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Purpose This study aimed to evaluate benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) diagnosis rate and the changing landscape of medical and surgical management of BPH over the last decade using national population data of South Korea. Methods The present study analyzed data of patients diagnosed with BPH (N40) who underwent medical treatment or surgery in 3% of the national patient sample of the Health Insurance and Review Assessment database each year between 2012 and 2018. The primary outcome was the proportion of medical and surgical treatment for BPH. It was evaluated each year between 2012 and 2018. Secondary outcomes included total BPH diagnosis rate in each year of the study period. BPH diagnosis rate by age group was evaluated. The proportion of medical and surgical treatment for BPH according to the type of medical institution was investigated. Results The proportion of surgical treatment was 1.2% in 2012, 1.0% in 2013, 1.0% in 2014, 0.9% in 2015, 0.8% in 2016, 0.7% 2018, and 0.8% 2018, showing a progressive overall decrease from 2012 to 2018. The rate of surgical treatment for BPH increased with increasing age during the study period, showing a progressive overall increase (from 9,202 per 100,000 men in 2012 to 11,610 per 100 000 men in 2018). The number of patients with BPH was increased steadily from 2012 to 2018 in all age groups. The rate of surgical treatment in tertiary referral hospitals was the highest during the study period, followed by that in general hospitals, hospitals, and clinics. Conclusions In Korea, the diagnosis rate of BPH was steadily increasing during the study period. Overall surgical treatment gradually decreased compared with an increase in medical treatment among all treatments for BPH. Thus, a comprehensive treatment plan for BPH should be established considering this trend.

Because of limited differentiation to endothelium from mesenchymal stem cells, it has been strongly recommended to use endothelial progenitor cells for the regeneration of the damaged endothelium of corpora cavernosa. This study was performed to investigate the immortalized human cerebral endothelial cells and their capability for repairing erectile dysfunction in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells were isolated from human fetal brain vasculature at the periventricular region of telencephalic tissues. Over 95% of CD 31-positive cells were sorted and cultured for 10 days. Human cerebral endothelial progenitor cells were injected into the cavernosa of rats with cavernous nerve injury. Erectile response was then assessed. In in vivo assays, rats were divided into three groups: group 1, sham operation: group 2, bilateral cavernous nerve injury: and group 3, treatment with human cerebral endothelial cells after cavernous nerve injury.Established immortalized circulating endothelial progenitor cells showed expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase transcript by RT-PCR. They also showed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, von Willebrand factor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, and CD31, cell type-specific markers for endothelial cells by RT-PCR. In in vitro angiogenesis assays, they demonstrated tube formation that suggested morphological properties of endothelial progenitor cells. In in vivo assays, impaired erectile function of rat with cavernous nerve injury recovered at 2, 4, and 12 weeks after transplantation of human cerebral endothelial cells into the cavernosa.Telomerase reverse transcriptase-circulating endothelial progenitor cells from fetal brain vasculature could repair erectile dysfunction of rats with cavernous nerve injury.RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: En raison de la différenciation limitée de l’endothélium à partir de cellules souches mésenchymateuses, il a été fortement recommandé d’utiliser des cellules progénitrices endothéliales pour la régénération de l’endothélium endommagé des corps caverneux. Cette étude a été réalisée pour étudier les cellules endothéliales cérébrales humaines immortalisées, et leur capacité à réparer la dysfonction érectile dans un modèle de rat avec lésion du nerf caverneux. Les cellules progénitrices endothéliales circulantes ont été isolées du système vasculaire cérébral fœtal humain dans la région périventriculaire des tissus télencéphaliques. Plus de 95% des cellules CD31 positives ont été sélectionnées et cultivées pendant 10 jours. Des cellules progénitrices endothéliales cérébrales humaines ont été injectées dans les corps caverneux de rats présentant une lésion nerveuse des corps caverneux. La réponse érectile a ensuite été évaluée. Dans les essais in vivo, les rats ont été divisés en trois groupes: groupe 1, opération simulée; groupe 2, lésion bilatérale du nerf caverneux; et groupe 3, traitement par cellules endothéliales cérébrales humaines après lésion du nerf caverneux. RéSULTATS: Les cellules progénitrices endothéliales circulantes immortalisées établies ont montré l’expression de la transcription de la transcriptase inverse de la télomérase humaine par RT-PCR. Elles ont également montré l’expression du facteur de croissance de l’endothélium vasculaire, du facteur de von Willebrand, du récepteur du facteur de croissance de l’endothélium vasculaire, et de CD31, marqueurs spécifiques du type cellulaire par RT-PCR pour les cellules endothéliales. Dans les essais in vivo, la fonction érectile altérée des rats avec lésion du nerf caverneux s’est rétablie à 2, 4 et 12 semaines après transplantation de cellules endothéliales cérébrales humaines dans les corps caverneux. CONCLUSIONS: Les cellules progénitrices endothéliales circulantes exprimant la transcriptase inverse de la télomérase, provenant du système vasculaire cérébral fœtal humain, pourraient réparer la dysfonction érectile de rats atteints de lésions des nerfs caverneux. MOTS-CLéS: Dysfonction érectile; Cellules endothéliales humaines; Transcriptase inverse de la Télomérase humaine.

