Factors affecting post-vasectomy semen analysis compliance in home- and lab-based testing.

Introduction: We used a home-based (HB) post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) between 2014 and 2017, but we have since reverted to local lab-based (LB) testing. In this study, we compared PVSA compliance rates in HB and LB test settings and describe factors that may influence completion rates.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients who underwent vasectomy at our institution.

International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. CX. Classification of Receptors for 5-hydroxytryptamine; Pharmacology and Function.

5-HT receptors expressed throughout the human body are targets for established therapeutics and various drugs in development. Their diversity of structure and function reflects the important role 5-HT receptors play in physiologic and pathophysiological processes. The present review offers a framework for the official receptor nomenclature and a detailed understanding of each of the 14 5-HT receptor subtypes, their roles in the systems of the body, and, where appropriate, the (potential) utility of therapeutics targeting these receptors.

An updated mortality risk analysis of the post-pubertal undescended testis.

Introduction: The undescended testicle (UDT) presents a problem in post-pubertal (PP) men, as it carries an increased risk of developing a germ cell tumour (GCT). Management of the PP patient with an UDT must weigh the relative risk (RR) of perioperative mortality (POM) from orchiectomy against the lifetime risk of death from a GCT.

Methods: The most recent data on GCT mortality were obtained from the National Centre for Health Statistics.

Dorsal raphé nucleus glucocorticoid receptors inhibit tph2 gene expression in male C57BL/6J mice.

The serotonergic dorsal raphé nucleus (DRN) expresses glucocorticoid receptors (GR), and systemic glucocorticoids have been shown to regulate expression and activity of tryptophan hydroxylase isoform 2, the rate-limiting enzyme for serotonin synthesis in brain. We have used intra-DRN injection of pseudotyped adeno-associated virus AAV2/9 transducing either green fluorescent protein (GFP control) or Cre recombinase (DRN GR deletion) in floxed GR mice to determine if DRN GR directly regulate DRN mRNA levels of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (tph2). In a separate set of similarly-treated floxed GR mice, we also measured limbic forebrain region concentrations of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) and its major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA).

National Utilization of Partial Nephrectomy Pre- and Post- AUA Guidelines: Is This as Good as It Gets?

Background: The purpose of the study was to compare utilization and predictors of partial nephrectomy (PN) in the pre- and post-guideline eras.

Materials And Methods: American Board of Urology certification/recertification operative logs were reviewed from 2003 to 2014. Nephrectomy cases were extracted using Current Procedural Terminology codes.

Analysis of semen parameters during 2 weeks of daily ejaculation: a first in humans study.

Background: Timed and frequent intercourse around the time of female ovulation is recommended to improve conception. Although a significant number of articles have examined how the length of abstinence affects these semen analysis, the effects of frequent (daily) ejaculation has not been rigorously studied.

Methods: Twenty normal men were recruited for daily ejaculation over 14 consecutive days, after a 3-5 days abstinence period.

Percutaneous common femoral artery interventions using angioplasty, atherectomy, and stenting.

Background: This study evaluated the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of endovascular interventions for common femoral artery (CFA) occlusive disease.

Methods: Using a prospectively maintained multicenter database, we analyzed outcomes in 167 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous CFA interventions for Rutherford class 3 to class 6 (R3-R6) disease. The standardized treatment approach included primary percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) only, atherectomy + PTA, and provisional stenting.

Hyperhidrosis associated with subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: Insights into central autonomic functional anatomy.

Introduction: There is limited evidence regarding the precise location and connections of thermoregulatory centers in humans. We present two patients managed with subthalamic nucleus (STN) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for motor fluctuations in PD that developed reproducible hyperhidrosis with high frequency DBS.

Objective: To describe the clinical features and analyze the location of the electrodes leading to autonomic activation in both patients.

Abundance and Significance of Iron, Zinc, Copper, and Calcium in the Hearts of Patients With Friedreich Ataxia.

Cardiomyopathy is a frequent cause of death in patients with Friedreich ataxia (FA), and a characteristic pathological feature is the focal accumulation of iron (Fe) in cardiomyocytes. This restricted localization of the metal contrasts with the diffuse cardiac Fe overload in hemochromatosis and transfusion siderosis. Nevertheless, heart Fe in FA contributes to cardiomyocyte necrosis, inflammation, and scarring as the disease progresses.

Dorsal root ganglia in Friedreich ataxia: satellite cell proliferation and inflammation.

Introduction: Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are highly vulnerable to frataxin deficiency in Friedreich ataxia (FA), an autosomal recessive disease due to pathogenic homozygous guanine-adenine-adenine trinucleotide repeat expansions in intron 1 of the FXN gene (chromosome 9q21.11). An immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence study of DRG in 15 FA cases and 12 controls revealed that FA causes major primary changes in satellite cells and inflammatory destruction of neurons.

Mutagenesis and computational docking studies support the existence of a histamine binding site at the extracellular β3+β3- interface of homooligomeric β3 GABAA receptors.

Histamine is an important neurotransmitter that exerts its physiological actions through H1-4 metabotropic receptors in mammals. It also directly activates ionotropic GABAA receptor (GABAAR) β3 homooligomers and potentiates GABA responses in αβ heterooligomers in vitro, but the respective histamine binding sites in GABAARs are unknown. We hypothesized that histamine binds at the extracellular β+β- interface at a position homologous to the GABA binding site of heterooligomeric GABAARs.

Stone volume is best predictor of operative time required in retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal calculi: implications for surgical planning and quality improvement.

Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is highly successful at eliminating renal stones of various sizes and compositions. As urologists are taking on more complex procedures using RIRS, this has led to an increase in operative (OR) times. Our objective was to determine the best predictor of OR time in patients undergoing RIRS.

AMPA-Kainate Receptor Inhibition Promotes Neurologic Recovery in Premature Rabbits with Intraventricular Hemorrhage.

Unlabelled: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm infants leads to cerebral inflammation, reduced myelination of the white matter, and neurological deficits. No therapeutic strategy exists against the IVH-induced white matter injury. AMPA-kainate receptor induced excitotoxicity contributes to oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) damage and hypomyelination in both neonatal and adult models of brain injury.

Intrahippocampal administration of a domain antibody that binds aggregated amyloid-β reverses cognitive deficits produced by diet-induced obesity.

Background: The prevalence of high fat diets (HFD), diet-induced obesity (DIO) and Type 2 diabetes continues to increase, associated with cognitive impairment in both humans and rodent models. Mechanisms transducing these impairments remain largely unknown: one possibility is that a common mechanism may be involved in the cognitive impairment seen in obese and/or diabetic states and in dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD). DIO is well established as a risk factor for development of AD.

Investigation of diazepam efficacy on anxiety-like behavior in hemiparkinsonian rats.

There is growing recognition that anxiety disorders have a greater impact on quality of life in Parkinson's disease than motor symptoms. Yet, little is known about the pathophysiology underlying this non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease which poses a considerable barrier in developing effective treatment strategies. Here, we administered diazepam to hemiparkinsonian and non-parkinsonian rats and assessed its efficacy in three anxiety behavioral tests.

Volume-regulated anion channel--a frenemy within the brain.

The volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) is a ubiquitously expressed yet highly enigmatic member of the superfamily of chloride/anion channels. It is activated by cellular swelling and mediates regulatory cell volume decrease in a majority of vertebrate cells, including those in the central nervous system (CNS). In the brain, besides its crucial role in cellular volume regulation, VRAC is thought to play a part in cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and release of physiologically active molecules.

Self-assessment of surgical technique leads to reduction of positive surgical margins in partial nephrectomy.

The background of the study was to examine potential causes for a positive surgical margin (PSM) and develop strategies to improve surgical outcomes. A retrospective review of consecutive partial nephrectomy cases for renal cell carcinoma was performed. We divided the patients into 2 groups.

Multispecialty screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training in an academic medical center: Resident training experience across specialties.

Background: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has recently begun to fund programs that train medical residents on how to utilize an evidence-based validated system known as screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for providing early detection and brief treatment of unhealthy substance use. This paper investigates training outcomes of multispecialty SBIRT training at one such program at Albany Medical Center (AMC), one of the initial SAMHSA grantees.

Methods: Training outcomes were measured across 3 domains of learning: trainee satisfaction, acquired knowledge, and perceived usefulness.

Intracellular levels of glutamate in swollen astrocytes are preserved via neurotransmitter reuptake and de novo synthesis: implications for hyponatremia.

Hyponatremia and several other CNS pathologies are associated with substantial astrocytic swelling. To counteract cell swelling, astrocytes lose intracellular osmolytes, including l-glutamate and taurine, through volume-regulated anion channel. In vitro, when swollen by exposure to hypo-osmotic medium, astrocytes lose endogenous taurine faster, paradoxically, than l-glutamate or l-aspartate.

Residents' experience of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as a clinical tool following practical application: A mixed-methods study.

Background: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), an evidence-based validated system for providing early detection and brief treatment of substance use disorders, has been widely used in the training of medical residents across specialties at a number of sites. This article investigates the effectiveness of SBIRT training during short-term follow-up at Albany Medical Center, one of the initial Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grantees.

Methods: Training outcomes were measured by training satisfaction following opportunities to apply SBIRT skills in clinical work, the rate at which these techniques were applied in clinical work, and the degree to which residents felt that the SBIRT training provided skills that were applicable to their practice.

Clinically and Statistically Significant Changes Seen in Sham Surgery Arms of Randomized, Controlled Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Surgery Trials.

Purpose: Medication trials frequently involve a placebo arm to more fairly assess the efficacy of the study drug. However, benign prostatic hyperplasia surgery trials rarely include a sham surgery group due to the inherent risks associated with simulating treatment in these patients. As a result the placebo response to sham surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia is largely unknown.

Opioid Analgesia in P450 Gene Cluster Knockout Mice: A Search for Analgesia-Relevant Isoforms.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), which are well-known drug-metabolizing enzymes, are thought to play a signal transduction role in µ opioid analgesia and may serve as high-affinity (3)H-cimetidine ((3)HCIM) binding sites in the brain. (3)HCIM binding sites may also be related to opioid or nonopioid analgesia. However, of the more than 100 murine P450 enzymes, the specific isoform(s) responsible for either function have not been identified.

Neuronal cytochrome P450 activity and opioid analgesia: relevant sites and mechanisms.

Recent studies suggest a functional role for neuronal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) activity in opioid analgesia. To characterize the relevant receptors, brain areas, and circuits, detailed in vitro and in vivo studies were performed with the highly selective μ opioid receptor agonist DAMGO in neuronal P450-deficient mutant (Null) and control mice. Homogenates of brain regions and spinal cord showed no differences in DAMGO-induced activation of [(35)S]- GTPγS binding between Null and control mice, indicating no genotype differences in µ opioid receptor signaling, receptor affinities or receptor densities.