An Analysis of Renal and Surgical Outcomes of Patients with and without Preoperative Ureteral Stenting before Nephron-Sparing Surgery for Renal Malignancies of Higher Complexity by Using a Propensity Score-Based Approach.

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the impact of preoperative ureteral stenting on post-operative outcomes, especially the incidence of urinoma, in patients with complex renal tumours undergoing nephron-sparing surgery (NSS).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 35 patients received preoperative ureteral stenting prior to NSS for complex tumours at the University Hospital of Würzburg between 2002 and 2021. A control group of 115 patients was established through 1:3 propensity score matching based on age, gender, T-stage, and RENAL score.

Molded Round Window Niche Implant as a Dexamethasone Delivery System in a Cochlear Implant-Trauma Animal Model.

Background: Preserving residual hearing after cochlear implant (CI) surgery remains a crucial challenge. The application of dexamethasone (DEX) has been proven to positively affect residual hearing. To deliver DEX in a localized and controlled way, a round window niche implant (RNI), allowing drug diffusion via the round window membrane into the cochlea, may be used.

Intratympanic injection of MSC-derived small extracellular vesicles protects spiral ganglion neurons from degeneration.

Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most prevalent sensory deficits. Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) exhibit very limited regeneration capacity and their degeneration leads to profound hearing loss. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEV) have been demonstrated to repair tissue damage in various degenerative diseases.

Development of a drug delivering round window niche implant for cochlear pharmacotherapy.

Background: There exists an unfulfilled requirement for effective cochlear pharmacotherapy. Controlled local drug delivery could lead to effective bioavailability. The round window niche (RWN), a cavity in the middle ear, is connected to the cochlea via a membrane through which drug can diffuse.

A Propensity Score-Based Comparison regarding Renal, Functional, and Surgical Outcome of Continent Cutaneous Urinary Diversions in Patients with Benign Chronic Bladder Diseases and Patients with Bladder Cancer.

Introduction: Continent cutaneous urinary diversion post-cystectomy is an established approach addressing both oncological and functional indications. However, there is a noticeable gap of evidence when it comes to comparing outcomes between these indications, especially concerning the technique of Mainz pouch I (MPI). This study aimed to close the gap by analyzing the long-term functional and renal outcomes of patients with MPI after cystectomy due to both benign and malign bladder pathologies.

Efficacy and Mechanisms of Antioxidant Compounds and Combinations Thereof against Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss in a Rat Model.

Cisplatin is an election chemotherapeutic agent used for many cancer treatments. Its cytotoxicity against neoplastic cells is mirrored by that taking place in healthy cells and tissues, resulting in serious adverse events. A very frequent one is ototoxicity, causing hearing loss which may permanently affect quality of life after successful oncologic treatments.

Treatment of osteoarthritis by implantation of Mg- and WE43-cylinders - A preclinical study on bone and cartilage changes and their influence on pain sensation in rabbits.

With its main features of cartilage degeneration, subchondral bone sclerosis and osteophyte formation, osteoarthritis represents a multifactorial disease with no effective treatment options. As biomechanical shift in the trabecular network may be a driver for further cartilage degeneration, bone enhancement could possibly delay OA progression. Magnesium is known to be osteoconductive and already showed positive effects in OA models.

Optimization of pharmacological interventions in the guinea pig animal model-a new approach to calculate the perilymph volume of the scala tympani.

Objective: The guinea pig serves as a well-established animal model for inner ear research, offering valuable insights into the anatomy, physiology, and therapeutic interventions of the auditory system. However, the heterogeneity of results observed in both experiments and clinical studies poses challenges in understanding and optimizing pharmacotherapy outcomes. This heterogeneity may be due to individual differences in the size of the guinea pig cochlea and thus in the volume of the scala tympani (ST), which can lead to different drug concentrations in the ST, a fact that has been largely overlooked thus far.

Cost-effective 3D scanning and printing technologies for outer ear reconstruction: current status.

Current 3D scanning and printing technologies offer not only state-of-the-art developments in the field of medical imaging and bio-engineering, but also cost and time effective solutions for surgical reconstruction procedures. Besides tissue engineering, where living cells are used, bio-compatible polymers or synthetic resin can be applied. The combination of 3D handheld scanning devices or volumetric imaging, (open-source) image processing packages, and 3D printers form a complete workflow chain that is capable of effective rapid prototyping of outer ear replicas.

"Of mice and men": the relevance of Cometin and Erythropoietin origin for its effects on murine spiral ganglion neuron survival and neurite outgrowth .

Neurotrophic factors (NTF) play key roles in the survival of neurons, making them promising candidates for therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of the inner ear, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is characterized over time by a degeneration of the primary auditory neurons, the spiral ganglion neurons (SGN). It is well known that selected NTF can protect SGN from degeneration, which positively influences the outcome of cochlear implants, the treatment of choice for patients with profound to severe SNHL.

Micro Injection Molding of Drug-Loaded Round Window Niche Implants for an Animal Model Using 3D-Printed Molds.

A novel approach for the long-term medical treatment of the inner ear is the diffusion of drugs through the round window membrane from a patient-individualized, drug-eluting implant, which is inserted in the middle ear. In this study, drug-loaded (10 wt% Dexamethasone) guinea pig round window niche implants (GP-RNIs, ~1.30 mm × 0.

The Influence of Shape Parameters on Unidirectional Drug Release from 3D Printed Implants and Prediction of Release from Implants with Individualized Shapes.

The local treatment of diseases by drug-eluting implants is a promising tool to enable successful therapy under potentially reduced systemic side effects. Especially, the highly flexible manufacturing technique of 3D printing provides the opportunity for the individualization of implant shapes adapted to the patient-specific anatomy. It can be assumed that variations in shape can strongly affect the released amounts of drug per time.

