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To determine the benefit of pelvic floor muscle exercise with visual biofeedback on promoting patient recovery from incontinence, we investigated variables associated with the early restoration of continence for patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.Of the 83 patients enrolled, 41 consecutive patients completed pelvic floor muscle exercise (the exercise group), and the other 42 consecutive patients just before the pelvic floor muscle exercise program commenced (the control group). The primary outcome was whether pelvic floor muscle exercise engagement was associated with zero pad continence restoration within 3 months of surgery.Continence restoration percentages (defined as zero pads used per day) at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 49.4%, 77.1%, and 94.0%, respectively. The exercise group achieved significantly higher recovery rates at 1 month (p=0.037), 3 months (p0.001), and 6 months (p=0.023). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that a lower Gleason score (8; hazard ratio, 2.167), lower prostate specific antigen (20 ng/dL; hazard ratio, 2.909), and engagement in pelvic floor muscle exercise (hazard ratio, 3.731) were independent predictors of early recovery from postprostatectomy incontinence. Stratification by age showed that those younger than 65 years did not benefit significantly from exercise (log-rank test, p=0.08), but that their elderly counterparts, aged 65-70 years (p=0.007) and70 years old (p=0.002) benefited significantly.This study suggests that postoperative engagement in pelvic floor muscle exercise with biofeedback speeds up the recovery of continence in elderly patients (≥65 years old) that undergo robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Ureterosciatic hernia is extremely rare. In ureteral herniation, ureter prolapses occur through either the greater or lesser sciatic foramen. Atrophy of the piriformis muscle, hip joint diseases, and defects in the parietal pelvic fascia are predisposing factors for the development of ureterosciatic hernia. Most symptomatic patients have been treated surgically, with conservative treatment reserved only for asymptomatic patients. To the best of our knowledge, long-term follow-up outcomes after ureterosciatic hernia management are sparse. In this paper, we report the case of a 68-year-old woman who presented with colicky left abdominal pain. After computed tomography (CT) scan and anterograde pyelography, she was diagnosed ureterosciatic hernia with obstructive uropathy. We performed ureteral balloon dilatation and double-J ureteral stent placement. After this minimally invasive procedure, CT scan demonstrated that the left ureter had returned to its normal anatomical position without looping into the sciatic foramen. The patient remained asymptomatic with no adverse events 7 years after the minimally invasive procedures. This brief report describes ureterosciatic hernia successfully managed with minimally invasive procedures with long-term follow-up outcomes.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Urethral stricture is one of the postoperative complications after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and urethral dila...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem whose relation to cardiovascular diseases has been scientifically proven, but it has not been studied sufficiently in patien...

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is clinically heterogeneous, thus, many patients fail to respond to treatment and relapse. Here, we identified a molecular signature that is both prognostic and predictive for NMIBC heterogeneity and responses to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy. Transcriptomic profiling of 948 NMIBC patients identified a signature-based subtype predictor, MSP888, along with three distinct molecular subtypes: DP.BCG+ (related to progression and response to BCG treatment), REC.BCG+ (related to recurrence and response to BCG treatment), and EP (equivocal prognosis). Patients with the DP.BCG+ subtype showed worse progression-free survival but responded to BCG treatment, whereas those with the REC.BCG+ subtype showed worse recurrence-free survival but responded to BCG treatment. Multivariate analyses revealed that MSP888 showed independent clinical utility for predicting NMIBC prognosis (each p = 0.001 for progression and recurrence, respectively). Comparative analysis of this classifier and previously established molecular subtypes (i.e., Lund taxonomy and UROMOL class) revealed that a great proportion of patients were similar between subtypes, however, the MSP888 predictor better differentiated biological activity or responsiveness to BCG treatment. Our data increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the poor prognosis of NMIBC and the effectiveness of BCG therapy, which should improve clinical practice and complement other diagnostic tools.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Ejaculation frequency, including sexual intercourse, nocturnal emissions, and masturbation, affect the development of prostate disease, such as benign prostatic hyperpla...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is most commonly observed in men of advancing age. Patients with BPH may experience urinary symptoms. For moderate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), pharmacotherapy is recommended, but many patients have symptom progression and require additional surgical intervention such as transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) or prostatectomy. However, these procedures are still associated with significant perioperative morbidity. As a result, treatment-related complications have led to the development of new technologies for the management of BPH.

