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Abstract Background Urinary tract cancers including bladder, kidney, ureter, and pelvis are a common malignancy worldwide with high mortality ratio. Aimed to investigate the prevalence of these cancers, we conducted this study. Methods In this study, all the information related to ICD10 codes, gender, age and province of residence of individuals were obtained from the data of Iran’s cancer registry by the Ministry of Health, Medicine and Medical Education and demographic evidence for each sub-country from the reports of Statistics Center of Iran (SCI). Also, the data of two Iranian national survey studies CASPIAN-III, IV, and V (information related to the care and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in childhood and adolescence) and STEPs (including information on NCD in adults over 18 years old) were used. The data was analyzed using Poisson regression with mixed effects to estimate the incidence of cancers. Results Bladder and kidney neoplasm are the most common cancers of the urinary system in Iran. The prevalence of bladder cancer has increased from 5.82 to 11.50 per 100,000 individuals. The increasing trend is growing faster in men compared with women. The incidence of kidney neoplasm has increased over the years (2.03 in 2005 vs. 7.02 in 2020 per 100,000). Having a higher incidence ratio compared with bladder cancer, kidney cancer is responsible for 35.06% of all urinary cancers in 2020 compared with 23.71% in 2005. Both neoplasms of the ureter and renal pelvis were recorded rarely and with lower incidence in both sexes during this period. Conclusion Considering the increasing trend in the incidence of urinary neoplasms in Iran during these years, the advantage of focusing on the risk of urinary cancers is highlighted. Therefore, investigating the prevalence and incidence of urinary cancers to plan and manage these cancers will result in prevention and reduction of the disease burden on the Iranian society. Future studies in this field can help in the prevention and well-timed diagnosis of these cancers.

Abstract Standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays based on microplates are frequently utilized for various molecular sensing, disease screening, and nanomedicine applications. Comparing this multi-well plate batched analysis to non-batched or non-standard testing, the diagnosis expenses per patient are drastically reduced. However, the requirement for rather big and pricey readout instruments prevents their application in environments with limited resources, especially in the field. In this work, a handheld cellphone-based colorimetric microplate reader for quick, credible, and novel analysis of digital images of human cancer cell lines at a reasonable price was developed. Using our in-house-developed app, images of the plates are captured and sent to our servers, where they are processed using a machine learning algorithm to produce diagnostic results. Using FDA-approved human epididymis protein of ovary IgG (HE4), prostate cancer cell line (PC3), and bladder cancer cell line (5637) ELISA tests, we successfully examined this mobile platform. The accuracies for the HE4, PC3, and 5637 tests were 93%, 97.5%, and 97.2%, respectively. By contrasting the findings with the measurements made using optical absorption EPOCH microplate readers and optical absorption Tecan microplate readers, this approach was found to be accurate and effective. As a result, digital image colorimetry on smart devices offered a practical, user-friendly, affordable, precise, and effective method for quickly identifying human cancer cell lines. Thus, healthcare providers might use this portable device to carry out high-throughput illness screening, epidemiological investigations or monitor vaccination campaigns.

Particle separation and sorting techniques based on microfluidics have found extensive applications and are increasingly gaining prominence. This research presents the design and fabrication of a microfluidic device for separating cells using deterministic lateral displacement (DLD), enabling accuracy and continuity while being size-based. Nevertheless, it remains demanding, to completely reverse the detrimental effects of the boundaries that disturb the fluidic flow in the channel and reduce particle separation efficiency. This study introduces a novel approach to enhance the boundary structure of channels. By using this design, separation efficiency is boosted, and the fluid behavior around the walls is improved. The boundary correction (BC) enhances the operation of the microchannel and is very effective in microchannels. With boundary correction, the device exhibited improved separation efficiencies, but in its absence, separation efficiencies dropped. The collected microscopic images of the isolation of prostate cancer cell lines and red blood cells revealed promising outcomes. The efficiency of circulating tumor cell (CTC) throughput in the microfluidic channel, quantified as the ratio or proportion of tumor cells exiting the channel to cells entering it, exceeds 93%. Moreover, the efficiency of CTC isolation, expressed as the proportion of tumor cells from the upper outlet of the microfluidic channel to all cells, is over 89%. Additionally, the efficiency of red blood cell isolation, evaluated as the ratio of red blood cells from the lower outlet of the microfluidic channel to all cells, surpasses 77%. While using the same DLD separator without boundary correction reduced the separation efficiency by around 5%.

