Investigating the existence of an osmotic barrier between xylem fibres and vessels in sugar maple (Acer saccharum) using microCT.

Sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marshall) develop elevated stem pressures in springtime through the compression and expansion of gas bubbles present within xylem fibres. The stability of this gas within the fibres is hypothesised to be due to the elevated sugar concentration of maple sap and the presence of an osmotic barrier between fibres and vessels. Without this osmotic barrier gas bubbles are predicted to dissolve rapidly.

Comparison of robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: SP versus XI, a single surgeon experience.

Currently, there is a paucity of data regarding Single Port (SP) robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). Our objective was to compare our single-institution single-surgeon SP RALP experience to our XI RALP experience with regard to patient selection, perioperative data, and outcomes. Patients who underwent prostatectomy at our institution between August 2019 and April 2021 were selected for analysis.

A numerical investigation of the hydrodynamic dispersion in triply periodic chromatographic stationary phases.

3D printed custom chromatographic stationary phases have recently been demonstrated. Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method, we compared the model-predicted chromatographic performance of random packing of monodisperse spheres, open tubular columns (OTC) and stationary phases based on three triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS): Schwarz Diamond (SD), Schoen Gyroid (SG) and Schwarz Primitive (SP). Three performance metrics were employed in this comparison: i) reduced plate height, ii) Darcy number, iii) kinetic performance factor.

Pure Robotic-assisted Level IV Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy for Angiomyolipoma Without Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A First Report.

Objective: To report the initial case of robotic-assisted level IV inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombectomy, with the supra- and infradiaphragmatic caval segments managed purely by a robotic-assisted technique.

Methods: A 67-year-old female presented with a 5.3 × 2.

Decreasing the prospect of upper extremity neuropraxia during robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: a novel technique.

Risk of intraoperative neuropathic injury in minimally invasive surgery has been established as a leading complication. Continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), such as upper extremity somatosensory evoked potentials (ueSSEPs), to decrease peripheral nerve injury due to positional stress has been described. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) requires steep Trendelenberg, which may predispose patients to upper extremity neuropraxia.

Robotic level II inferior vena cava thrombectomy for metastatic melanoma.

We report on a case of a 38-year-old female who presented with metastatic malignant melanoma of her right kidney with Level II tumor thrombus. This is the first ever presented case of a renal melanoma IVC tumor thrombus. Furthermore, in an effort to expand the surgical scope of minimally invasive and robotic surgery, we report management of this lesion as the first case of non-renal cell carcinoma IVC tumor thrombus treated with a robotic thrombectomy.

"Balancing" balancing selection? Assortative mating at the major histocompatibility complex despite molecular signatures of balancing selection.

In vertebrate animals, genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) determine the set of pathogens to which an individual's adaptive immune system can respond. MHC genes are extraordinarily polymorphic, often showing elevated nonsynonymous relative to synonymous sequence variation and sharing presumably ancient polymorphisms between lineages. These patterns likely reflect pathogen-mediated balancing selection, for example, rare-allele or heterozygote advantage.

Targeting the Hsp40/Hsp70 Chaperone Axis as a Novel Strategy to Treat Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is characterized by reactivation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling, in part by elevated expression of AR splice variants (ARv) including ARv7, a constitutively active, ligand binding domain (LBD)-deficient variant whose expression has been correlated with therapeutic resistance and poor prognosis. In a screen to identify small-molecule dual inhibitors of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent AR gene signatures, we identified the chalcone C86. Binding studies using purified proteins and CRPC cell lysates revealed C86 to interact with Hsp40.

Fusion prostate biopsy outperforms 12-core systematic prostate biopsy in patients with prior negative systematic biopsy: A multi-institutional analysis.

Introduction And Objectives: Patients with persistently elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prior negative 12-core TRUS prostate biopsy (or biopsies) (systematic biopsy-SBx) are a diagnostic challenge. Repeat SBx or saturation biopsy in this cohort has been shown to have an even lower yield. The aim of our study is to compare the prostate cancer yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion biopsy (FBx) to SBx in a multi-institutional cohort comprised of patients with prior negative biopsies.

Using Imaging to Predict Treatment Response in Genitourinary Malignancies.

Context: Over the previous2 decades, there have been numerous advancements in the diagnostic evaluation, therapeutic management, and postoperative assessment of genitourinary malignancies.

Objective: To present a review of current and novel imaging modalities and their utility in the assessment of therapeutic response in the systemic management of renal, testicular, and prostate cancers.

Evidence Acquisition: A PubMed/Medline search of the current published literature inclusive of prospective and retrospective original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses was conducted evaluating imaging modalities for renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

Repeat Robotic Partial Nephrectomy: Characteristics, Complications, and Renal Functional Outcomes.

Introduction: Multifocal and hereditary kidney cancers often require repeated ipsilateral nephron sparing procedures with higher blood loss and complication rates compared to first time renal surgery. Consequently, many surgeons avoid minimally invasive techniques in the setting. We present the characteristics, complications, and short-term renal functional outcomes of patients who underwent a repeat robotic partial nephrectomy (rRPNx).

Risk stratification of prostate cancer: integrating multiparametric MRI, nomograms and biomarkers.

Accurate risk stratification of prostate cancer is achieved with a number of existing tools to ensure the identification of at-risk patients, characterization of disease aggressiveness, prediction of cancer burden and extrapolation of treatment outcomes for appropriate management of the disease. Statistical tables and nomograms using classic clinicopathological variables have long been the standard of care. However, the introduction of multiparametric MRI, along with fusion-guided targeted prostate biopsy and novel biomarkers, are being assimilated into clinical practice.

Intracompartmental pressure as a predictor of intratesticular blood flow: a rat model.

Purpose: We identified an intratesticular pressure at which vascular flow would cease in a testicular compartment syndrome model, defining a critical vascular stop flow pressure.

Materials And Methods: A total of 52 male Sprague Dawley® rats were used for the study. The testicle of each rat was delivered from the scrotum and size measurements were taken.