Advancements in Elastography for Evaluating Fibrosis in Renal Transplants: Current Perspectives.

Renal fibrosis is a leading cause of chronic allograft nephropathy. While renal biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing fibrosis, it is an invasive procedure with potential for severe complications. Elastography, an emerging ultrasound imaging technique, appears to be a valuable tool for quantifying tissue stiffness, which correlates with fibrosis.

Microcystoid macular edema in epiretinal membrane: not a retrograde maculopathy.

Purpose: To investigate the incidence, clinical spectrum and pathophysiology of microcystoid macular edema (MME) in two cohorts of patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) and idiopathic full thickness macular hole (FTMH).

Design: Single-center, Retrospective, interventional, cohort study.

Methods: Review of clinical charts, structural and en-face optical coherence tomographty (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA) imaging of ERM and FTMH eyes which underwent surgery with pars plana vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane (ILM) peel, with a minimum follow-up of 6 months.

Relationship between relaxin-2 levels in serum and mode of conception in twin gestations: A prospective cohort study.

Aim: Relaxin is a peptide hormone commonly associated with pregnancy when it is thought to play a role in modulating various physiological processes to optimize maternal-fetal adaptation. In twin pregnancies these adaptive requirements are higher than in singleton pregnancies, therefore it is important to understand how circulating relaxin behaves in such conditions. This prospective cohort study aims to determine the serum relaxin-2 levels throughout gestation in twin pregnancies and to investigate its association with the mode of conception.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on non-fatal stroke and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation recurrence in obstructive sleep apnoea elderly patients.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the most common and clinically significant sleep breathing disorder, with a high prevalence in elderly with cardiovascular diseases . OSA is often under-recognised and under-treated in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to investigate possible differences in major cardiovascular events (MACE) incidence and Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF) recurrence between patients receiving Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment versus no CPAP treatment, in a cohort of elderly OSA patients with several comorbidities and history of PAF.

Incidence of urethrocutaneous fistula after distal and midshaft hypospadias repair does not differ among patients treated with or without a protective second-layer: single tertiary centre experience.

Introduction: Urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) is the most common complication after hypospadias repair, with an variable incidence of 2-35%, depending on defect type. The interposition of tissue between the neourethra and the skin or glans is considered an important factor to reduce the risk of UCF. Literature has focused on the comparison of different types of second layers, but there is still no consensus regarding the best tissue to adopt.

Minimally invasive type A aortic dissection repair: aortic valve resuspension with neomedia creation and the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent.

Type A aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgical intervention. The goal of traditional approaches is to treat the disease promptly, regardless of invasiveness, in order to achieve the quickest surgical outcome. This strategy has been shown to be associated with significant morbidity, extended recovery and postoperative complications.

Evaluation of bowel management efficacy and subjects' satisfaction in people with spinal cord injury (SCI): An Italian multicenter survey via the MENTOR tool.

Study Design: Observational prospective multicenter study.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of bowel management and subjects' satisfaction by the Monitoring the Efficacy of Neurogenic Bowel Treatment On Response (MENTOR) tool and the impact of demographic and clinical factors on bowel management.

Methods: Consecutive patients with SCI were recruited by nine Italian Spinal Units.

Robotic-assisted surgery for the treatment of urologic cancers: recent advances.

Introduction: Recent advancements in single-port surgery, robotic platforms, 3D models and artificial intelligence have transformed surgical procedures, especially in urology. These innovations enhance precision, safety, and efficacy, reducing invasiveness and recovery times. The review focuses on the latest in robotic-assisted surgery for genitourinary cancers, highlighting the shift toward personalized, minimally invasive treatments.

Clinical Presentation and Long-Term Survival Outcomes of Patients With Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance (MGRS): A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Introduction: MGRS are new rare clinical entities, whose recognition and optimal management is evolving.

Methods: To implement real-life data, we retrospectively analysed a multicentre cohort of 60 patients with renal biopsy-proven MGRS receiving mainly novel treatments (between 2006 and 2021) in eight Italian centres. Based on renal biopsy, patients were divided into two subgroups: AL amyloidosis (70%, n = 42) and other-MGRS (30%, n = 18).

Trimodality Therapy Versus Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Matched Cohort Studies.

