37 research outputs found

    Penile Prosthesis Implantation After Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

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    Mothball ingestion as a manifestation of pica, leading to paradichlorobenzene CNS toxicity

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    Background: Pica is a poorly understood psychiatric disorder that presents with the ingestion of non-nutritious substances for unclear reasons. A high index of suspicion for unusual toxin exposure aids in the diagnosis of pica patients presenting with unexplained neurodegenerative features. Methods: We present a 47-year-old female with worsening gait over the past year. Prior to this, she was fully independent with activities of daily living, but is now mostly housebound due to frequent falls. Past medical history is significant for menorrhagia, iron deficiency anemia and pica. CBC and iron studies revealed iron deficiency with microcytic hypochromic anemia. MRI brain demonstrated symmetrical T2 hyperintensities within the middle cerebellar peduncles. Results: Differential diagnoses for her clinical deficits and imaging, including Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Multiple System Atrophy and Fragile X Tremor-Ataxia Syndrome, were excluded based on neurological assessment, family history and genetic PCR testing. Collateral history revealed a regular habit of mothball ingestion and serum paradichlorobenzene levels were elevated to 15mcg/mL. The patient was treated with iron replacement therapy and her symptoms gradually improved over several months. Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia is commonly associated with pica, which can lead to toxin ingestion. A high index of suspicion for toxin ingestion in pica patients can immensely aid in the diagnosis. Mothball abuse secondary to pica may affect the CNS and can present with nonspecific neurodegenerative changes. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases in the literature with paradichlorobenzene neurotoxicity predominantly affecting the middle cerebellar peduncles

    Microorganism Profiles of Penile Prosthesis Removed for Infection, Erosion, and Mechanical Malfunction Based on Next-Generation Sequencing.

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    BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an emerging technology that may allow for more sensitive and sophisticated microbial testing of the microbiota of penile prostheses (PP). AIM: To describe the microorganism profiles of PP explanted for infection, erosion, and mechanical malfunction using NGS. METHODS: All patients who underwent PP removal by two physicians at two institutions were identified. Differences in alpha diversity (ie, number of species detected, species diversity across samples) and microbiome compositional profiles (Bray-Curtis community dissimilarities) across samples were assessed using ANOVA and PERMANOVA, respectively. OUTCOMES: Number of species detected, species diversity across samples, and microbiome compositional profiles. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients who underwent device removal for infection (n = 8, 10%), erosion (n = 5, 6%), and mechanical malfunction (n = 70, 84%) were included. When considering all devices, 56% (n = 48) of NGS and 29% (n = 24) of standard cultures resulted positive for presence of microorganisms. Culture only detected the most abundant NGS species in 62.5% (n = 5) of infected devices. Species richness and microbiome compositional profiles varied by surgical indication, but not by age, race, diabetes status, or implant duration. Most frequent organisms by surgical indication were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (infection), Staphylococcus epidermidis (erosion), and Escherichia coli (mechanical malfunction). The highest relative abundance organisms were P aeruginosa (infection), Corynebacterium jeikeium (erosion), and E coli (mechanical malfunction). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Identifying microbiome profiles of PP removed for infection, erosion, and mechanical malfunction may guide the selection of peri-operative antibiotics and PP antibiotic coatings or hydrophilic dip solutions for each individual scenario. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: While this is the first study to utilize next-generation sequencing to evaluate penile prosthesis biofilm, the clinical significance of these findings has yet to be determined. A prospective, randomized trial aimed at evaluating the clinical significance of NGS in patients with PP infection is currently underway. CONCLUSION: NGS testing identified distinct microbiome profiles of PP removed for infection, erosion, and mechanical malfunction. Chung PH, Leong JY, Phillips CD, Henry GD. Microorganism Profiles of Penile Prosthesis Removed for Infection, Erosion, and Mechanical Malfunction Based on Next-Generation Sequencing. J Sex Med 2022;19:356-363

    Genitourinary and Sexual Symptoms and Treatments in Transfeminine Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients\u27 Needs

