Peyronie’s disease: Contemporary evaluation and management

Peyronie’s disease is a common yet poorly understood condition characterized by penile pain, curvature, sexual dysfunction and psychological bother. Peyronie’s disease represents a penile wound healing disorder, and is thought to arise from exuberant scarring in response to penile trauma in genetically predisposed men. In the absence of active treatment, the majority of men experience stable or worsening symptoms, with few reporting spontaneous resolution in penile curvature or other deformity. In contrast, penile pain improves or resolves in the majority of men. Treatment options vary based on symptom severity and stability. Several oral therapies are commonly prescribed, although to date there are no strong data to support any oral agents as monotherapy for Peyronie’s disease. Other options including penile traction therapy and intralesional injections result in modest improvements for many patients, particularly when used early after symptom onset. Penile straightening through approaches, such as penile plication and plaque incision or partial excision and grafting, represent the most rapid and reliable approach to correct penile curvature once the symptoms have stabilized. Side-effects vary based on the type of surgery carried out, and include penile shortening, sensation changes and erectile dysfunction in the minority of men. In patients with drug refractory erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, placement of a penile prosthesis will address both issues, and is associated with high levels of patient satisfaction. The current review provides a practical approach to the modern evaluation and management of patients presenting with Peyronie’s disease.     

Heart insufficiency in traumatic arteriovenous fistulas

Objective: To analyse the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of heart insufficiency in patients with chronic arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). Methodology: From 1991 to 2000 we treated 49 patients with traumatic AVF. The present study included 19 patients with AVF present for 6 months or longer, as it was presumed that these AVF will have an impact on cardiac overload. There were 16 male and three female patients with a mean age of 36 years (17–59). The time from injury to admission varied from 6 months to 33 years. Cardiological examination checked for dyspnoea and palpitation. ECG, chest X‐ray and ECHO‐cardiography were also performed. All AVF were deleted, magistral vessels reconstructed, non‐magistral obliterated, either surgically or by percutaneous embolization. Results: Mean follow up was 44.2 months (3–93). Serious heart insufficiency was seen in two patients only, with AVF in the subclavial vessels. Both suffered from serious heart disease prior to the therapeutic procedures that resulted in iatrogenic AVF, so it was difficult to connect heart insufficiency to the AVF alone. Despite surgical closure of AVF and intensive medical treatment, signs of heart insufficiency remained in both patients. Signs of cardiac overload were seen in six patients with long‐standing AVF in major vessels. Except for one patient who refused surgical closure of femoral AVF, the remaining five were symptom free for cardiac overload during the follow‐up period. Conclusion: In our series, heart insufficiency was an infrequent complication in long‐standing AVF, even when major vessels were involved.     

The role of microsomal oxidation processes in the development of haloperidol tolerance during melatonin administration and epiphysectomy in rats

A pineal hormone melatonin (1 mg/kg, 24 days) facilitated the formation of tolerance to haloperidol and eliminated the changes produced by it in the processes of microsomal oxidation in rats. Pinealectomy yielded the opposite result. After pinealectomy the normalizing effect of the hormone on the condition of the liver monoxygenase system and the effects of haloperidol weakened.     

Lipoprotein particle abnormalities and the impaired lipolysis in renal insufficiency.

BACKGROUND: Increased concentrations of very low- (VLDL) and intermediate-density (IDL) lipoproteins in chronic renal failure (CRF) are thought to result from a defect(s) in degradation of plasma triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. The purpose of this study was to identify lipoprotein abnormalities associated with the reduced lipolytic rate constant, k1, of combined VLDL and IDL substrate from renal patients and asymptomatic controls. METHODS: The VLDL + IDL were isolated from 18 predialytic patients (CRF-I), 8 patients on hemodialysis (CRF-II) and 10 asymptomatic controls. The lipolytic rate constant (k1) of VLDL + IDL was measured by an assay using bovine milk lipoprotein lipase and determination of TG before and after incubation by gas chromatography (GC). Neutral lipids were measured by GC and apolipoproteins by electroimmunoassays; the apolipoprotein-defined TG-rich lipoproteins including Lp-B:C, Lp-B:C:E and Lp-A-II:B:C:D:E were determined by immunoaffinity chromatography. RESULTS: The k1 values of VLDL + IDL were significantly (P < 0.001) lower in CRF-I and CRF-II patients (0.0341 and 0.0352 min-1, respectively) than controls (0.0515 min-1). The levels of apolipoproteins B, C-III and E, and TG-rich Lp-B:C, Lp-B:C:E and Lp-A-II:B:C:D:E particles normalized to 100 mg TG per VLDL + IDL were significantly higher in both groups of CRF patients than in controls. All three TG-rich lipoproteins were characterized by significantly increased percent contents of free (FC) and esterified (CE) cholesterol and a decreased percentage of TG. The k1 values of the combined CRF-I and CRF-II patient groups showed significant negative correlations (P < 0.001) with FC (r=-0.81) and CE (r=-0.63) and a positive correlation with TG (r=0.72). Among lipoprotein particles, only Lp-A-II:B:C:D:E levels showed a significant negative correlation with k1 values (r=-0.47, P < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the abnormal neutral lipid composition of all three TG-rich lipoprotein particles and increased concentrations of Lp-A-II:B:C:D:E particles represent the main factors affecting the in vitro lipolytic rates of VLDL + IDL substrate in both the CRF patients before dialysis and patients on hemodialysis.     

Dermatomyositis and miliary tuberculosis (case report with fatal outcome )

A 50-year old female patient suffering from dermatomyositis, who had undergone thymectomy, died of generalized miliary tuberculosis.     

Endoscopic removal of isolated gastrinoma of the duodenum after Billroth II gastric resection]

Duodenal carcinoma is a rare disease and is encountered in no more than 10% of cases of the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The article discusses a rare case in which an isolated duodenal gastrinoma was removed endoscopically with subsequent recovery from the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Study of the serum gastrin concentration with provocative tests allowed the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome to be diagnosed and the radicality of duodenal gastrinoma removal to be controlled. Retrograde duodenoscopy conducted after resection of the gastric stump by the Billroth II method localized the source of hypergastrinemia and made possible radical removal of the duodenal gastrinoma, which was confirmed by normalization of the blood serum gastrin concentration. The work includes a brief literature reference on the subject.