Molecular docking and dynamics simulation analysis of PDE5 inhibitor candidates for erectile dysfunction treatment.

Objective: Molecular docking studies were conducted to assess the binding affinities of five potential inhibitor candidates [PDB (Protein Data Bank) ID: 6L6E] against Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5), with Sildenafil used as the reference compound. The aim of this study is to reveal the potential inhibitory role of plant-derived compounds compared to Sildenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor.

Materials And Methods: Autodock Vina v.

Stress integration by an ascending adrenergic-melanocortin circuit.

Stress is thought to be an important contributing factor for eating disorders; however, neural substrates underlying the complex relationship between stress and appetite are not fully understood. Using in vivo recordings from awake behaving mice, we show that various acute stressors activate catecholaminergic nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) projections in the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH). Remarkably, the resulting adrenergic tone inhibits MC4R-expressing neurons (PVH), which are known for their role in feeding suppression.

Alpha-linolenic acid protects against methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity in mouse kidney cells.

Objective: Methotrexate (MTX) is a folic acid antagonist used in chronic inflammatory diseases and various cancer treatments. Although the main mechanism of the toxic effect of MTX is not known, it is stated that it causes oxidative stress and inflammation. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) protects against oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation.

Management Patterns of Male Urethral Stricture Disease among Urologists: What Do the Guidelines Say? What Do Urologists Do?

Background: The aim of the present study is to evaluate and analyze the daily clinical practice for male urethral stricture disease (MUSD) among urologists.

Methods: Considering the latest guidelines on urethral stricture disease, a survey was developed regarding the various treatment options and preferences in different sites of male urethral stricture disease. The survey was sent to urologists via e-mail and phone application.

Adrenergic modulation of melanocortin pathway by hunger signals.

Norepinephrine (NE) is a well-known appetite regulator, and the nor/adrenergic system is targeted by several anti-obesity drugs. To better understand the circuitry underlying adrenergic appetite control, here we investigated the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), a key brain region that integrates energy signals and receives dense nor/adrenergic input, using a mouse model. We found that PVN NE level increases with signals of energy deficit and decreases with food access.

Localised degradation within sulfide-based all-solid-state electrodes visualised by Raman mapping.

The distribution of degradation products, before and after cycling, within common sulfide-based solid electrolytes (β-LiPS, LiPSCl and LiGePS) was mapped using Raman microscopy. All composite electrodes displayed the appearance of side reaction products after the initial charge-discharge cycle, located at the site of a LiNiMnCoO particle.

Novel sulfur-doped single-ion conducting multi-block copolymer electrolyte.

Solid-state lithium batteries are considered one of the most promising candidates for future electrochemical energy storage. However, both inorganic solid electrolytes (such as oxide-based or sulfide-based materials) and polymer electrolytes still have to overcome several challenges to replace the currently used liquid organic electrolytes. An increasingly adopted approach to overcome these challenges relies on the combination of different electrolyte systems.

Investigation of a Fluorine-Free Phosphonium-Based Ionic Liquid Electrolyte and Its Compatibility with Lithium Metal.

A novel fluorine-free ionic liquid electrolyte comprising lithium dicyanamide (LiDCA) and trimethyl(isobutyl)phosphonium tricyanomethanide (PTCM) in a 1:9 molar ratio is studied as an electrolyte for lithium metal batteries. At room temperature, it demonstrates high ionic conductivity and viscosity of about 4.5 mS cm and 64.

Elucidating the Role of Microstructure in Thiophosphate Electrolytes - a Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study of β-Li PS.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are promising candidates to significantly exceed the energy densities of today's state-of-the-art technology, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To enable this advancement, optimizing the solid electrolyte (SE) is the key. β-Li PS (β-LPS) is the most studied member of the Li S-P S family, offering promising properties for implementation in electric vehicles.

NTS Catecholamine Neurons Mediate Hypoglycemic Hunger via Medial Hypothalamic Feeding Pathways.

Glucose is the essential energy source for the brain, whose deficit, triggered by energy deprivation or therapeutic agents, can be fatal. Increased appetite is the key behavioral defense against hypoglycemia; however, the central pathways involved are not well understood. Here, we describe a glucoprivic feeding pathway by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-expressing neurons from nucleus of solitary tract (NTS), which project densely to the hypothalamus and elicit feeding through bidirectional adrenergic modulation of agouti-related peptide (AgRP)- and proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing neurons.

MCH Neuron Activity Is Sufficient for Reward and Reinforces Feeding.

Background: Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)-expressing neurons have been implicated in regulation of energy homeostasis and reward, yet the role of their electrical activity in short-term appetite and reward modulation has not been fully understood.

Objectives: We investigated short-term behavioral and physiological effects of MCH neuron activity manipulations.

Methods: We used optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches in Pmch-cre transgenic mice to acutely stimulate/inhibit MCH neuronal activity while probing feeding, locomotor activity, anxiety-like behaviors, glucose homeostasis, and reward.

Inactivation of Magel2 suppresses oxytocin neurons through synaptic excitation-inhibition imbalance.

