Ribosomal proteins can hold a more accurate record of bacterial thermal adaptation compared to rRNA.

Ribosomal genes are widely used as 'molecular clocks' to infer evolutionary relationships between species. However, their utility as 'molecular thermometers' for estimating optimal growth temperature of microorganisms remains uncertain. Previously, some estimations were made using the nucleotide composition of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), but the universal application of this approach was hindered by numerous outliers. In this study, we aimed to address this problem by identifying additional indicators of thermal adaptation within the sequences of ribosomal proteins. By comparing sequences from 2021 bacteria with known optimal growth temperature, we identified novel indicators among the metal-binding residues of ribosomal proteins. We found that these residues serve as conserved adaptive features for bacteria thriving above 40°C, but not at lower temperatures. Furthermore, the presence of these metal-binding residues exhibited a stronger correlation with the optimal growth temperature of bacteria compared to the commonly used correlation with the 16S rRNA GC content. And an even more accurate correlation was observed between the optimal growth temperature and the YVIWREL amino acid content within ribosomal proteins. Overall, our work suggests that ribosomal proteins contain a more accurate record of bacterial thermal adaptation compared to rRNA. This finding may simplify the analysis of unculturable and extinct species.

Is a 10-minute surgical scrub necessary in urologic prosthetic surgery? A randomized study of the effect of a 5- vs 10-minute surgical scrub on bacterial colony counts in the genital skin.

AIMS: To determine the antiseptic efficacy on bacterial colony counts of a 5- vs 10-minute surgical site scrub in urologic surgery. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in 101 patients presenting for elective urological procedures. Patients were randomized to a 5- or 10-minute groin scrub with Betadine (povidone-iodine). Skin swabs were taken immediately after skin clipping and following routine painting with Betadine. A third swab was taken after the betadine skin scrub. Bacterial colony counts were reported as a number of colony-forming units (CFUs). The primary outcome measure was a quantitative comparison of CFUs in the two arms. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were randomized to a 5-minute scrub and 48 to a 10-minute scrub. After Betadine painting, CFUs were present in 38% of patients in the 5-minute group (mean, 33.5 CFU) and in 27% of the 10-minute group (mean, 45.4 CFU). Following the surgical scrub, only 7.5% of the 5-minute group and 8.3% of the 10-minute group had a measurable CFU count of greater than or equal to 1, and colony counts were low in both groups (5- minute group: mean, 1.5 CFU; 10-minute group: mean, 2.0 CFU). There was no significant difference in CFUs following a 5- or 10-minute scrub (P = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a surgical skin scrub leads to a fourfold reduction in the skin CFU count compared with Betadine painting. However, there is no difference between the antibacterial effects of a 5- and 10-minute scrub. A 5-minute scrub may be sufficient in urologic prosthetic surgery.

Pelvic floor ultrasound in the diagnosis of sling complications.

PURPOSE: The mid-urethral synthetic sling (MUS) procedure has become the standard of care for treatment of female stress urinary incontinence. However, a small number of patients will have complications following MUS including failure, obstructive voiding, sling erosion, or chronic pain. This paper discusses the role of 2D and 3D ultrasound imaging in the evaluation of the female patient with complications following placement of a synthetic mid-urethral sling. RESULTS: The MUS is easily visualized as an echogenic structure on ultrasound and can be imaged by transperineal, transvaginal and introital approaches. Ultrasound allows dynamic assessment of the sling and can assist in the diagnosis of sling failure, obstruction, erosion and mesh related pain. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic floor ultrasound has an emerging role in the assessment of complications following MUS surgery. 3D ultrasound can assist the clinician in assessment of the complex patient with multiple slings or meshes in situ.

Special considerations in the urological management of the older spinal cord injury patient.

