Erectile dysfunction (ED) is important to a man’s well-being and health, since it not only affects the individual but also causes strain on a couple’s lifestyle and relationship. There are multiple non-invasive treatments that exist for ED including lifestyle changes, oral medications (phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors), vacuum-assisted erectile devices, and intraurethral suppositories. While lifestyle changes and oral medications are typically first-line treatments for ED, more-invasive treatments including intracavernosal injections and surgically implanted prosthetic devices may be required for the management of complex cases. Additionally, novel therapies are currently being developed, and future treatment options may include shock-wave therapy, external prosthetic devices, and injection of stem cells or platelet-rich plasma. The current manuscript seeks to highlight advances in management and may eventually alter the treatment paradigm to allow more-inclusive care pathways.
Horseshoe crabs, the most well-known example of "living fossils", are iconic and ecologically important macroinvertebrates in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Their blood is a crucial resource for manufacturing Limulus or Tachypleus amebocyte lysate to detect bacterial endotoxins or fungal contamination in drug and medical devices. An enhanced understanding of their ecological roles and trophic interactions in the food webs is fundamental to facilitate resource management for the declining populations in Asia. Foraging information of the Asian species, however, is mainly derived from preliminary, scattered reports from a limited number of study locations. In this study, resource utilization, trophic niche dynamics, and trophic interaction of the juvenile tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus (instars 1-12, approximately 0.5-8 years old) across ontogeny was assessed in diversified nursery habitats along the northern Beibu Gulf, China, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Our results suggest that: (i) T. tridentatus are ecological generalists given the vast range of carbon isotopic values and trophic niche width estimates exhibited between multiple instar groups; (ii) juvenile T. tridentatus across most habitat types predominantly assimilated energy from a variety of basal production sources in the food web, but primarily depended on sedimentary organic matter and seagrass resource pools; (iii) ontogenetic shifts in juvenile dietary proportions were evident, with decreased reliance on sedimentary organic matter, coupled with increased reliance on benthic macroinvertebrate grazers, detritivores, and omnivores with age; and (iv) nearly all juvenile instars occupied similar trophic positions in the food web with slight shifts in trophic position present with increasing size. Our findings indicate that resource availability and ontogenetic diet shifts strongly influence horseshoe crab trophic dynamics,
Identifying mechanisms that underpin animal migration patterns and examining variability in space use within populations is crucial for understanding population dynamics and management implications. In this study, we quantified the migration rates, seasonal changes in migratory connectivity, and residency across population demographics (age and sex) to understand the proximate cues of migration timing in American horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). Juvenile (n = 25) and adult (n = 70) horseshoe crabs were tracked with acoustic telemetry techniques for a 3‐yr period in Moriches Bay, NY. Connectivity metrics and residency probability were quantified through spatial network analysis and empirically derived Markov Chain models (EDMC), respectively. The migratory probability of adult horseshoe crabs between Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean was estimated to be 41.0% (95% CI: 34.0–59.8); in contrast, only 8% (95% CI: 1.2–31.6) of juveniles migrated into the ocean. Migration timing was influenced by the interaction of photoperiod and temperature, revealing seasonal differences in migration timing and a 50% narrower range of photoperiod and temperature over which fall migrations occurred compared to spring. Sex‐specific differences in space use and connectivity within each season were largely absent; however, centralized habitats were important for maintaining connectivity across all seasons. EDMC results revealed that when standardized to the number of horseshoe crab detections on each receiver, the centrally located habitats in Moriches Bay and Inlet accounted for >50% of the total relative residency probability within most seasons, indicating these areas may be preferred by adult horseshoe crabs. Ontogenetic differences in maximum spatial extent, space use, and connectivity were observed in the bay, as juveniles exhibited lower linkages between locations (n = 4) relative to adults (n = 13) during the same temporal period. Our work highlights the application of novel quantitative approaches for addressing the movement dynamics of horseshoe crabs that can be readily applied to other taxa in the context of wildlife conservation.
Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) exhibit ontogenetic and geographic variability in migratory patterns, yet the implications of movement on their resource use dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluate horseshoe crab resource use across ontogeny (instars 14–18 and adults), sex, seasons, and between two spatially distinct populations that exhibit different migratory patterns. Multi-tissue stable isotope analyses of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were used to examine (1) ontogenetic and sex-specific variability in the reliance of resource pools; (2) variation in isotopic niche breadth within and among populations; and (3) seasonal variability in resource use within juvenile life stages. We found evidence for subtle ontogenetic shifts in resource use, with increased contributions of phytoplankton with ontogeny, but all age groups predominantly relied on sedimentary organic matter (SOM) pools. Sex-specific differences in resource use were observed with SOM serving as the predominant source assimilated in males, while females exhibited a higher dependence on phytoplankton resource pools, indicating foraging or spatial preferences may be different between sexes. Low trophic niche overlap between adult and juvenile horseshoe crabs was evident, likely arising from differences in migratory patterns and size constraints. Within juveniles, no seasonal differences in resource use were observed, indicating that dietary patterns may remain static across temporal scales, consistent with limited dispersal of that life stage. Spatial differences in resource use were, however, observed between adult crabs likely reflecting the migratory strategies of different populations. Our results are consistent with previous evidence that horseshoe crabs are dietary generalists but provide novel insights into the linkages between movement and trophic patterns.
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