Purpose: The lower urinary tract is believed to be centrally regulated with the involvement of a range of neurotransmitters. The parasympathetic excitatory input to the urinary bladder is suppressed when the serotonergic system is activated, and thereby voiding is blocked. In healthy people, continence is usually underpinned by hippocampal formation (circuit 3). In order to advance knowledge of how serotoninergic neurons and additional nerve fibers were correlated, the purpose of the present work was to research how the discharge of serotonin from hippocampal slices was affected by different neurotransmitters in rat models.Methods: The adopted procedure involved administration of the central neurotransmitters acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and neuropeptide Y as well as monitoring of the alterations in the discharge of [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Furthermore, to determine whether the effect of the neurotransmitters was influenced by interneuron, tetrodotoxin was also employed.Results: Acetylcholine (10-5M) did not alter [3H]5-HT discharge, whereas more 5-HT was discharged from the hippocampal slices of rats under stimulation by norepinephrine (10-5M) as well as dopamine (10-5M) and tetrodotoxin (10-6M) did not inhibit the discharge. By contrast, tetrodotoxin inhibited the discharge of [3H]5-HT that was exacerbated by NMDA (10-4M). Meanwhile, compared to control, GABA (10-5M), glycine (10-5M), or neuropeptide Y (10-6M) did not alter the [³H]5-HT discharge.Conclusions: From the research findings, it can be concluded that 5-HT discharge from rat hippocampus is enhanced by norepinephrine and dopamine through direct effect on the 5-HT neuronal terminal. By contrast, 5-HT discharge is intensified by NMDA by activating interneurons.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death, accounting for one-third of all deaths worldwide. Patients with CVD are three times more likely to complain of sexual dysfunction than healthy people. Causes of sexual dysfunction in patients with CVD include physical/mental changes and drug side effects. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with CVD has been estimated to be up to 89%. Ordinary treatments such as pharmacotherapy cannot effectively reduce sexual problems. Therefore, sexual rehabilitation has a broad spectrum, including exercise therapy such as pelvic floor muscle treatment, appropriate counseling, a multidisciplinary approach, and partner rehabilitation. In this study, systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effect of sexual rehabilitation on sexual problems in patients with CVD.Comprehensive literature searches were conducted using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library electronic database, and EMBASE through June 2022. Questionnaire scores at the end point as outcomes of the study were recorded as were standardized mean difference (SMD) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Meta-regression analysis was conducted for each moderator. We performed a risk of bias evaluation for included studies using the RoB 2 tool.The overall SMD in the meta-analysis for sexual rehabilitation versus no-sexual rehabilitation was 0.430 (95% CI, 0.226-0.633). There was a statistical difference between groups. SMD changes were 0.674 (95% CI, 0.308-1.039) at one month and 0.320 (95% CI, 0.074-0.565) at six months. The regression analysis with all variables (number of patients, study duration, and questionnaire types) revealed no significance.This study indicates that sexual rehabilitation is an effective method with high therapeutic potential for sexual dysfunction of patients with CVD. However, for clinical application, well-designed studies with many patients should be conducted in the future and the standardization of rehabilitation protocols is required.

Background Although various studies have been conducted to demonstrate the possibility of Raman spectroscopy (RS) as a diagnostic tool for prostate cancer (PC), it is difficult to use it in the real clinical area because of imitations in various research processes. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis about the accuracy in diagnostic use of RS for PC. Methods A literature search was done using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases in March 2019 to analyze the accuracy of RS for diagnosis of PC. The accuracy of RS for diagnosis of PC was evaluated by means of pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC). Results Five studies were included for qualitative analysis by screening the remaining articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria by means of a systematic review. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of RS were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87-0.91) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89-0.93), respectively. The overall PLR and NLR were 9.12 (95% CI: 4.15-20.08) and 0.14 (95% CI: 0.07-0.29), respectively. The DOR of RS demonstrated high accuracy (73.32; 95% CI: 18.43-291.73). The area under the curves (AUCs) of SROC curves was 0.93. Conclusions RS is an optical diagnostic method with high potential for diagnosis and grading of PC and has advantages of real-time and convenient use. In order to consider real-time use of RS in an actual clinical setting, more studies for standardization and generalization of RS performance and analytical method must be conducted.

BACKGROUND Ureteral reconstruction is a highly technical type of laparoscopic or open surgery. The incidence of ureteral injury is low; however, ureteral injuries tend to be overtreated. Robotic surgery for urinary reconstructive surgery is growing in popularity, which has made procedures such as pyeloplasty, ureteroureterostomy, and ureteroneocystostomy possible, with minimal damage to the patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloureterostomy in Korea, in a 17-year-old female patient with a ureteral injury. CASE SUMMARY The patient, a 17-year-old girl without previous medical history, was presented at the emergency room and complained of abdominal and back pain. Tenderness in the right upper quadrant was observed on physical examination. Hemorrhage in the right perirenal space was observed without abdominal organ injuries on the initial enhanced abdomen computed tomography (CT) scan. Ureteral injury was not suspected at this time. The patient was stabilized via conservative treatment, but complained of right flank pain 3 wk later and revisited the emergency room. An enhanced abdominal CT scan revealed a huge urinoma in the right perirenal space with hydronephrosis of the right kidney. Retrograde and antegrade pyelography were performed. Extravasation and discontinuity of the ureter were found. A rupture of the ureteropelvic junction was diagnosed and reconstructive surgery was performed. After 3 mo, the patient did not complain of any symptoms without any abnormal radiologic findings. CONCLUSION This case report discusses the safety and effectiveness of this minimal invasive procedure as an alternative to conventional open or laparoscopic surgery.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate end-of-life resource utilization and costs for prostate cancer patients during the last year of life in Korea. Materials and methods The study used the National Health Information Database (NHIS-2017-4-031) of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Healthcare claim data for the years 2002 through 2015 were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance System. Among 83,173 prostate cancer patients, we enrolled 18,419 after excluding 1,082 who never claimed for the last year of life. Results From 2006 to 2015, there was a 3.2-fold increase the total number of prostate cancer decedents. The average cost of care during the last year of life increased over the 10-year period, from 14,420,000 Korean won to 20,300,000 Korean won, regardless of survival time. The cost of major treatments and medications, other than analgesics, was relatively high. Radiologic tests, opioids, pain control, and rehabilitation costs were relatively low. Multiple regression analysis identified age and living in rural area as negatively associated with prostate cancer care costs, whereas income level and a higher number of comorbidities were positively associated. Conclusions Expenditure of prostate cancer care during the last year of life varied according to patient characteristics. Average costs increased every year. However, the results suggest underutilization of support services, likely due to lack of alternative accommodation for terminal prostate cancer patients. Further examination of patterns of utilization of healthcare resources will allow policymakers to take a better approach to reducing the burden of prostate cancer care.

