Tobacco use and E-cigarette regulation: Perspectives of University Students in the Asia-Pacific.

INTRODUCTION: The Asia-Pacific is home to 30% of the world's smokers. Additional efforts are needed to reduce negative health impacts of tobacco, including e-cigarettes. The study objectives were to 1. Investigate Asian-Pacific students' knowledge, attitudes, and use of tobacco products; 2. Determine the level of student support for tobacco control policies; and 3. Examine differences in students' attitudes by the strength of national tobacco control policies based on implementation of WHO's MPOWER package, and e-cigarette regulation in their countries. METHODS: A total of 1953 students from members of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities in 13 countries completed the online survey. We compared the results by the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test. RESULTS: While about 83% of students had heard of e-cigarettes; only 14.1% had tried them. Students in countries with e-cigarette bans were the least likely to report having experimented with e-cigarettes (8.1%). While the vast majority of students (87.9%) reported having seen health campaigns targeting combustible cigarettes, far fewer (42.5%) had seen any health campaigns targeting e-cigarettes. About 80% of students supported smoke-free campuses, with the most support coming from those in countries with the weakest adoption of MPOWER policies (88.7%) and no e-cigarette regulations (80.4%). Students in countries with the weakest MPOWER policies were also the most likely to support campus bans and government regulation of e-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of tobacco control polices by government may have an impact on e-cigarette smoking behavior among students, and student support for tobacco control, including noncombustible products, is high. Universities should take action by adopting comprehensive tobacco control measures that include e-cigarette regulations.

The Risk of Sexual Dysfunction and Effectiveness of Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia With Severe Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction With Combination of Dutasteride and Solifenacin.

INTRODUCTION: Correction of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with lower urinary tract (LUT) symptoms (LUTS) is treated with drugs of different pharmacological classes having side effects including suppression of sexual function. AIM: To assess the effect of simultaneous intake of dutasteride and solifenacin on the reversibility of severe LUTS and sexual function in men with BPH. METHODS: Patients from group A took dutasteride 0.5 mg/d, those from group В took dutasteride 0.5 mg/d and solifenacin 10 mg/d, and those from group С took dutasteride 0.5 mg/d and solifenacin 20 mg/d. The duration of the observation was 6 months. The sexual function was rated with the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire and Men's Sexual Health Questionnaire-ejaculatory dysfunction. The functional status of LUT was rated with International Prostate Symptom Score, overactive bladder questionnaire-awareness tool, diary voiding, and uroflowmetry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The state of sexual function and function of the LUT in men improved. RESULTS: The erectile function in all men, having participated in the study, did not change [group A, 9.8 (1.6)/9.4 (3.8), P ≥ .05; group B, 10.1 (2.1)/10.5 (3.7), P ≥ .05; group C, 9.7 (1.5)/9.5 (2.6), P ≥ .05]. The ejaculator function significantly decreased in all groups. According to International Prostate Symptom Score, obstruction diminished in this group [incomplete emptying, 3.7 (0.7)/1.5 (0.3), P ≤ .05; intermittence, 3.5 (1.0)/3.5 (1.0), P ≤ .05; weak stream, 3.8 (0.6)/1.5 (0.4), P ≤ .05; straining, 3.4 (0.5)/0.7 (0.7), P ≤ .05] as did hyperactivity [urgency, 2.8 (0.7)/0.9 (0.7), P ≤ .05; nocturia, 2.8 (0.6)/1.2 (0.4), P ≤ .05]. All numbers in the manuscript are given in points unless otherwise stated. The values in parentheses are SD (unless otherwise specified). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The information that a high dose of solifenacin administered concomitantly with dutasteride may contribute to increase in sexual satisfaction and preservation of erectile function at the baseline level can be useful and used by sexologists, urologists, and family doctors. STRENGTH & LIMITATIONS: The combination of dutasteride 0.5 mg/d and solifenacin 10 mg/d saves erectile function and improves sexual satisfaction. At the same time, the symptoms of obstruction and hyperactivity disappear or are reduced in most patients. Nevertheless, we did not study late results of the combined therapy. CONCLUSION: Suggested combination does not impact on erectile function but decreases ejaculator function; however, it does not affect a general high rating of sexual function by patients. Thus, overall sexual function in men with BPH and severe LUTS is not impaired by prolonged intake of double dosage of solifenacin combined with dutasteride. The combination of dutasteride and solifenacin is effective and safe to treat BPH and severe LUTS. Kosilov K, Kuzina I, Kuznetsov V, et al. The Risk of Sexual Dysfunction and Effectiveness of Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia With Severe Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction With Combination of Dutasteride and Solifenacin. J Sex Med 2018;15:1579-1590.

