Natural History of Artificial Urinary Sphincter Erosion: Long-term Lower Urinary Tract Outcomes and Incontinence Management.

OBJECTIVE: To describe long-term lower urinary tract outcomes and incontinence management after AUS erosion, including risk factors associated with each outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained AUS database for men undergoing device explantation for urethral erosion from January 1, 1986 to October 10, 2023. Outcomes included development of urethral stricture and management of post-explant incontinence (eg, pads/clamp, catheter, salvage AUS, supravesical diversion). Risk factors were tested for association with stricture formation and repeat AUS erosion using logistic regression. RESULTS: Around 1943 unique patients underwent AUS implantation during the study period, and 217 (11%) had a device explantation for urethral erosion. Of these, 194 had complete records available and were included for analysis. Median follow-up from implantation was 7.5 years (IQR 2.7-13.7) and median time to erosion was 2 yrs (IQR 0-6). Ninety-six patients (49%) underwent salvage AUS placement. Of those, 38/96 (40%) were explanted for subsequent erosion. On multivariable analysis, no factors were significantly associated with risk of salvage AUS erosion. On multivariable model, pelvic radiation (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.0-7.4) and urethral reapproximation during explant for erosion (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.5-11.2) were significantly associated with increased risk of urethral stricture (P <.05). At the time of last follow-up, 69/194 (36%) patients had a functioning salvage AUS, including both initial and subsequent salvage implants. CONCLUSION: Following AUS erosion, radiation history and urethral reapproximation at explantation were risk factors for development of urethral stricture. Salvage AUS replacement can be performed, but has a higher rate of repeat urethral erosion.

Automated surgical step recognition in transurethral bladder tumor resection using artificial intelligence: transfer learning across surgical modalities.

Objective: Automated surgical step recognition (SSR) using AI has been a catalyst in the "digitization" of surgery. However, progress has been limited to laparoscopy, with relatively few SSR tools in endoscopic surgery. This study aimed to create a SSR model for transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT), leveraging a novel application of transfer learning to reduce video dataset requirements. Materials and methods: Retrospective surgical videos of TURBT were manually annotated with the following steps of surgery: primary endoscopic evaluation, resection of bladder tumor, and surface coagulation. Manually annotated videos were then utilized to train a novel AI computer vision algorithm to perform automated video annotation of TURBT surgical video, utilizing a transfer-learning technique to pre-train on laparoscopic procedures. Accuracy of AI SSR was determined by comparison to human annotations as the reference standard. Results: A total of 300 full-length TURBT videos (median 23.96 min; IQR 14.13-41.31 min) were manually annotated with sequential steps of surgery. One hundred and seventy-nine videos served as a training dataset for algorithm development, 44 for internal validation, and 77 as a separate test cohort for evaluating algorithm accuracy. Overall accuracy of AI video analysis was 89.6%. Model accuracy was highest for the primary endoscopic evaluation step (98.2%) and lowest for the surface coagulation step (82.7%). Conclusion: We developed a fully automated computer vision algorithm for high-accuracy annotation of TURBT surgical videos. This represents the first application of transfer-learning from laparoscopy-based computer vision models into surgical endoscopy, demonstrating the promise of this approach in adapting to new procedure types.