Background And Objective: Radical cystectomy (RC) is the standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). It is highly invasive and associated with perioperative risks, while bladder-preserving trimodality therapy (TMT) offers a less invasive alternative with preferable quality of life for selected patients. We aimed to compare oncological outcomes of TMT and RC in MIBC patients, and evaluate TMT-specific outcomes.

Clonal hematopoiesis in patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenia: an international multicenter study.

Diagnostic boundaries between immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and other thrombocytopenic states such as thrombocytopenic myelodysplastic syndromes, may be difficult to establish, and the detection of somatic mutations by next generation sequencing (NGS) may be of aid. Here we aimed at characterizing the prevalence and clinical significance of clonal hematopoiesis in ITP. In this multicentric retrospective observational study we enrolled 167 adult ITP patients, followed at 13 centers in Italy, UK, and USA.

Clinical parameters of death and heart failure hospitalization in biventricular systolic dysfunction assessed via cardiac magnetic resonance.

Aims: While factors associated with adverse events are well elucidated in setting of isolated left ventricular dysfunction, clinical and imaging-based prognosticators of adverse outcomes are lacking in context of biventricular dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to establish role of clinical variables in prognosis of biventricular heart failure (HF), as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: Study cohort consisted of 840 patients enrolled in DERIVATE registry with coexisting CMR-derived right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, as defined by RV and LV ejection fractions ≤45 % and ≤ 50 %, respectively.

Risk of Metachronous Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma After Ureteral Stenting in Patients With Bladder Cancer.

Objective: Sparse data exist on the impact of upper urinary tract (UUT) decompression on the risk of UUT recurrence in patients with bladder cancer (BCa). This study aims to evaluate whether Double J stenting (DJS) can increase the risk of UUT recurrence compared to percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) placement.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 1550 patients with cTa-T3NanyM0 BCa who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) between at 12 tertiary care centers (1990-2020).

Development and validation of a novel comorbidity score specific for prostate cancer patients treated with robotic platform and its implication on DaVinci single-port system.

To develop and validate a novel Comorbidity score for Robotic Surgery (CRS) in predicting severe complications after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Furthermore, we investigated the impact of the surgical platform (Multi-Port - MP vs Single-Port - SP) according to this score. We included 2085 ("development cohort") and 595 ("validation cohort") patients undergoing RARP at two tertiary referral centers between 2014 and March 2024 in a retrospective study.

The role of re-transurethral resection of bladder tumor in patients with TaHG non muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: There is lack of evidence regarding the indication for re-transurethral resection of bladder tumor (reTURBT) for Ta high grade (HG) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). This study aims to evaluate the oncological outcomes of patients with TaHG NMIBC to determine the benefit from performing reTURBT.

Methods: We relied on a multicenter cohort of 317 TaHG NMIBC from 12 centers who underwent TURBT and a subsequent complete Bacillus Calmette-Guérin induction from 2009 to 2021.

Follow-up on patients with initial negative mpMRI target and systematic biopsy for PI-RADS ≥ 3 lesions - an EAU-YAU study enhancing prostate cancer detection.

Purpose: To investigate the detection and predictors of prostate cancer (PCA) and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCA) in patients with positive multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) followed by a negative MRI - guided target biopsy (TB) and systematic biopsy (SB).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included 694 patients from 10 tertiary referral centers with an initial positive mpMRI (PI-RADS ≥ 3) and negative results on both MRI-TB and SB. Patients were classified into three groups based on follow-up: Group 1 (prostate re-biopsy without new mpMRI), Group 2 (standardized second prostate mpMRI and subsequent re-biopsy), and Group 3 (follow-up with mpMRIs and biopsy based on clinical and radiological triggers).

Decoding YouTube: An In-depth Analysis of Living Donor Kidney Transplantation Videos and Their Implications for Patient Education.

Background And Objective: YouTube is an open online video platform that both patients and health care professionals use to access information. Our aim was to evaluate the quality of videos related to living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) on YouTube.

Methods: Research was conducted using the keywords "living donor kidney transplant" and "kidney transplant".

Long term outcomes from uncorrected hypospadias: a scoping review.

Introduction: The goal of hypospadias repair is to optimize urinary and sexual function, improve cosmesis and minimise the psychosocial effects associated with a penile anomaly. However, a lack of clarity exists regarding the role of surgery in milder hypospadias where the anomaly is inconspicuous and there is no anticipated impact on function. The aim of this study was to review the long term functional, cosmetic and psychosocial outcomes in men with uncorrected hypospadias.