Background: This study investigated the inhibition of tumor growth in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-bearing mice by tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-overexpressing adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) (hTERT-ADSC.sTRAIL), which was enhanced by combined treatment with CPT-11. Materials and methods: An hTERT-ADSC.sTRAIL cell line was established by transfection with a lentiviral vector (CLV-Ubic) encoding the human sTRAIL gene. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blots were performed to confirm gene overexpression. An invasion study for the selective migration ability toward PC3 cells was performed. In the in vivo study, the tumor volume in mice treated with ADSC. sTRAIL and CPT-11 was measured. Results: Carboxylesterase was generated from hTERT-ADSCs. The gene expression of sTRAIL from hTERT-ADSC.sTRAIL was shown. The directional migration of ADSC.sTRAIL cells toward PC3 cells was significantly stimulated by PC3 cells in vitro (P

To determine the effect of pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPUI), which has a major impact on the quality of life of patients undergone radical prostatectomy (RP).A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from the inception of each database until April 2021. We performed a meta-analysis separately using the number of patients achieving urinary continence as binary data, and the patients' ICIQ-SF scores as continuous data. Odds ratios (ORs) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and a random-effects model were utilized to adequately analyze the overall recovery of UI. We performed a risk of bias evaluation on the included studies using the RoB 2 tool.Twenty-one studies met our selection criteria for quantitative synthesis. Eight studies were on the effects of PFME, and 13 studies were on the effects of assistant interventions added to PFME. The overall continence OR in the meta-analysis for PFME vs no-PFME was 2.971 (95% CI: 1.278, 6.907). The overall ICIQ-SF score in the meta-analysis for PFME vs no-PFME was -1.012 (95% CI: -2.379, 0.355). In case of assistant interventions added to PFME, the overall continence OR in the meta-analysis for assistant interventions vs conventional PFME only was 2.128 (95% CI: 1.357, 3.336).In our study, a positive effect of PFME on the recovery of PPUI was observed. However, more research with higher quality is needed to confirm the real efficacy of PFME.

Purpose: Raised cerebral titers of acetylcholine have notable links with storage symptomatology related to lower urinary tract symptoms. The hippocampus contributes to the normal control of continence in the majority of instances (circuit 3). Owing to synaptic connections with other nerve cells, acetylcholine affects the micturition pathway via the liberation of additional cerebral neurotransmitters. Despite the fact that cerebral serotonin is a key inhibitor of reflex bladder muscle contractions, the influence of acetylcholine on its liberation is poorly delineated. The current research was conducted in order to explore the role of acetylcholine in serotonin liberation from sections of rat hippocampus in order to improve the comprehension of the relationship between cholinergic and serotonergic neurons.Methods: Hippocampal sections from 6 mature male Sprague-Dawley rats were equilibrated over a 30-minute period in standard incubation medium so as to facilitate [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake. The cerebral neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, was applied to the sections. Aliquots of drained medium solution were utilized in order to quantify the radioactivity associated with [3H]5-HT liberation; any alterations in this parameter were noted.Results: When judged against the controls, [3H]5-HT liberation from the hippocampal sections remained unaltered following the administration of acetylcholine, implying that this agent has no inhibitory action on this process.Conclusions: Serotonin liberation from murine hippocampal sections is unaffected by acetylcholine. It is postulated that the bladder micturition reflex responds to acetylcholine through its immediate cholinergic activity rather than by its influence on serotonin release. These pathways are a promising target for the design of de novo therapeutic agents.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to show the prevalence and investigate treatment trends of pediatric nephrolithiasis based on a large population of U.S. insurance individual's data. Materials and Methods: This research involved a retrospective observational cohort study. Administrative claims data were extracted from the IBM® MarketScan® Research Database. We included all patients newly diagnosed with nephrolithiasis, aged

Purpose To assess the effectiveness of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor blockers (α1-blockers) in the treatment of female lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Methods A literature search was conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Fourteen studies with 1,319 patients were ultimately included. The study comprised 2 analyses: a comparison of urinary symptom scores, maximal flow rate (Qmax), and postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume before and after α1-blocker administration in 8 prospective, open-label studies and 5 randomized clinical trials (RCTs); and an evaluation of the same variables in α1-blocker and placebo groups in 4 RCTs. Results The first meta-analysis showed that, following treatment, patients exhibited statistically significant symptom relief (mean difference [MD], -5.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], -7.71 to -3.99; P

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of noninvasive intravesical instillation of onabotulinum toxin-A (OBTX-A) through systematic review and meta-analysis. Recently, several studies of noninvasive intravesical instillation of OBTX-A have been published. However, its efficacy is not well validated yet compared to well-known efficacy of minimally invasive intravesical injection of OBTX-A. Method Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the efficacy of noninvasive intravesical instillation of OBTX-A in patients with overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome by measuring outcomes such as urgency episode per 72 hours, frequency per 72 hours, urgency urinary incontinence, voided volume (VV), postvoided residual volume, maximum flow rate, and patient perception of bladder condition. Result Six trials in 4 studies that compared instillation of OBTX-A and placebo involving 248 patients (121 experimental and 127 controls) were included for final data extraction. Instillation of OBTX-A significantly increased VV, with a mean difference of 38.48 (95% confidence interval: 76.05, 0.92) compared to the placebo group. However, other outcomes showed statistically insignificant changes. Major adverse events were not reported in the group receiving intravesical instillation of OBTX-A. Conclusion Intravesical instillation of OBTX-A showed limited efficacy with improvement of VV for treatment of overactive bladder or interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. More studies are needed to overcome the efficacy of current noninvasive bladder instillation of OBTX-A regarding effective drug transport.

To date, several studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the mortality risk faced by living kidney donors and controls. Our study assessed the methodological quality of previous studies and performed an updated meta-analysis of the mortality risk.Comprehensive literature searches were conducted involving the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases through September 2020. The search terms used included 'living donor' and 'kidney transplantation' and 'kidney donor' and 'mortality' or 'death' or 'survival'. We evaluated the risk of bias in such studies using ROBINS-I tool. Mortality risk was analyzed using OR and HR.The qualitative review involved 18 studies and the meta-analysis included nine studies. We identified 3 studies with an overall risk of bias rated as "Low", 2 studies rated as "Moderate", 8 studies rated as "Serious", and 5 studies rated as "Critical". The pooled overall mortality risk in the meta-analysis was 0.984 (95% CI: 0.743, 1.302). In the subgroup analysis of HR and OR, the summary effect estimates did not reach statistical significance. The meta-regression analysis revealed that the donor group of more than 60,000 (1.836, 95% CI: 0.371, 6.410) carried a significantly high mortality risk compared with the donor group of less than 60,000 (0.810, 95% CI: 0.604, 1.086) (P = 0.007). The number of total patients was associated with slightly elevated mortality risks (0.796 for 10,000, 0.809 for 10,000-60,000, and 1.852 for 60,000; P .054).Current evidence based on this systematic review suggests that the methodology of previous studies was inconsistent and also carried a high risk in several aspects. Updated meta-analysis showed that the mortality risk was not significantly different. Future studies with well-designed methodology are necessary.

