Random Peptide Mixtures as Safe and Effective Antimicrobials against and MRSA in Mouse Models of Bacteremia and Pneumonia.

Antibiotic resistance is a daunting challenge in modern medicine, and novel approaches that minimize the emergence of resistant pathogens are desperately needed. Antimicrobial peptides are newer therapeutics that attempt to do this; however, they fall short because of low to moderate antimicrobial activity, low protease stability, susceptibility to resistance development, and high cost of production. The recently developed random peptide mixtures (RPMs) are promising alternatives.

Surfactant phospholipids act as molecular switches for premature induction of quorum sensing-dependent virulence in .

The virulence behaviors of many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are governed by quorum-sensing (QS), a hierarchical system of gene regulation that relies on population density by producing and detecting extracellular signaling molecules. Although extensively studied under conditions, adaptation of QS system to physiologically relevant host environment is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of lung environment on the regulation of virulence factors by QS in a mouse model of acute pneumonia.

Early versus late maturation arrest: reproductive outcomes of testicular failure.

Purpose: There is a paucity of data characterizing infertile men with maturation arrest. We hypothesized that men with early stage maturation arrest could be clinically distinguished from men with late maturation arrest and would have worse reproductive outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients with nonobstructive azoospermia and cryptozoospermia who underwent testis mapping and sperm extraction from 2002 to 2009 and for whom histopathological findings were available.

Techniques for vasectomy reversal.

This article details the contemporary preoperative preparation, microsurgical techniques, and postoperative care recommended for vasectomy reversal. The two-layer vasovasostomy and intussuscepted epididymovasostomy techniques are presented in detail.

A prospective, single-blind, randomized crossover trial of sacral vs pudendal nerve stimulation for interstitial cystitis.

Objective: To compare sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) with pudendal nerve stimulation (PNS) for interstitial cystitis (IC).

Patients And Methods: Twenty-two patients with well-documented, refractory IC had a tined lead placed at S3 and a second electrode implanted at the pudendal nerve via a posterior approach. In a blinded, randomized design, each lead was tested for 7 days.

Sacral versus pudendal nerve stimulation for voiding dysfunction: a prospective, single-blinded, randomized, crossover trial.

Aims: The objective of the study was to compare sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) to pudendal nerve stimulation (PNS) for voiding dysfunction.

Methods: Thirty subjects with voiding dysfunction had a tined lead placed at S3 and a second electrode implanted at the pudendal nerve via a posterior approach. In a blinded, randomized fashion, each lead was tested for 7 days.