[Effect of transurethral thuliumlaser vapoenucleation of the prostate with low-power conventional pulse mode on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of a novel transurethral thulium laser vapoenucleation of the prostate with low-power conventional pulse mode (LP-ThuVEP) on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: 89 BPH patients admitted to Department of Urology, Jintan People's Hospital, Affiliated to Jiangsu University, from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected and randomly divided into the LP-ThuLEP group (45 cases) and the transurethral plasma kinetic resection of the prostate (TUPKRP) group (44 cases). Perioperative indicators were recorded, and the IPSS, Qmax, Qavg, PVR, and QoL of the two groups of patients before surgery and 3 months and 6 months after surgery were comparatively analyzed. The effect of surgery on male sexual function was evaluated through the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) score and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculatory Dysfunction (MSHQ-EjD) score. RESULTS: Compared with the TUPKRP group, the LP-ThuVEP group had no statistically significant difference in operation time (P>0.05), but there were statistical differences in bladder irrigation time and indwelling urinary catheter time (P<0.05) and significant statistical differences in the decrease in hemoglobin on the day of surgery and the disappearance time of gross hematuria induced by defecation after surgery (P<0.001). The perioperative complications of the two groups were comparable. Among the urinary tract symptom indicators, the LP-ThuVEP group had statistically significant differences in IPSS score, QoL score, and PVR compared with the TUPKRP group 3 months after surgery (P<0.05). In terms of male sexual function, there was a statistical difference in IIEF-5 scores between the two groups at 3 months and 6 months after surgery (P<0.05); Except that there was no statistical difference in the ejaculation-related satisfaction scores between the two groups at 3 months after surgery (P>0.05), there had all significant statistical differences in ejaculation function and satisfaction scores between and within the groups at 3 months and 6 months after surgery (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with TUPKRP, the LP-ThuVEP can also effectively relieve urinary tract obstruction caused by BPH and has the advantages of less damage and faster recovery of erectile function and ejaculatory function of patients.

Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein effectively protected numb-taste substance degradation of Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyl-sanshools are mainly responsible for the numb taste and biological activities of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, but they show low water solubility, high volatility and easy degradation, which limit their application in the catering and food industries. Thus microcapsules of Z. bungeanum essential oil (ZBEO) were prepared to prevent numb-taste substance attenuation. RESULTS: The complex effects of hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HPCD) with other materials, such as konjac glucomannan octenyl succinate (KGOS), octenyl succinic anhydride-modified starch (OSAS), soy protein isolate (SPI) and gum arabic (GA), on the protection of the main numb-taste substance of ZBEO were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that ZBEO was successfully encapsulated in the complex wall materials. X-ray diffraction indicated that the loaded essential oil did not affect the crystalline form of the wall material. The stability of the numb-taste substance α-sanshool in the microcapsules prepared with the complex microcapsule wall materials was higher than that in single-wall microcapsules. Storage stability evaluation indicated that microcapsules prepared with a combination of HPCD and SPI showed the greatest effect in maintaining the stability of the main numb-taste substance α-sanshool in ZBEO at room temperature, low pH and in high-salt conditions. CONCLUSION: Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein could effectively protect the numb-taste substance degradation of Z. bungeanum during processing and storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

[Influence of mulching management on the relationships between foliar non-structural carbohydrates and N, P concentrations in Phyllostachys violascens stand].

To understand the physiological adaptive mechanism of Phyllostachys violascens to intensive mulching management, the effect of mulching management (CK, 1, 3 and 6 years) on the concentrations and ratios of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in bamboo foliage, and their stoichiometry was investigated. The results showed the concentrations of NSC and soluble sugar increased, while the starch content and N/P decreased markedly in bamboo stand with 1-year mulching, compared to CK stand, which suggested the N limitation to bamboo growth was strengthened. Foliar soluble sugar content decreased significantly, while the starch content increased dramatically, and the NSC content by per unit mass of N and P reached the maximum in the bamboo stand with 3-year mulching, compared to all other treatments. Foliar NSC and soluble sugar contents decreased significantly, while foliar starch content and N/P increased dramatically in the stand with 6-year mulching, which suggested the P limitation to bamboo growth was strengthened. Foliar NSC content was positively correlated with N and P concentrations in a short-term mulching management stand (≤ 3 years), while showed negative relationship with N/P. The foliar starch content in the stand with 6-year mulching was negatively correlated with N and P contents, while was positively correlated with N/P. The results indicated that short-term mulching management accelerated the accumulation of soluble sugar and decomposition of starch in foliage, thus the growth and activity of Ph. violascens was enhanced greatly. Long-term mulching management promoted the starch accumulation, which led to the transition from N limitation to P limitation for bamboo growth. In summary, long-term (6 years) mulching management caused the decrease of growth and activity of Ph. violascens dramatically, thus enhancing the bamboo stand degradation. The utilization efficiency of N and P reached the highest in the stand with 3-year mulching, which implied 3-year was the best suitable period for intensive mulching management for maintaining bamboo stand quality.

Mogrosides extract from Siraitia grosvenori scavenges free radicals in vitro and lowers oxidative stress, serum glucose, and lipid levels in alloxan-induced diabetic mice.

This study evaluated the supplementation of a mogrosides extract (MG) from fruits of Siraitia grosvenori on reducing oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. The oxygen free radical scavenging activity of MG was also assessed in vitro. After induction of diabetes, a significant increase in the levels of serum glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as a reduction in the level of hepatic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) associated with diminution of the corresponding antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase, were observed in all diabetic mice. Treatment of diabetic mice with MG (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg ) for 4 weeks significantly decreased serum glucose, TC, TG, and hepatic MDA levels (P < .05), whereas it increased serum HDL-C level and reactivated the hepatic antioxidant enzymes (P < .05) in alloxan-induced diabetic mice (P < .05). The hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidative activities of MG (100 mg/kg treatment) were all higher compared with all other diabetic groups and were similar to that observed for XiaoKeWan-pill (894 mg/kg; Guangzhou Zhongyi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China), a Chinese traditional antidiabetic drug. Antioxidant capacity evaluated in vitro showed that MG and mogroside V, which was the main component of MG, possessed strong oxygen free radical scavenging activities. These results demonstrate that the extract may have capacity to inhibiting hyperglycemia induced by diabetes, and the data suggest that administration of the extract may be helpful in the prevention of diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress and hyperlipidemia. We conclude that the extract should be evaluated as a candidate for future studies on diabetes mellitus.