Motivation toward vasectomy based on abortion law changes in Oklahoma.

Introduction: In May 2022, lawmakers in Oklahoma passed House Bill 4327, which outlawed abortion after fertilization. The governor signed the bill on May 25, 2022. It is uncertain whether these changes will motivate more men in Oklahoma to undergo vasectomy.

Subthalamic functional connectivity associated with freezing of gait dopa-response.

Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a prevalent and debilitating feature of Parkinson's Disease (PD). The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a center for controlled locomotion and a common DBS target. The objective of this study was to identify STN circuitry associated with FOG response to dopaminergic medication.

Surgical management of National Institutes of Health category II chronic bacterial prostatitis: a case series and scoping review of the literature.

Background: National Institutes of Health (NIH) category II prostatitis refractory to antibiotic therapy can be challenging to treat. We present the outcomes from a case series of men who have undergone various surgical therapies to treat this condition. Additionally, we performed a scoping review of studies describing the characteristics and outcomes of patients surgically treated for chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP).

TMEM65 regulates NCLX-dependent mitochondrial calcium efflux.

The balance between mitochondrial calcium (Ca) uptake and efflux regulates ATP production, but if perturbed causes energy starvation or Ca overload and cell death. The mitochondrial sodium-calcium exchanger, NCLX, is a critical route of Ca efflux in excitable tissues, such as the heart and brain, and animal models support NCLX as a promising therapeutic target to limit pathogenic Ca overload. However, the mechanisms that regulate NCLX activity remain largely unknown.

Could treatment of autonomic dysfunction in early and prodromal Parkinson's disease slow disease progression?

A recently published study by Ma et al. (Ma J, Dou K, Liu R, Liao Y, Yuan Z, Xie A. 14: 898149, 2022) investigated the 5-year longitudinal association between sleep disorders and depression in early and prodromal Parkinson's disease (PD).

An Online Investigation Into Direct-to-Consumer Men's Health Clinics: The Who, What, and Where.

Objective: To characterize direct-to-consumer (DTC) men's health clinics by reviewing their online content. Increasing numbers of patients are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypogonadism from DTC "men's health" clinics. Treatments are often used off-label, with lack of transparency of provider credentials and qualifications.

Prosthesis Tailoring for Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has risen over the past 20 years as a safe and effective alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for treatment of severe aortic stenosis, and is now a well-established and recommended treatment option in suitable patients irrespective of predicted risk of mortality after surgery. Studies of numerous devices, either newly developed or reiterations of previous prostheses, have been accruing. We hereby review TAVI devices, with a focus on commercially available options, and aim to present a guide for prosthesis tailoring according to patient-related anatomical and clinical factors that may favor particular designs.

The Omission of Genitourinary Physical Exam in Telehealth Pre-Vasectomy Consults Does not Reduce Rates of Office Procedure Completion.

Objective: To determine whether the omission of preprocedure genitourinary exam for vasectomy inherent to a virtual consultation reduces the likelihood of successfully completing in-office vasectomy. Currently, the AUA Vasectomy guidelines encourage in-person examination when possible, though COVID-19 has catalyzed the uptake of virtual consultations at many institutions. We hypothesized that rates of completed in-office vasectomy do not significantly differ between patients examined during consultation in the office and those seen virtually with no exam.

Men With Chronic Orchialgia Exhibit Differential Neuroinflammatory Gene Expression Relative to Asymptomatic Controls.

Objective: To identify differences in neuroinflammatory gene expression in individuals with chronic orchialgia (CO) compared to asymptomatic controls.

Methods: Vas deferens, spermatic cord fascia, blood, and urine were collected from 9 men with CO at time of microscopic spermatic cord denervation and 7 asymptomatic controls at time of vasectomy. RNA was isolated and analyzed with the NanoString Human Neuroinflammation panel.

Assessing combined effects of varenicline and N-acetylcysteine on reducing nicotine seeking in rats.

Nicotine addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder, and cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Currently, the most effective pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation is Varenicline (VRN), which reduces both positive and negative reinforcement by nicotine. Clinically, VRN attenuates withdrawal symptoms and promotes abstinence, but >50% of smokers relapse within 3 months following a quit attempt.

Follicle-stimulating hormone modestly predicts improvement in semen parameters in men with infertility treated with clomiphene citrate.

Clomiphene citrate is a commonly prescribed empiric medical therapy for male infertility, but outcomes data and response rates remain incompletely understood. We retrospectively reviewed our single-institutional experience of infertile men prescribed clomiphene. Clomiphene treatment in the final cohort of 140 men was associated with a modest increase in median sperm concentration from 2.

