The Efficacy and Safety of Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery in Elderly Patients: A Propensity Score Matching Study by the RIRSearch Group.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in elderly patients by comparing them with propensity score-matched age groups. METHODS: Patients who underwent RIRS to treat upper urinary tract stone disease at seven centers were included in the study and were divided into four groups. The age intervals of the patients in Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4 were 18-29 years old, 30-49 years old, 50-64 years old, and over 65 years old, respectively. Propensity score matching analysis was used to homogenize the groups in terms of demographic and clinical properties. Operative results, preoperative complications, peroperative complications, postoperative complications, duration of hospitalization time, and stone-free status were compared between groups. RESULTS: A total of 1,017 patients were included in the study. There were 69 (9.9%) patients in Group 1, 324 (46.5%) in Group 2, 217 (31.1%) in Group 3, and 87 (12.5%) in Group 4 after propensity score matching. The operation time and postoperative complication rates were significantly different among groups, whereas the hospitalization time, peroperative complication rates, and stone-free status were similar. The operation time was significantly higher in patients over 65 years old (p=0.001). The postoperative complication rates were significantly higher in Group 1 with Clavien I-II complication predominance (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: The efficacy and safety of RIRS did not change with aging, and RIRS was an effective option for the treatment of upper urinary system stones in elderly patients.

Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma with Unusual Mandible Metastasis.

Follicular thyroid cancer is the second-most common type of thyroid cancer after papillary thyroid cancer. Metastases to the mandible and maxillofacial region are rare. Our study presents a 55-year-old patient who underwent total thyroidectomy for follicular thyroid cancer and subsequent radioactive iodine therapy. Sixteen years after diagnosis, elevated thyroglobulin levels suggested disease recurrence. Using advanced imaging techniques - Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan, bone scintigraphy, and posttreatment I-131 scan-an unexpected metastatic site was identified: the left mandibular condyle. A biopsy confirmed the presence of metastatic follicular thyroid cancer.

Bibliometric analysis of most cited Peyronie's disease and its management publications.

Introduction: Peyronie's disease (PD) is a common urologic illness, motivating numerous scientific investigations and publications. Scientific publications have more authors each year. A bibliometric review of the PD literature might help urologists and sexual medicine professionals comprehend publication tendencies in this subject. The current study was aimed at presenting a bibliometric analysis of PD, which is one of the important and trending subjects of andrology. Methods: On January 5, 2023, Web of Science scanned documents with the terms Peyronie's disease" "Peyronie's disease treatment", "Peyronie's disease management", "Peyronie's disease surgery" and "Peyronie's disease injection" from 1975 through 2023. Titles, years, authors, citations, citation indices, journal names, authors' countries of origin, article categories, and funding sources were recorded. Results: "Clinical Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum for the Treatment of Peyronie Disease in 2 Large Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Phase 3 Studies" has the most citations and citation index. Most of the T100 articles were published in 2020, primarily in the Journal of Urology. These articles mainly focused on treatment, especially surgeries. All of these articles were in English, and the vast majority of them were by authors from the US who were most frequently collaborated with by other authors. Conclusion: This research analyzed the top 100 PD studies. This research focused on pathophysiology, innovative surgical procedures, and new approaches of PD. It also recommended bigger databases and more financing for research.

