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IntroductionFocal therapy has emerged as a promising treatment option for men with localised prostate cancer. However, most of the evaluation of postoperative function has taken place at a relatively high, non-granular level. Most of the data we use to provide informed consent for our patients is obtained from retrospective series, or derived from prospective studies whose primary outcome was oncological. Finally, most studies have focused on erectile function and overlooked other, presumably important, elements of male sexual function. The present study aims at studying in-depth the sexual consequences of focal therapy with various energy sources.Methods and analysisThis will be a mixed-methods research study based on a retrospective and prospective cohort, recruited in parallel. The retrospective cohort will consist of patients treated with focal irreversible electroporation, and the prospective cohort of patients treated with three focal therapy energies. Participants will be recruited from two UK urology centres, one National Health Service and one private. On consent, patients will fill in self-administered validated questionnaires (International Index of Erectile Function-15 (IIEF-15), Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculatory Dysfunction-Short Form (MSHQ-EjD-SF)) and semistructured interviews will be organised to collect patients’ expectations and postoperative changes in domains such as erection, ejaculation, orgasm, libido/sexual desire, masculinity/virility, penile morphology, pain or discomfort, regret, shame, cancer-related stress, overall impact and partner satisfaction. An exploratory thematic analysis will be performed to detail recurring themes that will be grouped into clusters of experiences. We will then be able to find clusters of agreement and disagreement that will be illustrated using exemplar patient quotations.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained (Regional Ethics Committee reference 20/NW/0335), as well as Health Research Authority approval. Results will be published in open-access peer-reviewed journals. Findings will also be translated into patient information resources (leaflets, online information sheets).Trial registration numberISRCTN11634296; Pre-results.

PurposeImproved medical care throughout childhood and adolescence has enabled patients with complex urological abnormalities to live longer into adulthood. These patients are now at risk of developing common, age-related, urological conditions. This review aims to review existing data and make recommendations in areas where expert opinion is currently lackingMethodsThis review represents the joint SIU-ICUD (Société Internationale d’Urologie-International Consultation on Urological Disease) consultation on congenital lifelong urology. The results of this analysis were first presented at a joint consultation of the ICUD and SIU at the 2018 SIU annual conference in Seoul, South Korea.ResultsBPH may present differently in patients with neurogenic bladder. Thorough assessment of neurological status, bladder and sphincter function is required before offering any bladder outlet surgery. Prostate specific antigen screening should be offered to men aged 50–69 with neurogenic bladders if they have good life expectancy. Multi-parametric MRI and transperineal biopsy would be the investigations of choice if feasible. Surgery for localized disease should only be done by surgeons with the relevant expertise. Bladder cancer in this patient group is more likely to present at a later stage and have a worse prognosis. Parenthood is achievable for most, but often requires assistance with conception. Pregnant women who have had previous urogenital reconstructive surgery should be managed in appropriate obstetric units with the involvement of a reconstructive urologist.ConclusionsMost evidence regarding complex urogenital abnormalities comes from the pediatric population. Evidence regarding common, age-related urological issues is generally from the ‘normal’ adult population. As patients with complex congenital urological conditions live longer, more data will become available to assess the long-term benefits of intervention.

Focus on quality of life after prostate cancer is vital to improve patient care. Improved assessment and proactive management of post-treatment functional outcomes is essential. Many aspects of the patients’ aftercare need to be improved in order to set up a clear path following prostatectomy. These improvements will enable a timely and efficient escalation of treatment and ameliorate patients’ survivorship experience.