Abstract Background Cancer is a major health problem and cause of mortality worldwide. Despite the prevalence of other cancers in males and females, genital cancers are especially important because of their psychological effects on individuals. Currently, cervical cancer, corpus uteri neoplasm, and ovarian cancer are the most common gynecological cancers in Iran. Prostate cancer has increased in Iranian men in the last decade. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the 15-year national trend in the incidence of genital cancers in the Iranian population. Methods In this study, we used Iranian cancer registration data collected by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, demographic information from the reports of the Statistics Center of Iran, STEPs (STEPwise approach to non-communicable diseases risk factor surveillance), and Caspian (childhood and adolescence surveillance and prevention of adult non-communicable disease). A list of potential auxiliary variables and secondary variables at all levels of the province-age-sex were evaluated during the years. We used mixed-effects Poisson regression to model the data and calculate the incidence of each cancer. Results Our results show an enhancement in the outbreak of all types of male cancers, but the most important are prostate (11.46 in 2005 to 25.67 in 2020 per 100,000 males) and testicular cancers (2.39 in 2005 to 5.05 per 100,000 males). As for female cancers, there has been an increase in ovarian and corpus uteri neoplasm incidence with 6.69 and 4.14 incidences per 100,000 females in 2020, making them the most occurring female genital neoplasms. While the occurrence of cervical cancer has decreased over the years (4.65 in 2005 to 3.24 in 2020). In general, the incidence of genital cancers in men and women has amplified in the last 15 years. Conclusions Our study examined the trend of change for each malignant genital neoplasm for 15 years in Iranian men and women in each province. Considering the growing trend of the elderly population in Iran, patient awareness and early screening are essential in reducing mortality and costs imposed on patients and the health care system.

Abstract We aimed to explain the role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-exosomes) on gene expressions of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Four different cell lines were employed, including ACHN, 5637, LNCaP, and PC3, as well-known representatives for renal, bladder, hormone-sensitive, and hormone-refractory prostate cancers, respectively. Cell lines were exposed to diverse concentrations of mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes to find IC50 values. Percentages of apoptotic cells were evaluated by Annexin/P.I. staining. Micro Culture Tetrazolium Test assessed proliferative inhibitory effect; and prostate biomarker (KLK2), EMT (E-cadherin and Snail), angiogenesis genes (VEGF-A/VEGF-C), apoptosis genes (BAX/BCL2, P53) and Osteopontin variants (OPNa/b, and c) mRNA levels were studied by realtime PCR method. All 5637, LNCaP, and PC3 following treatment with exosomes illustrated specific responses with changes in expression of different genes. The increased TP53 and decreased BCL2 expressions were seen in 5637, LNCaP, and PC3. In PC3, OPNb and OPNc have raised more than P53; in LNCap, the increase was in VEGF-c. In 5637 cells, more than TP53 and BCL2 changes, two other genes, VEGFa and B.A.X., have decreased, suggesting exosomes’ anti-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects. The kidney tumor cell line saw no significant gene expression change in ten targeted genes. MSC-exosomes therapy has augmented some interesting antitumor effects on prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer cell lines. This effect which originates from exosomes’ potency to persuade apoptosis and prevent the proliferation of cancer cells simultaneously, was more substantial in bladder cancer, moderate in prostate cancer, and mild in renal cancer.

Abstract Objectives Recurrent Kidney stone formation is a main medical problem imposing a significant burden on both healthcare and the economy worldwide. Environmental and genetic factors have been linked to a bigger risk of kidney stone formation. We aim to assess the role of methylation on recurrent stone formation in three target genes. Methods We aimed to check the association between promoter hypermethylation vitamin D receptor (VDR), calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), and claudin 14 (CLDN14) genes in recurrent kidney stones. We enrolled 30 consecutive recurrent kidney stone formers (age 18–60 years) (cases) and 30 age and gender-matched controls.3. To identify promoter methylation, two target regions from each candidate gene were bisulfited after blood collection and DNA extraction. Methylation quantification was done through methylation-specific high resolution melting (MS-HRM). Results The mean age of the patients and controls (mean ± SD) was 49.58 ± 14.23 years and BMI 36.12 ± 2.72. The methylation status in all six target regions was meaningfully different between the stone-former group and controls when methylation was considered in three clusters of unmethylated, methylated, and hypermethylated. A higher effect in VDR and CLDN was observed compare to CasR (p-value

IntroductionEnd-stage renal disease (ESRD) treatment includes dialysis and kidney transplantation. Transplant rejection is a major barrier to transplant success. One of the markers mentioned in previous studies on renal function in patients with renal failure for various reasons is periostin (POSTN). The expression of POSTN correlates with interstitial fibrosis and reduced renal function. One of the limitations in this regard is the effect of oral lesions on the POSTN level. This study was conducted aimed to measure the relationship between salivary and serum POSTN and renal function in patients with a history of a kidney transplant, taking into account all the conditions affecting POSTN.MethodsIn this study, serum and saliva samples were taken from 23 transplant patients with normal function (NF) and 29 transplant patients with graft failure (GF). At least one year had passed since the transplant. Before sampling, a complete oral examination was performed. Salivary and serum POSTN was examined by ELISA. The results were analyzed by SPSS software.ResultsThe POSTN level in the serum of the NF group (191.00 ± 33.42) was higher than GF patients (178.71 ± 25.68), but the difference was not significant (P = 0.30). Salivary POSTN in NF patients (2.76 ± 0.35) was significantly higher than GF patients (2.44 ± 0.60) (P = 0.01).ConclusionsThe superiority of saliva as a diagnostic fluid includes ease of collection and storage, and non-invasiveness, all of which can lead to the replacement of blood with this bio-fluid. The significant results of salivary POSTN may be due to the lack of serum disturbing factors. Saliva is an ultra-filtered fluid from serum and therefore there are fewer proteins and polysaccharides attached to biomarkers in saliva and the accuracy of measuring these biomarkers in the saliva is more valuable than serum.

