Is there a role for radical prostatectomy in the management of oligometastatic prostate cancer? A systematic review.

CONTEXT: There is a growing interest about the role of radical prostatectomy (RP) in local cancer control in oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa). PURPOSE: To evaluate the oncological and functional outcomes of RP in the management of oligometastatic PCa through a systematic review. METHODS: A systematic review search was performed and the following bibliographic databases were accessed: PubMed, Scopus, Embase and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials were searched from January 2000 to November 2022. This was carried out by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: Based on the literature search of 384 articles, 11 (511 patients) met the inclusion criteria (mean age: 65.5 yr.). Positive surgical margins were 59%. Median follow-up ranged from 13 to 64 months. Clinical progression-free survival ranged from 56% at 3 years to 45% at 7 years. Specific and overall survival rates ranged from 60 to 80.5% and 78 to 80% at 5 years, respectively. Clavien ≥3 complications ranged from 0 to 21%. The urinary incontinence rate was 14.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to published studies, RP of oligometastatic PCa appears to be safe with acceptable morbidity in selected patients. The lack of a consensual definition, the low level of evidence and the bias of the comparative and retrospective studies available do not allow practical recommendations to be made. There is currently no place for metastatic surgery outside of participation in a clinical trial.

[Endoscopic papillary abnormalities and urinary stone recognition (EPSR): How and why?] / Reconnaissance endoscopique des anomalies papillaires et des calculs urinaires (REPC) : comment et quel intérêt ?

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this article is to present the endoscopic papillary abnormalities and stone recognition (EPSR) to state-certified nurses (IDE and IBODE) working in the operating room. METHODS: This article is based on a literature review and the author's experience concerning the endoscopic papillary abnormalities and stone recognition. RESULTS: Since the advent of minimally invasive surgery and the laser, stones are no longer sent as one piece to laboratories, but fragmented. This has made it more difficult for biologists to fully analyze the stones, because they have less morphological data than before. Therefore, endoscopic papillary abnormalities and stone recognition have positioned themselves as tools that can compensate for this loss of information. They play a pivotal role in the identification of the lithogenesis cause, and thus allow a recurrence risk reduction of stones. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic papillary abnormalities and stone recognition are recent tools that require learning. However, the benefit of their uses is proven and is necessary for a complete management of urolithiasis.

A systematic review of contemporary management of oligometastatic prostate cancer: fighting a challenge or tilting at windmills?

PURPOSE: Amongst the unanswered questions regarding prostate cancer (PCa), the optimal management of oligometastatic disease remains one of the major concerns of the scientific community. The very existence of this category is still subject to controversy. Aim of this systematic review is to summarize current available data on the most appropriate management of oligometastatic PCa. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: All relevant studies published in English up to November the 1st were identified through systematic searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Google Scholar and Ovid database. A search was performed including the combination of following words: (prostate cancer) and (metastatic) and [(oligo) or (PSMA) or (cytoreductive) or (stereotaxic radiotherapy) or (prostatectomy)]. 3335 articles were reviewed. After title screening and abstract reading, 118 papers were considered for full reading, leaving a total of 36 articles for the systematic review. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: There is still no consensus on the definition of oligometastatic disease, nor on the imaging modalities used for its detection. While retrospective studies suggest an added benefit with the treatment the primitive tumor by cytoreductive prostatectomy (55% survival rate vs 21%, p < 0.001), prospective studies do not validate the same outcome. Nonetheless, most studies have reported a reduction in local complications after cytoreductive prostatectomy (< 10%) compared to the best systemic treatment (25-30%). Concerning radiotherapy, an overall survival benefit for patients with a low metastatic burden was found in STAMPEDE (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.90; p = 0.007) and suggested in subgroup analysis of the HORRAD trial. Regarding the impact of metastases-directed therapy (MDT), the STOMP and ORIOLE trials suggested that metastatic disease control might improve androgen deprivation therapy-free survival (in STOMP: 21 vs 13 months for MDT vs standard of care). Nonetheless, the impact of MDT on long-term oncologic results remains unclear. Finally, oligometastatic disease appears to be a biologically different entity compared to high-burden metastatic disease. New findings on exosomes appear to make them intriguing biomarkers in the early phases of oligometastatic PCa. CONCLUSION: Oligometastatic PCa is today a poorly understood disease. The implementation of new imaging techniques as whole-body MRI and PSMA PET/CT has increased exponentially the number of oligometastatic patients detected. Data of available trials suggest a benefit from cytoreductive prostatectomy to reduce local complication, though its impact on survival remains unknown. Radiotherapy may be beneficial for patients with low-burden metastatic PCa, while MDT may delay the need for androgen deprivation therapy. Results from ongoing trials data are eagerly awaited to draw reliable recommendations.

Family-based association study of HLA class II with type 1 diabetes in Moroccans.

BACKGROUND: The T1D is a multifactorial disease; with a strong genetic control. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system plays a crucial role in the autoimmune process leading to childhood diabetes. About 440,000 of the childhood population of the world (1.8 billion children under 14 years of age), have type 1 diabetes, and each year an additional 70,000 develop this disorder. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of HLA class II in Moroccan families of diabetic children to identify susceptibility alleles of the Moroccan population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included in this study, Moroccan families who have at least one child with T1D. The age of onset of diabetes was less than 15 years. HLA class II (DRB1* and DQB1*) was carried out by molecular biology techniques (PCR-SSP and PCR-SSO). The FBAT test (family-based association test) was used to highlight the association between T1D and the HLA-DRB1* and -DQB1* polymorphism. RESULTS: The association of HLA class II (DRB1*, DQB1*) in type 1 diabetes was analyzed in fifty-one Moroccan families, including 90 diabetics. The results revealed that the most susceptible haplotypes are the DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01, DRB1*04:05-DQB1*03:02 (Z=3.674, P=0.000239; Z=2.828, P=0.004678, respectively). And the most protective haplotype is the DRB1*15-DQB1*06. CONCLUSION: This is the first family-based association study searching for an association between HLA class II and T1D in a Moroccan population. Despite the different ethnic groups forming Morocco, Moroccan diabetics share the most susceptible and protective HLA haplotypes with other Caucasians populations, specifically the European and Mediterranean populations.