Use of the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index to Predict Treatment Efficacy in Patients with Bladder Pain Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between bladder pain syndrome (BPS) and systemic inflammatory index (SII) and to examine the impact of treatment protocols on it. STUDY DESIGN: Observational Study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Urology, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkiye, from January 2017 to December 2022. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 BPS patients who underwent medical therapy. Upon diagnosis, the patients completed the king's health questionnaire (KHQ), beck depression questionnaire (BDQ), beck anxiety questionnaire (BAQ), and short form (SF-36) quality of life form. Peripheral blood SII was measured. After six months of regular therapy, the SII was recalculated when the patients completed the same forms again. The SII was compared between instances when patients reported more complaints, higher form scores, and instances when they reported fewer and lower scores. RESULTS: The patients had a mean age of 46.1 ± 13.6 years, with four males and 26 females. The mean follow-up duration was 76.3 ± 24.5 months. Five patients of KHQ subcategories showed statistically significant decreases following therapy (52 to 39.17, 66.66 to 54.16, 54.40 to 41.07, 75.55 to 58.14, and 60.55 to 40.47). All patients of SF-36 components increased (p = 779, p = 0.393, p = 0.007, p = 0.004, p = 0.008, p = 0.041, p = 0.010, and p = 0.767, respectively). BDQ and BAQ decreased after therapy (11.55 to 11.41 and 11.86 to 11.24, respectively). Lymphocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and SII decreased significantly (p = 0.001, 0.019, 0.002 and 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSION: SII, lymphocyte count, NLR, and PLR decreased after treatment, similar to BDQ and BAQ. SII is a simple and feasible method for evaluating the treatment efficacy of BPS. KEY WORDS: Bladder pain syndrome, Lymphocyte, Neutrophil, Systemic immune inflammation index, Platelet.

Intimal Hemorrhage of Basilar Artery Induced by Severe Vasospasm Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: The Experimental Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral vasospasm, a serious complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), has been extensively studied for its neurochemical and pathophysiologic mechanisms. However, the contribution of inner elastic membrane dissection and subintimal hemorrhage to basilar artery occlusion remains underexplored. This study investigates inner elastic membrane-related changes in the basilar artery after SAH. METHODS: Twenty-four hybrid rabbits were divided into control, sham, and SAH groups, with SAH induced by autologous blood injection. After 2 weeks, basilar artery changes, vasospasm indexes (VSIs), and dissections were evaluated. RESULTS: The SAH group showed significantly higher VSI, with vascular wall thickening, luminal narrowing, convoluted smooth muscle cells, intimal elastic membrane disruption, endothelial cell desquamation, and apoptosis. Some SAH animals exhibited subintimal hemorrhage, inner elastic membrane dissection, and ruptures. Basilar arteries with subintimal hemorrhage had notably higher VSI. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the role of subintimal hemorrhage and inner elastic membrane dissection in basilar artery occlusion post-SAH, offering valuable insights into vasospasm pathophysiology.

Unusual Presence of Synchronous Primary Ovarian and Thyroid Extranodal Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Without Lymph Node Involvement.

ABSTRACT: Extranodal lymphomas without lymph node involvement are rarely observed and create diagnostic challenges. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who was admitted with abdominal swelling. Ultrasonography findings suggested bilateral ovarian masses. 18 F-FDG PET/CT revealed intense uptake on the bilateral pelvic mass and thyroid gland. Following excisional surgery and thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy, the patient was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This case is exceptionally rare, as it presents 2 synchronous extranodal involvements in the ovaries and the thyroid gland independently while not presenting any lymph node activity, which has not been reported before.

Predictive Value of the Naples Prognostic Score on Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease Revascularized via Percutaneous Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the third most common clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis after coronary artery disease and stroke. Despite successful endovascular treatment (EVT), mortality and morbidity rates still remain higher in patients with PAD. Naples prognostic score (NPS) is a novel scoring system, reflects the patient's nutritional and immunological statuses as well as systemic inflammatory responses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between NPS and long-term outcomes in patients with PAD. METHODS: The population of this retrospective study consisted of 629 PAD patients who underwent EVT at Kafkas University Hospital between 2020 and 2023. For each patient, the NPS was calculated and then patients were divided into 3 groups based on their NPS. The primary end point of the study was the rate of major adverse cardiovascular (MACEs) and limb events (MALEs), that is, all-cause death or development of critical limb ischemia with consequent amputation. RESULTS: Of a total of 629 patients, 62 were classified into group 0 (NPS 0), 315 into group 1 (NPS 1 or 2), and 252 into group 2 (NPS 3 or 4). The distribution of patients' baseline characteristics, angiographic features and MACEs and MALEs according to the NPS groups was analyzed. Significant adverse outcomes differences were observed among the 3 groups (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, lowest preprocedure ankle-brachial index, left ventricular ejection fraction and NPS (hazard ratio 1.916, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.530-2.398, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of MACE whereas diabetes mellitus, presence of previous PAD, hemoglobin level, in-hospital acute thrombotic occlusion and NPS (odds ratio 1.963, 95% CI 1.489-2.588, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of MALE. CONCLUSIONS: The inflammatory and nutritional state reflected by NPS levels was strongly associated with all-cause mortality and amputation after EVT in patients with PAD. Furthermore, NPS was found to be an independent predictor of these clinical outcomes.

