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Inflammation and oxidative stress are the major pathways involved in ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)-induced renal injury. This study was designed to evaluate the potential effect of pomegranate against I/R-induced renal injury. I/R injury was induced in nephrectomized rats by unilateral occlusion of the left renal pedicle for 45 min followed by 24 h of perfusion. Pomegranate succeeded to decrease serum levels of creatinine, potassium, and urea nitrogen, along with increasing creatinine clearance. Pomegranate also decreased I/R-induced changes in histopathological examination. Pomegranate attenuated the renal inflammatory response reflected by the suppression of nuclear factor κB p65 DNA binding activity, the upregulation of inhibitory protein kappa B-alpha mRNA expression, the downregulation of mRNA and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor α, in addition to the reduced myeloperoxidase activity and mRNA expression. Additionally, pomegranate attenuated oxidative stress likely through the modulation of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant levels reflected by the decreased MDA content and the increased glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity. Results confirm the potential protective effect of pomegranate against I/R-induced renal injury through its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects mediated through the upregulation of inhibitory protein kappa B-alpha, the inhibition of NF-κB activity, and the associated TNF-α release, neutrophil infiltration, and oxidative stress.

Purpose:In a preliminary clinical trial we assessed the efficacy of ejaculatory hood sparing GreenLight™ Laser prostate photoselective vaporization to preserve antegrade ejaculation and urodynamic ...

Aim: The reconstruction of microtia cases is a challenging topic and Auricular reconstruction is a unique area of facial plastic surgery where a wide array of reconstructive options often must be considered. The goal is to assess the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing to create a 3D model for use during reconstruction to achieve better aesthetic results.Patients and methods: This study included ten patients with microtia. Two stages of ear reconstruction, the authors used a 3D printed auricular model of the contralateral ear as an intraoperative guide. The Mansoura ear reconstruction scale was conceptualized and used by the authors to assess the final aesthetic outcomes. Results: In total there were 10 patients with 11 affected auricles. Results were 6 patients with an excellent result, 3 patients with a very good result and one patient with a fair result according to Mansoura ear reconstruction scale.Conclusions: To conclude, the use of a 3D printed auricular model specific to each patient for microtia reconstruction led to excellent results and patient satisfaction after reconstruction. The use of 3D printed models for microtia reconstruction resulted in an overall increase in aesthetic outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.Keywords: Auricular model - Costal cartilage - 3D printing - Ear reconstruction- Microtia -Tissue expander.

Acute liver injury secondary to sepsis is a major challenge in intensive care unit. This study was designed to investigate potential protective effects of pomegranate against sepsis-induced acute liver injury in rats and possible underlying mechanisms. Pomegranate was orally given (800mg/kg/day) for two weeks before sepsis induction by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Pomegranate improved survival and attenuated liver inflammatory response, likely related to downregulation of mRNA expression of toll like recptor-4, reduced nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity of proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB subunit p65, decreased mRNA and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and reduction in myeloperoxidase activity and mRNA expression. Pomegranate also decreased CLP-induced oxidative stress as reflected by decreased malondialdehyde content, and increased reduced glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity. These results confirm the antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects of pomegranate in CLP-induced acute liver injury mediated through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB pathway, lipid peroxidation and neutrophil infiltration.

Objectives To compare the haemorrhagic and vascular complications between paediatric and adult renal transplant recipients with a long-term follow-up. Patients and methods Between March 1976 and December 2006, in all, 1865 live-donor renal transplants were carried out. Patients were stratified according to their ages into two groups; paediatric (⩽18 years; 259) and adult (>18 years; 1606). Variables assessed included incidence, risk factors, management and sequelae of vascular and haemorrhagic complications. The effect of these complications on patient and graft survival was compared. Results Haemorrhage requiring active intervention (percutaneous drainage or surgical exploration) was reported in seven children (2.7%) and 29 adults (1.8%), while thrombotic or stenotic complications were recorded in two children (0.77%) and 19 adults (1.18%; P