The "Minimal-Touch" Technique for Artificial Urinary Sphincter Placement: Description and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to describe "minimal-touch" technique for primary artificial urinary sphincter placement and evaluate early device outcomes by comparing it with a historical cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients who underwent primary artificial urinary sphincter placement at our institution from 1983 to 2020. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the rate of postoperative device infection in patients who underwent minimal touch versus those who underwent our traditional technique. RESULTS: 526/2601 total procedures (20%) were performed using our "minimal-touch" approach, including 271/1554 patients (17%) who underwent primary artificial urinary sphincter placement over the study period. Around 2.3% of patients experienced device infection after artificial urinary sphincter procedures. In the "minimal-touch" era, 3/526 patients (0.7%) experienced device infection, including 1/271 (0.4%) of those with primary artificial urinary sphincter placement. In comparison, 46/2075 patients (2.7%) experienced device infection using the historical approach, with 29/1283 (2.3%) of primary artificial urinary sphincter placements resulting in removal for infection. Notably, 90% of device infections occurred within the first 6 months after primary placement. The difference in cumulative incidence of device infections at 12 months did not meet our threshold for statistical significance for either the total cohort of all AUS procedures (primary and revision) or the sub-group of only those patients undergoing primary artificial urinary sphincter placement (Gray K-sample test; P=.13 and .21, respectively). CONCLUSION: The "minimal-touch" approach for artificial urinary sphincter placement represents an easy-to-implement modification with potential implications on device outcomes. While early results appear promising, longer-term follow-up with greater statistical power is needed to determine whether this approach will lower the infection risk.

Emerging Nonpharmacologic Interventions to Treat Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Significance: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a complication of metabolic syndrome, type I and type II diabetes, leads to sensory changes that include slow nerve conduction, nerve degeneration, loss of sensation, pain, and gate disturbances. These complications remain largely untreatable, although tight glycemic control can prevent neuropathy progression. Nonpharmacologic approaches remain the most impactful to date, but additional advances in treatment approaches are needed. Recent Advances: This review highlights several emerging interventions, including a focus on dietary interventions and physical activity, that continue to show promise for treating DPN. We provide an overview of our current understanding of how exercise can improve aspects of DPN. We also highlight new studies in which a ketogenic diet has been used as an intervention to prevent and reverse DPN. Critical Issues: Both exercise and consuming a ketogenic diet induce systemic and cellular changes that collectively improve complications associated with DPN. Both interventions may involve similar signaling pathways and benefits but also impact DPN through unique mechanisms. Future Directions: These lifestyle interventions are critically important as personalized medicine approaches will likely be needed to identify specific subsets of neuropathy symptoms and deficits in patients, and determine the most impactful treatment. Overall, these two interventions have the potential to provide meaningful relief for patients with DPN and provide new avenues to identify new therapeutic targets.

The Wisdom of the Crowd: Reliable Deep Reinforcement Learning Through Ensembles of Q-Functions.

Reinforcement learning (RL) agents learn by exploring the environment and then exploiting what they have learned. This frees the human trainers from having to know the preferred action or intrinsic value of each encountered state. The cost of this freedom is that RL is slower and more unstable than supervised learning. We explore the possibility that ensemble methods can remedy these shortcomings by investigating a novel technique which harnesses the wisdom of crowds by combining Q-function approximator estimates utilizing a simple combination scheme similar to the supervised learning approach known as bagging. Bagging approaches have not yet found widespread adoption in the RL literature nor has a comprehensive look at its performance been performed. Our results show that the proposed approach improves all three tasks and RL approaches attempted. The primary contribution of this work is a demonstration that the improvement is a direct result of the increased stability of the action portion of the state-action-value function. Subsequent experimentation demonstrates that the stability in learning allows an actor-critic method to find more efficient solutions. Finally we show that this approach can be used to decrease the amount of time necessary to solve problems which require a deep Q-learning (DQN) approach.

A comparison of artificial urinary sphincter outcomes after primary implantation and first revision surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) is the gold standard for severe male stress urinary incontinence, though evaluations of specific predictors for device outcomes are sparse. We sought to compare outcomes between primary and revision AUS surgery for non-infectious failures. METHODS: We identified 2045 consecutive AUS surgeries at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) from 1983 to 2013. Of these, 1079 were primary AUS implantations and 281 were initial revision surgeries, which comprised our study group. Device survival rates, including overall and specific rates for device infection/erosion, urethral atrophy and mechanical failure, were compared between primary AUS placements versus revision surgeries. Patient follow-up was obtained through office examination, written correspondence, or telephone correspondence. RESULTS: During the study period, 1079 (79.3%) patients had a primary AUS placement and 281 (20.7%) patients underwent a first revision surgery for mechanical failure or urethral atrophy. Patients undergoing revision surgery were found to have adverse 1- and 5-year AUS device survival on Kaplan-Meier analysis, 90% vs. 85% and 74% vs. 61%, respectively (p<0.001). Specifically, revision surgery was associated with a significantly increased cumulative incidence of explantation for device infection/urethral erosion (4.2% vs. 7.5% at 1 year; p=0.02), with similar rates of repeat surgery for mechanical failure (p=0.43) and urethral atrophy (p=0.77). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a significantly higher rate of overall device failure following revision AUS surgery, which is likely secondary to an increased rate of infection/urethral erosion events.

