Tag: pubmed

Urol Int. 2021 May 5:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000513320. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) of infertile couples without sexual dysfunction and analyze its related influencing factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of a total number of 4,923 infertile couples without sexual dysfunction who received treatment in our assisted reproductive center from October 2016 to October 2018. Both partners of couples were inquired about their information of demographic statistics, occupations, lifestyles, education backgrounds, psychological characteristics, and testostrone levels of male patients. The multivariable linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence of various variables on SIF.

RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) SIF of infertile couples without sexual dysfunction was 7 (6.5-8) times per month. Lower academic qualification and younger age were predictive of increased SIF in both partners. The SIF of Chinese Han women and Chinese Zang women is higher than that of other ethnic groups. Men with lower testosterone (<10 nmol/L) were associated with lower SIF. The BMI, occupation, alcohol consumption, races of both partners of couples, and smoking status of males were not associated with SIF. Multivariable linear regression analysis indicated that only the age and the education level of men played an important role in SIF, and educational level of men had the greatest impact, followed by men’s age.

CONCLUSION: In our study, we analyzed demographics data, occupational characteristics, and lifestyle behaviors of both partners, as well as men’s testosterone levels; we also reported the related SIF. According to our research, men’s education level was the most important factor in predicting SIF, followed by men’s age. Testosterone levels of men do not appear to play a substantial role in predicting SIF in infertile couples.

PMID:33951657 | DOI:10.1159/000513320

Urol Int. 2021 May 5:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000514415. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: To avoid mesh-related complications, autologous transobturator-tape (a-TOT) technique is a viable option in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery. The method differs from TOT and retropubic tape (RT) in the usage of autologous tissue. We hypothesized that a-TOT improves female sexual dysfunction (FSD) more than TOT and RT.

METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent a-TOT, TOT, and RT surgeries were surveyed regarding the cure of SUI, complications, and FSD parameters. The groups were compared according to baseline and postoperative data.

RESULTS: A-TOT, TOT, and RT groups included 37, 69, and 36 patients, respectively. The median follow-up time was 19 months. The groups were similar in terms of preoperative characteristics. The objective cure, subjective cure, and overall complication rates were comparable among the groups (p > 0.05). A-TOT group had significant improvements in mean female sexual function index (FSFI) scores, TOT group deteriorated, and RT group remained stable (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.226, respectively). The postoperative mean total FSFI scores were 25.73 ± 2.46, 23.17 ± 3.35, and 21.53 ± 2.47 for the a-TOT, TOT, and RT groups, respectively. The a-TOT group had better results than the TOT and RT groups (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05), and besides, the difference between the TOT and RT groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). According to percentage changes in domain scores following the operations, the a-TOT group had significantly better results in desire, arousal, lubrication, satisfaction, and pain domains than the TOT group (p < 0.05) as well as better desire, arousal, and pain domains (p < 0.05) than the RT group.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: Besides comparable outcomes in SUI treatment, the a-TOT technique provides improvements in female sexual functions while TOT worsens and RT does not change. Favorable outcomes in sexual functions caused by improvements in desire, arousal, satisfaction, and pain domains are observed following the a-TOT technique.

PMID:33951661 | DOI:10.1159/000514415

Urol Int. 2021 May 5:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000515982. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the use and concern of telemedicine among German urologists, and thus, there are no established guidelines for telemedical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of urological indications.

METHODS: An anonymized survey was conducted among German private practice urologists during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The χ2 test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: 257 urologists were included in the final analysis. Thirty-five (14.0%) of urologists had used telemedicine as part of their consultation, and 221 (86.0%) had not used telemedicine. There was no difference between telemedicine adoption rates between rural and urban settings. Telemedicine users were significantly more satisfied with the information they had received regarding telemedicine issues. Users saw the greatest barrier to telemedicine that patients do not take up the offer of telemedicine. Nonusers were most concerned with unclear indications for telemedicine followed by lesser reimbursements during telemedicine than in-person visitations. Users were significantly more likely to use telemedicine beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Urologists, who wanted to use the service in the future, wanted an active support by the German society of urology and guidelines for telemedicine. Last, users and nonusers preferred telemedicine for non-acute chronic diseases and follow-up visitations.

CONCLUSION: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine remains a rarely used service among German private practice urologists. Ultimately, to overcome the current challenges, urologists require an active support for the service through the German Society of Urology and telemedical guidelines.

PMID:33951666 | DOI:10.1159/000515982

Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 May 2:S0890-5096(21)00367-8. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.016. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study is to assess the short-term technical success and the safety of the Indigo System in a series of patients undergoing vacuum-assisted catheter direct thrombus aspiration (IS-CDTA) for acute lower limb ischemia (ALLI) and to evaluate which parameters may affect the outcome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: All procedures using the IS-CDTA for ALLI, performed in a single-centre Interventional Radiology Unit from February 2016 to March 2020, were retrospectively analysed. Technical success was defined as the achievement of nearly-complete or complete revascularization (TIPI grade 2/3) and considered as a good outcome. Variables potentially correlated with the IS-CDTA outcome were analysed.

RESULTS: 33 procedures were performed in 29 patients. Mean age was 69 years old (range 47 – 88), 24 males (83%) and 5 females (18%). The technical success was 70%. Catheter-directed thrombolysis following IS-CDTA was performed in 23 cases and the overall technical success increased from 70% to 90%, afterwards. The median time between symptoms insurgency and IS-CDTA was significantly shorter in patients with good outcome (10 hours; IQR 2.75-48) compared to those with poor outcome (168 hours; IQR 36-336) (p = 0.003). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding ATK vs BTK (p=0.34), native vessel vs graft (p=0.25), occlusion nature p=0.28) or Rutherford score (p=0.80).

CONCLUSION: IS-CDTA is a valid option for a rapid and percutaneous treatment of ALLI. Our experience indicates that the time elapsing from the symptoms insurgency and the endovascular procedure is the best positive predictor of the outcome.

PMID:33951530 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.016

Gait Posture. 2021 Apr 30;88:16-21. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.04.043. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: An unstable gait pattern is an indicator of an increased risk of falls among older adults. Data on basic gait parameters is useful in the early identification of gait impairment. However, reference gait measurements are not available in low- and middle-income countries.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the normative reference values of gait parameters and do fall risk factors such as impaired balance, functional difficulty, and multimorbidity affect the gait patterns of older adults in India?

METHODS: A cross-sectional data of 659 older adults were collected using a semi-structured schedule. Gait parameters were measured using wearable sensors. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way ANCOVA were used to determine the significant difference (p < 0.05) in gait parameters across the risk factors.

RESULTS: A mean stride length of 123.00 ± 15.19 cm, stride velocity of 110.57 ± 17.57 cm/s, and a cadence of 106.14 ± 11.44 steps/minute were reported in the study. Functional difficulties and balance impairment were the two major risk factors that affected stride velocity, stride length, and cadence after adjusting for age and height. No difference in gait parameters was observed among participants with and without multimorbidity.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides a baseline or reference values of various gait parameters measured on a large sample of population aged 60 and above from India. Assessment of gait patterns and associated risk factors in a clinical setup will help identify the older adults at risk of falls and reduce the enormous burden of fall injuries. Since gait parameters show a large variation across geographical regions, it is important to have region-specific reference values.

PMID:33951574 | DOI:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.04.043

Comput Biol Chem. 2021 Mar 29;92:107479. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107479. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Development of protein 3-D structural comparison methods is essential for understanding protein functions. Some amino acids share structural similarities while others vary considerably. These structures determine the chemical and physical properties of amino acids. Grouping amino acids with similar structures potentially improves the ability to identify structurally conserved regions and increases the global structural similarity between proteins. We systematically studied the effects of amino acid grouping on the numbers of Specific/specific, Common/common, and statistically different keys to achieve a better understanding of protein structure relations. Common keys represent substructures found in all types of proteins and Specific keys represent substructures exclusively belonging to a certain type of proteins in a data set. Our results show that applying amino acid grouping to the Triangular Spatial Relationship (TSR)-based method, while computing structural similarity among proteins, improves the accuracy of protein clustering in certain cases. In addition, applying amino acid grouping facilitates the process of identification or discovery of conserved structural motifs. The results from the principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrate that applying amino acid grouping captures slightly more structural variation than when amino acid grouping is not used, indicating that amino acid grouping reduces structure diversity as predicted. The TSR-based method uniquely identifies and discovers binding sites for drugs or interacting proteins. The binding sites of nsp16 of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV that we have defined will aid future antiviral drug design for improving therapeutic outcome. This approach for incorporating the amino acid grouping feature into our structural comparison method is promising and provides a deeper insight into understanding of structural relations of proteins.

