Meatoplasty with pedicle flap for meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of meatoplasty with the pedicle flap in the treatment of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed 32 cases of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis treated by meato- plasty with the pedicle flap. All the patients had a history of chronic balanitis and had received meatal dilatation or simple ventral mea- totomy without significant effect. Their mean maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) was (4.3 ± 2.4) ml/s. During the operation, A "/\"-shaped incision was made in the healthy epidermis and a flap was harvested from the frenulum. After complete removal of the scar, the flap was placed into the urethral wall, followed by reconstruction of the external urethral orifice.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients were fol- lowed up for 6 to 30 months, which revealed smooth urination in all the patients with Qmax of (26.7 ± 4.5) ml/s and normal erectile function and uresiesthesis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>With little invasiveness and few complications, meatoplasty with the pedicle flap is an ideal surgical method for the treatment of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis. However, there might be some change in the normal appearance of the balanus postoperatively, and its long-term effect needs further observation.</p>

Diagnosis and treatment of yolk sac tumor of the testis with hydrocele in children: report of 7 cases / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical characteristics of yolk sac tumor of the testis with concomitant testicular hydrocele in children and the association between the two conditions in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 7 cases of stage-I yolk sac tumor of the testis with concomitant testicular hydrocele. The patients ranged in age from 6 to 14 (mean 11) months. As treatment, we performed radical high spermatic cord orchiectomy after diagnosis established on intraoperative frozen sections, and conducted follow-up visits by medical examination, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) detection, chest X-ray, ultrasonography and CT for 3-41 (mean 17) months, every month in the first year, every 3 months in the second year and every 6 months in the third year after surgery.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Postoperative pathology confirmed yolk sac tumor in all the cases, with negative incisal margin. The level of serum AFP were decreased to normal in 6 cases within 1 month after surgery, all diagnosed as at stage I, and cured without chemotherapy. The other 1 case, with the serum AFP level of 116 microg/L at 1 month after operation, was diagnosed as at stage II and received PVC chemotherapy, but lost to follow-up at 3 months post-operatively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Yolk sac tumor of the testis with concomitant testicular hydrocele is easily misdiagnosed in children. Ultrasonography is necessitated as routine examination in its diagnosis. Radical high spermatic cord orchiectomy can be performed for patients in stage I, and chemotherapy should follow for those in stage II. Its prognosis is similar to that of other yolk sac tumors. Hitherto, there has been no evidence for a definitive correlation between yolk sac tumor of the testis and hydrocele in children.</p>

Relationship between hepatitis B virus YMDD mutation and serum viral DNA loadings / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between lamivudine-resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and serum HBV DNA loading before antiviral therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study involved 106 patients with hepatitis B receiving lamivudine treatment for an average of 32 months (rang 12-48 months). Serum HBV DNA loadings were measured with PCR before and every 4 to 6 months during lamivudine therapy. HBV YMDD mutants were detected using mismatched PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) during lamivudine treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>HBV DNA loading was significantly higher in patients infected with HBV YMDD mutants during lamivudine therapy than those infected with HBV without YMDD mutation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>High viral loading in hepatitis B patients before treatment is associated with high likeliness of HBV YMDD mutation during lamivudine treatment. HBV DNA loading may be indicative for the occurrence of YMDD mutation during lamivudine therapy.</p>