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Urinary stone disease - size isn't all that matters Abstract. Urinary stone disease is a very frequent disease with a life-time-risk of about 10 - 15 % in industrialized countries. Meanwhile mostly asymptomatic stone formation takes place within the renal pelvic system (renal stone disease), the typical clinical manifestation results when these stones enter and consequently obstruct the ureter (ureteral stone disease). Hence, in case of acute flank pain, ureteral stone disease is one of the most important differential diagnosis and requires always an immediate as well as accurate diagnostic work up. In here, CT-scans have shown to be most accurate and outperform ultrasound, especially concerning the overall assessment of the stone situation in the patient. Beside the diagnosis of the stone disease, the medical history, vital signs as well as blood and urinary tests are of importance in the primary work up of the patient since the identification of a potential concurrent infection within the urinary tract is of highest importance. Both, renal stone disease (mostly asymptomatic) as well as ureteral stone disease (often associated with acute and destructive flank pain) are usually not associated with an immediate threat. Ureteral stone disease with a concurrent urinary tract infection in contrary is one of the most dangerous situations in urology and, if missed, associated with urosepsis and high morbidity even lethality. The immediate drainage of the obstructed and infected urinary tract is the most important emergency action in these patients.

BACKGROUND The prognostic role of preoperative serum lipid levels in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa) is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate preoperative serum lipid levels in patients with clinically localized PCa undergoing RP and their association with clinicopathological features and oncological outcome. METHODS Preoperative lipid levels (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides) and statin use from consecutive patients with clinically localized PCa undergoing RP in a tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2015 were recorded and patients were followed prospectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the association between lipid levels and clinicopathological parameters. Lipid values were analyzed both as continuous and dichotomized variables. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for recurrence-free survival (RFS). Recurrence was defined as rising and verified PSA levels >0.1 ng/ml. RESULTS Our cohort consisted of 371 men with a median age of 63 years (range 41-78 years) and a median preoperative PSA value of 6.79 ng/ml (0.43-81.4 ng/ml). Median follow-up was 28 months (1-64). No association was found between lipid levels and adverse pathological characteristics such as ≥pT3, Gleason score ≥8, positive nodal status and positive surgical margins. Recurrence occurred in 49 patients (15.4%) at a median time of 18 months (2-51 month). Compared to low LDL cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol was associated with longer RFS in univariable analysis (continuous: Hazard Ratio (HR): 0.67, 95%-Confidence Interval (CI): 0.47-0.96, P = 0.03; 3 mM cut-point: HR: 0.44, 95%-CI: 0.24-0.79, P = 0.006). Neither levels of other lipids, nor statin use were associated with RFS. Preoperative LDL cholesterol remained an independent predictor for PCa recurrence in a multivariable model adjusted for age, preoperative PSA, statin use, tumor stage, Gleason score, nodal status and surgical margin status (continuous: HR: 0.66, 95%-CI: 0.44-0.99, P = 0.04; 3 mM cut-point: HR: 0.41, 95%-CI: 0.21-0.78, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS This is the first prospective study showing the potential adverse and independent prognostic role of low preoperative LDL cholesterol levels in patients with localized PCa undergoing RP. Prostate © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: A previous analysis of the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) reported 82% overall prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation and identified a link between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer and serum PSA. Here, we studied these associations in the PCPT finasteride arm. Methods: Prostate cancer cases (N = 197) detected either on a clinically indicated biopsy or on protocol-directed end-of-study biopsy, and frequency-matched controls (N = 248) with no cancer on an end-of-study biopsy were sampled from the finasteride arm. Inflammation in benign prostate tissue was visually assessed using digital images of hematoxylin and eosin–stained sections. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Results: In the finasteride arm, 91.6% of prostate cancer cases and 92.4% of controls had at least one biopsy core with inflammation in benign areas (P < 0.001 for difference compared with placebo arm). Overall, the odds of prostate cancer did not differ by prevalence [OR, 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44–1.84] or extent (P trend = 0.68) of inflammation. Inflammation was not associated with higher-grade disease (prevalence: OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.43–2.69). Furthermore, mean PSA concentration did not differ by the prevalence or extent of inflammation in either cases or controls. Conclusion: The prevalence of intraprostatic inflammation was higher in the finasteride than placebo arm of the PCPT, with no association with higher-grade prostate cancer. Impact: Finasteride may attenuate the association between inflammation and higher-grade prostate cancer. Moreover, the missing link between intraprostatic inflammation and PSA suggests that finasteride may reduce inflammation-associated PSA elevation. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(3); 463–9. ©2015 AACR.

