Features
Intravesical GAG replacement therapies for bladder pain syndrome / interstitial cystitis – an update
The barrier function of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer of the urothelium was identified by Parsons in 1975, and intravesical therapies to treat chronic inflammatory conditions of the bladder were developed soon after. However, the active role of the urothelium in...
COVID-19 Message from the editor May 2020
It is difficult to write about the crisis the world is facing at the moment without using superlatives or being too stark about the scale of the greatest-ever challenge that we all face at the moment. These are unprecedented times...
The COVID-19 ‘frontlines’: a foundation doctor’s perspective
Staring through the fragmented stained glass of the Virgin Mary and her assorted angels, I reflected on the strangeness of the workplace I now found myself in and the irony of a workforce now working together more enthusiastically than ever...
Modified snorkel full-face mask for surgery - UPDATED
Rogan Corbridge (Reading, UK) has modified a snorkelling full-face mask to cover the face during surgery. You can attach a filter to the snorkel, so the air you inhale is Covid-free. Look at his video and fill in the survey:...
Covid-19, cancer, and other calamities
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is upon us. The government and NHS are going full-steam ahead with their preparations for the onslaught, freeing up operating theatres, intensive care units, and even private hospital beds and staff, to accommodate the expected influx...
COVID-19 Useful Resources
This list will be updated as new sources of information emerge – let us know if there’s any resources we should be listing here by emailing jennifer@pinpoint-scotland.com
COVID-19 Message from the editor
I suspect, years from now, we are going to look back at this time and understand how we lived through a moment in history that threatened the very fabric of our lives. Looking at images of empty streets across the...
Benign prostatic hyperplasia: what are the benefits and harms of various surgical management options?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterised by stromal and epithelial prostatic cell hyperplasia. The enlarged prostate may be associated with voiding and storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). These have been predominantly attributed to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), assumed to...
Patient decision aids in the management of stress urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a common condition faced by up to 20-50% of women, which impairs quality of life and poses a significant socioeconomic burden to both the individual women involved and more widely to the NHS [1]. The overall cost...
Pyonephrosis: is the kidney always doomed?
Pyonephrosis (Greek pyon ‘pus’ + nephros ‘kidney’) is defined in Campbell-Walsh Urology [1] as an infected hydro-nephrosis associated with suppurative destruction of the renal parenchyma which results in total or near total loss of renal function. The true incidence of...
Ketamine uropathy – an update
The first two case series that documented the association between urinary tract damage and recreational ketamine use were published 12 years ago [1,2]. Since then ketamine has maintained a controversial profile as an essential medication of expanding utility but with...
Onco-fertility: a review
Subfertility or infertility is a major problem affecting men diagnosed with testicular cancer (TC) either due to the disease itself [1], or as a result of management [2]. TC is the most prevalent cancer affecting men of reproductive age [3]....
