Urology
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To determine the associations between the pretreatment characteristics and treatment selection in patients presenting with clinical stage I renal masses. ⋯ Pretreatment characteristics associated with treatment type in our series, including the presence of a solitary kidney and anatomic complexity, are poorly captured using administrative and registry data. Observational studies investigating the variations in practice patterns for stage I renal masses require improved integration of clinical and tumor characteristics to reduce selection biases.
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To ascertain the reliability of low-dose computed tomography (CT) compared with standard CT in the determination of stone size, density, and skin-to-stone distance (SSD). ⋯ No significant difference was found in the measurement of stone size, Hounsfield units, or SSD between the low-dose and conventional-dose CT scans. However, the low-dose CT scans resulted in a marked reduction in the radiation dose to the patient.
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Transurethral insertion of foreign bodies into the urinary bladder is uncommon in children. We report an 11-year-old boy who presented with hematuria and difficulty voiding secondary to numerous magnetic beads lodged in the urinary bladder and posterior urethra.
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To investigate the effects of the selective Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor azaindole-1 on erectile function under physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions in the rat. ⋯ The present studies indicate that azaindole-1 has long-lasting erectile activity that is independent of NO release, muscarinic receptor, or sGC activation or the integrity of the cavernosal nerves.
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To investigate whether overproduction of reactive oxygen species after testicular torsion-detorsion injures testicular spermatogenesis by regulating expression of TATA box-binding protein-related factor 2 (TRF2), which is an essential transcription factor for spermatogenesis. Testicular torsion-detorsion causes overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which contributes to testicular injury and regulates many genes whose expression affects cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. ⋯ These findings have indicated that overproduction of reactive oxygen species after testicular torsion-detorsion can damage testicular spermatogenesis by downregulation of TRF2 expression.