Faculty Bibliography

INTRODUCTION:Since the integration of the intern year into urology residencies, programs are mandated to introduce fundamental skills to junior residents. Our goal was to assess the impact of one such program: the 2023 New York Section of the AUA (NYS-AUA) EMPIRE (Educational Multi-institutional Program for Instructing REsidents) Boot Camp. METHODS:Tests compared pre and immediate/6-month post scores. RESULTS:= .001) following didactic sessions. CONCLUSIONS:A skills-based, free collaborative urology boot camp for junior residents is feasible and can be effective. Trainees reported improved comfort performing certain technical skills and managing urologic emergencies both immediately after the course and at 6 months of follow-up.

PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:There are limited data on ablation effects of thulium fiber laser (TFL) settings with varying stone composition. Similarly, little is known surrounding the photothermal effects of TFL lithotripsy regarding the chemical and structural changes after visible char formation. We aim to understand the TFL's ablative efficiency across various stone types and laser settings, while simultaneously investigating the photothermal effects of TFL lithotripsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Human specimens of calcium oxalate monohydrate, calcium oxalate dihydrate, uric acid, struvite, cystine, carbonate apatite, and brushite stones were ablated using 13 prespecified settings with the Coloplast TFL Drive. Pre- and postablation mass, ablation time, and total energy were recorded. Qualitative ablative observations were recorded at 1-minute intervals with photographs and gross description. Samples were analyzed with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy pre- and postablation and electron microscopy postablation to assess the photothermal effects of TFL. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Across all settings and stone types, 0.05 J × 1000 Hz was the best numerically efficient ablation setting. When selected for more clinically relevant laser settings (ie, 10-20 W), 0.2 J × 100 Hz, short pulse was the most numerically efficient setting for calcium oxalate dihydrate, cystine, and struvite stones. Calcium oxalate monohydrate ablated with the best numerical efficiency at 0.4 J × 40 Hz, short pulse. Uric acid and carbonate apatite stones ablated with the best numerical efficiency at 0.3 J × 60 Hz, short pulse. Brushite stones ablated with the best numerical efficiency at 0.5 J × 30 Hz, short pulse. Pulse duration impacted ablation effectiveness greatly with 6/8 (75%) of inadequate ablations occurring in medium or long pulse settings. The average percent of mass lost during ablation was 57%; cystine stones averaged the highest percent mass lost at 71%. Charring was observed in 36/91 (40%) specimens. Charring was most often seen in uric acid, cystine, and brushite stones across all laser settings. Electron microscopy of char demonstrated a porous melting effect different to that of brittle fracture. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of brushite char demonstrated a chemical composition change to amorphous calcium phosphate. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:We describe the optimal ablation settings based on stone composition, which may guide urologists towards more stone-specific care when using thulium laser for treating renal stones (lower energy settings would be safer for ureteral stones). For patients with unknown stone composition, lasers can be preset to target common stone types or adjusted based on visual cues. We recommend using short pulse for all TFL lithotripsy of calculi and altering the settings based on visual cues and efficiency to minimize the charring, an effect which can make the stone refractory to further dusting and fragmentation.

PURPOSE:Since the Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox virus) global outbreak, there have been limited reports on the clinical course and management of genital lesions related to Mpox infections. Genital lesions have been reported to manifest in almost 50% of patients infected with Mpox. We set out to describe the clinical manifestations, management, and outcomes of a large cohort of subjects undergoing treatment with tecovirimat with intermediate follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This was a retrospective case series of patients with genital Mpox lesions undergoing treatment with tecovirimat under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emergency Authorization-Investigational protocol at a single, quaternary referral center. Fisher's exact tests were used to assess the association between Mpox-related genital skin changes and selected categorical variables. RESULTS:= .001). No subjects in this cohort required surgical interventions. CONCLUSIONS:We report this large series of Mpox-related genital lesions in men undergoing treatment with tecovirimat. Urologists are not required for the routine diagnosis and treatment of these lesions, but are important in determining appropriate treatment for severe lesions.

Urinary stone disease is common and affects approximately 10% of the American adults. The role of diet in stone formation is well-recognized; however, the literature focus has been on dietary excess rather than micronutrient inadequacy. As patients with stones may be at risk for nutrient inadequacies, we investigated the role of micronutrient inadequacy in stone formation by performing a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on adults who were not taking dietary supplements. Micronutrient intake was obtained from 24-h dietary recalls, and usual intake was calculated. Survey-weighted, adjusted logistic regression was used for an incident analysis on having any history of stones. An additional analysis on recurrent stone-formers was performed with the outcome being 2 or more stones passed. Finally, a sensitivity analysis using quasi-Poisson regression was performed with the outcome being number of stones passed. There were 9777 respondents representing 81,087,345 adults, of which 9.36% had a stone history. Our incident analysis revealed inadequate vitamin A intake to be associated with stone formation (OR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.03-1.71). Recurrent analysis did not find any significant associations, while our sensitivity analysis revealed inadequate vitamin A (IRR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.28-3.00) and pyridoxine (IRR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.11-3.55) to be associated with a higher number of recurrent stones. Hence, inadequate dietary intake of vitamin A and pyridoxine was associated with nephrolithiasis. Further research is needed to identify the roles of these micronutrients in stone-formers and the potential for evaluation and treatment.