Predictive and Prognostic Value of Preoperative Thrombocytosis in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive and prognostic role of preoperative thrombocytosis (TC) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in a large multi-institutional cohort of patients.

Methods: Records of 2492 patients undergoing RNU for non-metastatic UTUC between 1990 and 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative TC was defined as a platelet count > 400 × 10/L, irrespective of gender type.

Glucocerebrosidase deficiency in dopaminergic neurons induces microglial activation without neurodegeneration.

Mutations in the GBA1 gene encoding the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GBA1) are important risk factors for Parkinson's disease (PD). In vitro, altered GBA1 activity promotes alpha-synuclein accumulation whereas elevated levels of alpha-synuclein compromise GBA1 function, thus supporting a pathogenic mechanism in PD. However, the mechanisms by which GBA1 deficiency is linked to increased risk of PD remain elusive, partially because of lack of aged models of GBA1 deficiency.

Characterization of Late Recurrence After Radical Cystectomy in a Large Multicenter Cohort of Bladder Cancer Patients.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of late recurrence (LR) in patients with bladder cancer (BCa) treated with radical cystectomy (RC) and to identify clinicopathologic predictors of LR and postrecurrence survival.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter study included 1652 BCa patients. LR was defined as occurring more than 5 years after RC.

High sucrolytic activity by invertase immobilized onto magnetic diatomaceous earth nanoparticles.

Invertase immobilized on magnetic diatomaceous earth nanoparticles (mDE-APTES-invertase) with high sucrolytic activity was obtained by an easy and low-cost method. An experimental design was carried out to investigate the best immobilization conditions and it allowed obtaining an immobilized derivative with a residual specific activity equal to 92.5%.

Obesity is associated with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy: A multi-institutional extended validation study.

Background: There are no clear data regarding the association between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP). This study aimed to investigate the association between BMI and biochemical recurrence (BCR) after RP in a large international contemporary cohort of patients with prostate cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 6,519 patients who underwent RP at 5 institutions.

Is transurethral resection alone enough for the diagnosis of histological variants? A single-center study.

Introduction: To evaluate incidence of histological variants and grade agreement between transurethral resection (TUR) and radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with bladder cancer.

Methods: A total of 779 patients treated with TUR and subsequently with RC between 1990 and 2013 at a single center were analyzed retrospectively. Variant histology classifications used in our analyses were sarcomatoid, small cell, squamous, or micropapillary.

Prognostic Role of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Primary Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the role of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictor of clinical outcomes in patients treated with transurethral resection (TURB) for primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Patients And Methods: Data from 918 patients treated with TURB for primary NMIBC were retrospectively collected. NLR was evaluated as binary variable with the cut-point of 3 based on the visual best correlation of the receiver operating curve analyses focusing on disease recurrence.

Caveolin-1 as prognostic factor of disease recurrence and survival in patients treated with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

Purpose: Overexpression of Caveolin-1 has been associated with cancer growth, migration, and metastases in several malignancies, but only few data are available on its role in bladder cancer (BCa). The aim of this study is to validate Caveolin-1 as a prognosticator of recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in a large cohort of patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) for BCa.

Methods: Caveolin-1 expression was evaluated by immunochemistry on a tissue microarray from 424 patients treated with RC for UCB at a single institution.

Trends of lymphadenectomy in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy.

Introduction: To evaluate temporal trends in the delivery and extent of lymphadenectomy (LND) in radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) performed in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients.

Methods: We evaluated a multi institutional collaborative database composed by 1512 consecutive patients diagnosed with UTUC treated with RNU between 1990 and 2016. Year of surgery were grouped in five periods: 1990-1996, 1997-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012 and 2013-2016.

Exosomes, an Unmasked Culprit in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles (30-100 nm) generated from endosomal membranes and known to be released by all cell lineages of the Central Nervous System (CNS). They constitute important vesicles for the secretion and transport of multilevel information, including signaling, toxic, and regulatory molecules. Initially thought to have a function merely in waste disposal, the involvement of exosomes in neuronal development, maintenance, and regeneration through its paracrine and endocrine signaling functions has drawn particular attention in recent years.

Impact of Intra- and Postoperative Blood Transfusion on the Incidence, Timing, and Pattern of Disease Recurrence After Radical Cystectomy.

Background: The administration of blood transfusion (BT) has been associated with a decrease in survival expectancies in patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC), as a consequence of the immunosuppressive effect mediated by BT. We sought therefore to evaluate if the usage of BT may influence the risk and pattern location of distant recurrences after RC, which may be influenced by this effect.

Methods: Data from 2 independent cohorts of consecutive patients with bladder cancer treated with RC were analyzed.

