Satisfaction assessment study in patients (and their partners) with/without Peyronie's disease and penile prosthesis implantation.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Among the many treatments for erectile dysfunction, implantation of a penile prosthesis has been associated with high patient satisfaction rates. However, patients with coexistent Peyronie's disease (PD) and refractory erectile dysfunction and/or severe deformities may show different results. The aim of our study was to assess and to compare the level of satisfaction, with an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP), in men with/without coexistent PD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey study based on a five-item satisfaction questionnaire was submitted to all those live patients implanted in the period 1992-2022 at our center (n=570) and their partners. Ninety-two percent of implants were inflatable devices. Surgeries were mainly performed by two surgeons. The main outcome measure used was the level of patient and partner satisfaction with sexual intercourse after IPP. RESULTS: Of the 570 eligible patients, 479 (84%) completed the survey (393 Non-PD: GROUP 1; 70 non-complex PD-Group 2; 16 complex PD). Eighty-six per cent of patients in Group 1 reported satisfactory sexual intercourse (very or moderately satisfied). Non-complex PD implanted patients (Group 2) reported a global 81% satisfactory sexual intercourse (very or moderately satisfied) (p>0.05). However, when we evaluated the PD subgroup of patients with severe PD who require incision/excision/grafting at the time of implant (Group 3: n=20), only 61% reported satisfactory sexual intercourse (p<0.01) with predominance of moderately satisfied patients over very satisfied: 78% vs. 22%). Additionally, 84% (Group 1), 80% (Group 2) and 54% (Group 3) of partners reported satisfactory intercourses, respectively (p<0.01). Overall, 84% of Group 1 implants and 79% of Group 2 reported that they would undergo the procedure again if the IPP failed (p>0.05; ns). Only 50% of Group 3 patients would do it again. With regard to cosmetic aspects, 48% of the Group 3 implant reported penile shortness or soft glans as the main causes of their dissatisfaction. Only 2.4% of total PP patients expressed difficulty in manipulating the device. CONCLUSION: The presence of PD alone may not impact PP patient and partner satisfaction, but patients with more severe baseline deformity who require incision/grafting may be less satisfied with outcomes including penile length and glans sensation.

Neutron diffraction study of the (BiFeO3)1-x(PbTiO3)x solid solution: nanostructured multiferroic system.

Neutron diffraction studies performed on the solid solution of (BiFeO(3))(1-x)(PbTiO(3))(x) reveal a mixture of two nanoscale phases with different crystal structures: a rhombohedral BiFeO(3)-based phase and a tetragonal PbTiO3-based phase. The ratio of Fe(3)+ and Ti(4)+ ions in the two phases is practically constant; only the proportion of the phases changes. The magnetic moments in the BiFeO(3)-based phase, in contrast to BiFeO(3), deviate from the basal plane. The temperature evolutions of the spin components along the hexagonal axis and within the perpendicular plane are different, leading to a spin re-orientation transition. The antiferromagnetic order in the PbTiO(3)-based phase corresponds to a simple structure with the propagation vector (1/2, 1/2, 1/2). The temperature dependence of the antiferromagnetic moment in the tetragonal phase at x = 0.5 indicates a canted antiferromagnetic order and a net ferromagnetic moment. A strong magnetic coupling between the two constituting phases due to the nanoscale character of the phases and well-developed interface between nanoparticles has been observed. The system of (BiFeO(3))(1-x)(PbTiO(3))(x) demonstrates an interesting scenario, where the proximity effects in the unstable system play a crucial role in the appearance of the unusual magnetic properties.

Effects of A-site disorder in the properties of A2CoMnO6 (A = La, Tb).

We have studied the structural and physical properties of the La2-xTbxCoMnO6 series. The crystal and magnetic structures of these compounds were determined by x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques. All samples belong to the family of double perovskites with space group P21/n, but the Co/Mn ordering is not perfect, and antisite defects are formed. The concentration of these defects increases for intermediate compositions, indicating that La/Tb disorder influences the Co/Mn arrangement. A ferromagnetic ground state is established due to the strong Mn(4+)-O-Co(2+) superexchange interaction. For the intermediate compositions and at low temperature, the Co/Mn ordering is accompanied by the ordering of Tb(3+) moments in the ab-plane, indicating a mutual polarization between both sublattices. Macroscopic magnetic properties reveal that Curie temperature decreases as Tb content increases in correlation with the increase of the structural distortion. All samples show semiconducting behaviour, and overall the electrical resistivity increases with decreasing La-content. The dielectric constant (ε') has a value of around 12 at low temperatures for all samples, revealing the lack of permanent dipoles. The temperature dependence of ε' on warming exhibits a strong increase that depends heavily on the frequency of the electric field. This effect is ascribed to non-intrinsic effects such as contacts or internal barrier-layers.

