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☆ Holding your pee can have dangerous health risks, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-15 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Over time, holding pee in too often can strain, and thus weaken, your bladder muscles, which then cannot generate enough force to empty the urine, experts said. In more extreme cases, experts said, holding pee can cause urine to back up into the kidneys, which can lead to infections, kidney damage or hydronephrosis. For the average healthy person, however, holding your pee for up to a few hours a few times a week isn’t likely to cause harm, experts said. Those with neurogenic bladder or kidney disorders are also at greater risk of harm from holding their pee. If you’re holding your pee because you’ve noticed you’re running to the toilet unusually often, that could be a sign of overactive bladder syndrome, diabetes or a UTI, experts said.

Persons: Jason Kim, “, ”, Kim, That’s, David Shusterman, Jamin, ” Brahmbhatt, ” Kim, Shusterman Organizations: CNN, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Continence, Urology, Orlando Health Locations: Stony, Long, , New York, New York City

☆ Is it OK to pee in the shower? Urologists explain
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-26 | by ( Jocelyn Solis-Moreira | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Here’s a secret that’s not really a secret — many people pee in the shower. When it comes to going number one in the shower, urologists find it generally safe for both men and women. Still, there are certain scenarios in which using the shower as a makeshift toilet might not be a good idea. Still, she said people should not worry about catching an infection if someone with a UTI peed in a public shower since the shower water would wash the urine away. For people who get the urge to pee when hearing water but have trouble urinating, Shusterman advised seeing a doctor to get evaluated for urinary incontinence.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Karyn Eilber, “ It’s, it’s, David Shusterman, Shusterman, ” Eilber, Eilber, that’s, Jocelyn Solis, Moreira Organizations: CNN Locations: Cedars, Sinai, Los Angeles, New York City, New York

Paduch, 57, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for sexually abusing the seven former patients between 2007 and 2022. via NBC New YorkSpokespeople for Weill Cornell and Northwell Health declined to answer specific questions related to Paduch, citing the ongoing litigation. But behind closed doors, Paduch preyed on the men and boys who sought him out. One of the men who filed a lawsuit against Paduch had medical training himself but said he still didn’t realize until many years later that it was abuse. ‘Shocking and embarrassing’By then, Weill Cornell had already received at least two complaints about Paduch from its own employees, going back more than a decade.

Persons: Weill Cornell, Paduch, ”, Mallory Allen, “, ” Allen, Darius Paduch, York Spokespeople, Azza, it’s, ‘, ’ Paduch, Thomas Giuffra, Weill Cornell —, Giuffra, urologists, Weill, Weill Cornell urologist, Harvey Weinstein, Paduch “, Maansi Srivastava, —, Paduch —, ” —, — “ Organizations: Weill, BR, NBC, York, Weill Cornell, Northwell, Health, Weill Cornell Medicine, Public Citizen, Medical Academy of Lodz, New, New York Health Department’s, Professional, NBC News, Health Department Locations: Seattle, Poland, Manhattan, New York

☆ Online Health Providers Are Making Money on Young Men's Sense of Shame
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The pandemic accelerated the rise of telehealth, which these DTC companies are a part of both culturally and legally. Hims & Hers Health has a market cap of over $4 billion. Those at the forefront of the DTC health revolution have American guys right where they want them: insecure, on edge, and ready to open their wallets. Plenty of doctors have sounded the alarm about DTC telehealth companies, and some firms have gotten into legal trouble, too. For all the issues with DTC companies, it's fair to note that traditional healthcare settings are far from perfect.

Persons: Paul, he'd, who's, He's, doesn't, Nobody, didn't, Matthew McCoy, what's, Ashwini Nagappan, Joshua Halpern, Halpern, Nagappan, McCoy, Hims, —, you've, They're, men's, Ro, Emily Stewart Organizations: View Research, Department of Medical, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, telemedicine, of Justice, Business Locations: Hims

☆ Microplastics discovered in human penises for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Scientists have found microplastics in human penises for the first time, as concerns over the tiny particles’ proliferation and potential health effects mount. Microplastics are polymer fragments that can range from less than 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) down to 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer). Ramasamy said he wasn’t surprised to find microplastics in the penis, as it is a “very vascular organ,” like the heart. Seven different types of microplastics were detected, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) the most prevalent, according to the study. “We need to identify whether microplastics are linked to ED and if there is a level beyond which it causes pathology and what types of microplastics are pathologic,” he said.

