Concomitant CIS on TURBT does not impact oncological outcomes in patients treated with neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer improves all-cause and cancer specific survival. We aimed to evaluate whether the detection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) at the time of initial transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) has an oncological impact on the response to NAC prior to radical cystectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were identified retrospectively from 19 centers who received at least three cycles of NAC or induction chemotherapy for cT2-T4aN0-3M0 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder followed by radical cystectomy between 2000 and 2013. The primary and secondary outcomes were pathological response and overall survival, respectively. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine the independent predictive value of CIS on these outcomes. RESULTS: Of 1213 patients included in the analysis, 21.8% had concomitant CIS. Baseline clinical and pathologic characteristics of the 'CIS' versus 'no-CIS' groups were similar. The pathological response did not differ between the two arms when response was defined as pT0N0 (17.9% with CIS vs 21.9% without CIS; p = 0.16) which may indicate that patients with CIS may be less sensitive to NAC or ≤ pT1N0 (42.8% with CIS vs 37.8% without CIS; p = 0.15). On Cox regression model for overall survival for the cN0 cohort, the presence of CIS was not associated with survival (HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.63-1.18; p = 0.35). The presence of LVI (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.01-1.96; p = 0.04), hydronephrosis (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.23-2.16; p = 0.001) and use of chemotherapy other than ddMVAC (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34-0.94; p = 0.03) were associated with shorter overall survival. For the whole cohort, the presence of CIS was also not associated with survival (HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.82-1.35; p = 0.70). CONCLUSION: In this multicenter, real-world cohort, CIS status at TURBT did not affect pathologic response to neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy. This study is limited by its retrospective nature as well as variability in chemotherapy regimens and surveillance regimens.

Urinary cytology and the Paris system for reporting urinary cytology: Implications for urological management.

By reducing the rate of indeterminate (atypical) diagnoses and standardising reporting terminology, The Paris System for Reporting Urine Cytology helps focus the application of cytology towards the detection primarily of high-grade urothelial carcinoma. We present a urology-based perspective of how the new system has influenced clinical decision-making.

Pelvic nerve injury negatively impacts female genital blood flow and induces vaginal fibrosis-implications for human nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to develop a novel animal model to study the impact of nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) on female genital blood flow. DESIGN: In vivo animal study. POPULATION: Thirty Sprague-Dawley female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female rats underwent either unilateral pelvic nerve (PN) crush (PNC; n = 9), or crush of both the PNs and all efferent nerves in the pelvic plexus ('clock-nerve crush', CNC; n = 9). Under anaesthesia, we electrically stimulated the crushed PN at 3 and 10 days after crush while monitoring blood pressure and recording clitoral and vaginal blood flows by laser Doppler. Uninjured PNs were stimulated as an internal control. Twelve additional rats were assigned either to bilateral PNC or sham surgery, and genital tissues were processed 10 days after injury for in vitro analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Genital blood flow, nNOS, eNOS, collagen I-III. RESULTS: Stimulation of the crushed PN in both groups subjected to PNC and CNC induced significantly lower peak genital blood flow at 3 and 10 days (P < 0.05) compared to stimulation of the non-crushed control PN. The immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses revealed that all injured rats exhibited more vaginal collagen III and collagen I than rats did that ad undergone sham surgeries (P < 0.05). PCN reduced nNOS expression in both clitoral and vaginal tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our study it may be hypothesised that NSRH might cause reductions of genital blood flow and vaginal fibrosis due to neurapraxia of the pelvic nerve and reductions of nNOS nerve fibres in clitoral and distal vaginal tissue. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pelvic nerve neurapraxia during nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy could lead to sexual arousal dysfunction.

