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Gender disparities in editorial board of academic urology journals [Meeting Abstract]
Burg, M; Sholklapper, T; Kohli, P; Kaneko, M; Autran, A M; Teoh, J; Murphy, D; Samplaski, M; Loeb, S; Ribal, M J; Cacciamani, G E
Introduction & Objectives: Gender composition within surgical academic leadership, including academic medical journals, disproportionately favors men. Disparities in journal leadership may introduce bias due to the familiar nature of reviewing and accepting academic publications. Genderrepresentation among academic urological journals' editorial boards has not yet been assessed. We evaluated female representation on editorialboards of urologic journals across multiple countries.Materials & Methods: Urologic journal leadership appointees' names and position descriptions were collected (from what pool? Did you surveyevery academic urology journal in the world?). Probable gender was obtained using gender-api.com or through personal title, as available. Journaleditorial positions were aggregated into broad leadership categories. Journal characteristics were summarized by Scimago Journal quartile (3 year,algorithmic weighted citation ranking) and geographic area. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to assessfemale gender representation (p<0.05 significant).
Result(s): A total of 105 journals were reviewed with 5,991 total members: 877 (14.6%) female, 5,112 (85.3%) male and 2 (0.03%) non-binarypersons. Female representation significantly differed by leadership position, journal ranking, and geographic region. Editors-in-chief roles had thelowest female representation (48 females, 12.1%), while non-academic (32 females, 40.5%) and administrative (4 females, 80%) positions werehighest. Female representation, by journal ranking, was highest in Q1 (417 females, 19.4%) and lowest in Q3 (133 females, 8.9%) and by region,was highest in North American (323 females, 23.0%) and lowest in Asiatic region journals (55 females, 6.6%). On multivariate logistic regressionanalysis, Q1 journals had higher odds of female representation compared to Q2 and Q3. Additionally, compared to Western Europe, North Americanjournals had 78% higher odds and Asiatic journals had 50% lower odds of female representation (Fig 1).(Figure Presented)Conclusions: Female representation in urologic journal leadership is low across all journals, although trends in their proportion were identified by journal quartile and region. Addressing this gender imbalance may improve equal gender representation in journals and likely also improve female authored publication rates
Copyright
EMBASE:2016657896
ISSN: 1873-7560
CID: 5173232
Representation in Online Prostate Cancer Content Lacks Racial and Ethnic Diversity: Implications for Black and Latinx Men
Loeb, Stacy; Borno, Hala T; Gomez, Scarlett; Ravenell, Joseph; Myrie, Akya; Sanchez Nolasco, Tatiana; Byrne, Nataliya; Cole, Renee; Black, Kristian; Stair, Sabrina; Macaluso, Joseph N; Walter, Dawn; Siu, Katherine; Samuels, Charlotte; Kazemi, Ashkan; Crocker, Rob; Sherman, Robert; Wilson, Godfrey; Griffith, Derek M; Langford, Aisha T
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Black men have the highest incidence and mortality from prostate cancer (PCa) and lower quality of life compared to other U.S. racial groups. Additionally, more Latinx men are diagnosed with advanced disease and fewer receive guideline-concordant care. As many men seek medical information online, high-quality information targeting diverse populations may mitigate disparities. We examined racial/ethnic representation and information quality in online PCa content. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:We retrieved 150 websites and 150 videos about "prostate cancer" using the most widely used search engine (Google) and social network (YouTube). We assessed quality of health information, reading level, perceived race/ethnicity of people featured in the content and discussion of racial/ethnic disparities. RESULTS:Among 81 websites and 127 videos featuring people, 37% and 24% had perceived Black representation, and racial/ethnic disparities were discussed in 27% and 17%, respectively. Among 1,526 people featured, 9% and 1% were perceived as Black and Latinx, respectively. No content with Black or Latinx representation was high quality, understandable, actionable and at the recommended reading level. CONCLUSIONS:Black and Latinx adults are underrepresented in online PCa content. Online media have significant potential for public education and combating health disparities. However, most PCa content lacks diversity and is not readily understandable.