Abstract Background Identifying the precise location of the lower ureter is crucial in not only ureteral surgeries but also the other surgeries that may cause ureteral injury. Although a variety of approaches have been applied to detect the location of the lower ureter, the majority of them had an association with several complications or be difficult to perform perfectly or be time-consuming. Case presentation Seven patients with distal ureteric stones of the size ranged from 2 to 3 cm. All patients entered the study after signing the informed consent, and the case report is based on CARE guidelines. After specifying the inner ring of the inguinal canal, the posterior peritoneum was opened and dissected from an area of 2 cm medial and 2 cm inferior to the inner ring. Thereafter, the stone was extracted from the precise location of them, which was identified by ureteral pinching. Conclusion We assumed that we were easily able to identify the site of the lower ureter through 2 cm medial and 2 cm inferior to the inner ring. The result of our study on seven patients demonstrated that this maneuver can minimize the time of surgery and no complications have been seen while this approach was applied.

Introduction Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is a common urological procedure. Obtaining secure percutaneous access to the collecting system which is usually done under fluoroscopic guidance and tract dilatation is a crucial step toward a successful and safe procedure. This study aims to introduce a novel technique to modify this procedure. Method Combined Direct Visual and Imaging Guided PCNL is performed by using specific 28 Fr dilatators with a customized central lumen that accepts a 4.5 F semi-rigid ureteroscope to visually confirm the puncture of target calyx and passing a guidewire. This instrument was passed as a one-shot dilator after the withdrawal of the puncture needle. The rest of the procedure was then carried out in a standard manner. This novel technique was introduced in 12 patients in 2020 in Sina hospital, after completing the informed consent. Results The mean age was 53.58±11.96 and the average stone size was 4.1±0.58 cm and the average time from insertion of the needle into target calyx until securing a guide-wire inside the collecting system (pelvis, ureter) was 95 seconds (84-107). Fluoroscopy time (total time required to obtain the access but not the whole operation) was averagely 30.25±8.01 seconds. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications as a result of this technique. Conclusions Use of the ureteroscope loaded with the dilator and sheath during PNCL seems to be a feasible and safe technique for dilatation of access tract during one shot PCNL.

Introduction Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most usual kidney’s tumors. The improvement of non-invasive biomarkers will make it feasible to investigate whose have high risk of recurrence after radical or partial nephrectomy and will expand the valuation of tumor response to several treatment strategies. In this perspective, liquid biopsy suggests a talented perception for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, with several benefits versus traditional RCC diagnostic processes and can be taken into account of the present RCC diagnosis and controlling strategies. Method In this systematic review, we considered both CTCs count and molecular markers in RCC patient management. A systematic search on several databases like PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science was directed which led to the final 24 studies considering the impact of CTCs on both diagnosis and prognosis of RCC. Results Several primary studies consider the CTCs quantitation as the tumor representing components that are based on immunomagnetic separation procedure. The magnetic cell sorting (MACS) technique, cell search, Tapered-slit filter (photosensitive polymer-based microfilter), CELLection™ Dynabeads® coated with the monoclonal antibodies, and ISET® -Isolation by Size of Tumor cells. If CTCs wanted to be recruited for the prognosis of RCC and progression-free survival (PFS) it is better to check by gene expression profile through quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis (Real Time-PCR) or in situ hybridization of CTC’s RNA molecules. Conclusions CTCs detection as the main liquid biopsy component has an excessive clinical impact on cancer management. Nevertheless, usual methods have some limitations when directing for the recognition of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with high efficiency and low cost. Some CTCs molecular markers and gene expression profiling of CTCs should be considered for RCC prognosis.

Objective: This study explores associations between recurrent kidney stones and genetic polymorphisms.Methods: Meta-analysis of polymorphisms in renal stone cases versus control groups. Four electronic databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of Science) were searched up to 30 May 2021, using the keywords: “kidney stone” or “kidney calculi,” or “urolithiasis” or “nephrolithiasis” or “urinary calculi” and “genome” or “genetic” or “mutation” or “single nucleotide polymorphism.” Forrest plots, ORs, 95% CI, Chi-square (χ2)-test, and index of heterogeneity (I2) were calculated. Only studies with Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS) ≥ 6 were included for quality control, and Funnel, Begg’s, and Eager’s plots assessed publication bias. PROSPERO: CRD42022250427.Results: Among 7,671 searched articles, 72 were included. Polymorphisms in VDR (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.06–1.36), CASR (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.01–1.52), Osteopontin (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.09–1.74), and Urokinase genes (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.02–2.28) showed a significant association with risk of urinary stone formation, while Klotho gene showed a protective effect (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.57–0.99). The VDR gene polymorphism was frequent in Asians, whereas CASR polymorphism was frequent in European and North American populations.Conclusion: Multifactorial nature of the stone formation, emphasizing the role of environmental factors, might explain contradictory results in the literature. While polymorphisms in VDR, CASR, Osteopontin, and Urokinase genes were associated with urinary stone formation, the Klotho gene showed a protective effect.