Impact of Prostate Involvement on Outcomes in Patients Treated with Radical Cystoprostatectomy for Bladder Cancer.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the different types of prostate involvement at the time of radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP).

Methods: Data from 893 male patients treated with RCP at a referral center for bladder cancer (BCa) were assessed. Prostatic urothelial carcinoma (PUC) was stratified as stromal vs.

Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as biomarkers for predicting lymph node metastasis and survival in patients treated with radical cystectomy.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as pre-operative markers for predicting extravesical disease and survival outcomes in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB).

Materials And Methods: Data from 4335 patients undergoing RC for clinically non-metastatic UCB were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict lymph node involvement and extravesical disease (defined as ≥pT3 and N0).

Perioperative Allogenic Blood Transfusion in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Risk Factors and Effect on Long-term Outcomes.

Background: We sought to create a preoperative model to predict the risk of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) undergoing nephrectomy and to evaluate the effect of PBT on long-term outcomes.

Patients And Methods: The present retrospective study included 648 consecutive patients who had undergone radical or partial nephrectomy for RCC at a single institution. The risk factors for PBT were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.

Incidence and effect of variant histology on oncological outcomes in patients with bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy.

Introduction: We sought to describe incidence of histological variants after radical cystectomy (RC) due to bladder cancer (BCa). Moreover, we investigated survival outcomes accounting for this parameter.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated data from 1,067 patients with BCa treated with RC between 1990 and 2013 at a single tertiary care referral center.

The presence of carcinoma in situ at radical cystectomy increases the risk of urothelial recurrence: Implications for follow-up schemes.

Introduction: To evaluate the incidence of carcinoma in situ (CIS) in patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) due to bladder cancer and to assess its effect on recurrence and survival rates.

Methods: The study focused on 1,128 consecutive nonmetastatic patients with bladder cancer treated with RC at a single tertiary care referral center from 1994 to 2014. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare recurrence, cancer-specific mortality (CSM), and overall mortality-free rates in the overall population and in pT0-pT2 and pT3-pT4 patients after stratifying according to the presence of CIS.

Preoperative anemia is associated with disease recurrence and progression in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of preoperative anemia (PA) on oncological outcomes in a multicenter cohort of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) treated with transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) and adjuvant intravesical therapies. We hypothesize that PA represents a marker of disease aggressiveness and could be used to improve the discrimination of prognostic tools for the prediction of disease recurrence and progression.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 1,117 patients from 4 different centers.

Prognostic role of expression of N-cadherin in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a multi-institutional study.

Purpose: To assess the role of N-cadherin as prognostic biomarker in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in a large multi-institutional cohort of patients.

Patients And Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the status of N-cadherin expression in 678 patients with unilateral sporadic UTUC treated with radical nephroureterectomy. N-cadherin was considered positive if any immunoreactivity with membranous staining was detected.

Management of muscle invasive, locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: a literature review with emphasis on the role of surgery.

Locally advanced (T3b, T4 and N1-N3) and metastatic urothelial bladder cancer (BCa) is a lethal disease with poor survival outcomes. Combination chemotherapy remains the treatment of choice in patients with metastatic disease and an important part of treatment in addition to radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with locally advanced tumour. Approximately half of patients who underwent RC for muscle invasive BCa relapse after surgery with either local recurrence or distant metastasis.

How to optimally manage elderly bladder cancer patients?

Bladder cancer (BCa) is a disease of the elderly and as the population is aging, BCa will become an even bigger public health challenge in the future. Nowadays the correct management of BCa in the elderly remains controversial. The purpose of this article was to review the previous literature to summarize the current knowledge.

The impact of local treatment of the primary tumor site in node positive and metastatic prostate cancer patients.

Background: Surgical treatment of the primary tumor in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is gaining traction. We discuss the biological rational and the existing literature on this approach.

Methods: We reviewed the literature regarding surgical management of advanced and mPCa disease.

Androgen receptor expression is associated with adverse pathological features in ureteral but not in pelvicalyceal urothelial carcinomas of the upper urinary tract.

Purpose: This study aims to determine the significance of androgen receptor (AR) expression in urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UTUC).

Methods: AR expression was assessed on tissue microarrays containing specimens of 737 patients with UTUC who underwent radical nephroureterectomy with curative intent. AR expression was correlated with clinical and pathological tumor features as well as recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS).

[Biodegradable catheters and urinary stents. When?].

One of the main wishes in the field of urinary catheters and stents is to arm them with biodegradable characteristics because we consider a failure of these devices the need for retrieval, the forgotten catheter syndrome as well as the adverse effects permanent devices cause after fulfilling their aim. The efforts focused in new designs, coatings and biomaterials aim to increase the biocompatibility of theses internal devices. Lately, there have been correct advances to answer the main challenges regarding biodegradable ureteral devices.