Influence of the Short-term Intake of High Doses of Solifenacin and Trospium on Cognitive Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Women With Urinary Incontinence.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and the effects of elevated doses of solifenacin and trospium on cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly women receiving treatment for urinary incontinence. METHODS: The study included 312 women aged 60-83 years (mean age, 69.4 years). All participants had scored at least 24 points on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale, and all of them had been diagnosed with urge urinary incontinence (UUI) or mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). The women were randomly assigned to 3 groups: group A, individuals who were simultaneously administered solifenacin at a high dosage of 20 mg per day and trospium at a high dosage of 60 mg per day; group B, persons taking solifenacin and trospium at the usual dosage of 10 and 30 mg per day, respectively; and group C, persons who received a placebo. Participants' cognitive status was assessed by the MMSE, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wechsler Memory Scale III, Colour Trails Test, and California Verbal Learning Test scales. The HRQoL assessment was performed using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Health Survey. RESULTS: The cognitive function parameters did not differ at the start and end of the study across the groups (P>0.05). Additionally, the cognitive function parameters did not differ significantly within each group between the start and end of the study (P>0.05). The values of most HRQoL parameters regarding the functional state of the lower urinary tract (LUT) after the termination of treatment significantly improved in groups A and B (P<0.05). A significant correlation between cognitive status and HRQoL or LUT parameters was absent (r<0.3), while the correlations between HRQoL and LUT parameters were r=0.31-0.83, P<0.05. CONCLUSIONS: The use of elevated doses of solifenacin and trospium did not increase the risk of cognitive impairment in women with UUI and MUI. The combination of solifenacin and trospium at a double dosage may be recommended to elderly women with treatment-resistant symptoms of UUI and MUI. However, the safety of combining antimuscarinic drugs in women with an increased volume of residual urine requires further study.

Cognitive functions and health-related quality of life in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and symptoms of overactive bladder when treated with a combination of tamsulosin and solifenacin in a higher dosage.

AIM: To study the cognitive functions and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals taking a combination of tamsulosin and solifenacin in a higher dosage. METHODS: All patients (n = 262) were assigned to group A (N = 93, tamsulosin 0.4 mg + solifenacin 10 mg per day), group B (N = 83, tamsulosin 0.4 mg + solifenacin 20 mg), and control group C (N = 86; tamsulosin 0.4 mg + placebo). The lower urinary tract (LUT) condition was assessed on the scales International Prostate Symptom Score, Over Active Bladder Awareness Tool and uroflowmetry. The state of cognitive status was assessed on the scales Mini-mental State Examination, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wechsler III, Color Trails Test, California Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS: The values of cognitive function indicators in the individuals from all groups after treatment did not significantly differ from the respective values at the baseline (p > .05). The values of most HRQoL parameters of the functional state of the LUT significantly improved in groups A and B. A significant correlation between the state of cognitive status and HRQoL, as well as LUT was absent (r <0.3). CONCLUSION: The combination of solifenacin in a double dosage along with tamsulosin can be recommended for elderly benign prostatic hyperplasia patients with overactive bladder symptoms.

A new tool for self-evaluation of adherence to antimuscarinic drugs treatment in patients with urinary incontinence.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of the Medication Adherence Self-Report Inventory (MASRI) questionnaire in determining antimuscarinic drugs adherence in patients with urinary incontinence (UI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 629 patients [355 (56.4%) women and 274 (43.6%) men], aged 18-65 years, were included. All patients were prescribed antimuscarinic drugs and treatment adherence was tested at the start, and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks using the MASRI. The standard of external monitoring was the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) and visual count of the remaining pills. The functional status of the lower urinary tract was tested using voiding diaries and uroflowmetry. RESULTS: The correlation between indicators of adherence according to the MASRI and screen mode of the BMQ was r = 0.84 (P ≤ 0.01), r = 0.72 (P ≤ 0.01), r = 0.7 (P ≤ 0.05) at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of follow-up, respectively, which indicated a satisfactory competitive validity. In the study of the discriminant validity, we found that non-adherent patients were correctly identified according to the MASRI in 96.2%, 96.9% and 96.2% of cases at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of follow-up, respectively. The values of the positive likelihood ratio (7.92, 10.81, and 12.8 at 4, 8 and 12 weeks of follow-up, respectively) were quite acceptable for the adherence forecast. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a failure of the null hypothesis of the excess/insufficient discrimination power of the MASRI. The correlation between the percentage of non-adherent patients and the percentage of patients with impaired lower urinary tract function according to uroflowmetry data was r = 0.55 (P ≤ 0.05) at 4 weeks; r = 0.59 (P ≤ 0.05) at 8 weeks; and r = 0.62 (P ≤ 0.01) at 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The MASRI questionnaire is highly constructive, competitive, has discriminant validity, and is suitable for self-assessment of treatment adherence in patients with UI taking antimuscarinics. Using the MASRI is less costly and faster compared with other assessment tools.