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The objective of this study was to assess the overall health, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and needs, sexual behaviors, and testicular health practices among young minority males. Anonymous questionnaires were administered to 18- to 25-year-old males receiving services at health clinics in a large southwestern U.S. city. The survey was completed by 258 males with a mean age of 20.8 years. Most young males (67.1%) identified as African American, and 32.9% as Hispanic. Results suggest study participants lack SRH knowledge related to pregnancy and condom effectiveness, and engage in risky sexual behavior including not using birth control at their last sexual encounter. Although 21.6% of participants had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past year, approximately 80% perceived their STI/HIV risk as very low or low. Respondents had low engagement and lack of knowledge of testicular health practices. The majority of respondents (71.1%) reported having been in a physical fight one or more times and 18.1% reported being victims of intimate partner violence. These data support a need for comprehensive health services for minority young males.

The potential for hypothermia as a neuroprotectant during stroke has led to its increase in clinical use. At the same time, combination pharmaceutical therapies for ischemic stroke using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA), and GP IIb-IIIa inhibitors, such as Eptifibatide (Epf ), are under study. However, there is little data on how the reactions triggered by these agents are impacted by temperature. Here, clot lysis during exposure to the combination of rt-PA and Epf is measured in an in vitro human clot model at hypothermic temperatures. The hypothesis is that lytic efficacy of rt-PA and Epf decreases with decreasing temperature. Whole blood clots from 31 volunteers were exposed to rt-PA (0.5 μg/mL) and Epf (0.63 μg/mL) in human fresh-frozen plasma (rt-PA+Epf ), rt-PA alone in plasma (rt-PA Alone), or to plasma alone (Control), at temperatures from 30°C to 37°C, for 30 minutes. Clot lysis was measured using a microscopic imaging technique; the mean fractional clot loss (FCL) at 30 minutes was used to determine lytic efficacy. Temperature had a significant impact on FCL in clots exposed to rt-PA+Epf, with the FCL being lower at 30°C to 36°C than at 37°C. The FCL remained significantly higher for rt-PA+Epf–treated clots than Controls regardless of temperature, with the exception of measurements made at 30°C when no significant differences in the FCL were observed between groups. The use of hypothermia as a neuroprotectant may negatively impact the therapeutic benefit of thrombolytic agents.

Introduction and Aim About 3 million men take testosterone in the United States with many reproductive-age men unaware of the negative impact of testosterone supplementation on fertility. Addressing this population, we provide an early report on the use of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-based combination therapy in the treatment of a series of men with likely testosterone-related azoospermia or severe oligospermia. Methods We retrospectively reviewed charts from two tertiary care infertility clinics to identify men presenting with azoospermia or severe oligospermia ( Main Outcome Measure Clinical outcomes, including hormone values, semen analyses, and clinical pregnancies, were tracked. Results Forty-nine men were included in this case series. Return of spermatogenesis for azoospermic men or improved counts for men with severe oligospermia was documented in 47 men (95.9%), with one additional man (2.1%) having a documented pregnancy without follow-up semen analysis. The average time to return of spermatogenesis was 4.6 months with a mean first density of 22.6 million/mL. There was no significant difference in recovery by type of testosterone administered or supplemental therapy. No men stopped HCG or supplemental medications because of adverse events. Conclusions We here provide an early report of the feasibility of using combination therapy with HCG and supplemental medications in treating men with testosterone-related infertility. Future discussion and studies are needed to further characterize this therapeutic approach and document the presumed improved tolerability and speed of recovery compared with unaided withdrawal of exogenous testosterone.

Objectives Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been proposed as a urinary biomarker and previously shown to be elevated in male patients with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and other lower urinary tract symptoms. No published studies have examined NGF as a potential urinary biomarker in women with BOO. The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate NGF levels in urine from women with anatomic BOO resulting from pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and/or previous incontinence surgery and to measure the effect associated with surgical or conservative management. Methods From January to September 2012, all female patients referred for evaluation and management of BOO from POP or previous incontinence surgery were screened for enrollment. Inclusion criteria included elevated postvoid residual, valsalva voiding on urodynamics, or urinary peak flow (Qmax) of 12 mL/s or less. A control group of 10 asymptomatic age-matched female volunteers was also recruited. In all subjects, urinary NGF and creatinine (Cr) levels were measured and normalized to the urinary Cr concentrations (NGF/Cr). Urinary NGF levels were measured at 1 month and 3 months after either surgical correction or initiation of clean intermittent catheterization. Results A total of 10 female patients with anatomic BOO (mean [SD] age of 66.2 [3.88] years) and 10 female control subjects (mean [SD] age of 62 [7] years) were recruited. Nine patients had POP. Six patients had undergone a previous anti-incontinence procedure. Five patients had both POP and undergone a previous anti-incontinence procedure. The urinary NGF/Cr levels in the study patients with BOO (mean [SE] 20.8 [4.31] pg/mg) were significantly higher (P = 0.0001) than the levels in the age-matched control group (5.6 [0.65] pg/mg). After treatment, the urinary NGF/Cr level significantly decreased to 6.50 (0.57) pg/mg (P = 0.01) CONCLUSIONS: In this study, female patients with anatomic BOO resulting from POP and/or previous incontinence surgery had significantly higher urinary NGF/Cr levels when compared with age-matched controls. After treatment, the urinary NGF/Cr levels significantly decreased.