Persons: Ranjith Ramasamy, Ramasamy, wasn’t, ”, ” Ramasamy, Toxicologist Matthew J, Campen, ” Campen, Leonardo Trasande, don’t, Trasande Organizations: CNN —, University of Miami, CNN, University of New, “ Plastics, NYU Langone Health, American Academy of Pediatrics Locations: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

☆ Microplastics found in penis muscle for the first time. It could be linked to erectile dysfunction.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Penis being such a vascular organ, similar to the heart, we said, 'Hey, could this also be present in the penis?'" What he's found, while still preliminary, is that microplastics are present in some penises experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED). Ramasamy wanted to know whether microplastics might physically impact penis muscle function. The most abundant plastic in the penises was polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a common plastic used in food packaging including plastic bottles and takeout containers. He's not getting a lot of the takeout that often comes in plastic-lined containers, and he's not drinking from plastic-lined coffee cups or plastic water bottles very often.

Persons: —, Ranjith Ramasamy's, he's, Peter Dazeley, microplastics, It's, Ramasamy, He's, it's, Carol Yepes, Richard Pilsner Organizations: Service, Business, International, University of New, Wayne State University Locations: Miami, University of New Mexico

☆ Microplastics have been found in human testicles. Now what?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The latest bad news on microplastics and human health emerged last week, when a study from researchers at the University of New Mexico examined 47 canine and 23 human testes, taken from neutering operations and cadavers, respectively. All of those testicles had microplastics inside — there were 12 different kinds of microplastic inside the organs studied, including the common plastic making material that plastic silverware and plastic bottles are made from. Woodruff isn't exactly surprised that microplastics are showing up in testicles. AdvertisementBut Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, an expert in reproductive urology, says if it's true that microplastics are invading testicles, that's of extra concern. Getty ImagesScientists know that certain chemicals inside plastic disrupt our hormones.

Persons: —, microplastics, Tracey Woodruff, Woodruff isn't, Woodruff, Ranjith Ramasamy, Jonathan Kitchen, Ramasamy Organizations: Service, University of New, Business, University of California San, New, of, Getty Locations: University of New Mexico, —, University of California San Francisco, California

☆ Opinion | The Language of Gender Identity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “The Problem With Saying ‘Sex Assigned at Birth,’” by Alex Byrne and Carole K. Hooven (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, April 3):Mr. Byrne and Ms. Hooven argue that use of “assigned sex” terminology “creates doubt about a biological fact when there shouldn’t be any.” But sex characteristics are not “a biological fact”; they are rather a series of facts — anatomical, hormonal and genetic — that are not always in alignment. The term “sex assignment” derives from the medical literature of the 1940s and 1950s, in which physicians grappled with what was then called “hermaphroditism” and is now called “intersex” or “D.S.D.,” for disorders or differences of sex development. To conclude that the words “assigned at birth” are needless is to deny the complexity of biological sex and to erase both the history of intersex conditions and the embodied reality of the people who are born and live with them. Barbara M. ChubakNew YorkThe writer is an associate professor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Persons: Alex Byrne, Carole K, Byrne, Hooven, Barbara M, Chubak Organizations: Icahn School of Medicine Locations: York, Mount Sinai

☆ ‘We owe it to them’: Families of Israelis killed in war find new hope through sperm extraction
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I’ve seen dozens of people killed in accidents or shootings, but this was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,” Daphna-Tekoah told CNN by telephone. “I asked ‘Would you like me to find out about sperm preservation?’”Medical social worker Shir Daphna-Tekoah suggested the idea of sperm extraction to bereaved families on October 7. “The demand has been very high,” she told CNN in a video call, adding that dozens of families have accessed the service since October 7. It isn’t that they want a baby instead of their son - it’s the grandchild,” she told CNN by telephone. PSR can be the easy part, Rosenblum told CNN.

