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IMPORTANCE: Little is known about COVID-19 outcomes among children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, where preexisting comorbidities are prevalent. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical outcomes and factors associated with outcomes among children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 in 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was a retrospective record review of data from 25 hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda from March 1 to December 31, 2020, and included 469 hospitalized patients aged 0 to 19 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection. EXPOSURES: Age, sex, preexisting comorbidities, and region of residence. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: An ordinal primary outcome scale was used comprising 5 categories: (1) hospitalization without oxygen supplementation, (2) hospitalization with oxygen supplementation, (3) ICU admission, (4) invasive mechanical ventilation, and (5) death. The secondary outcome was length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Among 469 hospitalized children and adolescents, the median age was 5.9 years (IQR, 1.6-11.1 years); 245 patients (52.4%) were male, and 115 (24.5%) had comorbidities. A total of 39 patients (8.3%) were from central Africa, 172 (36.7%) from eastern Africa, 208 (44.3%) from southern Africa, and 50 (10.7%) from western Africa. Eighteen patients had suspected (n = 6) or confirmed (n = 12) multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Thirty-nine patients (8.3%) died, including 22 of 69 patients (31.9%) who required intensive care unit admission and 4 of 18 patients (22.2%) with suspected or confirmed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Among 468 patients, 418 (89.3%) were discharged, and 16 (3.4%) remained hospitalized. The likelihood of outcomes with higher vs lower severity among children younger than 1 year expressed as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 4.89 (95% CI, 1.44-16.61) times higher than that of adolescents aged 15 to

No abstract available

Mild-to-moderate hyperprolactinemia is a frequent finding in young women presenting with infertility. Prolactin (PRL) concentration should be determined accurately, whether or not the patient has other symptoms suggestive of excess PRL such as galactorrhea or menstrual cycle disorder. After confirmation of persistent hyperprolactinemia on a second blood sample (avoiding conditions known to raise prolactin) and exclusion of macroprolactinemia, prolactinoma and other identifiable non-tumoral causes of hyperprolactinemia must be ruled out. Mildly elevated PRL levels may cause luteal insufficiency in cycling women and are associated with recurrent miscarriage. Any confirmed hyperprolactinemia should be treated in a woman who wishes or fails to become pregnant. Preference is given to cabergoline at the lowest possible dose that normalizes PRL, restoring fertility in the vast majority of cases. Evidence is much less robust in men, in whom PRL concentrations are less prone to increase and the reproductive system is less sensitive to the negative effects of hyperprolactinemia. Nevertheless, chronic and significant hyperprolactinemia in men may impair fertility or cause infertility (with or without hypogonadism) and must be treated, as in women. However, more clinical studies are clearly needed concerning male reproductive function. The significance of mild but persistent hyperprolactinemia in either member of a couple incidentally discovered during assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures is unclear, and future evidence-based studies are needed to determine whether normalizing prolactin can improve ART outcome.

Inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown effective glucose-lowering effects associated with improved clinical outcomes in diabetic patients and heart failure patients. As SGLT2 inhibitors can increase phosphate levels, they can also modulate FGF-23 production, a hormone directly involved in regulation of bone and mineral metabolism, but also a strong predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. We therefore discuss the relevance of FGF-23 as a companion testing of SGLT2 treatment, in addition to standard clinical biology tests.

