Use of a Natural Compound Made of Ecklonia bicyclis Seaweed, Tribulus terrestris and Water-Soluble Chitosan Oligosaccharide, in Male Sexual Asthenia with Mild or Mild-Moderate Erectile Dysfunction and Serum Testosterone Levels at the Lower Limit of Normal

Objectives: to evaluate the effectiveness of a natural compound made of Ecklonia bicyclis Seaweed, Tribulus terrestris and water-soluble chitosan oligosaccharide, in the male sexual asthenia with mild or mild-moderate erectile dysfunction and serum testosterone levels between 280 and 350 ng/dl. Materials and Methods: 84 male patients affected by reduced libido and serum testosterone levels at the lower limit of normal, were recruited. We have separated patients in three different age groups: group A (18 - 45 years), group B (45 - 59 years), group C (>60 years). All subjects answered the International index of erectile function questionnaire (IIEF-5) and underwent determination of serum total testosterone before and after 30 days of treatment. Results: Before treatment, the group A showed mean (± standard deviation) total testosterone 321.9 ± 19.2 ng/dl and mean IIEF-5 18.6 ± 1.97, in the group B it was 318.5 ± 18.1 ng/dl and 16.3 ± 2.66, and finally in the group C it was 305.4 ± 13.1 ng/dl and 14.2 ± 1.95 respectively. After treatment mean total testosterone and mean IIEF-5 were respectively: group A (448 ± 111.46 ng/dl and 21.84 ± 3.41);group B (453.8 ± 105.23 ng/dl and 20.4 ± 3.81);group C (385.8 ± 87.29 ng/dl and 16.7 ± 3.84). Conclusions: The treatment with Ecklonia bicyclis, Tribulus terrestris and water-soluble chitosan oligosaccharide might represent a safe and effective option on the improvement of libido and erectile function in man with testosterone level at the lower limit of normal.

Elastosonographic Changes in Patients with Peyronie's Disease, before and after Treatment with a Compound Based on <i>Ecklonia bicyclis</i>, <i>Tribulus terrestris</i>, and Water-Soluble Chitosan

Several diagnostic techniques have been proposed during the time for the diagnostic evaluation of Induratio Penis Plastica (IPP), due to poor sensitivity and specificity of standard B-Mode Ultrasonography. Shear-Wave elastosonography (SWE) is a relative new ultrasound technique, already used for several organs, which allows evaluating the rigidity of the tissues. Furthermore, we used a compound consisting of Ecklonia bicyclis, Tribulus terrestris, and Biovis (water-soluble Chitosan) with antifibrotic and antioxidant properties and analyzed the elastosonographic variations following the assumption of the compound. From March 2016 to April 2017, 40 patients were recruited with a mean age of 62. All patients underwent elastosonographic measurements at the start of treatment. Subsequently each patient took 1 tablet of the compound of Ecklonia bicyclis, Tribulus terrestris, and Biovis (water-soluble Chitosan) for 6 months. All patients underwent elastosonographic investigation at the end of treatment. The elastosonographic measurement prior treatment, showed that the average of the three measurements (proximal, medial and distal), was 37.05 KPa ± 7.76 SD and 38.8 KPa ± 10.11 SD for the left and right cavernous body, respectively. The examination at the end of the six months of treatment, with the compound showed that the average values of fibrosity were 31.07 KPa ± 7.5 SD and 30.86 KPa ± 11.4 SD for the left and right cavernous body respectively, demonstrating a decrease in fibrosity that was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Our data demonstrate that taking the compound for six months reduces the stiffness of the corpora cavernosa.

Oxidation in Ca/K-1144 iron-based superconductors polycrystalline compounds

Iron‐based superconductors(IBSCs)are a class of material under investigation for the development of superconducting wires in the low‐temperature‐high magnetic fields power application.Among the various families of IBSCs,the 1144 CaKFe_(4)As_(4) compound is a promising material able to achieve outstanding superconducting properties with a cheap and simple chemical composition.Oxidation,in these compounds,is considered an obstacle for high intergranular critical current density,J_(c,GB).A study devoted to the evaluation of oxidation phenomena and their effects on the superconducting properties is thus needed in order to fully understand the involved mechanisms.From the evaluation of polycrystalline samples obtained by a mechanochemically assisted synthesis route,a degradation of the critical temperature and critical currents has been observed concurrently with oxygen accumulation at grain boundaries in open porosities.However,the crystalline structure at an atomic level seems not affected,as well as intragranular superconducting properties assessed by means of calorimetric methods.These results suggest that loss of superconducting properties in Ca/K‐1144 compounds following oxidation is significantly associated with the worsening of grain connectivity.

Cu/Ta sheaths for iron-based superconductors:First experimental findings in Ca/K-1144 wires

Iron based superconducting wires(IBSCs)produced by the Powder in Tube(PIT)method rely on the use of silver sheaths as chemical buffer between the outer metal and the superconducting core.The adoption of silver entails however some limitations,such as the viable temperature range when coupled with copper,and the incompatibility with calcium-based IBSCs already at 600℃,driving the research towards other wires architecture.Taking inspiration from the low temperature superconductors field,we decided to evaluate the adoption of tantalum as diffusion barrier in a layered Cu/Ta architecture,choosing a Ca/K-1144 IBSC as case study considering the high reactivity issues already reported in the case of silver sheaths for this compound.Squared wires were produced through a groove rolling lamination process coupled with a thermal treatment at 800℃.The microstructural analyses show the absence of interdiffusion between the different parts of the wire,and the magnetic characterization shows performance in line with similar polycrystalline manufacts,with margin of enhancement to be pursued via the optimization of the mechanical process and other experimental variables.The reported results suggest thus the effectiveness of tantalum as diffusion barrier for Ca/K-1144 PIT wires.

Intraplaque injections of hyaluronic acid for thetreatment of stable-phase Peyronie’s disease:aretrospective single-center experience

Peyronie’s disease(PD)is a condition of penile connective tissue affecting up to 10%of men worldwide.In the complexity ofits management,nonsurgical treatments,such as intraplaque injections,are gaining attention.The current literature shows dataon the efficacy of intraplaque injections of hyaluronic acid(HA)mainly in acute-phase PD.However,data on injections of HA instable-phase PD are lacking.Data for this retrospective study were derived from a prospectively maintained database of privatepatients presenting at a private medical practice affiliated to the University of Naples“Federico II”(Naples,Italy)with stable-phasePD between January 2020 and March 2023.Patients underwent a standard protocol of three injections,each administered at atwo-week interval.During the intervals,patients performed vacuum device therapy,penile stretching,and modeling exercises.Allpatients compiled the Peyronie’s Disease Questionnaire(PDQ)and Global Assessment of Peyronie’s Disease(GAPD)at baselineand 2 weeks after the third injection.A penile Doppler ultrasound was performed 2 weeks after the last injection to record thefinal curvature.Overall,we recruited 62 patients with stable-phase PD and a mean(±standard deviation[s.d.])curvature of52.7°(±9.7°).After 6 weeks,eight(12.9%)patients did not experience any curvature improvement.The remaining 54 patientshad a final mean(±s.d.)curvature of 40.3°(±9.1°)with P<0.001,compared to that before treatment.We found improvement inall PDQ domains(all P≤0.01),and 50(80.6%)patients reported subjective improvement of the penile curvature according to theGAPD.In conclusion,we demonstrated that after three injections of HA administered according to the adopted protocol,patientswith stable-phase PD could experience significant improvements in penile curvature,and physical and psychological consequencesof the disease without significantly relevant side effects.