Abstract Nowadays there is an ongoing acute respiratory outbreak caused by the novel highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19). The diagnostic protocol is based on quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and chests CT scan, with uncertain accuracy. This meta-analysis study determines the diagnostic value of an initial chest CT scan in patients with COVID-19 infection in comparison with RT-PCR. Three main databases; PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and EMBASE were systematically searched for all published literature from January 1st, 2019, to the 21st May 2020 with the keywords "COVID19 virus", "2019 novel coronavirus", "Wuhan coronavirus", "2019-nCoV", "X-Ray Computed Tomography", "Polymerase Chain Reaction", "Reverse Transcriptase PCR", and "PCR Reverse Transcriptase". All relevant case-series, cross-sectional, and cohort studies were selected. Data extraction and analysis were performed using STATA v.14.0SE (College Station, TX, USA) and RevMan 5. Among 1022 articles, 60 studies were eligible for totalizing 5744 patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of chest CT scan compared to RT-PCR were 87% (95% CI 85–90%), 46% (95% CI 29–63%), 69% (95% CI 56–72%), and 89% (95% CI 82–96%), respectively. It is important to rely on the repeated RT-PCR three times to give 99% accuracy, especially in negative samples. Regarding the overall diagnostic sensitivity of 87% for chest CT, the RT-PCR testing is essential and should be repeated to escape misdiagnosis.

Introduction Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the preferred treatment for large kidney stones. Second-look nephroscopy is one of the methods for removing residual stone fragments after PCNL. During second-look nephroscopy, we pass a guidewire through the previously established nephrostomy tract, which was impossible in this case. Thus, we performed the procedure with direct tract ureteroscopy and simultaneous fluoroscopy. Case presentation A 45-year-old man with full staghorn calculi was the case of this study. We performed PCNL surgery on him, but because of tachycardia and a fall in the patients’ blood pressure, we terminated the surgery after 3 hours. Because of the high possibility of remaining stones, we inserted a Foley 16 catheter as a nephrostomy. In the performed computerized tomography (CT) scan two days after the surgery, a significant volume of stone residue was observed. Four days after surgery, the patient was transferred to the operating room after the improvement of clinical status and hematuria resolved. The procedure was done when the patient was in the prone position and under general anesthesia. After cutting the nephrostomy tube, the attempt to insert the wire was not successful. So, we removed the nephrostomy tube. After retrograde injection of the contrast agent and fluoroscopy, we observed the contrasting agent passage through the nephrostomy tract to the skin surface. We found the main tract with simultaneous ureteroscopy and fluoroscopy. then insert guidewire in the renal pelvis and nephroscopy through the wire. Conclusions With the help of ureteroscopy and direct vision and fluoroscopy, we found the previous tract, entered the pyelocaliceal system, and embedded the guidewire. Thus, we performed nephroscopy from the same tract site without the need to get re-access.

Prostate cancer involves a considerable percentage of men worldwide and as be postulated; prostate cancer epidemiology is not restricted to a specific country. Despite tremendous efforts that have been made regarding prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, this issue remains challenging for urologists and oncologists by far. The routine method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer is a prostate biopsy, which may accompany by several complications that may be detrimental to patients’ health. Consequently, an alternative method with lower rates of complications is necessitating. For almost two decades liquid biopsy, an alternative method for cancer diagnosis with obvious benefits in comparison with previous methods of cancer diagnosis, has been at the center of interest of many studies, in particular, studies with prostate cancer subjects. The applicability of liquid biopsy which primarily includes cell-free DNA, circulating tumor cells, RNAs, and exosomes in prostate cancer is the main area of research of recent research. However, using liquid biopsy in routine clinical practices yet has not occurred and further studies with more firm evidence are warranted. Herein, we provided a brief report of advancements that have occurred in prostate cancer.

Introduction Current hemostatic agents are needed to reduce bleeding and transfusion during several surgery processes. Plant-based absorbable surgical hemostatic agents (microporous polysaccharide hemospheres) are proposed for use in surgical wound sites as an absorbable hemostat and in this study, we checked its efficacy. Methods This study was run under the Tehran University of Medical Science Ethics Committee observation based on the clinical trial registry criteria (IRCT20190624043991N1). Total numbers of 42 percutaneous nephrolithotomies (PCNL) patients were enrolled, 21 cases hemostatic powder and 21 controls. Hemostatic powder pumped into Amplatz sheath before its extraction. Results The mean age of the case and control groups was 42.1±19.5, and 42.1±18.5 years, respectively. The median stone size was 11.3±1.85cm. Overall, the differences between sex, age, stone size, and location were not statistically significant in the two groups (p-value˃0.05). Serum hemoglobin reduction following PCNL was significant in both groups compared to the serum level before surgery (p-value0.05). Conclusions The present study showed that microporous polysaccharide hemosphere (MPH) did not affect bleeding reduction, hemoglobin decline, and postoperative blood transfusion, and hospital stay.

Prostate cancers (PC) are mainly diagnosed by screening prostate-specific antigen (PSA) quantity in the blood or a digital rectal exam (DRE). PC typically does not have symptoms contrary to advanced cancers that are diagnosed due to significant symptoms. Diagnosis of PC is established with the transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy. Estimation of the free PSA to total PSA (fPSA/tPSA) ratio and Multiparametric-magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) can expand the diagnosis accuracy. Several molecular biomarkers have improved PC diagnosis like Confirm MDx, Prostate Core Mitomic Test (PCMT), TMPRSS2-ERG, The PTEN gene, ProMark, 4K score including, and Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs). These molecular biomarkers are considered both genetic and epigenetic (DNA methylation) hallmarks of PC. We aim to present an overview of all molecular biomarkers of PC and their implication in improving the management of PC patients.