PMID:33951604 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107479

J Radiol Prot. 2021 May 5. doi: 10.1088/1361-6498/abfe50. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Several national regulations and good international practices promote the existence of a central register with the results of individual radiological monitoring. In the majority of the countries (Latin American region), dosimetry data were neither harmonized, nor managed by a unique database, therefore the possibility of using such data, for proper characterization of the radiological conditions, integrally at national level, in a territory or a sector, and by practices or occupational categories, was very limited. All these considerations justified the need for developing a prototype of National Dose Register (NDR) for Latin America. The main objectives were the strengthening of safety supervision in nuclear applications and the surveillance system for occupational exposure as well as the centralization of personal dosimetry data, compiling all doses evaluated by the different dosimetric service providers. The experience of Cuba and Brazil in the implementation of their national registers was well known and accordingly used as bases to design this software. The first version of the NDR prototype, developed in the Spanish language has been designed, developed, and validated. So far, sixteen countries have started to implement the NDR. The present work describes aspects such as the technical bases of the NDR design, its characteristics, and functionalities. Experience gained during implementation in Latin America is also addressed. Having a common system of dosimetric information management in the region has opened an important space for scientific exchanges between the countries and their competent authorities. The NDR implementation has provided regulatory authorities with a tool that permits the verification of the level of compliance with dose limits and restrictions, as well as to carry out statistics assessments of the results of individual radiological surveillance that may permit evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of radiation protection programs implemented in the practices and to contribute to their optimization.

PMID:33951614 | DOI:10.1088/1361-6498/abfe50

Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 May 2:S0890-5096(21)00369-1. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.018. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous studies, mainly from the United States, have reported worse outcomes from lower limb bypass procedures in ethnic minority populations. Limited nationwide data are available from ethnic minority populations from Europe. The aim of this study is to investigate outcomes from lower limb bypass procedures in ethnic minorities from England.

METHODS: We enquired the “Hospital Episode Statistics” database, using ICD-10 codes to identify all cases of femoral-popliteal bypass operations from English NHS Hospitals from 01/01/2006 to 31/12/2015. Every case was followed up for 2 years for subsequent events. The primary outcomes were mortality and major leg amputation. Patients were broadly categorised according to Black, Asian and White ethnicity. Chi-square test was used to the ethnic groups and odds ratios (OR) were calculated using White ethnic group with the largest numbers of participants as a reference category.

RESULTS: In the examined 10-year period, 20825 femoral-popliteal bypass procedures (250 of Black, 167 of Asian, and 20.408 of White ethnicity) were recorded. Thirty-day and 2-year mortality were 2.8% and 16.8% with no significant ethnic differences. Patients of Black ethnicity had higher risk of limb loss compared to Whites (23.2% vs 15.6%, OR =1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.19, p<0.01). There was no significant difference in amputation rates between Asians and Whites (16.2% vs 15.6%, p=0.94).

CONCLUSION: Patients of Black ethnicity are at higher risk of limb loss after a femoropopliteal bypass procedure. Further research is needed to identify the causes of this discrepancy.

PMID:33951529 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.018

Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 May 2:S0890-5096(21)00373-3. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.022. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is commonly used in outcome studies to adjust for patient comorbid conditions but has not been specifically validated for use in acute embolic lower limb ischaemia (AELLI).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to access whether a high CCI score unadjusted (CCIu) and adjusted (CCIa) by age relates to major amputation and mortality after a first episode of AELLI.

