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Bladder stones (BS) are still endemic in children in developing nations and account for a high volume of paediatric urology workload in these areas. The aim of this systematic review is to comparatively assess the benefits and risks of minimally invasive and open surgical interventions for the treatment of bladder stones in children. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with Cochrane Guidance. Database searches (January 1970– March 2021) were screened, abstracted, and assessed for risk of bias for comparative randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies (NRSs) with >10 patients per group. Open cystolithotomy (CL), transurethral cystolithotripsy (TUCL), percutaneous cystolithotripsy (PCCL), extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and laparoscopic cystolithotomy (LapCL) were evaluated. In total, 3040 abstracts were screened, and 8 studies were included. There were 7 retrospective non-randomised studies (NRS's) and 1 quasi-RCT with 1034 eligible patients (CL: n=637, TUCL: n=196, PCCL: n=138, ESWL: n=63, LapCL n=0). Stone free rate (SFR) was given in 7 studies and measured 100%, 86.6%-100%, and 100% for CL, TUCL and PCCL respectively. CL was associated with a longer duration of inpatient stay than PCCL and TUCL (p<0.05). One NRS showed that SFR was significantly lower after 1 session with outpatient ESWL (47.6%) compared to TUCL (93.5%) and CL (100%) (p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). One RCT compared TUCL with laser versus TUCL with pneumatic lithotripsy and found that procedure duration was shorter with laser for stones <1.5cm (n=25, p=0.04). In conclusion, CL, TUCL and PCCL have comparable SFRs but ESWL is less effective for treating stones in paediatric patients. CL has the longest duration of inpatient stay. Information gathered from this systematic review will enable paediatric urologists to comparatively assess the risks and benefits of all urological modalities when considering surgical intervention for bladder stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to evaluate efficacy and efficiency of 180-watt Green-Light XPS (GL-XPS) laser photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) in patients under 5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors (5ARI) treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic enlargement treated by PVP with the GL-XPS were enrolled. Patients were divided in two groups according to the chronic use (>6 months) of 5ARI. These two groups were compared on lasing density (kilojoules per prostate volume), vaporization efficiency (prostate volume per lasing time), vaporization power (kilojoules per lasing time), Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) reduction from baseline, symptom score change from baseline and uroflowmetry parameters improvement. Follow-up was performed at 3, 6 and 12 months with International Prostate Symptom Score, Uroflowmetry parameters and PSA. RESULTS: Overall 193 patients were enrolled. Out of them 87/193 (45%) were on 5ARI treatment. No significant differences were recorded between the two groups at baseline. Median age was 68 years old and median prostate volume was 60 ml. In terms of laser efficiency, no statistically significant differences were recorded in terms of lasing time (25 min vs. 24.5 min; p>0.05); energy used (250 kJ vs. 221 kJ; p>0.05), lasing density (6.8 kJ/ml vs. 6.6 kJ/ml, p>0.05), vaporization efficiency (1.4 ml/min vs. 1.3 ml/ min, p>0.05) and vaporization power (9.6 kJ/min vs. 9.4 kJ/min; p>0.05). Finally, no significant differences were also recorded postoperatively in the two groups in terms of PSA reduction, improvement in symptom score and uroflowmetry parameters (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thirty-seven efficacy and efficiency outcomes were not statistically different between the two groups. 5ARI does not reduce the performance and ability of the 180-watt Green-Light XPS laser system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of the association between the two dichotomous variables of a 2 × 2 table arises as an important statistical issue in a number of diverse settings, such as in biomedical, medical, epidemiological, pharmaceutical or environmental research. When only the aggregate (or marginal) information is available, the analyst may determine the likely strength of the association between the variables. In this paper, we propose a new measure, called aggregate prediction index, that assesses the likely statistical significance of the association between the rows and columns of a 2 × 2 table where one variable is treated as a predictor variable and the other is treated as a response variable. Further insight into the predictor's potential strength can be visually obtained by performing an asymmetric version of correspondence analysis and considering a biplot display of the two variables - this issue shall also be explored in light of the new index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The pulmonate limpet Siphonaria gigas, lives in the mid to upper rocky intertidal zone in the tropical Eastern Pacific. Except when foraging during nocturnal low tides, individuals occupy scars, fixed positions on the rock surface to which the edges of their shells fit exactly. Off-scar, limpets are easy prey of both aquatic and terrestrial predators. On-scar, their predation rates are very low. During neap tides, individuals produce one or more mucous ribbons in concentric rings containing about 75,000 eggs. Egg mortality is extremely high. Within one tidal cycle after deposition fish typically eat all eggs except those deep in crevices but many of those protected embryos die from heat or desiccation before they hatch a week later. On a rocky shore in Panama adults appeared to be most common in fissures and many lived in pairs with their shells touching. Samples along five transects totaling 450 m showed that 73% of the population lives in fissures, a highly significant preference for this habitat type. Of 200 adults in 26 fissures totaling 219 m, 150 lived in pairs, a significant deviation from the number of pairs expected given a random arrangement. Paired limpets were size matched. Singletons were significantly larger and they often were next to vacant scars indicating that they were widowed recently. Limpets mate on falling tides, often during the day and usually with the other limpet in their pair suggesting social monogamy. High egg mortality may favor heavy investment in eggs over sperm leading to diminished prowess in sperm competition. Limpets that live and mate in pairs may largely avoid sperm competition and maximize the rate they produce fertilized eggs from relatively small sperm stores. Mate guarding for paternity assurance may give rise to social monogamy in this species. Singletons may produce only eggs favoring occasional highly profitable extra-pair sperm donations from paired individuals.