Little is known about the long-term outcomes of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) during childhood. As such, this study aims to explore the association between childhood SAM and blood pressure (BP) in adulthood in a context without nutrition transition. We identified 524 adults (Median age: 22 years) who were treated for SAM during childhood in Eastern DRC between 1988 and 2007. They were compared with 407 age-and-sex matched subjects with no history of SAM in the community. The variables examined for this study were the systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean (MBP) blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure (PP), as well as high blood pressure (HBP) defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg and/or use of BP-lowering drug(s) in adulthood. For comparison, linear and logistic regression models were used for analysing continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. Of the 524 exposed located, 145 were selected according to age. A total of 97 unexposed were recruited. Compared to unexposed, exposed had slightly higher SBP and PP after adjusting for occupation, body mass index (BMI) and food consumption [SBP = 1.4 mmHg (- 2.2, 4.8) and PP = 2.6 mmHg (- 0.3, 6.0)]. However, their DBP was lower than that of the unexposed [- 1.6 mmHg (- 4.6, 1.5)]. MBP and creatinine levels were similar between the two groups. The prevalence of HBP adjusted for age was higher among exposed than unexposed (9.7% vs 5.3%). In addition, the odds of having HBP was higher among exposed than unexposed, however the observed difference was not statistically significant [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.9 (0.7, 5.6)]. Finally, using multiple regression analysis, although the effect was not significant, SAM was a major contributor to HBP [adjusted OR 3.1 (0.9,10.9), p = 0.064], while only male gender and higher BMI (overweight/obesity) emerged as independent predictors of HBP among this young study population. This study suggests that an episode of SAM in childhood has a weak impact on BP variability in young Congolese adults (from D

No abstract available

Palpable nodules on the penile shaft, called penile lumps, are encountered in benign conditions such as Peyronie disease and in malignant lesions such as squamous cell carcinoma. Malignant lesions of the penis account for less than 1% of all malignant cancers in the United States, and of these, approximately 95% are squamous cell carcinomas. The diagnostic approach is primarily clinical and depends on the patient’s medical history and the onset of the symptoms. Imaging examinations, including principally US and MRI, play a role in staging, preoperative planning, and assessing the vasculature and viability of the penile tissues. Because of the relative infrequency of penile diseases, performing and interpreting penile imaging studies can be challenging for radiologists with less experience in urogenital imaging.

Objective: Pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors arising from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla or from neural-crest derived sympathetic tissue. They secrete catecholamines in varying amounts, which accounts for their symptomatology. Hypertension is the most common sign, found in approximately 95% of patients. Nowadays, biochemical testing remains the simplest and most widely available method to assess PPGL in first intention. Identification of mutations in known susceptibility genes may help further refining tumor characterization and prognosis assessment. The objective of this study was to analyze clinical characteristics of PPGL from Belgium according to their secretory and genetic profiles. Design and method: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 120 cases of non-syndromic PPGL diagnosed in 19 Belgian centres. Clinical characteristics were correlated with three catecholamine phenotypes based on urinary metanephrines (noradrenergic, adrenergic and silent) and with the results of genetic screening. Results: Our cohort included a majority of women (59%). The mean age at diagnosis was 47 ± 7 years. We documented the prevalence of pediatric (7.5%), extra-adrenal (13.3%), bilateral (2.9%), multifocal (5.1%), recurrent (8.5%), metastatic (7.6%) and familial (5.9%) cases. While the yield of positive genetic screening was low (15%), the presence of at least one of these criteria was associated with a 4-fold increased prevalence of mutation (30.3 vs 8.5%; p = 0.03). In the subset in whom metanephrines values were available (n = 62), the prevalence of adrenergic, noradrenergic and silent phenotypes was 58%, 34% and 8% respectively. Patients belonging to these three subsets differed by age at diagnosis (51 ± 14; 38 ± 17; 42 ± 13 years; p = 0.009), the proportion of extra-adrenal tumors (2.8%; 9.5%; 40%; p = 0.016), pediatric (2.8%; 19%; 0%; p = 0.074) and familial (0%; 18.8%; 0%; p = 0.041) cases. Finally, an excess of dopamine secre