Comparison of the 68 Ga-FAPI Versus 18 F-FDG in Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Anthracosis-Associated Lymph Nodes: FAPI Unmasking False-Negatives and False-Positives.

ABSTRACT: A 73-year-old woman with poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma was referred to 18 F-FDG PET/CT for evaluation of the disease. FDG PET/CT showed intense uptake in the disseminated lymph nodes. However, there was no uptake in the primary tumoral lesion. Subsequently, 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT was performed with the decision of the tumor board and demonstrated intense uptake in the tumoral lesion. However, there was low or no uptake in disseminated lymph nodes. Tru-cut biopsy results revealed that all the lymph nodes were associated with anthracosis.

Analysis of thoracic trauma patients transferred to Türkiye's largest hospital after Kahramanmaras earthquake.

BACKGROUND: On February 6, 2023, an earthquake in Türkiye caused massive destruction. Over 50.000 people are known to have lost their lives, and over 100.000 are known to have been maimed. In our study, we aimed to analyze the treatment process of 267 METHODS: The demographic characteristics, the time spent under the rubble, the duration of transfer to the hospital, and the treatment process of patients admitted to our hospital have been evaluated. RESULTS: There are 125 (46.8%) men and 142 (53.2%) women in the study. The rate of thoracic trauma was 21.8%. Of all the patients, 15.7% (n=42) had pneumothorax, 18% (n=48) had contusion, 28.8% (n=77) had hemothorax, and 73% (n=195) had rib fractures. The mean time spent under the rubble was 17.6±26.5 h, the duration of transfer to the hospital was 138.5±113.6 h, and the hospitalization time was 93.8±152.3 h. The duration of hospitalization and transfer has been statistically longer for the patients who were under the rubble (85.4%) than for those who were not. (14.6%) (p=0.048). There is a statistically weak positive correlation between the time spent under the rubble and the time of transfer (p=0.048). CONCLUSION: The state, the time spent under the rubble, and the presence of hemothorax and pneumothorax should be effectively evaluated in earthquake-induced thoracic traumas. Considering these criteria in the transfer of patients to the centers operating at full capacity in a short time will minimize morbidity and mortality.

Effect of preoperative single-dose methylprednisolone administration on early postoperative pain following retrograde intrarenal surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of preoperative single-dose methylprednisolone use on postoperative early pain after retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). METHODS: Patients who had 10-20 mm solitary kidney stones and underwent RIRS procedures were included in this prospective cohort study between February 2022 and May 2023. Patients who were administered methylprednisolone at a dose of 1 mg/kg preoperatively were included in group 1 (n: 31), and the other first 90 patients who met the inclusion criteria and did not receive methylprednisolone before surgery were included in group 2 (n: 90). Demographic data, features of stone, postoperative pain at 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hour, the need for analgesics, changes in serum glucose levels, and the prevalence of postoperative fever were compared. RESULTS: Age, sex, stone laterality, localization, size, Hounsfield Unit, modified Satava scores, stone-free status, duration of the RIRS procedure, and duration of the ureteral access sheath were found to be similar between groups. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores at postoperative 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h were found to be statistically significantly lower in group 1 (p = .001, p = .001, p = .001, p = .001, and p = .001, respectively). Similarly, postoperative analgesic requirements were found to be significantly lower in group 1 (p = .048) with a similar postoperative fever rate and changes in serum glucose levels between groups. CONCLUSION: Giving a single dose of methylprednisolone at a dose of 1 mg/kg preoperatively for the RIRS procedure is safe and effective at preventing early pain and the need for analgesics after the RIRS procedure.

Low relapse rate in patients with giant cell arteritis in a multi-centre retrospective Turkish Registry.

