Citations

Background: Kounis syndrome (allergic angina syndrome) is triggered commonly by drugs, insect bites and even ice cream, causing myocardial infarction (MI). Treating this with the typical acute coronary syndrome (ACS) protocol may be clinically detrimental. We present a case of suspected type 2 Kounis syndrome in a low-resource setting. Case Description: A 45-year-old man presented to the emergency room with chest pain for the past 6 hours. He had history of multiple bee stings 14 hours ago. Review of systems was negative for rash, dizziness, palpitations or shortness of breath. He was a chronic smoker and alcoholic with no comorbidities and no history of allergies. He was conscious, oriented and his vitals were stable. ECG showed ST segment elevation in leads II, III and aVF (Figure 1). Echocardiogram showed mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Acute inferior wall MI and Kounis syndrome were suspected, and he was treated with routine ACS protocol, steroids and anti-histaminics. Coronary angiography showed mild, clinically insignificant atherosclerotic changes in the proximal right coronary artery (Figure 2), but absence of thrombus occluding the vessel. Patient was admitted in the cardiac intensive care unit and recovered well. Discussion: Common triggers for Kounis are antibiotics and insect bites. Insect venom contains phospholipase A2&5-HT, which can be allergic or directly toxic to cardiac tissue. They activate mast cells and induce vasospasm, leading to acute MI. Most patients present immediately with anaphylaxis and ACS, but some, like our patient, present with delayed, subclinical symptoms, presenting a diagnostic challenge. Tryptase and IgE levels as diagnostic tools are still under investigation considering the short half-life and lack of sensitivity respectively, and non-availability in low-resource settings. A therapeutic oxymoron has been described - the need for systemic vasoconstrictors and myocardial vasodilators. This warrants cautious use of beta blockers and epinephrine. The use of steroids and antihistaminics are under evaluation. A consensus is yet to be reached regarding diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Conclusion: Kounis syndrome must be considered high on differential in a case of acute MI if supporting history is positive. More research needs to be done on the long-term outcomes of the empiric treatment of suspected Kounis syndrome in low-resource settings, where advanced diagnostic tests are unavailable.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this white paper is to educate health care professionals about the evolution of telemedicine (TM) and to propose a hybrid model that leverages the strengths of traditional in-person medicine as well as virtual medicine while maximizing the safety and quality of men’s sexual health care. Literature Search Strategy A literature search focused on the use of TM in urology and men’s health was performed through PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science (January 1, 2012–April 26, 2022). Keywords included all known permutations of the terminology used to refer to virtual health, care as well as the terminology used to refer to urologic diseases, issues specific to men’s health, and men’s sexual health concerns. Publications that emerged after the literature search that met this criterion also were incorporated. Opinion pieces, letters to the editor, meeting abstracts, and conference proceedings were excluded. Additional resources were retrieved, such as governmental technical reports, legislative updates and reviews, and blogs. This search strategy yielded 1684 records across databases after removal of duplicates. Abstracts from the retrieved records were reviewed for relevance. Relevant publications were defined as those that reported data on any aspect of TM use specific to urology, men’s health, and/or men’s sexual health. If relevance was unclear from the abstract, then the full text of the article was retrieved for a more detailed review. In addition, the published evidence-based practice guidelines relevant to care for erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, ejaculatory dysfunction, and hypogonadism were retrieved. The most common reasons for article exclusions were a focus on TM use in disciplines other than urology and the absence of data (ie, opinion pieces). After exclusions, a total of 91 publications remained and constituted the evidence base for this paper.

Abstract Introduction Peyronie’s disease (PD), estimated to affect around 10% of the male population, is an acquired disorder of penile fibrotic tissue. The only FDA approved medical treatment for PD is Intralesional Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum (CCh). CCh is a mixture of AUX1 and AUXII, two different forms of collagenase that cleave collage type I and type III, leading to plaque degradation. PD plaques, however, also contain fibrin and calcium which CCh is unable to digest. It is unknown if plaque calcification prevents collagenolysis with CCh. Objective To determine if calcification prevents collageolysis of PD plaques with CCh. Methods Calcified PD plaques were collected from five males undergoing excision and grafting for PD. Control tissue was collected from five males undergoing penile implant surgery for erectile dysfunction, with no known history of PD. Tissue samples were then divided into equal weights and incubated with CCh or PBS for 24 hours. The CCh or PBS was injected into the tissue (control or plaque) to mimic administration of CCH for treatment of PD. Following incubation, the fluid (CCh or PBS) was measured for soluble collagen amount and tissue was subjected to Picrosirius Red and H&E staining. Results There was a higher concentration of soluble collagen in the tissue (control and plaque) incubated in CCh (301ug, SD 21.1) compared to the issue incubated in PBS (32.5ug, SD 3.7) (p=0.02). Additionally, there was less type 1 and 3 collagen present in the CCh condition (mean 0.12, SD=0.08), when compared to the PBS condition (0.44, SD=0.17) (p=0.002). However, when comparing within the CCh condition to look at differences between tissue types (calcified vs. control) no differences were found. There was a similar amount of soluble collagen in the CCh control condition (316ug, SD 35) and the CCh calcified condition (286ug, SD 11) (p=0.06). Similarly, the PBS control condition (30ug, SD17) and the PBS calcified condition (35ug, SD 48) were found to have no significant differences in collagen concentration (p=0.4). Finally, there were no significant differences found in type I/III collagen staining between tissues in the CCh condition, with control (0.08, SD=0.02) and calcified (0.17, SD=0.09) demonstrating no significant difference (p=0.08). Tissues in the PBS condition, control (0.5, SD=0.23) and calcified (0.39, SD=0.39), similarly were not significant (p=0.2) (table 1). Conclusions CCh is capable of breaking down collagen in calcified plaques. Further research into CCh as a treatment option for PD calcified plaques is necessary. Disclosure Yes, this is sponsored by industry/sponsor: Endo Pharmaceuticals Clarification Industry funding only - investigator initiated and executed study Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Acerus Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Coloplast, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Empower Pharmacy, Nestle Health, Olympus, Hims, Inc.