PURPOSE: This paper reports the key findings of Committee 8 of the Joint SIU-ICUD Consultation on Urologic Management of the Spinal Cord Injured Patient and address issues pertaining to the older person with a SCI and the time-related changes relevant to their urological, gastrointestinal and functional management. METHODS: A literature review using the Pubmed and Ovid search engines was performed examining pertinent literature regarding SCI in the older patient. RESULTS: There is a rising incidence of both traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in older people and improvements in healthcare and nutrition mean patients with SCI are living longer. Outcomes after a SCI in the older person are a sum of the effects of injury and its management compounded by specific effects of ageing and the emergence of unrelated comorbidities. Changes in health, comorbidities, cognition and dexterity with ageing have an impact on function and are important considerations in the management of the older patient with SCI. Treatment decisions are thus increasingly complex due to the need to take into account these changes and accompanying polypharmacy. For the person living with a SCI, changes in circumstances (social and financial) have an impact on quality of life and influence management and support strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with SCI face additional challenges both in the acute setting and with ageing. Clinicians should take into account comorbid conditions, mental health, physical function, cognition and social support in making management decisions. With the global ageing population, health services planning will need to allow for increase in resources required to care for older patients with SCI.

Natural history of post-void residual urine volume over 5 years in community-dwelling older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

AIMS: To describe the natural history of post-void residual urine volume (PVR) in community-dwelling older men. METHODS: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project involves a representative sample of community-dwelling men aged 70 and older in a defined geographic area of Sydney, Australia. PVR were measured at baseline and 2-year and 5-year follow-up. The measurements were considered valid when the voided volumes were 150 mL and over. Three-hundred twenty-nine men without conditions that are likely to alter PVR (neurological disorders, prostate cancer, and a history of urological treatment) were included in the analyses. RESULTS: Baseline PVR were 0-49 mL in 183 men, 50-99 mL in 59 men, 100-199 mL in 72 men, 200-399 mL in 11 men, and 400 mL and over in 4 men. Thirteen out of 314 (4%) men with a baseline PVR of 0-199 mL and 2 out of 11 (18%) men with a baseline PVR of 200-399 mL had surgery for benign prostate enlargement (BPE) or indwelling catheterization over 5 years compared to three out of four men (75%) with a PVR of 400 mL and over. In all 101 men with a baseline PVR of less than 400 mL who did not receive urological treatment during follow-up and had valid PVR data for both 2-year and 5-year follow-up, PVR did not exceed 400 mL at either follow-up time point. CONCLUSION: Conservative management may be appropriate for most older men with incidentally found elevated PVR of up to 400 mL.

Position statement: a clinical approach to the management of adult non-neurogenic overactive bladder.

INTRODUCTION: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a highly prevalent medical condition that has an adverse impact on various health-related quality-of-life domains, including a significant psychosocial and financial burden. This position statement, formulated by members of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and the UroGynaecological Society of Australasia, summarises the current recommendations for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies in patients with non-neurogenic OAB, and guides clinicians in the decision-making process for managing the condition using evidence-based medicine. Main recommendations: Diagnosis and initial management should be based on thorough clinical history, examination and basic investigations to exclude underlying treatable causes such as urinary tract infection and urological malignancy. Initial treatment strategies for OAB involve conservative management with behavioural modification and bladder retraining. Second-line management involves medical therapy using anticholinergic or ß3 agonist drugs provided there is adequate assessment of bladder emptying. If medical therapy is unsuccessful, further investigations with urodynamic studies and cystourethroscopy are recommended to guide further treatment. Intravesical botulinum toxin and sacral neuromodulation should be considered in medical refractory OAB. Changes in management as a result of this statement: OAB is a constellation of urinary symptoms and is a chronic condition with a low likelihood of cure; managing patient expectations is essential because OAB is challenging to treat. At present, the exact pathogenesis of OAB remains unclear and it is likely that there are multiple factors involved in this disease complex. Current medical treatment remains far from ideal, although minimally invasive surgery can be effective. Further research into the pathophysiology of this common condition will hopefully guide future developments in disease management.

