Impact of smoking exposure on disease progression in high risk and very high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer patients undergoing BCG therapy.

Introduction: The nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer treated with BCG instillations in patients who smoke could potentially lead to poorer oncological results in the light of the new EAU risk groups classification for NMIBC that did not include BCG treated patients or smoking status.

Patient And Methods: Outcomes from 1313 patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer treated with TURBT, re-TURBT and BCG instillations at 13 academic hospital centers, since 2002, has been included in this retrospective study. The study variables, including cumulative smoking exposure have been analyzed.

Management of Ureteral Stricture Disease After Radiation Therapy for Pelvic Malignancies: A Retrospective, Multi-Institutional Analysis.

Objectives: A radiation-induced ureteral stricture (RIUS) is a challenging condition in urologic surgery, and the optimal surgical strategy is still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to report post-operative outcomes of minimally invasive management of this condition from a multi-institutional cohort.

Methods: Data of patients with diagnoses of RIUS at five referral robotic centers between January 2017 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

Oral supplementation with probiotics, potassium citrate, and magnesium in reducing crystalluria in stone formers: A phase II study.

Introduction: Crystalluria is an important indicator of renal stone recurrence. Mechanisms underlying urinary stone formation are still not fully understood and raising interests has been giving to intestinal commensal bacteria for their contribute in maintaining urinary solutes equilibrium. The aim of our phase II study was to examine the administration of potassium citrate, magnesium and probiotics in order to reduce crystalluria.

External validation of a nomogram for outcome prediction in management of medium-sized (1-2 cm) kidney stones.

Background: Stone nomogram by Micali et al., able topredict treatment failure of shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in the management of single 1-2 cm renal stones, was developed on 2605 patients and showed a high predictive accuracy, with an area under ROC curve of 0.793 at internal validation.

Molecular profiling of a bladder cancer with very high tumour mutational burden.

The increasing incidence of urothelial bladder cancer is a notable global concern, as evidenced by the epidemiological data in terms of frequency, distribution, as well as mortality rates. Although numerous molecular alterations have been linked to the occurrence and progression of bladder cancer, currently there is a limited knowledge on the molecular signature able of accurately predicting clinical outcomes. In this report, we present a case of a pT3b high-grade infiltrating urothelial carcinoma with areas of squamous differentiation characterized by very high tumor mutational burden (TMB), with up-regulations of immune checkpoints.

Transperineal laser ablation of the prostate as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer: The results of a Delphi consensus project.

Objective: To evaluate transperineal laser ablation (TPLA) with Echolaser® (Echolaser® TPLA, Elesta S.p.A.

Genetically driven predisposition leads to an unusually genomic unstable renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma originates from the lining of the proximal convoluted renal tubule and represents the most common type of kidney cancer. Risk factors and comorbidities might be associated to renal cell carcinoma, while a small fraction of 2-3% emerges from patients with predisposing cancer syndromes, typically associated to hereditary mutations in VHL, folliculin, fumarate hydratase or MET genes. Here, we report a case of renal cell carcinoma in patient with concurrent germline mutations in BRCA1 and RAD51 genes.

"Single-Surgeon" versus "Dual-Surgeon" Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy and Pelvic Lymph-nodes Dissection: Comparative Analysis of Perioperative Outcomes.

Purpose: To compare the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) with pelvic lymph-nodes dissection (PLND) when the same surgeon performs RARP and PLND versus one surgeon performs RARP and another surgeon performs PLND.

Materials And Methods: From January 2022 to March 2023, data of consecutive patients who underwent RARP with PLND were prospectively collected. The surgeries were performed by two "young" surgeons with detailed profile.

Macrophage polarization and metabolism in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the accumulation of fatty deposits in the inner walls of vessels. These plaques restrict blood flow and lead to complications such as heart attack or stroke. The development of atherosclerosis is influenced by a variety of factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, and underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Advanced Age Impacts Survival After Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Introduction: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma is rare but has a poor prognosis. Prognostic factors have been extensively studied in order to provide the best possible management for patients. We have aimed to investigate commonly available factors predictive of recurrence and survival in this patient population at high risk of death and recurrence, with an emphasis on the effects of age (using a cutoff of 70 years) on survival outcomes.

Aged mesenchymal stem cells and inflammation: from pathology to potential therapeutic strategies.

Natural ageing of organisms and corresponding age-related diseases result mainly from stem cell ageing and "inflammaging". Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit very high immune-regulating capacity and are promising candidates for immune-related disease treatment. However, the effect of MSC application is not satisfactory for some patients, especially in elderly individuals.

Acquisition Parameters Influence Diffusion Metrics Effectiveness in Probing Prostate Tumor and Age-Related Microstructure.

This study aimed to investigate the Diffusion-Tensor-Imaging (DTI) potential in the detection of microstructural changes in prostate cancer (PCa) in relation to the diffusion weight (b-value) and the associated diffusion length l. Thirty-two patients (age range = 50-87 years) with biopsy-proven PCa underwent Diffusion-Weighted-Imaging (DWI) at 3T, using single non-zero b-value or groups of b-values up to b = 2500 s/mm. The DTI maps (mean-diffusivity, MD; fractional-anisotropy, FA; axial and radial diffusivity, D// and D┴), visual quality, and the association between DTI-metrics and Gleason Score (GS) and DTI-metrics and age were discussed in relation to diffusion compartments probed by water molecules at different b-values.

Apoptotic cell death in disease-Current understanding of the NCCD 2023.

Apoptosis is a form of regulated cell death (RCD) that involves proteases of the caspase family. Pharmacological and genetic strategies that experimentally inhibit or delay apoptosis in mammalian systems have elucidated the key contribution of this process not only to (post-)embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis, but also to the etiology of multiple human disorders. Consistent with this notion, while defects in the molecular machinery for apoptotic cell death impair organismal development and promote oncogenesis, the unwarranted activation of apoptosis promotes cell loss and tissue damage in the context of various neurological, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, infectious, neoplastic and inflammatory conditions.

The role of warm ischemia time on functional outcomes after robotic partial nephrectomy: a radionuclide renal scan study from the clock randomized trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between warm ischemia time (WIT) duration and renal function after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN).

Methods: The CLOCK trial is a phase 3 randomized controlled trial comparing on- vs off-clamp RAPN. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative renal scintigraphy.

ZNF750: A Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among men in 2020. The clinical decision making for prostate cancer patients is based on the stratification of the patients according to both clinical and pathological parameters such as Gleason score and prostate-specific antigen levels. However, these tools still do not adequately predict patient outcome.

Comparison of Four Validated Nomograms (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Briganti 2012, 2017, and 2019) Predicting Lymph Node Invasion in Patients with High-Risk Prostate Cancer Candidates for Radical Prostatectomy and Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection: Clinical Experience and Review of the Literature.

Background: The indication for extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP) is based on nomograms predicting the risk of lymph node invasion (LNI). However, limited data are available on the comparison of these predictive models in high-risk prostate cancer (PC) patients. Therefore, we compared the accuracy of the most used nomograms (MSKCC, Briganti 2012, 2017, and 2019) in the setting of high-risk PC patients submitted to ePLND.

Ejaculatory function following transperineal laser ablation vs TURP for benign prostatic obstruction: a randomized trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability of transperineal interstitial laser ablation of the prostate (TPLA) in preserving antegrade ejaculation compared to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Patients And Methods: In this single-centre, prospective, randomized, open-label study, consecutive patients with indication for surgical treatment for benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) were enrolled between January 2020 and September 2021 (NCT04781049). Patients were randomized to one of two treatment arms: Group A: TPLA (experimental group) and Group B: TURP (reference standard group).