Lunar Phases and Emergency Department Visits for Renal Colic Due to Ureteral Calculus.

Background: Urolithiasis affects an estimated 5% of the population and the lifetime risk of passing a stone in the urinary tract is estimated to be 8-10%. Urinary calculus formation is highly variable and while certain risk factors such as age, gender, seasonality, anatomic abnormality, and metabolic diseases have been identified, not much is known regarding the association of environmental factors such as lunar phases on renal colic. We conducted a retrospective study to test the hypothesis that full moon phase is an environmental factor associated for increased emergency department (ED) visits for renal colic due to ureteral calculus.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections after bladder surgery: is mechanical bowel preparation necessary?

Purpose: We investigated whether children with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt who undergo mechanical bowel preparation before bladder reconstruction with bowel have a lower rate of infection than children who do not undergo preoperative bowel preparation.

Materials And Methods: We performed an institutional review board approved, retrospective chart review of the incidence of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections after bladder reconstruction using bowel and compared infection rates using Fisher's exact test. Mean ± SD followup was 2.

The insults of illicit drug use on male fertility.

One-third of infertile couples may have a male factor present. Illicit drug use can be an important cause of male factor infertility and includes use of anabolic-androgenic steroids, marijuana, opioid narcotics, cocaine, and methamphetamines. The use of these illicit drugs is common in the United States, with a yearly prevalence rate for any drug consistently higher in males compared with females.

Fertility and the aging male.

In the United States since 1980, the birth rate in women aged > 35 years has increased by nearly 60%, whereas the birth rate for women aged 20 to 34 years has increased by only 10%. The trend in parenthood at an older age has also been seen in men. Since 1980, the fertility rate for men in their 30s has increased by 21% and for men aged 40 years and older, the rate has increased nearly 30%.

In utero dietary exposures and risk of islet autoimmunity in children.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether maternal dietary intake of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids during pregnancy is associated with the appearance of islet autoimmunity (IA) in offspring.

Research Design And Methods: The Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) is recruiting at birth and following children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes, as determined by HLA-DR genotype or by family history of type 1 diabetes. A total of 233 mothers of newly recruited DAISY subjects were asked to recall their intake of food and nutritional supplements during the third trimester of pregnancy using the Willett food frequency questionnaire.