National Patterns of Filled Prescriptions and Third-Line Treatment Utilization for Privately Insured Women With Overactive Bladder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate national patterns of care for women with overactive bladder (OAB) in an administrative data set and identify potential areas for improvement. METHODS: We performed an analysis using the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, which contains deidentified administrative claims data from a large national US health insurance plan. The study included women, older than 18 years, with a new OAB diagnosis from January 1, 2007, to June 30, 2017. We excluded those with an underlying neurologic etiology, with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, were pregnant, or did not have continuous enrollment for 12 months before and after OAB diagnosis. Trends in management were assessed via the Cochran-Armitage test. Time to discontinuation among medications was compared using t test. RESULTS: Of 1.4 million women in the database during the study time frame, 60,246 (4%) were included in the study. Median age was 61 years [interquartile range (IQR), 50-73], and median follow-up was 2.6 years (IQR, 1.6-4.2). Overall, 37% were treated with anticholinergics, 5% with beta-3 agonists, 7% with topical estrogen, and 2% with pelvic floor physical therapy; 26% saw a specialist; and 2% underwent third-line therapy. Median time to cessation of prescription filling was longer for beta-3 agonists versus anticholinergics [median, 4.1 months (IQR, 1-15) vs 3.6 months (IQR, 1-10); P < 0.0001]. Use of third-line therapies significantly increased over the study time frame, from 1.1% to 2.2% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the patients do not continue filling prescriptions for OAB medications, and a minority of patients were referred for specialty evaluation. Although third-line therapy use is increasing, it is used in a small proportion of women with OAB. Given these patterns, there may be underutilization of specialist referral and other OAB therapies.

Noninitiation of Discharge Medications After Revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Timely initiation of medication therapy after a cardiovascular event is vital to achieve optimal patient outcomes, yet there is a lack of insight on the frequency and predictors of discharge medications that are delayed or never initiated. OBJECTIVES: To (a) describe how frequently patients do not fill newly prescribed discharge medications within 30 days after revascularization and (b) identify predictors of patients who did not fill their new medications. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective analysis was conducted of patients discharged after percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting. Discharge prescriptions were linked to pharmacy claims data to identify medications that were not filled within 30 days of discharge. RESULTS: 1,206 patients and their 5,253 discharge medications were included for study. More than one third of patients did not fill at least 1 discharge medication within 30 days (466/1,206, 38.6%); nearly 1 in 10 (116/1,206, 9.6%) did not fill any of their discharge prescriptions. Significant predictors of nonadherence included longer length of stay and higher number of prescribed discharge medications (both P values < 0.05). The largest classes of unfilled medications included insulin, factor Xa inhibitors, and narcotic analgesics. CONCLUSIONS: Noninitiation is a common issue among patients after cardiac revascularization. These patients may be at a higher risk of not filling their medications if they experience longer lengths of stay or are prescribed a higher number of medications at discharge. DISCLOSURES: This work was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number U54-GM104941 (PI: Binder-Macleod). The sponsor had no connection with Surescripts and no role in the study design, data analysis, interpretation of results, or development of this manuscript. Glasgow reports personal fees from Burroughs Group, outside the submitted work. The other authors have nothing to disclose. Preliminary results from this work were presented as a poster presentation at the 2018 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting; June 24-26, 2018; Seattle, WA.

