Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors do not prevent curvature progression but shorten pain duration in the active phase of Peyronie's Disease: A retrospective cohort study.

Treatment with Phosphodiesterase Type 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) has shown promise in managing Peyronie's disease (PD) during its active phase. In a retrospective cohort study of 133 PD patients, we compared daily PDE5i treatment (sildenafil 25 mg or tadalafil 5 mg) in Group 1 (n = 101) to no treatment in Group 2 (n = 32). The mean age ± SD was 58.5 ± 10, (range: 29-77) years in Group 1 and 59 ± 13.7 years (range: 23-80) in Group 2 (p = 0.5). Mean symptom onset-to-visit time was 10.6 ± 7.2 months (range: 1-37) in Group 1 and 11 ± 6.3 months (range 3-27) in Group 2 (p = 0.5). Mean penile curvature change was +0.87° (95% CI: -1.8, 3.5) in Group 1 and +5.72° (95% CI: 1.4, 10) in Group 2 (p = 0.07) between first and last observations. Group 1 experienced shorter mean pain duration (9.1 ± 4.7 months, range: 2.5-24) than Group 2 (12.2 ± 6.5 months, range: 5-28) (p = 0.04). When controlling for baseline curvature and symptom onset-to-visit time, there were no differences between groups (-4.7, 95% CI: -10, 0.6) (p = 0.08). In conclusion, continuous PDE5i treatment did not affect PD curvature progression but showed a promising effect on pain.

The sensitivity of fecal calprotectin in predicting deep remission in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Mucosal healing is proposed as treat-to-target in ulcerative colitis (UC), even though the definition of mucosal healing remains contested as it has been suggested to be assessed by either endoscopy, histology or both. However, all definitions require an endoscopic evaluation of the mucosa. As endoscopies are invasive and uncomfortable to the patient we aimed to calibrate noninvasive predictors of mucosal inflammatory status defined by both endoscopy and histology. METHODS: UC patients (n = 106) undergoing a sigmoid-/colonoscopy were prospectively included. Feces (fecal calprotectin, FC), blood samples (hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, orosomucoid, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, albumin) and symptom scores (Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index, SSCAI) were collected and analyzed. The colonic mucosa was assessed by the Mayo endoscopic sub score and biopsies were obtained for a histologic grading by Geboes score. Predictive cutoff values were analyzed by receiver operating characteristics (ROC). A combined endoscopic and histologic assessment defined deep remission (Mayo =0 and Geboes ≤1) and activity (Mayo ≥2 and Geboes >3). RESULTS: Only FC showed a significant ROC curve (p < .05). We suggest FC (mg/kg) cutoffs for detection of following: Deep remission: FC ≤25; Indeterminate: FC 25-230 - an endoscopy is recommended if a comprehensive status of both endoscopic and histologic assessed activity is needed; Active disease: FC >230. The complete ROC data is presented, enabling extraction of an FC cutoff value's sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: FC predicts endoscopic and histologic assessed deep remission and inflammatory activity of colon mucosa. Neither the markers in blood nor the SCCAI performed significant ROC results.

Fecal Calprotectin Measured By Patients at Home Using Smartphones--A New Clinical Tool in Monitoring Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Fecal calprotectin is a reliable noninvasive marker for intestinal inflammation usable for monitoring patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Tests are usually performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which is time consuming and delays results, thus limiting its use in clinical practice. Our aim was to evaluate CalproSmart, a new rapid test for fecal calprotectin performed by patients themselves at home, and compare it to gold standard ELISA. METHODS: A total of 221 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (115 ulcerative colitis and 106 Crohn's disease) were included. The CalproSmart test involves extraction of feces, application to the lateral flow device, and taking a picture with a smartphone after 10 minutes of incubation. Results appear on the screen within seconds. Patients were instructed at inclusion and had a video guide of the procedure as support. When using CalproSmart at home, patients also sent in 2 fecal samples to be analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: Totally, 894 fecal calprotectin results were obtained by ELISA, and 632 of them from CalproSmart. The correlation coefficient was 0.685, higher for academics than nonacademics (0.768 versus 0.637; P = 0.0037). The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation of the CalproSmart test were 4.42% and 12.49%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 82%, 85%, 47%, and 97%, respectively, with an optimal cutoff at 150 µg/g. CONCLUSIONS: The CalproSmart test performed by patients with inflammatory bowel disease for fast assessment of gut inflammation seems a reliable alternative to ELISA and presents a new way of monitoring patients by eHealth.