Water safety planning for healthcare facilities for extreme events.

Disasters such as the Ahr Valley flood in 2021 make us aware of the importance of functioning healthcare facilities. Their functionality depends on the availability of drinking water. Water safety planning is a long-established method to increase the safety of water utilities.

Determination of large microplastics: wet-sieving of dewatered digested sludge, co-substrates, and compost.

Dewatered digested sludge and compost may act as a conduit for microplastics (<5 mm) in terrestrial and subsequently aquatic systems. However, standardized methods for microplastics analyses are lacking. Thus, the aim is to demonstrate the applicability of wet-sieving as a way to quantify large microplastic particles (MPP, 1-5 mm) in dewatered digested sludge and compost.

A Contactless Laser Doppler Strain Sensor for Fatigue Testing with Resonance-Testing Machine.

In this article, a non-contact laser Doppler strain sensor designed for fatigue testing with the resonance-testing machine is presented. The compact sensor measures in-plane displacements simultaneously from two adjacent points using the principle of in-plane, laser-Doppler vibrometry. The strain is computed from the relative displacements divided by the distance between these two points.

How Octogenarians with Bladder Cancer Are Treated in a Maximum-Care Hospital: The Real-Life Experience.

Introduction: With increasing life expectancy, curative treatment of octogenarians with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) becomes more important.

Materials And Methods: The treatment modalities of 276 octogenarians with UCB who were treated at the University Hospital of Erlangen between 1982 and 2011 were assessed retrospectively.

Results: One hundred forty-six patients had non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) while 71 had muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Austrian recommendations on Targeted Hormone Therapy for metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In recent years, new therapeutic options have brought improvements in the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. Targeted Hormone Therapy (THT) represents a novel therapeutic component for which recent studies have shown a maximum benefit in the time between failure of androgen deprivation therapy (patient is metastatic and still pain-free) and prior to chemotherapy. Prostate cancer experts of the Austrian Society of Urology and Andrology (ÖGU), the Working Group for Urologic Oncology as part of the ÖGU, and the Professional Association of Austrian Urologists (BvU) have developed recommendations for the treatment of patients with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Efficacy Management of Urolithiasis: Flexible Ureteroscopy versus Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of flexible ureterscopy (fURS) and extracorporal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) in the treatment of urolithiasis, complemented by a subgroup analysis of lower pole calyx.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients treated by fURS or SWL was performed by independent variables such as gender, age, nephrolith size, double-J stent (DJ stent) and stone localisation.

Results: Out of 326 patients, 165 were treated by SWL and 161 by fURS.

Impact of the use of bowel for urinary diversion on perioperative complications and 90-day mortality in patients aged 75 years or older.

Objective: A potential strategy to decrease the high complication rate of radical cystectomy (RC) in the elderly is to avoid the use of bowel for urinary diversion. The aim of this study was to address this issue in a multicentre study of patients aged ≥ 75 years.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicentre study of a consecutive series of patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent RC for muscle-invasive bladder cancer between 2006 and 2010.

Perioperative complications and 90-day mortality of radical cystectomy in the elderly (75+): a retrospective, multicentre study.

Objective: To assess perioperative complications and 90-day mortality of radical cystectomy (RC) in elderly patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective, multicentre (n = 11) study of a consecutive series of patients ≥75 years who underwent RC for MIBC between 2006 and 2010. Medical, surgical and wound complications were graded according to the modified Clavien-Dindo classification.

Bladder cancer--the neglected tumor: a descriptive analysis of publications referenced in MEDLINE and data from the register ClinicalTrials.gov.

Background: Uro-oncological neoplasms have both a high incidence and mortality rate and are therefore a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate research activity in uro-oncology over the last decade.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.

[Therapy of castration-resistant prostate cancer].

Within the last two years the therapy of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has made major advances. Both the COU-AA-301 phase III trial and the TROPIC trial showed a survival benefit for patients after docetaxel failure treated with abiraterone or cabazitaxel, respectively. With rising interest for chemotherapeutic options and novel drugs, our goal was to review within the context of a multidisciplinary team the available evidence and explore the standards for medical treatment of prostate cancer outside of clinical trials.

Magnetic resonance image-guided biopsies with a high detection rate of prostate cancer.

Aim: To explore the potential of transrectal magnetic resonance image- (MRI-) guided biopsies of the prostate in a patient cohort with prior negative ultrasound guided biopsies.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-six men with suspected prostate cancer underwent MRI-guided prostate biopsies under real-time imaging control in supine position.

Results: Adenocarcinoma of the prostate was detected in 39 of 96 patients.

Quadrimodal treatment of high-risk T1 and T2 bladder cancer: transurethral tumor resection followed by concurrent radiochemotherapy and regional deep hyperthermia.

