A2 Urology

BACKGROUND: Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) may be debilitating in men presenting for treatment for CSP, but we have little information on the frequency and severity of CSP in the men who do not seek care for the CSP. Our objective was to identify the frequency and characteristics of CSP in a population of men presenting for reasons other than CSP to a urology clinic. METHODS: Men presenting to a urology clinic for investigation of male infertility (INF) completed a standardized CSP questionnaires if they self-reported having CSP...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of proteinuria in the urology clinic with other outpatient settings. Chronic kidney disease is classified according to cause, glomerular filtration rate, and proteinuria. Proteinuria may be more prevalent in patients with known chronic kidney disease, renal disorders (benign or malignant), or after urologic surgery. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 3 populations undergoing urinalysis (UA) testing was carried out: general outpatients (n = 20,334), urology outpatients (n = 5023), and kidney cancer patients (n = 1016)...

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of the pyelocalyceal system in the pig as an experimental model, there is little information about this particular anatomical subject. We determined the morphological characteristics of the renal excretory system in pigs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated 130 pairs of kidneys of pigs destined to slaughter. The pyelocalyceal system was subjected to injection technique - corrosion by infusion of polyester resin (85% Palatal and 15% Styrene) and subsequent infusion in potassium hydroxide (KOH) for 10 days...

The most frequent causes of blunt genitourinary injuries are falls from heights, motor vehicle accidents and sports injuries. Firearm injuries and penetrating stab wounds are also frequently encountered. Skeletal system traumas in the vicinity of the urogenital system can cause urological organ injuries. Though rarely, renal traumas can be dependent on the kinetic energy of the trauma and the retroperitoneal movement capacity of the kidneys and cannot be explained with the proximity of the kidney to the skeletal system...

OBJECTIVES: Many studies have attempted to locate a connection between various genetic factors and the pathogenesis of certain diseases. A number of these have found human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) to be the most significant genetic factors affecting the susceptibility of an individual to a certain disease. The present case-control study aimed to determine the connection between class I and class II HLAs and cases of hypertensive end-stage renal failure (HESRF), as contrasted with healthy controls, in Yemen...

BACKGROUND: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a tumor with sizable metastases and local recurrence. It has a worse prognosis than bladder cancer. This study was designed to investigate the urinary potential tumor markers of UTUC. METHODS: Between January 2008 and January 2009, urine was sampled from 13 patients with UTUC and 20 healthy adults. The current study identified biomarkers for UTUC using non-fixed volume stepwise weak anion exchange chromatography for fractionation of urine protein prior to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis...

Priapism is featured with prolonged and painful penile erection and is prevalent among males with sickle cell disease (SCD). The disorder is a dangerous urological and hematological emergency since it is associated with ischemic tissue damage and erectile disability. Here we report that phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) gene expression and PDE activity is significantly reduced in penile tissues of two independent priapic models: SCD mice and adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficient mice. Moreover, using ADA enzyme therapy to reduce adenosine or a specific antagonist to block A(2B) adenosine receptor (ADORA2B) signaling, we successfully attenuated priapism in both ADA(-/-) and SCD mice by restoring penile PDE5 gene expression to normal levels...

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) and related elements account for more than 8% of the human genome and significantly contribute to the human transcriptome by long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter activity. In this context, HERVs are thought to intervene in the expression of adjacent genes by providing regulatory sequences (cis-effect) or via noncoding RNA including natural antisense transcripts. To address the potential impact of HERV activity in urothelial carcinoma, we comparatively analyzed the HERV transcription profiles in paired samples of non-malignant urothelium and urothelial carcinoma derived from 13 patients with bladder cancer by means of a retrovirus-specific microarray (RetroArray)...

The acronym IBD identifies the ulcerative colitis (URC), Crohn's disease (CD) and the undeterminate colitis (UC) 7. Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by variegated etiopathogenesis, probably autoimmune. They have in common a histological damage of a granulomatous/ulcerative kind and also the same manifestations which includes the alternation of remissions and exacerbations 1. They have a remarkable familiarity (13.5%) although it is more evident in CD than in URC. The incidence of IBD varies according to different geographical areas but with a steady increasing trend above all in CD and the diffusion seems to be linked to genetic factors (association with HLA-A2 and B 18) and to geographical factors...

OBJECTIVE: • To investigate the safety and immune responses of 12 consecutive weeks of once-weekly personalized peptide vaccine (PPV) administration in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) for whom therapy with methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin (MVAC) has failed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: • A phase I trial was designed. Ten patients with MVAC-refractory advanced or metastatic UC were treated with weekly personalized peptide vaccine 12 times using positive peptides chosen from 14 and 16 peptides in patients with human leucocyte antigens A24 and A2, respectively...