Long-term device survival and quality of life outcomes following artificial urinary sphincter placement.

BACKGROUND: Artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement is the standard for treatment of severe male stress urinary incontinence (SUI). While there is evidence to suggest satisfactory device survival, there is a paucity of data addressing long-term quality of life outcomes. METHODS: We identified patients who underwent primary AUS placement from 1983 to 2016. We assessed rates of secondary surgery (overall, device infection/erosion, urethral atrophy, malfunction) and factors associated with these endpoints. Quality of life was evaluated by pad usage and Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) at various time points from primary surgery. Follow-up was obtained in clinic or by phoned/mailed correspondence. RESULTS: During the study time frame, 1,154 patients were eligible and included in the analysis. Patients had a median age of 70 years (IQR, 65-75 years) and median follow up of 5.4 years (IQR, 1.6-10.5 years). Overall device survival was 72% at 5 years, 56% at 10 years, 41% at 15 years, and 33% at 20 years. On univariate analysis, variables associated with need for secondary surgery were prior cryotherapy (HR 2.7; 95% CI, 1.6-4.6; P<0.01) or radiation therapy (HR 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7; P=0.01). On multivariable analysis, only cryotherapy remained significantly associated with this endpoint (HR 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.2; P<0.01). While 36% and 23% of patients 5-10 years out from surgery and >10 years out from surgery, respectively, reported using a security pad or less per day, 78% and 81% of those patients, respectively, reported their PGI-I as at least "much better". CONCLUSIONS: AUS placement has excellent long-term outcomes, and is associated with sustained improvement in patient quality of life.

The impact of prior external beam radiation therapy on device outcomes following artificial urinary sphincter revision surgery.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports on the effect of radiation therapy on primary artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) device survival have met with conflicting results, and data evaluating this after revision surgery is sparse. Thus, we evaluated AUS device outcomes after revision surgery, and compared them among individuals who did versus did not undergo prior radiation therapy. METHODS: A database of patients who underwent AUS revision surgery at our institution was used to perform a retrospective review. Device survival endpoints, including overall survival, infection/erosion, urethral atrophy, and device malfunction were evaluated. Overall device survival (i.e., any repeat surgery) was compared between groups, stratified by external beam radiation status, via Kaplan-Meier method. Proportional hazard regression and competing risk analysis were used to evaluate association between prior radiation therapy and device outcomes. RESULTS: From 1983 to 2016, a total of 527 patients underwent AUS revision surgery. Of these, 173 (33%) patients had undergone prior radiation therapy. Patients with prior radiation therapy were more likely to have diabetes mellitus (22% vs. 14%; P=0.05), hypertension (71% vs. 56%; P<0.01), previous vesicourethral anastomotic stenosis (41% vs. 19%; P<0.0001), as well as prior androgen deprivation therapy (26% vs. 6%; P<0.0001). Overall, there was not enough evidence to support the existence of a significant difference in device survival among patients with or without a history of radiotherapy, with 1- and 5-year-overall survival of 84% vs. 85% and 51% vs. 64%, respectively (P=0.07). On competing risk analysis, a history of pelvic radiation therapy was not enough evidence to support a significant association with the risk of device infection/erosion, mechanical failure, or urethral atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: There was not enough evidence of a difference in the rate of device erosion or infection, cuff atrophy, malfunction, or overall device survival following AUS revision surgery between patients with and without a history of pelvic radiation. These findings may be helpful when counseling patients regarding outcomes after AUS revision.

Spatiotemporal Tracking of Brain-Tumor-Associated Myeloid Cells in Vivo through Optical Coherence Tomography with Plasmonic Labeling and Speckle Modulation.

