Characterizing the urobiome and associated metabolic profiles during acute rejection in renal transplant patients: A pilot study.

Characteristic alterations in the urinary microbiome, or urobiome, are associated with renal transplant pathology. To date, there has been no direct study of the urobiome during acute allograft rejection. The goal of this study was to determine if unique urobiome alterations are present during acute rejection in renal transplant recipients.

A mouse model for the study of diet-induced changes in intestinal microbiome composition on renal calcium oxalate crystal formation.

Currently available animal models for calcium oxalate kidney stones are limited in their translational potential. Particularly with increasing interest in gut microbiota involvement in kidney stone disease, there are limited animal models which can be used. As such, we have developed a novel diet-induced hyperoxaluria murine model which addresses some of the shortcomings of other currently available models.

Intelligent Ureteral Stent Placeable via Standard Procedure for Kidney Pressure Telemetry: An Ex-Vivo Study.

This paper reports the first telemetric ureteral stent compatible with common placement procedure, enabling wireless sensing and detection of ureteral obstruction and resultant kidney swelling known as hydronephrosis at an early stage. This sensor-integrated "intelligent" ureteral stent is prototyped via the design and fabrication approaches that raise the practicality of the device and tested in a harvested swine kidney-ureter model ex vivo. Leveraging a polymeric double-J stent and micro-electro-mechanical systems technology, the intelligent stent is built by embedding micro pressure sensors and a radiofrequency antenna, forming a resonant circuit that enables wireless kidney pressure monitoring in an operating frequency of 40-50 MHz.

A Patient-Prioritized Research Agenda for Clinical Trials in Kidney Stone Disease.

Purpose: To ensure that research on kidney stones provides meaningful impact for the kidney stone community, patients and caregivers should be engaged as stakeholders in clinical trial design, starting at study inception. This project aimed to elicit, refine, and prioritize research ideas from kidney stone stakeholders to develop a patient-centered research agenda for clinical trials.

Materials And Methods: The Kidney Stone Engagement Core, a group of patients, caregivers, advocates, clinicians, and researchers, executed an iterative process of surveys and focus groups to elicit and refine research themes, which were then translated into research questions.

Bridging the knowledge gap: past, present and future of antibiotic use for ureteral stents.

Objective: To evaluate the available literature on ureteric stent-related infections, the use of antibiotics and bacterial colonisation to identify the current incidence of stent-related infections, unveil knowledge gaps and generate potential hypotheses for future research.

Methods: A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane and urological association websites identifying relevant English literature published between 1983 and January 2024.

Results: There is a worldwide lack of guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis for stent placement, exchange or extraction.

Long-Term Prevention of Biofilm Formation by Polycatechol-Based Supramolecular Assemblies with Low Molecular Weight Polymers on Surfaces.

Achievement of a stable surface coating with long-term resistance to biofilm formation remains a challenge. Catechol-based polymerization chemistry and surface deposition are used as tools for surface modification of diverse materials. However, the control of surface deposition of the coating, surface coverage, coating properties, and long-term protection against biofilm formation remain to be solved.

Monogenic features of urolithiasis: A comprehensive review.

Objective: Urolithiasis formation has been attributed to environmental and dietary factors. However, evidence is accumulating that genetic background can contribute to urolithiasis formation. Advancements in the identification of monogenic causes using high-throughput sequencing technologies have shown that urolithiasis has a strong heritable component.

Deficient butyrate metabolism in the intestinal microbiome is a potential risk factor for recurrent kidney stone disease.

Intestinal microbiome dysbiosis is a known risk factor for recurrent kidney stone disease (KSD) with prior data suggesting a role for dysfunctional metabolic pathways other than those directly utilizing oxalate. To identify alternative mechanisms, the current study analyzed differences in the metabolic potential of intestinal microbiomes of patients (n = 17) and live-in controls (n = 17) and determined their relevance to increased risk for KSD using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We found no differences in the abundance of genes associated with known oxalate degradation pathways, supporting the notion that dysfunction in other metabolic pathways plays a role in KSD.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy against a dual-species cariogenic biofilm using a ruthenium-loaded resin-based dental material.

Background: Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans are associated with caries recurrence. Therefore, this study evaluated the combination of a Ru(II)-loaded resin-based dental material (RDM) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) against a dual-species biofilm of S. mutans and C.

Surface photosterilization of implantable silicone biomaterials: structural and functional characterization.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) remain one of the major challenges faced by the global healthcare system. The increasing rate of pathogenic resistance against antibiotics suggests that alternative treatments are needed to control recurrent infections. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the third most common type of HAI worldwide, and this is mainly due to indwelling devices being excellent substrates for bacterial adhesion and growth.

The Microbiological Burden of Short-Term Catheter Reuse in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: A Prospective Study.

Despite the risk of developing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), catheter reuse is common among people with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study examined the microbiological burden and catheter surface changes associated with short-term reuse. Ten individuals with chronic SCI reused their catheters over 3 days.

