Androgen deprivation therapy in advanced prostate cancer: insights from a real-world patient survey on health-related quality of life and information and communication sources.

Purpose: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a cornerstone treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Real-world and patient-reported insights into ADT's impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and communication experiences in healthcare settings remain underexplored. This patient organisation-initiated online survey aimed to assess these aspects.

Discrimination, Reliability, Sensitivity, and Specificity of Robotic Surgical Proficiency Assessment With Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills and Binary Scoring Metrics: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To compare binary metrics and Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) evaluations of training outcome assessments for reliability, sensitivity, and specificity.

Background: GEARS-Likert-scale skills assessment are a widely accepted tool for robotic surgical training outcome evaluations. Proficiency-based progression (PBP) training is another methodology but uses binary performance metrics for evaluations.

Safety and efficacy of software-assisted MRI-TRUS fusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy in an outpatient setting using local anaesthesia.

Purpose: To evaluate diagnostic accuracy, safety, and efficiency of an MRI-TRUS fusion-guided transperineal prostate biopsy method in an outpatient setting under local anaesthesia.

Methods: Patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy were included from March 2021 to May 2022. Biopsies were performed under local anaesthesia in an outpatient setting, using specialised fusion software.

Irrigation fluid absorption syndrome during HoLEP: A case study.

The classical transurethral resection syndrome as described with monopolar prostate resection has become rare since the switch to bipolar resection and even more so since the introduction of HoLEP. We report a case of a 74-year-old male patient who presented with an irrigation fluid absorption syndrome during a HoLEP for benign prostate hypertrophy. Biochemically this presented as metabolic acidosis and hyperchloremia instead of hyponatremia.

Undergraduate Education for Urology in Europe. Where Do We Stand?

Regardless of career intentions, junior doctors will meet patients with urological problems. There are no studies on the status of undergraduate education for urology in Europe. We designed an 18-item online survey using the platform www.

TRPV4 Mediates Acute Bladder Responses to Bacterial Lipopolysaccharides.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) affect a large proportion of the population, causing among other symptoms, more frequent and urgent micturition. Previous studies reported that the gram-negative bacterial wall component lipopolysaccharides (LPS) trigger acute epithelial and bladder voiding responses, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The cation channel TRPV4 is implicated in the regulation of the bladder voiding.

Phase II open-label study investigating apalutamide in patients with biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy.

Apalutamide, a competent inhibitor of the androgen receptor, has shown promising clinical efficacy results for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Here, we describe the rationale and design for the SAVE trial, a multi-center, Phase II study, wherein 202 men with biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy are randomly assigned 1:1 to apalutamide plus salvage radiotherapy (SRT) or androgen-deprivation therapy with an luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist or antagonist plus SRT. The primary objective is to compare sexual function between the two treatment arms based on the expanded prostate cancer index-26 sexual domain score at nine months after start of hormonal treatment.

The Effect of Surgical Experience on Perioperative and Oncological Outcomes After Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Urinary Diversion: Evidence from a Referral Centre with Extensive Experience in Robotic Surgery.

Background: Evidence on the learning curve for robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) is limited.

Objective: To assess the effect of surgical experience (SE) on perioperative and intermediate-term oncological outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of RARC patients after accounting for the impact of intersurgeon variability.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The study cohort included 164 patients treated with RARC and ICUD by two surgeons between 2004 and 2017 at a single European referral centre.

Lifestyle among urology trainees and young urologist in the context of burn-out syndrome.

Introduction: Burnout syndrome has increased dramatically in urology within recent years. A healthy lifestyle has been described as a protective factor. However, data on lifestyle is lacking among residents and urologists and remains to be elucidated.

Time to Move On: The Impending Need for a New Disease-specific Comorbidity Index for Bladder Cancer Patients Undergoing Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy.

The Charlson comorbidity index is an outdated comorbidity assessment tool which is not disease specific and is not applicable to contemporary BCa patients.

Use of fosfomycin as targeted antibiotic prophylaxis before prostate biopsy: A prospective randomized study.

Objectives: To investigate whether switching ciprofloxacin to fosfomycin in the case of fluoroquinolone-resistant rectal bacteria influences the incidence of infectious complications after transrectal prostate biopsy.

Methods: From December 2015 until December 2017, patients undergoing prostate biopsy were randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group in a prospective, open-label fashion at three different centers. The presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant organisms was detected by rectal swabs.

[Fatigue syndrome: Stress, Burnout and depression in Urology.].

Objective: To determine the factors related to stress, Burnout and depression in urology, as well as consequences in residents and urologists, in addition to the possible applicable strategies to diminish and treat them.

Acquisition Of The Evidence: Depression, stress and Burnout syndrome has become a problem in urology specialty. These topics have gained interest in international congresses and urological associations.

Perceived Role of Social Media in Urologic Knowledge Acquisition Among Young Urologists: A European Survey.

Background: Social media (SoMe) are increasingly being integrated into personal and professional life, with urology being a leading medical specialty in SoMe adoption.

Objective: We aimed to assess the perceived role of SoMe in urologic knowledge acquisition among young urologists across Europe.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Members of the European Society of Residents in Urology designed a 20-item online survey via surveymonkey.

