Use of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors is not associated with ocular adverse events.

BACKGROUND: Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) use has been linked to a number of ocular side effects, such as serous retinal detachment (SRD), retinal vascular occlusion (RVO), and ischemic optic neuropathy (ION). AIM: We investigated the risk for SRD, RVO, and ION in patients using PDE5is. METHODS: We utilized the IBM MarketScan (2007-2021) Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases (version 2.0) for this analysis. To estimate overall events risk, Cox proportional hazard models were applied to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for erectile dysfunction (ED) diagnosis and the different treatments, adjusting for region, median age, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and sleep apnea. Additionally, the same analyses were performed to calculate the HRs for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) diagnosis and the different treatments. OUTCOMES: HRs for SRD, RVO, and ION. RESULTS: In total, 1 938 262 men with an ED diagnosis were observed during the study period. Among them, 615 838 (31.8%) were treated with PDE5is. In total, 2 175 439 men with a BPH diagnosis were observed during the study period. Among them, 175 725 (8.1%) were treated with PDE5is. On adjusted Cox regression analysis, PDE5i use was not associated with SRD, RVO, ION, and any ocular event when compared with ED diagnosis and other ED treatments. Importantly, as the intensity of ED treatment increased, so did the risk of ocular events. In addition, PDE5i use was not associated with SRD and ION when compared with BPH diagnosis and other BPH treatments. In contrast, in patients with BPH, PDE5i use was associated with RVO (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06-1.23). Importantly, patients with BPH receiving other medical treatment (ie, 5a reductase/alpha blocker; HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.06-1.16) or surgical treatment (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02-1.19) had a higher risk of RVO. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: We did not observe any consistent association between PDE5i use and any ocular adverse events (SRD, RVO, and ION). STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Because we did not have access to the patients' medical records, we recorded outcome definitions using ICD-9 and ICD-10 coding. CONCLUSIONS: Patients using PDE5is for ED or BPH indications did not have an increased risk of ocular events, even when compared with other treatments for ED or BPH.

5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARi) with or without alpha-blockers (α-B) for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia do NOT lower the risk of incident Bladder Cancer: United States insurance claims data.

BACKGROUND: Chemoprotective effect of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARi) on bladder cancer (BCa) risk in men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) has been explored with conflicting results. We sought to examine the effect of 5-ARi on new BCa diagnoses in a large US database. METHODS: Men ≥ 50 y/o with a prescription for 5-ARi after BPH diagnosis were identified in the IBM® Marketscan® Research de-identified Databases between 2007 and 2016 and matched with paired controls. Incident BCa diagnoses were identified after BPH diagnosis and/or pharmacologic treatment. Multivariable regression modeling adjusting for relevant factors was implemented. Sub-group analyses by exposure risk were performed to explore the association between 5-ARi and BCa over time. Administration of alpha-blockers (α-B) w/o 5-ARi was also examined. RESULTS: In total, n = 24,036 men on 5-ARi, n = 107,086 on 5-ARi plus alpha-blockers, and n = 894,275 without medical therapy for BPH were identified. The percentage of men diagnosed with BCa was 0.8% for the 5-ARi, 1.4% for the 5-ARi + α-B, and 0.6% for the untreated BPH group of incident BCa (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56 - 1.47), and 1.08, 95%CI 0.89 - 1.30, respectively). This was also true at both shorter (≤ 2 yr) and longer-term (> 2 yr) follow up. In addition, α-B alone had no change in BCa risk (HR 1.06, 0.86-1.30). CONCLUSIONS: We did not find any diminished risk of new BCa in men treated with 5-ARi (i.e., chemoprotective effect). The current report suggests that 5-ARi do not change a man's bladder cancer risk.

Counseling for the man with severe male infertility.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarize the proper counseling for men with severe male factor infertility. RECENT FINDINGS: Men who are experiencing infertility should have a semen analysis, the results of which may imply additional investigations, including genetic and hormonal. Moreover, possible modifiable factors that may harm men's reproductive health should be carefully evaluated. Finally, different treatment options are available. SUMMARY: Approximately 15% of couples struggle with infertility. Complete evaluations of both men and women are required to determine the etiology of infertility and determine appropriate treatment.