Antibacterial Thermosensitive Silver-Hydrogel Nanocomposite Improves Wound Healing.

Bacterial infection and poor cell recruitment are among the main factors that prolong wound healing. To address this, a strategy is required that can prevent infection while promoting tissue repair. Here, we have created a silver nanoparticle-based hydrogel composite that is antibacterial and provides nutrients for cell growth, while filling cavities of various geometries in wounds that are difficult to reach with other dressings.

Electromechanically Functionalized Ureteral Stents for Wireless Obstruction Monitoring.

While millions of ureteral stents are placed in patients with urinary tract issues around the world every year, hydronephrosis still poses great danger to these patients as a common complication. In the present work, an intelligent double-J ureteral stent equipped with a micro pressure sensor and antenna circuitry is investigated and prototyped toward enabling continuous wireless monitoring of kidney pressure to detect a ureteral obstruction and the resultant hydronephrosis via the indwelling stent. This electromechanically functionalized "intelligent" ureteral stent acts as a radiofrequency resonator with a pressure-sensitive resonant frequency that can be interrogated using an external antenna to track the local pressure.

Development of a High-Throughput Urosepsis Mouse Model.

Murine sepsis models are typically polymicrobial, and are associated with high mortality. We aimed to develop a high-throughput murine model that mimics a slow-paced, monomicrobial sepsis originating from the urinary tract. A total of 23 male C57Bl/6 mice underwent percutaneous insertion of a 4 mm catheter into the bladder using an ultrasound-guided method, previously developed by our group.

Role of Bacterial Surface Components in the Pathogenicity of in a Murine Model of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection.

() is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that causes catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). The specific roles of bacterial surface components (BSCs) in pathogenicity and CAUTIs remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we utilized relevant in vitro adhesion/invasion models and a well-established murine model of CAUTI to assess the ability of wildtype (WT) and seven mutant strains (MSs) of with deficiencies in various genes encoding BSCs to undergo the infectious process (including adhesion to catheters) in both model systems.

Innovations in Endourologic Stone Surgery: Contemporary Practice Patterns from a Global Survey.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current availability of technology for urolithiasis treatment and ureteroscopy (URS). Perioperative practice patterns, availability of ureteroscopic technologies, pre- and poststenting practices, and methods to alleviate stent-related symptoms (SRS) were assessed via a survey of members of the Endourological Society. We distributed a 43-question survey online via the Qualtrics platform to members of the Endourological Society.

Indwelling stents cause severe inflammation and fibrosis of the ureter via urothelial-mesenchymal transition.

To explore the pathways and mechanisms driving inflammation and fibrosis in stented ureters. In total, six healthy female pigs underwent cystoscopic unilateral ureteral stent insertion (6 Fr). After 14 days indwelling time, ureteral tissue was harvested in three pigs, while the remaining three pigs had their stents removed, and were recovered for 7 days.

Robust Nanoparticle-Derived Lubricious Antibiofilm Coating for Difficult-to-Coat Medical Devices with Intricate Geometry.

A major medical device-associated complication is the biofilm-related infection post-implantation. One promising approach to prevent this is to coat already commercialized medical devices with effective antibiofilm materials. However, developing a robust high-performance antibiofilm coating on devices with a nonflat geometry remains unmet.

Antibacterial and Antiviral Coating on Surfaces through Dopamine-Assisted Codeposition of an Antifouling Polymer and In Situ Formed Nanosilver.

Bacteria and viruses can adhere onto diverse surfaces and be transmitted in multiple ways. A bifunctional coating that integrates both antibacterial and antiviral activities is a promising approach to mitigate bacterial and viral infections arising from a contaminated surface. However, current coating approaches encounter a slow reaction, limited activity against diverse bacteria or viruses, short-term activity, difficulty in scaling-up, and poor adaptation to diverse material surfaces.

Ureteral Obstruction Promotes Ureteral Inflammation and Fibrosis.

Background: Hydronephrosis and renal impairment may persist even after relieving an obstruction, particularly in cases of chronic obstruction. Obstruction can cause fibrotic changes of the ureter, potentially contributing to long-term kidney damage.

Objective: To characterise pathophysiological changes of obstructed ureters with focus on inflammatory responses triggering fibrosis and potential impairment of ureteral function.

Indwelling stents cause obstruction and induce ureteral injury and fibrosis in a porcine model.

Objectives: To investigate global changes in ureters at the transcriptional, translational and functional levels, both while stents are indwelling and after removal and recovery, and to study the effects of targeting pathways that play a potential role.

Methods: Pig ureters were stented for varying amounts of time (48 h, 72 h, 14 days) and the impact on peristalsis, dilatation and hydronephrosis were assessed. RNAseq, proteomic, histological and smooth muscle (SM) function analyses were performed on ureteric and kidney tissues to assess changes induced by stenting and recovery.