Comparison of Perioperative Outcomes and Complications of Laparoscopic and Robotic Nephroureterectomy Approaches in Patients with Upper-Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: For medical institutions without robotic equipment, it remains uncertain whether laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (LNU) can achieve results similar to those of robotic surgery for the treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). This meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of robot-assisted radical nephroureterectomy (RANU) with that of LNU using a large sample size of patients. METHODS: A systematic meta-analysis was performed using data (available to May 2022) acquired from multiple scientific databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) guidelines, according to the protocols registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021264046), were followed to perform this cumulative analysis. RESULTS: Nine high-quality studies were included in this analysis, considering factors such as operative time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), length of hospital stay (LOS), positive surgical margins (PSM), and complications. Statistical indicators revealed no significant differences between the RANU and LNU groups in terms of OT (weighted mean difference [WMD] 29.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.10 to 59.92; p = 0.22), EBL (WMD -55.30, 95% CI -171.14 to 60.54; p = 0.13), LOS (WMD -0.39, 95% CI -1.03 to 0.25; p = 0.12), PSM (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% CI 0.44-3.36; p = 0.17], or complications (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.49-1.69; p = 0.13). CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis showed that the perioperative and safety indicators of both RANU and LNU were similar and both showed favorable outcomes in UTUC treatment. However, some uncertainties remain in the implementation and selection of lymph nodes for dissection.

Recent Breakthroughs and Advancements in NOx and SOx Reduction Using Nanomaterials-Based Technologies: A State-of-the-Art Review.

Nitrogen and sulpher oxides (NOx, SOx) have become a global issue in recent years due to the fastest industrialization and urbanization. Numerous techniques are used to treat the harmful exhaust emissions, including dry, traditional wet and hybrid wet-scrubbing techniques. However, several difficulties, including high-energy requirement, limited scrubbing-liquid regeneration, formation of secondary pollutants and low efficiency, limit their industrial utilization. Regardless, the hybrid wet-scrubbing technology is gaining popularity due to low-costs, less-energy consumption and high-efficiency removal of air pollutants. The removal/reduction of NOx and SOx from the atmosphere has been the subject of several reviews in recent years. The goal of this review article is to help scientists grasp the fundamental ideas and requirements before using it commercially. This review paper emphasizes the use of green and electron-rich donors, new breakthroughs, reducing GHG emissions, and improved NOx and SOx removal catalytic systems, including selective/non-catalytic reduction (SCR/SNCR) and other techniques (functionalization by magnetic nanoparticles; NP, etc.,). It also explains that various wet-scrubbing techniques, synthesis of solid iron-oxide such as magnetic (Fe3O4) NP are receiving more interest from researchers due to the wide range of its application in numerous fields. In addition, EDTA coating on Fe3O4 NP is widely used due to its high stability over a wide pH range and solid catalytic systems. As a result, the Fe3O4@EDTA-Fe catalyst is projected to be an optimal catalyst in terms of stability, synergistic efficiency, and reusability. Finally, this review paper discusses the current of a heterogeneous catalytic system for environmental remedies and sustainable approaches.