Trends in reader access and article processing charges among urology journals: A systematic review.

Introduction: This bibliometric study is designed to investigate the relations of urology journals with access types and article processing charges (APCs) to assess the changing paradigm in urology publishing. Methods: The three major databases: The Master Journal List directory by Clavirate Analytics, Scopus® and PubMed were queried for relevant journals in urology and subspecialties. Characterization of urology journals was undertaken, and citation metrics and APCs were compared across access types. A partial sampling was used to investigate the number of open access (OA) articles according to access types and correlations with both APCs and CiteScore. Results: Seventy-seven journals were included into the study. Gold and diamond OA journals comprised 35.4% of urology journals in 2009 and were increased to 49.3% in 2022. No significant difference was found for change in the CiteScore of 2017 and 2021 between the access types, F (2,63) = 0.152, P = 0.859, η2 = 0.005. A moderate positive correlation was found between APCs and CiteScore for both hybrid (rs [27] =0.431, P < 0.0005) and gold OA (rs [27] =0.489, P = 0.007) journals. The authors need to pay $1175 more to publish their articles in OA model in hybrid journals. The number of articles published in OA model by hybrid journals were not correlated with APCs (rs = 0.332, P = 0.078) but correlated with CiteScore (rs = 0.393, P = 0.035). Conclusions: A paradigm shift in urology publishing toward OA model has been occurring. Authors choose prestige, OA model, rapid publication, and less rigorous peer-review to publish their articles. APCs bear only moderate correlation with the citation metrics of the urology journals.

The Predictive Value of the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index for the Progression of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men.

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective cross-sectional observational study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) for the progression of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 280 patients diagnosed with LUTS were analyzed, and their demographic characteristics, laboratory results, urological parameters, and SII levels were recorded retrospectively. RESULTS: Clinical progression of LUTS was observed in 43.2% of the patients, with 23.9% undergoing surgery and 21.4% progressing to acute urinary retention. The study found that elevated SII levels were significantly correlated with disease progression and worse outcomes. Multivariate analysis revealed that peak urinary flow rate, erectile function scores, and platelet levels were risk factors for predicting clinical progression in LUTS/BPH patients. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation play a role in BPH pathogenesis and the development of LUTS. Incorporating SII assessment into routine clinical practice could aid in risk stratification, treatment decision-making, and monitoring of disease progression in LUTS/BPH patients.

From Nose to Lumbar Spinal Cord - Reduced Sperm Numbers Occur by Olfactory Bulbectomy-Related Onuf's Nucleus Degeneration: New Experimental Evidence for Kallmann Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Olfaction and its relation to human health is an area of growing interest. Although olfaction disorders have been considered a part of Kallmann syndrome, the role of olfactory dysfunction on spermatogenesis has not been studied yet. We studied if olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) causes dysfunction in spermatogenesis as a result of Onuf's nucleus damage. METHODS: Twenty-eight male rats were divided into three groups: six as the control (G-1; n = 6), six as the only frontal burr hole applied animals SHAM (G-2; n = 6), and 16 as the study group (G-3; n = 16) in which OBX was performed. The animals were followed for 2 months. After the decapitation of the animals, olfactory bulb (OB) volumes (mm3), the neuron density of the Onuf's nucleus (n/mm3), and sperm density (n/mm3) were estimated stereologically and analyzed. RESULTS: OB volumes (mm3), degenerated neuron density of Onuf's nucleus (n/mm3), and sperm numbers of control, SHAM, and study groups were estimated as: 4 ± 0.5; 6 ± 2 and 103.245 ± 10.841 in G-1; 3.5 ± 0.7; 14 ± 4 and 96.891 ± 9.569 in G-2; and 1.3 ± 0.3; 91 ± 17 and 73.561 ± 6.324 in G-3. The statistical results of degenerated neuron density of Onuf's nucleus and sperm numbers between groups are p < 0.005 for G-1/G-2; p < 0.0005 for G-2/G-3; and p < 0.00001 for G-1/G-3. DISCUSSION: This study first time indicates that Onuf's nucleus degeneration secondary to OBX seems to be responsible for reduced sperm numbers.