Objectives Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is a lytic medication widely used in the emergency department to treat acute thrombotic disorders such as ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. It is known in the clinical use of this drug that it can be less effective in approximately 25% of individuals receiving such treatment. However, there are no data on the variation of lytic efficacy of rt-PA in decreasing individuals' clot size over time. In this study, in vitro lytic efficacy was determined by measuring the decrease in clot diameter after 30 minutes of drug exposure. The authors sought to explore whether there are individuals who do not respond to this lytic therapy and to estimate the rate of nonresponse. Methods Human whole blood clots were made from blood drawn from 22 adult volunteers. The only exclusion criterion was the use of aspirin within 72 hours of the blood draw. Blood clots were allowed to spontaneously form at room temperature and were then incubated at 37°C for 3 hours to ensure complete clot retraction. Sample clots from the same individuals were then exposed to human fresh-frozen plasma (hFFP) control or rt-PA in hFFP (rt-PA) at a concentration of 3.15 μg/mL. All clots were exposed at 37°C for 30 minutes, and clot diameter was measured as a function of time, using a microscopic imaging technique. The fractional clot loss (FCL), which is the percentage decrease in clot diameter at 30 minutes, was used as a measure of lytic efficacy. Results Means with standard deviation (SD) FCL values were 8.6% (±3.0%) for control and 20.6% (±9.3%) for rt-PA–treated clots. The mean (±SD) difference in FCL values was 12.0% (±8.8%) and was significant (p

Introduction: Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is the only FDA approved thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Recent studies have shown hypothermia to be beneficial in patient outcome in stroke. However, rt-PA is less effective at temperatures less than 37°C. Interest in improving the lytic efficacy of rt-PA thrombolysis has led to the study of adjunctive therapies such as GP IIb-IIIa inhibitors like eptifibatide (Epf) and ultrasound (US) enhanced thrombolysis. However, the thrombolytic efficacy of combination therapy with rt-PA over a clinically applicable temperature range is unknown. Objective: The effects of temperature on the thrombolytic efficacy of combination rt-PA-driven thrombolysis were determined in an in-vitro human clot model. Methods: Human whole blood clots were made from blood obtained from volunteers, after local Institutional Review Board approval. Clots were made in 20-µL pipettes and placed in a water tank for microscopic visualization during treatment. Sample clots were exposed to human fresh-frozen plasma (hFFP) alone (Control); hFFP and rt-PA ([0.5 µg/ml]; “+rt-PA”); hFFP, rt-PA ([0.5 µg/ml]), and Epf ([0.63 µg/ml]; “+Epf”); and hFFP, rt-PA, Epf, and ultrasound supplied by a 2-MHz transcranial Doppler (TCD) unit (“+TCD”). Exposures were for 30 minutes at 30-37°C. Clot width was measured using a microscopic imaging technique and mean percent fractional clot loss (FCL) at 30 minutes was used to determine thrombolytic efficacy. Results: Each of 15 treatment groups had a minimum of 6 clots (range: 6-148) from 2 different donors (range: 2-21), for a total of 409 clots. At 37°C, FCLs for +rt-PA and +TCD groups were 44% (95% Confidence Interval: 37-52%) and 59% (54-64%) respectively (p Conclusion: Combination therapy using rt-PA, Epf, and 2-MHz US exhibits temperature dependence over a clinically applicable temperature range.

Introduction: Incidence of hemorrhage linked to treatment of ischemic stroke with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has led to interest in combination therapies such as plasminogen (Plg), with the goal of decreasing the administered volume of tPA. In-vitro studies using Plg have shown enhancement of lysis. However, due to rapid deactivation of Plg-derived plasmin in-vivo, local delivery of Plg via encapsulation by liposomes and release by ultrasound (US) may be necessary. This study examined the enhancement of tPA-induced lysis using encapsulated Plg (EPlg), in an in-vitro clot model. Methods: Blood was drawn from 26 subjects after local Institutional Review Board approval. Clots were made in 20-µL pipettes and placed in a water tank for microscopic visualization during treatment. Sample clots were exposed to tPA in human fresh-frozen plasma (hFFP) at a concentration of 3.15 µg/ml and EPlg at a concentration of 167 µg Plg/ml. Clots were exposed to no tPA (Control), tPA alone (+tPA), tPA and EPlg (+EPlg), tPA and 120-kHz US (+US), or tPA, EPlg, and 120-kHz US (+EPlg-US) for 30 minutes. The extent of thrombolysis was determined by assessing clot width as a function of time, using a time-lapse microscopic imaging technique; the fractional clot loss (FCL) at 30 minutes was used to determine thrombolytic efficacy. Results: Each treatment group had a minimum of 6 clots (range: 6-158) from 2 different donors (range: 2-24). FCL for +tPA was 38% (95% Confidence Interval: 36-40%); FCL for +EPlg was 39% (30-46%) (p=0.48 vs. +tPA). FCL for +EPlg-US was 49% (43-54%) (p Conclusions: Lysis with EPlg with tPA and US is more effective than tPA alone. This improvement of lytic efficacy using EPlg is dependent on concomitant use of US. Interaction between liposomes, Plg, and US is complex and merits further study.