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Objectives: To provide recommendations regarding surgery, follow-up, and management of possible complications related to penile prostheses implantation, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: We designed a critical narrative review of the studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on urology practice and on penile prosthetic implantology. A comprehensive search in the MEDLINE database was performed. Different combinations of the following keywords were used according to a free-text protocol:: "SARS-CoV-2", "COVID19", "COVID Urology", "COVID19 surgery", "penile prostheses". Papers in English and Spanish language, published until September 2020 were included in the review. Results: Penile prosthesis implantation is an elective surgery which should always be deferred when it cannot be performed in maximum safety conditions. However, it may lead to complications wich must be resolved urgently even within the COVID-19 Era. Conclusions: Currently, it is mandatory to develop shared strategies to avoid potential COVID-19-related complications for surgical patients. Penile prosthesis implantation should be deferred to avoid unnecessary risks and all preventive measures should be taken to minimize the risks in the event of non-detayabte surgery. (C) 2021 Asociacion Espanola de Andrologia, Medicina Sexual y Reproductiva. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION: Penile prosthesis implantation (PPI), performed with or without adjunct straightening techniques, is one of the available surgical options in cases of Peyronie's disease (PD) with concomitant erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of the study was to systematically identify and evaluate evidence regarding IPP in patients with PD and ED. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Using Cochrane's methodological recommendations on systematic reviews, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on clinical research regarding the use of PPI, alone or in combination with any straightening maneuvers in the treatment of patients with PD and ED. The search was carried until January 2020. We included studies in English language with primary population patients with PD and ED who underwent IPP with the intent to treat the PD. All studies that were not original clinical research articles, reported insufficient data or included fewer than 5 patients were excluded from the final analysis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: In total 43 clinical articles with more than 2000 patients (N.=2143) investigating the effects of penile prosthesis implantation (PPI) for the treatment of PD with or without ED were included in the study. Depending on the severity of the penile curvature, additional penile deformities (i.e. hourglass deformity), penile length, prior operations and surgeons experience, 6 main categories of surgical techniques of PPI for penile straightening and treatment of PD were identified: PPI only, PPI with modelling of the penis, PPI with plication of the penis on the convex side of the curvature, PPI with plaque incision(s), PPI with plaque incision/excision plus grafting and PPI with grafting and penile lengthening. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, patients with PD and ED can expect excellent outcomes with PPI against a minimal risk of side effects. No definite conclusions can be made regarding which technique is superior.

ASC-containing inflammasomes form specks, extracellular aggregates which enhance the aggregation of Aβ amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease. This raises the question whether ASC participates to additional aggregation proteinopathies. Here we show that ASC controls the extent of inflammation-related AA amyloidosis, a systemic disease caused by the aggregation of the acute-phase reactant serum amyloid A (SAA). Using superresolution microscopy, we found that ASC colocalized tightly with SAA in human AA amyloidosis. Purified recombinant ASC specks accelerated SAA fibril formationin vitro. Mass spectrometry after limited proteolysis showed that ASC interacts with SAA via its pyrin domain. In a murine model of inflammation-related AA amyloidosis, splenic AA amyloid load was conspicuously decreased inPycardtm1Vmd/tm1Vmdmice which lack ASC. This reduction was not a consequence of enhanced amyloid phagocytosis, as SAA stimulation increased phagocytic activity inAsc+/+, but not inAsc-/-macrophages. Treatment with anti-ASC antibodies decreased the amyloid loads and attenuated the body-weight loss of wild-type mice suffering from AA amyloidosis. The prevalence of natural anti-ASC IgG (-logEC50≥ 2) in 19,334 hospital patients was

Increasing human pressures and global environmental change may severely affect the diversity of species assemblages and associated ecosystem services. Despite the recent interest in phylogenetic and functional diversity, our knowledge on large spatio-temporal patterns of demersal fish diversity sampled by trawling remains still incomplete, notably in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most threatened marine regions of the world. We investigated large spatio-temporal diversity patterns by analysing a dataset of 19,886 hauls from 10 to 800 m depth performed annually during the last two decades by standardised scientific bottom trawl field surveys across the Mediterranean Sea, within the MEDITS program. A multicomponent (eight diversity indices) and multi-scale (local assemblages, biogeographic regions to basins) approach indicates that only the two most traditional components (species richness and evenness) were sufficient to reflect patterns in taxonomic, phylogenetic or functional richness and divergence. We also put into question the use of widely computed indices that allow comparing directly taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity within a unique mathematical framework. In addition, demersal fish assemblages sampled by trawl do not follow a continuous decreasing longitudinal/latitudinal diversity gradients (spatial effects explained up to 70.6% of deviance in regression tree and generalised linear models), for any of the indices and spatial scales analysed. Indeed, at both local and regional scales species richness was relatively high in the Iberian region, Malta, the Eastern Ionian and Aegean seas, meanwhile the Adriatic Sea and Cyprus showed a relatively low level. In contrast, evenness as well as taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional divergences did not show regional hotspots. All studied diversity components remained stable over the last two decades. Overall, our results highlight the need to use complementary diversity indices through different spatial scales when developing conservation strategies and defining delimitations for protected areas.

