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Background: The Prostate Cancer—Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) is a six-month daily home-based program shown to improve mental health and urinary function. This secondary analysis explores weight loss in male PC-PEP participants. Methods: In a randomized clinical trial with 128 men undergoing curative prostate cancer (PC) treatment, 66 received 'early' PC-PEP, while 62 were assigned to the 'late' waitlist-control group, receiving 6 months of standard-of-care treatment followed by 6 months of PC-PEP. PC-PEP comprised 182 daily emails with video-based exercise and dietary (predominantly plant-based) education, live online events, and 30 min strength training routines (using body weight and elastic bands). Weight and height data were collected via online surveys (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) including medical chart reviews. Adherence was tracked weekly. Results: No attrition or adverse events were reported. At 6 months, the early PC-PEP group experienced significant weight loss, averaging 2.7 kg (p < 0.001) compared to the waitlist-control group. Weight loss was noted in the late intervention group of PC-PEP, albeit less pronounced than in the early group. Early PC-PEP surgery patients lost on average 1.4 kg (SE = 0.65) from the trial's start to surgery day. High adherence to exercise and dietary recommendations was noted. Conclusions: PC-PEP led to significant weight loss in men undergoing curative prostate cancer treatment compared to standard-of-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals shifted their resources and focus toward COVID-19 care and non-deferrable conditions. Renal colic is one of the most common urologic presentations to the emergency department (ED). In our study, we examined whether there was an increase in septic/febrile stone presentations to the ED requiring ureteral stent insertion after the public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cohort study and reviewed charts of septic/ febrile stone patients requiring ureteral stent insertion from January 1, 2019, to March 16, 2020 (pre-COVID) and July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (intra-COVID) at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, NS. The incidence of septic/febrile stone presentation, baseline characteristics, and perioperative outcomes were captured. RESULTS: There were 54 patients in the pre-COVID group and 74 patients in the intraCOVID group. There were no statistically significant differences found in baseline or stone characteristics between the two groups (p>0.05). Patients in the intra-COVID group were found to have a longer presentation to operating room time when compared to the preCOVID cohort (U=961.00, p=0.04). The intra-COVID group had 20 more cases of septic stone presentations compared to the pre-COVID group at the 15-month mark (pre-COVID, n=54; intra-COVID, n=74). CONCLUSIONS: We found increased time to operative intervention in the intra-COVID cohort compared to the pre-COVID cohort. The overall number of urgent and/or critically ill ureteric stone patients increased between cohorts but was not statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION:The coronavirus pandemic changed the way urology education was delivered. At Dalhousie University, third-year medical students (clinical clerks) undergoing a two-week urology elective had the historic in-person seminars changed to virtual seminars with pre-recorded lectures by staff. The academic abilities of the clerks were measured via a standardized written exam and clinical score assigned by a staff preceptor. This study aimed to measure the impact of virtual education on student performance. METHODS: Clerk clinical and exam scores have been recorded since 2014. The in-person seminar (pre-COVID) cohort included students from January 2014 to March 2020 (n=109), while the virtual seminar (post-COVID) cohort was recorded from April 2020 to August 2022 (n=60). Independent t-test was used to compare clinical, exam, and total scores between the pre-COVID student groups after ensuring normality. RESULTS: Students in the virtual seminar group (mean ± standard deviation 88.69±6.50%) performed better than the in-person seminar student groups (86.32±6.33%) in terms of clinical performance gradings (p=0.02). There was no statistically significant difference in written exam scores between the in-person seminar and virtual seminar cohorts (77.34±10.94% vs. 78.75±11.37%, p=0.43). Cumulative scores were higher for virtual seminar student groups vs. in-person seminar cohort (86.70±5.40% vs. 84.52±5.44%, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical clerks undergoing virtual education during a two-week urology elective had improved clinical and cumulative score performances when compared to the in-personal seminar cohort; virtual seminars did not statistically negatively impact exam scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prostate cancer screening practices remain controversial among primary care practitioners (PCPs). Inconsistent guidelines and publication of large prostate cancer screening trials have failed to provide definitive guidance. This study investigates the evolution of prostate cancer screening practices and beliefs over 12 years, in Victoria, British Columbia. Methods: Questionnaires were delivered to 119 randomly selected PCPs in 2019. Descriptive analysis together with exploratory graphs and Pearson Chi-squared test for independence was calculated. The 2008 data was compared by determining if their value fell within the 2019 data's 95% confidence interval. Results: Response rate was 69.8% (83/119); 30.1% of PCPs reported regularly screening asymptomatic men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and 37.3% reported regularly performing digital rectal exam (DRE). The combination of PSA and DRE was the most used (48.2 %) screening modality. Most (73.5%) reported that guidelines influence their screening practices, with the most popular choice being those published by The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTF) (32.5%). Conclusions: The results demonstrate a movement away from prostate cancer screening among PCPs when compared to 2008. PCPs believe that DRE and PSA are less valuable as screening tools and that there is insufficient evidence to support their use. The most used initial screening modality was the combination of PSA/DRE, however, we found a decrease in their use between the two study periods. Clinical guidelines continue to influence PCPs screening practices, but the shift of more PCPs following the CTF guidelines since 2008 has likely led to the reciprocal decrease in prostate cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Agenesis of the inferior vena cava (AIVC) is a rare disorder that, when combined with co-morbid hypercoagulable disease such as antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APAS), increases the risk of chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We report a 33-year-old female with a past medical history of recurrent DVTs and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APAS) who at the age of 33, was incidentally found to have AIVC while assessing clot burden, which likely contributed to her recurrent DVT episodes earlier in life. Management: The combination of AIVC and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is rare and can lead to recurrent DVTs in young patients. Prolonged anticoagulation is the preferred treatment when used in conjunction with the prescription of compression stockings, modification of risk factors, and treatment of further complications. In this paper we provide a case discussion and up-to-date information on diagnosis and management of a patient with both AIVC and APAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case study of 88 year old White male who was seen for voiding symptoms. He had a history of open right radical nephrectomy and noted to have a fleshy lesion on the tip of his nose, which had been present for several weeks and associated with minor bleeding. His neutrophil to lymphocyte was significantly elevated on complete blood count.