Abstract Introduction Current non-invasive treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED) include oral medications, intracavernosal injections, and vacuum-assisted devices. Though these therapies work well for many, a subset of patients have contraindications or are unsatisfied with these options. Restorative therapies for ED are a new frontier of treatments focused on regenerating diseased tissue and providing a potential “cure” for ED. Aim The aim of this position statement is to examine existing clinical trial data for restorative therapies and identify elements that require further research before widespread adoption. Methods A literature review was performed to identify all clinical trials performed with regenerative therapy for ED. This includes treatments such as stem cell therapy (SCT), platelet rich plasma (PRP), and restorative related technologies like low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiSWT). Main Outcome Measures Most clinical trials in restorative therapies were assessed for safety, feasibility, or efficacy. This included recording adverse events, changes in sexual function and erectile function questionnaires, and diagnostics measures. Results To date there is an absence of robust clinical data supporting the efficacy of restorative therapies regarding ED, though technologies such as LiSWT have established relative safety. Conclusions Restorative therapies are a promising technology that represents a new frontier of treatment geared towards reversing disease pathology rather than just treating symptoms. However, current published clinical studies are limited. Future work needs to be adequately powered, multi-center, randomized, sham/placebo-controlled trials in well-characterized patient populations to ensure safety and demonstrate efficacy. Until these studies are done, restorative therapies should be reserved for clinical trials and not offered in routine clinical practice.

Background: To describe the baseline characteristics of patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction enrolled in the PARAGON-HF trial (Prospective Comparison of Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor With Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Global Outcomes in HFpEF) comparing sacubitril/valsartan to valsartan in reducing morbidity and mortality. Methods and Results: We report key demographic, clinical, and laboratory findings, and baseline therapies, of 4822 patients randomized in PARAGON-HF, grouped by factors that influence criteria for study inclusion. We further compared baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in PARAGON-HF with those patients enrolled in other recent trials of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Among patients enrolled from various regions (16% Asia-Pacific, 37% Central Europe, 7% Latin America, 12% North America, 28% Western Europe), the mean age of patients enrolled in PARAGON-HF was 72.7±8.4 years, 52% of patients were female, and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 57.5%, similar to other trials of HFpEF. Most patients were in New York Heart Association class II, and 38% had ≥1 hospitalizations for heart failure within the previous 9 months. Diabetes mellitus (43%) and chronic kidney disease (47%) were more prevalent than in previous trials of HFpEF. Many patients were prescribed angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (85%), β-blockers (80%), calcium channel blockers (36%), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (24%). As specified in the protocol, virtually all patients were on diuretics, had elevated plasma concentrations of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (median, 911 pg/mL; interquartile range, 464–1610), and structural heart disease. Conclusions: PARAGON-HF represents a contemporary group of patients with HFpEF with similar age and sex distribution compared with prior HFpEF trials but higher prevalence of comorbidities. These findings provide insights into the impact of inclusion criteria on, and regional variation in, HFpEF patient characteristics. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01920711.

Abstract BACKGROUND The optimal diagnostic evaluation for patients with angiographically negative subarachnoid hemorrhage (AN-SAH) remains controversial. OBJECTIVE To assess the utilization rate and diagnostic yield of imaging tests routinely obtained in identifying a structural cause for AN-SAH. METHODS In this retrospective multicenter study, consecutive adult patients admitted with nontraumatic, AN-SAH between 01/2010 and 12/2015 were included. Patients with intraparenchymal, subdural, or epidural hematomas in addition to SAH were excluded. Outcomes studied included utilization rate, diagnostic yield, and median time from admission for the following imaging tests: initial computed tomography angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), brain and cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and any repeat DSA or CTA performed either during initial admission or at long-term follow-up. RESULTS A total of 752 patients were included (mean age, 53 yr; 54% male). Initial CTA and DSA were performed in 89% and 100% of patients, respectively. Brain MRI was performed in 75% of patients and was positive in 0.7% of cases. Cervical spine MRI was performed in 61% of patients and was positive in 0.2% of cases. Repeat, same-admission follow-up DSA and CTA were performed in 48% and 51% of patients and were positive in 3.3% and 1% of cases, respectively. Delayed follow-up DSA and CTA after discharge were performed in 26% and 7% of patients and were positive in 2% and 3.7% of cases, respectively, all with negative prior imaging studies. CONCLUSION Cervical spine and brain MRI have extremely low diagnostic yield, both are commonly utilized in patients with AN-SAH; while repeat DSA and CTA are utilized less commonly and have slightly higher diagnostic yield.