As part of a major limnological characterisation of Rancho Hambre mire complex (Tierra del Fuego), five water bodies (bog pools) were sampled between October 2008 and April 2010 and their physico-chemical features studied in relation to meteorological, hydrological and morphometric variables. The meteorological data recorded mostly fitted within the ranges of historical records. The influence of water body size was evidenced by the higher thermic stability of the largest pool as compared to the smallest, which reflected changes in air temperature. Water levels in the pools varied according to their superficial connectivity: deep water bodies with surface inflow and/or outflow channels had the most stable water levels; but the deepest water body, which was hydrologically isolated, had the most variable water level. In an ordination of samples resulting from a Principal Component Analysis of limnological data, the first axis reflected the minero/ombrotrophic status of water bodies, while the second represented a temporal gradient separating spring (post-thawing) samples from summer samples. Inter-annual variations in weather also influenced the limnological properties of the water bodies. Our results enable us to propose an interpretative model for the limnological characterisation of the pools, which will be a valuable tool for understanding the structure and fluctuations of the planktonic communities inhabiting these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we develop an extension of categorical analysis of variance for one response and two factors, based on a partitioning of a measure of predictability for three-way contingency tables, known as Gray and Williams's index. At the first instance moment the decomposition of this multiple measure of association in partial association measures is shown. Finally, for ordinal-scale variables, we propose an extension of this decomposition using a particular set of orthogonal polynomials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A partial β-sarcoglycan (SG) deficiency with retention of other components of the SG complex (SGC) is described in 6-month-old, intact male domestic shorthaired kitten that was referred for evaluation of weakness, reluctance to move and dyspnoea. Neurological deficits were restricted to the neuromuscular system. Muscle biopsy revealed moderate variability in myofibre size, with numerous atrophic rounded fibres, rare myofibre necrosis, regeneration and moderate perimysial and endomysial fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased expression of β- and γ-SG and western blotting revealed markedly decreased β-SG with normal expression of α-, γ- and δ-SG, caveolin-3 and calpain-3. Sarcoglycanopathy has not previously been described in cats. In human and canine sarcoglycanopathies the deficiency in any one of the SGs leads to secondary deficiency of the entire SGC. Such spontaneously arising muscular disease in animals can provide valuable models for equivalent human disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

OBJECTIVE: We sought to quantify Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients' utilization of coronary revascularization in the private sector and to assess the potential impact of directing this care to high-performance hospitals. METHODS: Using VA and New York State administrative and clinical databases, we conducted a retrospective cohort study examining residents of New York State who were enrolled in the VA and underwent either coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in 1999 or 2000 (n=6562) in either the VA or the private sector. We first calculated the proportion of revascularizations obtained in the VA and the private sector. We then identified the private sector hospitals in which these men obtained revascularizations and determined potential changes in mortality and travel burden associated with directing private sector care to high performance hospitals. RESULTS: VA patients in New York were much more likely to undergo revascularization in the private sector than in VA hospitals: 83% of CABGs (2341/2829) and 87% of PCIs (4054/4665) were obtained in the private sector. Private sector utilization was distributed evenly across high- and low-mortality hospitals. Directing private-sector CABG surgery to high-performance hospitals could have reduced expected mortality by 24% (from 2.3% to 1.7%) and would only increase median travel time from 21 to 30 minutes. The benefit of redirecting PCI care is minimal. CONCLUSIONS: For high-mortality procedures that veterans frequently obtain in the private sector, like CABG, directing care to high-performance hospitals may be an effective way to improve outcomes for veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigated the influence of formulated ethyl parathion (F-DNTP) on the fertilization of Pseudechinus magellanicus, a sea urchin species gathered from Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The study performed spawning, gametes handling, and bioassays on the sea urchin, and eggs were suspended to different concentrations of F-DNTP before sperm insemination. Findings revealed the significant effect of F-DNTP to sea urchin's fertilization rate.