A pioneer of urologic surgery from a small town in Ontario, Canada: A tribute to Abraham Groves (1847–1935)

Background: Abraham Groves worked as a general practitioner and surgeon in the small town of Fergus, Ontario, Canada. Several priority claims have been attributed to Groves’ life in surgery, including aseptic surgery (1874), appendectomy (1883) and the use of surgical gloves (1885). He was also an early practitioner of urological surgery. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe and objectively assess his contributions as a pioneer in urological surgery. Methods: A systematic search of contemporary journals was made for articles by or about Groves. These articles and his 1934 autobiography were reviewed. The information was assessed not only for priority, but also for the development of organized surgical principles and thought. Results: Groves published frequently throughout his career; up to this point, 36 papers have been identified. Groves’ claims are verifiable for aseptic surgery, which were the result of logical surgical thought and was practiced throughout his career. Contemporary publications support his early use of suprapubic lithotomy (1875), prostatotomy (1887), bladder repair (1892), urethral repair (1903), renal decapsulation (1905) and prostatectomy (1911). Conclusions: Despite his isolation, Abraham Groves independently developed a full range of surgical techniques and principles relevant to modern-day urology. His impact was reduced by the nature of the environment in which he worked and by the limited circulation of the journals in which he chose to publish

Effects of omega‐3 supplementation on psychological symptoms in men with prostate cancer: Secondary analysis of a double‐blind placebo‐controlled randomized trial

Abstract Background In the general population, a higher omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake is associated with lower levels of several psychological symptoms, especially depression. However, the existing evidence in cancer is equivocal. Methods This phase IIB double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial was aimed at comparing the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid monoacylglyceride (MAG‐EPA) supplementation and high oleic acid sunflower oil (HOSO; placebo) on depression levels (primary outcome) and other symptoms (anxiety, fear of cancer recurrence, fatigue, insomnia, perceived cognitive impairments; secondary outcomes). Participants, recruited in a prostate cancer clinic, were randomized to MAG‐EPA (3.75 g daily; n = 65) or HOSO (3.75 g daily; n = 65) for 1 year post‐radical prostatectomy (RP), starting 4–10 weeks before surgery. Patients completed self‐report scales at baseline (before RP) and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Cognitive Function (FACT‐Cog). Results Analyses showed significant reductions in HADS‐depression, HADS‐anxiety, FCRI, ISI, FSI‐number of days, and FACT‐Cog‐impact scores over time. A significant group‐by‐time interaction was obtained on FACT‐Cog‐Impact scores only; yet, the temporal change was significant in HOSO patients only. Conclusions Several symptoms significantly decreased over time, mainly within the first months of the study. However, MAG‐EPA did not produce greater reductions than HOSO. Omega‐3 supplementation does not seem to improve psychological symptoms of men treated with RP

Kidney and liver transplants from donors after cardiac death: initial experience at the London Health Sciences Centre

BACKGROUND: The disparity between the number of patients waiting for an organ transplant and availability of donor organs increases each year in Canada. Donation after cardiac death (DCD), following withdrawal of life support in patients with hopeless prognoses, is a means of addressing the shortage with the potential to increase the number of transplantable organs. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, single-centre chart review of organs donated after cardiac death to the Multi-Organ Transplant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre between July 2006 and December 2007. In total, 34 solid organs (24 kidneys and 10 livers) were procured from 12 DCD donors. RESULTS: The mean age of the donors was 38 (range 18-59) years. The causes of death were craniocerebral trauma (n = 7), cerebrovascular accident (n = 4) and cerebral hypoxia (n = 1). All 10 livers were transplanted at our centre, as were 14 of the 24 kidneys; 10 kidneys were transplanted at other centres. The mean renal cold ischemia time was 6 (range 3-9.5) hours. Twelve of the 14 kidney recipients (86%) experienced delayed graft function, but all kidneys regained function. After 1-year follow-up, kidney function was good, with a mean serum creatinine level of 145 (range 107-220) micromol/L and a mean estimated creatinine clearance of 64 (range 41-96) mL/min. The mean liver cold ischemia time was 5.8 (range 5.5-8) hours. There was 1 case of primary nonfunction requiring retransplantation. The remaining 9 livers functioned well. One patient developed a biliary anastomotic stricture that resolved after endoscopic stenting. All liver recipients were alive after a mean follow-up of 11 (range 3-20) months. Since the inception of this DCD program, the number of donors referred to our centre has increased by 14%. CONCLUSION: Our initial results compare favourably with those from the transplantation of organs procured from donors after brain death. Donation after cardiac death can be an important means of increasing the number of organs available for transplant, and its widespread implementation in Canada should be encouraged

Transmission et héritages de la littérature québécoise

La cohésion de la littérature québécoise semble aujourd'hui aller de soi. Il s'agit pourtant d'un tissage mouvant et continuel de liens avec le passé. Ce livre en fait la démonstration selon trois perspectives contrastées mais complémentaires. Dans une première partie, on s'intéresse à des phénomènes tels que la fabrication de l'histoire littéraire, l'inclusion ou non des œuvres de langue anglaise ou des francophonies canadiennes. La deuxième partie examine l'oubli sélectif de certaines œuvres, comme les textes du XIXe siècle, ceux d'auteurs dits mineurs ou encore de genres moins canoniques, comme le théâtre. La dernière partie présente les cas particuliers d'héritages littéraires représentés dans les œuvres elles-mêmes sous la forme de jeux intertextuels, de mises en scène d'auteurs et de lecteurs ou de problèmes d'herméneutique littéraire. Ces trois perspectives font ainsi ressortir les figures, les lieux de mémoire ou les récits qui accompagnent nécessairement la littérature québécoise

Corrigendum to "RPN (Radius, Position of tumour, iNvasion of renal sinus) Classification and Nephrometry Scoring System: An Internationally Developed Clinical Classification To Describe the Surgical Difficulty for Renal Masses for Which Robotic Partial Nephrectomy Is Planned" [Eur. Urol. Open Sci. 54 (2023) 33-42].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.euros.2023.05.007.]

Perfusion of Renal Allografts with Verapamil Improves Graft Function

The effect of adding a calcium channel antagonist to kidney allograft perfusate solution was assessed. All renal transplants in which both kidneys from the same donor used for transplantation were studied between November, 2003 and August, 2005 (n=46). The first renal allograft was perfused on the backtable with 1 L of histidine-tryptophan-ketoglurate solution and the second with 1 L of histidine-tryptophan-ketoglurate with 5 mg/L of verapamil. Both organs were transplanted in the usual manner. Baseline demographic parameters were similar between first and second kidney recipients other than BMI and cold ischemic time. At 6 and 12 months, renal function was significantly improved in the verapamil versus control cohort (creatinine clearance 73.8+/-23.5 mL/min vs. 55.8+/-17.0 mL/min, P\u3c0.05 and 87.5+/-28.4 mL/min vs. 59.7+/-21.3 mL/min, P\u3c0.05 respectively). Additionally, rates of hypotension during graft reperfusion and other adverse reactions were similar in both groups. In conclusion, verapamil supplemented perfusate significantly improved renal function posttransplantation