Consideration of comorbidity in risk stratification prior to prostate biopsy.

Background: Previously, the patient-reported Total Illness Burden Index for Prostate Cancer (TIBI-CaP) questionnaire and/or the physician-reported Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) have provided assessments of competing comorbidity during treatment decisions for patients with prostate cancer. In the current study, the authors used these assessments to determine comorbidity and prognosis before prostate biopsy and the subsequent diagnosis of prostate cancer to identify those patients least likely to benefit from treatment.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was performed of 104 participants aged 64.

Erosion of embolization coils into the renal collecting system mimicking stone.

Urinary tract interventions can lead to multiple complications in the renal collecting system, including retained foreign bodies from endourologic or percutaneous procedures, such as stents, nephrostomy tubes, and others. We report a case of very delayed erosion of embolization coils migrating into the renal pelvis, acting as a nidus for stone formation, causing mild obstruction and finally leading to gross hematuria roughly 18 years post transarterial embolization. History is significant for a remote unsuccessful endopyelotomy attempt that required an urgent embolization.

Preliminary study of virtual reality and model simulation for learning laparoscopic suturing skills.

Purpose: Repetitive practice of laparoscopic suturing and knot tying can facilitate surgeon proficiency in performing this reconstructive technique. We compared a silicone model and pelvic trainer to a virtual reality simulator in the learning of laparoscopic suturing and knot tying by laparoscopically naïve medical students, and evaluated the subsequent performance of porcine laparoscopic cystorrhaphy.

Materials And Methods: A total of 20 medical students underwent a 1-hour didactic session with video demonstration of laparoscopic suturing and knot tying by an expert laparoscopic surgeon.

Preliminary evaluation of a genitourinary skills training curriculum for medical students.

Purpose: Basic urology training in medical school is considered important for many medical and surgical disciplines. We developed a 2-day intensive genitourinary skills training curriculum for medical students beginning their clinical clerkship training years and evaluated the initial experience with this program.

Materials And Methods: All 94 third-year medical students at the University of California, Irvine were required to participate in a 5.

Retroperitoneal transdiaphragmatic robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection of a left thoracolumbar neurofibroma.

Objective: Robotic technology has been used in a variety of surgical procedures for its 3D magnification and precision. Minimally invasive techniques have already become common in neurosurgery; however, robotic-assisted procedures in neurosurgery are still a relatively new frontier. This report describes the first use of robotic technology to resect a left thoracolumbar neurofibroma.

Evaluation of the outcomes of electrosurgical induced bowel injury treated with tissue glue/sealant versus sutured repair in a rabbit model.

Introduction: Bowel injury is an uncommon, although potentially devastating, intraoperative laparoscopic complication. Questions have been raised about the possible use of a tissue adhesive to repair injured bowel. We compared glued repair and sutured repair of both large bowel (LB) and small bowel (SB) electrosurgical injuries in a rabbit model.

Laboratory evaluation of laparoscopic vascular clamps using a load-cell device--are all clamps the same?

Purpose: The use of effective vascular clamps is key to successful laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Based on our clinical experience the occlusive capabilities of vascular clamps appeared to be quite variable. We compared the occlusive force of currently available laparoscopic vascular clamps.

Versatile self-complexing compounds based on covalently linked donor-acceptor cyclophanes.

A range of covalently linked donor-acceptor compounds which contain 1) a hydroquinone (HQ) unit, 2) a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) ring system, or 3) a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) unit as the pi-donor, and 4) cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT(4+)) as the pi-accepting tetracationic cyclophane were prepared and shown to operate as simple molecular machines. The pi-donating arms can be included inside the cyclophane in an intramolecular fashion by virtue of stabilizing noncovalent bonding interactions. What amounts to self-complexing/decomplexing equilibria were shown to be highly temperature dependent when the pi-donating arm contains either an HQ or DNP moiety.