Late onset hypogonadism (LOH) is an age-dependent reduction of testosterone associated with alterations of metabolic profile, including glucose control, insulin sensitivity, and lipid profile. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for treating metabolic disturbances through a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). A systematic review of literature published from 1964 to November, 2019 was performed using the PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Among the 1562 articles screened, 17 articles were selected for qualitative analysis and 16 articles (n = 1373) were included for data synthesis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). Criteria for final inclusion were RCTs. Sixteen studies were finally included (TRT group, n = 709; placebo group, n = 664). Among the metabolic markers, HbA1C [Mean difference (MD) = − 0.172, 95% CI − 0.329, − 0.015], HOMA IR (MD = − 0.514, 95% CI − 0.863, − 0.165), serum insulin (MD = − 12.622, 95% CI − 19.660, − 5.585), and leptin (MD = − 2.381, 95% CI − 2.952, − 1.810) showed significant improvement after TRT versus placebo. Among the lipid profiles, total cholesterol showed significant improvement (MD = − 0.433, 95% CI − 0.761, − 0.105) after TRT. However, HDL showed a decrease (MD = − 0.069, 95% CI − 0.121, − 0.018) after TRT. Among anthropometric markers, waist circumference showed significant improvement (MD = − 0.1640, 95% CI − 2.857, − 0.423). This study demonstrated greater improvement in metabolic profiles for patients given TRT versus placebo. Further well-designed trials are needed to verify our findings and further elucidate effects of TRT on lipid profiles. This systematic review demonstrates that TRT can exert a net beneficial effect on metabolic profiles.

We analyzed the long-term efficacy of simultaneous transurethral resection (TUR) and therapeutic hydrodistention in patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis (IC) who did not experience recurrence on long-term follow-up. We studied 132 female patients (mean age = 56.45 ± 11.56 years) who underwent TUR followed by hydrodistention to treat ulcerative IC between January 2010 and January 2017, and who were available for follow-up, for more than 36 months (mean = 52.3 ± 10.51 months). Of the 132 patients, those who did not suffer recurrence within 36 months after surgery were allocated to group I and those who had a recurrence within the same period were assigned to group II. Preoperative factors, including age, were compared between the groups. In group I, improvements in pain and voiding symptoms were recorded using a 10-point visual analog pain scale (VAS) and a 3-day micturition chart. A global response assessment (GRA) was used to evaluate patient satisfaction. In group II, the maximum functional bladder capacity (FBC) was smaller, and voiding frequency was higher, than in group I. Follow-up of patients in group I for more than 3 years showed that pain decreased after surgery. The 10-point VAS scores were 9.68 before surgery, and 1.54, 0.93, 0.55, and 0.46 at 1, 6, 12, and 36 months after surgery (p

Although several studies have reported the efficacy and safety of ileal ureter in refractory ureteral strictures, reports on its long-term outcomes are still insufficient. In this case report, we present an excellent long-term outcome over three years without complication of bilateral ureteral replacement with ileum using '7' shaped configuration in a woman after undergoing radical hysterectomy and radiation therapy who had renal insufficiency due to ureteral stricture. This study gave us a useful information about the feasibility and safety of bilateral ileal ureter in patients with ureteral strictures and renal insufficiency.

Background Sodium intake is known to be related with hypertension (HTN), which could impact lower urinary tracts symptoms (LUTS) indirectly. To date, only limited clinical evidences exist upon the association between sodium preference and LUTS. This cross-sectional study analyzed the association between sodium preference and the severity of LUTS in men. Methods A cross-sectional analysis has been performed and a total of 86,637 participants among total registered population of 229,226 in Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) were included for final analysis. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) or coefficient with 95% confidence interval (CI) estimates were described to show the association between sodium preference and LUTS using negative binomial regression (for the IPSS total, IPSS voiding, and IPSS storage symptoms), ordinal logistic regression (for the IPSS grade), and binomial logistic regression (for the IPSS nocturia symptoms). Results Preference of salty taste group (high sodium preference) were significantly associated with higher IPSS total score (Coef =0.31; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.35), increased risk of severe IPSS grade (OR =1.46; 95% CI: 1.35, 1.57), higher IPSS voiding score (Coef =0.38; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.44), higher IPSS storage score (Coef =0.25; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.29), and increased risk of having IPSS nocturia symptoms (OR =1.21; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.27) compared to subjects with neutral group (normal sodium preference). Prediction of IPSS score according to salty taste preference showed u shaped distribution. Conclusions Sodium preference for taste were significantly associated with LUTS including voiding symptom, storage symptom and nocturia. Both higher and lower intake of sodium could be unfavorable factor for severity of LUTS.

Background: Although there have been several studies about the relationship between alcohol or smoking and lower urinary tracts symptoms (LUTS). This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol or smoking and severity of LUTS in men, as alcohol intake and cigarette smoking is important modifiable lifestyle factors for LUTS.Methods: A cross-sectional analysis has been performed and a total of 86,707 participants in Korean Community Health Survey were included for final analysis. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) or coefficient with 95% confidence interval (CI) estimates were described to show the association between alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking and LUTS.Results: Among the total subjects, 77,398 (89.3%), 7,532 (8.7%), and 1,777 (2.0%) had mild, moderate, and severe symptoms, respectively, according to International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) grade. Those who drank alcohol at least once per month were significantly associated with decreased risk of having the worst IPSS grade (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.93). Those who smoked in the past but currently quitted and those who were daily smokers showed significantly increased risk of having the worst IPSS grade (past smoker, OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.39; daily smoker, OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.34). For nocturia, daily smoking showed positive effect (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.84) whereas heavy alcohol drinking showed negative effect (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.32)Conclusions: Alcohol showed positive effect on LUTS except nocturia whereas cigarette smoking had negative effect on LUTS except nocturia. Daily smoking showed positive effect on nocturia whereas heavy alcohol drinking showed negative effect on nocturia.