There is a lack of a standardized reporting methodology for surgical complications of pediatric renal transplantation. We applied Martin criteria and the modified Clavien-Dindo classification in pediatric renal transplantation.We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 447 patients 20 years or younger who underwent renal transplantation between March 1976 and January 2011. Martin criteria were fulfilled and complications were graded according to the modified Clavien-Dindo classification. For early complications grades I and II were considered low grade and III to V high grade. A similar grading system was adopted for late complications.A total of 84 early complications (18.5%) occurred in 77 transplant recipients (17%). Of grade I complications 37 (8.1%) were asymptomatic lymphoceles. Grade II complications were observed in 2 patients (0.4%). Grade IIIa complications included aspiration of hematoma (1 case), percutaneous nephrostomy fixed for ureteral obstruction (3), percutaneous tube drain for symptomatic lymphoceles (7) and antegrade ureteral stenting for ureteral leakage (6). Grade IIIb complications included exploration for wound dehiscence (1 case), revision of ureterovesical anastomosis (8), marsupialization of lymphoceles (4), hemorrhage (3) and vascular thrombotic accidents (6). Graft nephrectomy (grade IVa) complications occurred in 2 transplant recipients. Among 4 mortalities (grade V) only 1 patient died due to surgical complications. On multivariate analysis delayed graft function was the only predicator of high grade surgical complications (p = 0.005). High grade surgical complications affected recipient but not graft survival.Using a standardized, high quality reporting methodology is feasible in pediatric renal transplantation. However, consensus should be sought regarding medical complications and a grading system should be developed for reporting of late complications.

Complex wounds of the hand and vital structures are important to reconstruct. They should be covered as soon as possible in order to maintain the function of the hand. The reversed radial forearm flap is a versatile option for hand reconstruction. Reversed radial forearm flaps were harvested in 15 cases. Doppler ultrasound was used in all cases to evaluate the vascular status of the flap. No complications were observed in this series. All skin grafts healed well. The reversed radial forearm flap is a workhorse tool for the coverage of the hand.

To overcome problems of damaged urinary tract tissues and complications of current procedures, tissue engineering (TE) techniques and stem cell (SC) research have achieved great progress. Although diversity of techniques is used, urologists should know the basics. We carried out a literature review regarding the basic principles and applications of TE and SC technologies in the genitourinary tract. We carried out MEDLINE/PubMed searches for English articles until March 2010 using a combination of the following keywords: bladder, erectile dysfunction, kidney, prostate, Peyronie's disease, stem cells, stress urinary incontinence, testis, tissue engineering, ureter, urethra and urinary tract. Retrieved abstracts were checked, and full versions of relevant articles were obtained. Scientists have achieved great advances in basic science research. This is obvious by the tremendous increase in the number of publications. We divided this review in two topics; the first discusses basic science principles of TE and SC, whereas the second part delineates current clinical applications and advances in urological literature. TE and SC applications represent an alternative resource for treating complicated urological diseases. Despite the paucity of clinical trials, the promising results of animal models and continuous work represents the hope of treating various urological disorders with this technology.

Background Viral hepatitis is an important etiological agent of chronic hepatitis and liver disease and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in Egypt since it has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We aimed to assess if there is any change in the annual seroprevalence of both HCV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Egypt in the current era. Methods Our study included 55,922 potentially healthy asymptomatic blood donors; 52,280 males and 3642 females with mean age of 30.98 ± 8.6 years. All of them were volunteers for the first time and 70% were from rural areas. We applied our own questionnaire that included past medical history, surgical history, and history of blood donation. We screened their sera for the presence or absence of anti-HCV antibodies with the 3rd generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the presence or absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with ELISA. Results The cumulative seroprevalence of HCV and HBV infection was 11.95% and 1.3% respectively. The annual seroprevalence of both viruses showed a declining pattern throughout the study period from 17.7% to 7.4% regarding HCV and HBV infection from 2.3% to 0.9%. The decline trends for both viral infections were observed for both genders. Conclusion This study carries a glimmer of hope because of a decline in seroprevalence of viral hepatitis in Egypt. However stringent implementation of infection control programs in Egypt is mandatory to face this furious health problem.

