Objective: Diet interventions may reduce the risk of urinary stone formation and its recurrence, but there is no conclusive consensus in the literature regarding the effectiveness of dietary interventions and recommendations about specific diets for patients with urinary calculi. The aim of this study was to review the studies reporting the effects of different dietary interventions for the modification of urinary risk factors in patients with urinary stone disease. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of the Pubmed database literature up to July 1, 2014 for studies on dietary treatment of urinary risk factors for urinary stone formation was conducted according to a methodology developed a priori. Studies were screened by titles and abstracts for eligibility. Data were extracted using a standardized form and the quality of evidence was assessed. Results: Evidence from the selected studies were used to form evidencebased guideline statements. In the absence of sufficient evidence, additional statements were developed as expert opinions. Conclusions: General measures: Each patient with nephrolithiasis should undertake appropriate evaluation according to the knowledge of the calculus composition. Regardless of the underlying cause of the stone disease, a mainstay of conservative management is the forced increase in fluid intake to achieve a daily urine output of 2 liters. Hypercalciuria: Dietary calcium restriction is not recommended for stone formers with nephrolithiasis. Diets with a calcium content ≥ 1 g/day (and low protein-low sodium) could be protective against the risk of stone formation in hypercalciuric stone forming adults. Moderate dietary salt restriction is useful in limiting urinary calcium excretion and thus may be helpful for primary and secondary prevention of nephrolithiasis. A low-normal protein intake decrease calciuria and could be useful in stone prevention and preservation of bone mass. Omega-3 fatty acids and bran of different origin decreases calciuria, but their impact on the urinary stone risk profile is uncertain. Sports beverage do not affect the urinary stone risk profile. Hyperoxaluria: A diet low in oxalate and/or a calcium intake normal to high (800-1200 mg/day for adults) reduce the urinary excretion of oxalate, conversely a diet rich in oxalates and/or a diet low in calcium increase urinary oxalate. A restriction in protein intake may reduce the urinary excretion of oxalate although a vegetarian diet may lead to an increase in urinary oxalate. Adding bran to a diet low in oxalate cancels its effect of reducing urinary oxalate. Conversely, the addition of supplements of fruit and vegetables to a mixed diet does not involve an increased excretion of oxalate in the urine. The intake of pyridoxine reduces the excretion of oxalate. Hyperuricosuria: In patients with renal calcium stones SummaryNo conflict of interest declared. DOI: 10.4081/aiua.2015.2.105the decrease of the urinary excretion of uric acid after restriction of dietary protein and purine is suggested although not cle...

Peyronie's disease, the etiology of which remains unknown, is characterized by a focal or multifocal disorder of penile tunica albuginea. An excessive collagen deposition gives rise to the formation of the plaque, which is fibrotic first and then becomes calcific. Typical symptoms of the disease are painful erection, pathological bending of the erect penis and impotence at the more advanced stages (43% of the cases). There is evidence that the tunica albuginea has a fundamental role in the erection mechanism. We evaluated the tunica albuginea of patients suffering from Peyronie's disease, with or without impotence, and found progressive disorders of the microstructure in areas that were not affected by fibrocalcific formations. There was a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) of elastic fiber concentration (55.05 +/- 23.83 per high power field) in patients with Peyronie's disease compared to the concentration in the tunica albuginea of a control group (128.50 +/- 11.79 per high power field). Moreover, when the elastic fiber concentration in the tunica albuginea of patients Peyronie's disease and normal erection (71.36 +/- 12.00 per high power field) was compared to the concentration in the tunica albuginea of those with Peyronie's disease and impotence (33.14 +/- 4.84 per high power field) a significant difference was noted (p < 0.0001).

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Objectives: To assess the effect of neoadjuvant hormone treatment before radical prostatectomy on: tumor/prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone levels, surgical margin status and tumor stage, and the ease of surgery following treatment. Methods: Patients with clinically localized prostatic carcinoma were randomized to receive leuprolide acetate depot 3.75 mg once a month for 3 months and cyproterone acetate 300 mg once a week for 3 weeks prior to surgery (group A). A control group of patients had surgery without any pretreatment (group B). Results: 167 patients were evaluated for the efficacy parameters. In group A, 31% of patients had a reduction in tumor/prostate volume following hormone therapy. PSA and testosterone levels were significantly reduced (p = 0.0001) in patients in group A compared to basal values. Centralized histopathological data evaluated in 145 patients (group A and 75 group B) showed that more patients in group B had tumors at stages T3A and T3B than in group A; this difference was close to significance (p = 0.057). Positive surgical margins were more common in group B (60% of patients) compared to group A (39% of patients). Similarly lymph node involvement was more common in group B compared to group A (11 versus 3%). There was little difference between the 2 study groups for the other surgical parameters assessed (ease of dissection, duration of surgery, blood loss). Conclusions: Neoadjuvant hormone therapy before radical prostatectomy has some effects in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, long-term follow-up of patients is needed to assess the impact of this therapy on morbidity and mortality.

The tunica albuginea (TA) of the penis is thought to play a major role in the erection mechanism. It functions by compressing the subalbugineae venulae, which promotes the slower venous flow during erection, and provides a fibrous frame to give an inextensible support for the vessels and nerves. It acts as the inextensible enclosing structure which contains the erectile tissue and gives the erect penis its shape. The functions of the TA result from its structure, consisting for the most part of collagenic and elastic fibers. This study investigated, with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the microarchitecture of the TA and the spatial relation of its fibers in ten impotent patients and in six control subjects with normal erectile function. The arrangement of elastic fibers in the TA seems to account for their function, which is to prevent the overstretching of collagenic fibers during maximum intracavernous pressure. In impotent patients, a reduction in the elastic fibers in the TA appears to produce disorders in the arrangement of the collagenic fibers. These alterations in the architecture of the TA in impotent patients can give rise top erection disorders.

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Surgical liposuction can be considered an effective treatment for gynecomastia, in particular in the very early stages because the breast becomes irreversibly fibrous as the disease progresses. This surgical technique is simple and effective and is therefore to be considered favorable, especially because of the very short hospitalization and the absence of complications.