Urinary PSA-ZINC biomarker outperforms standard of care in early detection of prostate cancer.

Background: Urine is a promising biological fluid for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics due to its non-invasive collection and wide range of biomarkers. The aim of this study was to assess the role of urinary PSA (uPSA) and urinary Zinc (uZinc) as biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa in combination with routine parameters of standard of care (SOC - blood PSA, abnormal DRE, age) and MRI in patients candidates for prostate biopsy.

Methods: Urine samples after prostatic massages were collected from men with suspected PCa scheduled for prostate biopsy.

Insights from an Italian Delphi panel: exploring resistance to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands and guiding second-line medical therapies in acromegaly management.

Purpose: First-line medical therapy for acromegaly management includes first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fgSRLs), but resistance limits their use. Despite international guidelines, the choice of second-line therapy is debated.

Methods: We aim to discuss resistance to fgSRLs, identify second-line therapy determinants and assess glycemia's impact to provide valuable insights for acromegaly management in clinical practice.

Study abroad programmes and student outcomes: Evidence from Erasmus.

Exploiting admission thresholds for participating in Erasmus, the most popular higher education study abroad programme in Europe, we implement a regression discontinuity design and show that student mobility does not delay graduation and, in addition, has a positive and significant impact on the final graduation marks of undergraduate students. We find that Erasmus mobility improves graduation results for undergraduate students enrolled in scientific and technical fields and for those who apply in the first year of their studies, especially when enrolled in more demanding degree courses. Investigating plausible mechanisms, we find that the positive impact on performance at graduation is stronger for students who visit foreign universities of relatively lower quality compared to their home university.

Visual extended reality tools in image-guided surgery in urology: a systematic review.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to assess the clinical implications of employing various Extended Reality (XR) tools for image guidance in urological surgery.

Methods: In June 2023, a systematic electronic literature search was conducted using the Medline database (via PubMed), Embase (via Ovid), Scopus, and Web of Science. The search strategy was designed based on the PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) criteria.

Ten-year functional and oncological outcomes of a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing laparoscopic versus robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Background: Among prostate cancer (PCa) treatment options, mini-invasive surgical approaches have gained a wide diffusion in the last decades. The aim of this study was to present oncological, functional, and quality of life data after 10 years of follow-up of a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) (ISRCTN11552140) comparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) versus laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) for the treatment of PCa.

Methods: Patients with localized PCa were randomized to undergo LRP or RARP between January 2010 and January 2011.