Persons: Shir Daphna, “ I’ve, ”, Tekoah, “, ‘, Noga Fuchs, Dr, Shimi Barda, Noga, Barda, Shaylee Atary, Atary, Fuchs, Irit Oren Gunders, Irit Rosenblum, Lawyer Irit Rosenblum, Irit Rosenblum Rosenblum, Rosenblum, “ We’ve, ” Rosenblum, “ I’m, ” Yulia, Vlad Poznianski, Baruch, Yulia, Shira, Liat Malka, Baruch Pozniansky, Yulia Pozniansky, she’s, Malka, She’s, won’t, isn’t, Soldiers, ” Israel ‘, Gil Siegal Organizations: CNN, Kaplan, of Health, PSR, Ichilov, Israel Defense Forces, Noga Fuchs, Noga, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, New, Center for Health Law, Kiryat Ono, Israel, University of Virginia Law School Locations: Tel, Kfar Aza, Gaza, Israel

☆ Common pesticides in food reducing sperm count worldwide, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sperm concentration is a measure of sperm per milliliter of semen, while sperm count is the millions of sperm in the entire ejaculate. However, sperm concentration “is an important measure of sperm quality for comparing men across studies because it adjusts for variability in semen volume,” Perry said. Animal studies have shed light on how these pesticides may impact sperm, according to the study. “Sperm is an incredibly sensitive endpoint when it comes to overall health for men,” Perry said. In their 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, researchers found 210 different pesticides on the 12 foods.

Persons: ”, Melissa Perry, ” Perry, Alexander Pastuszak, “, Tatiana Maksimova, It’s, Alexis Temkin, ” Temkin, “ Steer Organizations: CNN, Pesticides, College of Public Health, George Mason University, US Centers for Disease Control, The University of Utah School of Medicine, Environmental, Produce, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Fairfax , Virginia, Salt Lake City

☆ High mobile phone use may impact sperm count, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Male sperm count has fallen by more than 50% globally in the last 50 years, leaving researchers scrambling to understand why. The men also had a 30% higher risk for a low sperm concentration, a less important measure of sperm count in a milliliter of semen. On the positive side, researchers found that as phone technology improved over the 13 years of the study, the impact on sperm count began to ease. As cell phone usage climbed, sperm count dropped, with the lowest levels among men using their phone 20 or more times a day. The greatest association between low sperm count and concentration and phone use were between 2005 and 2007.

Persons: ”, Allan Pacey, Alison Campbell, Campbell, Alexander Pastuszak, Pastuszak, Luis Alvarez, ” Pacey, “, it’s, ” Pastuszak Organizations: CNN, University of Manchester, Mobile, “, The University of Utah School of Medicine, California Department of Public Health Locations: United Kingdom, Salt Lake City

☆ Bladder cancer studies suggest new ways to treat the disease and improve survival
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

This is one of several new studies exploring ways to improve how bladder cancer is treated. “Ever since I was in med school, a metastatic bladder cancer treatment was gemcitabine and platinum. Urothelial cancer is a type of bladder cancer that begins in the urothelial cells, which line the inside of the bladder. The drug became the first therapy targeting a genetic alteration to be approved by the FDA to treat patients with the most common type of bladder cancer, metastatic urothelial cancer. “These results support nivolumab plus cisplatin-based chemo as a new standard approach for the treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer.”

Persons: vedotin, hadn’t, ”, Thomas Powles, ” Powles, we’ve, —, Powles, Toni Choueiri, Dana, “, enfortumab, ” Choueiri, drugmaker Janssen, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, nivolumab, Matthew Galsky Organizations: CNN, Society for Medical Oncology, University of London, Barts Cancer, US, Inc, Astellas Pharma, Merck, Co, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, EMA, Lank, Genitourinary Oncology, Farber Cancer Institute, ESMO, New England, of Medicine, University of Texas, Anderson Cancer Center, US Food and Drug Administration, National Library of Medicine, CNN Health, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ono Pharmaceutical Company, Cancer, The Tisch Cancer Institute Locations: Madrid, United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Mount Sinai