The research in biomedical sciences is based on basic research on animals. As a consequence of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many research projects involving animal studies have faced interruptions due to the raised concerns about the safety of working with animals The disruption in such research projects has raised significant concerns in biomedical scientific research worldwide. It seems necessary to assess and evaluate the safety and feasibility of conducting research projects on animal models. This study provides evidence on the feasibility of continuing the research activities in animal laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the results of studies, the risk of COVID-19 is low in routine laboratory animals, including mice, rats, and pigs. By examining the available data from our animal laboratory, continuing research activities on low-risk animals, with adequate safety and personal protection equipment being available at the facility, animal studies could be carried forward without endangering the safety of the researcher and the society.

Abstract Background Several factors such as recipient age, BMI, serum cratinine, and positive history of dialysis are important in predicting graft survival among kidney transplant recipients. One factor affecting the transplant outcomes is donors and recipients gender, which is usually ignored. Methods A total of 1113 kidney transplant recipients were studied in this retrospective cohort study. Several factors were taken into account for graft survival and outcomes such as donors and recipients gender and age in addition to common recipient factors like cratinine, eGFR, BMI, and positive history of dialysis. Results The most successful transplant based on donor-recipient gender was observed in male donor to male recipient, and then male donor to female recipient. In female transplant recipients, level of serum cratinine and eGFR, positive dialysis history before transplant, and low donor hemoglobin level can be considered as good prognostic factors recommended for kidney transplant survival. Conclusions Our results suggested gender matching for kidney transplant. Only in some exceptional conditions, male donor to female recipient kidney transplant may be successful and female donors to male recipients are not suggested, especially in aged patients with the history of dialysis.

IntroductionThere is a challenge on the medical efficacy of intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy and the power of the immune system boosting, which can be influenced by the age of the non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients. This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of BCG therapy among aged (>70) and younger patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).MethodsThe central database of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were queried until August 4, 2021, by using "BCG," "Bladder Cancer," "AGE," and "efficacy" keywords. After excluding duplicated results, titles and abstracts were evaluated by two independent reviewers. The exclusion criteria included non-English studies, conference abstracts, reviews, editorials, letters, and comments. Three main outcomes, disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS), were considered. The statistical analysis was performed using STATA (version 14; Stata Corp, College Station, Texas, USA).ResultsFrom 1115 found documents, the 24 research articles were recruited in the systematic review, and 10 were the candidate for meta-analysis. The overall estimate of H.R. revealed that BCG therapy in those over age 70 is significantly associated with an improved risk of progression and cancer-specific death in studied patients. However, this association was not statistically significant for DFS (1.04 (95% CI: 0.85,1.26)).ConclusionThe BCG maintenance therapy improved CSS and PFS oncological outcomes in elderly patients with NMIBC. BCG therapy did not significantly change the DSF.

Aim. Accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) has a fundamental role in clinical and patient care. Recent advances in diagnostic testing and marker lead to standardized interpretation and increased prescription by clinicians to improve the detection of clinically significant PCa and select patients who strictly require targeted biopsies. Methods. In this study, we present a systematic review of the overall diagnostic accuracy of each testing panel regarding the panel details. In this meta-analysis, using a structured search, Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched up to 23 September 2019 with no restrictions and filters. The study’s outcome was the AUC and 95% confidence interval of prediction models. This index was reported as an overall and based on the WHO region and models with/without MRI. Results. The thirteen final articles included 25,691 people. The overall AUC and 95% CI in thirteen studies were 0.78 and 95% CI: 0.73–0.82. The weighted average AUC in the countries of the Americas region was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.70–0.75), and in European countries, it was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72–0.88). In four studies with MRI, the average weighted AUC was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86–0.90), while in other articles where MRI was not a parameter in the diagnostic model, the mean AUC was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.70–0.76). Conclusions. The present study’s findings showed that MRI significantly improved the detection accuracy of prostate cancer and had the highest discrimination to distinguish candidates for biopsy.

The current screening test for prostate cancer (PCa) has the weak point of a high false-negative rate and a low true positive rate. There is an extreme need for a new and accurate testing system. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) as the main liquid biopsy components provide excellent biomarkers for early diagnosis of PCa, prognosis, recurrence risk, and treatment efficacy. These tumor cells can get the release of tumor and freely circulate in the patient’s body fluids and easily are traceable to answer the presence of the tumor more than its stage. The new gifted ISET®-CTC Test is a simple blood test with high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of CTC in PCa. As a novel idea, it is a challengeable point nowadays that it needs further studies.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are somehow complicated to treat and patients frequently will have the problem of infection recurrence after complete cure. Usually, the UTI treatment is done by antibiotics but the problem of bacterium resistance and sensitivity should be always kept in mind. The recent trends in herbal medicine open new insight to cranberry (Cornus mas) as the promising anti-infection and anti-cancer substance. It has shown anti-infection properties in UTI especially for the complete treatment of urinary tract recurrent infection. However, it can increase the risk of kidney stones and have interaction with warfarin.

