The therapeutic management of premature lifelong ejaculation (PE) ranges from behavioral therapy to pharmacological and surgical treatments. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) injection into the glans penis is a non-surgical procedure, intended to reduce glans hypersensitivity, improving the intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT). HA injection can be performed through different techniques that, although safe and effective, rarely can cause local complications. In this pilot uncontrolled study, we tested the effectiveness of a new technique based on a single HA injection into the frenulum of the glans, to improve IELT in a sample of patients affected by PE. We observed a significant increase of the IELT after one (median 73.3, IQR 66.2–79.9 s) and two months (66.2, 63.1–73.9) that gradually decreased at three months, remaining still significantly higher than at baseline (34.8, 30.9–37.4). PEDT and IIEF questionnaires significantly improved compared to baseline in the first two months of follow-up (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the preliminary results emerging from this pilot uncontrolled study, highlight the effectiveness of this one-shot HA injection approach, although a larger sample and longer follow-up time are needed to standardize the procedure.

The attention to transgender medicine has changed over the last decade and the interest is most likely going to increase in the future due to the fact that gender-affirming treatments are now being requested by an increasing number of transgender people. Even if gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is based on a multidisciplinary approach, this review is going to focus on the procedures adopted by the endocrinologist in an out-clinic setting once an adult patient is referred by another specialist for ‘gender affirming’ therapy. Before commencing this latter treatment, several background information on unmet needs regarding medical and surgical outcomes should be investigated. We summarized our endocrinological clinical and therapeutic approaches to adult transgender individuals before and during GAHT based on a non-systematic review. Moreover, the possible relationships between GAHT, gender-related pharmacology, and COVID-19 are also reported.

Background: The American Joint Commission on Cancer on Tumor Node Metastasis (AJCC/TNM) staging system provides adequate information on the risk of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC)-specific mortality in totally thyroidectomized patients, but its role in predicting persistence and relapse of disease is uncertain. The relatively new 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines recommend stratifying patients at the time of DTC diagnosis with its own risk classification system, in order to identify those at high risk of residual or recurrent morbidity who may benefit from post-operative radioiodine (RAI) administration and/or need additional work-up. Methods: To verify the prevalence proportion of persistence or relapse of disease, a consecutive cohort of 152 patients with a diagnosis of DTC, subjected to total thyroidectomy (+/− post-operative RAI administration as per guidelines indication) and to neck ultrasonography (US), as well as biochemical surveillance for a minimum of 2 years at the Endocrinology Unit of Mater-Domini Hospital (Catanzaro, Italy), was enrolled. The prognostic role of the AJCC/TNM stage and ATA risk classification system was analyzed by logistic regression. Results: At a mean of 9 years after surgical treatment, DTC was found to persist or relapse in 19 (12.5%) participants. The initial risk for these outcomes, based on the ATA classification, was mostly low (53.9%) or intermediate (39.5%). AJCC/TNM stages were predominantly stage I or stage II. Despite a small representation in this cohort, high-risk patients according to the ATA classification had 8-fold higher odds of persistence or relapse of disease than those of low-risk participants, while controlling for potential risk modifiers, including age at DTC diagnosis, male gender, and post-operative RAI administration (p = 0.008). In contrast, the AJCC/TNM stage was not associated with the disease status at the last follow-up visit (p = 0.068 for the 7th Edition; p = 0.165 for the 8th Edition). Furthermore, low-risk participants subjected to post-operative RAI administration had the same probability of persistence or relapse of DTC when compared to those who had undergone total thyroidectomy only. Conclusions: There is a need for the endocrine community to revise the current work-up of DTC. The initial ATA risk classification is a reliable tool for predicting the persistence or relapse of disease in long-term surveillance.

Article: Global olfactory function correlates with global sexual functioning in men and women - Minerva Medica 2023 Jun 29 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Article: Positive effects of dietary supplementation with nutraceuticals on male subclinical hypogonadism: a pilot study - Minerva Endocrinology 2023 May 09 - Minerva Medica - Journals

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Since December 2019 the new virus has spread all over the world and has become a major health problem also because of the public measures that could affect people’s sexual activity. We report a case of a 35-year-old married male admitted to the andrology outpatient clinic in July 2021 because of sudden onset erectile dysfunction (ED). The diagnostic workup showed no risk factor for ED, normal levels of testosterone, increased levels of endothelial dysfunction markers, such as CRP (C-Reactive Protein) and Endothelin-1, and reduced Vitamin D (VD) levels. Dynamic penile duplex ultrasound (D-PDU) revealed dysfunctional penile arterial flow. The five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) showed a reduction in all domain scores. The patient, initially unresponsive to the high dose oral phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE-5is), was treated with vitamin-D and then submitted to LI-SWT (low intensity shockwave treatment), with a progressive clinical benefit at the 12-month follow-up. After 18 months, hormone levels persisted in normal ranges, with a consistent reduction in CRP and Endothelin-1. Additionally, IIEF-5, SF-36 and arterial flow significantly improved over the follow-up period. Thus far, the erectile function was restored and the patient is no more treated with PDE-5i.