Experiences With Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause and Barriers to Vaginal Estrogen Usage Reported by a National Sample of 1500 Women.

Objective: To investigate women's experiences with genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and vaginal estrogen therapy (VET), including barriers, awareness, and knowledge, and to report current trends and findings on GSM and VET to address barriers to care.

Methods: A survey on GSM and VET was posted on the ResearchMatch website. Eligible participants were women ≥ 40 years of age.

Spouses Speak Up: The Impact of Mesh Sling Complications on the Patient's Spouse-A Qualitative Analysis Study.

Objective: To examine the perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs of the spouses of women with complications of mesh midurethral sling (MUS) surgery with the goal of increasing our understanding of the multidimensional nature of MUS surgery complications.

Methods: After IRB approval, the spouses of patients who underwent surgery for MUS complications at a single tertiary care institution participated in qualitative interviews. Using an interview guide with standardized prompts, semistructured interviews were conducted.

Women in Leadership in Urology: The Case for Increasing Diversity and Equity.

There is a persistent male gender predominance in urology, especially with respect to female representation in leadership. We review the current status of women in urology leadership, discuss challenges women face in leadership positions, present the case for adopting inclusive practices that increase diversity and gender equity in urology leadership, and review the potential benefits of such an expansion. We discuss practical strategies to grow the role of women in urologic leadership, including increasing mentorship, modifying academic promotion criteria, and addressing implicit bias, while presenting a roadmap toward achieving equity and diversity at the highest ranks of urologic leadership.

Quality of Life before and after Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery as Measured by the Short-Form-36.

 To assess quality of life (QOL) after transnasal, endoscopic pituitary surgery using the 36-item short form (SF-36) instrument.  Retrospective review was used for this study.  The study was conducted in a tertiary academic medical center.

Laser prostate ablation and enucleation: Analysis of a national cohort.

Objective: To compare characteristics and outcomes of benign prostatic hyperplasia patients undergoing prostate laser ablation with those undergoing laser enucleation using a nationwide cohort.

Methods: Men who underwent prostate laser ablation (n=10054) or laser enucleation (n=1705) between 2011 and 2015 were identified by the common procedural terminology code as recorded in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative parameters were compared between the groups using univariate and multivariate analysis.

Treatment Outcomes of Rathke's Cleft Cysts Managed with Marsupialization.

 Rathke's cleft cysts (RCC) are benign cystic lesions of the sella resulting from incomplete obliteration of Rathke's cleft. Symptomatic lesions often require surgical decompression, which is often amenable to a transnasal, transsphenoidal (TNTS) approach. We report our experience with marsupialization of RCC and describe a novel technique to promote re-epithelization of the cyst cavity.

Microenvironment influences vascular differentiation of murine cardiovascular progenitor cells.

We examined the effects of the microenvironment on vascular differentiation of murine cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs). We isolated CPCs and seeded them in culture exposed to the various extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in both two-dimensional (2D) and 3D culture systems. To better understand the contribution of the microenvironment to vascular differentiation, we analyzed endothelial and smooth muscle cell differentiation at both day 7 and day 14.

Four-variable risk model in men and women with heart failure.

Background: Risk stratification is an integral component of clinical decision making in heart failure (HF). Women with HF have unique characteristics compared with men, and it is unknown whether common prognostic factors are equally useful in both populations. We aimed to investigate whether sex-specific risk models are more accurate for risk prediction in patients with advanced HF.

Hyaluronan-Based Three-Dimensional Microenvironment Potently Induces Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell Populations.

The relationship between stem cell niches and their surrounding microenvironment is still relatively unknown. Recent advances have indicated that extrinsic factors within the cardiovascular progenitor cell niche influence maintenance of a multipotent state as well as drive cell-fate decisions. We have previously shown the direct effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and have now investigated the effects of dimension on the induction of a cardiovascular progenitor cell (CPC) population.

Characterization and therapeutic potential of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiovascular progenitor cells.

Background: Cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs) have been identified within the developing mouse heart and differentiating pluripotent stem cells by intracellular transcription factors Nkx2.5 and Islet 1 (Isl1). Study of endogenous and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CPCs has been limited due to the lack of specific cell surface markers to isolate them and conditions for their in vitro expansion that maintain their multipotency.

The obesity paradox in men versus women with systolic heart failure.

Obesity is common in heart failure (HF) and is associated with improved outcomes, a finding often termed the "obesity paradox." Although fat distribution varies by gender, the role of obesity in the outcomes of women compared to men with HF has not been well studied. In a cohort of patients with advanced systolic HF followed at a single university center, 2,718 patients had body mass indexes (BMIs) measured at baseline, and 469 patients with HF had waist circumferences (WCs) measured at baseline.