Glans penis volume is associated with lifelong premature ejaculation.

BACKGROUND: Although premature ejaculation (PE) is the most common male sexual dysfunction, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. AIM: The study sought to evaluate the possible associations among glans penis volume and tissue stiffness measured using penile ultrasonography and penile shear wave elastography (SWE) with PE. METHODS: Men 18 to 65 years of age with normal International Index of Erectile Function scores (>25) and who were diagnosed with PE between June 2021 and June 2022 were enrolled. The Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool score and intravaginal ejaculation latency times were recorded. Healthy volunteers constituted the control group. The study group was divided into lifelong PE (LLPE) and acquired PE (AqPE) subgroups. In all groups, the glans penis volume was measured via penile ultrasonography and tissue stiffness of the glans penis, penile frenulum, postcircumcision mucosal cuff, and penile shaft were measured via SWE. The findings of the groups were compared using appropriate statistical methods. OUTCOMES: The outcomes included ultrasonographic and elastographic measurements of the glans penis. RESULTS: Data on 140 men, including 70 PE patients and 70 healthy volunteers, were evaluated. Of the patients, 20 had LLPE and 50 had AqPE. The median glans penis volume was significantly greater in the LLPE group (14.1 [range, 6.6-19] mm3) compared with the AqPE group (11.7 [range, 5.1-27] mm3) and control group (11.4 [range, 6.1-32] mm3) (P = .03). According to the Youden index, the best cutoff value for glans penis volume in LLPE compared with non-LLPE (AqPE + control) was 12.65 mm3 (area under the curve, 0.684; 95% confidence interval, 0.556-0.812; P = .009). The risk of having LLPE in those with a glans penis volume ≥12.65 mm3 was 3.326 (95% confidence interval, 1.234-8.965) times higher than the non-LLPE group (P = .014). There were no significant differences between the groups in the SWE evaluation of glans penis, penile frenulum, mucosal cuff, and penile shaft tissue stiffness. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The high incidence of PE in those with high glans penis volume may make glans penis volume a predictor for the development of LLPE. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: This was the first study to show that PE is more common in individuals with a high glans penis volume. It was also the first to perform a penile elastographic evaluation in patients with PE. The most important limitation was that we did not evaluate glans penile nerve function with a test, but rather we made an indirect inference about the density of free nerve endings based on increased glans penile volume. CONCLUSION: Glans penis volume was a significant predictor for LLPE. However, there are no associations between PE and the glans penis, postcircumcision mucosal cuff, penile frenulum, or penile shaft tissue stiffness and development.

Investigation of the Frequency of Coronary Artery Anomalies in MDCT Coronary Angiography and Comparison of Atherosclerotic Involvement between Anomaly Types.

Coronary artery anomalies (CAAs) are rare anatomical variations characterized by abnormal origin, course, or termination of the coronary arteries. This study aims to identify incidental CAAs in patients who underwent multidetector computed tomography coronary angiography (MDCTCA) to determine their incidence and to evaluate whether there is a difference between CAA types in terms of coronary atherosclerotic involvement. For this purpose, patients who underwent MDCTCA between December 2018 and January 2022 were retrospectively assessed. Of the 5200 MDCTCAs analyzed, CAAs were detected in 136 patients (2.61%). Of these 136 patients, 37 (27.2%) patients had an origin anomaly, 97 (71.3%) had a course anomaly, and 2 (1.5%) had a termination anomaly. There was no statistically significant difference between CAA types in terms of atherosclerotic involvement (p = 0.220). However, atherosclerotic involvement was high in vessels with anomalies when normal vessels with and without anomalies were compared (p = 0.005). Accurate detection of CAAs is vital for endovascular treatment or surgical intervention. MDCTCA is helpful both in the diagnosis of CAA and in the early detection and development of prevention strategies for coronary atherosclerosis.

Clinical characteristics and hematological parameters associated with disease severity in COVID-19 positive pregnant women undergoing cesarean section: A single-center experience.

