Possible Factors that Affect Testis Volume in Varicocele Patients

WOS: 000360663100006Purpose: Aim of this study is define possible factors that could affect testis volume in varicocele patients. Material and Methods: 104 patients who is diagnosed varicocele between November 2013- April 2014 included to study. Patient age, height, weight and smoking habit data's are collected from hospital database retrospectively. Body mass index is calculated by division of weight as kilograms to square of height as meters. And smoking amount is calculated with multiplication of years of smoking and smokes packages per day. Testicular volumes are measured by ultrasonography at time of diagnosis. Statistical analyses are done with Pearson, Spearman's rho, Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon rank test. Results: Left varicocele degree is associated with left and right testis volume (r=-0,436 p0,05). Height, weight and body index mass was not associated with testis volume (p>0,05). Left and right testis volumes were not statistically different between smokers and non-smokers (p=0,163 p=0,513). Age of starting smoking and smoking amount is not associated with testis volumes. Conclusion: Left varicocele degree is associated with decrease in testis volume. There was no relationship between testis volume and body mass index or smoking habit. Early varicocele diagnosis is important to protect testis volume

Could spot urine analysis of calcium and uric acid help predict density of urinary stone in computerized tomography? A preliminary study

WOS: 000384949900005PubMed ID: 26955798BACKGROUD: This research studies if Hounsfield density of urinary stone can be predicted without computerized tomography (CT) caused by because increased radiation exposure in follow-up of patients. METHODS: The records of patients with renal or ureteral stone were analyzed retrospectively for the time period between November 2013 and April 2014. The inclusion criteria defined were: no multiple stones; stone size >= 3 mm; presence of renal and ureteral stones; absence of staghom stone. All CT images were assessed in abdominal windows by a single radiologist. Hounsfield Unit (HU) value of CT was used to interpret the density of the stone. The density of the stone was measured in the longest axis of the stone center (core) and the edges (periphery) of each stone. Biochemical analysis of spot urine calcium (Ca) and uric acid (UA) was done at the time of diagnosis. Correlation and linear regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: Forty patients were included the study and median age of patients is 22 (IQR 21-28). Since the unit was a military hospital, most patients admitted to hospital were young male conscripts with low median age. It has been found that spot urine uric acid and uric acid/Ca ratio is associated with stone density as HU (P=0.004, P<0.001). Although predictive value appeared low, linear regression model statistically predicted stone density as HU (P<0.001 R-2=0.32). Stone size has proved to be positively correlated with stone density (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the predictive value of urine analysis model is low, it may be considered to predict HU attenuation of stone. Spot urine analysis of calcium and uric acid may be helpful for both diagnosis and follow-up. We believe that controlled studies with larger patient populations will provide further insights into this issue

Managing adult patients with infectious diseases in emergency departments: international ID-IRI study

We aimed to explore factors for optimizing antimicrobial treatment in emergency departments. A single-day point prevalence survey was conducted on January 18, 2020, in 53 referral/tertiary hospitals in 22 countries. 1957 (17%) of 11557 patients presenting to EDs had infections. The mean qSOFA score was 0.37 +/- 0.74. Sepsis (qSOFA >= 2) was recorded in 218 (11.1%) patients. The mean qSOFA score was significantly higher in low-middle (1.48 +/- 0.963) compared to upper-middle (0.17 +/- 0.482) and high-income (0.36 +/- 0.714) countries ( P < 0.001). Eight (3.7%) patients with sepsis were treated as outpatients. The most common diagnoses were upper-respiratory (n = 877, 43.3%), lower-respiratory (n = 316, 16.1%), and lower-urinary (n = 201, 10.3%) infections. 1085 (55.4%) patients received antibiotics. The most-commonly used antibiotics were beta-lactam (BL) and BL inhibitors (n = 307, 15.7%), third-generation cephalosporins (n = 251, 12.8%), and quinolones (n = 204, 10.5%). Irrational antibiotic use and inappropriate hospitalization decisions seemed possible. Patients were more septic in countries with limited resources. Hence, a better organizational scheme is required