Artificial Intelligence in Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Where Do We Stand in 2021?

Context: Men suspected of harboring prostate cancer (PCa) increasingly undergo multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and mpMRI-guided biopsy. The potential of mpMRI coupled to artificial intelligence (AI) methods to detect and classify PCa before decision-making requires investigation.

Objective: To review the literature for studies addressing the diagnostic performance of combined mpMRI and AI approaches to detect and classify PCa, and to provide selection criteria for relevant articles having clinical significance.

Retropulsion force in laser lithotripsy-an in vitro study comparing a Holmium device to a novel pulsed solid-state Thulium laser.

Purpose: To investigate retropulsion forces generated by two laser lithotripsy devices, a standard Ho:YAG and a new pulsed solid-state Thulium laser device.

Materials And Methods: Two different Dornier laser devices were assessed: a Medilas H Solvo 35 and a pulsed solid-state Thulium laser evaluation model (Dornier MedTech Laser GmbH, Wessling, Germany). We used a 37 °C water bath; temperature was monitored with a thermocouple/data-logger.

Safety and side effects of transperineal prostate biopsy without antibiotic prophylaxis.

Study Aims: To investigate safety and side effects of transperineal prostate biopsy without antibiotic prophylaxis. Secondary aim was to identify whether the number of cores influenced the occurrence of complications.

Patients And Methods: A cohort of 184 patients undergoing perineal prostate biopsy without antibiotic prophylaxis from 2015 to 2017 was analyzed retrospectively.

Is There an Oncological Benefit of Performing Bilateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Patients with Penile Cancer and Inguinal Lymph Node Metastasis?

We aim to review the literature for studies investigating the oncological outcomes of patients with penile cancer (PC) undergoing bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in the presence of inguinal lymph node metastasis (LNM) who are at risk of harboring pelvic metastasis. A search of English language literature was performed using the PubMed-MEDLINE database up to 3 December 2020 to identify articles addressing bilateral PLND in PC patients. Eight articles investigating bilateral PLND met our inclusion criteria.

Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery Versus Miniaturized Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy for Kidney Stones >1cm: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials.

Context: Although miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) are both options for treating >1cm kidney stones, controversies exist on whether one is more effective and safer than the other.

Objective: To systematically appraise randomized trials comparing the effectiveness and safety of mPCNL and RIRS for treating >1cm kidney stones.

Evidence Acquisition: A systematic search on PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.

Functional Outcomes after Local Salvage Therapies for Radiation-Recurrent Prostate Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To assess the rate and severity of functional outcomes after salvage therapy for radiation recurrent prostate cancer.

Methods: This systematic review of the MEDLINE/PubMed database yielded 35 studies, evaluating salvage radical prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy (BT), high-intensity focal ultrasound (HIFU) and cryotherapy (CT) after failure of primary radiation therapy. Data on pre- and post-salvage rates and severity of functional outcomes (urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and lower urinary tract symptoms) were collected from each study.

Gas Bubble Anatomy During Laser Lithotripsy: An Experimental Study of a Pulsed Solid-State Tm:YAG and Ho:YAG Device.

To examine gas bubbles generated by two laser lithotripsy devices, a pulsed thulium solid-state laser and a holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) device, and their possible effects in lithotripsy. We investigated two Dornier laser devices, a Medilas H Solvo 35 and a pulsed solid-state thulium laser evaluation model (Dornier MedTech Laser GmbH, Wessling, Germany). Our setup consisted of a water-filled glass tank heated to 37/60/70°C.

Temperature Assessment of a Novel Pulsed Thulium Solid-State Laser Compared with a Holmium:Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet Laser.

To compare a novel Thulium laser device with the commonly used Holmium:Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (Ho:YAG) laser in terms of the temperatures generated. Our study investigated and compared an evaluation model of a solid-state Thulium laser with a Medilas H Solvo 35 Holmium laser device, both by Dornier (Dornier MedTech Laser GmbH, Wessling, Germany). Our model consisted of a 20 mL test tube placed in a 37°C water bath.

Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical and Academic Urological Practice: A Survey from European Association of Urology Section of Uro-technology.

Background: The unexpected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread worldwide rapidly, developing into a global health crisis. At the same time, it has seriously impacted the daily activities in all the fields of urology.

Objective: To better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical, academic, and scientific activities as well as on the quality of life of urologists from the main centers in Europe.

Partial Loss of Nasal Tissue in a Facial Vascularized Composite Allograft Patient.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Reasons for new MIS. Let's be fair: iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm.

Purpose: To review and discuss the literature regarding iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm and investigate the precise clinical indications of all three different approaches for their application in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment.

Materials And Methods: The PubMed-Medline and Cochrane Library databases were screened to identify recent English literature relevant to iTIND, Urolift and Rezūm therapies. The surgical technique and clinical results for each approach were summarized narratively.

The New Interest of Bariatric Surgeons in the Old Ligamentum Teres Hepatis.

The search for an operation that effectively prevents and treats intrathoracic gastric migration (ITGM) after bariatric surgery has revived a long-forgotten technique: ligamentum teres cardiopexy (LTC) by which a vascularized flap of the teres ligament is wrapped around the distal esophagus. The systematic search of publications in the English language revealed 4 studies (total number of patients 53) in the non-bariatric literature with an unsatisfactory resolution of GERD. There were 5 reports from the bariatric literature with small patient numbers (total 64) and a short follow-up (6-36 months).

