Male Urinary Incontinence: Associated Risk Factors and Electromyography Biofeedback Results in Quality of Life.

The aim of the current study was to determine the demographic characteristics and risk factors associated with male urinary incontinence (UI) and to assess the effectiveness and the effect on the quality-of-life of a pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) protocol with electromyography-biofeedback (EMG-BFB) with surface electrodes. A prospective, quasi-experimental before-and-after study with a sample of 61 men out of 372 patients referred to the Pelvic Floor Unit from October 2005 to June 2012 was performed. The protocol consisted of 20 sessions of EMG-BFB supervised by a physiotherapist twice a week. The session durations were 30 minutes (118 work/rest cycles of pelvic muscles). Work lasted 3 seconds and rest 7 seconds. Patients were given standards of conduct and questionnaires (International Consultation on Incontinence-Short Form and Incontinence Quality-of-Life Measure) at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. The average age was 64.85 ± 14.34 years; 44.3% (n = 27) had benign prostatic hypertrophy, 41.9% (n = 25) had prostate malignant neoplasm, 86.9% (n = 53) had undergone prostatectomy, 16.4% (n = 10) had undergone abdominal surgery. Abdominal surgery and radical prostatectomy were significantly associated with UI (p < .05). Stress urinary incontinence was the most common type of UI (86.67%), followed by mixed urinary incontinence (8.33%) and urge urinary incontinence (5%). A significant improvement (p < .05) in both International Consultation on Incontinence-Short Form and Incontinence Quality-of-Life Measure questionnaires was observed when making comparisons regarding the results before and after the EMG-BFB treatment protocol. These results support that male UI is significantly associated with urological and abdominal surgery (including radical prostatectomy) and that EMG-BFB for PFMT improves incontinence and quality of life (social embarrassment, limiting behavior, and psychosocial impact) in the three types of UI on an overall basis.

Tetrahydrobiopterin therapy vs phenylalanine-restricted diet: impact on growth in PKU.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of phenylketonuria based upon strict vegetarian diets, with very low phenylalanine intake and supplemented by phenylalanine-free formula, has proven to be effective in preventing the development of long-term neurological sequelae due to phenylalanine accumulation. On the other hand, such diets have occasionally been reported to hinder normal development, some individuals presenting with growth retardation. Tetrahydrobiopterin therapy has opened up new treatment options for a significant proportion of phenylketonuric patients, enabling them to eat normal diets and be freed from the need to take synthetic supplements. However, little is known about how this therapy affects their physical development. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study examining anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, body mass index and growth speed Z-scores) in a cohort of phenylketonuric patients on tetrahydrobiopterin therapy (38 subjects) comparing their characteristics with those of a group of phenylketonuric patients on phenylalanine-restricted diets (76 subjects). Nutritional issues were also considered, to further explore the possibility of higher natural protein intake being associated with better physical development. Data were collected every six months over two different periods of time (two or five years). RESULTS: No improvement was observed in the aforementioned anthropometric variables in the cohort on tetrahydrobiopterin therapy, from prior to starting treatment to when they had been taking the drug for two or five years. Rather, in almost all cases there was a fall in the mean Z-score for the variables during these periods, although the changes were not significant in any case. Further, we found no statistically differences between the two groups at any considered time point. Growth impairment was also noted in the phenylketonuric patients on low-phenylalanine diets. Individuals on tetrahydrobiopterin therapy increased their natural protein intake and, in some instances, this treatment enabled individuals to eat normal diets, with protein intake meeting RDAs. No association was found, however, between higher protein intake and growth. CONCLUSION: Our study identified growth impairment in patients with phenylketonuria on tetrahydrobiopterin, despite higher intakes of natural proteins. In fact, individuals undergoing long-term tetrahydrobiopterin treatment seemed to achieve similar developmental outcomes to those attained by individuals on more restricted diets.

Ultrafast all-optical switching in a silicon-nanocrystal-based silicon slot waveguide at telecom wavelengths.

We demonstrate experimentally all-optical switching on a silicon chip at telecom wavelengths. The switching device comprises a compact ring resonator formed by horizontal silicon slot waveguides filled with highly nonlinear silicon nanocrystals in silica. When pumping at power levels about 100 mW using 10 ps pulses, more than 50% modulation depth is observed at the switch output. The switch performs about 1 order of magnitude faster than previous approaches on silicon and is fully fabricated using complementary metal oxide semiconductor technologies.