By their nature, tumors pose a set of profound challenges to the immune system with respect to cellular recognition and response coordination. Recent research indicates that leukocyte subpopulations, especially tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), can exert substantial influence on the efficacy of various cancer immunotherapy treatment strategies. To better study and understand the roles of TAMs in determining immunotherapeutic outcomes, significant technical challenges associated with dynamically monitoring single cells of interest in relevant live animal models of solid tumors must be overcome. However, imaging techniques with the requisite combination of spatiotemporal resolution, cell-specific contrast, and sufficient signal-to-noise at increasing depths in tissue are exceedingly limited. Here we describe a method to enable high-resolution, wide-field, longitudinal imaging of TAMs based on speckle-modulating optical coherence tomography (SM-OCT) and spectral scattering from an optimized contrast agent. The approach's improvements to OCT detection sensitivity and noise reduction enabled high-resolution OCT-based observation of individual cells of a specific host lineage in live animals. We found that large gold nanorods (LGNRs) that exhibit a narrow-band, enhanced scattering cross-section can selectively label TAMs and activate microglia in an in vivo orthotopic murine model of glioblastoma multiforme. We demonstrated near real-time tracking of the migration of cells within these myeloid subpopulations. The intrinsic spatiotemporal resolution, imaging depth, and contrast sensitivity reported herein may facilitate detailed studies of the fundamental behaviors of TAMs and other leukocytes at the single-cell level in vivo, including intratumoral distribution heterogeneity and roles in modulating cancer proliferation.

Reoperation for Urinary Incontinence After Retropubic and Transobturator Sling Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reoperation rates for recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after retropubic and transobturator sling procedures. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent midurethral sling procedures at a single institution for primary SUI between 2002 and 2012. To minimize bias, women in the two groups were matched on age, body mass index, isolated compared with combined procedure, and preoperative diagnosis. The primary outcome was defined as reoperation for recurrent SUI. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative complications and mesh-related complications requiring reoperation after the index sling procedure. RESULTS: We identified 1,881 women who underwent a sling procedure for primary SUI-1,551 retropubic and 330 transobturator. There was no difference between groups in any of the evaluated baseline variables in the covariate-matched cohort of 570 with retropubic slings and 317 with transobturator slings; results herein are based on the covariate-matched cohort. Women undergoing a transobturator sling procedure had an increased risk of reoperation for recurrent SUI compared with women undergoing a retropubic sling procedure (hazard ratio 2.42, 95% CI 1.37-4.29). The cumulative incidence of reoperation for recurrent SUI by 8 years was 5.2% (95% CI 3.0-7.4%) in the retropubic group and 11.2% (95% CI 6.4-15.8%) in the transobturator group. Women in the retropubic group had a significantly higher rate of intraoperative complications compared with women in the transobturator group (13.7% [78/570] vs 4.7% [15/317]; difference=9.0%, 95% CI for difference 5.3-12.6%); the majority of this difference was due to bladder perforation (7.0% [40/570] vs 0.6% [2/317]; difference=6.4%, 95% CI for difference 4.1-8.7%). The cumulative incidence of sling revision for urinary retention plateaued at 3.2% and 0.4% by 5 years in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Women with primary SUI treated with a retropubic sling procedure have significantly lower cumulative incidence of reoperation for recurrent SUI compared with women who were treated with a transobturator sling procedure. Retropubic slings were associated with a higher risk of sling revision for urinary retention.

Impact of care coordination based on insurance and zip code.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether a care transitions program, Bridges, differentially reduced rehospitalizations among patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on insurance status and zip code poverty level. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort. METHODS: We examined data from a single health system in Delaware, collected as part of a care transitions program for patients who underwent PCI from 2012 to 2015 compared with an unmatched historical control cohort from 2010 to 2011. Socioeconomic status was assessed by insurance status and zip code-level poverty data. Patients were divided into tertiles based on the proportion of their zip code of residence living under 100% of the federal poverty level. Rehospitalization rates were analyzed by negative binomial regression and included interaction terms to examine differential effects of Bridges by insurance and poverty level. RESULTS: There were 4638 patients representing 5710 hospitalizations: 3212 in the historical control and 2498 in the Bridges cohort. Among patients with Medicaid who received the Bridges intervention, those living in the wealthiest zip codes were 15.5% less likely to be rehospitalized than patients with Medicare and 9.4% less likely than patients with commercial insurance (P = .04). However, patients with Medicaid who lived in the poorest zip codes and those with dual Medicare/Medicaid status had higher rates of rehospitalization post intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The Bridges intervention was associated with improved rehospitalization rates for Medicaid patients compared with those with Medicare or commercial insurance within Delaware's wealthier communities. Care transitions programs may differentially affect Medicaid patients based on the wealth of the communities in which they reside.