Nomogram Predicting Bladder Cancer-specific Mortality After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of an International Consortium.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is associated with improved overall and cancer-specific survival. The post-NAC pathological stage has previously been reported to be a major determinant of outcome. OBJECTIVE: To develop a postoperative nomogram for survival based on pathological and clinical parameters from an international consortium. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Between 2000 and 2015, 1866 patients with MIBC were treated at 19 institutions in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Analysis was limited to 640 patients with adequate follow-up who had received three or more cycles of NAC. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: A nomogram for bladder cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) was developed by multivariable Cox regression analysis. Decision curve analysis was used to assess the model's clinical utility. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 640 patients were identified. Downstaging to non-MIBC (ypT1, ypTa, and ypTis) occurred in 271 patients (42 %), and 113 (17 %) achieved a complete response (ypT0N0). The 5-yr BCSM was 47.2 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 41.2-52.6 %). On multivariable analysis, covariates with a statistically significant association with BCSM were lymph node metastasis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.90 [95% CI: 1.4-2.6]; p < 0.001), positive surgical margins (HR 2.01 [95 % CI: 1.3-2.9]; p < 0.001), and pathological stage (with ypT0/Tis/Ta/T1 as reference: ypT2 [HR 2.77 {95 % CI: 1.7-4.6}; p < 0.001] and ypT3-4 [HR 5.9 {95 % CI: 3.8-9.3}; p < 0.001]). The area under the curve of the model predicting 5-yr BCSM after cross validation with 300 bootstraps was 75.4 % (95 % CI: 68.1-82.6 %). Decision curve analyses showed a modest net benefit for the use of the BCSM nomogram in the current cohort compared with the use of American Joint Committee on Cancer staging alone. Limitations include the retrospective study design and the lack of central pathology. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed and internally validated a nomogram predicting BCSM after NAC and radical cystectomy for MIBC. The nomogram will be useful for patient counseling and in the identification of patients at high risk for BCSM suitable for enrollment in clinical trials of adjuvant therapy. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this report, we looked at the outcomes of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer in a large multi-institutional population. We found that we can accurately predict death after radical surgical treatment in patients treated with chemotherapy before surgery. We conclude that the pathological report provides key factors for determining survival probability.

Drug delivery options and therapeutic advances in the management of erectile dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. It is estimated that 20-30% of adult men will have at least one episode of ED during their lifetime and the prevalence increases with age. ED is known to have significant negative psychological implications for men, resulting in impaired functional status and a greater prevalence of anxiety and depression. AREAS COVERED: Medications for the treatment of erectile dysfunction largely revolve around oral, injection, and topical therapies. Though all three modalities are widely used, each delivery option has its own advantages and specific indications. Likewise, there are several new developing treatments for ED that may change the landscape of treatment. The goal of this review is to summarize contemporary drug delivery options used in the treatment of ED and highlight future promising pharmacological developments. EXPERT OPINION: There are a myriad of new developments on the horizon including new PDE5Is and drug targets, nanotechnology enhancements, stem cell and gene therapy, shockwave therapy, and platelet-rich plasma injections. These are all promising new methods to not only treat ED but also to address the pathology and prevent or eliminate further damage.

Mechanistic link between erectile dysfunction and systemic endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetic rats.

Men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and erectile dysfunction (ED) have greater risk of cardiovascular events than T2DM men without ED, suggesting ED as a predictor of cardiovascular events in diabetic men. However, molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in the diabetic penis explaining these clinical observations are not known. We evaluated whether the temporal relationship between ED and endothelial dysfunction in the systemic vasculature in T2DM involves earlier redox imbalance and endothelial nitric oxidase synthase (eNOS) dysfunction in the penis than in the systemic vasculature, such as the carotid artery. Rats were rendered T2DM by high-fat diet for 2 weeks, followed by an injection with low-dose streptozotocin. After 3 weeks, erectile function (intracavernosal pressure) was measured and penes and carotid arteries were collected for molecular analyses of eNOS uncoupling, protein S-glutathionylation, oxidative stress (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-HNE), protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunit gp91(phox) , endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the carotid artery, and non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC)-mediated cavernosal relaxation. Erectile response to electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve and NANC-mediated cavernosal relaxation was decreased (p < 0.05), while relaxation of the carotid artery to acetylcholine was not impaired in T2DM rats. eNOS monomerization, protein expressions of 4-HNE and gp91(phox) , and protein S-glutathionylation, were increased (p < 0.05) in the penis, but not in the carotid artery, of T2DM compared to non-diabetic rats. In conclusion, redox imbalance, increased oxidative stress by NADPH oxidase, and eNOS uncoupling, occur early in T2DM in the penis, but not in the carotid artery. These molecular changes contribute to T2DM ED, while vascular function in the systemic vasculature remains preserved.