PMID: 35114821
ISSN: 1527-3792
CID: 5153832
Perspectives of Residency Applicants and Program Directors on the Role of Social Media in the 2021 Urology Residency Match
Heard, John R; Wyant, W Austin; Loeb, Stacy; Marcovich, Robert; Dubin, Justin M
OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To perform a survey assessing the use of, attitudes towards, and perceived utility of social media (SoMe) in the 2021 urology residency match. METHODS:We distributed surveys to urology residency applicants and program directors (PDs) via the Urology Match 2021 Google Spreadsheet and email. The survey collected demographic information as well as SoMe activity, perceived pressure to use SoMe, match results, and attitudes regarding the utility of SoMe in the match process. RESULTS:A total of 108/528 (20%) applicants registered for the 2021 match and 61/142 (43%) PDs completed the survey. More applicants than PDs felt that SoMe helped them gain better insight into residency programs or applicants, respectively. Fewer applicants than PDs felt that SoMe activity provided a benefit to them in the match process. No significant relationship was found between SoMe viewing frequency, posting frequency, or tweetorial use with match outcomes. The majority of PDs believed that SoMe played a more important role in the 2021 match process than previous years while 15% and 12% reported that an applicant's SoMe activity helped or hurt the chances of matching to their program respectively. CONCLUSIONS:SoMe, particularly Twitter, was widely used in the 2021 match by both applicants and PDs. A majority of applicants and PDs believed that SoMe use aided them in some way in the match process, yet there was no relationship between the volume or type of applicant SoMe activity and match outcomes.
PMID: 34606880
ISSN: 1527-9995
CID: 5147102
EDITORIAL COMMENT [Comment]
Malik, Rena; Loeb, Stacy
PMID: 35027183
ISSN: 1527-9995
CID: 5119032
Helix: A Digital Tool to Address Provider Needs for Prostate Cancer Genetic Testing in Clinical Practice
Giri, Veda N; Walker, Alexander; Gross, Laura; Trabulsi, Edouard J; Lallas, Costas D; Kelly, William K; Gomella, Leonard G; Fischer, Corey; Loeb, Stacy
BACKGROUND:Prostate cancer (PCA) germline testing (GT) is now standard-of-care for men with advanced PCA. Thousands of men may consider GT due to clinical and family history (FH) features. Identifying and consenting men for GT can be complex. Here we identified barriers and facilitators of GT across a spectrum of providers which informed the development of Helix - an educational and clinical/FH collection tool to facilitate GT in practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:A 12-question survey assessing knowledge of genetics PCA risk and FH was administered December 2017 to March 2018 in the Philadelphia area and at the Mid-Atlantic AUA meeting (March 2018). Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and urologists across practice settings from March-October 2020 as part of a larger study based on the Tailored Implementation in Chronic Diseases framework. Helix was then developed followed by user testing. RESULTS:Fifty-six providers (50% urologists) responded to the survey. Multiple FH and genetic knowledge gaps were identified: only 66% collected maternal FH and 43% correctly identified BRCA2 and association to aggressive PCA. Genetic counseling gaps included low rates of discussing genetic discrimination laws (45%). Provider interviews (n = 14) identified barriers to FH intake including access to details and time needed. In user testing (n = 10), providers found Helix helpful for FH collection. All providers found Helix easy to use, suggesting expanded clinical use. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Helix addressed multiple GT knowledge and practice gaps across a spectrum of providers. This tool will become publicly available soon to facilitate PCA GT in clinical practice.