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the long-term outcomes of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) during childhood. As such, this study aims to explore the association between childhood SAM and blood pressure (BP) in adulthood in a context without nutrition transition. METHODOLOGY: We identified 524 adults (Median age: 22 years) who were treated for SAM during childhood in Eastern DRC between 1988 and 2007. They were compared with 407 age-and-sex matched subjects with no history of SAM in the community. The variables examined for this study were the systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean (MBP) blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure (PP), as well as high blood pressure (HBP) defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg and/or use of BP-lowering drug(s) in adulthood. For comparison, linear and logistic regression models were used for analysing continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. RESULTS: Of the 524 exposed located, 145 were selected according to age. A total of 97 unexposed were recruited. Compared to unexposed, exposed had slightly higher SBP and PP after adjusting for occupation, body mass index (BMI) and food consumption [SBP = 1.4 mmHg (- 2.2, 4.8) and PP = 2.6 mmHg (- 0.3, 6.0)]. However, their DBP was lower than that of the unexposed [- 1.6 mmHg (- 4.6, 1.5)]. MBP and creatinine levels were similar between the two groups. The prevalence of HBP adjusted for age was higher among exposed than unexposed (9.7% vs 5.3%). In addition, the odds of having HBP was higher among exposed than unexposed, however the observed difference was not statistically significant [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.9 (0.7, 5.6)]. Finally, using multiple regression analysis, although the effect was not significant, SAM was a major contributor to HBP [adjusted OR 3.1 (0.9,10.9), p = 0.064], while only male gender and higher BMI (overweight/obesity) emerged as independent predictors of HBP among this young study population. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that an episode of SAM in childhood has a weak impact on

Le diabète compte parmi les maladies les plus potentiellement inductrices de comorbidités (1). En 2015, plus de 6,7 % de la population belge était diabétique (2). La prévalence du diabète et les complications associées, comme les infections, sont en augmentation. De nombreuses études démontrent que les patients atteints de diabète, notamment de type 2, ont un risque accru d’infections, parmi lesquelles les infections urinaires sont les plus fréquentes (3). Ces patients ont un risque d’infections du haut appareil urinaire 10 fois supérieur à la moyenne (4, 5) et sont plus susceptibles de présenter une pyélonéphrite emphysémateuse (6, 7). Le but de cette étude est de déterminer si les patients diabétiques sont plus à risque de développer une infection urinaire dans un contexte de calcul urétéral obstruct

Prolactinomas in men have several peculiar features that distinguish them from female PRL-secreting tumors. They occur less frequently in the male gender but are usually larger, more frequently invasive, and more often aggressive than in women. Significantly higher prolactin concentrations are also observed in men as compared to women, especially in the case of macroprolactinoma. Sex differences in tumor behavior largely explain such characteristics, rather than the longer delay in making the diagnosis in men. The reasons for a more aggressive course of prolactinomas in men remain poorly understood, and some hypotheses will be discussed in this chapter. Striking differences also exist in the clinical presentation of prolactinoma. Most women will present with oligomenorrhea, infertility, and/or galactorrhea, while more than half of men initially complain from symptoms of mass effects. Male hypogonadism is often present but neglected, and the male reproductive axis appears to be less sensitive to hyperprolactinemia than the female one. Nonetheless, diagnosis of prolactinoma in men should rely on the same criteria as in women, and a similar therapeutic strategy should be used. Medical management with dopamine agonists (DA) is effective and should always be considered as the first-line therapy, also in men bearing very large and compressive tumors. Transsphenoidal surgery is indicated in patients who are either intolerant or resistant to dopamine agonists or who elect to undergo potential curative surgery. However, most male patients with a macroprolactinoma will require medical treatment to control prolactin hypersecretion after surgery

NO ABSTRACT AVAILABLE

Genitourinary cancers represent 12.8% of cancer in both sexes and 21.5% in men, accounting for 7% of cancer deaths in both sexes and 10.5% in men. The systemic treatment of prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma does not rely on chemotherapy, with the exception of taxane docetaxel and cabazitaxel. Prostate cancer is primarily treated by androgen deprivation, by surgical castration or LHRH analogs, or by androgen receptor pathway inhibitor enzalutamide and abiraterone acetate. Renal cell carcinoma is nowadays treated with agents targeting survival and angiogenesis pathways, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) sorafenib, sunitinib, axitinib, and pazopanib; anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody bevacizumab; mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors temsirolimus and everolimus; and oral inhibitor of tyrosine kinases MET, VEGFR, AXL, cabozantinib. Most recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors have made their way to genitourinary cancers, revolutionizing the treatment of urothelial cancers and renal cell carcinoma. Hormone therapies and targeted therapies don’t eradicate prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma but rather switch them to a more chronic state. This means that these treatments are prescribed chronically for an extended period of time. In such conditions, even the least bothersome side effect may profoundly alter the quality of life of patients. Ultimately, this is a threat to compliance and then to the efficacy of these treatments. In addition, many of the side effects of these drugs often overlap with common chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, heart failure, and osteoporosis. An exhaustive knowledge of these side effects, proper monitoring, and in-depth education of patients are key elements to secure the efficacy of these treatments.