Aim: Thermal injury elicits several systemic consequences. Acute renal failure (ARF) is a well known complication of severe burn and is an important factor leading to an increase in mortality. We aimed to focus on early diagnosis of acute renal failure occurring in major burns and to determine the predictors for acute renal failure. Methods: Forty patients with moderate to severe thermal burn injury - second to third degree with >20% of total body surface area - constituted the material of our study. The following parameters were recorded: Age, sex, cause of the burn injury, burn surface of second and third degrees expressed as total body surface area burned in %, Apache II score. All patients were subjected to routine investigations including: Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, fractional excretion of sodium, urinary malondialdehyde and microalbuminuria were done on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21. Results: Nine patients (22.5 % of all cases) - developed acute renal failure, 4 patients required supportive dialysis. The group that developed ARF showed rising of markers of glomerular damage with appearance of microalbuminuria on day 0, that was maximal (3 - 4 folds of its normal level ) at day 14 and constant with elevated serum creatinine and burn size in the 3rd week and progressed to overt proteinuria in 3 cases. Urinary malondialdehyde was also elevated before developing acute renal failure about 3 folds their normal values, gradually increasing on day 14 associated with rising of microalbuminuria followed by their decrease after controlling of septicemia. Two cases (22.2%) in ARF group who developed septicemia and required dialysis died on the 32nd and 36th days post-burn. Burn size and occurrence of septicemia were the only predictors of acute renal failure using multiple regression analysis, (SE B 0.003 and 0.104- P value 0.001 and .0371 respectively). Conclusion: Acute renal failure complicates 22.5 % of burn patients that was found to be related to the size and depth of burn. Microalbuminuria and urinary malondialdehyde are useful markers for prediction of renal outcome in such group of patients. In our study burn size and septicemia proved to be the only clinical parameters that predict renal outcome.

Objectives To evaluate the impact of the routine use of double- J stents in live-donor renal transplantation at a single institute from a prospective randomized study. Methods A total of 100 patients were prospectively randomized into two groups of 50 patients each. Group 1 received a routine double- J silicone ureteral stent and group 2 did not. A standard Lich-Gregoir ureteroneocystostomy was performed in both groups. In group 1, the patients were scheduled for stent removal after 2 weeks. Results Both groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, ischemia time, number of renal arteries, and time to diuresis. In group 1, two grafts were lost in the early postoperative period and those patients were excluded from the final analysis. None of our patients in either group had developed a ureteral stricture at a mean follow-up of 10.8 ± 3.6 months. In the stented group, 2 patients developed a urinary leak, but no leakage was reported in the nonstented group ( P = 0.14). Although 19 patients in group 1 (39.6%) had a urinary tract infection, only 9 in group 2 (18%) showed evidence of a positive urine culture ( P = 0.02). The presence of a ureteral stent and female sex were the independent predictors of postoperative urinary tract infection on multivariate analysis. The mean serum creatinine at discharge was 1.2 ± 0.3 mg% and 1.2 ± 0.4 mg% in groups 1 and 2, respectively ( P = 0.2). Conclusions The results of our study have shown that routine ureteral stent insertion has no impact on the rate of vesicoureteral leakage or obstruction in live-donor renal transplantation, whereas it is significantly associated with an increased incidence of urinary tract infection. Stenting should be limited to patients with a pathologic and/or defunctionalized bladder.

One thousand five hundred consecutive live-donor renal transplants were performed in a single institution. Among these patients, 1,372 patients (group I) received Rh-identical allografts and 128 (group II) received Rh-nonidentical allografts. The two groups were homogenous apart from the prevalence of the Rh nonidentity among unrelated donor-recipient pairs. The rate of acute and chronic rejection was comparable in both groups (P = 0.33 for acute rejection and P = 0.66 for chronic rejection). The mean serum creatinine at 5 years was 1.8 +/- 1 mg/dL for group I and 1.7 +/- 0.9 mg/dL for group II (P = 0.5). The 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft survival rates were 94%, 78%, and 54% for group I and 95%, 82%, and 57% for group II. We found that the Rh(D) blood group system is not likely to be a clinically relevant histocompatibility barrier to live-donor renal transplantation.