Refinement of systemic guinea pig deafening in hearing research: Sensorineural hearing loss induced by co-administration of kanamycin and furosemide via the leg veins.

Auditory disabilities have a large impact on the human population worldwide. Research into understanding and treating hearing disabilities has increased significantly in recent years. One of the most relevant animal species in this context is the guinea pig, which has to be deafened to study several of the hearing pathologies and develop novel therapies.

Dual Drug Delivery in Cochlear Implants: In Vivo Study of Dexamethasone Combined with Diclofenac or Immunophilin Inhibitor MM284 in Guinea Pigs.

Cochlear implants are well established to treat severe hearing impairments. Despite many different approaches to reduce the formation of connective tissue after electrode insertion and to keep electrical impedances low, results are not yet satisfying. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to combine the incorporation of 5% dexamethasone in the silicone body of the electrode array with an additional polymeric coating releasing diclofenac or the immunophilin inhibitor MM284, some anti-inflammatory substances not yet tested in the inner ear.

Development and In-Silico and Ex-Vivo Validation of a Software for a Semi-Automated Segmentation of the Round Window Niche to Design a Patient Specific Implant to Treat Inner Ear Disorders.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a semi-automated segmentation approach that identifies the round window niche (RWN) and round window membrane (RWM) for use in the development of patient individualized round window niche implants (RNI) to treat inner ear disorders. Twenty cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) datasets of unilateral temporal bones of patients were included in the study. Defined anatomical landmarks such as the RWM were used to develop a customized 3D Slicer™ plugin for semi-automated segmentation of the RWN.

Prevention of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss In Vivo: Continuous Application of Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 and Its Effect on Inner Ear Synapses, Auditory Function and Perilymph Proteins.

As noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a leading cause of occupational diseases, there is an urgent need for the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. To avoid user-compliance-based problems occurring with conventional protection devices, the pharmacological prevention is currently in the focus of hearing research. Noise exposure leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cochlea.

Processing of auditory information in forebrain regions after hearing loss in adulthood: Behavioral and electrophysiological studies in a rat model.

Background: Hearing loss was proposed as a factor affecting development of cognitive impairment in elderly. Deficits cannot be explained primarily by dysfunctional neuronal networks within the central auditory system. We here tested the impact of hearing loss in adult rats on motor, social, and cognitive function.

Linking Cerebrovascular Dysfunction to Age-Related Hearing Loss and Alzheimer's Disease-Are Systemic Approaches for Diagnosis and Therapy Required?

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with neurovascular dysfunction, cognitive decline, and the accumulation of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in the brain and tau-related lesions in neurons termed neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Aβ deposits and NFT formation are the central pathological hallmarks in AD brains, and the majority of AD cases have been shown to exhibit a complex combination of systemic comorbidities. While AD is the foremost common cause of dementia in the elderly, age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most predominant sensory deficit in the elderly.

Local Long-Term Inner Ear Drug Delivery in Normal Hearing Guinea Pig-An Animal Model to Develop Preventive Treatment for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the leading causes of sensorineural hearing loss with global importance. The current treatment of choice for patients with hearing problems is a hearing aid or a cochlear implant. However, there is currently no treatment to restore physiological hearing.

Kanamycin and Cisplatin Ototoxicity: Differences in Patterns of Oxidative Stress, Antioxidant Enzyme Expression and Hair Cell Loss in the Cochlea.

Kanamycin and cisplatin are ototoxic drugs. The mechanisms are incompletely known. With subcutaneous kanamycin (400 mg/kg, 15 days), auditory threshold shifts were detected at days 12-13 at 16 and 32 kHz, extending to 8 and 4 kHz at days 14-15.

Individualized, Additively Manufactured Drug-Releasing External Ear Canal Implant for Prevention of Postoperative Restenosis: Development, In Vitro Testing, and Proof of Concept in an Individual Curative Trial.

Postoperative restenosis in patients with external ear canal (EEC) atresia or stenosis is a common complication following canaloplasty. Our aim in this study was to explore the feasibility of using a three dimensionally (3D)-printed, patient-individualized, drug ((dexamethasone (DEX)), and ciprofloxacin (cipro))-releasing external ear canal implant (EECI) as a postoperative stent after canaloplasty. We designed and pre-clinically tested this novel implant for drug release (by high-performance liquid chromatography), biocompatibility (by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay), bio-efficacy (by the TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha)-reduction test (DEX) and inhibition zone test (for cipro)), and microbial contamination (formation of turbidity or sediments in culture medium).

3D Printed Cell Culture Chamber for Testing the Effect of Pump-Based Chronic Drug Delivery on Inner Ear Tissue.

Cochlear hair cell damage and spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) degeneration are the main causes of sensory neural hearing loss. Cochlear implants (CIs) can replace the function of the hair cells and stimulate the SGNs electrically. The condition of the SGNs and their spatial distance to the CI are key factors for CI-functionality.

Dexamethasone for Inner Ear Therapy: Biocompatibility and Bio-Efficacy of Different Dexamethasone Formulations In Vitro.

Dexamethasone is widely used in preclinical studies and clinical trials to treat inner ear disorders. The results of those studies vary widely, maybe due to the different dexamethasone formulations used. Laboratory (lab) and medical grade (med) dexamethasone (DEX, CHFO) and dexamethasone dihydrogen phosphate-disodium (DPS, CHFNaOP) were investigated for biocompatibility and bio-efficacy in vitro.

Small-sized magnesium cylinders influence subchondral bone quality in osteoarthritic rabbits - an in vivo pilot study.

No optimal therapy exists to stop or cure chondral degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA). While the pathogenesis is unclear, there is consensus on the etiological involvement of both articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Compared to original bone, the substance of sclerotic bone is mechanically less solid.