OBJECTIVE: Duplication of urethra has varied presentations and multiple techniques have been described for its correction. We present our experience in the management of this anomaly. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the records of eight patients treated for urethral duplication in 1998-2008. We managed four cases of Y-duplication, three of whom underwent buccal mucosal tube urethroplasty and one urethrourethrostomy. Two patients presented with double stream (type II A2); in one urethrourethrostomy was done and the other child underwent vesicostomy as initial treatment...

AIMS: To determine the cost-effectiveness of four urogynaecological treatments. MATERIALS: Two prospective trials were performed in which 205 women with urinary incontinence underwent urogynaecological treatments. The cost incurred and the improvement in quality of life (QOL) as a result of treatment was calculated as cost/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and then ranked in order of cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: The Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) group (N = 73) and the Urogynaecologist (UG) group (N = 72) both had significant improvements in leaks per week and incontinence score...

BACKGROUND: Exogenously administered testosterone upregulates platelet thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptors and increases aggregation response to thromboxane mimetics in healthy male volunteers. However, the biological impact of endogenous testosterone on platelet TXA2 receptor expression, especially in older men at risk of coronary artery disease, is unclear. AIM: To investigate the impact of reduction in circulating testosterone on platelet TXA2 receptor expression in older men...

One hundred forty-nine Staphylococcus aureus strains were collected between 1994 and 1996 from ambulatory and hospitalized patients in Western Pomerania (north-western part of Poland). The bacteria were isolated from wounds, bronchial tree, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), sputum, throat swabs, nose swabs, eye swabs, blood, peritoneal fluid and urine. Resistance to methicillin was checked by disc diffusion test and confirmed using screening according to NCCLS standards. Growth strains was established with crystal violet staining...

We have previously demonstrated that decreased O2 tension inhibits prostaglandin synthesis from human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in static culture over 8-18 h (R. B. Moreland et al., Molecular Urology 2: 41-47, 1998). In this report, an experimental system was designed that allowed determination of the effects of O2 tension changes over the time frame of physiological penile erection. Human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells were cultured on microcarrier beads in enclosed stirrer flasks so that rapid changes of O2 tension could be modulated...

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in males and is the second most common cause of cancer mortality in American men. Polymorphisms have been identified in two genes, the 17-hydroxylase cytochrome P450 gene (CYP17) and the steroid 5-reductase type II gene (SRD5A2) that are involved with androgen biosynthesis and metabolism. The CYP17 A2 allele contains a T-->C transition in the 5' promoter region that creates an additional Sp1-type (CCACC box) promoter site. The SRD5A2 valine to leucine (V89L) polymorphism has been correlated with lower dihydroxytestosterone levels...

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of pretreatment serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values was studied to determine the ability to predict clinical stage and prognosis using a relatively large number of patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: Serum PSA values at diagnosis were analyzed from 749 patients with newly-diagnosed prostate cancer and registered in the Tokai Urological Cancer Registry. Correlations between the PSA value, the clinical stage and prognosis of the patients were evaluated...

OBJECTIVES: Prostatic carcinoma is a common disease of aging male subjects. Owing to structural population changes, its incidence is increasing, making it a major social problem. Epidemiological studies are useful but often do not fully rely on clinical data. The purpose of the present study was to investigate characteristics of prostatic carcinoma from both a clinical and epidemiological point of view. METHODS: A multiphased clinicoepidemiological study was initiated in Italy, involving 26 urological centers operating in districts where national tumor registries are active...

The number of cases of prostate carcinoma (PCA) is steadily inceasing in Japan. The clinical application of a reliable tumor marker, prostate specific antigen (PSA) for the diagnosis, as well as the increasing elderly population in Japan may account for this increase. The subjects were patients at the Nara Medical University and its affiliated hospitals; 1) 687 cases without PCA were evaluated for age-specific PSA and the incidence of abnormal PSA following urological manipulations, 2) 135 cases with histological proven BPH by transurethral resection of prostate (TUR-P) were examined for PSA density (PSAD) and positive PSA rate in BPH, 3) 135 cases receiving a needle biopsy with suspicion of PCA were examined for the efficacy of PSA and PSAD and other parameters, and 4) 459 PCA cases treated between 1988 and 1994, were examined for specific PSA and PSAD values by stage and degree of cell differentiation...

From 1975 to 1982, 205 patients with local prostate cancer were treated at the radiation oncology department, the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. Patients' median age was 73 years. All of the patients were staged according to American Urologic staging criteria. Twenty-eight patients had stage A2 cancer, 91 patients had stage B cancer, and 86 patients had stage C cancer. All patients were treated using megavoltage radiation (dosage range: 6000 cGy to 7100 cGy). The follow-up period ranged from a minimum of 8 years to a maximum of 15 years (median: 9...