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Purpose: Cryosurgical ablation of the prostate is 1 approach to the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Third generation cryosurgery uses gas driven probes that allow for a decrease in probe diameter to 17 gauge (1.5 mm). The safety, morbidity and preliminary prostate specific antigen (PSA) results of 122 cases are reported.Materials and Methods: A total of 106 patients have undergone percutaneous cryosurgery using a brachytherapy template with at least 12 months of PSA followup. Immediate and delayed morbidities were evaluated. PSA results at 3 and 12 months were recorded, and failure was defined as the inability to reach a nadir of 0.4 ng/ml or less.Results: Complications in patients undergoing primary cryosurgery included tissue sloughing (5%), incontinence (pads, 3%), urge incontinence/no pads (5%), transient urinary retention (3.3%) and rectal discomfort (2.6%). There were no cases of fistulas or infections. Postoperative impotence was 87% in previously potent patients. For patients who u...

Castration in the rat reduces both the erectile response and penile nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, and these effects are prevented by androgen administration. In this study we determined that the decrease of penile NOS in the castrated rat is due to NOS enzyme inhibition rather than to a reduction of its content and that this inhibition may be reversed. Adult rats were either castrated or left intact, and, after 1 wk, electrical field stimulation (EFS) was applied to the cavernosal nerve and the penises were excised either at the peak of erection or after detumescence. Penile NOS activity in the non-EFS castrates decreased by 70% as compared with the intact non-EFS-treated controls, but neuronal NOS content remained unaffected despite changes in regional distribution. NOS activity in the castrated penis was restored to normal values by EFS at the peak of stimulation, and then decreased on detumescence. This was in contrast to the intact controls in which EFS did not stimulate penile NOS activity. These data indicate that androgen depletion in the rat reduces penile NOS activity rather than NOS content and that this enzyme inhibition is reversed by cavernosal nerve stimulation.

To determine the effect of naturally occurring cryptorchidism on testicular histology in both the cryptorchid and normally descended testis from birth to adulthood using the LE/ORL rat model.Testicular histology was assessed using established morphometric measures in bilaterally descended (BD), unilaterally descended (UD), bilaterally cryptorchid (BC) and unilaterally cryptorchid (UC) testis at days 15, 22, 30, 45 and 60 of age. Testicular mass was also measured at these times.Changes in testicular histology in the BC and UC testes were not noted on or prior to day 30 of age. Significant changes were noted by day 45 of age and continued into adulthood at day 60 of age. There were no histological abnormalities noted in the UD and BD groups.Since histological changes seen in this animal model occur after the time of testicular descent (day 28 of age), we hypothesize that these changes are due to an abnormal anatomical position of the testis as opposed to an inherent testicular defect in the LE/ORL rat. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that no histological differences were noted between the scrotal testes of unilaterally cryptorchid animals and bilaterally descended control animals.

Phillip Law is renowned as the first and best-recognized Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, responsible for conduct of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) 1947-66, with the emphasis on science. He established most of the ANARE traditions and oversaw the location and establishment of all Australian Antarctic stations. He was widely recognized and decorated for both national and international influence. His main trait was perseverance in fighting to achieve his goals. In 1966, he became Chief Executive of the Victoria Institute of Colleges to develop, highly successfully, non-university tertiary education in Victoria. Throughout his professional career, he was a prolific diarist, writer and publicist.

Androgens are essential for the expression of normal libido in the male, but their role in the maintenance of the erectile response in humans is controversial. It has been shown previously in the rat that castration induces 1) loss of penile reflexes; and 2) considerable reduction in the erectile response to electric field stimulation (EFS) of the cavernosal nerve. Both of these effects can be reversed by testosterone replacement. The current study was performed to determine whether these testosterone effects are mediated via its conversion to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and to what extent the synthesis of the mediator of penile erection, nitric oxide, is affected by castration and androgen replacement. Five-month-old rats were either castrated or left intact. The orchiectomized rats were implanted with SILASTIC brand silicon tubing (Dow Corning) containing testosterone or DHT with or without daily injections of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride. After 7 days, rats were submitted to EFS and the intracavernosal pressure was recorded. Castration reduced the EFS-induced erectile response by 50% in comparison with intact rats and testosterone restored this decrease to normal. When finasteride was given to these testosterone-treated castrate rats, erectile response was not restored. DHT was as effective as testosterone in restoring response to EFS in castrates and this effect was not decreased by finasteride. Nitric oxide synthase activity in the penile cytosol was measured by the arginine-citrulline conversion and was found to correlate with the EFS determinations. These results show that DHT is the active androgen in the prevention of erectile failure seen in castrated rats, and suggest that this effect may be mediated, at least partially, by changes in nitric oxide synthase levels in the penis.