Agomelatine on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity via oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Drug-induced nephrotoxicity is the greatest deterrent to the use of cisplatin, which is a frequently used chemotherapeutic with proven effectiveness in cancer therapy. Agomelatine, which is used in the treatment of sleep disorders and depression, has gained attention in recent years with its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, the effects of the synthetic melatonin agonist agomelatine on nephrotoxicity were investigated in a rat model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity using biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical methods. Thirty-two male rats were divided into 4 groups: 1. control group, 2. agomelatine group, 3. cisplatin group, 4. cisplatin + agomelatine group. In the cisplatin group, there were widespread atypical glomerular structures and vacuolization in tubular epithelial cells, necrotic tubules, deterioration of brush border structure in proximal tubules, and fibrotic areas characterized by diffuse polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PNL) and extensive collagen deposition in the interstitial spaces. However, in the cisplatin + agomelatine group, we observed a reduction in glomeruli of atypical structure and necrotic tubules, in PNL infiltration in interstitial spaces, and fibrotic areas compared to the cisplatin group. The cisplatin + agomelatine group showed lower malondialdehyde (MDA) serum creatinine, serum urea levels, and higher glutathione (GSH) levels compared to the cisplatin group. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the elevated NF-kß/p65, 8-OHdG, and cleaved caspase-3 positivity in the cisplatin group had significantly decreased in the cisplatin + agomelatine group. In conclusion, agomelatine showed a nephroprotective effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

A novel prognostic risk factor for patients undergoing radical prostatectomy: Triglyseride-glucose index.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and metabolic syndrome are growing health problems in western countries. Recently reported triglyseride-glucose (TyG) index is a reliable and accessible indicator of metabolic syndrome. TyG index could be used as a indicator of a prognostic risk factor for metabolic syndrome-related cancers. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prognostic role of TyG index on oncological outcomes in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Data from 200 men who underwent radical prostatectomy were used. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATSITICAL ANALYSE: TyG was calculated based on TyG index = Ln [TG (mg/dL) FPG (mg/dL)/2] formula. Patients were divided into two groups according to the 8.55 level as cut-off value for TyG index. Laboratory results, oncological outcomes and survivals were comparised statistically between groups. RESULTS: Mean ages of patients were 64.32 ± 6.1 years and median follow-up time was 61.6 ± 35 (range 4-140) month. Biochemical recurrens was observed in 42 (21%) patients. Positive correlation between TyG index, body mass index, waist circumference, prostate biopsy gleason score, clinical T stage, positive surgical margin, pathological T stage and biochemical recurrence were observed. There was no statistical significance in terms of survival between groups. CONCLUSION: Association between TyG index and prostate cancer may facilitate to predict unfavorable prognostic factors of radical prostatectomy. Increased TyG index may use as a predictive marker of positive surgical margin status before radical prostatectomy, BCR, advanced cT and pT stages after radical prostatectomy or worse biopsy gleason score in clinical practice.

Novel predictive risk factor of erectile dysfunction: Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D.

The present study aimed to investigate the association between the severity of erectile dysfunction (ED) and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D. It also sought to determine the cut-off level of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D for ED. This study included 130 men who had ED between 2018 and 2019. Patients were divided into three groups according to their scores on the international index of erectile function-5 (IIEF-5) Turkish validated short form questionnaire. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D results were compared between the groups. The mean age of the patients was 49.28 ± 13.62 years. Groups 1, 2 and 3 included 44 (33.8%) patients with severe ED, 56 (43.1%) patients with moderate ED and 30 (23.1%) patients with mild ED, respectively. Statistical significance was observed between the groups and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. A positive correlation was detected between the IIEF-5 scores, serum testosterone and serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. A cut-off level for serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D was calculated as 27.32 ng/ml. During multivariate analysis, we found that serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were independent prognostic risk factors for decreased IIEF-5 scores. Decreased serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were associated with decreased IIEF-5 scores. Therefore, vitamin D replacement therapy may improve symptoms.

