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Cavernous nerve injury is an important cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). Although protective nerve technology has been widely used in nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (nsRP), the incidence of ED is still very high after surgery. The purpose of our study was to evaluate erectile function (EF) and penile length in the non-erectile state (PLNES) following scheduled phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (PDE5i), vacuum erectile device (VED) treatment, and combination therapy after nsRP. One hundred patients with localized prostate cancer and normal EF were randomized to scheduled PDE5i group, VED treatment group, a combined treatment group, and the control group without any intervention. The International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores and PLNES were evaluated after 6 months and 12 months of treatment. Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP-Question 2 and SEP-Question 3) were evaluated after 12 months of treatment. Ninety-one of the 100 randomized patients completed the study. We found that the 5 mg tadalafil once a day (OaD) combined with VED can help improve IIEF-5 scores in nsRP patients after both 6 months and 12 months. VED alone or combined with tadalafil OaD can help patients maintain PLNES. VED combined with tadalafil OaD can improve the rate of successful penetration (SEP-Question 2) after 12 months. There were no significant differences in the return to target EF after 12 months among the groups. No significant correlation was noted between the variables and return to target EF (IIEF ≥ 17), and between the variables and effective shortening of the patient's penis (shortening ≥ 1 cm) after 12 months of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in hydrological conditions are the main factor in the function of river ecosystems. In view of the changes in the hydrological situation of the Minjiang River Basin caused by the construction and operation of water conservancy projects, the representative hydrological station, Gaochang Station at the intersection of the Minjiang Tributary Dadu River and the mainstream downstream of the Minjiang River is selected for 62 years (1956-2017) daily flow data by using the Mann-Kendall Method, Cumulative Anomaly Method, mean difference T test method, and sliding T test method to analyze flow characteristics, and consider the hydrological project construction to split the hydrological indicators before and after a sudden change, and select the ecological hydrological indicator change range method (IHA-RVA) and hydrological change degree method to comprehensively evaluate the changes in the hydrological regime of the Minjiang River, and qualitatively analyze its impact on fish in the lower reaches of the Minjiang River. The results show that from 1956 to 2017, the average annual flow of the Gaochang Hydrological Station in the Minjiang River Basin showed a downward trend; the mutation year occurred in 1993. Through the analysis of the ecological and hydrological indicators before and after the sudden change in hydrological situations, the overall hydrological change in the Minjiang River Basin is 45%. As for moderate change, the change degree of the hydrological index, the rate of decline reached 100%; the qualitative analysis of the changes in fish composition before and after the mutation shows that the types and quantities of fish resources have declined to a certain extent, which proves the series operation mode of reservoirs in the Minjiang River Basin and have a greater impact on fish diversity. This study can provide a reference for the ecological restoration and sustainable development of the Minjiang River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the variation law and driving factors of runoff and sediments in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, according to the time series data of three representative hydrological stations in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, average difference T methods, double cumulative curve method, wavelet analysis, cumulative slope rate change rate method and other methods are used to analyze and study the characteristics of runoff and sediment change in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The results show that the runoff and sediment discharge of the three representative stations in the upper reaches of the Yellow River showed a decreasing trend from 1960 to 2019. The annual runoff at Tangnaihai Station, Lanzhou Station and Toudaoguai Station in the upper reaches of the Yellow River havean abrupt change in 1989, 1985 and 1985, and the annual sediment load of the three stations abrupt change in 1989, 1999 and 1985. Wavelet analysis is used to find that runoff has a main cycle of 9~16 a, and sediment discharge has a main cycle of 11~16 a. The cumulative sediment reduction of the three stations in the upper reaches of the Yellow River is about 107 million t, 1.1 billion t and 1.639 billion t, respectively, and the sediment reduction increased along the river. The variation law of runoff and sediment is influenced by precipitation and human activities, and human activities play an important role in the variation of water and sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epididymitis is a commonly diagnosed disease associated with male infertility. However, little is known about the molecules that are involved in its development. This study was to identify critical genes associated with lipopolysaccharide-induced epididymitis and analyze the molecular mechanism of epididymitis through RNA sequencing. Experimental epididymitis models were generated by administering male Sprague–Dawley rats' lipopolysaccharide. A total of 1378 differentially expressed genes, including 531 upregulated and 847 downregulated genes, were identified in the epididymitis model rats compared with those in sham-operated rats by RNA sequencing. Functional enrichment analyses suggested that the upregulated genes were markedly enriched in inflammation-related biological processes, as well as in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, cytokine–cytokine receptor interactions, complement and coagulation cascades, and in the chemokine signaling pathway. Four downregulated genes (collagen type XXVIII alpha 1 chain [Col28α1], cyclin-dependent kinase-like 1 [Cdkl1], phosphoserine phosphatase [Psph], and fatty acid desaturase 2 [Fads2]) and ten upregulated genes (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta [Cebpβ], C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 2 [Cxcr2], interleukin 11 [Il11], C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 [Ccl20], nuclear factor-kappa-B inhibitor alpha [Nfkbiα], claudin 4 [Cldn4], matrix metallopeptidase 9 [Mmp9], heat shock 70 kDa protein 8 [Hspa8], intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 [Icam1], and Jun) were successfully confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Western blot demonstrated that CDKL1 was decreased, while MMP9 and NFKBIA were increased in the experimental model group compared with those in the sham-operated group. Our study sheds new light on the understanding of the early response of the epididymis during bacterial epididymitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]