Le courant révisionniste actuel et scientifiquement infondé qui est dirigé contre la classe toute entière des statines pose une série de problèmes de prise en charge cliniques immédiats (dont le renforcement de l’adhérence médicamenteuse), et expose les patients qui seraient amenés à interrompre intempestivement leur traitement à une recrudescence brutale du risque fatal et non fatal de maladie cardiovasculaire incidente.

No abstract available

Le traitement des troubles d’érection d’origine organique (communément appelés : Dysfonction Erectile = DE) obéit à un algorithme précis stratifié en trois niveaux. Le traitement de première ligne de la DE consiste en la prescription d’un inhibiteur de la phosphodiestérase de type 5. Si ce traitement d’essai échoue, un bilan vasculaire est justifié et un traitement alternatif (traitement de 2e ligne) sera proposé : l’apprentissage d’autoinjections intra-caverneuses d’une médication vaso-active. Un traitement de 3e ligne sera proposé si le patient refuse les auto-injections : l’acquisition d’une pompe à vide ou l’implantation d’une prothèse pénienne. À la DE d’origine organique, se surajoute fréquemment une angoisse de performance. Dans certains cas, la DE est mixte : organique et psychogène. Ces aspects ne seront pas abordés ici. De même, d’autres troubles sexuels peuvent se « greffer» à une DE : éjaculation prématurée ou au contraire éjaculation retardée et baisse de libido. Dans cette revue, nous nous limiterons aux traitements médicamenteux et « mécaniques » de la DE d’origine organique. Après 50 ans, la DE est souvent considérée comme un symptôme « sentinelle » d’une pathologie cardiovasculaire clinique ou infraclinique sous-jacente. Le médecin de famille et l’urologue seront attentifs à dépister cette pathologie par un bilan orienté. Les cinq facteurs de risque vasculaire connus pour induire la Dysfonction Endothéliale sont également responsables de la Dysfonction Erectile. Pathologies vasculaires et érectiles sont donc souvent liées ou au moins associées (DE = DE…un même combat en quelque sorte).

In an observational study in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) consulting a general practitioner (GP) or urologist in Belgium, demographics, ED characteristics (including erection hardness score), co-morbidities and treatment expectations were evaluated using a structured questionnaire. In total, 341 GPs and 41 urologists recruited 1492 patients. Most (74%) were untreated and 25% had ED for >3 years. Considering PDE5 inhibitors, erection hardness (89%) and maintenance (92%) were considered 'very important' by most patients. Only 18% of physicians initiated discussion about ED, despite 41% of patients having >or=3 known risk factors. The questionnaire was considered helpful by 81% of GPs and 83% of their patients. Overall, patients are under-diagnosed, and physicians are reluctant to ask about ED. A questionnaire including erection hardness score is useful to facilitate discussion about ED in general practice. Erection hardness and maintenance are more important to patients as compared to fast onset or long duration of action.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of the antimuscarinic agent solifenacin on urinary urgency, using a range of novel and established outcome measures, as urgency is the principal symptom of the overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study (SUNRISE, solifenacin in the treatment of urgency symptoms of OAB in a rising dose, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, efficacy trial) was a randomized, double-blind, 16-week, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of solifenacin 5/10 mg in 863 patients with symptoms of OAB for > or = 3 months. The primary efficacy variable was the change from baseline to endpoint in the number of episodes of severe urgency with or without urgency incontinence per 24 h, as measured using the Patient Perception of Intensity of Urgency Scale, grade 3 + 4. Secondary efficacy variables included patient-reported outcomes for bladder condition, urgency bother and treatment satisfaction. A 3-day voiding diary was used to record micturition frequency and episodes of urgency and incontinence. A 7-day diary was used to assess speed of onset of effect. RESULTS: Solifenacin 5/10 mg was significantly more effective than placebo in reducing the mean number of episodes of severe urgency with or without incontinence per 24 h from baseline to endpoint (-2.6 vs -1.8, P < 0.001). There were also statistically significant differences in favour of solifenacin 5/10 mg over placebo for all secondary variables measured at endpoint, including patient-reported outcomes. There was a significant improvement in urgency as early as day 3 of treatment. Treatmente-mergent adverse events with solifenacin 5/10 mg were mainly mild or moderate in severity, and only led to discontinuation in 3.6% of patients. CONCLUSION: Solifenacin significantly reduced the number of urgency episodes and the extent of urgency bother, and was well tolerated; it was effective as early as day 3 of treatment.

