Icarifil in Association with Daily Use of Tadalafil (5 mg) versus Standard Tadalafil Daily Dose (5 mg) or Alone: Results from a Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.

: The management of erectile dysfunction (ED) shows several grey zones and new treatments are required to reduce the percentage of patients discontinuing treatment. Here, we aim to evaluate the role of a natural mixture named Icarifil® (L-Citrulline, L-Carnitine, , , , , Taurine, Vitamin E, Zinc) in the management of patients with ED. : From September 2022 to March 2023, all patients attending 3 urological institutions due to ED were randomized to receive the following for 3 months: Icarifil® 1 sachet every 24 h (Group 1) or Icarifil® 1 sachet + tadalafil 5 mg 1 tablet every 24 h (Group 2) or tadalafil 5 mg 1 tablet daily (Group 3).

The Use of Vacuum Devices as Adjuvant Therapy before and after Penile Curvature Surgery in Patients Affected by La Peyronie's Disease: Results from a Comparative Study.

Background: Peyronie's disease (PD) represents a challenging urological disease, due to not optimal post-operative surgical outcomes. We aim to retrospectively evaluate if vacuum erection device (VED) treatment before penile curvature surgery is able to improve post-operative surgical outcomes.

Methods: All enrolled patients were assigned to the following groups: (a) the treatment group: VED treatment (three times per week) starting 3 months before surgery and (three times per week) one month after surgery; and (b) the control group: VED treatment (three times per week) one month after surgery.

Onco-TESE (Testicular Sperm Extraction): Insights from a Tertiary Center and Comprehensive Literature Analysis.

: The peak of incidence of testicular cancer (TC) occurs among individuals in their reproductive age, emphasizing the importance of fertility preservation as an integral aspect of disease management. Sperm cryopreservation performed before orchiectomy is ineffective in azoospermic men, necessitating alternative approaches such as microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) at the time of orchiectomy (onco-mTESE) to obtain viable sperm. This study presents the findings from our institution's experience with onco-mTESE and critically discusses our results in light of the existing body of literature.

Effect of the new 75-mg orodispersible film of sildenafil on erection and sexual quality of life: insights from an observational study.

Background: The newly devised orodispersible film (ODF) of sildenafil is the first phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) available in a 75-mg dose. This intermediate dose and the particular properties of the ODF formulation can improve the clinical management of erectile dysfunction (ED) patients.

Aim: We investigated the effects of the sildenafil ODF 75-mg dose on both sexual quality of life and erectile function based on the results from an observational study in daily practice in Italy.

Which patient may benefit the most from penile prosthesis implantation?

Background: Penile prosthesis implantation has been associated with overall good functional outcomes. Of relevance, some patients reported higher level of satisfaction and quality of life.

Aim: We investigated the profile of the patients who may benefit the most from penile prosthesis implantation.

Investigation of Brain Activation Patterns Related to the Feminization or Masculinization of Body and Face Images across Genders.

Previous studies demonstrated sex-related differences in several areas of the human brain, including patterns of brain activation in males and females when observing their own bodies and faces (versus other bodies/faces or morphed versions of themselves), but a complex paradigm touching multiple aspects of embodied self-identity is still lacking. We enrolled 24 healthy individuals (12 M, 12 F) in 3 different fMRI experiments: the vision of prototypical body silhouettes, the vision of static images of the face of the participants morphed with prototypical male and female faces, the vision of short videos showing the dynamic transformation of the morphing. We found differential sexual activations in areas linked to self-identity and to the ability to attribute mental states: In Experiment 1, the male group activated more the bilateral thalamus when looking at sex congruent body images, while the female group activated more the middle and inferior temporal gyrus.

The Intraoperative Complications Assessment and Reporting with Universal Standards (ICARUS) Global Surgical Collaboration Project: Development of Criteria for Reporting Adverse Events During Surgical Procedures and Evaluating Their Impact on the Postoperative Course.

Background: Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) are surgical and anesthesiologic complications. Despite the availability of grading criteria, iAEs are infrequently reported in the surgical literature and in cases for which iAEs are reported, these events are described with significant heterogeneity.

Objective: To develop Intraoperative Complications Assessment and Reporting with Universal Standards (ICARUS) Global Surgical Collaboration criteria to standardize the assessment, reporting, and grading of iAEs.

Outcomes and predictive factors of successful salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) after failed classic TESE: results from a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) has been proposed as a salvage treatment option for men with a previously failed classic TESE (cTESE), but data are scarce. We aimed to assess the outcome of and potential predictors of successful salvage mTESE in a cohort of men previously submitted to unfruitful cTESE. Data from 61 men who underwent mTESE after a failed cTESE between 01/2014 and 10/2020, at 6 tertiary-referral centres in Italy were analysed.

Perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing urological elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national overview across 28 Italian institutions.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the safety of elective urological surgery performed during the pandemic by estimating the prevalence of COVID-19-like symptoms in the postoperative period and its correlation with perioperative and clinical factors.

Material And Methods: In this multicenter, observational study we recorded clinical, surgical and postoperative data of consecutive patients undergoing elective urological surgery in 28 different institutions across Italy during initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (between February 24 and March 30, 2020, inclusive).

Results: A total of 1943 patients were enrolled.

Long-Term Surgical, Functional, and Patient Reported Outcomes of a Modified Corporoplasty: A Tertiary Referral Center Experience.

Background: Nesbit corporoplasty was proposed to address penile curvature (PC), both congenital (CPC) and acquired (APC).

Aim: To evaluate surgical, functional, and patient reported outcomes (PROs) of a modified corporoplasty.

Methods: From May 2005 to January 2017, a consecutive series of patients underwent a modified corporoplasty.

COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on sexual life: Recommendations from the Italian Society of Andrology.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the coronavirus that causes an infectious disease, called COVID-19, first detected in patients with pneumonia in Wuhan (People's Republic of China) on December 2019. Italy was the first European country to state the outbreak of the infection and its Council of Ministers declared the state of health emergency on 31.01.

Rates of hypogonadism forms in Klinefelter patients undergoing testicular sperm extraction: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Introduction And Objectives: Adult patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) may present with testicular volume loss and a decrease in circulating testosterone (T) levels. However, the actual rate of hypogonadism in adult KS men is unknown. We aimed to (a) assess the prevalence of different forms of hypogonadism in a cohort of KS patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA); and (b) investigate potential preoperative predictor of positive sperm retrieval (SR) at surgery in the same cohort of men.

The dramatic COVID 19 outbreak in Italy is responsible of a huge drop of urological surgical activity: a multicenter observational study.

Objective: To describe the trend in surgical volume in urology in Italy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, as a result of the abrupt reorganisation of the Italian national health system to augment care provision to symptomatic patients with COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 33 urological units with physicians affiliated to the AGILE consortium (Italian Group for Advanced Laparo-Endoscopic Surgery; www.agilegroup.

Comparing the Italian and North American prospective registries on penile prosthesis surgery: are there relevant differences in treatment indications and patients' management?

Previous studies have shown discrepancies among countries in terms of treatment indications and patients' management due to different health care policies. Penile prosthesis implantation (PPI) is a highly effective treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED), which may have different accessibility according to the type of health system. We compared clinical characteristics of patients included in two national registries on PPI to investigate the influence of different health care systems on treatment indication and accessibility.

Urology in the Time of Coronavirus: Reduced Access to Urgent and Emergent Urological Care during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Italy.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put a substantial burden on the Italian healthcare system, resulting in the restructuring of hospitals to care for COVID-19 patients. However, this has likely impacted access to care for patients experiencing other conditions. We aimed to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on access to care for patients with urgent/emergent urological conditions throughout Italy.

Sperm retrieval rates in non-mosaic Klinefelter patients undergoing testicular sperm extraction: What expectations do we have in the real-life setting?

Background: A recent meta-analysis (Human Reproduction Update 23, 2017 and 265) reported positive sperm retrieval rates (SRR) in 50% of patients with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) undergoing testicular sperm extraction (TESE). However, these results do not reflect the rates of SR that we observe in clinical practice. We assessed the rate and potential predictors of SR in Klinefelter patients in the real-life setting.

Role of androgen receptor expression in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

In order to evaluate the potential prognostic/predictive role of androgen receptor (AR) expression in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and whether it may represent a therapeutic target, we conducted a systematic search of the literature using 'androgen receptor or AR', 'testosterone', 'bladder cancer' and 'non-muscle invasive bladder cancer or NMIBC' as keywords. Eleven studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. No significant association was found between AR status and patients' gender (p=0.

What is the standard surgical approach to large volume BPE? Systematic review of existing randomized clinical trials.

Introduction: In the past years several reviews have analysed different aspects of surgical techniques for patients with LUTS due to BPE however none of them have concentrated on large prostates treatment exclusively. Moreover, none of the reviews have focused on level 1 evidence which is essential to avoid bias and wrong conclusions. With this knowledge in mind, aim of the present review is to analyze the available randomized clinical trials assessing the management of patients with big prostates (>80 cc).

An outcomes analysis of penile prosthesis implantation following radical cystoprostatectomy and urinary diversion: a multicentric retrospective cohort study.

There is limited scientific literature regarding the management outcomes for end-stage erectile dysfunction (ED) following radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP). This study aims to evaluate the surgical outcomes of penile prosthesis (PP) implantation. A retrospective analysis over 17 years (2004-2017) was performed from the clinical records of patients in four tertiary referral centres, whom previously had undergone RCP, followed by PP implantation for end-stage ED.

The Predictive Role of Biomarkers for the Detection of Acute Kidney Injury After Partial or Radical Nephrectomy: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Context: Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication after kidney surgery, associated with prolonged hospital stay, high morbidity, and mortality. Biomarkers represent a tool of increasing importance to identify renal impairment after partial nephrectomy (PN) or radical nephrectomy (RN) in order to optimize and anticipate the diagnosis of AKI.

Objective: The goal of this systematic review is to investigate current insights on the role of biomarkers in predicting renal impairment in patients undergoing PN or RN.

A Comparative Study Between 2 Different Grafts Used as Patches After Plaque Incision and Inflatable Penile Prosthesis Implantation for End-Stage Peyronie's Disease.

Background: Although many grafts have been used for plaque incision with grafting (PIG) and penile prosthesis (PP) implantation, there is no evidence that favors 1 specific graft over another.

Aim: To compare fibrin-coated collagen fleece (TachoSil; Baxter International, Deerfield, IL, USA) with porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS; Cook Biotech, West Lafayette, IN, USA) as grafts.

Methods: From January 2007 to January 2015, 60 non-randomized consecutive patients affected by end-stage Peyronie disease underwent PIG and PP implantation (AMS 700CX; Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA, USA).

Role of perioperative dynamic sentinel node biopsy for cN0 penile cancer management: experience from an Italian tertiary referral center.

Purpose: Inguinal lymphadenectomy (iLAD) reduces mortality in patients with cN0 penile cancer but yields high complication rates. Thus, its prophylactic role has been questioned and dynamic sentinel node biopsy (DSNB) was introduced to select men who should undergo the procedure. Our aim was to investigate the accuracy of a contemporary DSNB cohort.