Evaluating the impact of radiation therapy on patient quality of life following primary artificial urinary sphincter placement.

BACKGROUND: The impact of prior radiation therapy on patient satisfaction following primary artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement is not well described, therefore our aim was to evaluate the effect of radiation on patient satisfaction among men undergoing primary AUS with and without a history of prior radiation. METHODS: From 1983-2011, 1,082 men underwent primary AUS placement at our institution. Of these, 467 were alive, with an intact primary AUS and invited to participate in a mailed survey assessing AUS status, patient satisfaction, and urinary control. Clinical subjective outcomes were assessed via reported change in urinary control from pre-operative to post-AUS placement. RESULTS: In total, 229/467 (49%) of men with an intact primary AUS completed the survey, with a median follow-up of 8.4 years [interquartile range (IQR) 5.8-11.4]. Of these, 64 men (28%) had a prior history of radiation therapy. Both men with and without history of radiation, reported a high likelihood of electing to have AUS surgery again, 87% vs. 91% respectively (P=0.87), and of recommending AUS surgery to a family member, 86% vs. 93% respectively (P=0.18). There were no significant differences between those with and without prior radiation with regard to rates of reported: substantial improvement in urinary control following surgery (72% vs. 78%, P=0.30), minimal bothersome leakage (57.1% vs. 66%, P=0.31), and pad use ≤1 pad/day (49% vs. 59%, P=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of primary AUS implants with and without prior radiation therapy we noted a high-level of satisfaction and though many patients still utilized 1 or more pads/day with long-term follow-up. Importantly, there was no significant difference in quality of life (QoL) outcomes compared between those with and without prior radiation therapy.

Autologous transobturator sling as an alternative therapy for stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy and outcomes of the autologous transobturator midurethral sling for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, an autologous transobturator mid-urethral sling was used to treat SUI among women attending a university hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay, from June 2017 to July 2018. In the first phase, autologous tissue of the abdominis rectus fascia was collected. In the second phase, the midurethral sling was placed via the transobturator approach. Outcomes were measured every 3 months by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS) Score. Preoperative and postoperative results were compared by Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: Eighteen women with a median age of 51 years were enrolled. The median follow-up was 9 months (range 6-15 months). Overall, 17 women showed symptomatic improvement after the procedure. In a comparison of preoperative versus postoperative ICIQ-FLUTS questionnaires, improvement in the incontinence subscore was observed at 3 (P<0.001), 6 (P<0.001), and 12 (P=0.008) months. No severe complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Use of an autologous transobturator urethral sling was found to be technically feasible and safe for SUI, with good short-term outcomes. Longer follow up and larger series are needed to validate the procedure.

Electric-field enhanced reactivity and migration of iron nanoparticles with implications for groundwater treatment technologies: Proof of concept.