In vivo gene transfer of prepro-calcitonin gene-related peptide to the lung attenuates chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in the mouse.

BACKGROUND: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is believed to play an important role in maintaining low pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and in modulating pulmonary vascular responses to chronic hypoxia; however, the effects of adenovirally mediated gene transfer of CGRP on the response to hypoxia are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the present study, an adenoviral vector encoding prepro-CGRP (AdRSVCGRP) was used to examine the effects of in vivo gene transfer of CGRP on increases in PVR, right ventricular mass (RVM), and pulmonary vascular remodeling that occur in chronic hypoxia in the mouse. Intratracheal administration of AdRSVCGRP, followed by 16 days of chronic hypoxia (FIO(2) 0.10), increased lung CGRP and cAMP levels. The increase in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), PVR, RVM, and pulmonary vascular remodeling in response to chronic hypoxia was attenuated in animals overexpressing prepro-CGRP, whereas systemic pressure was not altered while in chronically hypoxic mice, angiotensin II and endothelin-1-induced increases in PAP were reduced, whereas decreases in PAP in response to CGRP and adrenomedullin were not changed and decreases in PAP in response to a cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor were enhanced by AdRSVCGRP. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo CGRP lung gene transfer attenuates the increase in PVR and RVM, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and pressor responses in chronically hypoxic mice, suggesting that CGRP gene transfer alone and with a cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor may be useful for the treatment of pulmonary hypertensive disorders.

Pharmacotherapy for erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the consistent inability to obtain or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual relations. An estimated 20-30 million men suffer from some degree of sexual dysfunction. The past 20 years of research on erectile physiology have increased our understanding of the biochemical factors and intracellular mechanisms responsible for corpus cavernosal smooth muscle contraction and relaxation, and revealed that ED is predominantly a disease of vascular origin. Since the advent of sildenafil (Viagra), there has been a resurgence of interest in ED, and an increase in patients presenting with this disease. A thorough knowledge of the physiology of erection is essential for future pharmacological innovations in the field of male ED.

Gene and stem cell therapy for erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to attain and/or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. ED is a highly prevalent health problem with considerable impact on the quality of life of men and their partners. Although the treatment of ED with oral phosphodiesterase type V (PDE5) inhibitors is effective in a wide range of individuals, it is not efficacious in all patients. The failure of PDE5 inhibitors happens mainly in men with diabetes, non-nerve sparing radical prostatectomy, and high disease severity. Therefore, improved therapies based on a better understanding of the fundamental issues in erectile physiology and pathophysiology have recently been proposed. Here, we summarize studies on ED treatment using gene and stem cell therapies. Adenoviral-mediated intracavernosal transfer of therapeutic genes, such as endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and RhoA/Rho kinase and mesenchymal stem cell-based cell and gene therapy strategy for the treatment of age- and diabetes-related ED are the focus of this review.

Inflatable penile prosthesis technique and outcomes after radial forearm free flap neophalloplasty.

The aim of this study was to describe the technical aspects and short-term outcomes of inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation after neophallus reconstruction at a single institution. Nine men with previously constructed radial forearm neophalli underwent IPP implantation. The etiologies of their penile anomaly were bladder exstrophy complex in five, disorder of sexual differentiation in two and genital obliteration secondary to ballistic trauma in two. Median follow-up was 9.6 months (range 1.5-139.7). The records for these patients were retrospectively reviewed and outcomes recorded. Mean age was 23.6 (range 18-31) years, and mean time interval from neophalloplasty to IPP implantation was 22.1 months (range 3-48). In all cases, 3-piece IPPs were employed, with eight of patients having one cylinder implanted in the native corporal body and extending into the neophallus. Mean surgical time was 222 min (range 142-409). Median length of implanted device was 22 cm. No intraoperative complications were observed. At the most recent follow-up, six patients (66.7%) had functional devices, with acceptable surgical outcomes. Three patients (33.3%) sustained device infections, and three (33.3%) sustained cylinder erosion. In three patients in whom neo-tunica albuginea were fashioned by ensheathing the cylinder with allograft human dermal tissue matrix, no erosions occurred. One patient underwent two revisions, the first for the associated erosion and infection and the second for genital pain, and was left with a semi-rigid prosthesis. IPP implantation affords the best opportunity for functionality for patients with a radial forearm free flap neophallus. Caution must be taken to ensure viability of the neophallus intraoperatively, and protocols to minimize the risk of infection should be followed. Fashioning neo-tunica albuginea using graft material may reduce risk of erosion.