Background Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but there is controversy regarding the cardiovascular risk in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease. This study assessed the risk of cardiovascular intervention after androgen deprivation therapy in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular intervention. Materials and Methods Between 2008 and 2017, 195,308 men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer were identified from the nationwide claims database in South Korea. Among them, 49,090 men with a history of ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were analyzed. The patients were divided into the androgen deprivation therapy (n = 14,092) and non-androgen deprivation therapy (n = 34,988) groups. The primary outcome was cardiovascular interventions (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery). Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of the events. Results After balancing the covariates with 1:1 exact matching, the two groups had 10,514 subjects each. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that androgen deprivation therapy was not significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular interventions (hazard ratio, 1.060; 95% confidence interval, 0.923–1.217; P = 0.4104), regardless of the duration of therapy. A history of cardiovascular intervention, diabetes mellitus, antithrombotic medication use, and cardiovascular events significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular intervention. Conclusions Androgen deprivation therapy was not associated with cardiovascular intervention in patients with a previous history of cardiovascular disease, regardless of the duration of therapy. Therefore, the cardiovascular risk of androgen deprivation therapy should be reassessed in this population.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women, as severe LUTS are known to be associated with CVD risk in men but few studies have focused on this issue in women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 1014 ostensibly healthy women, who participated in a voluntary health check in a health promotion centre from November 2013 to October 2015, were enrolled. LUTS were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). CVD risk scores were calculated using the Framingham risk score and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) score. Correlation, partial correlation, and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS The mean age and body mass index (BMI) of the women were 51 years and 22.6 kg/m2 , respectively. The ASCVD score showed significant positive correlations with IPSS items Question 2 (Q2), Q3, Q5, and Q7 (all P < 0.05), total IPSS (P = 0.001), IPSS storage (P = 0.006) and IPSS voiding symptoms scores (P = 0.001) based on partial correlation analysis after adjustment for BMI. For the OABSS, the ASCVD score showed significant positive correlations with OABSS items Q2, Q3, and Q4 (P < 0.001, P = 0.017, and P < 0.001, respectively) and total OABSS (P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the moderate-severe risk groups of the OABSS and IPSS were associated with the ASCVD risk score in adjusted models (P < 0.001) compared to the none-mild OABSS and mild IPSS groups. After adjustment for age and BMI, IPSS storage score was significantly related with the ASCVD risk score (B = 0.855, P = 0.016) CONCLUSIONS: LUTS, especially storage symptoms, might be risk factors for predicting future CVD risk in women. Further prospective or cohort studies are needed to validate this possibility.

Background Reduced clinical exposure to urology at the undergraduate or internship level is the main explanation for the marked decrease in applicants to urology residencies. This manuscript was to access the application rate for urology specialty compared with that of other specialties and to investigate the relationship between the decreasing trend in urology applications and social interest using internet trend tests. Methods We reviewed data collected by the Korean Hospital Association from 2007 to 2014. We assessed internet trends using Naver Trend for domestic social interest and Google Trends for international social interest (2007 to 2014). Trend tests and Spearman correlations were used for statistical analyses. Results Among the all specialties, the application rates to obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, and occupational medicine are significantly increasing (p = 0.015, 0.012, and 0.048, respectively). Application to other specialties is mostly decreasing. The decreasing trend is highest for urology (beta = − 12.21 and p

To verify the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin 0.4 mg and tamsulosin 0.2 mg compared with those of placebo in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).A total of 494 patients from multiple centers participated in this double-blind, randomized, phase 3 trial. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the tamsulosin 0.4 mg group, tamsulosin 0.2 mg group or placebo group. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual (PVR) urine volume, blood pressure, heart rate and adverse events were compared among the three groups at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.A total of 494 BPH patients were analyzed. There were no differences in the baseline characteristics among the three groups. After 12 weeks of treatment, total IPSS was improved in the 0.2 mg and 0.4 mg tamsulosin groups; however, the extent of improvement was greater in the 0.4 mg group than in the 0.2 mg group (0.4 mg: -9.59 vs. 0.2 mg: -5.61; least-squares mean difference [95% confidence interval]: -3.95 [-5.01, -2.89], p .0001). In addition, in the patients with severe symptoms (IPSS ≥20), total IPSS was improved the most in the 0.4 mg group (-11.27 ± 5.00, p .0001). Qmax and PVR were improved in the 0.4 mg and 0.2 mg groups; however, the differences were not statistically significant between treatment groups. No patients experienced any serious adverse effects in any of the three groups.Tamsulosin 0.4 mg and 0.2 mg appear to be superior to placebo treatment, and tamsulosin 0.4 mg is more effective than 0.2 mg in terms of total IPSS improvement. Tamsulosin 0.4 mg has favorable efficacy and tolerability in Asian men with symptomatic BPH. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02390882.

Background: Renal agenesis is a congenital malformation that occurs due to the inhibition of metanephric blastema induction due to a decrease in ureteric bud activity. Although renal agenesis is not very rare, unilateral renal agenesis with ureterocele occurs rarely, and the coexistance of unilateral renal agenesis, ureterocele, and blind ended proximal ureter is very rare. Recently, we experienced a case of left renal agenesis with huge ureterocele, blind ended proximal ureter, and duplicated ureter on Computed tomography (CT) of a 17-year-old man who visited our emergency department with hematuria. Ureterocelectomy and nephrectomy were performed, and a translocation of seminal vesicle was also observed. This case is a very rare case, so we judged that it may be helpful in making treatment decisions in similar cases later.Case summary: A 17-year-old man without specific medical history visited our emergency department with hematuria and voiding difficulty. CT showed left ectopic kidney, megaureter and the blind ended proximal ureter. After ureterocelectomy and nephrectomy, pathological examination revealed seminal vesicles in the periphery of the kidney. After one year, the patient has no complications and no complaining symptoms complaints without any abnormal finding of follow up imaging test.Conclusions: This case report focuses on the treatment of renal agenesis with ureterocele, blind ended proximal ureter, duplicated megaureter and translocation of seminal vesicle. This rare case of treatment will be helpful in the determination of treatment for similar cases in the future. To establish standard treatment, data accumulation and well-designed studies are required.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the best quality clinical evidence. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of RCTs published by the International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) in 2007–2016. RCTs in original articles were extracted from PubMed and IUJ homepage. Change in RCT quality over time was assessed with Jadad and van Tulder scales and Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool (CCRBT). Jadad scores of 3–5 or van Tulder scores of >5 indicated high-quality RCTs. The effect on RCT quality of including funding source and institutional review board (IRB) approval statements and describing the intervention was assessed. In addition, changes in RCT topics over time were assessed. Annual RCT frequencies did not change significantly (6.7–15.7%): 36.1% and 25.7% described blinding and allocation concealment, respectively. Both tended to increase between 2013 and 2016, particularly 2013 and 2014. Funding statement inclusion (39.1% overall) and intervention description (78.2% overall) tended to increase steadily. IRB statement inclusion (60.4% overall) increased significantly (p