Ultrasonography Is Not Inferior to Fluoroscopy to Guide Extracorporeal Shock Waves during Treatment of Renal and Upper Ureteric Calculi: A Randomized Prospective Study.

Objective: To investigate whether the visualization modality (ultrasound or fluoroscopy) used during shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) affects the clinical outcome in those instances where both imaging modalities are optional.

Methods: Between November 2014 and July 2016, 114 patients with radiopaque upper urinary tract calculi were randomly assigned to an ultrasound- or fluoroscopy-guided SWL group in a prospective, open-label, single-center study. A standardized SWL protocol was used.

Additive effects of the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 and vardenafil on relaxation of the corpus cavernosum tissue of patients with erectile dysfunction and clinical phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor failure.

Objectives: To evaluate the expression of the Rho/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) pathway in the corpus cavernosum of patients with severe erectile dysfunction (ED) compared with healthy human corpus cavernosum, and to test the functional effects of two Rho kinase inhibitors (RKIs) on erectile tissue of patients with severe ED, which did not respond to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is).

Patients And Methods: Human corpus cavernosum samples were obtained after consent from men undergoing penile prosthesis implantation (n = 7 for organ bath experiments, n = 17 for quantitative PCR [qPCR]). Potent control subjects (n = 5) underwent penile needle biopsy.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Relevance of Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Organisms in Rectal Cultures: Should We Target Antibiotic Prophylaxis Prior to Prostate Biopsy?

The rise of infectious complications after prostate biopsy has been linked to the growing resistance of enterobacteria to fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics. In this review, we investigated the potential benefit of targeted antibiotic prophylaxis based on rectal cultures prior to prostate biopsy. An electronic search for all related literature published in English was performed from April until June 2015 using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases.

Essential role of transient receptor potential M8 (TRPM8) in a model of acute cold-induced urinary urgency.

Background: Acute exposure of part of the skin to cold stimuli can evoke urinary urgency, a phenomenon termed acute cold-induced urgency (ACIU). Despite its high prevalence, particularly in patients with overactive bladder, little is known about the mechanisms that induce ACIU.

Objective: To develop an animal model of ACIU and test the involvement of cold-activated ion channels transient receptor potential (TRP) M8 and TRPA1.

Urodynamic changes in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis correlate with neurological impairment.

Aims: Neurogenic bladder dysfunction is a major issue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). High intravesical pressure should be treated early. Available therapies are insufficient and there is need for drug development and investigation of pathogenesis.

TRP channels in lower urinary tract dysfunction.

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTd) represents a major healthcare problem. Although it is mostly not lethal, associated social disturbance, medical costs, loss of productivity and especially diminished quality of life should not be underestimated. Although more than 15% of people suffer from a form of LUTd to some extent, pathophysiology often remains obscure.

Crucial role of TRPC1 and TRPC4 in cystitis-induced neuronal sprouting and bladder overactivity.

Purpose: During cystitis, increased innervation of the bladder by sensory nerves may contribute to bladder overactivity and pain. The mechanisms whereby cystitis leads to hyperinnervation of the bladder are, however, poorly understood. Since TRP channels have been implicated in the guidance of growth cones and survival of neurons, we investigated their involvement in the increases in bladder innervation and bladder activity in rodent models of cystitis.

Chronic administration of anticholinergics in rats induces a shift from muscarinic to purinergic transmission in the bladder wall.

Background: First-line pharmacotherapy for overactive bladder consists of anticholinergics. However, patient compliance is exceptionally low, which may be due to progressive loss of effectiveness.

Objective: To decipher the involved molecular mechanisms and to evaluate the effects of chronic systemic administration of anticholinergics on bladder function and on muscarinic and purinergic receptors expression in rats.

Bladder dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of multiple system atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder presenting with motor impairment and autonomic dysfunction. Urological function is altered in the majority of MSA patients, and urological symptoms often precede the motor syndrome. To date, bladder function and structure have never been investigated in MSA models.

Graft-related complications and biaxial tensiometry following experimental vaginal implantation of flat mesh of variable dimensions.

Objective: To compare the occurrence of graft-related complications (GRCs) and biomechanical properties of meshes implanted vaginally and abdominally.

Design: In vivo animal experiment.

Setting: Centre for Surgical Technologies, Medical Faculty, KU Leuven, Belgium.

The use of cystometry in small rodents: a study of bladder chemosensation.

The lower urinary tract (LUT) functions as a dynamic reservoir that is able to store urine and to efficiently expel it at a convenient time. While storing urine, however, the bladder is exposed for prolonged periods to waste products. By acting as a tight barrier, the epithelial lining of the LUT, the urothelium, avoids re-absorption of harmful substances.

Functional characterization of a chronic cyclophosphamide-induced overactive bladder model in mice.

Aims: To describe a new mouse model of overactive bladder (OAB) at the histological level, pain, voiding behavior, and urodynamics, while assessing the physiological state of mice.

Methods: This paper compares the pathophysiological features of mice that received intraperitoneal injections of cyclophosphamide (CYP) (40 and 80  mg/kg - body weight) every 2 days for 7 days. Specifically, the heart rate, the body temperature, and the general activity were assessed by telemetry.