PMID: 35012874
ISSN: 1938-0682
CID: 5118512
Genetic Factors Associated with Prostate Cancer Conversion from Active Surveillance to Treatment
Jiang, Yu; Meyers, Travis J; Emeka, Adaeze A; Cooley, Lauren Folgosa; Cooper, Phillip R; Lancki, Nicola; Helenowski, Irene; Kachuri, Linda; Lin, Daniel W; Stanford, Janet L; Newcomb, Lisa F; Kolb, Suzanne; Finelli, Antonio; Fleshner, Neil E; Komisarenko, Maria; Eastham, James A; Ehdaie, Behfar; Benfante, Nicole; Logothetis, Christopher J; Gregg, Justin R; Perez, Cherie A; Garza, Sergio; Kim, Jeri; Marks, Leonard S; Delfin, Merdie; Barsa, Danielle; Vesprini, Danny; Klotz, Laurence H; Loblaw, Andrew; Mamedov, Alexandre; Goldenberg, S Larry; Higano, Celestia S; Spillane, Maria; Wu, Eugenia; Carter, H Ballentine; Pavlovich, Christian P; Mamawala, Mufaddal; Landis, Tricia; Carroll, Peter R; Chan, June M; Cooperberg, Matthew R; Cowan, Janet E; Morgan, Todd M; Siddiqui, Javed; Martin, Rabia; Klein, Eric A; Brittain, Karen; Gotwald, Paige; Barocas, Daniel A; Dallmer, Jeremiah R; Gordetsky, Jennifer B; Steele, Pam; Kundu, Shilajit D; Stockdale, Jazmine; Roobol, Monique J; Venderbos, Lionne D F; Sanda, Martin G; Arnold, Rebecca; Patil, Dattatraya; Evans, Christopher P; Dall'Era, Marc A; Vij, Anjali; Costello, Anthony J; Chow, Ken; Corcoran, Niall M; Rais-Bahrami, Soroush; Phares, Courtney; Scherr, Douglas S; Flynn, Thomas; Karnes, R Jeffrey; Koch, Michael; Dhondt, Courtney Rose; Nelson, Joel B; McBride, Dawn; Cookson, Michael S; Stratton, Kelly L; Farriester, Stephen; Hemken, Erin; Stadler, Walter M; Pera, Tuula; Banionyte, Deimante; Bianco, Fernando J; Lopez, Isabel H; Loeb, Stacy; Taneja, Samir S; Byrne, Nataliya; Amling, Christopher L; Martinez, Ann; Boileau, Luc; Gaylis, Franklin D; Petkewicz, Jacqueline; Kirwen, Nicholas; Helfand, Brian T; Xu, Jianfeng; Scholtens, Denise M; Catalona, William J; Witte, John S
Men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer (PC) are increasingly electing active surveillance (AS) as their initial management strategy. While this may reduce the side effects of treatment for prostate cancer, many men on AS eventually convert to active treatment. PC is one of the most heritable cancers, and genetic factors that predispose to aggressive tumors may help distinguish men who are more likely to discontinue AS. To investigate this, we undertook a multi-institutional genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 5,222 PC patients and 1,139 other patients from replication cohorts, all of whom initially elected AS and were followed over time for the potential outcome of conversion from AS to active treatment. In the GWAS we detected 18 variants associated with conversion, 15 of which were not previously associated with PC risk. With a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), we found two genes associated with conversion (MAST3, p = 6.9×10-7 and GAB2, p = 2.0×10-6). Moreover, increasing values of a previously validated 269-variant genetic risk score (GRS) for PC was positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the highest to the two middle deciles gave a hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]= 0.94-1.36); whereas, decreasing values of a 36-variant GRS for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were positively associated with conversion (e.g., comparing the lowest to the two middle deciles gave a HR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.50). These results suggest that germline genetics may help inform and individualize the decision of AS-or the intensity of monitoring on AS-versus treatment for the initial management of patients with low-risk PC.
PMCID:8725988
PMID: 34993496
ISSN: 2666-2477
CID: 5107432
Instagram and prostate cancer: using validated instruments to assess the quality of information on social media
Xu, Alex J; Myrie, Akya; Taylor, Jacob I; Matulewicz, Richard; Gao, Tian; Pérez-Rosas, Verónica; Mihalcea, Rada; Loeb, Stacy
BACKGROUND:The quality of prostate cancer (PCa) content on Instagram is unknown. METHODS:We examined 62 still-images and 64 video Instagram posts using #prostatecancer on 5/18/20. Results were assessed with validated tools. RESULTS:Most content focused on raising awareness or sharing patient stories (46%); only 9% was created by physicians. 90% of content was low-to-moderate quality and most was understandable, but actionability was 0%. Of the 30% of content including objective information, 40% contained significant misinformation. Most posts had comments offering social support. CONCLUSIONS:Instagram is a source of understandable PCa content and social support; however, information was poorly actionable and had some misinformation.