OBJECTIVES: Glucocorticoids (GC) are widely accepted as the standard first-line treatment for giant cell arteritis (GCA). However, relapse rates are reported up to 80% on GC-only protocol arms in controlled trials of tocilizumab and abatacept in 12-24 months. Herein, we aimed to assess the real-life relapse rates retrospectively in patients with GCA from Turkey. METHODS: We assembled a retrospective cohort of patients with GCA diagnosed according to ACR 1990 criteria from tertiary rheumatology centres in Turkey. All clinical data were abstracted from medical records. Relapse was defined as any new manifestation or increased acutephase response leading to the change of the GC dose or use of a new therapeutic agent by the treating physician. RESULTS: The study included 330 (F/M: 196/134) patients with GCA. The mean age at disease onset was 68.9±9 years. The most frequent symptom was headache. Polymyalgia rheumatica was also present in 81 (24.5%) patients. Elevation of acute phase reactants (ESR>50 mm/h or CRP>5 mg/l) was absent in 25 (7.6%) patients at diagnosis. Temporal artery biopsy was available in 241 (73%) patients, and 180 of them had positive histopathological findings for GCA. For remission induction, GC pulses (250-1000 methylprednisolone mg/3-7 days) were given to 69 (20.9%) patients, with further 0.5-1 mg/kg/day prednisolone continued in the whole group. Immunosuppressives as GC-sparing agents were used in 252 (76.4%) patients. During a follow-up of a median 26.5 (6-190) months, relapses occurred in 49 (18.8%) patients. No confounding factor was observed in relapse rates. GC treatment could be stopped in only 62 (23.8%) patients. Additionally, GC-related side effects developed in 64 (24.6%) patients, and 141 (66.2%) had at least one Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI) damage item present during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this first multi-centre series of GCA from Turkey, we observed that only one-fifth of patients had relapses during a mean follow-up of 26 months, with 76.4% given a GC-sparing IS agent at diagnosis. At the end of follow-up, GC-related side effects developed in one-fourth of patients. Our results suggest that patients with GCA had a low relapse rate in real-life experience of a multi-centre retrospective Turkish registry, however with a significant presence of GC-associated side effects during follow-up.

Identification of immune-related candidate biomarkers in plasma of patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma.

Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is an intracranial tumor arising from neoplastic Schwann cells and typically presenting with hearing loss. The traditional belief that hearing deficit is caused by physical expansion of the VS, compressing the auditory nerve, does not explain the common clinical finding that patients with small tumors can have profound hearing loss, suggesting that tumor-secreted factors could influence hearing ability in VS patients. We conducted profiling of patients' plasma for 66 immune-related factors in patients with sporadic VS (N > 170) and identified and validated candidate biomarkers associated with tumor size (S100B) and hearing (MCP-3). We further identified a nine-biomarker panel (TNR-R2, MIF, CD30, MCP-3, IL-2R, BLC, TWEAK, eotaxin, and S100B) with outstanding discriminatory ability for VS. These findings revealed possible therapeutic targets for VS, providing a unique diagnostic tool that may predict hearing change and tumor growth in VS patients, and may inform the timing of tumor resection to preserve hearing.

A case report of giant malignant schwannoma of the sciatic nerve associated with neurofibromatosis-1: A CARE-compliant article.

RATIONALE: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous syndrome that causes multiple central and peripheral nerve sheath tumors. People with NF1 have a 10% chance of developing malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). Here we report a unique instance of a malignant schwannoma that has remained free of metastasis since its initial removal a decade ago. The malign schwannoma has been infrequently documented in the literature, and remarkably, no instances of such an extensive postoperative time without metastases have ever been described. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 46-year-old male patient with NF had multiple neurofibromas in different parts of his body, underwent surgery about 10 years ago (2013), and was diagnosed histopathologically as MPNST. DIAGNOSES: He was admitted to our institution with a recurrent mass in the posterior third of the proximal thigh and severe pain radiating to the left lower extremity, which presented as sciatic pain (2021). A magnetic resonance imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography examination revealed that the tumor was likely malignant. INTERVENTIONS: Surgical excision was performed. OUTCOME: A 10-year follow-up revealed no metastases or neurologic impairment. LESSONS: When articles about benign schwannomas are placed in a separate category, little is written about NF-1-related malignant schwannomas of the sciatic nerve. MPNSTs are high-grade, aggressive sarcomas with a high risk of local recurrence (40%-65%) and metastasis to other body parts. Therefore, among the various benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors in NF-1 patients, the diagnosis of MPNST is crucial.Orthopedic surgeons should be aware that neurofibromas in NF-1 have a significant risk of developing MPNSTs. This study reports the successful treatment of a giant malignant sciatic nerve schwannoma with a long follow-up period without metastasis.