AIM: The study aimed to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 undergoing cesarean section, and evaluated the association of blood values at admission with severe COVID-19 disease in this group of patients. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 110 patients infected with COVID-19 who underwent cesarean section at Adana City Education and Research Hospital in Turkey. The COVID-19 severity of the patients was classified as either severe or nonsevere disease according to World Health Organization of COVID-19 clinical management guidance. We compared blood values, clinical characteristics, and outcomes between severe and nonsevere patients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analyses and area under the ROC curve (AUC) value was calculated to evaluate the predictive value of blood parameters on the COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: Of the 110 women, 12 were severe cases. Severe patients had higher ferritin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and procalcitonin levels on admission (p < 0.05). The ROC analysis demonstrated AUC of NLR, LDH, AST, ALT, ferritin, and procalcitonin was 0.757, 0.856, 0.840, 0.771, 0.821, and 0.698, respectively. The LDH had a maximum specificity (90.8%), with the cutoff value of 365. The O-blood group was more likely to have severe illness than the non-O-blood group (relative risk: 3.6; 95% confidence interval; 1.2-10.4). CONCLUSION: This study shows that LDH values at admission are an early and powerful predictor of severe infection for pregnant women with COVID-19 who will undergo a cesarean section.

Evaluation of normal-appearing white matter with perfusion and diffusion MRI in patients with treated glioblastoma.

OBJECTIVE: We tried to reveal how the normal appearing white matter (NAWM) was affected in patients with glioblastoma treated with chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) in the period following the treatment, by multiparametric MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 43 multiparametric MRI examinations of 17 patients with glioblastoma treated with CRT were examined. A total of six different series or maps were analyzed in the examinations: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) and Fractional Anisotropy (FA) maps, Gradient Echo (GRE) sequence, Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) and Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion sequences. Each sequence in each examination was examined in detail with 14 Region of Interest (ROI) measurements. The obtained values were proportioned to the contralateral NAWM values and the results were recorded as normalized values. Time dependent changes of normalized values were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The most prominent changes in follow-up imaging occurred in the perilesional region. In perilesional NAWM, we found a decrease in normalized FA (nFA), rCBV (nrCBV), rCBF (nrCBF), ASL (nASL)values (p < 0.005) in the first 3 months after treatment, followed by a plateau and an increase approaching pretreatment values, although it did not reach. Similar but milder findings were present in other NAWM areas. In perilesional NAWM, nrCBV values were found to be positively high correlated with nrCBF and nASL, and negatively high correlated with nADC values (r: 0.963, 0.736, - 0.973, respectively). We also found high correlations between the mean values of nrCBV, nrCBF, nASL in other NAWM areas (r: 0.891, 0.864, respectively). DISCUSSION: We showed that both DSC and ASL perfusion values decreased correlatively in the first 3 months and showed a plateau after 1 year in patients with glioblastoma treated with CRT, unlike the literature. Although it was not as evident as perfusion MRI, it was observed that the ADC values also showed a plateau pattern following the increase in the first 3 months. Further studies are needed to explain late pathophysiological changes. Because of the high correlation, our results support ASL perfusion instead of contrast enhanced perfusion methods.

Sugammadex and anaphylaxis: An analysis of 33 published cases.

In this study, the published sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis reports were reviewed to determine similarities in their presentation during anesthesia. PubMed was searched for sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis without time limitation. Reports were evaluated if they were in English and met the criteria of anaphylaxis determined by the World Allergy Organization. Two independent reviewers extracted and assessed the data using predesigned data collection forms. In total, 23 suitable articles were found and 33 sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis cases were included in the study. The mean age was 43.09 years (from 3-89 years) and 17 (51.5%) of the patients were female. Considering all reported cases, the average onset time of anaphylaxis was 3.08 min, with a median of 3 min (range 1-8 min). The most common signs and symptoms were hypotension, tachycardia, erythema, and desaturation. Of the 20 patients who underwent confirmatory skin testing, 15 had a positive skin reaction for sugammadex. Epinephrine was not given when indicated in about 25% of cases. Sugammadex-induced anaphylaxis onset time was less than 5 min in 92.3% of all the reported cases. Rapid diagnosis and early recognition of signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis are essential for a favorable prognosis. Treatment needs to be started as soon as possible to ensure the best outcome for the patient.

Association between preoperative maternal anxiety and neonatal outcomes: a prospective observational study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Preoperative anxiety can be associated with poor postoperative clinical outcomes. We aimed to assess whether preoperative maternal anxiety level of obstetric patients scheduled for elective cesarean surgery has an effect on clinical outcome of the newborn. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: Operating room. PATIENTS: Sixty pregnant women with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 and 2 scheduled for elective cesarean surgery were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received spinal anesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine 12.5mg. MEASUREMENTS: We performed a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire to evaluate preoperative maternal anxiety. We used the Apgar scoring system to assess the physical condition of the newborn. Hemodynamic measurements (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) were recorded at baseline, skin incision, childbirth, and 10, 15, and 30minutes after skin incision. The use of ephedrine, nausea, and vomiting were recorded as well. MAIN RESULTS: Average preoperative maternal state anxiety score was 41.1±4.6, and trait anxiety score was 50.9±5.7. Average Apgar scores of newborns were 7.6±0.8 and 9.2±0.6, at first minute and fifth minute, respectively. We found no significant relationship between the anxiety scores and Apgar scores at first and fifth minute. Forty-two patients required ephedrine, 5 patients had nausea, and 5 patients had vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that there was no relationship between preoperative maternal anxiety scores and Apgar scores at the first and fifth minute.

Comparison of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI and PET/CT in the Evaluation of Laryngeal Cancer After Inadequate CT Results.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the diagnostic value of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for laryngeal cancers after inadequate CT results. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study comprised 45 patients investigated for primary laryngeal cancer or recurrence-residue in which CT was considered inadequate. A mass was found in 20 patients. Dynamic MRI and PET/CT were compared for diagnosis of mass, lymph node involvement, recurrence and residue. The dynamic curves formed in dynamic MRI were investigated for diagnostic contributions. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the dynamic MRI, for supraglottic, glottic and subglottic location, was 100%, 80%, and 92%; 100%, 85%, and 100%, respectively. In PET/CT the sensitivity and specificity were 100% for all of those localizations. For lymph node involvement, the sensitivity of dynamic MRI and PET/CT was 100%, the specificity was 100% and 93%, respectively. For recurrence-residue, the sensitivity and specificity of dynamic MRI were 86% and 67%, respectively, with 100% sensitivity and specificity in PET/CT. The sensitivity of type A curve for detection of malignancy was 40%, and specificity was 100%. When type A and B curves were included, the sensitivity was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: For patients investigated for laryngeal cancer in which CT is considered inadequate, dynamic MRI or PET/CT is useful.

Importance of Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Evaluation of the Treatment Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Acute Attacks.

BACKGROUND: We planned to investigate contribution of DWMR to the treatment efficacy with ADC values which were measured in acute and chronic plaque before and after MS treatment. ADC changes in normal appearing white matter (NAWM) in patients with MS and healthy volunteers were also evaluated in this study. MATERIAL/METHODS: 25 patients with MS and 30 healthy subjects with normal brain MR findings were included to our study. Contrast enhancement in plaque was evaluated as an acute, and non-contrast enhancement in plaque was evaluated as a chronic. Also, ADC measurements were performed using the same parameters in NAWM in plaque neighborhood and volunteers. Results were compared with appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: ADC values in acute and chronic plaques were decreased after the treatment, and these reductions were statistically significant for acute plaqus in b500 and for chronic plaques in b500 and b1000. The mean ADC values were measured as 1.53±0.49×10(-3) and 1.43±0.58×10(-3) in acute plaques and 1.40±0.35×10(-3) and 1.34±0.36×10(-3) mm(2)/sec in chronic plaques before and after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We think that DWMR have important role due to quantitative measurement ability in the evaluation of the treatment efficacy of the MS patients with acute attack in addition to contrast-enhanced MR sequence.