☆ Drug shortages’ effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But these shortages aren’t just bad for current patients, experts say; their effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come. The National Cancer Institute, the federal government’s main agency for cancer research and training, told CNN that at least 174 of its own trials may be affected by the shortages. Cisplatin and other platinum-based drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of all cancer patients, according to the National Cancer Institute. Crucial work on hold“With drug shortages, trials have become almost like an impossible task. “These drug shortages come and go, and there’s no real rhyme or reason, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason in terms of which institutions have shortages.

Persons: Joe Biden, it’s, ’ ”, Shadia Jalal, Indiana University Melvin, Jalal, She’s, they’ve, ” Jalal, “, ”, haven’t, “ We’ve, Mark Fleury, Fleury, you’re, ” Fleury, Dmitry Walker, Merck, We’ve, ” Walker, there’s, Biden, Lawrence Feldman, ” Feldman, Feldman, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ‘ Organizations: CNN, National Cancer Institute, American Society of Health, Cancer, Indiana University, Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Hematology, Oncology, IU School of Medicine, Hoosier Cancer Research Network, Veterans Administration, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Cancer Society, WVU Medicine, US Food, Pharmacists, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, University of Illinois Medical Center, CNN Health Locations: United States, China, Chicago

☆ What happens when there’s a medical emergency on an airplane
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Then, the passenger said two words that changed everything:“I’m pregnant.”That’s when it hit Hemal: The passenger might go into labor. In the US, the Aviation Medical Assistance Act also protects individuals from legal liability for helping in an onboard medical emergency. Onboard assessmentFeld and Hemal say one of the trickiest aspects of handling an onboard medical emergency is coming in blind. The first time Held assisted with an inflight emergency, she was a very recent medical school graduate. Dr. Sij HemalDuring medical emergencies, flight crew also remain in contact with ground medical teams who help make decisions and give permission for certain medicines to be administered.

Persons: Sij, Hemal, he’d, Charles de Gaulle, Susan Shepherd, who’d, Shepherd, Hemal’s, seatmate, “, ”, ” Hemal, hadn’t, ’ ”, you’re, You’ve, Sij Hemal, –, you’ve, I’m, ‘, Hemal –, he’s, what’s, there’s, he’ll, Dr, Lauren Feld, Feld’s, she’s, Feld, ” Feld, isn’t, it’s “, she’d, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Air, JFK, Air France, CNN Travel, Jamaica Hospital Medical, Cleveland Clinic, Aviation, Feld, Aircraft Locations: India, New Delhi, Paris, Air France, New York City, Cleveland, French, You’re, JFK, US, New York, California

☆ Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst lead $50 million seed round in Hippocratic AI to deliver large language models to healthcare providers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hippocratic AI is a large language model company aiming to serve healthcare providers. Now, the entrepreneur is marrying his interest in healthcare with his experience as a multi-time AI founder to create Hippocratic AI, a healthcare-focused large language model company. First, Hippocratic AI tested its large language model against 114 different healthcare certifications, 105 of which its model outperformed OpenAI's GPT-4 on, Shah told Insider. Despite its intensive model training efforts and recent hefty capital infusion, Hippocratic AI has yet to release a product. "This language model business has turned software development back into a capital intensive business," he said.

☆ How doctors create a penis from a vagina and why one trans man changed his mind about which surgery to get
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Creating a penis from a vagina is more complicated than turning a penis into a vagina. Then, they must define their priorities for their penis, Horwitz said. Then, during a meta, doctors cut ligaments around the newly enlarged clitoris, allowing it to extend away from the body. Phalloplasty creates a penis from a skin graftScar left over from a skin graft taken for a phalloplasty surgery. Once they've formed the neo-phallus (new penis), doctors surgically connect it to the genitals' nerve and vascular system.

☆ March Madness, Vasectomies Are an Unlikely Pairing Filling Urology Offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

March is a special time for college basketball fans, who kick back on the couch for days to watch the two-week NCAA tournament known as March Madness. It also has become a shining moment for some urologists, who see the games as a perfect time to peddle vasectomies.