Assessing Artificial Intelligence-Generated Responses to Urology Patient In-Basket Messages.

INTRODUCTION: Electronic patient messaging utilization has increased in recent years and has been associated with physician burnout. ChatGPT is a language model that has shown the ability to generate near-human level text responses. This study evaluated the quality of ChatGPT responses to real-world urology patient messages. METHODS: One hundred electronic patient messages were collected from a practicing urologist's inbox and categorized based on the question content. Individual responses were generated by entering each message into ChatGPT. The questions and responses were independently evaluated by 5 urologists and graded on a 5-point Likert scale. Questions were graded based on difficulty, and responses were graded based on accuracy, completeness, harmfulness, helpfulness, and intelligibleness. Whether or not the response could be sent to a patient was also assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 47% of responses were deemed acceptable to send to patients. ChatGPT performed better on easy questions with 56% of responses to easy questions being acceptable to send as compared to 34% of difficult questions (P = .03). Responses to easy questions were more accurate, complete, helpful, and intelligible than responses to difficult questions. There was no difference in response quality based on question content. CONCLUSIONS: ChatGPT generated acceptable responses to nearly 50% of patient messages with better performance for easy questions compared to difficult questions. Use of ChatGPT to help respond to patient messages can help to decrease the time burden for the care team and improve wellness. Artificial intelligence performance will likely continue to improve with advances in generative artificial intelligence technology.

The Association Between Insomnia, Insomnia Medications, and Erectile Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Sleep quality and duration have been investigated for their association with health. Insomnia affects up to one-third of adults and may impact male erectile function. In addition, medical treatments for insomnia (many of which are sedatives) may also affect erectile quality. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients diagnosed with and treated for insomnia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We utilized the IBM MarketScan (2007-2016) Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases (v 2.0). Age- and enrollment-matched controls were selected among patients without insomnia diagnosis or treatment. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of incident ED (ie, diagnosis alone, or diagnosis and treatment with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors [PDE5i], intracavernous injection (ICI)/urethral suppositories, and penile prosthesis) after the diagnosis or treatment of insomnia while adjusting for relevant comorbidities. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: In total, 539 109 men with an insomnia diagnosis were identified. Of these men, 356 575 were also medically treated for insomnia. The mean (±standard deviation) follow-up times for patients diagnosed with insomnia and those diagnosed with and treated for insomnia were 2.8 ± 1.6 and 3.1 ± 1.8 yr, respectively. Men with insomnia were more commonly smokers and had a higher number of office visits and comorbidities than controls (p < 0.001). On an adjusted analysis, both untreated and treated insomnia were associated with increased risks of ED diagnosis (hazard ratio or HR [95% confidence interval {CI}]: 1.58 [1.54-1.62] and 1.66 [1.64-1.69], respectively; p < 0.001). Similarly, men with treated insomnia had a higher risk of having ED treated with PDE5i (HR [95% CI]: 1.52 [1.49-1.55]; p < 0.001) and ICI (HR [95% CI]: 1.32 [1.14-1.54]; p < 0.001) when compared with controls. A limitation of this study was that a lack of granularity regarding patient clinical characteristics (eg, severity of disease, laboratory data, etc.) is inherent to insurance claims data. In addition, the follow-up was limited and may affect associations at longer time points. CONCLUSIONS: In the current report, a consistent association between insomnia and ED diagnosis was identified. Men diagnosed with insomnia only were found to have a higher risk of developing ED. Moreover, men with pharmacological insomnia treatments were more often prescribed treatments for ED. Given the prevalence of insomnia, future studies are warranted to delineate the association of insomnia and its treatment with erectile function. PATIENT SUMMARY: Insomnia affects up to one-third of adults and impact male erectile function. Men only diagnosed with insomnia were found to have a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED). Moreover, men with pharmacological insomnia treatments were more often prescribed treatments for ED.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of serum total testosterone and luteinizing hormone variations across hospitalized Covid-19 patients.

