Integration of Genomic Tests in Prostate Cancer Care: Implications for Clinical Practice and Patient Outcomes.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignancy in men and is among the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Genomic tests assess disease aggressiveness and guide treatment, particularly in low- and intermediate-risk PCa. We reviewed the literature on the use of four genomic tests (Prolaris, Promark, Oncotype DX, and Decipher) in assessing the prognosis of PCa and their use in treatment decision-making.

Breakage and detachment of the rigid cystoscope's distal tip: an unusual case of urological instrument malfunction.

Herein, we describe an unusual case of cystoscope damage during a planned laser cystolithotripsy in a 65-year-old male with a previous history of radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer and subsequent serial urethral dilations for bladder neck contracture. Upon crossing the penile urethra without exerting significant pressure, we noticed the cystoscope's distal metallic tip detachment. Therefore, we re-introduced another 22Fr cystoscope and removed the broken part with alligator forceps.

The early learning curve of the bipolar enucleation of the prostate: a multicenter cohort study.

Objectives: To evaluate the early learning curve of BipolEP (Bipolar Enucleation of the Prostate).

Subjects/patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter analysis of surgical and functional outcomes of patients treated with BipolEp for BPO (benign prostatic obstruction). We evaluated the first 20 cases of BipolEp performed by four different surgeons in three different countries.

The Discovery of an S-shaped Kidney in a Patient With Prostate Cancer: A Rare Finding.

Crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE) constitutes a rare congenital anomaly of the urinary tract, typically characterized by its predominantly asymptomatic nature and frequent incidental discovery. This case report delineates the clinical profile of a 56-year-old male admitted to our Prostate Cancer Outpatient Clinic due to elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The patient was asymptomatic, with no family or surgical background.

Transforming urinary stone disease management by artificial intelligence-based methods: A comprehensive review.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive review on the existing research and evidence regarding artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the assessment and management of urinary stone disease.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases to identify publications about innovative concepts or supporting applications of AI in the improvement of every medical procedure relating to stone disease. The terms ''endourology'', ''artificial intelligence'', ''machine learning'', and ''urolithiasis'' were used for searching eligible reports, while review articles, articles referring to automated procedures without AI application, and editorial comments were excluded from the final set of publications.

Overview of current pharmacotherapeutic options in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Introduction: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) represents the histological entity of prostate cell proliferation, which inflicts a gradually increasing obstruction of the bladder outlet and is accompanied by a progressing manifestation of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). BPH management algorithm includes conservative measures, pharmaceutical agents, and surgical procedures.

Areas Covered: A comprehensive literature review was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases to identify publications written in English, analyzing BPH pharmaceutical treatment.

Jackstone: A Calculus "Toy" in the Bladder. A Case Report of Rare Entity and Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Background: An uncommon type of urinary calculus, Jackstone was named after its distinct resemblance to the children's game "Jacks." It typically involves the bladder and, to a lesser extent, the upper urinary tract.

Case Presentation: Herein, we report a case of Jackstone vesical calculus in a 75-year-old male undergoing elective open prostate surgery for benign prostate hyperplasia refractory to medical treatment.

En bloc resection, is this the future of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer management? Presentation of our technique and brief review of the literature.

Introduction: The quality of the initial transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) plays a key role in accurate local staging thus affecting treatment decision-making and disease prognosis. TURBT is still the gold standard for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, en bloc resection of bladder tumors (ERBT) gradually expanded as a promising alternative to TURBT, aiming to overcome certain inherent limitations of conventional resection.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2a Expression Is Positively Correlated With Gleason Score in Prostate Cancer.

Background: One of the main factors in response to hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment is the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway. Although its role in other solid tumors, particularly renal cell carcinoma, has been sufficiently elucidated, it remains elusive in prostate cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of main proteins involved in this pathway and determine the correlation of the results with clinicopathological outcomes of patients with prostate cancer.

Incidental discovery of endourethral clip migration 10 years after radical prostatectomy: A case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Surgical clips (SCs) have been widely used for a variety of surgical procedures over the years. Despite their advantages and proven effectiveness, several clip-related complications have been reported, creating dilemmas as to their optimal use.

Case Description: Herein, we present a rare delayed and incidental discovery of two endourethral metallic SCs in a 77-year-old male seeking treatment for acute renal colic.

Evaluating the usefulness of antibiotic prophylaxis prior to ESWL in patients with sterile urine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The aim of this review is to evaluate the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) on asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) and urinary tract infection (UTI) in patients with sterile urine undergoing ESWL.

Evidence Acquisition: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Registry were searched systematically for randomized clinical trials assessing the effect of AP in patients with sterile urine undergoing SWL up to May 2020. Risk ratios were used to compare dichotomous outcomes.

Are endourological procedures for nephrolithiasis treatment associated with renal injury? A review of potential mechanisms and novel diagnostic indexes.