Background & Objective: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is considered to be the most common type of thyroid malignancies. Epigenetic alteration, in which the chromatin conformation and gene expression change without changing the sequence of DNA, can occur in some tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. Methylation is the most common type of epigenetic alterations that can be an excellent indicator of PTC invasive behavior. Methods: In this research, we determined the promoter methylation status of four tumor suppressor genes (SLC5A8, RASSF1, MGMT, and DNMT1) and compared the results of 55 PTC cases with 40 goiter patients. For methylation, we used the methylation-sensitive high resolution melting (MS-HRM) assay technique. The resulting graphs of each run were compared with those of 0%, 50%, and 100% methylated controls. Result: Our data showed that the promoter methylation of SLC5A8, Ras association domain family member 1(RASSF1), and MGMT were significantly different between PTC tissue and goiter with P-value less than 0.05. The most significant differences were observed in RASSF1; 77.2% of hyper-methylated PTC patients versus 15.6% hyper-methylated goiter samples (P

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for only 3% of adult malignancies, and the lung is the most common site of metastasis of this tumor, which may be accompanied by pleural metastasis. However, solitary pleural involvement is very rare and its presentation with dyspnea as the first manifestation of RCC is extremely rare.We describe a 39-year-old male with episodes of dyspnea dating back 6 months prior to hospital admission. During paraclinical investigations, chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated pleural effusion and multiple pulmonary nodules, raising the question of primary mesothelioma or metastasis from distant focus. Histopathology and immunohistochemical examinations of pleural biopsy provided evidence of metastatic RCC of the clear cell type. Therefore, an abdominal contrast computed tomography (CT) was performed, revealing a 3 cm right renal mass, which was then removed by partial nephrectomy.Physicians and pathologists should be aware of unusual presentations of RCC with no symptoms attributable to the kidneys, including dyspnea as in our case.

The auditory neural code is resilient to acoustic variability and capable of recognizing sounds amongst competing sound sources, yet, the transformations enabling noise robust abilities are largely unknown. We report that a hierarchical spiking neural network (HSNN) optimized to maximize word recognition accuracy in noise and multiple talkers predicts organizational hierarchy of the ascending auditory pathway. Comparisons with data from auditory nerve, midbrain, thalamus and cortex reveals that the optimal HSNN predicts several transformations of the ascending auditory pathway including a sequential loss of temporal resolution and synchronization ability, increasing sparseness, and selectivity. The optimal organizational scheme enhances performance by selectively filtering out noise and fast temporal cues such as voicing periodicity, that are not directly relevant to the word recognition task. An identical network arranged to enable high information transfer fails to predict auditory pathway organization and has substantially poorer performance. Furthermore, conventional single-layer linear and nonlinear receptive field networks that capture the overall feature extraction of the HSNN fail to achieve similar performance. The findings suggest that the auditory pathway hierarchy and its sequential nonlinear feature extraction computations enhance relevant cues while removing non-informative sources of noise, thus enhancing the representation of sounds in noise impoverished conditions.

Objectives We aimed to evaluate the association of nutritional status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among elderly Iranian residents. Methods We used the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to assess HRQOL among participants with normal nutrition status, at risk of malnutrition, and malnourished. Results Mean group scores for the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the SF-36 were 44, 36.5, and 29.0 for normal, at-risk, and malnourished groups, respectively; for the Mental Component Summary (MCS), these were 47.1, 40.7, and 34.8, respectively. The PCS and MCS displayed significant positive correlation with malnutrition in three models: crude (I); age- and sex-adjusted (II); and adjusted for age, sex, education, occupation, marital status, and residence. Standardized beta coefficients of PCS in Models I–III were 1.35, 1.27, and 1.14, respectively; for MCS, these were 1.11 in all three models; all results were statistically significant. Estimated results of logistic regression were −6.023 for malnourished versus well-nourished and −2.652 for malnourished versus at risk of malnutrition. Conclusion Our analyses revealed the crucial impact of nutritional status on both mental and physical components of HRQOL.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is prostate weighting f over 500g and is usually public in men older than fifty years.A case of 78-year-old man was referred to Sina hospital complaining of urinary frequency. His total prostate-specific antigen was 17.3 ng/mL and the volume of his prostate was measured at 350 mL by transrectal ultrasound. Simple prostatectomy was done and a huge adenoma was enucleated in an open retropubic manner weighting 1070g. “Giant BPH” is a rare pathology of the prostate gland. In this study, we report a successful enucleation of a giant BPH (1070 g) without any significant complications. Keywords: Benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, Case report

