Methylation analysis of histone 4-related gene HIST1H4F and its effect on gene expression in bladder cancer.

Recently, aberrant DNA methylation of the HIST1H4F gene (encodes Histone 4 protein) has been shown in many types of cancer, which may serve as a promising biomarker for early cancer diagnosis. However, the correlation between DNA methylation of the HIST1H4F gene and its role in gene expression is unclear in bladder cancer. Therefore, the first objective of this study is to explore the DNA methylation pattern of the HIST1H4F gene and then further elucidate its effects on HIST1H4F mRNA expression in bladder cancer. To this end, the methylation pattern of the HIST1H4F gene was analyzed by pyrosequencing and the effects of the methylation profiles of this gene on HIST1H4F mRNA expression in bladder cancer were examined by qRT-PCR. Sequencing analysis revealed significantly higher methylation frequencies of the HIST1H4F gene in bladder tumor samples compared to normal samples (p < 0,0001). However, when we evaluated the correlations between hypermethylation of HIST1H4F and the clinicopathological parameters (tumor stage, tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, muscle-invasion), no significant difference was found between the groups (p > 0.05). In addition, we examined the role of hypermethylation of the HIST1H4F gene on HIST1H4F mRNA expression. We found that hypermethylation of HIST1H4F in the exon have no effect HIST1H4F mRNA expression in bladder cancer (p > 0.05). We also confirmed our finding in cultured T24 cell line which HIST1H4F gene is hypermethylated. Our results suggest that hypermethylation of the HIST1H4F seems to be a promising early diagnostic biomarker in bladder cancer patients. However, further studies are needed to determine the role of HIST1H4F hypermethylation in tumorigenesis.

Rare complication of needleless mini-sling procedure: Case report.

The mini-sling procedure is a widely used, minimally invasive treatment for stress urinary incontinence. While bladder perforation and stone formation over the mesh is not an expected complication of the mini-sling procedure, in this case, we report on the management of bladder calculi formed over the mesh, which was passed through the bladder while applying the mini-sling procedure, and was eventually removed using holmium laser. Performing cystoscopy in patients with irritative and obstructive symptoms after the sling procedure will help confirm bladder perforation, and an endoscopic approach using holmium laser is an effective treatment.

Pediatric extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: multi-institutional results.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy, auxiliary procedures and complications of pediatric extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) performed with electrohydraulic lithotripters. METHODS: Children with urolithiasis, aged between 0 and 15, were retrospectively evaluated. ESWL was performed by using two different electrohydraulic lithotripters, Elmed Multimed Classic (Elmed Medical Systems, Ankara, Turkey) and E-1000 (EMD Medical Systems, Ankara, Turkey), between January 2008 and December 2012 in four different referral centers in Turkey. RESULTS: 85.5% of patients were stone-free at 3 months. Further ESWL treatment was needed in 33.7% of the cases (one session, n = 55; two sessions, n = 15; three sessions, n = 13). Steinstrasse occurred in 10 patients but 8 of them cleared completely during the follow-up period. Urinary tract infection was detected in 3 (3.9%), fever in 3 (3.9%) and a small subcapsular hematoma in one (1.3%) patient, respectively. When the stones were divided into two groups as those with diameters <10 mm and ≥10 mm, it was found that the stone-free rate was associated with stone diameter, and that the smaller diameters had higher but statistically insignificant stone-free rates (P = 0.196). CONCLUSION: ESWL yields favorable results with low rates of complication and auxiliary procedures in selected pediatric patients.

Does Metabolic Syndrome or its Components Correlate With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Patients?

BACKGROUND: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) has become a global public health and has been suggested to be a risk factor for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Studies evaluating the association between the rate of the MS and LUTS often showed controversial results. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to reveal the relevance of MS and its components on the frequency and severity of the LUTS that were seen with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) in Turkish men or not. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, 237 patients referred to urology policlinic with BPH were retrospectively scanned between April 2009 and April 2013. Patients with normal digital rectal examination and the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) level of ≤ 4 ng/mL were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and all the data of the patients' body, including Body Mass Index (BMI), lipid parameters, preprandial blood glucose, and waist circumference. Seventy-four patients (31.3%) with mild IPSS (0-7) was group 1; 97 patients (40.9%) with moderate IPSS (8 - 19) group 2 and 66 patients (27.8%) with severe IPSS (20-35) were defined as group 3. group 4 consisted of 117 healthy controls. Three groups and controls were compared about MS and its components. The diagnosis criteria of The Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Turkey were used in MS diagnosis. Also, BMI, lipid parameters, preprandial blood glucose, waist circumference, and blood pressure were used as MS parameters. RESULTS: The average age of patients in group 1 was 69.8 ± 7.2; in group 2, 69.1 ± 7.4; 68.3 ± 7.1 in group 3 and 70.2 ± 7.2 in the control group. Metabolic syndrome was determined at 37 patients (50%) in group 1, 45 patients (46.5%) in group 2, 32 patients (48%) in group 3 and 52 patients (44.4%) in controls and no statistically significant correlation was detected between LUTS and MS in BPH (P = 0.113). In the comparison of the four groups in the point of MS parameters, no significant correlation was detected in the levels of total cholesterol (P = 0.337), fasting glucose (P = 0.291), BMI (P = 0.452), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL, P = 0.069) and triglyceride (P = 0.307). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the evidence is not enough to support the hypothesis of the relevance between MS and LUTS. Wide-ranging, prospective and multicentric studies are needed to research the relevance between MS and LUTS in BPH.

