Evaluation of citrate-based nutraceutical combinations and their impact on chemolysis in the management of urinary diversion device: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study on improved quality of life and clinical outcomes.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (RCT) the effectiveness of two citrate-based products in preventing ureteral stent encrustation in patients with severe urinary system damage requiring long-term stent placement and frequent replacements to prevent complications.

Methods: Men and women aged 50-80, with severe urinary system damage were randomized to Product 1, Product 2 or Placebo. Efficacy points included encrustation prevention analyzed by mean normalized Kidney, Ureter and Bladder (KUB) score, ease of stent removal, and rate of emergency room (ER) visits.

Minimally invasive surgical techniques (MISTs) for benign prostatic hyperplasia: results from a Delphi consensus project to shed light on controversial topics.

Purpose: To conduct a Delphi consensus in order to address key uncertainties and provide expert insights to bridge the gap between guidelines and real-world practice concerning minimally invasive surgical techniques (MISTs) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods: The Advisory Board developed 343 statements on 35 debated topics in the surgical management of BPH, each including multiple items rated on a 9-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was emailed to a Panel of 28 Italian urologists with 5-year experience in MISTs for the first round of voting.

Bedtime sildenafil oral suspension improves sexual spontaneity and time-concerns compared to on-demand treatment in men with erectile dysfunction: results from a real-life, cross-sectional study.

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) are among the first line treatment options in men with erectile dysfunction (ED). On-demand sildenafil has proved to be an effective PDE5i but with lower spontaneity scores compared to daily tadalafil treatment. We aimed to investigate the impact of on-demand sildenafil compared to bedtime use on efficacy and spontaneity scores in men with ED.

Can nutraceuticals counteract the detrimental effects of the environment on male fertility? A parallel systematic review and expert opinion.

Introduction: Male fertility relies on a complex physiology that may be negatively influenced by lifestyle, diet, and environment. The beneficial effect of nutraceuticals on male fertility is a debated claim. The aim of this study was to assess if the positive effect of nutraceuticals can counteract the negative effects of the environment on male fertility.

Icarifil in Association with Daily Use of Tadalafil (5 mg) versus Standard Tadalafil Daily Dose (5 mg) or Alone: Results from a Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.

: The management of erectile dysfunction (ED) shows several grey zones and new treatments are required to reduce the percentage of patients discontinuing treatment. Here, we aim to evaluate the role of a natural mixture named Icarifil® (L-Citrulline, L-Carnitine, , , , , Taurine, Vitamin E, Zinc) in the management of patients with ED. : From September 2022 to March 2023, all patients attending 3 urological institutions due to ED were randomized to receive the following for 3 months: Icarifil® 1 sachet every 24 h (Group 1) or Icarifil® 1 sachet + tadalafil 5 mg 1 tablet every 24 h (Group 2) or tadalafil 5 mg 1 tablet daily (Group 3).

Longitudinal Impact of Social Restrictions on Sexual Health in the Italian Population.

Background: Several trials have reported on the impact of social restrictions due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on sexual function and psycho-physical well-being. However, data showing modifications of these outcomes over time and at the end of lock-down are scant.

Aim: We investigated the longitudinal changes in sexual function during social restrictions for COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Loss of consciousness in a helicopter pilot as plausible first sign of insulinoma: a case report.

A 50-year-old man who worked as a helicopter rescue pilot transiently lost consciousness while piloting a helicopter rescue. In the diagnostic process, all tests for the main possible differential diagnoses of loss of consciousness (cardiological and neurological) were performed and yielded normal results. Blood chemistry tests revealed recurrent fasting hypoglycemia and Chromogranin A was at the upper limit of normal.

Urologists' knowledge base and practice patterns in Peyronie's disease. A national survey of members of the italian andrology society.

Unlabelled: Peyronie's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the formation of plaque in the tunica albuginea of the corpora cavernosa, resulting in penis deformity. It is often associated with penile pain, especially in younger patients, but it is not rare for pain to be absent; the disease is also associated with erectile dysfunction and a depressive state in a large percentage of cases.

Objective: Aim of our study was to explore the basic knowledge base and diagnostic and therapeutic practice patterns in Peyronie's disease (PD) of a large number of physicians belonging to the Italian Andrology Society (SIA).

Optimized protocol for conditioned place avoidance learning in juvenile zebrafish.

Conditioned place avoidance assays are broadly used in mammals to study different cognitive aspects of operant learning. Here, we introduce a series of experimental designs for training juvenile zebrafish in short-term and long-term conditioned place avoidance assays. Our goal is to promote standardization of animal handling procedures and setup conditions to improve animal welfare and reproducibility while studying operant learning behaviors in juvenile zebrafish.

Decreased serum level of sphingosine-1-phosphate: a novel predictor of clinical severity in COVID-19.

The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a crucial problem in patient treatment and outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate circulating level of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) along with severity markers, in COVID-19 patients. One hundred eleven COVID-19 patients and forty-seven healthy subjects were included.

Oral Administration and Intralesional Injection of Hyaluronic Acid Intralesional Injection Alone in Peyronie's Disease: Results from a Phase III Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of combined oral administration and intralesional injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) with intralesional injections alone, in patients with early onset of Peyronie's disease (PD).

