Electrocautery is a promising treatment option for patients with Hunner type interstitial cystitis (HIC), but frequently requires multiple sessions due to recurrence of the lesions. In the present study, we assessed the relationship between the frequency of electrocautery of Hunner lesions and changes in maximum bladder capacity (MBC) at hydrodistension in a large cohort of 118 HIC patients. Three mixed-effect linear regression analyses were conducted for MBC against (1) the number of sessions; (2) the number of sessions and the time between each session and the first session; and (3) other relevant clinical parameters in addition to the Model (2). The mean number of sessions was 2.8 times. MBC decreased approximately 50 mL for each additional electrocautery session, but this loss was offset by 10 mL for each year the subsequent session was postponed. MBC of < 400 mL at the first session was a significant risk factor for MBC loss with further sessions. No other clinical parameters were associated with MBC over time. This study demonstrates a significant relationship between the frequency of electrocautery of Hunner lesions and MBC changes in HIC patients. Low MBC at the first session is a poor prognostic marker for MBC loss over multiple sessions.

Introduction We present the case of a patient with penetrating penile injury caused by splintering floorboards in a gymnasium. Case presentation A 24‐year‐old man was brought to the emergency department of our hospital because of an unintentional penetrating penile injury sustained while playing volleyball at a gymnasium. He dove into the wooden floor to fly‐receive the ball. When sliding with his abdomen on the floor, a wooden splinter from the floorboard stuck from the base of his penis to near the glans penis. The splinter was gently removed without bleeding under local anesthesia. Conclusions Splintering floorboards in gymnasiums can cause serious trauma, including penile injuries. Health‐care workers and users of public facilities, such as gymnasiums, should be aware of the accident risk associated with wooden floors.

Although nucleosome remodeling is essential to transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes, little is known about its genome-wide behavior. Since a number of nucleosome positioning maps in vivo have been recently determined, we examined if their comparisons might be used for obtaining a genome-wide profile of nucleosome remodeling. Using seven yeast maps, the local variability of nucleosomes, measured by the entropy, was significantly higher in a set of reported unstable nucleosomes. The binding sites of four transcription factors, known as the remodeling factors, were distinctively high both in entropy and linker ratio, whereas those of Yhp1, their potential inhibitor, showed the lowest values in both of them. Taken together, our map shows the general information of nucleosome dynamics reasonably well. The “nucleosome dynamics” map provides the new significant correlation with the degree of expression variety instead of their intensity. Furthermore, the associations with gene function and histone modification were also discussed here.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00412-010-0264-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction There is a wide range of problems associated with ejaculation, including decreased semen volume, vaginal ejaculation problems, premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, hematospermia, and pain associated with ejaculation. However, there is no simple questionnaire that can comprehensively evaluate these ejaculatory functions. Objective In this study, we evaluated the overall ejaculation function of the patients in question using an originally developed ejaculation function score (Kimura and Shoji's Ejaculation Function Score). Methods We examined 20 patients who visited our sexual function outpatient clinic with a chief complaint of ejaculation. As a control group, we also examined 20 patients who had undergone vasectomy using the same score. The questionnaire consisted of the following five items (1) Awareness of sufficient momentum, (2) Pleasant sensation during ejaculation, (3) Presence of pain associated with ejaculation, (4) Presence of blood in semen, and (5) Perception of decreased semen volume. The total score was also evaluated. In addition, satisfaction with the current ejaculation was assessed. Results The mean age of the ejaculation disorder group was 43.5±15.1 years. The main complaints were decreased semen volume in 7 cases (35%), vaginal ejaculation disorder in 6 cases (30%), delayed ejaculation in 2 cases (10%), premature ejaculation in 2 cases (10%), lack of orgasm in 1 case (5%), and pain associated with ejaculation in 1 case (5%). The mean scores for each item were 1.5 for item 1, 1.8 for item 2, 3.0 for item 3, 3.0 for item 4, and 2.0 for item 5, resulting in a mean total score of 11.2. On the other hand, the mean age of the vasectomy group was 42.0±9.4 years, item 1 was 2.8, item 2 was 2.9, item 3 was 3.0, item 4 was 3.0, item 5 was 2.9, and the mean total score was 14.6. When the two groups were compared, significant differences were found except for items 3 and 4. There was also a significant difference in satisfaction of present ejaculation with mean scores of 1.3 and 2.9. As a result of examining the clinical severity and the total score, the total score of 5-6 was considered severe, 7-9 moderate, 10-13 mild ejaculation disorder, and 14-15 within the normal range. Conclusion Although our ejaculation function score is still in the developmental stage, we believe that it can be a screening tool for ejaculation function in practical medical care and self-assessment. Disclosure Work supported by industry: no.