Decision making among different treatment options for neurologically impaired boys with undescended testis: a multinational pediatric survey.

Objective: To determine the attitude of referring pediatricians towards the decision of treatment modalities for undescended testis (UDT) in neurologic impaired boys (NIB).

Methods And Materials: An online questionnaire was offered to registered pediatricians in Austria and Germany for online completion.

Results: 221 male (61.

Delayed referral despite appropriate knowledge in cryptorchidism as a cause of delayed orchidopexies in Austria.

Aim: Guidelines recommend early orchidopexy in cryptorchidism to decrease the risk of infertility and tumor formation. We aimed to asses if a delayed initial presentation for cryptorchidism was due to unawareness of these guidelines or for any other reasons.

Methods: A short questionnaire exploring timing and referral habits when assessing children with cryptorchidism was sent by email to all registered pediatricians in Austria.

Effect of macrophage overexpression of murine liver X receptor-alpha (LXR-alpha) on atherosclerosis in LDL-receptor deficient mice.

Unlabelled: Background- The nuclear liver X receptor-alpha (LXR-alpha) has been implicated in the regulation of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis, inflammatory response, and atherosclerosis susceptibility. The aim of the present study was to test whether transgenic expression of LXR-alpha might affect these mechanisms and result in a reduction of atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: We generated mice with macrophage overexpression of mouse LXR-alpha, evidenced by significantly elevated expression levels of LXR-target genes (ABCA1, ABCG1) in these cells.

Antineovascular agents in the treatment of eye diseases.

Neovascularization is a common and potentially visually threatening complication of eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). An antiangiogenic therapy is aimed at inhibiting the growth of new blood vessels and should prevent onset or progression of neovascularization. Accumulated evidence indicates that growth factors, endothelial cell surface receptors, and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are major mediators of neovascularization and appealing targets for pharmacotherapeutical intervention.

Immunochemical crossreactivity of antibodies specific for "advanced glycation endproducts" with "advanced lipoxidation endproducts".

Antibodies against advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are used for their immunohistological localization in tissues, for example in Alzheimer's disease (AD) or diabetes. Many monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies have been used, and their specificity is unknown in most cases. Increased radical production, leading to the formation of lipid-derived reactive carbonyl species, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), acrolein, and glyoxal, is a characteristic aspect of age-related diseases like Alzheimer's disease or diabetic polyneuropathy.