1,721,021 research outputs found
Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in Men – Findings From a Meta-analysis on the Time-related Measure of Risk of Exogenous Testosterone
No full textBackground: In the context of established male hypogonadism, testosterone therapy (TTh) has been employed to regain physiologic levels of circulating testosterone and improve sexual function and overall quality of life. Aim: To assess the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality as time-dependent outcomes in treated vs TTh untreated hypogonadal men. Methods: A meta-analysis using weighted time-related measure of risk (hazard ratios (HRs)) for each of the outcome for all included studies was performed. Studies investigating male adults (≥18 years old) diagnosed with hypogonadism and divided into 2 arms (a treatment arm [any TTh] and a control arm [observation or placebo]) and assessing the risk of death and/or cardiovascular events were included. Single arm, non–comparative studies were excluded as well as studies that did not report the HRs for the chosen outcomes. This systemic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022301592) and performed according to MOOSE and PRISMA guidelines. Outcomes: Overall mortality and cardiovascular events of any type. Results: Overall, 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis, involving 179,631 hypogonadal men. Hypogonadal men treated with TTh were found to be at lower mortality risk from all causes relative to the control (observation or palcebo) arm (HR: 0.70; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.54–0.90; P < .01), whilst any unfavorable effect of TTh in hypogonadal men in terms of cardiovascular events compared to untreated/observed hypogonadal men was found (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.73–1.33; P = .89). Clinical implications: TTh in hypogonadal men might play a role in reducing the overall risk of death without increasing cardiovascular events risk. Strengths & Limitation: Main limitations are represented by the high heterogeneity among the studies in terms of included population, definition for hypogonadism, type of TTh, definition of cardio-vascular event used, and the length of follow-up. Conclusion: According to time-related measures of risk only, an increased risk of long-term morbidity and early mortality for untreated hypogonadal men was depicted, further outlining the clinical importance and safety of TTh in true hypogonadal men, with the urgent need of collecting long-term follow-up data. Fallara G, Pozzi E, Belladelli F, et al. Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in Men – Findings From a Meta-analysis on the Time-related Measure of Risk of Exogenous Testosterone. J Sex Med 2022;19:1243–1254
Orgasm and Ejaculation Disorders
No full textDisorders of ejaculations are among the most complex complaints of patients seeking first medical help for sexual dysfunction. Among these, premature ejaculation (PE), delayed ejaculation (DE), retrograde ejaculation, and anorgasmia are the most frequently reported, and their impact on patients’ quality of life can be major. Although numerous preclinical and clinical studies have been published over the last two decades, the true pathophysiological mechanisms behind ejaculation remain unclear. In this context, this chapter aims at providing the latest evidence regarding ejaculation physiology together with detailed epidemiological data, diagnostic work-up, and treatment options upon PE, DE, retrograde ejaculation, and anorgasmia
Male fertility as a marker for health
No full textMale reproduction is a complex biological process, and male factor infertility is increasingly recognized as a biomarker for overall male health. Emerging data suggest associations between male reproduction and medical disease (genetic, infectious, chronic comorbid conditions), psychological disease, environmental exposures, dietary habits, medications and substances of abuse, and even socioeconomic factors. There is also evidence that a diagnosis of male fertility is associated with future disease risk including cancer, metabolic disease and mortality. As such, there is a growing view that the male fertility evaluation is an opportunity to improve a man's health beyond his immediate reproductive goals, and also highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Long-Term Follow-Up After Penile Prosthesis Implantation—Survival and Quality of Life Outcomes
No full textIntroduction: Hydraulic penile prostheses have shown an overall good mechanical reliability up to 10 years after surgery; however, few data have been published on very long-term follow-up. Aim: We looked at long-term (≥15 years) complications, including functional and quality of life (QoL) outcomes, after 3-piece inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods: Data regarding 149 patients submitting to IPP placement before 2001 were analyzed. All patients were implanted with AMS CX and Ultrex Plus 3-piece prostheses. Main Outcome Measure: Patients were reassessed to evaluate rates of complications and functional outcomes. The validated questionnaire Quality of Life and Sexuality with Penile Prosthesis (QoLSPP) was used to assess patient QoL. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated the probability of prosthesis survival (defined as working device/not-explanted). Results: Median follow-up of 51 patients was 206 months (interquartile range [IQR], 145–257). The etiology of ED was vasculogenic (n = 20; 39%), Peyronie's disease (n = 15; 29%), pelvic surgery (n = 4; 7.8%), organic other than vasculogenic (n = 3; 5.9%), or other (n = 9; 18%). Throughout the follow-up, 24 patients (49%) experienced complications: mechanical failure (n = 19; 79%), pain (n = 3; 12%), orgasmic dysfunctions (n = 1; 4.5%), or device infection (n = 1; 4.5%). The estimated IPP survival was 53% (95% CI, 36–67) at 20-year follow-up. Baseline characteristics (age, Charlson comorbidity index, body mass index, and erectile dysfunction etiology) were not significantly associated with the risk of IPP failure over time by Cox regression analysis. At 20-year follow-up, 41% (95% CI, 19–49) of the patients were still using the device. Among them, QoLSPP median domain scores were high: functional 22/25 (IQR, 20–23), relational 17/20 (IQR, 15–18), personal 14/15 (IQR, 12–15), and social 14/15 (IQR, 11–15). Clinical Implications: The longevity of the device and long-term satisfaction rates should be comprehensively discussed during patient consultation for IPP surgery. Strengths & Limitations: To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting long-term QoL outcomes using a dedicated questionnaire for penile prostheses. The low response rate for the telephone interviews, the retrospective design of the study, and the relatively small number of patients are the main limitations. Conclusion: Long-term follow-up data after IPP placement showed that almost half of the devices still worked properly 20 years after the original penile implant, as 60% of patients were still using the device with high satisfaction and adequate QoL outcomes. Both patients and physicians should be aware of the expected life and outcomes of IPP implants. Chierigo F, Capogrosso P, Dehò, et al. Long-Term Follow-Up After Penile Prosthesis Implantation—Survival and Quality of Life Outcomes. J Sex Med 2019;16:1827–1833
The association between testosterone, estradiol and their ratio and mortality among US men
No full textWhile studies have suggested that testosterone is associated with a man's health, the relationship with other sex steroids remains uncertain. The current study aimed to investigate the association between sex steroids (i.e. testosterone, estradiol and the testosterone:estradiol ratio) and mortality in a representative sample of 1,109 US men. Three NHANES continuous cycles (1999–2000, 2001–2002, 2003–2004) were included in our study. Serum testosterone and estradiol levels were evaluated along with sociodemographic, lifestyle and health factors. Cox proportional hazards models were used. The adjusted risk of death for men with low testosterone levels was 1.66 (95% CI = 1.00–2.74, p =.05). The adjusted risk of death for men with abnormal estradiol levels was 0.96 (95% CI = 0.48–1.91, p =.91). The adjusted risk of death for men with low testosterone to estradiol ratio was 1.27 (95% CI = 0.82–1.97, p =.88). Relevant lifestyle and health factors significantly attenuated the associations. The adjusted risk of CVD-related death for men with low testosterone levels was 2.43 (95% CI = 1.07–5.50, p =.03). In conclusion, a significant association between testosterone and mortality and testosterone to estradiol ratio and CVD-related mortality was identified
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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