PMID: 34853412
ISSN: 1476-5608
CID: 5085402
Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging targeted biopsy techniques compared to transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy of the prostate: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Bass, E J; Pantovic, A; Connor, M J; Loeb, S; Rastinehad, A R; Winkler, M; Gabe, Rhian; Ahmed, H U
BACKGROUND:Multiparametric MRI localizes cancer in the prostate, allowing for MRI guided biopsy (MRI-GB) 43 alongside transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy (TRUS-GB). Three MRI-GB approaches exist; visual estimation (COG-TB); fusion software-assisted (FUS-TB) and MRI 'in-bore' biopsy (IB-TB). It is unknown whether any of these are superior. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to address three questions. First, whether MRI-GB is superior to TRUS-GB at detecting clinically significant PCa (csPCa). Second, whether MRI-GB is superior to TRUS-GB at avoiding detection of insignificant PCa. Third, whether any MRI-GB strategy is superior at detecting csPCa. METHODS:A systematic literature review from 2015 to 2019 was performed in accordance with the START recommendations. Studies reporting PCa detection rates, employing MRI-GB and TRUS-GB were included and evaluated using the QUADAS-2 checklist. 1553 studies were found, of which 43 were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS:For csPCa, MRI-GB was superior in detection to TRUS-GB (0.83 vs. 0.63 [p = 0.02]). MRI-GB was superior in detection to TRUS-GB at avoiding detection of insignificant PCa. No MRI-GB technique was superior at detecting csPCa (IB-TB 0.87; COG TB 0.81; FUS-TB 0.81, [p = 0.55]). There was significant heterogeneity observed between the included studies. CONCLUSIONS:In patients with suspected PCa on MRI, MRI-GB offers superior rates of csPCa detection and reduces detection of insignificant PCa compared to TRUS-GB. No individual MRI-GB technique was found to be better in csPCa detection. Prospective adequately powered randomized controlled trials are required.
PMID: 34548624
ISSN: 1476-5608
CID: 5026852
Plant-Based Milk Alternatives and Risk Factors for Kidney Stones and Chronic Kidney Disease
Borin, James F; Knight, John; Holmes, Ross P; Joshi, Shivam; Goldfarb, David S; Loeb, Stacy
OBJECTIVE:Patients with kidney stones are counseled to eat a diet low in animal protein, sodium, and oxalate and rich in fruits and vegetables, with a modest amount of calcium, usually from dairy products. Restriction of sodium, potassium, and oxalate may also be recommended in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recently, plant-based diets have gained popularity owing to health, environmental, and animal welfare considerations. Our objective was to compare concentrations of ingredients important for kidney stones and chronic kidney disease in popular brands of milk alternatives. DESIGN AND METHODS/METHODS:Sodium, calcium, and potassium contents were obtained from nutrition labels. The oxalate content was measured by ion chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. RESULTS:The calcium content is highest in macadamia followed by soy, almond, rice, and dairy milk; it is lowest in cashew, hazelnut, and coconut milk. Almond milk has the highest oxalate concentration, followed by cashew, hazelnut, and soy. Coconut and flax milk have undetectable oxalate levels; coconut milk also has comparatively low sodium, calcium, and potassium, while flax milk has the most sodium. Overall, oat milk has the most similar parameters to dairy milk (moderate calcium, potassium and sodium with low oxalate). Rice, macadamia, and soy milk also have similar parameters to dairy milk. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:As consumption of plant-based dairy substitutes increases, it is important for healthcare providers and patients with renal conditions to be aware of their nutritional composition. Oat, macadamia, rice, and soy milk compare favorably in terms of kidney stone risk factors with dairy milk, whereas almond and cashew milk have more potential stone risk factors. Coconut milk may be a favorable dairy substitute for patients with chronic kidney disease based on low potassium, sodium, and oxalate. Further study is warranted to determine the effect of plant-based milk alternatives on urine chemistry.
PMID: 34045136
ISSN: 1532-8503
CID: 4888282
Climate Change Impact of Virtual Urology Meetings [Letter]
Patel, Sunil H; Gallo, Kelsey; Becker, Russell; Borin, James; Loeb, Stacy
PMID: 33985798
ISSN: 1873-7560
CID: 5210712