The extensive use of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles for groundwater treatment has been limited, in part, because of their non-selective reactivity and low mobility in aquatic environments. Herein, we describe and explore progressive changes in the reactivity and migration of aqueous dispersed nZVI particles under an applied DC electric field. Due to the applied electric field with an intensity of about 1 V cm-1, the solution oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) remained as low as -200 mV for at least 32 days, which was in agreement with the persistence of the reduced iron species (mainly Fe(II)), and led to substantially prolonged reactivity of the original nZVI. The treatment of chlorinated ethenes (DCE > PCE > TCE) was markedly faster, individual CHC compounds were eliminated with the same kinetics and no lesser-chlorinated intermediates were accumulated, following thus the direct dechlorination scheme. When nZVI-dispersion flows towards the anode through vertical laboratory columns filled with quartz sand, significant enhancement of nZVI migration was recorded because of lower extent of nanoparticle aggregation and increased repulsion forces between the nanoparticles and the surface of silica dioxide. The results of this study have significant consequences for groundwater remediation, mainly for the treatment of slowly degradable DCE in real CHC contaminated groundwater, where it could improve the reactivity, the longevity and the migration of nZVI particles.

How informed is our consent? Patient awareness of radiation and radical prostatectomy complications.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient's recall of pretreatment counseling for radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients presenting to our reconstructive urology clinic for the management of the complications of prostate cancer treatment was conducted over 24 months. Patients treated with only surgery or radiotherapy were included in the study. Patients were asked a standard series of questions to assess their recall of their pre-prostate cancer treatment counseling. RESULTS: We identified 206 patients that met inclusion criteria. Of those, 153 underwent radical prostatectomy and 53 patients received radiation therapy. Median age at presentation was 72 years in the surgery group and 75 in the radiation therapy group. Mean time since treatment was 8.8 years in those that recalled being counseled and 9.9 years in those who did not (p=0.21). In the surgery group, the adverse effects experienced by 119 (77.8%) patients recalled, and counselled were related to the risk of treatment. In the surgical patients that had records with documentation of pretreatment counseling, 41/48 (85.4%) endorsed recall. In the surgery group, 117 (76.5%) stated that their treating physician was aware of their complication. In the radiation group, 5 patients (9.4%) endorsed recall (p<0.0001). In the subgroup of radiation patients with documentation of pre-treatment counseling, no patients endorsed recall. In the surgery group, 117 (76.5%) patients stated that their treating physicians were aware of their complication, while in the radiation group, only 16 (30.2%) of treating physicians were aware of the complications (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Patient recall of potential complications of prostate cancer treatment is poor. It's unclear if this is secondary to poor recall, selective memory loss or inadequate counseling.

Bacterial Cultures at the Time of Artificial Urinary Sphincter Revision Surgery in Clinically Uninfected Devices: A Contemporary Series.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the rate of bacterial colonization in artificial urinary sphincters during revision surgery for noninfectious etiologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated bacterial culture swab data on all explanted artificial urinary sphincter components (cuff, pump and reservoir) in patients who underwent revision surgery between February 2016 and July 2018. Those treated with revision for infection or erosion were excluded from study. Patient demographic variables were assessed to identify factors associated with colonization. RESULTS: Cultures were obtained from 200 components, including 86 cuffs, 56 pumps and 58 reservoirs among the total of 80 patients. The etiology of revision included urethral atrophy in 31 cases (39%) and mechanical failure in 49 (52%). Median time after prior artificial urinary sphincter placement was 4.3 years (IQR 2-9). Median operative time was 37.5 minutes (IQR 32-46). All components were explanted and replaced in 55 patients (69%) and a single component was replaced in 23 (28%). Positive culture swabs were identified in 37 of the 200 components (19%), including 25 of 86 cuffs (29%), 7 of 56 pumps (13%) and 5 of 58 reservoirs (9%). Of the 80 patients 31 (39%) had at least 1 positive component culture and were more likely to have a history of radiation (65% vs 33%, p = 0.006). Identified organisms included Staphylococcus species in 57% of cases, Propionibacterium in 10% and Aerococcus in 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Positive artificial urinary sphincter component bacterial swab cultures were found in 39% of patients undergoing artificial urinary sphincter revision in the absence of clinical infection. Those with positive cultures were more likely to have a history of pelvic radiation. These results suggest that bacterial colonization of organisms with low virulence may not lead to device infection.