Mid-term outcomes of a male retro-urethral, transobturator synthetic sling for treatment of post-prostatectomy incontinence: Impact of radiotherapy and storage dysfunction.

PURPOSE: To determine mid-term durability of the AdVance sling for post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI) and impact of prior radiotherapy and storage dysfunction. METHOD: Eighty men undergoing AdVance sling for PPI during 2008-2013 were reviewed. Pre-op urodynamics, pre and post-op pad usage, prior radiotherapy, and PGI-I scores were recorded. RESULT: Mean follow-up was 36 months (range 14-72). Twelve men had radiotherapy pre-op, 10 had detrusor overactivity (DO), and 20 reduced compliance. Pre-op mean 24-hr pad weight was 264 g and mean pads-per-day (PPD) 2.60 ± 0.29. In the early post-op period (3-6 months), mean PPD was 0.40 (SD 0.16); at mid-term follow-up mean PPD was 1.02 ± 0.31. Radiotherapy and DO were independently predictive of poor mid-term outcome. Men with DO or radiotherapy were using 1.03 ± 0.42 (P = 0.019) and 1.17 ± 0.41 (P = 0.02) more PPD, respectively than men without these factors. At mid-term follow-up, men without radiotherapy or DO were using 1.98 ± 0.28 less PPD compared to pre-operatively (P < 0.0001); with radiotherapy or DO men were using 0.73 ± 0.38 (P = 0.057) and 0.72 ± 0.43 (P = 0.092) less PPD, respectively. PGI-I score for men without radiotherapy or DO was 1.98 ± 0.40 ("much better"); with radiotherapy or DO PGI-I score was 3.80 ± 0.49 ("no difference"). CONCLUSION: The AdVance sling provides mid-term improvement in men with PPI. However, men with radiotherapy or DO have significantly poorer outcomes with mid-term results indicating a return to baseline degree of incontinence. Caution should be taken when considering the AdVance sling in these men. Pre-op urodynamics in men with radiotherapy and/or overactive bladder may be important when considering men for AdVance sling. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:1147-1150, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Natural history of non-neurogenic overactive bladder and urinary incontinence over 5 years in community-dwelling older men: The concord health and aging in men project.

AIMS: To describe the natural history of non-neurogenic overactive bladder (OAB) and urgency incontinence in community-dwelling older men. METHODS: A representative sample of 1,705 community-dwelling men aged 70 and older in a defined geographic area of Sydney, Australia, had their urinary symptoms assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS) and the International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) at baseline, 2-year follow-up, and 5-year follow-up. Four hundred and eighty-eight men without neurological diseases or prostate cancer during follow-up, or history of urological treatment at baseline were included in the analysis. Urgency incontinence was defined as leakage of urine occurring more than weekly in the above-defined population. OAB was defined as either urgency or urgency incontinence according to 2002 International Continence Society consensus. RESULTS: Of the men with OAB at baseline, 29% received treatment for OAB or benign prostatic enlargement over 5 years. Of the remaining men, 33% had sustained remission at 2-year and 5-year follow-ups without treatment. Of the men with OAB at 2-year follow-up, remission rate at 5-year follow-up was 53% in men without OAB at baseline and 27% in men with OAB at baseline (P = 0.23). No statistically significant difference was found in baseline characteristics between men with sustained remission and men with persistent symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: One in three older men with non-neurogenic OAB had sustained remission of symptoms without medical or surgical interventions. No significant predictor of sustained remission was identified. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:443-448, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Incident Falls in Community Dwelling Older Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

