failure on the loss of cooperation sustainment, which was not recovered after the system was re-established.This work is a result of project DynamiCITY: Fostering Dynamic Adaptation of Smart Cities to Cope with Crises and Disruptions [reference NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000073] supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was also supported by national funds of FCT/MCTES (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), within the CISTER Research Unit (UIDP/UIDB/04234/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aquatic species shows asymmetric distribution range shifts in native and non-native areas

Climate change is reshaping the geographical distribution of species across the globe. In marine ecosystems, climate change creates novel challenges to an environment impacted by numerous anthropogenic stressors. Forecasting shifts in species distribution, including the expansion of non-indigenous species under climate change scenarios, is a management challenge for today’s world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards predictive modelling of near-edge structures in electron energy loss spectra of AlN based ternary alloys

Although electron energy loss near edge structure analysis provides a tool for experimentally probing unoccupied density of states, a detailed comparison with simulations is necessary in order to understand the origin of individual peaks. This paper presents a density functional theory based technique for predicting the N K-edge for ternary (quasi-binary) nitrogen alloys by adopting a core hole approach, a methodology that has been successful for binary nitride compounds. It is demonstrated that using the spectra of binary compounds for optimising the core hole charge ($0.35\,\mathrm{e}$ for cubic Ti$_{1-x}$Al$_x$N and $0.45\,\mathrm{e}$ for wurtzite Al$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$N), the predicted spectra evolutions of the ternary alloys agree well with the experiments. The spectral features are subsequently discussed in terms of the electronic structure and bonding of the alloys.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Can artificial diets be a feasible alternative for the gonadal growth and maturation of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816)?

Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816) has high-value reddishorange gonads that are regarded as a delicacy. In this study, three jellified diets have been tested for 90 days to assess the effect of different diets on P. lividus somatic and gonadal growth, gonad color, and reproductive state. All diets contained agar as a gelling agent and consisted of: maize and spinach (A); maize, spinach, and macroalga Laminaria digitata (B); and maize, spinach, and pumpkin Cucurbita maxima (C). Diet B was the most successful in promoting somatic growth with regard to test diameter (1.2 mm month−1) and total wet weight (79.9 mg ind−1 day−1). The individuals from Diet A presented a higher final gonadosomatic index (9.07 ± 2.39%) where all sea urchins initially presented with an index of 3.33 ± 0.02%. Diets A and C led to a marked advance (p < .05) in the gametogenic cycle (66.7% and 46.7% of the individuals with mature gametes, respectively), while Diet B resulted in less-developed gonadal stages, which are more appropriate for commercial purposes in terms of sensorial characteristics appreciated by the consumers. The gonad color analyses confirmed a redder roe in females and also the suitability of C. maxima as a potential gonad color enhancer for P. lividus.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio