Welcome To Meso! [No Discussion, Please]

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Effects of Central Neurotransmitters on Penile Erection and Sexual Behavior

Male Sexual Function: A Guide to Clinical Management 2nd ed (Current Clinical Urology)
By John Joseph Mulcahy
494 pages | Dec 12, 2008 | Humana Press| ISBN:1588299694 | PDF | 7.5 Mb
SpringerLink - Fulltext

Male Sexual Function: A Guide to Clinical Management, Second Edition provides a comprehensive overview of the field of male sexual function for urologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, gynecologists, and psychologists and therapists who specialize in ED.

Male Sexual Function: A Guide to Clinical Management, Second Edition, completely updates and reviews newer developments, including erectile dysfunction (ED) with lower urinary tract systems, advances in erectile physiology, and the appreciation of ED as a form of endothelial dysfunction and a harbinger of other potentially lethal forms of vascular disease. Treatments of ED as well as the background, causes, associated conditions, and diagnostic tools are also provided.

This new updated edition also presents the facts of sexual function and dysfunction so that the practitioner can properly treat basic problems with easily prescribed therapies. Also included is a new chapter on cardiovascular disease as well as chapters on pelvic surgeries, intracavernous injections with vasoactive agents, and vacuum erection devices.

FREE DOWNLOAD:
http://www.fk.uwks.ac.id/elib/Arsip... Guide to Clinical Management 2nd ed 2006.pdf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Effects of Central Neurotransmitters on Penile Erection and Sexual Behavior

Also, of interest:

Oral Pharmacotherapy for Male Sexual Dysfunction: A Guide to Clinical Management, edited by Gregory A. Broderick, hardcover, 457pp., Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2005. ISBN 15882951-X.

Scope of Book: An extremely comprehensive review of male sexual dysfunction as it relates to the practicing clinician, with some additional topics thrown in as well (eg, female sexual dysfunction). Contrary to the statement in the title, the book does not stop at oral pharmacotherapy but covers a range from physiology and epidemiology of erectile dysfunction, through oral, penile, endocrinological, and surgical therapies, and into a brief exploration of ejaculatory function.

FREE DOWNLOAD:
Download 158829451X_Male_Sexual_Dysfunction.rar for free on Filesonic.com

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Dartmouth Atlas Project
Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

Understanding of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Health Care System

For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.


Recently released: Quality of End-of-Life Cancer Care for Medicare Beneficiaries: Regional and Hospital-Specific Analyses, posted November 16, 2010, explores such topics as whether Medicare patients with advanced cancer will die in comfortable surroundings while receiving hospice care, or in the hospital. The likelihood of each outcome varies markedly depending on where patients live and receive care. Researchers found no consistent pattern of care or evidence that treatment patterns follow patient preferences, even among the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Rather, with one in three Medicare cancer patients spending their last days in hospitals and intensive care units, the report’s findings demonstrate that many clinical teams aggressively treat patients with curative attempts they may not want, at the expense of improving the quality of their life in their last weeks and months. http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/reports/Cancer_report_11_16_10.pdf

The latest report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project -- Improving Patient Decision-Making in Health Care, which was conducted in conjunction with the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making -- concludes that if physicians educated and listened to their patients more thoroughly, unwanted variation would decline." Investigators took an "in-depth look at medical conditions involving decisions for elective care in cases where the statistics don't recommend a single course of action." They found that much of the difference is attributable to "physicians' preferences, not differences in patient populations. But in cases of elective procedures, giving a patient a treatment he doesn't want is as much an error as wrong-site surgery," the co-author of the study said.


February 24, 2011: WHEN IT COMES TO ELECTIVE SURGERY, LOCATION MATTERS.

For Medicare patients with conditions for which surgery is an option, whether they undergo elective surgery depends largely on where they live and the clinicians they see, according to a report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project and the Foundation released February 24, 2011. The study, "Improving Patient Decision-Making in Health Care: A 2011 Dartmouth Atlas Report Highlighting Minnesota,"shows remarkably wide regional variations in elective surgery for Medicare patients with similar conditions. In addition to analyzing data on practice patterns, the report also advocates for shared decision-making, a process that helps patients understand their choices fully and allows them to share treatment decisions with their clinicians.

http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/press/Decision_making_release_022411.pdf

http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/reports/Decision_making_report_022411.pdf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Re: Welcome To Meso!

Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices
CDC - Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices - Injection Safety

Safe Injection Practices are a set of recommendations within Standard Precautions, which are the foundation for preventing transmission of infections during patient care in all healthcare settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory care, home care and hospice. The most recent guideline outlining Standard Precautions is the Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings 2007.

The CDC offers injection safety guidelines for practitioners, while the Safe Practices Coalition’s One & Only Campaign aims to educate both providers and the public using the slogan “One Needle, One Syringe, Only One Time.

2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings
http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/Isolation2007.pdf

 

[Michael Scally MD]

July 29, Science: population growth in China & India

Quote:
________________________________________
In the past several months, the population division of the UN and the governments of India and China have released new and revised numbers on current population size, fertility, and mortality, and projections for the remainder of this century. Global population will reach 7 billion later this year, and is estimated to increase to more than 9 billion by 2050.

In the July 29 issue, Science will feature a number of expert demographers' reviews on existing population knowledge as well as their opinions on the implications of changes in population, both in terms of global issues and also specifically for China and India.

Make sure you get all of this great information -- sign up for your free copy of Science's special issue on population, today.

http://membercentral.aaas.org/populationissue/

 

[Michael Scally MD]

The Quest Diagnostics Manual – Endocrinology: Test Selection & Interpretation (Fourth Edition) http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/intguide/EndoMetab/EndoManual.pdf


LABORATORY TEST INFORMATION GUIDE
http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/pathology/Documents/LabTestsPart1.pdf


ARUP'S LABORATORY TEST DIRECTORY
http://www.aruplab.com/Testing-Information/lab-test-directory.jsp

ARUP's Laboratory Test Directory contains complete, up-to-date test information, including methodology and reporting times, collection and transportation specifications, reference intervals, test notes, and CPT codes. Clients can access entries via an A to Z index located in the upper-left section of the site and search by test name, key word, test number, or mnemonic.


MARTINDALE'S THE REFERENCE DESK: LABORATORY TESTS, DIAGNOSTICS & PROTOCOLS CENTER
Martindale's The Reference Desk: Laboratory Test Diagnostics & Protocols Center

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Cellular and Molecular Specificity of Pituitary Gland Physiology

The anterior pituitary gland plays a central role in the maintenance of homeostasis. Recent reviews in the field highlight the important roles of this gland in the regulation of the different endocrine axis. In recent years it has become increasingly evident that in addition to the multiple positive and negative external stimuli, the regulation within the pituitary gland is based on local interactions among pituitary cells and the integration of downstream signaling network and transcription factors.

This review focuses on these important aspects of the integration of external and paracrine/autocrine pathways that contribute to the precise control of the functional outcome response and plasticity to environmental stimuli of the pituitary. Discussed herein is how these signals combine to regulate the anterior pituitary plasticity response to homeostatic and physiopathological conditions and highlight the molecular mechanisms involved to obtain an integrated and appropriate physiological response.


General regulatory principle. Scheme of major regulatory principles of anterior pituitary hormone production.

Hormone synthesis and release are under stimulatory and/or inhibitory control of hypothalamic, hypophysiotropic hormones which critically trigger pulsatility, diurnal rhythms, and life-long changes of anterior hormone production. The target products of the anterior pituitary hormones control their production through feedback mechanisms at the level of the pitutary but also through long-feedback control at the hypothalamic level. For most anterior pituitary hormones, intrapituitary ultrashort-feedback mechanisms have been described that may play a role in adaptive processes or in the fine-tuning of anterior pituitary hormone production.

To adapt the pituitary hormone production to altered physiological demands or to physiopathological disturbances, many factors have been identified, which modify the hormone production either by affecting the hormone synthesis and secretion directly at the hypophysial level or by modifying the hypothalamic control or the feedback inhibition of anterior pituitary hormone production.

Green lines indicate stimulation, red lines indicate inhibition, and black lines indicate stimulation or inhibition.