PURPOSE: We sought to determine which lower urinary tract symptoms are associated with incident falls in community dwelling older men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project involves a representative sample of community dwelling men 70 years old or older in a defined geographic region in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Included in analysis were 1,090 men without neurological diseases, poor mobility or dementia at baseline. Lower urinary tract symptoms were assessed using I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) and incontinence was assessed using ICIQ (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire) at baseline. I-PSS subscores were calculated for storage and voiding symptoms. Incident falls in 1 year were determined by telephone followup every 4 months. RESULTS: I-PSS storage and voiding subscores were associated with falls. Urgency incontinence was associated with falls (adjusted incidence rate ratio 2.57, 95% CI 1.54-4.30). In addition, intermediate to high I-PSS storage subscores without urgency incontinence were associated with falls (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.72, 95% CI 1.24-2.38). Other types of incontinence and urgency alone without urgency incontinence were not associated with falls. CONCLUSIONS: Lower urinary tract storage and voiding symptoms were associated with falls in community dwelling older men. Of the symptoms of overactive bladder urgency incontinence carried a high risk of falls. Storage symptoms also contributed to the fall risk independently of urgency incontinence. Circumstances of falls among men with lower urinary tract symptoms should be explored to understand how lower urinary tract symptoms increase the fall risk and generate hypotheses regarding potential interventions. Furthermore, trials to treat lower urinary tract symptoms in older men should include falls as an end point.

Voiding dysfunction in older men.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Voiding dysfunction in older men is an important health issue, with significant morbidity and biosocioeconomic burden. Treatment decisions are increasingly complex as many older men also suffer concurrent comorbidities and polypharmacy. A relatively sparse number of publications specifically examine this relevant topic. RECENT FINDINGS: Common geriatric voiding syndromes include overactive bladder (OAB) and underactive bladder, with nocturia and incontinence often the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms, and may represent a falls risk together with OAB and incontinence. The combination of detrusor overactivity and impaired contractility may coexist in older patients and can be particularly difficult to diagnose and treat clinically. A small but not insignificant proportion of older men experience spontaneous remission of OAB symptoms without treatment, and 'watchful waiting' may be a reasonable option. OAB treatment with mirabegron may have a preferable side-effect profile compared with anticholinergics in older men. Intravesical onabotulinum toxin A is effective but risk of retention is greater in the older adults. Benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) and underactive bladder may lead to urinary retention, necessitating surgery or catheterization. BPO surgery is a reasonable option in older men, with realistic counselling of postoperative expectations. Combination BPO surgery and medical OAB treatment is suitable for detrusor overactivity and impaired contractility. Stress incontinence in older patients is usually iatrogenic and treatment can include continence applicances, urethral bulking agents, suburethral sling or artificial urinary sphincter. SUMMARY: Management of voiding dysfunction in older patients need to take into account multiple factors including symptomatic and functional impairment, cognition, comorbidities and polypharmacy. Future research examining pathophysiology and treatment outcomes of voiding dysfunction in the older patient population is increasingly relevant.

A systematic review of the association between lower urinary tract symptoms and falls, injuries, and fractures in community-dwelling older men.

BACKGROUND: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) have been associated with falls in studies either exclusively or predominantly of women. It is, therefore, less clear if LUTS are risk factors for falls in men. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the association between LUTS and falls, injuries, and fractures in community-dwelling older men. Medline, Embase, and Cinahl were searched for any type of observational study that has been published in a peer-reviewed journal in English language. Studies were excluded if they did not report male-specific data or targeted specific patient populations. Results were summarized qualitatively. RESULTS: Three prospective cohort studies and six cross-sectional studies were identified. Incontinence, urgency, nocturia, and frequency were consistently shown to have weak to moderate association with falls (the point estimates of odds ratio and relative risk ranged from 1.31 to 1.67) in studies with low risk of bias for confounding. Only frequency was shown to be associated with fractures. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary incontinence and lower urinary tract storage symptoms are associated with falls in community-dwelling older men. The circumstances of falls in men with LUTS need to be investigated to generate hypotheses about what types of interventions may be effective in reducing falls.

Stress and wellbeing of junior doctors in Australia: a comparison with American doctors and population norms.