Dusting Performance of a New Solid State Thulium Laser Compared to Holmium Laser Lithotripsy.

To examine the dusting performance of a novel solid state Thulium laser device compared to a standard holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) device. This study compares a Dornier Medilas H Solvo 35 with an evaluation model of a pulsed solid state thulium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Tm:YAG) laser (Dornier MedTech Laser GmbH, Wessling, Germany). The model consisted of a mold with irrigated water at 37°C.

Hiatoplasty for Intrathoracic Gastric Migration Associated with One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB).

Purpose: The standard of surgical correction of post-bariatric intrathoracic gastric migration (ITGM) is hiatal hernia repair, but little is known about its efficacy in patients with one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB). We present our experience.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes all patients with OAGB who had undergone hiatal hernia repair from 2014 to 2019.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium colonizing patients on hospital admission in Germany: prevalence and molecular epidemiology.

Objectives: To analyse the rectal carriage rate and the molecular epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) recovered from patients upon hospital admission.

Methods: Adult patients were screened at six German university hospitals from five different federal states upon hospital admission for rectal colonization with VREfm between 2014 and 2018. Molecular characterization of VREfm was performed by WGS followed by MLST and core-genome MLST analysis.

Thyroid hormones concentration in portal and peripheral blood in patients with pancreatic cancer: Preliminary study.

Background: The prognostic value of D-dimers concentration in portal blood in patients with pancreatic cancer has been established in several studies. Thyroid hormones and their receptors, especially T3 also seems to have a specific role in process of neoplasia and metastatic spread.

Objective: The aim of the study was to look for changes of thyroid hormones concentration between portal and peripheral blood.

A novel endoimaging system for endoscopic 3D reconstruction in bladder cancer patients.

Introduction: The methods employed to document cystoscopic findings in bladder cancer patients lack accuracy and are subject to observer variability. We propose a novel endoimaging system and an online documentation platform to provide post-procedural 3D bladder reconstructions for improved diagnosis, management and follow-up.

Material And Methods: The RaVeNNA4pi consortium is comprised of five industrial partners, two university hospitals and two technical institutes.

Radiomics Applications in Renal Tumor Assessment: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Radiomics texture analysis offers objective image information that could otherwise not be obtained by radiologists' subjective radiological interpretation. We investigated radiomics applications in renal tumor assessment and provide a comprehensive review. A detailed search of original articles was performed using the PubMed-MEDLINE database until 20 March 2020 to identify English literature relevant to radiomics applications in renal tumor assessment.

Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of a Novel, Variable-View, Rigid Endoscope for Female Cystoscopy.

Objective: To evaluate the preclinical and clinical performance of the pivoting lens rigid Endocameleon (ECAM) endoscope in white light cystoscopy (WLC).

Materials And Methods: Preclinical evaluation was performed ex vivo in CT-based, anatomically accurate and validated bladder phantoms. Six defined tasks with objective endpoints were compared between ECAM-WLC and rigid WLC (30° view angle, rWLC) in 30 interventions.

Current Standards in the Endoscopic Management of Bladder Cancer: A Survey Evaluation among Urologists in German-Speaking Countries.

Introduction: To assess the current diagnostic, treatment, and documentation strategies for bladder cancer (BC) in German-speaking countries.

Materials And Methods: A 14-item web-based survey was distributed among members of the German, Austrian, and Swiss Associations of Urology, addressing physicians who perform cystoscopies and transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURB).

Results: The survey was responded to by 308 of 5,564 urologists with a mean age of 49.

C-Reactive Protein and Its Structural Isoforms: An Evolutionary Conserved Marker and Central Player in Inflammatory Diseases and Beyond.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an evolutionary highly conserved member of the pentraxin superfamily of proteins. CRP is widely used as a marker of inflammation, infection and for risk stratification of cardiovascular events. However, there is now a large body of evidence, that continues to evolve, detailing that CRP directly mediates inflammatory reactions and the innate immune response in the context of localised tissue injury.

Adherence to European Association of Urology and National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines Criteria for Inguinal and Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Penile Cancer Patients-A Survey Assessment in German-speaking Countries on Behalf of the European Prospective Penile Cancer Study Group.

Background: Urologists' adherence to European Association of Urology and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline recommendations to perform inguinal (ILND) and pelvic (PLND) lymph node dissection in penile cancer (PC) patients is not known.

Objective: To assess a German-speaking European cohort of urologists based on their criteria to perform ILND and PLND in PC patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A 14-item survey addressing general issues of PC treatment was developed and sent to 45 clinical centers in Germany (n = 34), Austria (n = 8), Switzerland (n = 2), and Italy (n = 1).

Application of artificial neural networks for automated analysis of cystoscopic images: a review of the current status and future prospects.

Background: Optimal detection and surveillance of bladder cancer (BCa) rely primarily on the cystoscopic visualization of bladder lesions. AI-assisted cystoscopy may improve image recognition and accelerate data acquisition.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive review of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL) and convolutional neural network (CNN) applications in cystoscopic image recognition.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus vaccination breakthrough infections in Germany: a retrospective analysis from 2001 to 2018.

Objectives: There are few data available regarding the clinical course of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) vaccination breakthrough infections. The published studies suggest that vaccination breakthrough infections may have a more severe course than native TBEV infection in unvaccinated individuals-potentially due to antibody-dependent enhancement. Here we report a large analysis of vaccination breakthrough infections.