Prader-Willi and the related Schaaf-Yang Syndromes (PWS/SYS) are rare neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by overlapping phenotypes of high incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and neonatal feeding difficulties. Based on clinical and basic studies, oxytocin pathway defects are suggested to contribute disease pathogenesis but the mechanism has been poorly understood. Specifically, whether the impairment in oxytocin system is limited to neuropeptide levels and how the functional properties of broader oxytocin neuron circuits affected in PWS/SYS have not been addressed.

Impaired melanocortin pathway function in Prader-Willi syndrome gene-Magel2 deficient mice.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder causing social and learning deficits, impaired satiety and severe childhood obesity. Genetic underpinning of PWS involves deletion of a chromosomal region with several genes, including MAGEL2, which is abundantly expressed in the hypothalamus. Of appetite regulating hypothalamic cell types, both AGRP and POMC-expressing neurons contain Magel2 transcripts but the functional impact of its deletion on these cells has not been fully characterized.

The Effects of Stereotactic Cerebroventricular Administration of Albumin, Mannitol, Hypertonic Sodium Chloride, Glycerin and Dextran in Rats with Experimental Brain Edema.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of cerebroventricular administration of hyperoncotic/hyperosmotic agents on edematous brain tissue in rats with experimental head trauma.

Material And Methods: The study included 54 female Sprague-Dawley rats with weights ranging between 200 and 250 g. Six experimental groups were examined with each group containing 9 rats.

The Outcomes of Late Term Surgical Treatment of Penetrating Peripheral Nerve Injuries.

Aim: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the follow-up results of patients who received late-term surgical treatment for peripheral nerve lesions caused by penetrating injuries.

Material And Methods: The study included 25 patients who underwent surgery for peripheral nerve injuries in our clinic between 2007 and 2013. The patients were evaluated with respect to age, gender, etiology of the trauma, the affected nerve, clinical examinations, electrophysiological findings, surgical techniques and functional outcomes.

Strontium substituted hydroxyapatites: Synthesis and determination of their structural properties, in vitro and in vivo performance.

The objective of this study is to present a detailed report related to the synthesis and characterization of strontium substituted hydroxyapatites. Based on this purpose, hydroxyapatite (HAp) bioceramics with different amounts of strontium (e.g.

Evaluation of the Time-dependent Contamination of Spinal Implants: Prospective Randomized Trial.

Study Design: Prospective study OBJECTIVE.: To evaluate contamination in spinal implants using a liquid culture medium and the effect of covering an implant set on contamination.

Summary Of Background Data: Postoperative infection rates increase with the use of spinal implants.

Results of treatment of unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures using pedicle instrumentation with and without fracture-level screws.

Background: Two different techniques of short-segment instrumentation, with and without a pedicle screw at the fracture level, were compared in thoracolumbar burst fractures in neurologically intact (ASIA-E) patients. The sagittal index, kyphosis angle (Cobb), canal compromise ratio, and compression ratio of the anterior vertebral height were analyzed.

Methods: Seventy patients who underwent short-segment stabilization for thoracolumbar (T11-L2) burst fractures in our clinic between 2008 and 2012 were included in this retrospective study.

Structural and dielectric properties of yttrium-substituted hydroxyapatites.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) samples doped with 0, 2 and 4 at.% of yttrium (Y) were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy attached with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, antimicrobial activity tests and dielectric studies. The hydroxyl groups observed in FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of HAp phase in the studied samples.

Controlling of dielectric parameters of insulating hydroxyapatite by simulated body fluid.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) samples were synthesized under various amounts of citric acid using the sol-gel method. Before and after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 14 and 28 days, the structural properties of HAp samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and dielectric measurements. The crystallite size (D) was found to be in the range of 25.

Dyke-davidoff-masson syndrome associated with epidermoid tumour and arachnoid cyst: a case report.

Background: Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome (DDMS) is a rarely seen clinical entity which is characterised by cerebral hemiatrophy, contralateral hemiparesis and epilepsy. Radiological features are typical, such as unilateral atrophy of the cerebral hemisphere and associated compensatory bone changes in the skull, like thickening, enlargement of the paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells.

Case Report: In this article, we report the first case of DDMS associated with epidermoid tumour and arachnoid cyst, who underwent operation for an epidermoid tumour in the inter-hemispheric region.

Controlling of dielectrical properties of hydroxyapatite by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) for bone healing applications.

The hydroxyapatite (HAp) samples in the presence of various amounts of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) were prepared by sol-gel method. The effects of EDTA on the crystallinity, phase structure, chemical, micro-structural and dielectric properties of HAp samples were investigated. With the addition of EDTA, the average crystallite size of the HAp samples is gradually decreased from 30 to 22 nm and the crystallinity is in the range of 65-71%.

In vitro characterization of polyvinyl alcohol assisted hydroxyapatite derived by sol-gel method.

The synthesis and characterization of sol-gel derived hydroxyapatite (HAp) were investigated with the effects of the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to the structural and material in vitro behavior. All samples were soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 14 and 28 days. The characterization of bioceramics before and after immersing in SBF was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques.

[Assessment of cost-benefit analysis in integration projects on drug addiction].

The purpose of this study is to make a cost-benefit-analysis for integration projects helping drug addicts and substitutes to reintegrate into society. The study is intended to contribute to a better allocation of resources under the trade-off-situation that only a limited number of integration projects can be realized due to budget limitations. This pilot study represents an economic evaluation of health activities on integration based on the example of study projects offered by Mudra e.