Nephrolithiasis is one of the most common urological conditions with a huge socio-economic impact. About 50% of recurrent stone-formers have just one lifetime recurrence and >10% of patients present with a high recurrent disease requiring subsequent and sometimes multiple surgical interventions. The advent of new technology has made endourological procedures the pinnacle of stone treatment, including procedures like percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), retrograde intrarenal surgery and miniaturized PCNL procedures.

Low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiST) for erectile dysfunction: a randomized clinical trial assessing the impact of energy flux density (EFD) and frequency of sessions.

The impact of energy flux density (EFD) used on low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiST) for erectile dysfunction (ED) has not been explored. Our aim was to compare EFD 0.05 versus 0.

Low-Intensity Shockwave Therapy (LiST) for Erectile Dysfunction: Is It Safe for Patients on Anticoagulant Medication?

Introduction: A significant percentage of men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) use antiplatelet therapy because they have a history of cardiovascular disease. However, the safety of this novel treatment modality in patients under antiplatelet treatment has been based on anecdotal cases, and published data are lacking. The aim of this study is to examine the safety of low-intensity shockwave therapy (LiST) on a group of patients under antiplatelet therapy who were treated with LiST.

Stem cell therapy in erectile dysfunction: science fiction or realistic treatment option?

Stem cell therapy has become a subject of great interest to researchers worldwide. One of the medical conditions being studied for possible treatment with the use of stem cells is erectile dysfunction, and particularly organic and post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction. However, is stem cell therapy a viable treatment option for erectile dysfunction? The current body of literature provides a wide array of clinical trials performed on animal models simulating different types of human erectile dysfunction.

Risk of hospitalization associated with body mass index and weight changes among prevalent haemodialysis patients.

The impact of body mass index (BMI) and body weight on hospitalization rates in haemodialysis patients is unknown. This study hypothesizes that being either underweight or obese is associated with a higher hospitalization rate. Observational study of 6296 European haemodialysis patients with prospective data collection and follow-up every six months for three years (COSMOS study).

Low-Intensity Shockwave Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction: A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing 2 Treatment Protocols and the Impact of Repeating Treatment.

Background: There is lack of evidence-based optimization of the protocol for low-intensity shockwave therapy for erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, the safety and efficacy of repeating shockwave therapy have not been explored.

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of 6 and 12 treatment sessions within a 6-week treatment period and investigate the effect of repeat treatment after a 6-month period in a 2-phase study.

Treatment of adynamic bone disease in a haemodialysis patient with teriparatide.

Prevalence of adynamic bone disease (ABD), characterized by low bone turnover and absence or a reduced number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, is increasing steadily over the last years. We present a dialysis patient, with recurrent bone fractures and biopsy-proven ABD, who was treated with teriparatide. Nine months after initiation of treatment, iPTH plasma levels increased to 520 pg/mL and a second bone biopsy revealed high bone turnover, normal mineralization and normal bone volume.

Impact of inflammation on anti-oxidative effects of vitamin E-coated membrane dialyzer in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Hemodialysis (HD) with the use of vitamin E-coated membrane (VEM) dialyzers is shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in patients with end-stage renal disease on HD. However, the association of baseline inflammatory status with the antioxidative effects of VEM has not been investigated thus far. Thirty-five stable end-stage renal disease patients treated with VEM for 6 months were enrolled in the present prospective, observational cohort study.

Influence of body mass index on the association of weight changes with mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Background And Objectives: A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Short-term weight gains and losses are also related to lower and higher mortality risk, respectively. The implications of weight gain or loss may, however, differ between obese individuals and their nonobese counterparts.

Use of phosphate-binding agents is associated with a lower risk of mortality.

Hyperphosphatemia has been associated with higher mortality risk in CKD 5 patients receiving dialysis. Here, we determined the association between the use of single and combined phosphate-binding agents and survival in 6797 patients of the COSMOS study: a 3-year follow-up, multicenter, open-cohort, observational prospective study carried out in 227 dialysis centers from 20 European countries. Patient phosphate-binding agent prescriptions (time-varying) and the case-mix-adjusted facility percentage of phosphate-binding agent prescriptions (instrumental variable) were used as predictors of the relative all-cause and cardiovascular mortality using Cox proportional hazard regression models.

Associations of fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin with arterial stiffness and early atherosclerosis in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Background: Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remains excessive in patients with chronic kidney disease. The association of vascular changes with regulators of extraosseous calcification in this patient population is still under investigation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations of the calcification inhibitor fetuin-A, and the anti-osteoclastic factor osteoprotegerin (OPG) with vascular pathology in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Up-regulation of urinary markers predict outcome in IgA nephropathy but their predictive value is influenced by treatment with steroids and azathioprine.

Objective: Steroids and immunosuppressants can delay progression of renal function in IgAN, but their possible effect in local cytokines has not been studied.

Material And Methods: Histology in 53 IgAN patients (M/F 35/18 age 40.5 years (17 - 65)) was evaluated using the Oxford classification system.