Aims This study attempted to investigate the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk using International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and CVD risk scores and to overcome the limitations of previous relevant studies. Methods A total of 2994 ostensibly healthy males, who participated in a voluntary health check in a health promotion center from January 2010 to December 2014, were reviewed. CVD risk scores were calculated using Framingham risk score and American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) score. Correlation and multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict the CVD risk severity were performed. Results Correlation between total IPSS with CVD risk scores demonstrated significant positive associations, which showed higher correlation with ACC/AHA score than the Framingham score (r = 0.18 vs 0.09, respectively). For ACC/AHA score, the partial correlation after adjustment of body mass index (BMI) showed significant positive correlations between all LUTS parameters and PSA. For the Framingham score, all variables, except IPSS Q2 and IPSS Q6, showed significant positive correlations. After adjustment of BMI, prostate volume and PSA, only the severe LUTS group showed significant relationship with intermediate-high CVD risk severity, as compared with normal LUTS group (OR = 2.97, 95%CI (1.35-6.99)). Conclusion Using two validated CVD risk calculators, we observed that LUTS is closely associated with future CVD risk. To predict the intermediate-high CVD risk severity, severe LUTS was a sentinel sign, the presence of which warrants the importance of an earlier screening for CVD.

This study attempted to overcome the limitations of previous systematic reviews to determine the overall treatment efficacy and safety of prostatic arterial embolization compared with standard therapy.Meta-analyses were done of randomized, controlled and single group trials. Meta-regression analysis of the moderator effect was performed with single group analysis. The outcomes measured were mean changes in I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score), quality of life, maximal urinary flow rate, prostate volume, post-void residual volume and prostate specific antigen. Adverse events were compared as proportional differences between the embolization group and groups receiving other therapies in comparative studies.A total of 16 studies met our selection criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Three studies were comparative and included a total of 297 subjects, including 149 in the experimental groups and 148 in the control groups. The other 13 studies were noncomparative and included a total of 750 experimental subjects. Pooled overall standardized mean differences for embolization in I-PSS, maximal urinary flow rate and prostate volume were significantly impaired in the experimental vs control groups. Overall weighted mean differences for all outcomes except prostate specific antigen were significantly improved from baseline by embolization treatment in noncomparative studies. Sensitivity analysis of study duration showed that all outcome measurements did not differ before vs after 6 months.Although there is growing evidence of the efficacy and safety of prostatic arterial embolization for benign prostatic hyperplasia, this systematic review using meta-analysis and meta-regression showed that prostatic arterial embolization should still be considered an experimental treatment modality.

The quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported in the International Journal of Impotence Research (IJIR) was analyzed. The original articles that reported RCTs and were published in the IJIR in 1997-2014 were identified by PubMed. Their methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad scale, van Tulder scale and Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. The review period was divided into three periods: early (1997-2002), mid (2003-2008) and late (2009-2014). The effect of study subject and presence of Institutional Review Board approval, intervention, funding and adequate allocation concealment on RCT quality was assessed. The frequency of RCT publication in the IJIR did not change over the 19-year study period. Numbers of low risk of bias articles were 1 (3.0%), 2 (4.4%) and 4 (12.1%) in the early, mid and late periods in Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool (P=0.04). High-quality low risk of bias RCT publication frequency increased over time. Intervention and funding significantly influenced RCT quality. Thus, the number of RCTs published in the IJIR over time has remained constant while their quality has improved. Ongoing efforts to expand the numbers of RCTs and further improve the quality of research published by the IJIR will improve clinical practice.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel instillation, after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), for preventing urethral stricture. Patients and methods In all, 198 patients underwent TURP for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Recruited patients were randomly divided into two groups: groups A and B. Patients in Group A (100 patients, experimental group) received poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel instillation and patients in the Group B (98 patients, control group) received lubricant instillation after TURP. Each patient was evaluated at 4 (V1), 12 (V2), and 24 weeks (V3) after TURP. The effectiveness of poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel instillation was evaluated based on the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS-Quality of Life (QoL), Overactive bladder questionnaire (OAB-q), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax ), post-void residual urine volume (PVR), and cystoscopy. Results Amongst the initial 198 participants, 80 patients in Group A and 83 in Group B completed the study. There were no significant differences in IPSS-QoL and OAB-q between the groups. However, Qmax was significantly different between groups A and B, at a mean (SD) of 18.92 (9.98) vs 15.58 (9.24) mL/s (P = 0.028) at 24 weeks after TURP. On cystoscopic examination, urethral stricture after TURP was found in two of the 80 patients in Group A and 10 of 83 in Group B (P = 0.023). Conclusions Poloxamer-based thermo-sensitive sol-gel instillation after TURP lowered the incidence of urethral stricture.

Introduction and hypothesis Anticholinergics have been established for their efficacy and safety in adults with idiopathic overactive bladder syndrome (OAB-s) but not in children and adolescents. This study was aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of anticholinergics in children and adolescents with idiopathic OAB-s. Method A total of nine studies with 11 trials comprising of 1801 subjects (1116 experimental and 685 controls) were included. Inclusion criteria were idiopathic OAB-s in children or adolescents. Overall SMD of change in diurnal urge incontinence per week, change in mean voiding frequency per 24 h, change in mean voided volume, and incidence of adverse events compared with placebo were investigated. Results Overall SMD of diurnal urge incontinence per week for the anticholinergic group (experimental group) vs. the placebo group (control group) was - 0.15 (95% CI - 0.31, 0.01). Overall SMD of mean voiding frequency per 24 h was - 0.16 (95% CI - 0.33, 0.02). Overall SMD of mean voided volume was 0.49 (95% CI 0.10, 0.88). The overall incidence of any AEs of anticholinergics compared with placebo was OR = 1.06 (95% CI 0.84-1.34) (p = 0.637). Among each AEs, the only incidence of urinary tract infection showed a higher incidence rate for anticholinergics (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.06-3.49) than for placebo. Conclusions Apart from oxybutynin, other anticholinergics showed efficacy including an increase in mean voided volume. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the incidence of overall adverse events between anticholinergics and placebo.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:A thermo-sensitive anti-adhesive with a property of sol-gel transition was manufactured by a physical mixture of Poloxamer, Chitosan and Gelatin. Poloxamer-based thermo-...