Purpose P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4), a serine/threonine kinase that regulates a number of fundamental cellular processes, has been suggested as a prognostic factor for various human tumors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical implications of phospho-Ser474 PAK4 (pPAK4S474), an activated form of PAK4, in surgically treated renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods Samples from 131 patients with surgically treated RCC were immunostained to detect PAK4 and pPAK4S474. Expression of PAK4 and pPAK4S474 was compared with clinicopathological characteristics and survival after nephrectomy. Results PAK4 and pPAK4S474 were expressed predominantly in the nucleus. Overall, 57.3% (75/131) and 24.4% (29/119) of specimens exhibited high expression of pPAK4S474 and PAK4, respectively. High expression of pPAK4S474 was associated with adverse pathologic characteristics, including advanced tumor stage and grade (p=0.036 and p=0.002, respectively), whereas this association was not significant for PAK4 expression (each p>0.05). Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that high expression of pPAK4S474 was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival in a subgroup with localized RCC and with cancer-specific survival in the total RCC cohort (log-rank test: p=0.001 and p=0.005, respectively), whereas PAK4 expression was not. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that high pPAK4S474 expression was an independent predictor of recurrence in the subgroup with localized RCC. Conclusions pPAK4S474 may be a more accurate prognostic factor than total PAK4 in RCC patients. This marker would be useful for identifying patients with pathologically localized disease who may require further interventions., Graphical Abstract

Primary mediastinal leiomyoma is an extremely rare benign tumor of smooth muscle. Most common radiographic appearance is a well circumscribed heterogeneous solid mass. We reported a case of giant cyst-like lesion at the middle mediastinum, which was pathologically confirmed as a primary mediastinal leiomyoma.

Persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is one of the remnant fetal anastomoses between the carotid artery and basilar artery. PTAs are classified according to angiographic appearance and various connection. Among them, those directly terminating in the cerebellar arteries are rare subtype. In addition, aneurysms of the PTA are unusual in the literature and have not previously accompanied this subtype of PTA connecting cerebellar artery. We present the first case of an aneurysm of the PTA which is directly terminating in the cerebellar arteries and combined with multiple aneurysms.

sion. There was a higher decompression rate at teaching versus nonteaching hospitals (81% vs 77% p 0.01), large versus small hospitals (81% vs 73% p 0.01) and urban versus rural hospitals (79% vs 73% p 0.04). These factors all remained independently associated with a higher likelihood of surgical decompression in multivariable analysis (Table 1). Other covariates associated with a higher likelihood of decompression included private insurance, female gender and midwest or northeast region. Black race was associated with decreased odds of undergoing decompression. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital factors including teaching status, large bedsize and urban location are independently associated with higher rates of surgical decompression among inpatients with sepsis and ureteral calculi. Possible explanations for these findings include variation in access to resources and subspecialist care. Further research is necessary to explain these differences to ensure optimal treatment across the health care system by improving access to these lifesaving interventions where decompression rates are lowest.

Persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) is a rare condition that represents a remnant fetal anastomosis between the carotid artery and basilar artery. PTA typically arises from precavernous portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) to the basilar artery. Variations of PTA extending from the ICA and directly terminating as cerebellar arteries without jointing basilar artery are particularly rare. We presented the extremely rare case of the variations of PTA, which directly terminate in the ipsilateral anterior inferior cerebellar artery. In addition, we reviewed the embryogenesis and clinical implication of this anomaly.

Purpose Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy is the most useful technique for the diagnosis of prostate cancer; however, many patients describe the procedure as uncomfortable and painful. We investigated the effect of the patient's position on pain scales during TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. Materials and Methods Between July 2012 and June 2013, a total of 128 consecutive patients who underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy were included in this study. Seventy patients underwent the procedure in the lithotomy position performed by a urologist and the other patients (n=58) underwent the procedure in the left lateral decubitus (LLD) position performed by a radiologist. Pain was assessed by using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores from 0 to 10. Using a linear regression model, we analyzed the correlation between pain scale score and clinical variables with a focus on patient position. Results No significant differences related to age, body mass index, prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), hematuria, pyuria, International Prostate Symptom Score, or the cancer detection rate were observed between the lithotomy and the LLD groups. In the correlation analysis, VAS score showed a significant correlation with diabetes mellitus, PSA level, and lithotomy position (p