The effect of alginate, hyaluronate and hyaluronate derivatives biomaterials on synthesis of non-articular chondrocyte extracellular matrix.

Cartilage engineering consists of re-constructing functional cartilage by seeding chondrocytes in suitable biomaterials in vitro. The characteristics of neocartilage differ upon the type of biomaterial chosen. This study aims at determining the appropriate scaffold material for articular cartilage reconstruction using non articular chondrocytes harvested from rat sternum.

Quantification of initial adhesion of Enterococcus faecalis to medical grade polymers using a DNA-based fluorescence assay.

This paper reports on the use of a DNA-based fluorescence assay to study and quantify the initial interactions of the uropathogen Enterococcus faecalis with different polymers commonly used for the fabrication of medical devices and implants, including polyurethane (PU), silicone (SI), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). To follow the kinetics of E. faecalis adhesion, polymer samples were incubated in bacterial solution for various times and the relative concentration of adhered bacteria was obtained using two methods: commonly used CFU plate counting and a DNA quantification assay.

The antibacterial properties of solid supported liposomes on Streptococcus oralis biofilms.

A novel system for the delivery of drugs to bacterial biofilms has been developed. The system is based on the use of anionic and cationic liposomes as drug carriers adsorbed on the surface of zinc citrate particles. The adsorption process results in the formation of solid supported vesicles (SSVs) which aids the stabilisation of the liposomes.

Observational multicentric trial performed with doxazosin: evaluation of sexual effects on patients with diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Introduction: The aim of our study is to verify the effects of doxazosin on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 102 patients with BPH, selected by nine Italian Urology Departments. Patients were evaluated with the International Prostatic Symptom Score (I-PSS) and divided into two groups: those with intact sexual activity and those with erectile dysfunction.

Peyronie's disease: prevalence and association with cigarette smoking. A multicenter population-based study in men aged 50-69 years.

Objectives: We present a multicenter, population-based epidemiological survey aimed at assessing the prevalence of Peyronie's disease (PD) and its potential risk factors in the general population.

Methods: In each of the ten centers throughout Italy, a uroandrologist contacted all the men in the age range 50-69 years registered with a general practitioner (GP). The subjects recruited were evaluated on the basis of their medical history, including alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

Life-style in patients with LUTS suggestive of BPH.

Background: Owing to the existing controversy about the role of life-style in the pathogenesis of BPH, the possible associations of LUTS and prostate enlargement with alcohol intake, coffee consumption, smoking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and concomitant diseases were studied in the large series of patients of the QUIBUS study.

Results: Among concomitant diseases, essential hypertension was the most represented. However no apparent additive or synergistic influence on symptoms was recorded in this subset of the population.

[Unusual ultrasonography of scrotal pathology].

The potentialities of ultrasonography in scrotal diseases, with help of color-Doppler and angio-power, as well as their sensibility and specificity are discussed presenting three rather rare cases occurred with acute symptoms. It emphasises the utility of emergency scrotal scanning.

Androstanolone treatment for congenital penile curvature.

Objectives: To test the etiological hypotheses of congenital penile curvature (CPC) and to infer the possible therapeutic approaches.

Materials And Methods: Seventy patients affected by CPC were enlisted for the present study: 37 with left curvature, 21 with ventral curvature, 11 with left ventral-lateral curvature, and 1 with right curvature. All patients under the age of 21 years were encouraged to take local medical therapy with alcohol androstanolone gel in a dosage of 0.

[Polyorchism: a case report].

A case of polyorchism is described and the literature reviewed, highlighting the rarity of this pathological condition. To our knowledge, only 70 cases have been reported in the world literature. Similarly, Nocks' embryological development theory is discussed herein.