Thermal injury elicits several systemic consequences. Acute renal failure (ARF) is a well-known complication of severe burn and is an important factor leading to an increase in mortality. We aimed to focus on early diagnosis of acute renal failure occurring in major burns and to determine the predictors for acute renal failure.Forty patients with moderate to severe thermal burn injury--second- to third-degree with20% of total body surface area--constituted the material of our study. The following parameters were recorded: age, sex, cause of the burn injury, burn surface of second and third degrees expressed as total body surface area burned in %, and Apache II score. All patients were subjected to routine investigations, including serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, fractional excretion of sodium, urinary malondialdehyde and microalbuminuria, completed on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21.Nine patients (22.5% of all cases) developed acute renal failure, and four patients required supportive dialysis. The group that developed ARF showed rising markers of glomerular damage with appearance of microalbuminuria on day 0 that was maximal (3-4 times its normal level) at day 14 and constant with elevated serum creatinine, as well as burn size in the third week that progressed to overt proteinuria in three cases. Urinary malondialdehyde was also elevated before developing acute renal failure about three times their normal values, gradually increasing on day 14, associated with rising microalbuminuria followed by its decrease after controlling of septicemia. Two cases (22.2%) in ARF group who developed septicemia and required dialysis died on the 32(nd) and 36(th) days post-burn. Burn size and occurrence of septicemia were the only predictors of acute renal failure using multiple regression analysis (SE B 0.003 and 0.104; p value of 0.001 and .0371, respectively).Acute renal failure, which complicates 22.5% of burn patients, was found to be related to the size and depth of burn. Microalbuminuria and urinary malondialdehyde are useful markers for prediction of renal outcome in such group of patients. In our study. burn size and septicemia proved to be the only clinical parameters that predict renal outcome.

To study the independent determinants of graft survival among pediatric and adolescent live donor kidney transplant recipients. Between March 1976 and March 2004, 1600 live donor kidney transplants were carried out in our center. Of them 284 were 20 yr old or younger (mean age 13.1 yr, ranging from 5 to 20 yr). Evaluation of the possible variables that may affect graft survival were carried out using univariate and multivariate analyses. Studied factors included age, gender, relation between donor and recipient, original kidney disease, ABO blood group, pretransplant blood transfusion, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching, pretransplant dialysis, height standard deviation score (SDS), pretransplant hypertension, cold ischemia time, number of renal arteries, ureteral anastomosis, time to diuresis, time of transplantation, occurrence of acute tubular necrosis (ATN), primary and secondary immunosuppression, total dose of steroids in the first 3 months, development of acute rejection and post-transplant hypertension. Using univariate analysis, the significant predictors for graft survival were HLA matching, type of primary urinary recontinuity, time to diuresis, ATN, acute rejection and post-transplant hypertension. The multivariate analysis restricted the significance to acute rejection and post-transplant hypertension. The independent determinants of graft survival in live-donor pediatric and adolescent renal transplant recipients are acute rejection and post-transplant hypertension.

In this section, authors from Mansoura describe their experience with MRI as the sole method for the morphological and functional evaluation of live kidney donors. They recommend this technique in both instances. A series of studies from Detroit show that oxalate and hyperoxaluria induced free-radical generation, which resulted in injury to renal tubular cells. In this paper they show for the first time that hyperoxaluria-induced injury promotes individual calcium oxalate crystal attachment in the renal tubules. They also showed that this was prevented by vitamin E treatment. OBJECTIVE To evaluate gadolinium-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the sole method for the anatomical and functional assessment of potential live-kidney donors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study included 50 consecutive kidney donors; in addition to routine donor evaluation, the kidney was imaged with Gd-enhanced dynamic MRI, which was also used for selectively determining the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of each kidney. All donors had a m99Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) renal scan as the reference standard to measure GFR. The anatomical results of MRI were compared with the findings at donor nephrectomy, and the GFR estimated from MRI compared with that from MAG3 scintigraphy. RESULTS MR angiography had 100% sensitivity, 94% specificity and 96% overall accuracy for detecting the number of renal arteries, and 100% sensitivity, 98% specificity and 98% overall accuracy for the number of renal veins. There was a close correlation (r = 0.54, P

UNLABELLED To report the surgical complications among our pediatric and adolescent renal transplants and to analyze the different factors that may influence the occurrence of such complications. METHODS A total of 250 pediatric and adolescent renal transplants were included in this study. Of these patients, there were 154 boys and 96 girls with a mean age of 15.4+/-3.7 yr (range 5-20 yr). All patients received their kidneys from living donors. Four patients underwent renal retransplantation. Surgical complications were reported and their incidence was correlated with several pretransplant, technical and post-transplant risk factors by both univariate and multivariate analyses. The impact of surgical complications on graft and patient survival was computed using the Kaplan-Meier technique. RESULTS Among the 250 patients, 35 surgical complications were encountered in 33 patients. These complications included urinary leakage in 10 patients, ureteric stricture in 11 patients, complicated lymphocele in eight patients, hematoma necessitating surgical exploration in two patients, wound dehiscence in one patient, stone of the graft ureter in one patient and renal artery stenosis in two patients. The incidence of urological complications (ureteral stenosis, urinary leakage and stone disease) was 8.8% and vascular complications 0.8%. Small ureteric leakage (four patients) was treated by endourologic techniques, whereas leaks associated with ureteral necrosis required open revision. Endourologic treatment was attempted in early and mild cases of ureteric obstruction. In late and severe cases, surgery was performed. On univariate analysis, the factors that significantly affected the incidence of surgical complications were recipient's age, lower urinary tract abnormalities, the type of primary urinary recontinuity, the time to diuresis, and height and weight of the patients. On multivariate analysis, the type of primary urinary continuity was the only factor that sustained statistical significance. Neither patient nor graft survival was affected by the occurrence of surgical complications. CONCLUSION Primary urinary continuity is the only risk factor that affects the incidence of surgical complications among pediatric and adolescent live donor renal transplants, with the extravesical technique of Lich-Gregoir providing the best results. Surgical complications in pediatric and adolescent renal transplantation can be minimized if basic principles of careful transplant techniques are used. Prompt identification and treatment of any complication is paramount to graft and patient survival.

Background/Aim: Mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) is an important in vitro test for studying allograft reaction. The recipient-donor MLC reflects donor specific hypo- or hyperimmune response. The various studies have been correlated donor-specific MLC reactivity with graft survival in cadaver kidney transplantation. This retrospective study reports the relationship between of MLC hyper-responsiveness and graft survival in living-donor kidney transplantation. Methods: The study included 477 patients who underwent live-donor kidney transplantation between Marsh 1976 and January 2002. They were divided according to the relative response (RR) of pre transplant one way MLC into hypo responders (RR 4). The demographic and follow-up data for both groups were recorded. The duration of follow-up ranged from 44 to 84 months. Results: The two groups were homogenous regarding age, sex, donor source, HLA-A, B-and -DR mismatches, number of blood transfusion and type of 3 primary immunosuppressions. Acute rejection (AR) episodes were seen in 182 (44.8%) patients in the hypo-responders group, of whom 10 were steroid resistant, while in the hyper-responder recipients, AR episodes occurred in 33 patients (46.5%) of whom 5 patients (15.2%) were steroid resistant (p < 0.05). Chronic allograft nephropathy occurred in 14.5% and 27.3% and the actuarial 5-year graft survival was 79% and 60% (p = 0.03).in the hypo- and hyper-responder groups, respectively. Conclusions: It is concluded that MLC reaction may predict high-risk patients for immunological graft failure and that more potent immunosuppression should be considered in MLC hyper-responders.

We evaluated contrast enhanced spiral computerized tomography (CT) as a single session for anatomical and functional assessment of potential live kidney donors.The study included 80 consecutive kidney donors. In addition to routine donor evaluation, radiological imaging of the kidneys was performed with spiral CT, which was also used for selective determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of each kidney. All donors underwent 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renal scan as a gold standard for GFR determination. Anatomical results of spiral CT were compared to operative findings at donor nephrectomy. Moreover, the results of CT GFR were compared with those of standard 99mTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine GFR.Spiral CT detected major renal abnormalities that might be potentially significant for safe renal donation in 4 of the 80 donors (5%). Spiral CT had 100% sensitivity, 85.7% specificity and 97.2% overall accuracy for detecting the number of renal arteries. To identify the number of renal veins spiral CT had 100% sensitivity, 92.3% specificity and 98.6% overall accuracy. A comparison between the isotope GFR of each kidney with the corresponding CT GFR showed a perfect correlation (r = 0.54, p0.001). For the right and left kidneys mean isotope clearance was not significantly different from that of mean CT clearance.Multidetector row spiral CT with contrast medium can provide accurate information regarding the anatomy of the urinary tract and vasculature of the kidney. Moreover, it can detect renal and vascular abnormalities that might be potentially significant for safe renal donation. In addition, it can accurately demonstrate selective GFR of each kidney. Therefore, we recommend spiral CT with contrast material as a single radiological diagnostic modality for the assessment of potential live kidney donors.

A comparative study of the absorption potentials of the simple rectal bladder (10 patients), modified rectal bladder (20) and ureterosigmoidostomy (10) was done with intrarectal instillation of 22sodium. Results indicate that absorption is significantly greater among patients with ureterosigmoidostomy. The emptying patterns of ureterosigmoidostomy and the modified rectal bladder were also studied by ascending scintigraphy with 99mtechnetium. Evidence was provided that in cases with ureterosigmoidostomy the isotope is distributed throughout the entire colon.These studies proved the role of the colorectal valve in preventing reflux of urine from the rectum to the proximal colon. Consequently, the surface area of colonic mucosa exposed to urine is decreased and the rate of reabsorption is limited.

A critical analysis of previous reports reveals 2 main drawbacks of the rectal bladder: 1) recurrent pyelonephritis with subsequent loss of renal function (30 per cent) and 2) nocturnal urinary leakage (40 per cent). In a randomized prospective study the role of a submucosal tunnel for prevention of reflux was evaluated. We demonstrated objectively that this technique could provide a patent unidirectional flow of urine in the majority of cases (82.5 per cent). Urodynamic measurements, including flowmetry, rectal pressure and anal electromyography activities, indicated that the driving force for voiding is the voluntary increase of the intra-abdominal pressure rather than the intrinsic contractions of the smooth muscles of the rectum. Accordingly, attempts at control of nocturnal urinary leakage were directed towards increasing the resistance offered by the pelvic floor. The efficiency of imipramine hydrochloride to achieve this goal was tested against a placebo in a clinical trial performed in a prospective randomized fashion. This treatment was effective in the control of enuresis in a significant number of patients (75 per cent). We conclude that the rectal bladder with a terminal colostomy is a highly recommended method for permanent urinary diversion when these 2 modifications are used.

A modified Kock pouch was constructed in 16 patients with cancer of the bladder in whom cystoprostatectomy was indicated. Surgery entailed creation of a Kock pouch with 1 valve for prevention of reflux. The pouch then was anastomosed to the urethral stump. There was no operative mortality. Followup ranged between 3 and 9 months. Excretory urograms revealed excellent upper tract function and good evacuation of the pouch with minimal residual urine. Urodynamic studies demonstrated a volume capacity of greater than 300ml., with pressures of less than 40cm. water. All patients were continent during the day. Nocturnal enuresis was observed in 4 patients, 3 of whom responded favorably to I-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin therapy. The procedure is suitable whenever the urethra can be preserved after cystectomy for cancer.

The objective of this work was to study the possible protective effect of verapamil against the ischaemic acute tubular necrosis in kidney transplantation.