Changes in the surgical treatment of nephrolithiasis, owing to recent technical advances and innovations, have made treatments more effective and less invasive. In this retrospective, observational cohort study, we identified the changing trends in the treatment of nephrolithiasis.We included patients with newly diagnosed nephrolithiasis who received any treatment in the United States, including extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), and open surgery, from January 2007 to December 2014. Demographic factors, such as age, sex, region, surgical treatment type, and cost data, were analyzed.The median age of patients at treatment was 52 years, and the ratio of men and women was similar. There were definite changes in the trends of all treatment modalities (p 0.01). Both the number and percentage tended to increase for RIRS, whereas for SWL, the number increased, but the percentage showed a steady decrease. In PCNL, both number and percentage increased to a minor degree. The overall cost of nephrolithiasis treatments during the study period nearly doubled (from $30,998,726 to $57,310,956). The number of treatments and average cost per treatment increased annually for each treatment modality. RIRS was the least expensive; the other procedures in decreasing order of their mean costs were as follows: SWL, PCNL, and open surgery.There was a gradual but constant change in treatment trends of nephrolithiasis, with an increasing trend for RIRS and a decreasing trend for SWL. Although PCNL has relatively invasive characteristics, it is still in steady demand.

Background: Combination therapy with 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) and alpha-blocker can be considered as a gold standard intervention for medical management of lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). On the other hand, 5-ARI monotherapy and in particular Finasteride alone is currently getting focus of attention especially due to lack of systematic reviews investigating efficacy outcomes and/or adverse events associated. Objectives: Aim of the present critical review was to analyze current knowledge of clinical efficacy and incidence of adverse events associated with 5-ARI treatment for LUTS/BPH. Materials and methods: A systematic review of clinical trials of the literature of the past 20 years was performed using database from PubMed, Cochrane Collaboration and Embase. A total of 8821 patients were included in this study and inclusion criteria for studies selection were: data from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) focusing their attention on the clinical role of Finasteride monotherapy for symptomatic BPH. Parameters of research included prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume (PV), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPPS), postvoid residual urine (PVR), voiding symptoms of IPSS (voiding IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), and adverse events (AEs). Results: Overall 12 original articles were included and critically evaluated. Sample sizes of patient actively treated with finasteride varied from 13 to 1524 cases analyzed in a single study. Follow-up after treatments ranged from 3 to 54 months. The effect of finasteride in reducing prostate volume (PV) was moderate (standardized mean difference (SMD) effect between 0.5 to 0.8 for all trials evaluable) while the effect on IPSS score and Qmax was considered significant (SMD in the 0.2 to 0.5 variation range). No severe AEs and/or psychiatric disorders were retrieved among the studies. Sexual health dysfunctions were significantly influenced by finasteride therapy when compared with placebo treated patients. Conclusions: Although significant clinical benefits of finasteride monotherapy were demonstrated, the effective size of the available reports included in the analysis is limited. Additional head-to-head studies would be needed to re-evaluate clinical efficacy and safety of 5-ARI in combination or not with alpha blockers.

We aimed to evaluate the change in bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) compared to those with PCa or other urologic conditions not receiving ADT. Literature searches were conducted throughout October 2018. The eligibility of each study was assessed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using the Participant, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, and Study design method. The outcomes analyzed were the mean difference (MD) of percent changes in BMD of lumbar spine, femur neck, and total hip. Five prospective cohort studies with a total of 533 patients were included in the present study. Statistically significant decreases of BMD change relative to the control group were observed in the ADT treatment group in the lumbar spine (MD &minus, 3.60, 95% CI &minus, 6.72 to &minus, 0.47, P = 0.02), femoral neck (MD &minus, 3.11, 95% CI &minus, 4.73 to &minus, 1.48, P = 0.0002), and total hip (MD &minus, 1.59, 95% CI &minus, 2.99 to &minus, 0.19, P = 0.03). There is a significant relationship between ADT and BMD reduction in patients with PCa. Regular BMD testing and the optimal treatment for BMD loss should, therefore, be considered in patients with PCa undergoing ADT.

Objectives To date, there is no overall agreement as to risk of ambient temperature for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Thus, we focused on ambient temperature as an environmental factor affecting LUTS and attempted to explain the temperature differences in LUTS severity in cases in real clinical practice. Methods This was a multicenter, cross-sectional survey. The study involved 1612 men aged 40 years and older who visited 23 university hospitals in 10 major areas in South Korea between September 2010 and December 2011. The participants who had good overall mental and physical health, and complaint of LUTS were included. Korea Meteorological Administration data were used to determine daily average temperatures and daily temperatures on the interview dates at each site. Results The average age of the 1612 men was 66.57 ± 10.03 years. The mean International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and symptom duration were 18.51 ± 6.77 and 3.79 ± 3.89 years, respectively. Daily average temperature and temperature difference ranged from −13.1 to 28.5 °C and 0 to 20.6 °C, respectively. Age was a significant risk factor for IPSS, symptom duration, prostate volume (PV), maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax), average urinary flow rate (Qave) and total voiding volume (P < 0.001) but not QOL. Logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age and PV revealed that Qave and total voiding volume were increased as the temperature declined. However, IPSS and Qmax did not show a statistically significant difference as the temperature declined. Conclusion Our findings did not demonstrate an increased clinically significant risk of LUTS severity in connection with ambient temperature in clinical practice.

