Urology during Afghanistan mission: lessons learned and implications for the future.

PURPOSE: Battle-related trauma is common in modern warfare and can lead to genitourinary injuries. In Western countries, urogenital injuries are rare in the civilian environment. The main objective of this study was to assess urological workload for surgeons on deployment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were acquired over a period of five years of deployment in a U.S. facility in Afghanistan. RESULTS: German urological surgeons treated on average one urologic outpatient per day and performed 314 surgical interventions overall. Surgical interventions were categorized as battle-related interventions (BRIs, n = 169, 53.8%) and nonbattle-related interventions (non-BRIs, n = 145, 46.2%). In the BRI group, interventions were mainly performed on the external genitalia (n = 67, 39.6%), while in the non-BRI group, endourological procedures predominated (n = 109). This is consistent with a higher rate of abdominal or pelvic procedures performed in the BRI group (n = 51, 30.2%). Furthermore, the types of interventions performed on the external genitalia differed significantly. In the BRI group, 58.2% (n = 39) of interventions were scrotal explorations, but none of those procedures were performed in the non-BRI group (p < 0.001). However, 50.0% (n = 13) of scrotal explorations in the non-BRI group were due to suspected torsions of the testes followed by orchidopexy (BRI: n = 1, 1.5%, p < 0.001). Concerning outpatients, the consultation was mainly due to complaints concerning the external genitalia (32.7%, n = 252) or kidney/ureteral stones (23.5%, n = 181). CONCLUSION: While the treatment of urological outpatients in a deployment setting resembles the treatment of soldiers in Germany, BRIs requires abdominal/retroperitoneal urosurgical skills and basic skills in reconstructive surgery.

Multidisciplinary out-patient treatment with monitoring by telemedicine for a large-volume multifocal pyogenic liver abscess in times of the pandemic.

Pyogenic liver abscesses represent one of the rarer, but potentially life-threatening diseases of the liver. The treatment for large-volume liver abscesses is usually multimodal with percutaneous drainage combined with several days of treatment in hospital. We are presenting a report on a male patient with type-2 diabetes mellitus who suffered from a multifocal liver abscess (>10 cm). Due to the exceptional situation caused by the corona pandemic, the patient was treated conservatively with non-standard treatment which involved a multidisciplinary team and out-patient visits. Follow-up to ensure the treatment would be successful was carried through dialogue with the GP responsible for the patient's care, as well as daily telemedicine visits. The daily telemedicine visits were supplemented by episodic follow-up testing of laboratory values and contrast-enhanced ultrasound scans (CEUS) of the liver. We show that purely conservative therapy can be successful in a case with a high risk of mortality by using a combination of close telemedical monitoring and proactive interdisciplinary collaboration with the GP.

Expression of antigen processing and presenting molecules by Schwann cells in inflammatory neuropathies.

Schwann cells are the myelinating glia cells of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and can become targets of an autoimmune response in inflammatory neuropathies like the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) are known to promote autoimmune responses in target tissues by presenting self-antigens. Other cell types could participate in local autoimmune responses by acting as nonprofessional APCs. Using a combined approach of immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry analysis we demonstrate that human Schwann cells express the antigen processing and presenting machinery (APM) in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, cultured human Schwann cells increase the expression of proteasome subunit delta (Y), antigen peptide transporter TAP2, and HLA Class I and HLA Class II complexes in an inflammatory environment. In correlation with this observation, Schwann cells in sural nerve biopsies from GBS patients show increased expression of antigen processing and presenting molecules. Furthermore, cultured human Schwann cells can proteolytically digest fluorescently-labeled nonmammalian antigen ovalbumin. Taken together, our data suggest antigen processing and presentation as a possible function of Schwann cells that may contribute to (auto)immune responses within peripheral nerves.

Mouse Schwann cells activate MHC class I and II restricted T-cell responses, but require external peptide processing for MHC class II presentation.

Schwann cells are the myelinating glia cells of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). In inflammatory neuropathies like the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) Schwann cells become target of an autoimmune response, but may also modulate local inflammation. Here, we tested the functional relevance of Schwann cell derived MHC expression in an in vitro coculture system. Mouse Schwann cells activated proliferation of ovalbumin specific CD8+ T cells when ovalbumin protein or MHC class I restricted ovalbumin peptide (Ova(257-264) SIINFEKL) was added and after transfection with an ovalbumin coding vector. Schwann cells activated proliferation of ovalbumin specific CD4+ T cells in the presence of MHC class II restricted ovalbumin peptide (Ova(323-339) ISQAVHAAHAEINEAGR). CD4+ T-cell proliferation was not activated by ovalbumin protein or transfection with an ovalbumin coding vector. This indicates that Schwann cells express functionally active MHC class I and II molecules. In this study, however, Schwann cells lacked the ability to process exogenous antigen or cross-present endogenous antigen into the MHC class II presentation pathway. Thus, antigen presentation may be a pathological function of Schwann cells exacerbating nerve damage in inflammatory neuropathies.