The protective effect of astaxanthin against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

PURPOSE: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of astaxanthin against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. METHODS: Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 264.83 ±â€¯7.39 g were randomly divided into six groups of eight animals each. These were constituted as control, olive oil control, astaxanthin control, cisplatin control, 16 mg/kg cisplatin & 25 mg/kg astaxanthin and 16 mg/kg cisplatin & 75 mg/kg astaxanthin groups. Biochemical evaluation was performed by measuring blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, total oxidant status and total antioxidant status. Renal corpuscle, proximal and distal tubules areas (µm2) were calculated for histopathological evaluation, and Caspase-3 staining was performed for immunohistochemical evaluation. RESULTS: Cisplatin reduced total antioxidant status levels and increased blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, total oxidant status, and Caspase-3 levels. It also caused dilatation, vacuolization, and loss of tubular epithelial cells in the proximal and distal tubules, and glomerular degeneration and edema were determined in kidney tissue (p < 0.05). Administration of 25 mg and 75 mg astaxanthin increased total antioxidant status levels, reduced blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, total oxidant status, and Caspase-3, and ameliorated degenerative distal and proximal tubules, glomerular degeneration and edema in kidney tissue (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The nephrotoxic effect of cisplatin was diminished by the antioxidant effect of astaxanthin.

Dipyridamole reduces penile apoptosis in a rat model of post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction

ABSTRACT Purpose: Despite the nerve-sparing technique, many patients suffer from erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (RP) due to cavernous nerve injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate dipyridamole as a potential treatment agent of post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction. Material and methods: A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three experimental Groups (SHAM+DMSO, BCNI+DMSO and BCNI+DIP). An animal model of bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury (BCNI) was established to mimic the partial nerve damage during nerve-sparing RP. After creating of BCNI, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was administered transperitoneally as a vehicle to SHAM+DMSO and BCNI+DMSO Groups. BCNI+DIP Group received dipyiridamole (10mg/kg/day) as a solution in DMSO for 15 days. Afterwards, rats were evaluated for in vivo erectile response to cavernous nerve stimulation. Penile tissues were also analyzed biochemically for transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) level. Penile corporal apoptosis was determined by TUNEL method. Results: Erectile response was decreased in rats with BCNI and there was no significant improvement with dipyridamole treatment. TGF-β1 levels were increased in rats with BCNI and decreased with dipyridamole treatment. Dipyridamole led to reduced penile apoptosis in rats with BCNI and there was no significant difference when compared to sham operated rats. Conclusions: Although fifteen-day dipyridamole treatment has failed to improve erectile function in rats with BCNI, the decline in both TGF-β1 levels and apoptotic indices with treatment may be helpful in protecting penile morphology after cavernous nerve injury.

Dipyridamole reduces penile apoptosis in a rat model of post-prostatectomy erectile dysfunction.

PURPOSE: Despite the nerve-sparing technique, many patients suffer from erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy (RP) due to cavernous nerve injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate dipyridamole as a potential treatment agent of post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three experimental Groups (SHAM+DMSO, BCNI+DMSO and BCNI+DIP). An animal model of bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury (BCNI) was established to mimic the partial nerve damage during nerve-sparing RP. After creating of BCNI, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was administered transperitoneally as a vehicle to SHAM+DMSO and BCNI+DMSO Groups. BCNI+DIP Group received dipyiridamole (10mg/kg/day) as a solution in DMSO for 15 days. Afterwards, rats were evaluated for in vivo erectile response to cavernous nerve stimulation. Penile tissues were also analyzed biochemically for transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) level. Penile corporal apoptosis was determined by TUNEL method. RESULTS: Erectile response was decreased in rats with BCNI and there was no significant improvement with dipyridamole treatment. TGF-ß1 levels were increased in rats with BCNI and decreased with dipyridamole treatment. Dipyridamole led to reduced penile apoptosis in rats with BCNI and there was no significant difference when compared to sham operated rats. CONCLUSIONS: Although fifteen-day dipyridamole treatment has failed to improve erectile function in rats with BCNI, the decline in both TGF-ß1 levels and apoptotic indices with treatment may be helpful in protecting penile morphology after cavernous nerve injury.

Knotted ureteral stent: a rare complication of ureteral stent usage.

The use of ureteral stents has become a routine urological practice. There are many different complications with ureteral stent use. One rare complication is knotting, which can be a very difficult condition to treat. We report a case in which a complete knot was found in the proximal part of an indwelling ureteral stent with a proximal ureteral stone.