Is low-intensity shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction a durable treatment option?-long-term outcomes of a randomized sham-controlled trial.

Background: Low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiSWT) is an emerging non-invasive and restorative therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED) with demonstrated efficacy and few adverse events. Although LiSWT has been shown to improve erectile function amongst men with ED, few studies have examined its long-term durability. We present the long-term results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing erectile function after LiSWT.

Pelvic floor therapy program for the treatment of female urinary incontinence in Belize: a pilot study.

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Concurrently, the availability of surgical or conservative UI treatments in LMIC is limited.

Methods: We conducted a prospective feasibility study of Belize women with UI treated with pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) and education (PFE).

The impact of cognitive impairment in urologic implants: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: With the general population aging and thus more patients developing bothersome erectile dysfunction, stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder, there will likely be a higher demand for three common interactive implants in urology, the penile prosthesis, artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and sacral neuromodulation (SNM). Further, the prevalence of mild and major neurocognitive disorders (also known as mild cognitive impairment and dementia, respectively) is expected to increase. While the aforementioned urologic implants have excellent short and long term outcomes, there are also known device issues such as malfunction or misuse that may require surgical removal and/or revision.

Vascular invasion predicts advanced tumor characteristics in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: The clinical impact of vascular invasion in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) is not well understood. Our aim was to determine if there was an association between vascular invasion and other tumor characteristics and patient outcomes in PTC.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of 536 patients with PTC between January 2007-December 2011.

Impact of Decipher Biopsy testing on clinical outcomes in localized prostate cancer in a prospective statewide collaborative.

Background: Decipher Biopsy is a commercially available gene expression classifier used in risk stratification of newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa). Currently, there are no prospective data evaluating its clinical utility. We seek to assess the clinical utility of Decipher Biopsy in localized PCa patients.

Restoring Retinoic Acid Attenuates Intestinal Inflammation and Tumorigenesis in APCMin/+ Mice.

Chronic intestinal inflammation accompanies familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and is a major risk factor for colorectal cancer in patients with this disease, but the cause of such inflammation is unknown. Because retinoic acid (RA) plays a critical role in maintaining immune homeostasis in the intestine, we hypothesized that altered RA metabolism contributes to inflammation and tumorigenesis in FAP. To assess this hypothesis, we analyzed RA metabolism in the intestines of patients with FAP as well as APC mice, a model that recapitulates FAP in most respects.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor promotes nerve regeneration by activating the JAK/STAT pathway in Schwann cells.

Background: Radical prostatectomy (RP) carries the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) due to cavernous nerve (CN) injury. Schwann cells are essential for the maintenance of integrity and function of peripheral nerves such as the CNs. We hypothesize that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activates the Janus kinase (JAK)/(signal transducer and activator of transcription) STAT pathway in Schwann cells, not in neuronal axonal fibers, with the resultant secretion of cytokines from Schwann cells to facilitate nerve recovery.

Low-energy Shock Wave Therapy Ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a Pelvic Neurovascular Injuries Rat Model.

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by pelvic injuries is a common complication of civil and battlefield trauma with multiple neurovascular factors involved, and no effective therapeutic approach is available.

Aims: To test the effect and mechanisms of low-energy shock wave (LESW) therapy in a rat ED model induced by pelvic neurovascular injuries.

Methods: Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats injected with 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) at newborn were divided into 4 groups: sham surgery (Sham), pelvic neurovascular injury by bilateral cavernous nerve injury and internal pudendal bundle injury (PVNI), PVNI treated with LESW at low energy (Low), and PVNI treated with LESW at high energy (High).

Estrogen attenuates TGF-β1 induced elastogenesis in rat urethral smooth muscle cells by inhibiting Smad response elements.

Purpose: We investigated the effect and mechanism of estrogen on elastogenesis in urethral smooth muscle cells in vitro.

Materials And Methods: Urethral smooth muscle cells were isolated from normal adult female rats. For elastogenesis assay cells were treated with TGF-β1, the potent TGF-β1 receptor inhibitor SB431542 and estrogen for 2 weeks.