Vasodilator responses to the endomorphin peptides, but not nociceptin/OFQ, are mediated by nitric oxide release.

The endomorphin peptides, endogenous ligands for the mu-opioid receptor, and nociceptin (orphanin FQ; OFQ), an endogenous ligand for the ORL1 receptor, have substantial vasodilator activity in the rat. The roles of nitric oxide, vasodilator prostaglandins, and the opening of K+ATP channels in mediating vasodilator responses to these novel agonists were investigated in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of the mu-selective agonists, endomorphin 1 and 2, PL017 ([N-MePhe3, D-Pro4]-morphiceptin), and DAMGO, and the ORL1 receptor agonist, nociceptin/OFQ, produced dose-dependent decreases in hindquarters perfusion pressure. Vasodilator responses to endomorphin 1, PL017, and DAMGO were attenuated by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME at a time when vasodilator responses to nociceptin/OFQ were not altered. Responses to endomorphin 1 and 2, PL017, DAMGO, and nociceptin/OFQ were not altered by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor sodium meclofenamate or the K+ATP channel blocker U-37883A. The results of these studies indicate that responses to endomorphin 1 and 2, PL017, and DAMGO are mediated in large part by the release of nitric oxide, while responses to nociceptin/OFQ are mediated by an L-NAME-insensitive mechanism. Moreover, these results demonstrate that responses to these peptides are not mediated by the release of vasodilator prostaglandins or K+ATP channel opening in the hindquarters vascular bed.

Peroxynitrite does not impair pulmonary and systemic vascular responses.

The effects of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) on vascular responses were investigated in the systemic and hindquarters vascular bed and in the isolated perfused rat lung. Intravenous injections of ONOO- decreased systemic arterial pressure, and injections of ONOO- into the hindquarters decreased perfusion pressure in a dose-related manner. Injections of ONOO- into the lung perfusion circuit increased pulmonary arterial perfusion pressure. Responses to ONOO- were rapid in onset, short in duration, and repeatable without exhibiting tachyphylaxis. Repeated injections of ONOO- did not alter systemic, hindquarters, or pulmonary responses to endothelium-dependent vasodilators or other vasoactive agonists and did not alter the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response. Injections of sodium nitrate or nitrite or decomposed ONOO- had little effect on vascular pressures. Pulmonary and hindquarters responses to ONOO- were not altered by a cyclooxygenase inhibitor in a dose that attenuated responses to arachidonic acid. These results demonstrate that ONOO- has significant pulmonary vasoconstrictor, systemic vasodepressor, and vasodilator activity; that short-term repeated exposure does impair vascular responsiveness; and that responses to ONOO- are not dependent on cyclooxygenase product release.

Proadrenomedullin NH2-terminal 20 peptide has cAMP-mediated vasodilator activity in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat.

Responses to proadrenomedullin NH2-terminal 20 peptide (hPAMP), a truncated analogue [hPAMP(12-20)], and adrenomedullin (hADM) were investigated in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of hPAMP, hPAMP(12-20), and hADM caused dose-related decreases in mesenteric perfusion pressure. hADM was 100-fold more potent than hPAMP, and 1000-fold more potent than hPAMP(12-20). Vasodilator responses to hPAMP and hADM were not altered by adrenergic-blocking agents, were similar in innervated and denervated preparations, and were similar when tone was increased by sympathetic nerve stimulation or phenylephrine infusion. Vasodilator responses to hPAMP and hADM were increased in duration by rolipram, a cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor. The present data suggest that vasodilator responses to the hPAMP and hADM are mediated by an increase in cAMP and that an interaction with the adrenergic nervous system is not involved.

Comparison of responses to T-kinin and bradykinin in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat.

