Study Type – Therapy (case control) Level of Evidence 2b OBJECTIVE • To determine whether men with varicoceles have lower testosterone levels than those without and to ascertain if testosterone levels increase after varicocelectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS • We measured preoperative testosterone levels in 325 men with palpable varicoceles and in 510 men with vasectomy reversal without varicoceles who served as a comparison group. • The testosterone levels between groups were compared by age. Of the men with varicoceles, 200 had data on both pre‐ and postoperative testosterone levels, which were compared to assess postoperative changes. RESULTS • Men with varicocele had significantly lower testosterone levels than the comparison group, with mean (sd) levels of 416 (156) vs 469 (192) ng/dL (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when analysed by age. • The testosterone levels significantly increased after repair from 358 (126) to 454 (168) ng/dL (P < 0.001). • Of the 70% of patients with postoperative improvement in testosterone levels, the mean (sd) increase in testosterone was 178 (142) ng/dL. The percentage change in testosterone levels was: 30% had no increase, 41% increased by ≤50%, 19% increased between by 51–100%, and 10% increased by >100%. • There was no association between change in testosterone level and age, laterality of varicocele, or varicocele grade. CONCLUSIONS • Men with varicoceles had significantly lower testosterone levels than the comparison group of men with vasectomy reversal. • Microsurgical varicocele ligation resulted in a significant increase in serum testosterone levels in more than two‐thirds of men. • These findings suggest that varicocele is a significant risk factor for androgen deficiency and that repair may increase testosterone levels in men with varicocele and low testosterone levels.

Microsurgical varicocelectomy resulted in significant increases in sperm concentration, total sperm count and testosterone in all age groups studied, including men in the fifth and sixth decades of life. Microsurgical varicocelectomy should be offered to older men for infertility and/or hypogonadism.

Context.—Evaluating nontumor portions of tumor nephrectomies is useful to diagnose nonneoplastic renal disease. Objective.—To determine the medical renal disease frequency and to assess the prognostic significance of the various renal pathologic variables with long-term follow-up in tumor nephrectomy patients. Design.—We reviewed nonneoplastic kidney sections of 456 consecutive cases from 1998 to 2008. Seventy-five cases were excluded (19 tumor compression, 25 no nonneoplastic tissue, 22 embolized kidneys, 9 end stage). Special staining, immunofluorescence, and/or electron microscopy was performed where appropriate. Vascular sclerosis was scored from mild to severe; interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy and global glomerulosclerosis (GS) were expressed as percentages. Follow-up, minimum 12 months, was evaluated in 156 cases. All renal pathologic variables were compared with regard to change in creatinine level from preoperative assessment to follow-up. Results.—Of 381 cases, 57 had additional medical renal disease (15%), most frequently diabetic nephropathy (28) and hypertensive nephropathy (11). Postoperative creatinine levels increased significantly in patients with severe arteriosclerosis or arteriolosclerosis, &gt;5% GS, and &gt;10% interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy. Seventy-four percent of cases with additional nonneoplastic diagnoses showed severe arteriolosclerosis. Higher corresponding GS was seen in the more affected vascular cases: mean, 5.56% GS for mild versus 23% GS for severe. Three patients progressed to renal failure 1 to 4 years after nephrectomy, 2 with hypertensive nephrosclerosis and 1 with diabetic nephropathy. Conclusions.—Medical renal disease was identified in 15% of tumor nephrectomy specimens. The degrees of vascular sclerosis, GS, and interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy are predictive of elevated creatinine levels in postnephrectomy patients. Prognostic implications of the nontumor pathology are important in nephrectomized patients.

ObjectivesTo describe contemporary worldwide age-standardized incidence and mortality rates for bladder, kidney, prostate and testis cancer and their association with development. Materials and MethodsWe obtained gender-specific, age-standardized incidence and mortality rates for 184 countries and 16 major world regions from the GLOBOCAN 2012 database. We compared the mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) at national and regional levels in males and females, and assessed the association with socio-economic development using the 2014 United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). ResultsAge-standardized incidence rates were 2.9 (bladder) to 7.4 (testis) times higher for genitourinary malignancies in more developed countries compared with less developed countries. Age-standardized mortality rates were 1.5-2.2 times higher in more vs less developed countries for prostate, bladder and kidney cancer, with no variation in mortality rates observed in testis cancer. There was a strong inverse relationship between HDI and MIR in testis (regression coefficient 1.65, R 2 = 0.78), prostate (regression coefficient À1.56, R 2 = 0.85), kidney (regression coefficient À1.34, R 2 = 0.74), and bladder cancer (regression coefficient À1.01, R 2 = 0.80). ConclusionWhile incidence and mortality rates for genitourinary cancers vary widely throughout the world, the MIR is highest in less developed countries for all four major genitourinary malignancies. Further research is needed to understand whether differences in comorbidities, exposures, time to diagnosis, access to healthcare, diagnostic techniques or treatment options explain the observed inequalities in genitourinary cancer outcomes.

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Our findings support the possibility that a unique steroid biosynthetic circuit exists in Milan rat brain, functioning independently from adrenal, which could account for the overproduction of the hypothalamic ouabain-like compound in this species.

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