Introduction: post term pregnancy is associated with maternal and fetal complications, including sudden death of the fetus and low Apgar score after birth. Evening primrose oil has been used for cervical ripening. Despite the effects of evening primrose oil on prostaglandin precursor levels and the well-established role of prostaglandins in the reconstruction of cervical matrix. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the effect of vaginal consumption of evening primrose oil on cervical ripening in nulliparous women with post-term pregnancy. Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 60 pregnant women with post-term pregnancy who referred to the maternity of Ahvaz Sina Hospital in 2017. The study groups consisted of 2 groups: vaginal capsule of 1000 mg of evening primrose oil and placebo. Drug was administered after induction of labor with 10 unit oxytocin. In the intervention group, one vaginal capsule of 1000 mg of evening primrose oil and in the control group, gelatin capsule as similar as the drug were used. Then, the induction of labor was started with oxytocin with similar dose (10 unit in 1000 cc serum ringer) in both groups. Cervical ripening was measured based on regular examination (every one hour). Data were collected by demographic questionnaire, timing, and bishop-score checklist. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) and independent t-test and Chi-square test. P

Thyroid cancer is a frequent endocrine related malignancy with continuous increasing incidence. There has been moving development in understanding its molecular pathogenesis recently mainly through the explanation of the original role of several key signaling pathways and related molecular distributors. Central to these mechanisms are the genetic and epigenetic alterations in these pathways, such as mutation and DNA rearrangements. That does not mean, however, that all the somatic abnormalities here in a cancer genome have been involved in development of the cancer and just driver mutations are concerned in tumor initiation. By way of illustrations, MAPK pathway which is motivated by BRAFV600E and RAS and RET / PTC rearrangements are suggesting driver genetic alterations in follicular derived thyroid cancers which are considered in this review.

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors. The current diagnostic tools are based on biochemistry and histopathology results, but heterogeneity of diagnostic markers, signs and symptoms of PCCs bring a lot of difficulties for these two current methods. Unfortunately microscopic understanding of PCCs is not adequate for its confident prognosis and management. There are data linking specific genotypes of PCCs tumors to specific locations, typical biochemical phenotypes or future clinical behaviors. The detection of a germ-line mutation possibly can guide us to an early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and regular surveillance with better prognosis not only for the patient but also for their family members. Moreover, the latest discoveries in gene sequencing, circulating DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) will support the exact molecular pathogenesis of PCCs in order to provide an important basis for future PCCs managements.

The new aspect of oncometabolite can be an indicator of genetic and epigenetic change and cancer biomarker.

Transformation of a normal cell to cancerous one is dependent on the accumulation of several genetic and epigenetic alterations. One of the candidate driver genetic alterations can happen in succinate dehydrogenases (SDHx) coding gene include SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, and SDHAF2. The most important SDH mutation is in the SDHD gene, which encodes the smallest subunit of mitochondrial complex II (SDH). It has key function both in familial and non-familial hereditary paraganglioma/phaeochromocytoma syndrome (HPGL/PCC). SDHx genes mutations can have resulted in genetic and epigenetic changes like histone hypermethylation. These properties can lead to succinate-mediated inhibition of α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. So hypoxic conditions can generate subsequent neoplastic transformation, and in this review, we are presenting the role of SDHx in several malignancies.

prostate cancer screening should start five years before the incidence age of prostate cancer in his brothers. The age and Gleason score of onsets in familial prostate cancer can provide critical background data for the exact age of screening and diagnostic stages.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Adrenal involvement in the course of malignant lymphoma occurs in about 4% of patients, but primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only one case study reported the combination of PAL with pheochromocytoma. In the current study, we present the second case who was a 63-year-old man admitted to our hospital with hematuria and abdominal discomfort. Ultrasound imaging indicated the presence of a lesion, 5×4×3 cm in size, in the upper pole of his right kidney. Histopathologic study confirmed a collision tumor composed of pheochromocytoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Thyroid cancer, one of the most widespread malignancies of the endocrine-related system that over the past three decades, has a vivid increasing rate. The diagnosis and management of it is dependent on the tumor type and stage. Thyroid cancer is divided into four main types, including PTC (papillary thyroid carcinoma), FTC (follicular thyroid carcinoma), MTC (medullarly thyroid carcinoma), and ATC (anaplastic thyroid carcinoma). The development of the noninvasive diagnostic tool for plasma genotyping, also known as “liquid biopsy”, brings a new insight for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. It is mainly containing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cell (CTC), exosomes and extrachromosomal circular DNA (ecDNA). Liquid biopsy as a new plasma genotyping source brings a new prospective of tumor monitoring and therapy. It beneficially reduces the need of tissue biopsy and made early recognition of relapse as well. This article summarizes its components characteristics and their benefit in diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes are infrequent inherited disorders in which more than one endocrine glands develop noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant) tumors or grow excessively without forming tumors. There are 3 famous and well-known forms of MEN syndromes (MEN 1, MEN 2A, and MEN 2B) and a newly documented one (MEN4). These syndromes are infrequent and occurred in all ages and both men and women. Usually, germ line mutations that can be resulted in neoplastic transformation of anterior pituitary, parathyroid glands, and pancreatic islets in addition to gastrointestinal tract can be an indicator for MEN1. The medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in association with pheochromocytoma and/or multiple lesions of parathyroid glands with hyperparathyroidism can be pointer of MEN2 which can be subgrouped into the MEN 2A, MEN 2B, and familial MTC syndromes. There are no distinct biochemical markers that allow identification of familial versus nonfamilial forms of the tumors, but familial MTC usually happens at a younger age than sporadic MTC. The MEN1 gene (menin protein) is in charge of MEN 1 disease, CDNK1B for MEN 4, and RET proto-oncogene for MEN 2. The focus over the molecular targets can bring some hope for both diagnosis and management of MEN syndromes. In the current review, we look at this disease and responsible genes and their cell signaling pathway involved.