Responses to T-kinin and bradykinin were compared in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat. Under constant-flow conditions, injection of T-kinin and bradykinin into the perfusion circuit induced similar dose-related decreases in perfusion pressure. Responses to T-kinin and bradykinin were inhibited by the kinin B2 receptor antagonist Hoe-140, but were not altered by the B1 receptor antagonist des-Arg9-[Leu8]-BK, the histamine H1 antagonist pyrilamine, the histamine H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine, or the H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide. Vasodilator responses to T-kinin and bradykinin were attenuated by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N omega Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), but were not altered by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, sodium meclofenamate, or the K+ ATP channel antagonist, U37883A. These data suggest that vasodilator responses to T-kinin and bradykinin are mediated by kinin B2 receptor stimulated release of nitric oxide from the endothelium, but that the activation of kinin B1 receptors, the release of vasodilator prostaglandins, or the opening of K+ ATP channels are not involved in the response to T-kinin in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat.

Nitric oxide release mediates vasodilator responses to endomorphin 1 but not nociceptin/OFQ in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat.

We have recently shown that endomorphin 1, an endogenous ligand for the mu-opioid receptor, and nociceptin (Orphanin FQ; OFQ), an endogenous ligand for the ORL1 receptor, have substantial vasodilator activity in the hindquarters vascular bed of the rat. In the present study, the role of nitric oxide, vasodilator prostaglandins, and the opening of K+ ATP channels in mediating vasodilator responses to endomorphin 1, PL017, and DAMGO was investigated in the regional vascular bed in the rat. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of the mu-selective agonists endomorphin 1, PL017 ([N-MePhe3,D-Pro4]-morphiceptin), and DAMGO, and the ORL1 receptor agonist nociceptin/ OFQ produced dose-dependent decreases in hindquarters perfusion pressure. Vasodilator responses to endomorphin 1, PL017, and DAMGO, and the endothelium-dependent vasodilators acetylcholine and adrenomedullin were attenuated by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (50 mg/kg IV) at a time when vasodilator responses to nociceptin/OFQ were not altered. Vasodilator responses to isoproterenol and prostaglandin E1, agents known to increase cAMP levels, and the nitric oxide donor DEA/NO were not altered by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Responses to endomorphin 1, PL017, DAMGO, and nociceptin/OFQ were not altered by sodium meclofenamate at a time when vasodilator responses to arachidonic acid were reduced significantly or after administration of U-37883A at a time when vasodilator responses to levcromakalim were reduced significantly. The results of these studies indicate that responses to endomorphin 1, PL017, and DAMGO are mediated in large part by the release of nitric oxide, while responses to nociceptin/OFQ are mediated by an L-NAME-insensitive mechanism. Moreover, these results demonstrate that responses to these peptides are not mediated by the release of vasodilator prostaglandins or the opening of K+ATP channels the hindquarters vascular bed.

Analysis of responses to hAmylin, hCGRP, and hADM in isolated resistance arteries from the mesenteric vascular bed of the rat.

Responses to human calcitonin gene-related peptide (hCGRP) and human adrenomedullin (hADM) hAmylin were investigated in isolated mesenteric resistance arteries from the rat. The results of the present investigation show that hCGRP, hAmylin, and hADM induce dose-related vasodilator responses in isolated resistance arteries from the rat mesenteric vascular bed. Vasodilator responses to hCGRP and hAmylin were not altered after denuding the vascular endothelium, after administration of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NA, or after administration of the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor ODQ, suggesting that vasodilator responses to hCGRP and hAmylin are not mediated by the release of nitric oxide from the vascular endothelium and the subsequent increase in cGMP. Vasodilator responses to hCGRP, hAmylin, and hADM were not altered by the vascular selective K+(ATP) channel antagonist U-37883A. The role of the CGRP1 receptor was investigated and responses to hCGRP and hAmylin, but not hADM, were significantly reduced following administration of hCGRP-(8-37). Moreover, vasodilator responses to hCGRP and hAmylin, but not hADM, were significantly reduced by hAmylin-(8-37), suggesting that an hAmylin-(8-37)-sensitive receptor mediates responses to hCGRP and hAmylin in the rat mesenteric artery. These data suggest that hCGRP and hAmylin have direct vasodilator effects in the isolated mesenteric resistance artery that are mediated by hAmylin-(8-37)- and hCGRP-(8-37)-sensitive receptors.