De tous temps, les scandinaves ont été des précurseurs dans le "combat" pour la libération des moeurs, des us et coutumes. Le musée danois de la Femme situé à Århus (Jutland) rassemble une collection de documents, d'objets et tout élément utile pour éclairer le public sur la condition des femmes scandinaves à travers les âges depuis la préhistoire jusqu'à nos jours. Le mouvement féministe au Danemark trouve ses fondements à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. La "Danish Women's Society" est créée en 1871. Les premières femmes entrent à l'université de Copenhague en 1875. Le droit de vote pour les élections municipales est accordé aux femmes en 1908 et en 1915 pour les élections nationales. En matière de contrôle des naissances également les femmes scandinaves ne furent pas en reste. Le musée de la Femme survole ces étapes importantes du mouvement féministe scandinave à l'appui de documents et séquences audio-visuelles.

The psychotherapeutic education of psychiatric residents remains a poorly studied area. Until now, there have been a few theoretical researches, mainly along psychoanalytical lines. We did a large scale study in 2006, among Belgian and Dutch residents. We present here the first results, focused on the population of residents from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) which shows a great heterogeneity enabled among them, contrarily to the common opinion stating that they are almost exclusively marked by the psychoanalytic movement. We also compare them with residents from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL). This allows us to sketch out a few key questions and delimitate some research axes that we will develop in ulterior articles.

Selon la littérature, l’émergence de troubles mentaux est liée statistiquement à l’adoption chez les adolescents, ainsi que leur surreprésentation en hôpital psychiatrique. Nous formulons l’hypothèse que les difficultés liées à cette situation s’expriment selon une catégorie diagnostique spécifique. Pour la vérifier, nous avons collecté, de manière rétrospective, les diagnostics de 148 adolescents hospitalisés dans une clinique psychiatrique bruxelloise en 2003–2004 et nous les avons comparés selon leur origine familiale (adoptés, immigrés, autochtones non-adoptés). Les diagnostics les plus fréquents étaient les troubles du comportement chez les adoptés, les troubles psychotiques chez les immigrés et les troubles affectifs chez les autochtones. Dans cet échantillon de petite taille, aucune différence diagnostique n’a été observée entre les adoptés internationaux et nationaux. Les résultats globaux indiquent que les diagnostics des adolescents adoptés internationaux sont différents de ceux des immigrés. Les troubles du comportement seraient pour les adolescents adoptés un mode préférentiel d’expression des difficultés liées à l’abandon et l’adoption. Le recours à un traitement hospitalier de ces troubles pourrait être influencé par d’autres facteurs, notamment, la perception des troubles par l’entourage. Une étude plus large permettrait de confirmer cette hypothèse.

A late consequence of ureteral endometriosis is the silent loss of renal function caused by progressive "enclosure" of the lower part of the ureter by the endometriosis. In our experience, in cases of severe loss of renal function with cortical atrophy and residual kidney function (evaluated by Tc99 DMSA scintigraphy) of less than 15%, removal of the endometriosis combined with ureterolysis does not allow recovery of renal function. A nonfunctioning kidney associated with hydronephrosis is a risk factor for vascular hypertension, recurrent pyelonephritis, or kidney stones and therefore an indication for nephrectomy. By means of a case report, this paper describes the combination of laparoscopic nephrectomy, ureterectomy, removal of the rectovaginal endometriotic nodule, and extraction of the kidney through the vagina.