The Predictive Factors for the Longer Survival of the Reusable Flexible Ureterorenoscopy.

PURPOSE: The flexible ureterorenoscopy (FURS) is expensive and fragile equipment which easily break down during the surgery. f-URS have yet some problems with their durability that affect survival. One of the most important ways to increase the survival of a device is to improve its use in the right indications. We aimed to investigate whether the durability of the f-URS will be affected due to the volume and location of the stone and some anatomical features of the including infundibulopelvic angle (IPA), and location anomalies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The collected data from 705 patients' data including their age, sex, stone location, and stone volume, S-ReSC score, Hounsfield unit (HU) as stone density, IPA, BMI, and the usage time of f-URS using 10f-URS were included to study. Exp(B) values and confidence intervals (95% CIs) of parameters were calculated with COX regression and Roc curve analysis was also used to determine the cut-off value. RESULTS: Renal malformation, DJstent use, previous ESL application, and UAS use did not affect contrary to expectations stone volume, HU, IPA, and S-ReSC score were among the factors statistically significant affecting the durability of the device. It was observed, Exp(B) values of the affecting factors to be 0.984, 0.268, 0.894, and 0.607, respectively. We found the most appropriate cutoff value for IPA as 41.25 degrees. CONCLUSION: The mean stone volume broken by each of the subsequent f-URS may increase, while the mean operative time may decrease as time progresses. This result shows us the importance of mastery of the device, such as the deflection maneuver, and the correct use distance of the laser, which improves with the increase in user experience, and makes us interpret that the operation time is shortened with this self-confidence. Factors including stone volume, HU, IPA, S-ReSC score affect the durability of the f-URS device and the as well as manufacturing features.

Outcomes of lung transplantation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a progressive airway disease that can progress to the terminal stage requiring oxygen supply. In this period, lung volume reduction therapies and/or lung transplantation may be considered. Morbidity and mortality risks due to transplant surgery and posttransplant immunosuppressive therapy show the importance of selecting the best candidates who will benefit from transplantation. In this context, BODE index criteria serve as important markers. This study aimed to analyze the outcomes of lung transplantation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to identify variables that may affect post-transplant clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: Lung transplants diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease performed in our center between March 2013 and January 2023 were included in the study. Demographic information and both pre-op and post-op clinical data of the transplant patients were collected. The effect of BODE index criteria and other pre-transplant clinical data on short- and long-term outcomes after transplantation were investigated. Results: During the study period, 34 lung transplants were performed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. One patient died during the operation, three patients received single transplants, and 30 received double transplants. Post-operative primary graft dysfunction was more common in single transplant recipients. The results were comparable between single and double transplants in terms of post-transplant pulmonary function and the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. BODE index criteria had no effect on early and late post-operative clinical data, however intra-operative use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, primary graft dysfunction, and prolonged extubation were significantly higher in recipients younger than 60 years. Conclusion: Our study suggests that prelisting demographic and clinical data of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients had no significant effect on post-operative outcomes, however, intra-operative ECMO use, prolonged extubation, primary graft dysfunction (p< 0.05 for each) and chronic rejection (p> 0.05) were more common in patients who are <60 years of age. These data need to be confirmed by larger studies.

Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery Learning Curves of Urology Residents Supervised by an Experienced Endourologist: An RIRSearch Study.

