"Minho Technique" for Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Ileal Conduit.

Objective: Radical cystectomy (RC) with ileal conduit (IC) remains a main treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Laparoscopy in this multistage surgery is quite demanding, so laparoscopic RC (LRC) with intracorporeal IC (IIC) is a technically exceptional procedure. We aim to simplify it, demonstrating our technique, step-by-step.

Renal anastomosing haemangioma.

Anastomosing haemangioma is a rare subtype of haemangioma, a benign vascular tumour. Its rarity stems from its low incidence and difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis. In addition, its histological resemblance to malignant neoplasms may lead to unnecessary overtreatment.

Laparoscopic treatment of entero-neobladder fistula after radical cystectomy.

Entero-neovesical fistula is a rare complication of orthotopic ileal neobladder after radical cystectomy occurring in <2% of cases. Surgical treatment is usually required and includes open resection of the affected bowel tract and reconstitution of bowel transit. Here we present a case of a laparoscopic treatment of entero-to-neobladder fistula 8 years after laparoscopic radical cystectomy to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive treatment (Supplementary Video).

Do all patients with suspicious prostate cancer need Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging before prostate biopsy?

Objectives: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is a useful tool to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa) but its cost is not negligible. In order to reduce costs and minimize time to diagnosis, it is necessary to establish which patients benefit the most from doing mpMRI prior to prostate biopsy (PB). Our aim was to test if mpMRI still predicts PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) in patients with high clinical suspicion of cancer, defined as prostate specific antigen (PSA) > 10 ng/ml, PSA-Density (PSAD) > 0.

Effects of testosterone replacement on serotonin levels in the prostate and plasma in a murine model of hypogonadism.

Benign prostate hyperplasia is a dysfunctional disease with an elevated prevalence. Despite the accepted impact of aging and testosterone (TES) in its pathophysiology, its aetiology remains unknown. Recent studies described that serotonin (5-HT) inhibits benign prostate growth through the modulation of the androgen receptor, in the presence of TES.

Is Repeat Transurethral Resection Always Needed in High-Grade T1 Bladder Cancer?

Re-staging transurethral resection, the so-called repeat TUR (Re-TUR), is mandatory in case of incomplete first transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). In completely resected high grade T1 tumors, Re-TUR is recommended but question remains whether it provides advantages in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer specific survival (CSS). The present study aimed to determine whether Re-TUR improves such outcomes in patients with completely resected high-grade T1 bladder cancer (BC).

Late presentation of vesicoureteral reflux: An unusual cause of pyelonephritis in adults.

Introduction: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) corresponds to the reflux of urine from the bladder into the upper urinary system. It can be a congenital or an acquired anomaly and although its incidence is high in children it is uncommon in the adult life. One of its presentations in the adult population is the presence of recurrent Pyelonephritis.

Percutaneous nephrostomy vs ureteral stent for hydronephrosis secondary to ureteric calculi: impact on spontaneous stone passage and health-related quality of life-a prospective study.

Ureteral calculi can be associated with urinary drainage blockage, requiring urinary diversion with percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) or retrograde ureteral stent (RUS). Currently no evidence exists to support the superiority of one method over the other. This study proposes to compare both approaches regarding the probability of spontaneous stone passage (SSP) and its effect on patient's quality of life (QoL).

Resistance of different guidewires to laser injury: an in-vitro experiment.

Background: In urology, lasers are used in a variety of endoscopic procedures such as ureteroscopy and retrograde renal surgery for stone fragmentation of urinary calculi and ablation of urothelial tumors. To perform these procedures, guidewires are used as a preliminary safe-mainstay for referencing the urinary tract. This study aims to determine the effect of two different lasers: holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG) and thulium:YAG (Tm:YAG) lasers on metal guidewires with PTFE coating (PTFE), nitinol guidewires with hydrophilic coating (Hydrophilic) and nitinol guidewires with hydrophilic listed coating (Zebra).

[Smoking Cessation after Bladder Cancer Diagnosis].

Introduction: Smoking is an important risk factor for the development, recurrence and progression of bladder cancer. Our aim was to analyze smoking habits after diagnosis in bladder cancer patients. Additionally, we evaluated patient knowledge about smoking as a risk factor and the urologist role in promoting abstinence.

Serotonin regulates prostate growth through androgen receptor modulation.

Aging and testosterone almost inexorably cause benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Human males. However, etiology of BPH is largely unknown. Serotonin (5-HT) is produced by neuroendocrine prostatic cells and presents in high concentration in normal prostatic transition zone, but its function in prostate physiology is unknown.

Video-Based Surgical Learning: Improving Trainee Education and Preparation for Surgery.

Background: Since the end of the XIX century, teaching of surgery has remained practically unaltered until now. With the dawn of video-assisted laparoscopy, surgery has faced new technical and learning challenges. Due to technological advances, from Internet access to portable electronic devices, the use of online resources is part of the educational armamentarium.

Three-dimensional vs standard laparoscopy: comparative assessment using a validated program for laparoscopic urologic skills.

Objective: To compare the last generation of 3-dimensional imaging (3D) vs standard 2-dimensional imaging (2D) laparoscopy.

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted during the 4th Minimally Invasive Urological Surgical Week Course held in Braga (Portugal) in April 2013. The course participants and faculty were asked to perform standardized tasks in the dry laboratory setting and randomly assigned into 2 study groups; one starting with 3D, the other with 2D laparoscopy.

The role of glycoprotein 130 family of cytokines in fetal rat lung development.

The glycoprotein 130 (gp130) dependent family of cytokines comprises interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-11, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), cardiotrophin-like cytokine (CLC), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) and oncostatin M (OSM). These cytokines share the membrane gp130 as a common signal transducer. Recently, it was demonstrated that IL-6 promotes, whereas LIF inhibits fetal lung branching.

Leukemia inhibitory factor in rat fetal lung development: expression and functional studies.

Background: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are members of the family of the glycoprotein 130 (gp130)-type cytokines. These cytokines share gp130 as a common signal transducer, which explains why they show some functional redundancy. Recently, it was demonstrated that IL-6 promotes fetal lung branching.

Local fetal lung renin-angiotensin system as a target to treat congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Antenatal stimulation of lung growth is a reasonable approach to treat congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a disease characterized by pulmonary hypoplasia and hypertension. Several evidences from the literature demonstrated a possible involvement of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during fetal lung development. Thus, the expression pattern of renin, angiotensin-converting enzyme, angiotensinogen, type 1 (AT₁) and type 2 (AT₂) receptors of angiotensin II (ANGII) was assessed by immunohisto-chemistry throughout gestation, whereas the function of RAS in the fetal lung was evaluated using fetal rat lung explants.