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the individual change of International prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) in each patient by temperature conditions. Materials and Methods The severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) was explored using the IPSS and OABSS questionnaires that were completed by 2.486 subjects (923 males and 1.563 females) aged 60 years and older. Korea Meteorological Administration data was used to determine daily average temperature and daily temperature difference on the interview dates at each site. Results The mean IPSS and mean age for males was 13.45±8.24 and 75.03±6.20 years, respectively. The mean OABSS and mean age for females was 4.41±3.10 and 73.74±6.03years, respectively. Daily average temperature and daily temperature difference ranged from-3.4-28.3oC and 2.2-16.9oC, respectively. Age was a significantly risk factor for IPSS, OABSS, and QoL (P

To investigate the overall treatment efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) injections compared with placebo in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE on BoNTA use in IC/BPS. Outcome measures included changes of OLS, ICSI, ICPI, VAS, frequency, nocturia, FBC, Qmax, and PVR from baseline and also included adverse events.A total of five studies were included, with a total sample size of 252 subjects (133 subjects in the experimental group and 119 subjects in the control group). The duration of follow-up ranged from 8 to 12 weeks. The BoNTA dosage was from 50 to 200 U. The pooled overall SMD in the mean change of VAS for the BoNTA group versus the placebo group was -0.49 (95 % CI -0.74, -0.23). There were also significant improvements in ICPI and frequency. The other outcomes (ICSI, nocturia, Qmax, and FBC) were not statistically different between the two groups.Although BoNTA is not regulatory approved indication, this first evidence-based systematic review and meta-analysis of BoNTA injection for IC/BPS showed significant differences in efficacy of treatment compared with placebo, especially for pain control, and also showed no differences in the rate of procedure-related adverse events.

Despite the overwhelming success of PDE5 inhibitor (PDE5I), the demand for novel pharmacotherapeutic and surgical options for ED continues to rise owing to the increased proportion of elderly individuals in the population, in addition to the growing percentage of ED patients who do not respond to PDE5I. Surgical treatment of ED is associated with many complications, thus warranting the need for nonsurgical therapies. Moreover, none of the above-mentioned treatments essentially corrects, cures or prevents ED. Although gene therapy is a promising option, many challenges and obstacles such as local inflammatory response and random transgene expression, in addition to other safety issues, limit its use at the clinical level. The use of stem cell therapy alone also has many shortcomings. To overcome these inadequacies, many scientists and clinicians are investigating new gene and stem cell therapies.

In 2014, the Korean Urological Association organized the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Guideline Developing Committee composed of experts in the field of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with the participation of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine and the Korean Continence Society to develop a Korean clinical practice guideline for BPH. The purpose of this clinical practice guideline is to provide current and comprehensive recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of BPH. The committee developed the guideline mainly by adapting existing guidelines and partially by using the de novo method. A comprehensive literature review was carried out primarily from 2009 to 2013 by using medical search engines including data from Korea. Based on the published evidence, recommendations were synthesized, and the level of evidence of the recommendations was determined by using methods adapted from the 2011 Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Meta-analysis was done for one key question and four recommendations. A draft guideline was reviewed by expert peer reviewers and discussed at an expert consensus meeting until final agreement was achieved. This evidence-based guideline for BPH provides recommendations to primary practitioners and urologists for the diagnosis and treatment of BPH in men older than 40 years.

Purpose Combination therapy with an α-1-adrenergic blocker and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) has shown improvements in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) with negligible side effects. Nonetheless, decisive advantages in symptom improvement were insufficient, and there were no clinical differences between long- or short-acting PDE5Is in combination with combination medication. Methods To review the studies on α-1-adrenergic blocker monotherapy and combination therapy with long vs. short-acting PDE5Is in their use in LUTS and erectile dysfunction (ED). A search of the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases was conducted from 2000 to 2014 using combinations of the relevant terms. Among the 323 relevant references discovered, 10 were selected for meta-analysis. The data showed that 616 men received combination therapy (PDE5Is with α-1-adrenergic blockers) or α-1-adrenergic blocker monotherapy. Results Meta-analysis of the combination therapy showed it was more effective than α-blockers in improving symptoms, with a mean International Prostrate Symptom Score change difference of -1.93 while those of the long- vs. short-acting PDE5I were -2.12 vs. -1.70. Compared to maximum flow rate (Qmax) value with monotherapy, the Qmax increased more with the combination therapy (mean difference of 0.71) while change values were 0.14 and 1.13 for the long- and short-acting PDE5Is, respectively. Residual urine decreased more with the combination therapy than it did with α-1-adrenergic blocker monotherapy with a mean difference of -7.09 while the mean residual urine change values for long- vs. short-acting PDE5Is were -18.83 vs. -5.93. The International Index of Erectile Function value increased by 3.99, 2.85, and 4.85 following combination therapy, and therapy with long- and short-acting PDE5Is. Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggests that PDE5Is can significantly improve LUTS in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia/ED. Furthermore, combination PDE5I and α-1-adrenergic blocker could be a more effective treatment than α-1-adrenergic blocker monotherapy, and the differences between long and short-acting agents were minimal.

Purpose: To validate a novel arteriogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) model with atherosclerosis (AS) based on molecular and histologic evidence induced by chronic pelvic ischemia (CPI) and determine effect of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor treatment. Materials and Methods: Twenty 16-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three experimental groups (Group I, untreated sham-operated rats with regular diet; Group II, CPI with cholesterol diet; Group III, CPI model with cholesterol diet and mirodenafil). Erectile function was accessed using maximum intracavernous pressure (ICP) and ICP/mean arterial pressure (MAP). Molecular changes were examined by western blot analysis using hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) antibodies. Collagen change was evaluated by Masson’s trichrome staining. Results: In vivo measurements of ICP and ICP/MAP in Group II were significantly lower than those in Group I (p

Purpose Although five-alpha reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) is one of standard treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or alopecia, potential complications after 5-ARI have been issues recently. This study aimed to investigate the risk of depression after taking 5-ARI and to quantify the risk using meta-analysis. Materials and methods A total of 209,940 patients including 207,798 in 5-ARI treatment groups and 110,118 in control groups from five studies were included for final analysis. Inclusion criteria for finial analysis incudes clinical outcomes regarding depression risk in BPH or alopecia patients. Overall hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) for depression were analyzed. Moderator analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to determine whether HR or OR could be affected by any variables, including number of patients, age, study type, and control type. Results The pooled overall HRs for the 5-ARI medication was 1.23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.54) in a random effects model. The pooled overall ORs for the 5-ARI medication was 1.19 (95% CI, 0.95-1.49) in random effects model. The sub-group analysis showed that non-cohort studies had higher values of HR and OR than cohort studies. Moderator analysis using meta-regression showed that there were no variables that affect the significant difference in HR and OR outcomes. However, in sensitivity analysis, HR was significantly increased by age (p=0.040). Conclusions Overall risk of depression after 5-ARI was significantly not high, however its clinical importance needs validation by further studies. These quantitative results could provide useful information for both clinicians and patients.