Conservative treatment of Peyronie's disease: a guide.

PURPOSE: To review the literature on the topic, to suggest a common line of treatment applicable across a wide community of specialists, and to contribute in maintaining the high level of interest in this disease. METHODS: A comprehensive and exhaustive review of the literature was performed, identifying hundreds of articles on the topic. RESULTS: Peyronie's disease is a condition that has been recognized, studied, and treated for centuries; despite this, if one excludes surgery in cases in which the deformity is stable, no clear treatment (or line of treatment) is available for complete relief of signs and symptoms. Treatment options were divided into local, oral, and injection therapy, and a wide variety of drugs, remedies, and options were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy, vacuum therapy, penile traction therapy, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, hyaluronic acid, and collagenase of Clostridium histolyticum may be recommended only in specific contexts. Further studies on individual options or potential combinations are required.

Experimental assessment of pelvis slipping during postless traction for orthopaedic applications.

BACKGROUND: The application of lower limb traction during hip arthroscopy and femur fractures osteosynthesis is commonplace in orthopaedic surgeries. Traditional methods utilize a perineal post on a traction table, leading to soft tissue damage and nerve neuropraxia. A postless technique, using high-friction pads, has been considered as a potential damage-free alternative. However, whether these pads sufficiently prevent patient displacement remains unknown. Thus, this study systematically assesses the efficacy of commercial high-friction pads (PinkPad and CarePad) in restraining subject displacement, for progressively increasing traction loads and different Trendelenburg angles. METHODS: Three healthy male subjects were recruited and tested in supine and Trendelenburg positions (5° and 10°), using a customized boot-pulley system. Ten load disks (5 kg) were dropped at 15s intervals, increasing gradually the traction load up to 50 kg. Pelvis displacement along the traction direction was measured with a motion capture system. The displacement at 50 kg of traction load was analyzed and compared across various pads and bed inclinations. Response to varying traction loads was statistically assessed with a quadratic function model. RESULTS: Pelvis displacement at 50 kg traction load was below 60 mm for all conditions. Comparing PinkPad and CarePad, no significant differences in displacement were observed. Finally, similar displacements were observed for the supine and Trendelenburg positions. CONCLUSIONS: Both PinkPad and CarePad exhibited nearly linear behavior under increasing traction loads, limiting displacement to 60 mm at most for 50 kg loads. Contrary to expectations, placing subjects in the Trendelenburg position did not increase adhesion.

Randomised controlled, patient-blinded, multicentre, superiority trial to evaluate the efficacy of the line-attached sheath-type traction device for endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with superficial gastric neoplasms.

INTRODUCTION: EndoTrac is a line-attached sheath-type traction device that enables us to control the direction and the force of traction during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The efficacy of EndoTrac for gastric ESD has not been fully verified. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The G-Trac study is a multicentre (nine general hospitals and two university hospitals in Japan) collaborative trial assessing the efficacy of EndoTrac for gastric ESDs. Patients with superficial gastric neoplasms will be enrolled and randomly assigned to undergo either conventional ESD or EndoTrac ESD. Allocation will be stratified according to tumour location, operator experience and tumour diameter at an allocation rate of 1:1. The type of endoknife used will be confirmed before randomisation. The primary outcome, procedure time, will be compared between the groups in both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The efficacy-related, safety-related and device-related outcomes will be assessed in the secondary analysis. The planned sample size of the 142 patients in the two groups will enable us to detect a difference with a power of 80% by using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, assuming an effect size of 0.54, asymptotic relative efficiency of 0.864 and a two-sided type 1 error rate of 5%. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial was approved by the certified review board of Kobe University (22 December 2022). The results from this trial will be disseminated through peer-review journals, presentations at national and international conferences, and data sharing with other researchers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: jRCT1052220166.

Revelation of adhesive proteins affecting cellular contractility through reference-free traction force microscopy.

Over the past few decades, the critical role played by cellular contractility associated mechanotransduction in the regulation of cell functions has been revealed. In this case, numerous biomaterials have been chemically or structurally designed to manipulate cell behaviors through the regulation of cellular contractility. In particular, adhesive proteins including fibronectin, poly-L-lysine and collagen type I have been widely applied in various biomaterials to improve cell adhesion. Therefore, clarifying the effects of adhesive proteins on cellular contractility has been valuable for the development of biomaterial design. In this study, reference-free traction force microscopy with a well-organized microdot array was designed and prepared to investigate the relationship between adhesive proteins, cellular contractility, and mechanotransduction. The results showed that fibronectin and collagen type I were able to promote the assembly of focal adhesions and further enhance cellular contraction and YAP activity. In contrast, although poly-L-lysine supported cell spreading and elongation, it was inefficient at inducing cell contractility and activating YAP. Additionally, compared with cellular morphogenesis, cellular contraction was essential for YAP activation.

Three different surgical positions on radiological outcomes in the proximal femoral nail: supine, lateral decubitus and traction table.

OBJECTIVE: While the proximal femoral nail (PFN) is deemed a successful therapeutic approach for intertrochanteric femoral fractures, medical professionals lack agreement as to the optimal surgical positioning. Our objective was to determine the radiological superiorities of three different surgical positions (supine, lateral decubitus, and traction table). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this clinical study, 157 prospectively followed-up patients who were operated with PFN for intertrochanteric femur fractures between 2019 and 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The demographic data of the patients, fracture type, preparation and surgery duration, recorded number of fluoroscopy shots, femoral neck quadrant of the lag screw, tip-apex distance, collodiaphyseal angle, and reduction quality were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 157 patients evaluated in the study, 35 patients (22.3%) were operated in the supine position without traction table, 52 patients (33.1%) in the lateral decubitus position, and 70 patients (44.6%) in the supine position with a traction table. Significant differences were found between groups in terms of preparation duration (p<0.001) and number of fluoroscopy shots (p<0.001). Post-hoc analyses revealed that the preparation duration and the number of fluoroscopy shots were significantly lower in the supine position with manual traction. In radiological examinations, significant differences were found between the groups in all radiological parameters evaluated. Post-hoc analyses showed that the use of the traction table is associated with the lag screw quadrant (p<0.001), the reduction quality (p<0.001), the tip-apex distance (p=0.011), and the collodiaphyseal angle (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the disadvantages, such as prolonged preparation duration and increased fluoroscopy usage, the use of a traction table stands out in PFN due to superior radiological results, such as a more successful reduction quality, a more accurately positioned lag screw and ideal tip-apex distance, and collodiaphyseal angulation.

Central Cord Syndrome After Fall From Inversion Table.

INTRODUCTION: Central cord syndrome, the most common incomplete traumatic spinal cord injury, often results in functional impairment with variable recovery. CASE PRESENTATION: Central cord syndrome developed in a 64-year-old man during routine home use of an inversion table. DISCUSSION: The incidence of central cord syndrome, which occurs most frequently after a fall, is increasing among older persons. Age-related changes in the cervical spine may predispose the spinal cord to compression and injury during a fall. Evidence for lumbar traction as treatment of low back pain is limited. CONCLUSIONS: This unusual case of spinal cord injury during inversion table use highlights the relationship between anatomical changes in the cervical spine and the mechanism of injury typical in central cord syndrome. The resulting increased risk of central cord syndrome for older adults should be discussed with patients in the context of activities that could lead to falls or cervical spine extension.