[Gamma Knife surgery for VII nerve schwannomas]. / Radiochirurgie Gamma Knife des schwannomes du nerf facial.

RATIONALE: Radical resection of VII nerve schwannomas classically implies a high risk of severe facial palsy. Due to the rarity of facial palsy after Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) of vestibular schwannomas the evaluation of GKS in this specific difficult group of patient appears rational. We have found no similar evaluation in the literature. METHOD: Among 1.000 schwannomas of the cerebello-pontine angle operated in Marseilles, France between July 1992 and March 2003, 9 have been diagnosed as originating from the VII. Criterias for this diagnosis are the involvement of the second or third portion of the VII nerve canal (7 patients) and/or peroperative observation during a previous microsurgery (2 patients). The rare facial palsy after vestibular schwannomas radiosurgery occurring usually before 18 Months have been considerated only the patients with more than 2 Years of follow-up (8 patients). RESULTS: Four of these patients had the experience of a previous spontaneous facial palsy one (3 patients) or several times (1 patient). A normal motor facial function was observed only in 2 cases before GKS (House 2 in 6 patients, House 3 in one). The follow-up was 2-7 Years for the evaluable patients. None of these have developed or worsened facial palsy, two have improved their preoperative facial palsy. To date, all tumors have been evaluated. The specificity and heterogeneity of this group of patients led us to develop an original classification in 4 anatomical types presenting different clinical and surgical difficulties. CONCLUSION: This first study demonstrates that radiosurgery allows treating these patients while preserving a normal motor facial function. Because of this advantage, GKS must be considered as a first option for all small to middle sized facial nerve schwannomas.

[Nephroprotection in young type 1 diabetic patients treated with converting enzyme inhibitor]. / Néphroprotection chez le jeune diabétique de type 1 traité par inhibiteur d'enzyme de conversion. Résultats préliminaires d'une étude prospective.

CONTEXT: Diabetic nephritis is a renal microangiopathy that represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. It is expressed either by microalbunuria, proteinuria or renal failure, depending on the stage of the diabetes. In this context, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) slow down the progression of renal damage. OBJECTIVE: To assess the nephroprotector effects of ACEI in young type 1 Moroccan diabetics with varying stages of renal damage. Methods Prospective study including 29 patients exhibiting a diabetic nephropathy and/or hypertension having been followed-up for 1 year and treated with ACEI. The following parameters were analysed on inclusion, at six months and after 1 year of treatment: systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), urinary excretion of albumin, 24-hour proteinuria, creatininemia, creatinine clearance, glycosylated haemoglobin, kalemia, total cholesterol and triglycerides. RESULTS: The mean age of our patients was of 23.6 +/- 5.5 years, the age at onset of diabetes was of 9.3 +/- 2.6 years. According to the renal damage, we determined 4 groups of patients: Group I: microalbuminuria (10 patients), Group II: proteinuria (7 patients), Group III: renal failure (6 patients), Group IV: isolated hypertension (6 patients). Study of the progression of the clinical and biological parameters, during treatment with converting enzyme inhibitors (combined with diuretics in Groups II and III) revealed: In Group I: a decrease in urinary excretion of albumin, which returned to normal in 3 cases, in Group II: a decrease in the proteinuria, which became a microalbuminuria in 4 cases, in Group III: a stabilisation of renal function concomitant to a reduction in proteinuria, in Group IV: a significant reduction in mean arterial pressure. CONCLUSION: One year of treatment with ACEI appears effective on reducing proteinuria levels and stabilising the renal function in young type 1 diabetic patients.

Response of apolipoprotein AIV and lipoproteins to glycaemic control in young people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Young people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (n = 104, 7 to 19 years old) were classified into groups of good (I), fair (II), and poor (III) diabetic control and compared to 22 healthy controls of same origin and age range. Triglycerides (TG) were significantly elevated with respect to controls only in group III, and total cholesterol was increased by over 40% (p < 0.01) mainly due to low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C). Apolipoprotein B (apo B) was over 40% higher in groups II and III. TG, LDL-C, and apo B concentrations all positively correlated with HbA1c levels. Neither HDL-C nor apolipoprotein AI (apo AI) were affected by glycaemic control, but phospholipids were increased in all three subgroups of IDDM subjects (p < 0.001). Over the course of 6 months' treatment, TG, apo B, and LDL-C varied in parallel with HbA1c, confirming a tight association with the quality of glycaemic control. Apolipoprotein AIV (apo AIV) was higher in all groups and closely related to glycaemic control (r = +0.43, p < 0.001), independent of TG or HDL. The specific and sensitive response of apo AIV to insulin deficiency suggests a direct effect at the level of intestinal synthesis.

Combined heart and kidney transplantation using the same donor.

A 45-year-old man received a combined heart and kidney transplant provided by the same donor. The patient was in the terminal stage of renal failure and was submitted to 3 sessions of haemodialysis per week for 2 years before transplantation. A dilated cardiomyopathy with severe impairment of left ventricular (LV) function was discovered, precluding renal transplantation alone. In the postoperative course, a cardiac rejection episode was detected by echocardiography and documented by endomyocardial biopsy; no simultaneous rejection of the kidney could be detected. The patient was discharged after 2 months, and he resumed a normal and active life. The specific problems raised by the management of such multi-organ transplantation are briefly reviewed.