[Urogeriatric thinking using the example of antiandrogen therapy for prostate cancer].

The geriatric patient is defined by an age of over 75 years and multimorbidity or by an age of over 80 years. These patients exhibit a particular vulnerability, which, in the incidence of side effects or complications, leads to a loss of autonomy. Treatment sequalae, once they have arisen, can no longer be compensated.

Patient Benefits of Radical Prostatectomy in Certified Prostate Cancer Centers: Comparative Results from the Multicenter IMPROVE Study.

Introduction: We investigated differences in treatment outcomes following radical prostatectomy (RP) between certified centers (CCs) and noncertified centers (nCCs) within the IMPROVE study group.

Methods: A validated survey assessing various factors, including stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and decision regret (DR), was administered to 950 patients who underwent RP across 19 hospitals (12 CCs and 7 nCCs) at a median follow-up of 15 months after RP (interquartile range: 11-20). The response rate was 74%, with 703 patients participating, including 480 (68%) from CCs.

Patient's Desire and Real Availability Concerning Supportive Measures Accompanying Radical Prostatectomy: Differences between Certified Prostate Cancer Centers and Non-Certified Centers Based on Patient-Reported Outcomes within the Cross-Sectional Study Improve.

Certification as a prostate cancer center requires the offer of several supportive measures to patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). However, it remains unclear how patients estimate the relevance of these measures and whether the availability of these measures differs between certified prostate cancer centers (CERTs) and non-certified centers (NCERTs). In 20 German urologic centers, a survey comprising questions on the relevance of 15 supportive measures was sent to 1000 patients at a median of 15 months after RP.

Patients Regret Their Choice of Therapy Significantly Less Frequently after Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy as Opposed to Open Radical Prostatectomy: Patient-Reported Results of the Multicenter Cross-Sectional IMPROVE Study.

Patient’s regret (PatR) concerning the choice of therapy represents a crucial endpoint for treatment evaluation after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer (PCA). This study aims to compare PatR following robot-assisted (RARP) and open surgical approach (ORP). A survey comprising perioperative-functional criteria was sent to 1000 patients in 20 German centers at a median of 15 months after RP.

Multi-Dimensional Regression Models for Predicting the Wall Thickness Distribution of Corrugated Pipes.

Corrugated pipes offer both higher stiffness and higher flexibility while simultaneously requiring less material than rigid pipes. Production rates of corrugated pipes have therefore increased significantly in recent years. Due to rising commodity prices, pipe manufacturers have been driven to produce corrugated pipes of high quality with reduced material input.

Analysis of the Impact of Clinical Factors on Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction.

Introduction: Predictive factors for the treatment success of low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) for erectile dysfunction (ED) are still under debate.

Methods: Li-ESWT was performed in 50 patients suffering from ED by applying 3,000 shock waves once a week over a period of 6 weeks. Treatment success was defined as an increase in the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) score by ≥5 points or an Erectile Hardness Score (EHS) of ≥3 points.

Geriatric Assessments Can Predict Functional Outcome and Mortality after Urological Tumor Surgery.

Introduction: Older patients undergoing major urological tumor surgery are at severe risk of functional deterioration, complications, and mortality. We prospectively evaluated geriatric assessment tools and developed a novel easy-to-use assessment tool for clinical use.

Methods: In 159 patients, geriatric assessment tools were used prior to cystectomy, prostatectomy, and renal tumor surgery, and their peri- and postoperative courses were recorded.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Astrocytes Impairs the Generation of Reactive Astrocytes and Enhances Neuronal Cell Death in the Cortex Upon Photothrombotic Lesion.

Mitochondria are key organelles in regulating the metabolic state of a cell. In the brain, mitochondrial oxidative metabolism is the prevailing mechanism for neurons to generate ATP. While it is firmly established that neuronal function is highly dependent on mitochondrial metabolism, it is less well-understood how astrocytes function rely on mitochondria.

[Can the antibiotic prescription practice in a hospital be influenced by in-house guidelines? An interventional study at the University Hospital Halle (Saale), Germany].

Background: In-house guidelines are an essential tool of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programs to guide antimicrobial therapy. We studied the effect of in-house guidelines adapted to the local pathogen and resistance epidemiology on prescribing behavior.

Methods: At the University Hospital Halle (Saale) guidelines for the antimicrobial therapy and essential microbiological diagnostics were introduced.

Cement directed kyphoplasty reduces cement leakage as compared with vertebroplasty: results of a controlled, randomized trial.