Effect of cation disorder on structural, magnetic and dielectric properties of La2MnCoO6 double perovskite.

The origin of dielectric anomalies and magnetodielectric response of La(2)MnCoO(6) has been investigated by means of ultra-high resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, resistivity, magnetization and dielectric measurements. The study has been performed on two different bulk samples presenting different degrees of Mn/Co order: 95 and 74%. Beside the well-known influence on magnetic properties, our results show that the main effect of disorder lies on the electrical resistivity. Bond distances clearly show Mn(4+)/Co(2+) valence states in the well-ordered sample, while for the disordered one this picture still holds. AC resistivity data show dielectric anomalies and a small magnetodielectric effect, but impedance complex plane analyses prove that these phenomena appear at the frequency-temperature region where extrinsic effects dominate the dielectric response.

Magnetic and structural features of the NdNi(1 - x)Mn(x)O3 perovskite series investigated by neutron diffraction.

Selected members of the perovskite series NdNi(1 - x)Mn(x)O(3) (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) have been prepared by a soft chemistry technique, followed by thermal treatments either under high oxygen pressure (x ≤ 0.5) or in air (x > 0.5). The crystal and magnetic structures have been studied by means of neutron diffraction, complemented with magnetic susceptibility measurements. For x = 0.25, 0.75, the crystal structure of the perovskites can be defined in the orthorhombic Pbnm space group, with Ni and Mn distributed at random over the octahedral sites of the structure. In contrast, the x = 0.5 compound crystallizes in a monoclinic P 2(1)/n structure containing two different octahedral positions, occupied by Ni and Mn, respectively. This is a result of the charge disproportionation of Ni(3+) + Mn(3+) to give Ni(2+) + Mn(4+) cations. The Ni(2+)O(6) octahedra are considerably larger than the Mn(4+)O(6) octahedra. This compound can be considered as a double perovskite of composition Nd(2)NiMnO(6). Unlike NdNiO(3) and NdMnO(3), which exhibit an antiferromagnetic ordering at low temperatures, the intermediate samples for x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 exhibit a ferromagnetic arrangement of (Ni, Mn) spins, with the moments aligned along the z axis, as probed using neutron diffraction. A maximum T(C) of 200 K is observed for x = 0.5, whereas T(C) = 150 K and 130 K are observed for x = 0.25 and 0.75, respectively. While NdNiO(3) is metallic above 200 K, a semiconducting behavior is determined between 120-300 K for the intermediate compositions.

The checkerboard pattern of Bi(0.63)Sr(0.37)MnO(3) determined using resonant x-ray scattering at the Mn K edge.

A study using resonant x-ray scattering at the Mn K edge has been carried out on a Bi(0.63)Sr(0.37)MnO(3) single crystal. This compound undergoes a metal-insulator phase transition to the so-called charge ordered (CO) state at about 530 K. Strong resonance signals were observed at room temperature as the energy was tuned through the Mn K edge for several superstructures of the CO phase. The energy, polarization and azimuth angle dependences agree with a checkerboard ordering in the ab plane of manganese atoms of two types, in terms of their different local geometrical structures. One of the sites is anisotropic-a tetragonal distorted oxygen octahedron-and the other is isotropic-a nearly undistorted one, as observed for Bi(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) and other half-doped manganites. This result indicates that the checkerboard pattern is strongly stable and extends to doping concentrations x<0.5. No superstructures corresponding to the doubling of the c axis were detected. Intermediate valence states lower than 3.5, according to the fractional charge segregation, were deduced for the two non-equivalent Mn atoms, i.e. Mn(3.30+) and Mn(3.44+).

Blind spectral unmixing of M-FISH images by non-negative matrix factorization.

Multi-color Fluorescent in-Situ Hybridization (M-FISH) selectively stains multiple DNA sequences using fluorescently labeled DNA probes. Proper interpretation of M-FISH images is often hampered by spectral overlap between the detected emissions of the fluorochromes. When using more than two or three fluorochromes, the appropriate combination of wide-band excitation and emission filters reduces cross-talk, but cannot completely eliminate it. A number of approaches -both hardware and software-have been proposed in the last decade to facilitate the interpretation of M-FISH images. The most used and efficient approaches use linear unmixing methods that algorithmically compute and correct for the fluorochrome contributions to each detection channel. In contrast to standard methods that require prior knowledge of the fluorochrome spectra, we present a new method, Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), that blindly estimates the spectral contributions and corrects for the overlap. Our experimental results show that its performance in terms of residual cross-talk and spot counting reliability outperforms the non-blind state-of-the-art method, the Non-Negative Least Squares (NNLS) algorithm.