BACKGROUND: Stress in doctors adversely affects decision-making, memory, information-recall and attention, thereby negatively impacting upon the provision of safe and high quality patient care. As such, stress in doctors has been subject to increasing scientific scrutiny and has amassed greater public awareness in recent years. The aims of this study are to describe stress levels and the psychological wellbeing of current junior medical officers (JMOs), and to compare this to their predecessors, American surgical residents and population norms. METHODS: Post graduate years 1 & 2 doctors at a single metropolitan tertiary referral center were surveyed in 2009 and 2014 using two reliable and validated psychometric questionnaires, the Short Form-36 (SF36) and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS14), with additional questions pertaining to demographics and training. The results were compared with published data from American general surgical residents and Australian age-matched population norms. RESULTS: Mean stress levels were lower in 2014 (23 ± 7.2) than in 2009 (27.2 ± 7.6) (p = 0.017). The mean PSS-14 score was lower than that of American surgical residents, both before (26.8 ± 7.3, p = 0.003) and after (26.7 ± 8.2, p = 0.004) implementation of the safe working hour policies but higher than societal controls (p < 0.0001). Whilst JMOs in 2014 reported better overall mental health compared to those in 2009 (p = 0.02), they were significantly worse than the general population (p = 0.009). Multivariate analysis showed that JMOs were more likely to have a high PSS-14 score or to have a low mental health score if they reported higher career anxiety (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Doctors are still at risk despite an improvement in their stress levels and overall mental health. They are less likely to be stressed and to have better mental health if they have less career-related anxiety. This has implications for the medical education and training of our junior doctors.

Botulinum toxin (OnabotulinumtoxinA) in the male non-neurogenic overactive bladder: clinical and quality of life outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of OnabotulinumtoxinA (BTXA) injections in men with drug-refractory non-neurogenic overactive bladder (NNOAB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 43 men received BTXA injections for NNOAB from 2004 to 2012. Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) score was obtained. For men with wet NNOAB, change in number of pads per day was also assessed. RESULTS: Forty-three men with a mean age of 69 (range 37-85) received at least one injection. Of the 43 men, 20 (47%) had prior prostate surgery: 11 had radical prostatectomy (RP) and nine had transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Overall, average PGI-I score was 2.7. Comparing PGI-I score in men who had prior prostate surgery with men who have not: 2.6 ± 0.5 vs 2.8 ± 0.5 respectively (average ± 95% CI), P = 0.6. Comparing PGI-I score in men who had previous TURP with men who had previous RP: PGI-I score: 3.3 ± 0.8 vs 2.0 ± 0.5 respectively, P < 0.05. Men who had RP experienced a reduction in pad use (from 3.5 ± 1.7 to 1.6 ± 0.9 pads/day, P < 0.05) while this was not the case amongst men who had TURP (from 1.7 ± 1.5 to 1.4 ± 1.5 pads/day, P = 0.4). CONCLUSION: Overall, BTXA injection in men with drug-refractory NNOAB does provide a symptomatic benefit. Amongst men who have had prior prostate surgery, men who have had RP experience a greater benefit than men who have had TURP, both in regards to PGI-I score and pad use.

Measuring anticholinergic drug exposure in older community-dwelling Australian men: a comparison of four different measures.

AIMS: Anticholinergic drug exposure is associated with adverse outcomes in older people. While a number of tools have been developed to measure anticholinergic drug exposure, there is limited information about the agreement and overlap between the various scales. The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement and overlap between different measures of anticholinergic drug exposure in a cohort of community-dwelling older men. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used to compare anticholinergic drug exposure calculated using the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS), the Anticholinergic Drug Scale (ADS), the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) and the Drug Burden Index anticholinergic subscale (DBI-ACH) in a cohort of community-dwelling men aged 70 years and older (n = 1696). Statistical agreement, expressed as Cohen's kappa (κ), between these measurements was calculated. RESULTS: Differences were found between the tools regarding the classification of anticholinergic drug exposure for individual participants. Thirteen percent of the population used a drug listed as anticholinergic on the ARS, 39% used a drug listed on the ADS and the ACB, and 18% of the population used one or more anticholinergic drugs listed on the DBI-ACH. While agreement was good between the ACB and ADS (κ = 0.628, 95% CI 0.593, 0.664), little agreement was found between remaining tools (κ = 0.091-0.264). CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of the ACB and ADS, there was poor agreement regarding anticholinergic drug exposure among the four tools compared in this study. Great care should be taken when interpreting anticholinergic drug exposure using existing scales due to the wide variability between the different scales.