AimsKS is a congenital condition with 47, XXY chromosome karyotype. Due to a lack of understanding of the condition amongst healthcare providers, KS is grossly underdiagnosed, with most patients never receiving a diagnosis. Within this population, gender dysphoria is suggested to be of higher incidence than in the general population. To establish the validity of this claim and to improve care for patients with KS, particularly in the area of gender service provision, we need to identify whether there is a significant proportion of XXY individuals that experience gender dysphoria. The aim of our study is to determine whether UK patients with a diagnosis of KS are more predisposed to gender dissatisfaction.MethodsA PRISMA literature review was conducted on the epidemiology, management, and treatment outcomes of KS patients with gender dysphoria. Based on the results of the literature review, we then conducted a cross-sectional survey of patients serviced by the Klinefelter Syndrome Association on gender satisfaction. The survey recorded 81 responses.ResultsOf the entire study population, gender distribution was 65% male, 6% female, 4% non-binary, 2% gender fluid, 3% neither, 1% equally male and female, and 1% intersex. This contrasted with most patients’ assigned birth on their birth certificate, which was 92.5% male and 3.75% female. Most patients surveyed enjoyed living as the sex written on their birth certificate (61.64%), which seemed to correlate closely with the proportion of patients that identified as male (65%).ConclusionLiterature Review: As a whole, KS patients documented in research presented to psychiatric and sexual health services during adulthood, requesting either sex reassignment surgery or changes to hormonal replacement therapy. The sparse amount of research over a long period of time has created a reliance on outdated research techniques. Patient Survey: Survey results show that there are a significant proportion of survey respondents that do not identify as male despite it being written on their birth certificate; however, the majority prefer to be identified as male. This suggests that certain individuals with KS are at higher risk of gender dissatisfaction and dysphoria. Importantly, these observations are not substantiated with clinical judgement of a psychiatrist/mental health worker, which should aim to be incorporated in future research. Additionally, longitudinal studies should aim to establish whether certain age groups would be more at risk of gender dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria or if trends change with age.

Cognitive load measurement systems measure the mental demand experienced by human while performing a cognitive task, which is useful in monitoring and enhancing task performance. Various speech-based systems have been proposed for cognitive load classification, but the effect of cognitive load on the speech production system is still not well understood. In this work, we study formant frequencies under different load conditions and utilize formant frequency-based features for automatic cognitive load classification. We find that the slope, dispersion, and duration of vowel formant trajectories exhibit changes under different load conditions; slope and duration are found to be useful features in vowel-based classification. Additionally, 2-class and 3-class utterance-based classification results, evaluated on two different databases, show that the performance of frame-based formant features was comparable, if not better than, baseline MFCC features.

Across health care, clinicians are increasingly using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to give a voice to patients and to help standardize the assessment of patients for comparison purposes. With this increasing use, the limitations of these PROMs should not be underestimated within the diverse population that we treat.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of self management as a first line intervention for men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting A teaching hospital and a district general hospital in London. Participants 140 men (mean age 63 (SD 10.7) years), recruited between January 2003 and April 2004, referred by general practitioners to urological outpatient departments with uncomplicated lower urinary tract symptoms. Interventions Self management and standard care (n=73) or standard care alone (n=67). The self management group took part in three small group sessions comprising education, lifestyle advice, and training in problem solving and goal setting skills. Main outcome measures The primary outcome measure was treatment failure measured at 3, 6, and 12 months. Symptom severity (international prostate symptom score; higher scores represent a poorer outcome) was used as a secondary outcome. Results At three months, treatment failure had occurred in 7 (10%) of the self management group and in 27 (42%) of the standard care group (difference=32%, 95% confidence interval 18% to 46%). Corresponding differences in the frequency of treatment failure were 42% (27% to 57%) at six months and 48% (32% to 64%) at 12 months. At three months, the mean international prostate symptom score was 10.7 in the self management group and 16.4 in the standard care group (difference=5.7, 3.7 to 7.7). Corresponding differences in score were 6.5 (4.3 to 8.7) at six months and 5.1 (2.7 to 7.6) at 12 months. Conclusions Self management significantly reduced the frequency of treatment failure and reduced urinary symptoms. Because of the large observed benefit of self management, the results of this study support the case for a large multicentre trial to confirm whether self management could be considered as first line treatment for men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Trial registration National Research Register N0263115137; Clinical trials NCT00270309.

Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) is spontaneous penile tumescence occurring during sleep, and typically associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In contrast to the physiological processes underlying erection at the peripheral level, the physiological process of NPT and its association with REM sleep is relatively unknown. NPT has been used to differentiate psychogenic causes of erectile dysfunction (ED) from organic ED. In its classic form, NPT study consists of a nocturnal monitoring device that measures the number of tumescence episodes during sleep, duration of each erection, penile circumference change, and maximal penile rigidity. Postage stamp are wrapped around the flaccid penis and pasted or fastened at bedtime. If the stamps are found broken in the morning, presumptions are made that nocturnal erection have taken place, whereas lack of such a finding suggests the absence of NPT and thus the cause of ED is presumed to be organic.