Two-dimensional mapping of chemical information at atomic resolution.

The simultaneous measurement of structural and chemical information at the atomic scale provides fundamental insights into the connection between form and function in materials science and nanotechnology. We demonstrate structural and chemical mapping in Bi(0.5) Sr(0.5) MnO3 using an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. Two-dimensional mapping is made possible by an adapted method for fast acquisition of electron energy-loss spectra. The experimental data are supported by simulations, which help to explain the less intuitive features.

Magnetic and electronic properties of Bi(0.75)Ca(0.25)MnO(3).

The magnetic, structural and electronic properties of Bi(0.75)Ca(0.25)MnO(3) have been investigated in comparison with those of Bi(0.75)Sr(0.25)MnO(3). Magnetometry, diffraction and muon spin relaxation (µSR) data confirm different structural, magnetic and electronic transitions in the two compounds. The anisotropic changes of cell parameters across the structural transition in Bi(0.75)Ca(0.25)MnO(3) (275 K) differ markedly from the lattice anomalies in Bi(0.75)Sr(0.25)MnO(3) (600 K) and also from those in Bi(0.50)Ca(0.50)MnO(3) (325 K). The ground state of Bi(0.75)Ca(0.25)MnO(3) is characterized by a high degree of spin disorder and frustrated interactions. There is no evidence of a ferromagnetic component in the ground state of Bi(0.75)Ca(0.25)MnO(3). However, the application of a magnetic field (even of a few gauss) produces a continuous progressive polarization of the Mn moments (≈2 µ(B)/Mn at 5 T, ZFC, 5 K). Differences between Ca and Sr perovskites with x = 1/4 are greater than for the x = 1/2 counterparts, and point to distinct ground states and charge/orbital configurations.

[Interstitial pneumopathy as extradigestive manifestation of ulcerative colitis]. / Neumopatía intersticial como manifestación extradigestiva de la colitis ulcerosa.

We report two cases of interstitial pulmonary disease in ulcerative colitis unrelated to sulfasalazine or 5-Aminosalicylate therapy. It is concluded that these two cases represent an extracolonic manifestation of ulcerative colitis.

[Pulmonary carcinoma associated with bullous emphysema]. / Carcinoma pulmonar asociado a enfisema bulloso.

Malignant complication of pulmonary bullous disease is rare but not negligible. Its importance lies in the young age when it appears. Eighty-nine cases in the literature, including four of our own cases, are included in this review. Etiopathogenic theories are discussed along with clinical, radiological, pathological, diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment characteristics. Smoking is a primary factor in this process, and quitting is key in terms of prevention. Surgical methods are usually necessary to perform the diagnosis, but that does not exclude the use of other techniques-particularly, fine-needle aspiration biopsy under radiological control-whose role should be validated. The prognosis is bad if there is no commitment to prevention. Even though the value of serial radiological controls is unknown, such controls may help in the early detection of neoplastic degeneration in bullous disease. The nature of the problem in handling these cases therapeutically is determined by the severity of bullous dystrophy: therefore, surgery should be considered on an individual basis.

[Sleep apnea syndrome. Clinical manifestations and treatment with continuous positive airway pressure in 40 patients]. / Síndrome de apnea del sueño. Manifestaciones clínicas y tratamiento con presión positiva continua sobre la vía aérea (cPAP) en 40 pacientes.

Sleep obstructive apnea syndrome (SOAS) is defined by the existence of recurrent respiratory pauses during sleep, in general accompanied by arterial hypoxemia. In the present study the clinical characteristics of 40 patients diagnosed of SOAS are defined, highlighting amongst them de time sleepiness (85%), unavoidable sleep (85%) and tendency to snore (100%). Incidence is greater in males, in the fourth or fifth decades of lives in obese subjects (82%) and with associated hypertension (38%). Treatment with continuous positive pressure on respiratory tract (cPAP) achieves a significant decrease (p less than 0.001) in the mean duration of apnea and in the apnea-hypopnea/hour index, and it also manages to significantly increase arterial oxygen saturation. Similarly, a good adaptation to treatment, with a drop out rate of 7.5% and the absence of serious complications are observed.

Ageing of columns of homogeneous mixed stationary phases in gas chromatography.

Chromatographic columns of homogeneous mixed phase prepared with squalane and polyethylene glycol 1540 have been subjected to an ageing process of about 1700 hours at 100 degrees C followed by a similar period of time at 120 degrees C. Little change is observed at the lower temperature, while at 120 degrees C, a selective loss of the most volatile component of the mixture seems to occur, producing changes in the values of the retention indices obtained.