Urodynamic testing: physiological background, setting-up, calibration and artefacts.

Urodynamics (UDS) is an interactive diagnostic study of lower urinary tract function. It is composed of several tests that can be used to obtain functional information about urine storage and expulsion. Its main goal is to reproduce the patients' symptoms and determine their cause. The present article is a review of the physiological concepts behind UDS, and explains the various normal and abnormal forces and parameters that are measured and used during the tests to assist the physician in making a diagnosis. It outlines the importance and methods of the calibration of UDS equipment to optimise diagnostic accuracy and reliability, which would have a crucial impact over the treatment's decision, and consequently the patient's outcome.

Indwelling urinary catheters: pattern of use in a public tertiary-level Australian hospital.

An audit of charts from patients identified as having an indwelling urinary catheter (IDC) was conducted in a 450-bed, tertiary level hospital (Concord Repatriation General Hospital) in Australia. Documentation of relevant information regarding IDC in the medical record included indication for catheterization, insertion and removal dates, use of antibiotics, place of insertion, designation of inserter, catheter type, availability of IDC kits, and use of catheter fixation devices.

Rippling life on a dormant planet: hibernation of ribosomes, RNA polymerases, and other essential enzymes.

Throughout the tree of life, cells and organisms enter states of dormancy or hibernation as a key feature of their biology: from a bacterium arresting its growth in response to starvation, to a plant seed anticipating placement in fertile ground, to a human oocyte poised for fertilization to create a new life. Recent research shows that when cells hibernate, many of their essential enzymes hibernate too: they disengage from their substrates and associate with a specialized group of proteins known as hibernation factors. Here, we summarize how hibernation factors protect essential cellular enzymes from undesired activity or irreparable damage in hibernating cells. We show how molecular hibernation, once viewed as rare and exclusive to certain molecules like ribosomes, is in fact a widespread property of biological molecules that is required for the sustained persistence of life on Earth.

Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of ultra low-dose computed tomography and X-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder for urolithiasis in the follow-up setting.

INTRODUCTION: Urolithiasis is frequently followed up with a low-dose computed tomography of the kidneys ureters and bladder (LD-CTKUB) with doses typically less than 3 millisieverts. Although X-ray is a lower dose (0.5-1.1 mSv) alternative for follow up, it has lower diagnostic accuracy and is limited to radiopaque calculi. This study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of sub-millisievert ultra-low dose CT (ULD-CTKUB) against X-ray KUB for the follow up of urolithiasis when both are compared against the standard of care of a low-dose CT KUB (LD-CTKUB). METHODS: This prospective study included patients with a known diagnosis of urolithiasis on prior CTKUB presenting for follow up. Each patient underwent a repeat reference LD-CTKUB, ULD-CTKUB and X-ray KUB. All imaging studies were interpreted by three readers. The radiation dose and quantitative noise was calculated for each CT. Both CT and X-ray were assessed for the presence, number and size of all calculi ≥2 mm. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients were included in this study. LD-CTKUB identified 197 calculi. ULD-CTKUB in our study had a mean effective dose of 0.5 mSv compared to X-ray KUB where doses range in the literature from 0.5 to 1.1 mSv. Per-patient pooled analysis for intrarenal calculi when comparing ULD-CTKUB versus X-ray KUB against a reference LD-CTKUB found a sensitivity of 90% versus 67% (P < 0.01) and specificity of 93% versus 98% (P = 0.18) respectively. For ureteric calculi, the sensitivity was 67% versus 33% (P < 0.01) and specificity 94% versus 94% (P = 1.00) respectively. Per-stone pooled analysis detection rate was 79% for ULD-CTKUB versus 48% for X-ray (P < 0.01) when each was compared to the reference LD-CTKUB. Interobserver agreement was high for intrarenal calculi and moderate for ureteric calculi. CONCLUSION: Sub-millisievert ULD-CTKUB had lower doses and higher sensitivity than X-ray in patients requiring follow up of known urolithiasis.