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    Introduction: Medical providers may not be familiar with the genitourinary and sexual symptoms of transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals. This lack of familiarity may hinder a provider\u27s ability to address these issues as patients may hesitate to report symptoms due to fear of stigma, misgendering, and being treated disrespectfully. Aim: To describe the array of genitourinary and sexual symptoms in transfeminine individuals. Methods: Upon institutional review board approval, researchers used semi-structured interviews with 25 transfeminine individuals assigned male at birth to explore urinary and sexual symptoms on a sample of convenience. Participants were recruited and interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved. Two research assistants independently coded all de-identified transcripts and resolved discrepancies. Outcomes: Thematic codes pertaining to genitourinary and sexual symptoms were defined and assessed in this study. Results: Some genitourinary symptoms unrelated to hormone therapy or genital gender-affirming surgery (GGAS) included frequency, urgency, nocturia, and incontinence, while those attributed to GGAS included slow stream, spraying, and retention. Sexual symptoms unrelated to hormone therapy or GGAS included sexually transmitted infections, erectile dysfunction, and low libido. Sexual symptoms related to GGAS included delayed ejaculation, penile pain, scar tissue pain, and pain with receptive vaginal penetration. Clinical implications: Increased provider awareness of and accountability for the treatment of genital and sexual symptoms of transfeminine individuals. Strengths and limitations: Open-ended questions were used to generate a range of responses and perspectives through conversation instead of quantifiable data. Findings are not applicable to all TGNB people since participants were limited to transfeminine adults assigned male at birth only. Recruitment was limited by the sensitive nature of the topic and hard-to-reach populations and relied on convenience through flyers and a chain-referral sampling approach. Conclusion: Transfeminine individuals experience a wide array of genitourinary and sexual symptoms both similar and different to their cis gender counterparts. Chung PH, Swaminathan V, Spigner S, et al. Genitourinary and Sexual Symptoms and Treatments in Transfeminine Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients\u27 Needs. Sex Med 2022;XX:XXXXXX

    Prevalence of Suspected Hereditary Cancer Syndromes and Germline Mutations Among a Diverse Cohort of Probands Reporting a Family History of Prostate Cancer: Toward Informing Cascade Testing for Men.

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    BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is increasingly recognized as part of hereditary cancer syndromes (HCSs). HCS prevalence among diverse probands seeking genetic evaluation with PCa family history (FHx) has not been reported and has implications for cascade genetic testing. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rates of HCSs among probands reporting PCa FHx and germline mutations among probands. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective genetic testing database queried for individuals with PCa FHx. Pedigrees analyzed for three HCSs: hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), hereditary PCa, and Lynch syndrome. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Associations between HCS overall, and with plausible link to PCA FHx and race evaluated using Fisher\u27s exact test. Germline mutation rates described among probands with a suspicion of an HCS connected with PCa FHx. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 345 probands reported PCa FHx: 53 African American (AA) and 292 Caucasian (Wh). Overall, 220 probands (63.8%) met the criteria for at least one HCS with a potential link to PCa FHx (75.5% AA; 61.6% Wh). HBOC linked to PCa FHx was identified in a higher percentage of AA than Wh probands (90.2% vs 74.6%, p=0.04). Among probands who underwent genetic testing with any HCS potentially linked to PCa FHx (n=169), 19.5% had germline mutations identified; five AA probands had germline mutations (all in BRCA1/2), while 28 Wh probands had mutations in a spectrum of genes. CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of AA probands with PCa FHx meet the criteria for HCSs, with HBOC identified at the highest rate. Although limited in sample size, our findings implicate BRCA mutations in AA families with HCSs linked with PCa, underscoring the need for greater enrollment of AA participants in genetic studies. PATIENT SUMMARY: Hereditary cancer syndromes potentially linked to prostate cancer are common in patients reporting a family history of prostate cancer. African-American patients may need special attention with regard to testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, which may impact men with prostate cancer in these families

    Impact of Tumor Regional Involvement on Active Surveillance Outcomes: Validation of the Cumulative Cancer Location Metric in a US Population.