Neuroinflammatory gene expression analysis reveals potential novel mediators and treatment targets in interstitial cystitis with Hunner lesions.

Background: We sought to study differential neuroinflammatory gene expression in men with interstitial cystitis (IC) with Hunner lesions compared with asymptomatic controls using NanoString, which uses barcoded probes to measure hundreds of genes. IC is a heterogenous condition lacking reliable biomarkers, and a subset of patients exhibits Hunner lesions, implicating the bladder as an inflammatory pain generator.

Methods: Blood, urine, and bladder biopsies were collected from 6 men with IC and Hunner lesions.

The prognostic value of digital rectal exam for the existence of advanced pathologic features after prostatectomy.

Background: Accurate staging at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis is fundamental to risk stratification and management counseling. Digital rectal exam (DRE) is foundational in clinical staging of prostate cancer, even with a known limited interexaminer agreement and poor sensitivity for detecting extraprostatic disease. We sought to evaluate the prognostic value of DRE for the presence of advanced pathologic features (APFs) following radical prostatectomy (RP).

Socioeconomic Disparities and Risk Factors in Patients Presenting With Ischemic Priapism: A Multi-Institutional Study.

Objectives: To evaluate contemporary clinical presentations of priapism, their association with socioeconomic characteristics, and the role of prescribing providers in priapism episodes in a large cohort of patients managed at 3 major academic health systems.

Methods: We identified all consecutive patients presenting with ischemic priapism to the emergency departments of three major academic health systems (2014 -2019). Demographic characteristics, priapism etiologies, and clinical management were evaluated.

Paired inhibitory stimulation and gait training modulates supplemental motor area connectivity in freezing of gait.

Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Evidence suggests patients with FOG have increased cortical control of gait. The supplementary motor area (SMA) may be a key structure due to its connectivity with locomotor and cognitive networks.

Determining the optimal pulse number for theta burst induced change in cortical excitability.

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of non-invasive neuromodulation which is delivered in an intermittent (iTBS) or continuous (cTBS) manner. Although 600 pulses is the most common dose, the goal of these experiments was to evaluate the effect of higher per-dose pulse numbers on cortical excitability. Sixty individuals were recruited for 2 experiments.

Is Opioid-free Post-Vasectomy Analgesia a Pain? A Single Surgeon Experience.

Objective: To determine the impact of transitioning from opioid to non-opioid analgesia post-vasectomy on unplanned opioid prescriptions and health encounters.

Methods: A retrospective review for patients who underwent vasectomy from October 2018 through December 2019 was performed. Beginning February 1, 2019, patients were counseled to take scheduled acetaminophen and ibuprofen in lieu of acetaminophen with codeine, with an opioid prescription only provided upon request.

Pain management following robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy: transitioning to an opioid free regimen.

Few studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of postoperative pain regimens that exclude opioids altogether in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). To reduce opioid use, we sought to develop an opioid-free regimen for RARP and determine perioperative outcomes before and after implementation. A retrospective, pre-post-interventional study was performed at a single institution between 8/2018 and 10/2019.

Resolution of Abdominal Pain After Coil Embolization of Varicocele with Robotic Resection of Gonadal Vein.

Chronic pain in the region of varicocele embolization is not well described and can be a challenging symptom to manage, with limited options for treatment after failing conservative measures. It is important to counsel patients of this potential complication when determining the best option for varicocele repair. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases of gonadal vein excision for chronic abdominal pain after coil embolization.

Assessing online price transparency of sperm cryopreservation across the United States.

Although the lack of information on the costs and pricing of healthcare services prevails throughout the medical industry, empiric observations have demonstrated that pricing information is even more obscured in the sperm cryopreservation market. Thus, the objectives of our study are to assess and compare online price transparency and the price of sperm cryopreservation across various healthcare settings in the United States. This study examined online pricing published by facilities that have an active registration to store spermatozoa with the Food and Drug Administration.

Evaluating a novel MR-compatible foot pedal device for unipedal and bipedal motion: Test-retest reliability of evoked brain activity.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a new, open-source MR-compatible device capable of assessing unipedal and bipedal lower extremity movement with minimal head motion and high test-retest reliability. To evaluate the prototype, 20 healthy adults participated in two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visits, separated by 2-6 months, in which they performed a visually guided dorsiflexion/plantar flexion task with their left foot, right foot, and alternating feet. Dependent measures included: evoked blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the motor network, head movement associated with dorsiflexion/plantar flexion, the test-retest reliability of these measurements.