A novel corporoplasty technique with a urethral plate flap in hypospadias repair.

OBJECTIVES: To report a novel corporoplasty technique with a urethral plate flap in hypospadias repair and evaluate its safety and efficacy for ventral lengthening. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from consecutive patients with hypospadias who underwent urethral plate flap corporoplasty between July 2021 and March 2022. All patients underwent hypospadias repair using the Duckett technique. The corporoplasty procedure involved the following key steps: the half-spongiosum of the urethral plate was harvested as a flap (with a pedicle attached to the corpus cavernosum); a transverse incision of the tunica albuginea was made adjacent to the pedicle; and the flap was patched onto the corporal defect. RESULTS: The study included 10 patients, with a median age of 20 months. The initial meatal location was penile in two patients, penoscrotal in four patients, and scrotal in four patients. The median ventral curvature was 45° after degloving and urethral plate transection. The median ventral lengthening distance proportional to penis length was 0.21. During the median follow-up of 13.8 months, complications occurred in three cases, including two cases of fistula and one case of urethral stricture with secondary diverticulum. No cases of recurrent ventral curvature, meatal stenosis, or urethral dehiscence were noted. Postoperative ultrasonography showed a good continuation of the tunica albuginea and integrity of the stratum spongiosum at the corporoplasty site. CONCLUSIONS: Urethral plate flap corporoplasty is a simple and effective ventral lengthening procedure. The novel corporoplasty technique allows for anatomical and architectural repair of corporal disproportion.

Bamboo leaf extract improves spatial learning ability in a rat model with senile dementia.

Senile dementia (SD) is a syndrome characterized by progressive neurological deterioration. Treatment for the disease is still under investigation. Bamboo leaf extract (B-extract) has been known for its biological efficacy in anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities. However, study on B-extract for its protection against dementia is very limited. The effect of B-extract on a rat model with SD was examined. B-extract improved spatial learning ability of the dementia rats. The hippocampus of dementia model rats showed reduced levels of acetylcholine (ACh), epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA), and increased activities of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO). Treatment with B-extract 20 mg/(kg·d) for 7 weeks significantly inhibited the enzyme activity compared with untreated dementia rats, and raised the levels of ACh, E, and DA in the hippocampus. In addition, treatment with B-extract elevated the level of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), but reduced the level of glutamate (Glu) in the brain. These data suggest that B-extract might be a potential drug in treating impairment of spatial memory in dementia rats by regulating the central neurotransmitter function.