Implications of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in the pathophysiology of Peyronie's disease.

Peyronie's disease is an idiopathic, localized connective tissue disorder of the penis which involves the tunica albuginea of the corpus cavernosum and the adjacent areolar space. Peyronie's disease is characterized by local changes in the collagen and elastic fiber composition of the tunica albuginea. The formation of fibrotic plaques alters penile anatomy and can cause different degrees of bending and narrowing, as well as penile pain and erectile dysfunction. Though long recognized as an important clinical entity of the male genitalia, the etiology of this disease has remained poorly understood. Until recently there have been no studies to examine the role nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms may play in the onset and progression of Peyronie's disease. NO is a potent biological mediator with diverse physiological and pathophysiological roles. The purpose of this review is to describe each of the NOS isoforms and their potential roles in the pathophysiology of Peyronie's disease, with particular emphasis on the regulation of endothelial and inducible NOS isoforms.

Long-term follow-up on use of pericardial graft in the surgical management of Peyronie's disease.

We have previously reported on the use of Tutoplast cadaveric pericardium as an alternative material for grafting the tunica albugineal defect after Peyronie's plaque excision with satisfactory results in 11 patients. We now review long-term outcomes in this cohort of men. Eleven patients with significant penile curvature interfering with sexual intercourse were evaluated after at least 12 months of conservative therapy. All patients underwent pre-operative evaluation, including penile duplex Doppler ultrasound studies. Chemically processed and gamma-irradiated pericardium (Biodynamics International, Parsippany, NJ) was used to graft the cavernosal defect after surgical excision of the penile plaque. Three patients simultaneously underwent placement of penile prostheses secondary to documented erection problems identified at duplex Doppler ultrasound evaluation. The long-term postoperative complications and erectile function were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 30 months (range 25-35 months). All patients reported resolution of penile curvature allowing for normal sexual function after a mean follow-up of the first 14 months. Thirty months after placement of cadaveric pericardium, the three prosthetic patients still reported excellent sexual function. For the eight patients who did not undergo placement of a prosthesis, three with small to medium plaque size (<2 x 5 cm) continued to do well. The remaining five patients with a large plaque size (>2 x 5 cm) did well initially, but later reported difficulty maintaining erection due to venous leakage, thus they are currently using either a vacuum constriction device or an Actis ring. Three out of these five venous leakage patients had ventral plaques; two had dorsal plaques, one of significant size (4 x 5 cm). We conclude that for those patients who do not undergo placement of a prosthesis, a better long-term outcome is observed when the plaque is small to medium in size (<2 x 5 cm) and dorsally located. Patients with ventral plaque, extreme curvature, or plaque size >4 x 5 cm were more likely to have venoocclusive dysfunction, necessitating further intervention.

The effect of sildenafil on human sperm motion and function from normal and infertile men.

The aim of this report was to study the effect of sildenafil, a specific type-5 phosphodiesterase inhibitor, on human sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity and sperm penetration assay. Spermatozoa were obtained from normal donors (n = 6) and infertile men (n = 6) were washed using a single Percoll (80%) gradient, suspended in Ham's F-10 medium, and incubated with various doses of sildenafil (125, 250 and 750 ng/ml); pentoxifylline (3 mM) was used as a positive control, and Ham's F-10 was used as a reagent control. Sperm motility, grade, viability, membrane integrity (by hypo-osmotic swelling test), and motion evaluation were carried out at various time intervals. Hamster ova sperm penetration assay (SPA) was used to evaluate overall sperm function. Sildenafil did not affect sperm motility, viability or membrane integrity under these conditions as compared to our Ham's control (P> 0.05). Incubation with pentoxifylline significantly enhanced sperm motility (P < 0.05) and viability without affecting membrane integrity (P < 0.05). Sperm incubated with sildenafil and pentoxifylline from both normal donors and infertile patients demonstrated no significant change in sperm penetration assay from respective controls. In conclusion, sildenafil, at the doses evaluated, did not significantly alter the motility, viability, membrane integrity or sperm penetration characteristics of human spermatozoa from normal donors and infertile patients.