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Objective: To evaluate predictors of reoperation after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in a diverse patient population. Materials and methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on men who underwent TURP between 2013 and 2016 at our institution with follow-up data post-operatively. Variables collected included patient demographics and clinical characteristics. Primary outcomes included whether the patient underwent repeat TURP and months elapsed since initial TURP. Results: A total of 304 men underwent TURP during the study period. Thirty men (10%) underwent repeat TURP at a mean interval of 26 months. Reoperation after TURP was not associated with race, body mass index (BMI), 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) use, or pre-operative prostate volume. An elevated pre-operative haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was associated with both reoperation (odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.69), 30 day readmission (OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.17–3.28) and 30-day hematuria (OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.29–4.38). Pre-operative prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels > 4 and hydronephrosis on imaging were also associated with a higher risk of reoperation. Conclusions: Reoperation after TURP occurred in 10% of our study cohort at a median of 26 months after surgery. Elevated HbA1c prior to surgery was associated with reoperation, 30-day readmission and 30-day hematuria. Higher risk of post-operative complications in patients with poorly controlled diabetes should be communicated at the time of decision for surgery. Future studies should evaluate whether optimising diabetes control prior to TURP reduces risk of reoperation or whether this risk is non-modifiable due to permanent changes in the lower urinary tract due to chronic hyperglycaemia. Level of evidence: III [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sick Body Writing: Towards an Affective Genetic Criticism examines the idea that manuscripts can be affected by illness as much as their authors' bodies are. This article aims to highlight a critical gap in the methodology of literary genetic criticism by introducing a new lens of affective genetic criticism. Genetic criticism looks at the archive of drafts and notes related to a literary work-in-progress. The application of affect theory brings focus to the impacts of the author's bodily experience during writing while in different states of un/healthiness. The effects of authors' health on their writing, especially textual non/production and the representations of un/healthiness, can be found in their archive in a variety of forms, whether represented in the narrative or responsible for elements of the narrative's structure. Using two case studies from different literary canons, James Joyce (modernist) and Aidan Chambers (children's and Young Adult), the article concludes that this lens can be productively applied to understand better the embodiment of writing processes and adaptations of writing environments as a result of affective needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the effect of a shared institutional research database on medical students’ scholarly work, perceived research competency, and self-reported satisfaction. METHODS: An institutional inventory database was created on Google Sheets with a listing of available mentors and a description of their ongoing research projects. The inventory database was shared with interested students and faculty. Students who agreed to participate were surveyed pre- and post-inventory. Survey questions assessed student demographics, prior research experience, and their perception of research competency and satisfaction. The number of presentations, publications, and articles pre- and post-inventory were also abstracted. Survey responses were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: A total of 20 students were surveyed pre-inventory and at a median followup of six months (5–7) post-inventory. There was a significant increase in scholarly presentations and publications post-inventory (p<0.05 for all). Furthermore, post-inventory, students reported feeling more confident in establishing an academic career, finding good mentors, managing their relationship with their mentor, managing professional challenges, and effectively showcasing themselves professionally and describing their research (p<0.05 for all). More than 65% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the database was easy to use, accessible, transparent, and would like a similar database created for other specialty departments. CONCLUSIONS: After performing mentorship-guided research through an institutional research database, medical students felt more confident in their ability to perform research and produced more scholarly work. Therefore, we recommend a research database be created across all institutional departments to foster interest in conducting research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]