Study Design: A novel randomized, controlled, unblinded clinical trial comparing 2 procedural interventions for painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Objective: The primary study objective was to evaluate cement leakage for a cement directed kyphoplasty system (CDKS) with anteriorly biased cement flow and vertebroplasty. The secondary study objective was to compare adjacent level fracture rates and vertebral body height for these 2 intervention methods.

High-spectral-radiance, red-emitting tapered diode lasers with monolithically integrated distributed Bragg reflector surface gratings.

A red-emitting tapered diode laser with a monolithically integrated distributed Bragg reflector grating is presented. The device is able to emit up to 1 W of spectrally stabilized optical output power at 5°C. Depending on the period of the tenth order surface grating the emission wavelengths of these devices from the same gain material are 635 nm, 637 nm, and 639 nm.

Femtosecond diode-pumped solid-state laser with a repetition rate of 4.8 GHz.

We report on a diode-pumped Yb:KGW (ytterbium-doped potassium gadolinium tungstate) laser with a repetition rate of 4.8 GHz and a pulse duration of 396 fs. Stable fundamental modelocking is achieved with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM).

Diode-pumped mode-locked Yb:YCOB laser generating 35 fs pulses.

Direct sub-50-fs pulse generation is demonstrated with a mode-locked Yb:YCa4O(BO3)3 laser. With external compression, pulses as short as 35 fs are generated at 1055 nm. The oscillator operating at a repetition rate of 95 MHz is pumped by a two-section distributed Bragg reflector tapered diode laser and mode locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror.

42-fs diode-pumped Yb:Ca4YO(BO3)3 oscillator.

We demonstrate a passively mode-locked femtosecond laser based on the self-frequency-doubling crystal Yb:Ca4YO(BO3)3. The oscillator is pumped by a novel two-section distributed Bragg-reflector tapered diode-laser. Pulses as short as 46 fs and 42 fs at 1050 nm are achieved for the E//Z polarization without and with external compression, respectively.

Diode-pumped gigahertz femtosecond Yb:KGW laser with a peak power of 3.9 kW.

We present a diode-pumped Yb:KGW laser with a repetition rate of 1 GHz and a pulse duration of 281 fs at a wavelength of 1041 nm. A high brightness distributed Bragg reflector tapered diode laser is used as a pump source. Stable soliton modelocking is achieved with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM).

Diode-pumped mode-locked Yb:LuScO(3) single crystal laser with 74 fs pulse duration.

The mode locking of the mixed sesquioxide single crystal Yb:LuScO(3) is demonstrated. This crystal is locally disordered and has the broadest emission spectrum of all sesquioxides known so far. Pulse durations as short as 111 and 74 fs were obtained using the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror and Kerr-lens mode locking, respectively.

High-power distributed Bragg reflector ridge-waveguide diode laser with very small spectral linewidth.

We manufactured and investigated distributed Bragg reflector ridge-waveguide diode lasers having sixth-order surface gratings and an emission wavelength around 974 nm. The single-mode output power of the lasers with a total length of 4 mm exceeded 1 W. A very small spectral linewidth of 1.

Compact second-harmonic generation laser module with 1 W optical output power at 490 nm.

We demonstrate continues-wave 1 W at 490 nm on a 2.5 cm(3) micro-optical bench using single-path second-harmonic generation with a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO(3) bulk crystal. The pump laser is a distributed Bragg reflector tapered diode laser having a single-frequency spectrum and a pump power of 9.

[Phlegmon of the palm of the hand as initial manifestation of the Lemierre syndrome].

Lemierre's syndrome is a rare disease in young otherwise healthy people showing septic embolism in the lungs and peripheral vessels. We report the case of a 19-year-old male patient who presented initially with a phlegmon of the right palm and beginning septic shock. During the clinical course a subcutaneous abscess of the left shoulder, multiple lesions of the lungs and a pericardial abscess were identified and Lemierre's syndrome was diagnosed.

5'-upstream cis-elements and binding factor(s) potentially involved in light-regulated expression of a Brassica napus rbcS gene.

The 5'-upstream region of a Brassica napus rbcS gene contains sequence elements that resemble the cis-regulatory elements described for other species. In band shift competition assays using whole-cell extracts and sets of deletion fragments we could assign protein binding to a region located 110-130 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. DNase I protection experiments showed that the binding region is non-contiguous and reveals symmetry.