Improved early and late continence following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with concurrent bladder neck fascial sling (RoboSling).

Objective: To describe a novel RoboSling technique performed at the time of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and its utility for enhancing urinary function recovery postoperatively. Materials and Methods: The surgical technique involves harvesting a vascularised, fascial flap from the peritoneum on the posterior aspect of the bladder. Following completion of prostatectomy, the autologous flap is tunnelled underneath the bladder and incorporated into the rectourethralis and vertical longitudinal detrusor fibres at the posterior bladder neck with a modified Rocco suture. After urethra-vesical anastomosis is completed, the corners of the flap are hitched up to Cooper's ligament bilaterally with V-Loc sutures, tensioned and secured creating a bladder neck sling. A prospective, longitudinal cohort study was performed of 193 consecutive patients undergoing RARP between December 2016 and September 2019. The first 163 patients underwent standard RARP, and the last 30 patients had the RoboSling technique performed concurrently. Continence outcomes were the primary outcomes assessed using pad number and Expanded Prostate Cancer Composite (EPIC)-urinary domain questionnaire. Operative time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), complications and oncological outcomes were secondary outcomes. Results: The two groups were comparable for demographics and clinicopathological variables. At 3 months, zero pad usage (p = 0.005) and continence rates, defined as EPIC score ≥ 85 (p = 0.007), were both higher in the RoboSling group. EBL, complication rate and positive surgical margin rate did not differ between the two groups. Superior zero pad usage was observed at 1 year in the RoboSling group (p = 0.029). The RoboSling technique added on average 16 min to OT. Conclusions: The RoboSling procedure at the time of RARP was associated with earlier return to continence without negatively impacting other postoperative outcomes. This improvement in continence outcomes was maintained long term.

Transurethral prostate resection in patients with hypocontractile detrusor--what is the predictive value of ultrastructural detrusor changes?

PURPOSE: Men with detrusor failure and chronic urinary retention have a lower voiding success rate and higher postoperative morbidity following transurethral prostatectomy than those with bladder outlet obstruction. Current investigations, including urodynamics, may be unable to predict the response to surgical treatment. We identified ultrastructural features on detrusor biopsy that correlated with the postoperative voiding outcome in patients with a hypocontractile detrusor undergoing transurethral prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Detrusor biopsies were obtained from 17 patients with urodynamic evidence of bladder outlet obstruction or a hypocontractile detrusor undergoing transurethral prostatectomy and from 5 controls. Specimens were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Ten individual detrusor ultrastructural features were analyzed. Findings were compared with preoperative and postoperative clinical parameters. RESULTS: Failure to void after transurethral prostatectomy was significantly associated with the ultrastructural features of variation in muscle cell size, muscle cell shape, collagenosis and abnormal fascicles. These 4 features were significantly associated with each other, defining a distinctive pattern of detrusor failure. For transurethral prostatectomy failure the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of all 4 features together were 60%, 91%, 75% and 84%, respectively. Three or 4 features on detrusor biopsy predicted voiding failure. CONCLUSIONS: Detrusor ultrastructural analysis is highly predictive of voiding outcome following transurethral prostatectomy in patients with detrusor failure. Patients with ultrastructural features previously described as part of the myohypertrophy pattern do not have a primary diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction but rather detrusor failure secondary to bladder outlet obstruction.