Optimization of Instant Beverage Powder Containing Propolis Extract Nanoliposomes.

Propolis is a natural resinous complex mixture produced by honeybees that contain various bioactive compounds. However, these bioactive compounds are chemically unstable and their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract is influenced by their solubility and stability. Encapsulation technology has been employed to increase their bioavailability and protect them against hostile conditions.

Renal transplant nephrolithiasis: Presentation, management and follow-up with control comparisons.

Objectives: To analyse the presentation, management and long-term outcomes of renal transplant patients who formed kidney stones in their allograft. The secondary aim was to identify risk factors for stone formation in this cohort.

Materials And Methods: Patient information from an institutional renal transplant database was used to identify individuals who both did and did not form kidney stones following renal transplantation.

Consistency in the Assessment of Dried Blood Spot Specimen Size and Quality in U.K. Newborn Screening Laboratories.

In 2015, U.K. newborn screening (NBS) laboratory guidelines were introduced to standardize dried blood spot (DBS) specimen quality acceptance and specify a minimum acceptable DBS diameter of ≥7 mm.

Bladder Stones in Renal Transplant Patients: Presentation, Management, and Follow-up.

Introduction: The study aim was to analyze the presentation, management, and follow-up of renal transplant patients developing bladder calculi.

Methods: Patients who underwent renal transplant with postoperative follow-up at our institution were retrospectively analyzed (1984-2023) to assess for the development of posttransplant bladder stones. All bladder stones were identified by computerized tomography imaging and stone size was measured using this imaging modality.

Newly modified 'pseudo flap' without compromising vascularity to enhance repair of long distal ureteral loss: A retrospective analysis of a prospective database.

Objective: To present an alternative technique called pseudo-flap for reconstructing long ureteral defects as an alternative to Boari flap. Despite being used for more than 70 years by urologists for tension-free reconstruction of distal and mid-ureteral defects, the Boari flap exhibits high complication rates, with an average of 27% (range 5.5%-30.

The effect of chitosan coating combined with cold plasma on the quality and safety of pistachio during storage.

Pistachios are one of the most important agricultural and export products of Iran. Fresh pistachio fruit has soft skin, is highly perishable, and therefore has a short life after harvesting, which has made traders and consumers have a great desire to increase the shelf life of this product. For this purpose, in this study, the effect of different concentrations of chitosan as an edible coating (0.

UK Reference Intervals for Parathyroid Hormone Using Abbott Methods.

Diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism requires measurement of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the context of the plasma calcium and other factors, such as vitamin D status and renal function. Accurate classification depends upon an appropriate population reference interval. We examined local population plasma PTH reference intervals at four different UK sites using a common platform.

Adult and neonate TSH blood spot reference intervals.

Neonatal congenital hypothyroidism screening is performed by measuring thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in a dried blood spot (DBS) sample, whereas acquired hypothyroidism uses serum TSH. There is no established DBS TSH reference interval, but knowing this is useful, as some patients cannot tolerate venepuncture, so DBS collection is seen as an acceptable alternative. The aim of this study was to establish DBS TSH reference intervals in adults and neonates (day 5-8), and determine the relationship between serum and DBS TSH.

A New Gold Rush: A Review of Current and Developing Diagnostic Tools for Urinary Tract Infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections in the United States and consequently are responsible for significant healthcare expenditure. The standard urine culture is the current gold standard for diagnosing urinary tract infections, however there are limitations of the test that directly contribute to increased healthcare costs. As a result, new and innovative techniques have been developed to address the inefficiencies of the current standard-it remains to be seen whether these tests should be performed adjunctly to, or perhaps even replace the urine culture.

The potential role of the eGFR in differentiating between true and pseudohyperkalaemia.

Background: Differentiating between true and pseudohyperkalaemia is essential for patient management. The common causes of pseudohyperkalaemia include haemolysis, blood cell dyscrasias and EDTA contamination. One approach to differentiate between them is by checking the renal function, as it is believed that true hyperkalaemia is rare with normal function.

Evaluation of Clinical Use and Cost-Effectiveness of a Flexible Cystoscope System with a Disposable Sheath: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Flexible cystoscopy is routinely performed as an outpatient procedure. The use of disposable sheaths can increase cystoscope life span and reduce staff costs. The primary end point of this study was to evaluate procedure related discomfort and pain, physician maneuverability, residual bioburden and reprocessing time.

Phase shift, amplification, oscillation and attenuation of solitons in nonlinear optics.

In nonlinear optics, the soliton transmission in different forms can be described with the use of nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equations. Here, the soliton transmission is investigated by solving the NLS equation with the reciprocal of the group velocity , the group velocity dispersion coefficient and nonlinear coefficient . Two-soliton solutions for the NLS equation are obtained through the Hirota method.

Nephron-sparing management of Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis presenting as spontaneous renal hemorrhage: a case report and literature review.

Background: Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is an uncommon infectious disease of the kidney known to mimic other renal maladies. A rare presentation of this uncommon disease is spontaneous renal hemorrhage (SRH).

Case Presentation: We report a case of XGP in a 58 year old woman who presented with abdominal pain, hematuria, and radiating left flank pain.

A Rare Case Report of Hydronephrosis and Acute Kidney Injury Secondary to Gonadal Vein Thrombosis in a Young Male.

Gonadal vein thrombosis (GVT) has been reported in association with malignancy and pelvic inflammatory conditions. Patients who develop GVT often require systemic anticoagulation to reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism and other local and distant thromboembolic effects. As the gonadal vein courses from the pelvis toward its outlet in the upper abdomen, its intimate relationship to the ureter in the setting of vascular pathology may pose a risk for urinary obstruction in the adult.

Use of FGF-21 as a Biomarker of Mitochondrial Disease in Clinical Practice.

Recent work has suggested that fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) is a useful biomarker of mitochondrial disease (MD). We routinely measured FGF-21 levels on patients who were investigated at our centre for MD and evaluated its diagnostic performance based on detailed genetic and other laboratory findings. Patients' FGF-21 results were assessed by the use of age-adjusted -scores based on normalised FGF-21 values from a healthy population.

The Effect of Resident Involvement in Pelvic Prolapse Surgery: A Retrospective Study From a Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of resident involvement on perioperative complication rates in pelvic organ prolapse surgery using the National Surgical Quality Improvement database.

Methods: All pelvic organ prolapse operations from 2006 to 2012 were identified and dichotomized by resident participation. Preoperative characteristics and 30-day perioperative outcomes were compared using χ and Student t test.

Diagnostic accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in urine for genitourinary tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Genitourinary tuberculosis is the third most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Diagnosis is difficult because of unspecific clinical manifestations and low accuracy of conventional tests. Unfortunately, the delayed diagnosis impacts the urinary tract severely.

Penile fracture epidemiology, diagnosis and management in Iran: a narrative review.

Penile fracture (PF) is considered an emergency in urology. In the literature there are some case series reporting considerable incidence of PF in some parts of Iran. There are no accurate data about the incidence of PF all around Iran.

Short-term complications associated with the use of transvaginal mesh in pelvic floor reconstructive surgery: Results from a multi-institutional prospectively maintained dataset.

Aims: Vaginal reconstructive surgery can be performed with or without mesh. We sought to determine comparative rates of perioperative complications of native tissue versus vaginal mesh repairs for pelvic organ prolapse.

Methods: Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, we concatenated surgical data from vaginal procedures for prolapse repair, including anterior and posterior colporrhaphy, paravaginal defect repair, enterocele repair, and vaginal colpopexy using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding.