A phase IV prospective evaluation of the safety and efficacy of extended release testosterone pellets for the treatment of male hypogonadism.

Introduction: Men with hypogonadism exhibit decreased serum testosterone levels and may experience a constellation of clinical symptoms, including decrease in muscle mass, loss of sexual desire, impotence, and infertility. While previous studies have shown that implantation of extended release testosterone pellets can provide therapeutic levels of testosterone over several months, additional data are needed to establish this approach as the standard of care for male hypogonadism.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of testosterone pellets over 6 months as a treatment for male hypogonadism in a clinical practice setting.

Impact of marital status in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

Purpose: Married (vs. unmarried) individuals have improved health status and longer life expectancies in a variety of benign and malignant disease states, including prostate, breast, head/neck, and lung cancers. We sought to evaluate a cohort of patients undergoing cystectomy for bladder cancer to evaluate the impact of marital status on demographic, peri-operative, and pathological outcomes in order to better understand the factors which may contribute to the survival differences observed.

Successful non-operative management of an iatrogenic recto-urethral fistula in a 13-year-old boy.

Here we present a case of successful non-operative management of an iatrogenic recto-urethral fistula in a 13-year-old boy. The fistula was created when urethroscopic repair of a urethral stricture was attempted. Due to the anatomy of the lesion and previous urinary diversion, it was deemed possible to spare this patient diverting colostomy or surgical repair of the fistula.

Molecular diagnosis of paramyxovirus infection in snakes using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and complementary deoxyribonucleic acid:ribonucleic acid in situ hybridization.

Identification of ophidian paramyxovirus (OPMV) nucleic acid was accomplished in 11 of 14 snakes by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay that detected a 153-bp region of the OPMV genome in total RNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues and cell culture. The RT-PCR protocol amplified a portion of the OPMV RNA genome, producing a 153-bp complementary DNA (cDNA) product from both fresh and paraffin-embedded tissue samples. In addition, cDNA:RNA in situ hybridization localized OPMV in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens to specific tissues and cells.