Perez-Castro C, Renner U, Haedo MR, Stalla GK, Arzt E. Cellular and Molecular Specificity of Pituitary Gland Physiology. Physiological Reviews 2012;92(1):1-38. Cellular and Molecular Specificity of Pituitary Gland Physiology

The anterior pituitary gland has the ability to respond to complex signals derived from central and peripheral systems. Perception of these signals and their integration are mediated by cell interactions and cross-talk of multiple signaling transduction pathways and transcriptional regulatory networks that cooperate for hormone secretion, cell plasticity, and ultimately specific pituitary responses that are essential for an appropriate physiological response. We discuss the physiopathological and molecular mechanisms related to this integrative regulatory system of the anterior pituitary gland and how it contributes to modulate the gland functions and impacts on body homeostasis.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Factual
http://www.factual.com/

For example:
Endocrinologists in the United States
http://www.factual.com/ts/a5TiGr

Just the Facts. Yes, All of Them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/business/factuals-gil-elbaz-wants-to-gather-the-data-universe.html

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Evaluation And Treatment Of Erectile Dysfunction In The Aging Male


Pathways leading to penile smooth muscle relaxation and erection. NO is released from nerve terminals in the corpus cavernosum in response to a neural stimulus and from the endothelium in response to the release of acetylcholine (ACh) and to the shear stress elicited by increased blood flow in the corporeal sinusoids. NO binds to soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) and thereby activates this enzyme, which catalyses the breakdown of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) into cGMP. This pathway, the target of PDE5-inhibition, is depicted in green. Other pathways, which are initiated by PGE1, activate a G-protein (G)-coupled receptor, leading to activation of adenylil cyclase (AC), which catalyses the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). This pathway, and thus target for intracavernosal injection of prostaglandin, is depicted in red. cGMP and cAMP activate protein kinase G and A, respectively, which modulate potassium and calcium channels in the cell membrane, and the inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3-R) and the calcium- ATPase pump in the membrane of the sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR). These events lead to a lowering of the cytosolic calcium concentration, which causes dissociation of calcium from calmodulin. Calmodulin in turn dissociates from myosin light chain kinase, thus inactivating it in turn leading to smooth muscle relaxation, and ultimately, to penile tumescence.


Albersen M, Orabi H, Lue TF. Evaluation and treatment of erectile dysfunction in the aging male: a mini-review. Gerontology 2012;58(1):3-14. http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?DOI=000329598&typ=pdf

Before the 20th century, individuals often did not live beyond the reproductive years, and sexuality of the elderly was not an issue. However, in the current era it is known that as life expectancy improves, both men and women are seeking to preserve their sexuality into old age. While the appreciation of sexuality persists with aging, a decline in sexual activity is typically seen with, and can be attributed to both general health problems as well as specific sexual dysfunctions. Erectile dysfunction is the most frequently diagnosed sexual dysfunction in the older male population. This mini-review provides an overview of contemporary literature concerning epidemiology, pathophysiology, assessment and treatment of erectile dysfunction in the aging male.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

New Search Engine
DuckDuckGo

It is spamless, clean, quick, ... Sorta like Google once was!

 

[Michael Scally MD]

ClinicalTrials.gov - http://clinicaltrials.gov/ - is a registry and results database of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. This information should be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

ScienceSeeker
ScienceSeeker | Science News Aggregator

What is ScienceSeeker?

There are thousands of science blogs and news sites around the world, written by active scientists, journalists, professors, students, and interested laypeople. But until now, there hasn’t been a good way for readers to sort through all of them. There are dozens of blog collectives, many sites that organize some of the information in the blogs, but none that attempt to encompass the entire range of science reporting, analysis, and discussion taking place at an astonishing pace, worldwide.

ScienceSeeker is a project of ScienceOnline designed to fill that void. We have collected over 1,100 blogs and other science news sources in one place, and invite you to submit even more. Our goal is to be the world’s most comprehensive aggregator of science discussions, all organized by topic.

