Association of Height and Prevalence of Kidney Stones.

Introduction and objectives Nephrolithiasis is universally understood to be a multifactorial disease resulting from genetic and environmental factors including gender, diet, calcium, and uric acid excretion. Notably, several of these factors may be related to body habitus. Because men are more likely to develop kidney stones and on average have a larger body size, height may be an important risk factor for stone formation. Several studies have demonstrated that short adult stature is associated with numerous conditions such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular diseases. However, other studies have demonstrated otherwise. Additionally, stones have been shown to be correlated with a high body mass index (BMI). This is likely due to dietary factors. Although height is a component of BMI, there is minimal literature regarding the relationship of height to stone prevalence adjusting for weight.  Methods We aimed to examine whether short adult height is associated with the development of kidney stones using a population-based cohort of the National Center for Health Statistics. Data was gathered from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) "Kidney Conditions - Urology" and "Weight History" questionnaire datasets from March 2017 to March 2020 along with demographic data. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine an association between current self-reported height (inches) and if the participant has ever had kidney stones, controlling for weight, gender, age, race, educational level, and marital status.  Results We found that those who were shorter had higher odds of reporting a history of stones (OR: 1.017; 95%CI: 1.005-1.028). This association was found after controlling for covariates such as age, gender, race, education, and weight. In addition, the male gender and Hispanic race had higher odds of reporting a history of stones (OR: 1.43 and 1.073, respectively).  Conclusion Our results suggest that short height is related to the prevalence of kidney stones independent of weight, age, gender, and race. This supports previous literature indicating height to be a component of renal disease.

Bioregenerative Umbilical Cord Amniotic Membrane Allograft Ureteral Wrap During Robot-Assisted Ureterolysis.

Omental wrap is commonly performed after ureterolysis to prevent ureteral obstruction from recurrence of periureteral adhesions and fibrosis. We present the case of a 37-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of two cesarean sections and laparotomy for the treatment of endometriosis. She subsequently developed right flank pain caused by a right distal ureteral stricture requiring a chronic indwelling ureteral stent. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed extrinsic compression of the ureter for which robot-assisted ureterolysis was performed. Because of inadequate omentum, we report the initial use of a cryopreserved bioregenerative umbilical cord amniotic membrane allograft to perform a ureteral wrap to promote ureteral tissue healing and serve as an adhesion barrier to prevent recurrence of the fibrosis.

Nocturia causes vary with each decade.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the published literature within the last 18 months that comment on the causes of nocturia, varying with age. The causes are categorized into organized subsets: nocturnal polyuria, storage or reduced bladder capacity, 24-h polyuria, and sleep-associated nocturia. RECENT FINDINGS: Prevalence of nocturia is high, but has been reported at varying rates in the epidemiologic studies. Similarly, reported incidence has a high rate of variability. Nocturia causes were associated with nocturnal polyuria, bladder storage issues, metabolic syndrome, abnormal bowel habits, obesity, Parkinson's disease, global polyuria, insomnia, sleep disturbances, heart failure, anxiety, and depression. Although age was commented on in many articles, it was never the primary examined variable. SUMMARY: There is a lack of standardization in definition and classification of the causes of nocturia. Confounding variables included a lack of use of a standard definition of nocturia, identifying nocturia at its true onset, and a fundamental underutilization of frequency volume charts to identify patients with nocturia. The confounding variables make it difficult to compare studies. Thus, the strength of conclusion on cause will be better defined when standards are set controlling definition, identification, and diagnosis.