Articles: Volume 9 Issue 4 Jul/Aug 2018

This year has witnessed record numbers of deaths and serious penetrating injuries, mainly in young men, from knife wounds in London. And it’s not just a London issue: knife crime involving young victims across England and Wales has surged by 69% in the last four years. Roger Kirby discusses some of the socio-political explanations behind the rise in violence and its impact on the medical community involved in treating victims

Diabetes and its cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in men. Over recent years a plethora of new drugs with novel modes of action have been introduced and tested in clinical trials. In this article the authors look at the results of these trials and discuss how the drugs might help in the battle against diabetes in men

Prostate cancer is considered to be a disease of the elderly, with a median age of presentation in the UK of 66.1 Significant numbers of patients are therefore older and the management of this patient cohort can be more challenging. This article highlights some of the methods that can be used to assess the elderly prostate cancer patient and the studies relevant to making appropriate management decisions

The surgical management of benign prostatic hypertrophy continues to evolve. In the last issue we looked at the role of prostatic artery embolisation in its management. In this article the authors discuss the role of GreenLight laser XPS photoselective vaporisation of the prostate as an alternative to the gold standard transurethral resection of the prostate for bladder outflow obstruction

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of antiretrovirals by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of HIV infection. In this article the authors give an overview of the evidence for PrEP among key populations and practical considerations regarding HIV and PrEP risk assessment, delivery and monitoring

Perianal disease is often considered ‘assumed knowledge’ among clinicians but is generally poorly understood. This article gives an overview of haemorrhoidal disease and its management options

Lyme disease is transmitted via ticks picked up in the undergrowth. It is on the increase and clinicians need to be vigilant and consider it as a diagnosis in patients presenting with cutaneous, neurological, musculoskeletal or cardiac symptoms

Roger Kirby shares memories of Thomas Stuttaford. As a doctor, journalist, author, politician, broadcaster and renovator of historic houses – ‘Dr Tom’ was a true polymath and could turn his hand to almost anything

The National Health Service was 70 years old on 4 July this year. As Jonathon Goddard describes it was, and still is, a pioneering venture in national health services around the globe. In this article he provides a potted history from early beginnings to the present day, including how urology developed as a specialty alongside the new