METHODS: The last 100 patients presenting with the first event of AELLI submitted to embolectomy at our Vascular Surgery Department were retrospectively evaluated. Patient characteristics, pre- and post-operative period variables were collected and CCIu and CCIa calculated. Survival predictors were analyzed using Cox regression. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curves was calculated to validate and determine the discriminating ability of CCIu and CCIa in predicting amputation rate and 30-day mortality. Youden index was used to determine the critical value. Survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier method and differences between survival curves were tested with Log-Rank test. A p value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The mean age was 80.03±10.776 years and the mean follow-up 19.28±7.929 months. Amputation rate was 16%, 30-day mortality 21% and long-term mortality 42%. Patients with CCIu≥3 compared with patients with CCIu<3 had higher amputation rate (37.5% vs. 1.7%; OR:35.400), 30-day mortality (47.5% vs. 3.3%; OR:35.400) and global mortality (p=.00). Also, patients with CCIa≥6 compared with patients with CCIa<6 had higher amputation rate (34.1% vs. 1.8%; OR:28.488), 30-day mortality (47.7% vs. 0.0%) and global mortality (p=.00). Multivariate analysis showed that both CCIu and CCIa were independent predictors of amputation rate and 30-day mortality.

CONCLUSION: CCIu and CCIa have proven to be good predictors of amputation rate and survival, thus being a valuable prognostic factor in patients presenting with the first event of AELLI.

PMID:33951526 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.022

Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 May 2:S0890-5096(21)00370-8. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.019. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Vascular surgeons treating patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) must make rapid treatment decisions and sometimes lack immediate access to endovascular devices meeting the anatomic specifications of the patient at hand. We hypothesized that endovascular treatment of rAAA (rEVAR) outside manufacturer instructions-for-use (IFU) guidelines would have similar in-hospital mortality compared to patients treated on-IFU or with an infrarenal clamp during open repair (rOAR).

METHODS: Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) datasets for endovascular and open aortic repair were queried for patients presenting with ruptured infrarenal AAA between 2013-2018. Graft-specific IFU criteria were correlated with case-specific proximal neck dimension data to classify rEVAR cases as on- or off-IFU. Univariate comparisons between the on- and off-IFU groups were performed for demographic, operative and in-hospital outcome variables. To investigate mortality differences between rEVAR and rOAR approaches, coarsened exact matching was used to match patients receiving off-IFU rEVAR with those receiving complex rEVAR (requiring at least one visceral stent or scallop) or rOAR with infrarenal, suprarenal or supraceliac clamps. A multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS: 621 patients were treated with rEVAR, with 65% classified as on-IFU and 35% off-IFU. The off-IFU group was more frequently female (25% vs. 18%, p=0.05) and had larger aneurysms (76 vs. 72 mm, p=0.01) but otherwise was not statistically different from the on-IFU cohort. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients treated off-IFU vs. on-IFU (22% vs 14%, p=0.02). Off-IFU rEVAR was associated with longer operative times (135 min vs 120 min, p=0.004) and increased intraoperative blood product utilization (2 units vs. 1 unit, p=0.002). When off-IFU patients were matched to complex rEVAR and rOAR patients, no baseline differences were found between the groups. Overall in-hospital complications associated with off-IFU were reduced compared to more complex strategies (43% vs. 60-81%, p<0.001) and in-hospital mortality was significantly lower for off-IFU rEVAR patients compared to the supraceliac clamp group (18% vs 38%, p=0.006). However, there was no significantly increased mortality associated with complex rEVAR, infrarenal rOAR or suprarenal rOAR compared to off-IFU rEVAR (all P>0.05). This finding persisted in a multivariate logistic regression.

CONCLUSIONS: Off-IFU rEVAR yields inferior in-hospital survival compared to on-IFU rEVAR but remains associated with reduced in-hospital complications when compared with more complex repair strategies. When compared with matched patients undergoing rOAR with an infrarenal or suprarenal clamp, survival was no different from off-IFU rEVAR. Taken together with the growing available evidence suggesting reduced long-term durability of off-IFU EVAR, these data suggest that a patient’s comorbidity burden should be key in making the decision to pursue off-IFU rEVAR over a more complex repair when proximal neck violations are anticipated preoperatively.

PMID:33951521 | DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2021.04.019