We measured the skeletal effects of Herbst appliance treatment in a retrospective sample of 25 boys (aged 10.7-14.5 years) and 25 girls (aged 10.7-14.3 years). Selection criteria were (1) a pretreatment full Class II molar relationship (ANB angle: average, 6.7 degrees; range, 2.5-10.5 degrees) and (2) a posttreatment full Class I or overcorrected Class I molar relationship within 6-8 months. A first t-test was used to evaluate variations between pre- and posttreatment cephalometric measures. Then, compared with the appropriate age- and sex-matched European norm, every pre- and posttreatment value was transformed into a z-score on the distribution of the norm value and a second t-test was performed. The second t-test was to study variations between pre- and posttreatment z-scores in order to neutralize the effect of natural growth. Posttreatment, the mandible showed a remarkable forward repositioning without opening of the gonial angle, particularly in males. Only ANB and Xi-CF-PTV angles were significantly different when the effect of normal growth was excluded. In males, ramus height and mandibular basal length were significantly increased when total variation was considered (ie, not excluding the effect of normal growth). In females, only the mandibular ramus height was significantly increased. In conclusion, even short-term Herbst therapy can be efficacious, with the most frequent effect being mandibular forward repositioning followed by mandibular ramus elongation. The statistical procedure used counteracts the effect of growth and sex on the results. Moreover, z-scores are adimensional measures with which any kind of parameter may be compared and scaled to each other in the perspective of a more reliable mutivariated interpretation of cephalometric variables.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the temporal relationship between cerebral and autonomic activities before and during periodic limb movements in NREM and REM sleep (PLMS). METHODS: Patterns of EEG, cardiac and muscle activities associated with PLMS were drawn from polysomnographic recordings of 14 outpatients selected for the presence of PLMS both in NREM and REM sleep. PLMS were scored during all sleep stages from tibial EMG. Data from a bipolar EEG channel were analyzed by wavelet transform. Heart rate (HR) was evaluated from the electrocardiogram. EEG, HR and EMG activations were detected as transient increase of signal parameters and examined by analysis of variance and correlation analysis independently in NREM and REM sleep. Homologous parameters in REM and NREM sleep were compared by paired t-test. RESULTS: The autonomic component, expressed by HR increase, took place before the motor phenomenon both in REM and NREM sleep, but it was significantly earlier during NREM. In NREM sleep, PLM onset was heralded by a significant activation of delta-EEG, followed by a progressive increase of all the other bands. No significant activations of delta EEG were found in REM sleep. HR and EEG activations positively correlated with high frequency EEG activations and negatively (in NREM) with slow frequency ones. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested a heralding role for delta band only in NREM sleep and for HR during both NREM and REM sleep. Differences in EEG and HR activation between REM and NREM sleep and correlative data suggested a different modulation of the global arousal response. SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, time-frequency analysis and advanced statistical methods enabled an accurate comparison between brain and autonomic changes associated to PLM in NREM and REM sleep providing indications about interaction between autonomic and slow and fast EEG components of arousal response.

Objective: To investigate the temporal relationship between cerebral and autonomic activities before and during periodic limb movements in NREM and REM sleep (PLMS). Methods: Patterns of EEG, cardiac and muscle activities associated with PLMS were drawn from polysomnographic recordings of 14 outpatients selected for the presence of PLMS both in NREM and REM sleep. PLMS were scored during all sleep stages from tibial EMG. Data from a bipolar EEG channel were analyzed by wavelet transform. Heart rate (HR) was evaluated from the electrocardiogram. EEG, HR and EMG activations were detected as transient increase of signal parameters and examined by analysis of variance and correlation analysis independently in NREM and REM sleep. Homologous parameters in REM and NREM sleep were compared by paired t-test. Results: The autonomic component, expressed by HR increase, took place before the motor phenomenon both in REM and NREM sleep, but it was significantly earlier during NREM. In NREM sleep, PLM onset was heralded by a significant activation of delta-EEG, followed by a progressive increase of all the other bands. No significant activations of delta EEG were found in REM sleep. HR and EEG activations positively correlated with high frequency EEG activations and negatively (in NREM) with slow frequency ones. Conclusions: Our findings suggested a heralding role for delta band only in NREM sleep and for HR during both NREM and REM sleep. Differences in EEG and HR activation between REM and NREM sleep and correlative data suggested a different modulation of the global arousal response. Significance: In this study, time–frequency analysis and advanced statistical methods enabled an accurate comparison between brain and autonomic changes associated to PLM in NREM and REM sleep providing indications about interaction between autonomic and slow and fast EEG components of arousal response.

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Rhodes, Greece, 1998

The analysis of the articulatory movements allows investigating the kinematic characteristics of some speech disorders. However, the methodologies most used until now, as electromagnetic articulography and optoelectronic systems, are expensive and intrusive which limit their use to specialized laboratories. In this work, we use a completely markerless and low-cost technique to study lip movements during a syllable repetition task. By means of a Kinect-like and an existing face tracking algorithm, we are able to track the movements of the lower lip, testing the performances against a reference method (marker-based optoelectronic system). Good results were obtained in terms of RMSE for the tracking of the lower lip during the repetitions. Some kinematic measures, as opening and closing velocities and accelerations, were also computed. Despite the limitations in terms of image resolution, these results are very promising in the optic of developing a new markerless system for studying speech articulation.

The AA, analyze the effects of recycling treatment of orthodontic stainless direct brackets. The ESMA method has been utilized, by BIG JANE E3762. A morphological and dimensional analysis has been done, before and after recycling, by SEM.