Materials And Methods: For this prospective, randomized phase III clinical trial we included patients with recent diagnosis of PD. Eighty-one patients were randomized into two groups.

Spectroscopic characterization of dipicolinic acid and its photoproducts as thymine photosensitizers.

Dipicolinic acid (DPA), present in large amount in bacterial spores, has been proposed to act as an endogenous photosensitizer in spore photoproduct formation. The proposed mechanism involves a triplet-triplet energy transfer from DPA to thymine. However, up to now, no spectroscopic studies have been performed to determine the interaction between the endogenous compound and the nucleobase, probably due to its photolability in aqueous solutions.

Functional properties of habenular neurons are determined by developmental stage and sequential neurogenesis.

The developing brain undergoes drastic alterations. Here, we investigated developmental changes in the habenula, a brain region that mediates behavioral flexibility during learning, social interactions, and aversive experiences. We showed that developing habenular circuits exhibit multiple alterations that lead to an increase in the structural and functional diversity of cell types, inputs, and functional modules.

The Zebrafish Dorsolateral Habenula Is Required for Updating Learned Behaviors.

Operant learning requires multiple cognitive processes, such as learning, prediction of potential outcomes, and decision-making. It is less clear how interactions of these processes lead to the behavioral adaptations that allow animals to cope with a changing environment. We show that juvenile zebrafish can perform conditioned place avoidance learning, with improving performance across development.

Low intensity shockwave therapy in combination with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors is an effective and safe treatment option in patients with vasculogenic ED who are PDE5i non-responders: a multicenter single-arm clinical trial.

Low-intensity shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) has been shown to be an effective and safe treatment for vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED). We aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of LiESWT in treating patients affected from vasculogenic ED who did not respond to oral treatment with Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5-i). It is a multicentric open-label prospective study, in a cohort of patients non-responders to PDE-5i.

COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on sexual life: Recommendations from the Italian Society of Andrology.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the coronavirus that causes an infectious disease, called COVID-19, first detected in patients with pneumonia in Wuhan (People's Republic of China) on December 2019. Italy was the first European country to state the outbreak of the infection and its Council of Ministers declared the state of health emergency on 31.01.

Stimulus-specific behavioral responses of zebrafish to a large range of odors exhibit individual variability.

Background: Odor-driven behaviors such as feeding, mating, and predator avoidance are crucial for animal survival. The neural pathways processing these behaviors have been well characterized in a number of species, and involve the activity of diverse brain regions following stimulation of the olfactory bulb by specific odors. However, while the zebrafish olfactory circuitry is well understood, a comprehensive characterization linking odor-driven behaviors to specific odors is needed to better relate olfactory computations to animal responses.

Hydrogen Abstraction from the C15 Position of the Cholesterol Skeleton.

Cholesterol () is an integral part of cell membrane, where it is prone to oxidation. In humans, oxidation of is commonly linked to various pathologies like Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and even cancer, which proceed via mechanisms involving enzymatic and free radical pathways. The latter begin with hydrogen abstraction (HA) from by a reactive free radical.

Investigation of metabolite-protein interactions by transient absorption spectroscopy and in silico methods.

Transient absorption spectroscopy in combination with in silico methods has been employed to study the interactions between human serum albumin (HSA) and the anti-psychotic agent chlorpromazine (CPZ) as well as its two demethylated metabolites (MCPZ and DCPZ). Thus, solutions containing CPZ, MCPZ or DCPZ and HSA (molar ligand:protein ratios between 1:0 and 1:3) were submitted to laser flash photolysis and the ΔA value at λ = 470 nm, corresponding to the triplet excited state, was monitored. In all cases, the protein-bound ligand exhibited higher ΔAmax values measured after the laser pulse and were also considerably longer-lived than the non-complexed forms.

A "real life" investigation on the prescriptive habits among Italian andrologists: The "CONSER" survey from Italian Society of Andrology (SIA) on Sildenafil oral film.

Even if oral type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE5i) seem an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED), the drop-out is high among patients. For this reason, pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to develop new administration routes, such as the orally disintegrating film. The aim of this study was to analyse the prescription habit of Italian andrologists affiliated to Italian Society of Andrology (SIA) in the era of new oro-dispersible formulation of sildenafil.

The intra-meatal application of alprostadil cream (Vitaros®) improves drug efficacy and patient's satisfaction: results from a randomized, two-administration route, cross-over clinical trial.

To investigate the efficacy, tolerability, and patient's preference of alprostadil cream for topical use administered within the urethral meatus versus the standard administration route, in erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Seventy-one patients (mean age 59.7 ± 9.

Electron Transfer Reactions: KO tBu (but not NaO tBu) Photoreduces Benzophenone under Activation by Visible Light.

Long-standing controversial reports of electron transfer from KO tBu to benzophenone have been investigated and resolved. The mismatch in the oxidation potential of KO tBu (+0.10 V vs SCE in DMF) and the first reduction potential of benzophenone (of many values cited in the literature, the least negative value is -1.