A growing body of evidence suggests the role of male hypogonadism as a possible harbinger for poor clinical outcomes across hospitalized Covid-19 patients. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the impact of dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis on the severity of the clinical manifestations for hospitalized Covid-19 patients matched with healthy controls through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Databases were searched from inception to March 2022. A standardized mean difference (SMD) meta-analysis focused on hospitalized Covid-19 patients and healthy controls was developed for studies who reported total testosterone (TT) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels at hospital admission. Overall, n = 18 series with n = 1575 patients between 2020 and 2022 were reviewed. A significant decrease in SMD of TT levels in Covid-19 patients compared to paired controls was observed (- 3.25 nmol/L, 95%CI - 0.57 and - 5.93). This reduction was even more consistent when matching severe Covid-19 patients with controls (- 5.04 nmol/L, 95%CI - 1.26 and - 8.82) but similar for Covid-19 survivors and non-survivors (- 3.04 nmol/L, 95%CI - 2.04 and - 4.05). No significant variation was observed for serum LH levels across studies. Patient related comorbidities, year of the pandemic, and total lymphocyte count were associated with the observed estimates. TT levels may be a useful serum marker of poor outcomes among Covid-19 patients. These findings may support the development of ad-hoc clinical trials in the Covid-19 risk-group classification and subsequent disease monitoring. The interplay between TT and immune response should be evaluated in future researches.

An Analysis of Political Contributions by Urologists in the United States: 2003-2022.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to better understand the amounts and distribution of political contributions made by urologists in the United States. METHODS: The Federal Election Commission was analyzed for political contributions from 2003 to 2022 using the search terms "urology," "urologist," or "urologic surgeon." Contributions were classified by political party (Democratic, Republican, or Independent) and were analyzed for temporal, geographic, and demographic trends. RESULTS: There were a total of 26,441 unique contributions that resulted in $9,943,205 after adjusting for inflation. The total amount of political contributions increased significantly over time, with higher numbers during presidential election years. The Republican party received the highest proportion of donations (69.1%). Importantly, women urologists and urologists working in academic centers were significantly more likely to contribute to Democratic committees (P < .001 for both). Texas had the highest total amount of contributions ($395,152). Overall contributions to urology political action committees have steadily decreased since 2011, while contributions to individual campaigns and nonurology political action committees have increased. CONCLUSIONS: Urologists have been increasingly contributing to political campaigns over the past 19 years, with most of their individual and political action committee contributions going to Republican committees and candidates. Future research evaluating how growing political engagement by urologists affects the development of new health care policy will be important as a new generation of urologists begins to enter practice.

Size matters: characterizing penile augmentation content from the 100 most popular YouTube videos.

Aesthetic penile augmentation is considered investigational and not shown to be safe or efficacious. This study sought to characterize the quality and reliability of YouTube videos on the topic of penile augmentation. A systematic search identifying the 100 most viewed YouTube videos on penile augmentation was conducted. The videos were then evaluated by two independent urologists for reliability and quality using a modified DISCERN scoring system and Global Quality Scale (GQS). The median total views were 530,612 (range 123,478-32,914,713). The median DISCERN and GQS scores for all 100 videos were generally poor at 1.75 (IQR 1-2.63) and 2.5 (IQR 1.5-3.5), respectively. A little under half of the videos had a physician present (44.7%). DISCERN and GQS scores were significantly higher in videos with physicians compared to those without one (p < 0.001 for both). The majority of videos discussed nonsurgical methods of penile augmentation (65.1%) with penile traction devices being the most frequently discussed (19.2%). Urologists and medical organizations should strive to have more of a presence in this space to ensure patients are appropriately educated and counseled before pursuing potentially ineffective or harmful treatments.

Contrast enhanced genitosonography (CEGS) of urogenital sinus: A case of improved conspicuity with image inversion.

Imaging plays a pivotal role in evaluating the urogenital anatomy in children with ambiguous genitalia. Contrast enhanced genitosonography (CEGS) represents a low-cost and radiation-free alternative to the traditional techniques of fluoroscopic genitography and magnetic resonance imaging. We report a case of a child with ambiguous genitalia whose urogenital sinus anomaly is clearly demonstrated using CEGS and the postprocessing technique of image inversion. This case report shows the utility of CEGS in this patient population and the enhanced conspicuity with image inversion.