Dans cet entretien, Le Pr. Éric Constant apporte un témoignage démonstratif de l’effet possible de déterminants infantiles inconscients dans les choix professionnels. Il illustre aussi à l’aide d’une vignette clinique (patient souffrant des séquelles au niveau cognitif d’une rupture d’un anévrisme cérébral) l’importance de l’écoute de l’inconscient qui peut être en jeu dans les cliniques neurologique et neuropsychologique. Enfin, il attire l’attention sur les pièges du dogmatisme en ces matières.

BACKGROUND: Divergences in cognitive disturbances in hypothyroidism reported in the literature are a result of a methodological bias. METHODS: By using a precise methodology, we examined attention and executive functions in hypothyroidism, verified the presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in hypothyroidism, and examined the possible link between these symptoms and the cognitive disturbances (searching for attentional bias for words with a negative emotional valence). We administered a battery of cognitive tests to 23 participants who had undergone thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma: for the first time in an euthyroid state, then 3 weeks later (still in the euthyroid state) to assess the test/retest effect, and finally 4 weeks later in an hypothyroid state. We compared their performance with that of a group of 26 control participants who were also administered the same cognitive tests, also 3 times. RESULTS: In hypothyroidism, the thyroid participants were more anxious and depressed than the controls and presented attentional and executive disturbances that reflected general slowing and difficulties in using their capacities of inhibition. However, they did not exhibit an attentional bias for words with a negative emotional valence. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to what was expected, symptoms of anxiety and not symptoms of depression interfered with the cognitive performance of participants in hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether individual labelling and processing of the sextant of origin improves the accuracy of prostate biopsy in predicting the final pathological stage after radical prostatectomy in patients with T1c prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The charts of 386 patients treated for prostate cancer by radical prostatectomy between January 1996 and June 1999 were reviewed. In all, 124 patients fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: no abnormality on digital rectal examination (DRE) or transrectal ultrasonography, a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level before biopsy of < or = 20 ng/mL, and prostate cancer diagnosed after one set of random sextant biopsies, with the cores being submitted in six separate containers individually labelled for the sextant of origin. RESULTS: Within this series of patients with a low tumour burden, the preoperative PSA, biopsy Gleason score and unilateral vs bilateral involvement were not significant predictors of disease extension. The percentage of positive cores and the number and topography of positive sextants were both statistically significant predictors of organ-confined disease. Although these two variables appeared to be statistically equivalent on a first analysis in the overall series, a subgroup of patients was identified who benefited from the complete topographical information, i.e. those 52 (42%) patients with a Gleason score of < 7, 25-75% positive biopsies and < or =3 positive sextants. CONCLUSION: These results support the individual labelling of biopsy cores in selected patients with a normal DRE and a moderately elevated PSA, as it helps to better predict the final pathological stage. This substantial benefit outweighs the additional effort by the pathologist.

We analysed the clinical characteristics, the degree of glycaemic control and the prevalence of complications in 465 type 1 diabetic adult patients (232 males), in view of current recommendations for metabolic and blood pressure control. Age and diabetes duration were 45 +/- 17 and 20 +/- 13 years respectively (mean +/- 1 SD). Daily insulin dose was 0.65 +/- 0.24 U/kg b.w. 73% of patients received > or = 3 injections/day, while 11% had continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. All were practicing home blood glucose monitoring. Current HbA1c was 8.5% [7.7-9.3%] (median [percentiles 25-75]). There was no difference in HbA1c according to number of injections or CSII use. When patients were divided according to HbA1c quintiles, significantly lower prevalences of retinopathy and neuropathy were found in quintile 1 individuals. A mean of 53 severe hypoglycaemic episodes was reported per 100 patients/year, and they were more frequent in subjects exhibiting better glycaemic control. High blood pressure levels were found in 27% of subjects according to JNC-VI criteria. Fasting cholesterol (C), LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides were within normal range. However, according to current guidelines emphasizing on lower target thresholds, up to 27% of patients exhibited some degree of dyslipidaemia, in particular LDL-C higher than 3.3 mmol/l. In conclusion, in this large cohort of type 1 diabetic patients regularly attending a University Centre, overall glycaemic control remains above the satisfactory levels inferred from optimization studies. Although mean blood pressure and blood lipids were up to recently deemed adequate, a (too) high proportion of diabetic patients exhibited either hypertension and/or dyslipidaemia according to revised therapeutic goals cut-offs.