Introduction: There is a broad variability in the accuracy levels of MRI with regard to the local staging of prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: A prospective analysis was conducted in patients with localized PCa with MRI of the prostate before radical prostatectomy. MRI and pathology findings were independently reviewed and reported based on a standardized map of the prostate with 16 regions of interest (ROIs). Diagnostic accuracy analysis of the MRI was performed using varying prostate-subpart sizes and varying cutoffs for the radiological probability for PCa presence. Results: Seventy four patients were included. Using varying cutoff probabilities and varying sizes of prostate-subparts resulted in a broad range of sensitivity (6-88%) and specificity (38-100%). Lower probabilities of PCa presence and larger prostate-subparts resulted in higher sensitivity but lower specificity and vice versa. Best diagnostic performance was achieved by using prostate sextants and at least moderate probabilities for PCa presence; mean sensitivity and specificity were 38% (95% CI 13-75) and 95% (95% CI 88-98). Conclusion: The use of varying assessment parameters strongly affects the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in the local staging of PCa. Hence, precise and standardized reporting regarding these parameters is important. In our study, using at least moderate probabilities for PCa presence on MRI and prostatic sextants as ROI size was associated with best diagnostic performance.

Background The reported success rates for treatments of kidney stones with either extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) or flexible ureterorenoscopy (URS) are conflicting. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ESWL and URS for previously untreated renal calculi. Methods All patients treated with ESWL or URS at our tertiary care centre between 2003 and 2015 were retrospectively identified. Patients with previously untreated kidney stones and a stone diameter of 5–20 mm were included. Stone-free, freedom from reintervention and complication rates were recorded. Independent predictors of stone-free and freedom from reintervention rates were identified by multivariable logistic regression and a propensity score-matched analysis was performed. Results A total of 1282 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 999 (78%) underwent ESWL and 283 (22%) had URS. During post-operative follow-up, only treatment modality and stone size could independently predict stone-free and freedom from reintervention rates. After propensity score matching, ESWL showed significantly lower stone-free rates [ESWL (71%) versus URS (84%)] and fewer patients with freedom from reintervention [ESWL (55%) versus URS (79%)] than URS. Complications were scarce for both treatments and included Clavien Grade 3a in 0.8% versus 0% and Grade 3b in 0.5% versus 0.4% of ESWL and URS treated patients, respectively. Conclusions Treatment success was mainly dependent on stone size and treatment modality. URS might be the better treatment option for previously untreated kidney stones 5–20 mm, with similar morbidity but higher stone-free rates and fewer reinterventions than ESWL.

Context The role of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) in prostate cancer (PCa) imaging is still debated, although guidelines for their use have emerged over the last few years. Objective To systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis of the available evidence of PET and PET/CT using 11C-choline and 18F-fluorocholine as tracers in imaging PCa patients in staging and restaging settings. Evidence acquisition PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (by citation of reference) were searched. Reference lists of review articles and included articles were checked to complement electronic searches. Evidence synthesis In staging patients with proven but untreated PCa, the results of the meta-analysis on a per-patient basis (10 studies, n = 637) showed pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 68–93%), 79% (95% CI, 53–93%), and 20.4 (95% CI, 9.9–42.0), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 4.02 (95% CI, 1.73–9.31) and 0.20 (95% CI, 0.11–0.37), respectively. On a per-lesion basis (11 studies, n = 5117), these values were 66% (95% CI, 56–75%), 92% (95% CI, 78–97%), and 22.7 (95% CI, 8.9–58.0), respectively, for pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR; and 8.29 (95% CI, 3.05–22.54) and 0.36 (95% CI, 0.29–0.46), respectively, for positive and negative likelihood ratios. In restaging patients with biochemical failure after local treatment with curative intent, the meta-analysis results on a per-patient basis (12 studies, n = 1055) showed pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR of 85% (95% CI, 79–89%), 88% (95% CI, 73–95%), and 41.4 (95% CI, 19.7–86.8), respectively; the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 7.06 (95% CI, 3.06–16.27) and 0.17 (95% CI, 0.13–0.22), respectively. Conclusions PET and PET/CT imaging with 11C-choline and 18F-fluorocholine in restaging of patients with biochemical failure after local treatment for PCa might help guide further treatment decisions. In staging of patients with proven but untreated, high-risk PCa, there is limited but promising evidence warranting further studies. However, the current evidence shows crucial limitations in terms of its applicability in common clinical scenarios.