More men are being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is less likely to respond to treatments, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests. Even more concerning than the rise in advanced cancer diagnoses is the increased number of prostate cancer deaths. “This increase is concerning and requires a new look at prostate cancer screening,” Tewari said. Essentially, that’s like 16 Boeing 747s crashing.”Black men had a 70% higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men. Declines in prostate cancer screeningIn 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of measurements of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) to be used as part of a screening test for prostate cancer.

☆ I perform vasectomies in Texas. I've had a huge increase in patients post-Roe — and a lot of them are young and childless.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Cari Shane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, there's been an uptick in the number of vasectomy requests at my clinic. In the two days immediately following the overturning of Roe, we received 150 vasectomy appointment requests. We were averaging five or six electronic appointment requests for vasectomy consultations per day before the overturning of Roe. I tell my patients that the vasectomy is meant to be permanent sterilizationWhile I love doing reversals, they're not 100%. I think vasectomies are fertility medicineThis is a procedure that I like to do and I think I'm good at.

☆ A new wave of companies is making testosterone easily available online. The authors of a recent study say there could be risks to patients.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A recent study reviewed seven companies that prescribe testosterone therapy online. These companies say that they make treatment more accessible for people who already suspect they have low testosterone. A new study shows that DTC companies do not all follow medical guidelinesThe new study encourages patients looking to get testosterone therapy online to educate themselves before taking the leap. The study found that six out of seven of the companies tested offered testosterone therapy to the shopper. The study was not meant to evaluate companies prescribing testosterone for gender affirming hormone therapy, which is a different process than testosterone replacement therapy.

☆ The most stressful job in the U.S., according to data―it pays $208,000 per year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

They did this by noting the importance of accepting criticism and dealing calmly with high-stress situations in each job. That's certainly the case for the job that ranked highest on that list, urologist. In terms of level of stress out of a 100, the job ranked 100. Despite its level of stress, this job is also the highest paying among those most stressful on the list. "I think it goes to show that there could be intensely stressful jobs that go across the spectrum of salaries," says Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster.

☆ Falling sperm count observed around the world, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Those are the headline findings of a new analysis of sperm count studies published Tuesday in the journal Human Reproduction Update. But Anawalt said the inherent limitations of this type of analysis — which combined results from more than 200 sperm count studies — could steer toward misleading conclusions. The decline had gotten steeper.”Despite the negative trend, the average sperm count for men in 2018 remained higher than levels the World Health Organization considers normal. It’s also possible that the type of men involved in sperm count studies is different from those who weren’t. “There’s other things in ejaculate that aren’t sperm — round cells and debris.”Moreover, sperm count is only one factor in determining fertility.

☆ We're closer to getting the first new pill to treat UTIs in over 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It would be the first new pill to treat uncomplicated UTIs in 20 years, GSK said. The drug, called gepotidacin, could become the first new oral antibiotic for uncomplicated UTIs in more than two decades, according to the company. GSK's drug was tested in uncomplicated UTIs, which are restricted to the the bladder and urethra and are generally less serious than complicated UTIs. On Thursday, GSK said two studies enrolled over 3,000 patients with uncomplicated UTIs. GSK, on the other hand, paid $66 million in September to license another antibiotic program being tested to treat complicated UTIs.

☆ Clinics offer free vasectomies, citing a surge in demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Sixty vasectomies will be offered over three days in and outside Planned Parenthood clinics in St. Louis, Springfield and Joplin to uninsured patients during the first week of November amid what the clinics say is a surge in demand for the procedure. Guarin also plans to offer discounted vasectomies that month at his regular clinic in the Des Moines area. Guarin, who serves on the medical advisory board for the World Vasectomy Day, helped offer vasectomies last year at the Planned Parenthood in St. Louis to raise awareness about the procedure. In July alone, the Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri performed 42 vasectomies, compared to 10 in the same month last year. Dr. Margaret Baum, the medical director of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, will be partnering with Guarin to provide the free vasectomies.

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