INTRODUCTION: Although retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is being performed with increasing frequency, there are only a limited number of studies about the learning curve (LC). This study aimed to analyze the LC of RIRS for five surgeons who underwent the same training. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of the 410 patients who underwent RIRS between April 2017 and 2022 in a single institution, which were performed consecutively by five surgeons, were analyzed. All 50 cases performed by each surgeon were included and numbered consecutively and separately, according to the date of the operation. The combined stone-free rate (SFR) was calculated for each surgeon's cases in the same row, and the LCs were created using moving average and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analyses. Separate multivariable analyses identified each period's (LC vs. beyond) characteristics. RESULTS: The LCs from the combined SFRs reached a plateau after approximately 50 cases for both the CUSUM and the moving average. The effect of stone burden on SFR was more evident in the first 50 cases compared to subsequent cases in the multivariable analyses (p = 0.001 and p = 0.047, respectively). Case order and stone density were independent factors in the first 50 cases (OR: 1.02 [95% CI 1.00-1.04], p = 0.04 and OR: 0.99 [95% CI 0.99-1.00], p = 0.04) but not significant in subsequent cases (OR: 0.97 [95% CI 0.94-1.00], p = 0.1 and OR: 1.00 [95% CI 0.99-1.00], p = 0.7, respectively). Compared to single locations except the lower calyx, the unfavorable effect of the multiple-stone localization on SFR grew in strength after the 50th case (OR: 0.42 [95% CI 0.23-0.78], p = 0.01 and OR: 0.20 [95% CI 0.09-0.46], p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study reporting on the RIRS LCs of urology residents. While stone burden, density, and multiple-stone localization were the factors determining SFR in the learning period, after completing the LC, the effect of stone burden weakened and multiple-stone localization became stronger.

Overexpression of POFUT1 promotes malignant phenotype and mediates perineural invasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most aggressive neoplasms, which requires more effective prevention and treatment modalities. Previous studies found that protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1) upregulation promotes carcinogenesis, although the potential roles, underlying molecular mechanisms, and biological implications of POFUT1 in HNSCC were not investigated. In this study, in silico analyses referred POFUT1 as a potential oncogene in HNSCC. Further analysis of tumor and normal tissue samples as well as HNSCC cells with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry showed significant overexpression of POFUT1 in HNSCC clinical tumor tissue specimens and cell lines compared to corresponding controls. In vitro investigations revealed that overexpression of POFUT1 promoted phenotypes associated with cancer aggressiveness and its knockdown in HNSCC cells suppressed those phenotypes. Further xenograft experiments demonstrated that POFUT1 is an oncogene in vivo for HNSCC. Immunohistochemical analysis with human clinical samples and cancer cell-dorsal root ganglion ex-vivo coculture model showed that deregulation of POFUT1 is involved in the perineural invasion of HNSCC cells. These results suggest POFUT1 expression as a potential prognostic marker for patients with head and neck cancer and highlight its potential as a target for HNSCC therapy, although more molecular clues are needed to better define the functions of POFUT1 related to HNSCC carcinogenesis.

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.

A pulmonary mass extending into the left atrium through the pulmonary vein: a rare diagnosis with an unusual origin.

INTRODUCTION: Myxofibrosarcoma usually occurs in the extremities of middle-aged to older adults. Metastatic myxofibrosarcomas generally emerge in the lung. In this case report, we aim to present a case of primary pulmonary myxofibrosarcoma with tumor thrombus extending into the left atrium without pulmonary vein or atrial invasion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old male who was being followed up due to a pulmonary nodule presented with a mass extending from the left lower lobe to the left atrium. No extrathoracic malignancy was detected in the pre-operative examination. The mass extending into the left atrium without invasion was excised with the lower lobe of the left lung. A post-operative histopathological examination revealed myxofibrosarcoma. CONCLUSION: Very few cases of cervical, thoracic wall, mediastinum and cardiac primary myxofibrosarcoma have been documented, and to the best of our knowledge, only one primary pulmonary myxofibrosarcoma case has previously been reported in the English literature. Here, we present a case of primary pulmonary myxofibrosarcoma that extended to the left atrium through the pulmonary vein. In such rare clinical presentations, intracardiac tumor resection should precede pulmonary resection due to the possibility of catastrophic tumor embolisms.