Objective To investigate the association between serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration at active surveillance (AS) entry and disease reclassification on subsequent AS biopsy (‘biopsy reclassification’) in men with low PSA density (PSAD). To investigate whether a clinically meaningful PSA threshold for AS eligibility/ineligibility for men with low PSAD can be identified based on risk of subsequent biopsy reclassification. Patients and Methods We included men enrolled in the Johns Hopkins AS Study (JHAS) who had a PSAD of

Purpose: To investigate the association between the laterality of diagnostic prostate cancer-positive biopsy cores and definitive tumor stage on final pathology (organ-confined versus non-organ-confined). Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 165 men after radical prostatectomy fulfilling our active surveillance criteria at the time of surgery. Nominal variables were compared using Fisher's exact test, continuous variables using Mann-Whitney test. Odds ratios including 95% Wald and probabilities including 95% Wilson confidence intervals are provided. Results: 5 (3%) patients had non-organ-confined disease: 2 out of 144 (1%) patients with unilateral and 3 out of 17 (18%) patients with bilateral cancer-positive biopsy cores (p = 0.009). The estimated odds ratio for non-organ-confined disease was 14.67 (95% confidence interval 1.55-189.23) for patients with bilateral compared to patients with unilateral cancer-positive biopsy cores. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of bilaterally positive biopsies as an additional criterion to identify non-organ-confined disease are 60, 91 and 90%, respectively. Conclusion: In our cohort, patients with bilaterally positive biopsy cores were significantly more likely to harbor a non-organ-confined tumor than patients with unilaterally positive cores. Due to their high specificity, bilaterally positive biopsies may represent a reasonable exclusion criterion for active surveillance if our results are corroborated in further studies.

BackgroundAcknowledgment of all serious limitations to research evidence is important for patient care and scientific progress. Formal research on how biomedical authors acknowledge limitations is scarce.ObjectivesTo assess the extent to which limitations are acknowledged in biomedical publications explicitly, and implicitly by investigating the use of phrases that express uncertainty, so-called hedges; to assess the association between industry support and the extent of hedging.DesignWe analyzed reporting of limitations and use of hedges in 300 biomedical publications published in 30 high and medium -ranked journals in 2007. Hedges were assessed using linguistic software that assigned weights between 1 and 5 to each expression of uncertainty.ResultsTwenty-seven percent of publications (81/300) did not mention any limitations, while 73% acknowledged a median of 3 (range 1-8) limitations. Five percent mentioned a limitation in the abstract. After controlling for confounders, publications on industry-supported studies used significantly fewer hedges than publications not so supported (p = 0.028).LimitationsDetection and classification of limitations was--to some extent--subjective. The weighting scheme used by the hedging detection software has subjective elements.ConclusionsReporting of limitations in biomedical publications is probably very incomplete. Transparent reporting of limitations may protect clinicians and guideline committees against overly confident beliefs and decisions and support scientific progress through better design, conduct or analysis of new studies.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Prostate cancers (PC) associated with overt metastases at diagnosis (stage M1) or that progress to this stage are lethal. Although pathologic features of most M1 cases are indistinguishable from high-grade, non-metastatic PC (stage M0), profound disparities in outcome are apparent. More than 70% of M1 patients progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and death within 5 years compared to 100% survival of highgrade M0 cases. Improved tools that detect features of lethal high-grade disease in prostate needle biopsies (PNBXs) will enable early identification of patients at greatest risk of metastatic progression. We have applied novel quantitative imaging (QI) technology and validated machine learning software tools to extract histomorphometric features from PNBX specimens that distinguish M1 and M0 cancers. This 00computer vision00 approach can be applied to routine diagnostic biopsies with the goal of detecting lethal PC as early as possible and improving patient stratification for entry into clinical trials. METHODS: We created a diverse, annotated biorepository with detailed clinical information corresponding to PNBX tissue from 427 patients with high-grade M0 or M1 PC. Retrospective analysis was used to assemble cohorts matched for age, race, and Gleason grade that were either M0 (n1⁄48) or M1 (n1⁄410). Archival PNBX slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were quality checked and digitally scanned at 40X magnification. Fifteen image tiles were collected from each slide and two classifiers were constructed to assign each image tile to the M0 or M1 groups. QI analysis was used to investigate a set of features, including Fractal Dimensions (FD), Lacunarity (LA) [1st classifier], and Nuclear Features (NF) [2nd classifier] in M0 and M1 PC. RESULTS: Approximately 332 image tiles from the M0-RRP (n1⁄4122) and M1-ADT (n1⁄4210) cases were converted to nuclear masks. Using LA and FD tests, a trained classifier achieved 70% accuracy in distinguishing images from M1 and M0 cases, in which LA features were significantly different. We also identified 63 NFs differentially expressed in the M0 and M1 cases after random selection of 30% of nuclei and calculation of 1,500 NFs using partial least squares method. With this method, a classifier trained with the selected NFs to characterize nuclear intensity, texture, size, and shape achieved an accuracy of 75.5% in M0-RRP cases and 74.8% in M1-ADT cases. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative cohort of patients at the extremes of high-grade PC provides the opportunity to generate and test the performance of novel QI algorithms.