Background And Purpose: To assess the safety and effectiveness of treating high-risk T1 and T2 bladder cancer with transurethral resection (TUR-BT) followed by radiochemotherapy (RCT) combined with regional deep hyperthermia (RHT).

Material And Methods: Between 2003 and 2007, 45 patients were enrolled. After TUR-BT patients received radiotherapy (RT) of the bladder and regional lymph nodes with 50.

Survivin expression as a predictive marker for local control in patients with high-risk T1 bladder cancer treated with transurethral resection and radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to investigate the expression of survivin in tumor samples from patients with high-risk T1 bladder cancer and to correlate its expression with clinicopathologic features as well as clinical outcomes after initial transurethral resection (TURBT) followed by radiotherapy (RT) or radiochemotherapy (RCT).

Methods And Materials: Survivin protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tumor specimen (n = 48) from the initial TURBT, and was correlated with clinical and histopathologic characteristics as well as with 5-year rates of local failure, tumor progression, and death from urothelial cancer after primary bladder sparring treatment with RT/RCT.

Results: Survivin was not expressed in normal bladder urothelium but was overexpressed in 67% of T1 tumors.

Treatment options for high-risk T1 bladder cancer: status quo and future perspectives of radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: To review the standards and new developments in diagnosis and management of high-risk T1 bladder cancer with emphasis on the role of radiotherapy (RT) and radiochemotherapy (RCT).

Material And Methods: A systematic review of the literature on developments in diagnosis and management of high-risk T1 bladder cancer was performed.

Results: First transurethral resection (TUR), as radical as safely possible, supported by fluorescence cystoscopy, shows higher detection and decreased recurrence rates.

MRI spectroscopy in screening of prostate cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of MR Spectroscopy in screening for prostate cancer in comparison to T2-weighted MR imaging.

Materials And Methods: Forty-six patients with biopsy confirmed prostate cancer underwent combined endorectal-body-phased-array MRI at 1.5T (Tesla).

Clinical decisions for treatment of different staged bladder cancer based on multitarget fluorescence in situ hybridization assays?

Non-invasive methods for detecting genetic alterations of bladder cancer are increasingly becoming the focus of attention as diagnostic tools. The fluorescence in situ hybridization we performed to detect genetic alterations of chromosomes 3, 7, 9p21, and 17 (UroVysion Test) showed very high sensitivity, higher even than cytology, in detecting bladder tumors of varying differentiation (pTa-pT4). The use of this test in everyday clinical urology can be a very useful decision aid in treating problem cases.

Heterogeneity in prostate cancer: prostate specific antigen (PSA) and DNA cytophotometry.

Background: The heterogeneity in prostate cancer is the reason for the difficult diagnosis and prognosis of this tumor. In this study, we looked for a correlation between prostate specific antigen (PSA), tumor staging and DNA cytophotometry.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-two prostates (pT1-T4) from patients with prostate cancer, who underwent radical prostatectomy, were examined.

Polymorphisms of human androgen receptor (hAR) gene in prostate cancer cell lines PC-EW and PC-OR.

Background: Prostate cancer is the leading tumor of the male in Western societies. Genetic alterations of the androgen receptor gene are known in the advanced metastatic disease. In this study, the androgen receptor gene was tested in two human prostate cancer cell lines, the androgen-sensitive PC-EW and the androgen-independent PC-OR.

Polymorphisms in the human progesterone receptor (PGR) gene of two human prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Background: The incidence and mortality rate of prostate cancer has been steadily increasing in most countries worldwide. A potential implication of the progesterone receptor has been reported in prostatic carcinogenesis. In this study, an allele of human progesterone receptor gene (PROGINS), which was demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of sporadic ovarian cancer, was tested in two human prostate cancer cell lines, PC-EW and PC-OR.

Examination of tumorigenesis of precursor lesions in bladder cancer by in situ hybridization.

Through examinations using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of chromosomes 1 and 9, we tried to obtain more information on dysplasia and carcinoma in situ (Cis) in relation to the oncogenesis of bladder cancer. 63 paraffin sections (dysplasia grades I-III and Cis) were evaluated, and 8 negative sections functioned as a control group. For FISH, DNA samples of CEP 1 and 9 (alpha satellites) were chosen.

Clinical aspects for the use of DNA image cytometry in detection of bladder cancer: a valuable tool?

The employment of DNA flow or image cytometry for oncological diagnostic procedures is favored because of its high correlation to tumor biological behavior. Prognostic statements and therapeutic strategies therefore are based on the high validity of DNA cytometric measurements. Using 151 bladder washings from patients suspected of bladder cancer for this study, we examined the clinical value of various common methods of DNA single cell (SCI) and stemline interpretations (SLI).