To communicate effectively animals need to detect temporal vocalization cues that vary over several orders of magnitude in their amplitude and frequency content. This large range of temporal cues is evident in the power-law scale-invariant relationship between the power of temporal fluctuations in sounds and the sound modulation frequency (f). Though various forms of scale invariance have been described for natural sounds, the origins and implications of scale invariant phenomenon remain unknown. Using animal vocalization sequences, including continuous human speech, and a stochastic model of temporal amplitude fluctuations we demonstrate that temporal acoustic edges are the primary acoustic cue accounting for the scale invariant phenomenon. The modulation spectrum of vocalization sequences and the model both exhibit a dual regime lowpass structure with a flat region at low modulation frequencies and scale invariant 1/f2 trend for high modulation frequencies. Moreover, we find a time-frequency tradeoff between the average vocalization duration of each vocalization sequence and the cutoff frequency beyond which scale invariant behavior is observed. These results indicate that temporal edges are universal features responsible for scale invariance in vocalized sounds. This is significant since temporal acoustic edges are salient perceptually and the auditory system could exploit such statistical regularities to minimize redundancies and generate compact neural representations of vocalized sounds.

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS), a deep-rooted tumor with a predilection for lower extremities, has a proclivity to involve the tendons and aponeuroses. This sarcoma is seen predominantly around the foot and ankle region. Diagnosis is mainly finalized using histological and immunohistochemical assessment. The main treatment strategy is surgery followed by chemotherapy. An erratic challenge is posed by histological similarity and immunohistochemical overlap to the diagnosis and distinguishing of clear cell sarcoma from primary or metastatic malignant melanoma (MM) which is more common. Here, we described a CCS case located in the left leg of a 37-year-old male patient.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) recognition and characterization in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer have proven practical and predictive value in different studies. However, the clinical significance of CTCs enumeration and molecular characterization in thepersonalization of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment remains under the debate. A literature search in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus was performed from October 1990 to June 2016 for studies which evaluating CTCs and its association with clinical and pathological characteristics and medical outcome in the field of breast cancer personalization for both diagnosis and treatment categories. The treatment outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) or relapse in different patients. Sixty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The sample size varies from 1 to 2026. Median follow-up was 15 months (range 3-27). Different molecular techniques have been applied toresearch, but they mostly are based on CTCs enrichment and then detection by using FDA-approved Cell SearchTM. By far the most studies define CTCs as cytokeratins (CK) positive and CD45 negative cells. Despite the differences in methodology, twenty-eight studies for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis were mainly focused on CTCs isolation and enumeration.Forty-threeresearches were about CTCs count and exact molecular characterization. In the way of precision treatment, CTCs detection before starting the first-line of therapy or during therapy in breast cancer patients is extremely valuable, but in the way of precision medicine it should be supported with some molecular characteristics of CTCs like CTCs phenotypic changes, gene expression analysis of CTCs and molecular characteristics of CTCs.

Promoter methylation in a number of tumor-suppressor genes (TSGs) can play crucial roles in the development of thyroid carcinogenesis. The focus of the current meta-analysis was to determine the impact of promoter methylation of eight selected candidate TSGs on thyroid cancer and to identify the most important molecules in this carcinogenesis pathway. A comprehensive search was performed using Pub Med, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases, and eligible studies were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated according to the Newcastle Ottawa scale table and pooled odds ratios (ORs); 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of the associations with Stata 12.0 software. Egger's and Begg's tests were applied to detect publication bias, in addition to the "Metatrim" method. A total of 55 articles were selected, and 135 genes with altered promoter methylation were found. Finally, we included eight TSGs that were found in more than four studies (RASSF1, TSHR, PTEN, SLC5A, DAPK, P16, RARβ2, and CDH1). The order of the pooled ORs for these eight TSGs from more to less significant was CDH1 (OR = 6.73), SLC5 (OR = 6.15), RASSF1 (OR = 4.16), PTEN (OR = 3.61), DAPK (OR = 3.51), P16 (OR = 3.31), TSHR (OR = 2.93), and RARβ2 (OR = 1.50). Analyses of publication bias and sensitivity confirmed that there was very little bias. Thus, our findings showed that CDH1 and SCL5A8 genes were associated with the risk of thyroid tumor genesis.

Objective(s): As mitochondrial oxidative stress is probably entailed in ATP production, a candidate modifier factor for the long QT syndrome (LQTS) could be mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). It has been notified that ion channels' activities in cardiomyocytes are sensitive to the ATP level. Materials and Methods: The sample of the research was an Iranian family with LQTS for mutations by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing. The study searched about 40% of the entire mitochondrial genome in the family. Results: Four novel mutations that lead to an amino acid substitution and two mutations in mitochondrial tRNA have been informed in this study. A Statistically significant correlation (r = 0.737) between QTc (ms) and the age of LQTS patients has been reported. Conclusion: The research data show that these mitochondrial mutations, in a family with LQTS, might be the responsible mitochondrial that defect and increase the gravity of LQTS.