The effectiveness of a vacuum erection device was evaluated in a 3-year prospective trial involving 110 men with erectile disorders. The patients ranged from 36 to 75 years of age (average: 61). Fifty-seven had chosen the vacuum device as a first treatment attempt; 27 were on intracavernous self-injections with a vasoactive agent but wanted another treatment; and several treatment modalities had failed in the remaining 26 patients. At the 3-month follow-up, the patients were mailed a questionnaire to evaluate the quality of sexual intercourse with the vacuum constriction device. Partner satisfaction was evaluated in parallel. Improvement in sexual parameters as well as difficulties and side effects induced by the device were investigated. Our results confirm the efficacy of the vacuum constriction device in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in selected patients.

Antenatal and incidentally diagnosed megaureters can be safely treated conservatively after careful work up by combined imaging technics. Serial and repeated imaging are non the less usually necessary to confirm the diagnosis. This aspect could be fastidious and expensive. In case of symptoms, breakthrough infections or loss of kidney function, surgical treatment should be considered and good results can be expected. Refluxing megaureter has to be considered as high grade reflux and surgical approach is more often suggested. The authors have reviewed the experience of 139 patients with megaureters treated in the last decade to illustrate those facts.

To better characterize risk factors of progression (or recurrence) of prostate cancer after radical surgery, we analysed clinical and biological preoperative characteristics and post-operative pathology results in a series of 179 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1994. The mean follow-up in the series is 36 months (24-36). 39 patients treated before radical prostatectomy by hormonotherapy or surgery (TURP, TULIP) were excluded from analysis. 28 patients treated with immediate adjuvant therapy were also excluded from the study on risk factors of recurrence. Clinical understaging is 37% (50/134 patients with stage T1-T2 have extracapsular extension or invasion of seminal vesicles). Preoperative PSA value is related to the pathologic stage. Extracapsular disease was found in 17% and 46% when PSA was < 4 ng/ml or > 10 ng/ml respectively, thereby confirming the poor staging value of preoperative PSA alone. Analysis of the surgical margins demonstrates a statistically significant difference (p = 0.018) between patients with a preoperative PSA < 10 ng/ml (22% of positive margins) and those with a PSA > 10 ng/ml (42% of positive margins). Predictive factors of recurrence were analyzed in the 112 patients who have not received pre- or postoperative treatment. The respective impact of clinical stage, preoperative PSA value, Gleason score, invasion of prostatic apex, capsular perforation, surgical margins, invasion of seminal vesicles or of pelvic lymph nodes, and invasion of intraprostatic, intracapsular or extraprostatic nerves were evaluated. In T3 cases, we observe 50% recurrence (but only 4 patients fall into this group) versus 14% in clinically localized tumors (T1c-T2c). No recurrence is detected when preoperative PSA is < 4 ng/ml; on the contrary 21% of patients with a PSA > 10 ng/ml recurred. Infiltration of the apex does not influence prognosis. In our experience, capsular perforation is a worse prognostic factor th

Unexpected severe electrolyte imbalance in the postoperative period. Report two cases. Two cases of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone are reported. In each patient, the physiopathology is reviewed. Differential diagnosis and treatment of hyponatremia is discussed.

We report here on a case of cholesteatoma of the upper urinary tract. This rare, but recurrent disease was managed successfully by means of repeated endourological treatment. Diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination of samples obtained by percutaneous extraction.