What ScienceSeeker Does

This site is a work in progress. Blogs are categorized according to a fixed list of topics. You can see lists of posts from those blogs, but since many bloggers have wide-ranging interests, some of the topics might not quite fit. Ultimately we plan on categorizing not by blog, but by individual post. Already we have other ways of arranging posts as well: just the best posts, chosen by experts; posts about peer-reviewed research; popular posts on Twitter. Users can recommend posts and write notes explaining what they like about those posts.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

altmetrics
altmetrics: a manifesto – altmetrics.org

altmetrics: a manifesto

No one can read everything. We rely on filters to make sense of the scholarly literature, but the narrow, traditional filters are being swamped. However, the growth of new, online scholarly tools allows us to make new filters; these altmetrics reflect the broad, rapid impact of scholarship in this burgeoning ecosystem. We call for more tools and research based on altmetrics.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

LIVERTOX provides up-to-date, accurate, and easily accessed information on the diagnosis, cause, frequency, patterns, and management of liver injury attributable to prescription and nonprescription medications, herbals and dietary supplements. LIVERTOX also includes a case registry that will enable scientific analysis and better characterization of the clinical patterns of liver injury. The LIVERTOX website provides a comprehensive resource for physicians and their patients, and for clinical academicians and researchers who specialize in idiosyncratic drug induced hepatotoxicity. Search Livertox Database

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Clinical Trials News Feeds and Updates: Welcome
http://clinicaltrialsfeeds.org/

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Biosynthesis Of Androgens

The formation of the major hormone classes from cholesterol: P450scc, cholesterol side-chain cleavage; 3BetaHSD, 3Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; P450c21, steroid 21 hydroxylase; P450c17alpha, steroid 17alpha hydroxylase/17,20 lyase; P450aldo, aldosterone synthase; P450c11, steroid 11 hydroxylase; 17 BetaHSD, 17 Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; SRD5A1/5A2, steroid 5alpha reductase type 1/2; P450arom, aromatase.

The backdoor pathway: within the adrenal gland, 17a -hydroxyl progesterone is reduced by 5alpha reductase then 3alpha reductase giving 5alpha -pregnane-3alpha,17alpha -diol-20-one, which is cleaved by the 17,20 lyase activity of CYP17A1 to androsterone.

Once in the periphery androsterone is reduced by 17Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase yielding 5alpha-androstane-3alpha, 17Beta-diol, and subsequently metabolized by 3alpha hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes (such as 17Beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) to DHT without testosterone or androstenedione as intermediaries.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Statistics Done Wrong
Statistics Done Wrong — Statistics Done Wrong

The woefully complete guide. If you’re a practicing scientist, you probably use statistics to analyze your data.

From basic t tests and standard error calculations to Cox proportional hazards models and geospatial kriging systems, we rely on statistics to give answers to scientific problems.

This is unfortunate, because most of us don’t know how to do statistics.

Statistics Done Wrong is a guide to the most popular statistical errors and slip-ups committed by scientists every day, in the lab and in peer-reviewed journals.

Many of the errors are prevalent in vast swathes of the published literature, casting doubt on the findings of thousands of papers.

Statistics Done Wrong assumes no prior knowledge of statistics, so you can read it before your first statistics course or after thirty years of scientific practice.

Dive in: the whole guide is available online!

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Europe PubMed Central (Europe PMC) offers free access to biomedical literature resources including: Europe PubMed Central

• PubMed abstracts (about 28 million)
• Europe PMC full text articles (about 2.6 million, of which over 570,000 are Open Access)
• Patent abstracts (over 4 million European, US, and International)
• National Health Service (NHS) clinical guidelines
• Agricola records (500,000)
• Supplemented with Chinese Biological Abstracts and the Citeseer database.

Europe PMC is based on PubMed Central (PMC), developed at the NCBI in the USA and is part of a network of PMC International (PMCI) repositories that also includes PMC Canada. It is supported by 24 funders of life sciences and biomedical research, including charities and government organisations across Europe, led by the Wellcome Trust.

Europe PMC is developed by the European Bioinformatics Institute, The University of Manchester (Mimas and NaCTeM), and the British Library.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Normal Reference Laboratory Values
https://qatar-weill.cornell.edu/elibrary/coursesupport/bod/NEJMLabReferenceValues.pdf