Axisymmetric acoustophoresis for paper pulp concentration.

In pulp and paper mills, mechanical processes such as screening and washing are commonly used to remove accumulated solid suspensions and concentrate the pulp. For environmental reasons and to optimize paper production, an emerging challenge is to develop alternative methods to concentrate paper pulp between 3 % and 6 % consistency for which the mixed pulp-water flow is complex. Among the proposed solutions in the literature, solutions based on acoustic levitation, also referred as acoustophoresis, of low-consistency pulp have been demonstrated as a potential solution for efficient pulp concentration and water recirculation.

Oscillatory patterns in sympathetic neural discharge and cardiovascular variables during orthostatic stimulus.

Background: We tested the hypothesis that a common oscillatory pattern might characterize the rhythmic discharge of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and the spontaneous variability of heart rate and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) during a physiological increase of sympathetic activity induced by the head-up tilt maneuver.

Methods And Results: Ten healthy subjects underwent continuous recordings of ECG, intra-arterial pressure, respiratory activity, central venous pressure, and MSNA, both in the recumbent position and during 75 degrees head-up tilt. Venous samplings for catecholamine assessment were obtained at rest and during the fifth minute of tilt.

Effect of testosterone administration on sexual behavior and mood in men with erectile dysfunction.

This double-blind placebo controlled, cross-over study was carried out to assess the effect of testosterone administration on sexual behavior mood, and psychological symptoms in healthy men with erectile dysfunction. Biweekly injections of 200 mg of testosterone enanthate were given over a period of 6 weeks separated by a washout period of 4 weeks. Blood samples for hormonal assessment, behavioral and psychological ratings were obtained prior to each injection.

Sexuality and aging.

Because aging is frequently associated with medical conditions likely to impair sexual performance, there is a tendency to view sexual changes in older men as the result of pathology, overlooking the effect of natural processes of aging in sexuality. This article discusses the sexual responses in the aging male, the physiologic aspects of aging male sexuality, psychologic aspects of aging and sexuality, studies on aging male sexuality, a psychobiological investigation of healthy aging men, medical causes of erectile dysfunction in elderly men, and the effect of medications on the sexual functioning of aging men.

Chronic alcoholism and male sexual function.

Objective: The relation between chronic alcohol abuse and male sexuality remains uncertain. This study assessed the effect of chronic alcoholism on sexual function, marital adjustment, sleep-related erections, sleep disorders, and hormone levels during abstinence from alcohol.

Method: Twenty chronically alcoholic men, aged 28-59 years, without evidence of severe hepatic disease and free from unrelated medical illnesses, were assessed 2-36 months after achieving sobriety and compared to a group of 20 nonalcoholic volunteers.

Diabetes, psychological function and male sexuality.

The aim of the study was to assess psychological contributors or correlates of sexual dysfunction in diabetic men. The study was conducted on 40 diabetic men and 40 age-matched healthy volunteers. The subjects underwent a psychosexual interview with their sexual partners and had a comprehensive medical evaluation to rule out the confounding effects of other illnesses or medications.

The role of the sleep laboratory in the evaluation of male erectile dysfunction.

Considerable advances have been made in the evaluation of male erectile dysfunction. The assessment of sleep-related nocturnal penile tumescence has emerged as one of the better established methods for the objective assessment of erectile capacity. This article summarizes information on the clinical use of the nocturnal penile tumescence test and discusses conceptual and methodological issues derived, in part, from our own research that are important for the valid interpretation of the test results in the diagnosis of erectile disorders.

Sexual satisfaction in healthy aging men.

Systematic information on the contributing factors to sexual satisfaction in healthy older men is lacking. The central aim of the study was to explore the predictive significance of psychological, marital, and behavioral variables and their interaction on the satisfaction of healthy married volunteers aged 45 to 74. All subjects had an extensive psychosexual and medical evaluation and completed a battery of psychological tests which included the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI), the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (L-W) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS).

Erectile function and penile blood pressure in diabetes mellitus.

Thirty-seven diabetic men selected to exclude the confounding effects of other medical illnesses and nondiabetic medications and 53 healthy controls underwent extensive psychosexual and medical evaluations and penile blood pressure assessments by ultrasonic Doppler measurement and mercury strain-gauge plethysmography. There was a significant negative correlation between age and the penile-brachial index (PBI) in the diabetic but not in the control group. The impotent diabetic group had significantly lower PBI than nondysfunctional diabetic and healthy control subjects.

Diabetes mellitus and male sexual function: a controlled study.

There is an extensive clinical literature on the erectile disorders of diabetic men but a paucity of controlled studies that have taken into account the effects of age, concurrent illnesses and medication on sexual function. This investigation was carried out on 40 diabetic men free from other illness or drugs that could affect sexual capacity and 40 age-matched healthy control subjects. Each subject and his female partner underwent semistructured interviews and the men had comprehensive medical evaluations and polygraphic assessment of sleep and nocturnal penile tumescence in the sleep laboratory during three nights.

Diabetes, sleep disorders, and male sexual function.