Purpose To investigate the correlation between unenhanced MDCT and intraoperative findings with regard to the exact anatomical location of renal calculi. Design, setting, and participants Fifty-nine patients who underwent unenhanced MDCT for suspected urinary stone disease, and who underwent subsequent flexible ureterorenoscopy (URS) as treatment of nephrolithiasis were included in this retrospective study. All MDCT data sets were independently reviewed by three observers with different degrees of experience in reading CT. Each observer was asked to indicate presence and exact anatomical location of any calcification within pyelocaliceal system, renal papilla or renal cortex. Results were compared to intraoperative findings which have been defined as standard of reference. Calculi not described at surgery, but present on MDCT data were counted as renal cortex calcifications. Results Overall 166 calculi in 59 kidneys have been detected on MDCT, 100 (60.2%) were located in the pyelocaliceal system and 66 (39.8%) in the renal parenchyma. Of the 100 pyelocaliceal calculi, 84 (84%) were correctly located on CT data sets by observer 1, 62 (62%) by observer 2, and 71 (71%) by observer 3. Sensitivity/specificity was 90–94% and 50–100% if only pyelocaliceal calculi measuring >4 mm in size were considered. For pyelocaliceal calculi ≤4 mm in size diagnostic performance of MDCT was inferior. Conclusion Compared to flexible URS, unenhanced MDCT is accurate for distinction between pyelocaliceal calculi and renal parenchyma calcifications if renal calculi are >4 mm in size. For smaller renal calculi, unenhanced MDCT is less accurate and distinction between a pyelocaliceal calculus and renal parenchyma calcification is difficult.

BACKGROUND: Overactive bladder (OAB) affects the lives of millions of people worldwide and antimuscarinics are the pharmacological treatment of choice. Meta-analyses of all currently used antimuscarinics for treating OAB found similar efficacy, making the choice dependent on their adverse event profiles. However, conventional meta-analyses often fail to quantify and compare adverse events across different drugs, dosages, formulations, and routes of administration. In addition, the assessment of the broad variety of adverse events is dissatisfying. Our aim was to compare adverse events of antimuscarinics using a network meta-analytic approach that overcomes shortcomings of conventional analyses. METHODS: Cochrane Incontinence Group Specialized Trials Register, previous systematic reviews, conference abstracts, book chapters, and reference lists of relevant articles were searched. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials comparing at least one antimuscarinic for treating OAB with placebo or with another antimuscarinic, and adverse events as outcome measures. Two authors independently extracted data. A network meta-analytic approach was applied allowing for joint assessment of all adverse events of all currently used antimuscarinics while fully maintaining randomization. RESULTS: 69 trials enrolling 26'229 patients were included. Similar overall adverse event profiles were found for darifenacin, fesoterodine, transdermal oxybutynin, propiverine, solifenacin, tolterodine, and trospium chloride but not for oxybutynin orally administered when currently used starting dosages were compared. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed generally applicable transparent network meta-analytic approach summarizes adverse events in an easy to grasp way allowing straightforward benchmarking of antimuscarinics for treating OAB in clinical practice. Most currently used antimuscarinics seem to be equivalent first choice drugs to start the treatment of OAB except for oral oxybutynin dosages of ≥ 10 mg/d which may have more unfavorable adverse event profiles.