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    BACKGROUND: Treatment progression for men on active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer (PCa) is driven primarily by grade and volume progression on isolated prostate biopsies (PBx). As PCa is a multifocal disease, regional disease progression over time should be accounted for. OBJECTIVE: To validate the utility of the cumulative cancer location (CCLO) metric, which assesses regional core involvement, as described by Erickson et al (Cumulative cancer locations is a novel metric for predicting active surveillance outcomes: a multicenter study. Eur Urol Oncol 2018;1:268-75), in predicting AS outcomes in a North American cohort. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A single-institutional retrospective chart review of all AS patients evaluated between 2015 and 2017. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CCLO defined as the total number of cancer-positive sextant locations among all PBx to that point in time (range 1-6). Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of the entire cohort were stratified by CCLOΔ, defined as the difference between the first and the last CCLO. CCLOΔ then correlated with progression to treatment and treatment outcomes. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 261 men met the inclusion criteria. Though the mean number of biopsies was slightly higher in the CCLOΔ 3-5 cohort than in the CCLOΔ 0-2 cohort (p =  0.006), mean AS follow-up time (3.3 yr) was not significantly different (p =  0.327). As CCLOΔ increased, the proportion of men remaining on AS decreased, while the proportion of men receiving treatment increased (p \u3c  0.001). In men undergoing radical prostatectomy, a higher CCLOΔ was not associated with higher rates of Gleason 7-10 (p =  0.38) or pT3 (p =  0.52) disease. However, as CCLOΔ increased, upgrading from final PBx to RP pathology increased, while downgrading decreased (p =  0.12). In Kaplan-Meier analyses, lower CCLOΔ and lower initial cancer location scores were associated with the highest 5-yr treatment-free survival rates (p \u3c  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Higher regional cancer core involvement is associated with higher rates of progression to treatment in AS patients. The CCLO metric is a potentially useful modality in stratifying AS patients among the North American cohort for treatment, while not compromising disease outcomes. PATIENT SUMMARY: In the North American population, cumulative cancer-positive locations among biopsies can be used to predict active surveillance outcomes in men with prostate cancer

    Primary Adrenal Angiosarcoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

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    Primary adrenal angiosarcoma is an extremely rare malignant tumor with challenging diagnosis. A 66-year-old woman had a 4.3 cm right adrenal mass suspicious for adrenal cortical carcinoma. Pathological examination demonstrated a hemorrhagic adrenal cyst with numerous irregularly shaped anastomosing vascular channels lined by atypical endothelial cells that had frequent atypical mitotic figures (12/10 HPF, Ki67 10%). The tumor cells were positive for CD31, ERG, and FLI-1, but negative for adrenal and other tumor lineage markers by immunohistochemistry. NGS fusion gene testing ruled out epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Accurate diagnosis and differential inclusion are important for appropriate treatment of this rare tumor

    Twitter and Academic Urology in the United States and Canada: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Twitter-verse in 2019.

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    OBJECTIVE: To provide the first comprehensive analysis of the Twitter-verse amongst academic urologists and programs in North America. METHODS: Using national accreditation and individual program websites, all active urology residency programs (USA & Canada) and academic Urology faculty at these programs were identified. Demographic data for each program (AUA section, resident class size) and physician (title, fellowship training, Scopus H-index and citations) were documented. Twitter metrics (Twitter handle, date joined, # tweets, # followers, # following, likes) for programs and physicians were catalogued (data capture: March-April 2019). Descriptive analyses and temporal trends in Twitter utilization amongst programs and physician were assessed. Multivariable (MV) logistic regression was used to identify predictors of Twitter use. RESULTS: 156 academic programs (143 USA, 13 Canada) and 2214 academic faculty (2015 USA, 199 Canada) were identified. Twitter utilization is currently 49.3% and 34.1% amongst programs and physicians, respectively, and continues to increase. On MV analysis, programs with 3-5 residents/year and programs with a higher percentage of faculty Twitter engagement were more likely to have Twitter accounts. From a physician perspective, those with fellowship training, lower academic rank (clinical instructor, assistant professor, associate professor vs. professor) and higher H-indices were more likely to have individual Twitter accounts. CONCLUSION: There is a steady increase in Twitter engagement amongst Urology programs and academic physicians. Faculty Twitter utilization is an important driver of program Twitter engagement. Twitter SoMe activity is strongly associated with academic productivity, and may in fact drive academic metrics. Within Urology, SoMe presence appears to be proportional to academic activity
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