The prevalence and role of sleep disorders in the sexual problems of diabetic patients remain unexplored. This study was conducted on 40 diabetic men carefully screened to exclude the confounding effects of other medical illnesses or drugs likely to impair sexual function and 40 age-matched healthy volunteers. They underwent an extensive psychosexual interview, medical and psychiatric evaluations, and three recorded nights in a sleep laboratory.

Hormones and nocturnal penile tumescence in healthy aging men.

There is no information on the relationship between endogenous pituitary and gonadal hormones and nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) in healthy aging men. Sixty-seven married volunteers ages 45-74 years were studied in the sleep laboratory for 4 nights with the last night devoted to sequential blood sampling every 20 min. Bioavailable testosterone (bT) correlated significantly with several NPT measures while total testosterone, estradiol, LH, and prolactin were mostly unrelated to NPT.

Pituitary-gonadal function during sleep in healthy aging men.

There is limited information on the relation between age-related changes in pituitary-gonadal function and sleep physiology in older men. In this cross-sectional study of 67 healthy volunteers free from sleep complaints, aged 45-75 yr, we (1) assessed peak fluctuations and hourly variations in plasma testosterone, LH and prolactin sampled every 20 min during sleep, and (2) explored the relation between sleep parameters, respiratory and periodic leg movement disturbances, and circulating concentrations of the aforementioned hormones. We hypothesized that alterations in sleep architecture or presence of sleep disorders may contribute to hormonal variations in aging subjects.

Psychometric characteristics of individuals with sexual dysfunction and their partners.

This study assessed psychological dimensions and marital adjustment of 52 couples in which one of the partners met operational criteria for hypoactive sexual desire or erectile dysfunction. Information was obtained independently from the dysfunctional subjects and their partners by means of validated inventories: the Derogatis Sexual Function Inventory (DSFI), Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (L-W), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). The global measures of sexual function and satisfaction of the DSFI showed marked impairment in all groups, while its subscale scores suggested characteristic differences in the profiles of the dysfunctional groups and their partners.

The relationship between pituitary-gonadal function and sexual behavior in healthy aging men.

Few studies have assessed the role of pituitary and gonadal hormones on age-related changes in sexual behavior in healthy men. We conducted a retrospective and prospective evaluation of sexual function and behavior in 77 healthy married men aged 45 to 74 years. The subjects were studied in the sleep laboratory for four nights with the last night devoted to sequential blood sampling every 20 minutes.

Aging, sleep disorders, and male sexual function.

The relation between age, sleep disorders, nocturnal penile tumescence, and sexual behavior was investigated in 70 healthy married men aged 45-75 years. They had an extensive psychosexual interview, a medical and psychiatric evaluation, and were studied in the sleep laboratory for four nights. Electroencephalogram (EEG), eye movements, muscle tone, and penile tumescence were monitored continuously, and respiratory airflow and bilateral anterior tibialis recordings were obtained during the first sleep session.

Healthy aging and male sexual function.

The authors examined the effect of age on sexual function and behavior and on nocturnal penile tumescence in 65 healthy married men aged 45 to 74 years. There was a significant negative relation between age and sexual desire, arousal, and activity and an increasing prevalence of sexual dysfunction with age but no age difference in sexual enjoyment and satisfaction. Significant age-related decreases in frequency, duration, and degree of nocturnal penile tumescence were found.

Gonadal hormones, sex and behavior.

Gender differences have been demonstrated in several regions of the central nervous system (CNS) in animals and humans. These differences change with development and aging and are probably influenced by hormones. Gender differences have been demonstrated clinically in the prevalence of some mental disorders and responses to psychotropic medications.

Chronic alcoholism and male sexual dysfunction.

Chronic alcoholism can profoundly influence marital relationships, but the nature of the effect of alcohol abuse on sexual interactions is not clear. This article critically reviews information on the prevalence of sexual disorders and possible endocrine, neurologic, and psychologic processes that may mediate the effects of chronic alcoholism on male sexual functioning. Emphasis is placed on a conceptual model that integrates biologic and psychologic perspectives, moving away from simplistic unidimensional approaches to the study of the behavioral effects of this serious medical and social problem.

Low sexual desire in women: the role of reproductive hormones.

The role of reproductive hormones in mediating sexual desire in healthy women is still unclear. Elucidation was sought in this study by comparing the hormonal milieu of two groups of subjects with markedly different levels of sexual desire. Seventeen women ages 27-39 who met DSM III-R criteria for severe, persistent, and generalized loss of desire (hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSD), but had no other current psychological or medical problem, were compared to 13 healthy, sexually active women.

Nocturnal penile tumescence in healthy aging men.

This study investigated nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) and verified degree of sleep erections by direct observation in 40 healthy, sexually nondysfunctional men aged 23-73. They were assessed under similar conditions during three nights, with systematic awakenings during tumescent episodes on the third night. Total sleep time and the ratio of total sleep time to time in bed (sleep efficiency) decreased significantly with age.

Pituitary-gonadal function during sleep in men with hypoactive sexual desire and in normal controls.

There is virtually no information on the psychobiology of hypoactive sexual desire (HSD) in men. This study compares pituitary and gonadal hormones and nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) during sleep in 17 physically healthy men with HSD and 17 age-matched, nondysfunctional volunteers. There were six HSD men with problems of sexual arousal and 11 with secondary erectile impotence.