CONTEXT: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) emerged as a promising test in the diagnosis of prostate cancer and showed encouraging results. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review is to meta-analyse the diagnostic accuracy of combined MRI/MRSI in prostate cancer and to explore risk profiles with highest benefit. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The authors searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Library, and the authors screened reference lists and contacted experts. There were no language restrictions. The last search was performed in August 2008. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: We identified 31 test-accuracy studies (1765 patients); 16 studies (17 populations) with a total of 581 patients were suitable for meta-analysis. Nine combined MRI/MRSI studies (10 populations) examining men with pathologically confirmed prostate cancer (297 patients; 1518 specimens) had a pooled sensitivity and specificity on prostate subpart level of 68% (95% CI, 56-78%) and 85% (95% CI, 78-90%), respectively. Compared with patients at high risk for clinically relevant cancer (six studies), sensitivity was lower in low-risk patients (four studies) (58% [46-69%] vs 74% [58-85%]; p>0.05) but higher for specificity (91% [86-94%] vs 78% [70-84%]; p

ObjectiveCardiopulmonary bypass induces a rise in cytokines released by activated monocytes. The apolipoprotein E and the tumor necrosis factor β polymorphisms are risk factors for atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the genetic variants of apolipoprotein E (APOE*E4) and tumor necrosis factor β (TNFB*A329G) affect cytokine release after cardiopulmonary bypass.MethodsThirty-eight patients underwent standard coronary artery bypass grafting procedures. Genotyping for APOE*E4 and TNFB*A329G was performed. Concentrations of interleukin 8 and tumor necrosis factor α were measured for 48 hours after surgery. Clinical data were collected prospectively.ResultsFourteen patients (37%) carried the combination non-APOE*E4/wild-type TNFB*A329, 12 patients (32%) showed non-APOE*E4/TNFB*A329G, 9 patients (24%) had APOE*E4/TNFB*A329G, and 3 patients (7%) had APOE*E4/wild-type TNFB*A329. Total amount of tumor necrosis factor α was significantly higher in patients carrying the combination APOE*E4/TNFB*A329 than in those carrying non-APOE*E4/wild-type TNFB*A329 (P < .0001). Clinical data were similar except for intubation time and amount of transfusion, which were significantly increased in patients with genetic polymorphisms (P = .022, P = .033).ConclusionPresence of TNFB*A329G polymorphism in addition to APOE*E4 variant is associated with significantly higher releases of interleukin 8 and tumor necrosis factor α, prolonged intubation, and increased transfusion relative to patients without genetic variants. Preoperative determination of APOE/TNFB genotypes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting may lead to additional perioperative measures to ameliorate systemic inflammatory response.

Role of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnostic work up of clinical localized prostate cancer: A review

Background Despite intensive research over the last several decades on prostate cancer, many questions particularly those concerning early diagnosis and the choice of optimal treatment for each individual patient, still remain unanswered. The goal of treating patients with localized prostate cancer is a curative one and includes minimizing adverse effects to preserve an adequate quality of life. Better understanding on how the quality of life is affected depending on the treatment modality would assist patients in deciding which treatment to choose; furthermore, the development of prognostic biomarkers that indicate the future course of the illness is a promising approach with potential and the focus of much attention. These questions can be addressed in the context of a cohort study. Methods/Design This is a prospective, multi-center cohort study within the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. We will include patients with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer independently of treatment finally chosen. We will acquire clinical data including quality of life and lifestyle, prostate tissue specimen as well as further biological samples (blood and urine) before, during and after treatment for setup of a bio-bank. Assessment of these data and samples in the follow up will be done during routine controls. Study duration will be at least ten years. Influence of treatment on morbidity and mortality, including changes in quality of life, will be identified and an evaluation of biomarkers will be performed. Further we intend to set up a bio-bank containing blood and urine samples providing research of various natures around prostate cancer in the future. Discussion We presume that this study will provide answers to pertinent questions concerning prognosis and outcomes of men with localised prostate cancer.