Does metabolic syndrome or its components associate with prostate cancer when diagnosed on biopsy?

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome and prostate cancer risk in Turkish men. METHODS: We examined data from 220 patients with prostate cancer and 234 men in a control group with benign biopsy results, who had a serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ⩾ 4 ng/ml, or an abnormal digital rectal examination finding and who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy at two main training and research hospitals between February 2009 and April 2013. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to The Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Turkey metabolic-syndrome criteria. Age, total PSA, waist circumference, body mass index, lipid profiles, fasting blood sugar level, blood pressure level and metabolic syndrome were considered for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 454 patients were enrolled: 85 cases in group 1 (38.6% of 220 prostate cancer cases) and 104 control subjects in group 2 (40.4% of 234 controls) were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Higher ages and lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were two parameters that were significant only in the prostate cancer group with metabolic syndrome. There was no significant predictor factor for prostate cancer alone; however, higher triglycerides (odds ratio [OR], 1.286; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.82 and 1.142; 95% CI 1.06-1.62) and fasting glucose levels (OR, 1.222; 95% CI 1.08-1.61 and 1.024; 95% CI 1.07-1.82) were significant predictors in both the prostate cancer group and control group. CONCLUSIONS: We found little evidence to support the hypothesis that increased incidence of metabolic syndrome (or its components) contributes to increased incidence of prostate cancer. A larger, prospective, multicentre investigation is mandatory to confirm if there is any relationship between metabolic syndrome and prostate cancer.

Does previous stone treatment in children generate a disadvantage or just the opposite?

In this study we aimed to determine the effects of previous open renal surgery, percutaneous nephrolithotomy and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) on the results and complications of subsequent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in pediatric patients. We reviewed the files of all 105 patients with 116 renal units (RU) undergoing PCNL at two main institutions between December 2000 and February 2014. The 116 RUs were divided into four groups: primary PCNL patients with 44 RU (37.9%) were categorized as group 1, 29 RU (25%) with a history of failed ESWL on the same side were categorized as group 2, 23 RU (19.8%) with previous PCNL surgery were categorized as group 3 and 20 RU (17.2%) with open renal surgery were categorized as group 4. Patient characteristics, mean operative time, mean fluoroscopy time, time to access the collecting system, hemoglobin change, number of more than 1 access, stone-free rates, postoperative hospitalization time and complications in four groups were compared. There were no differences between the groups in age, sex, mean stone size and stone laterality. Mean operative time, mean fluoroscopy time, time to access the collecting system, hemoglobin change, complication rates, number of more than one access hospitalization times were similar in the each group (p > 0.05 for each parameter). The stone-free rates after PCNL were 81.8% in group 1, 79.3% in group 2, 78.3% in group 3 and 80 % in group 4 (p = 0.67). Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is effective and safe in children who have previously had open nephrolithotomy, history of ESWL or PCNL without no more complications than are seen with primary PCNL of kidneys and with similar success rate.

Urothelial cancer of bladder in young versus older adults: clinical and pathological characteristics and outcomes.

Bladder urothelial carcinoma is rare in young adults and occurs more commonly in older individuals. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical behavior, pathologic characteristics, and prognosis of urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder in young versus older adults. A retrospective review of our records between 2007 and 2013 identified 56 patients (42 males and 14 females) with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder who were less than 40 years old. Clinical and pathological parameters of patients who were less than 40 years of age were compared with those of a series of patients older than 40 years of age (the control group) during the same period. A survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test, and Cox regression was performed to identify clinical parameters that affected the clinical outcomes. The mean age was 29.21 years (range, 5-40 years) for patients less than 40 years old and 61.66 years (range, 41-75) for those older than 40 years. The mean follow-up was 40.26 months (range, 12-65 months) for young patients and 42.57 months (range, 12-72 months) for the older patients. Young bladder cancer patients had smaller-sized tumors (less than 3 cm), less high-grade cancers, higher papillary urothelial neoplasms of low malignant potential, and low-grade tumors than patients older than 40 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis predicted tumor recurrence in young patients with high-grade tumors [odds ratio (OR), 1.959; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.235-2.965; p = 0.046] and tumors larger than 3 cm (OR, 1.772; 95% CI, 1.416-1.942; p = 0.032). The 5-year overall survival rate was 100% for young patients and 88.1% for older patients. No difference was observed in the recurrence-free (p = 0.321) and progression-free (p = 0.422) survival rates between the two groups. We concluded that although the clinical stage distribution, natural history, and outcomes of bladder urothelial cancer in young adults are similar to those in their older counterparts, clinicians must be aware that patients under 40 years of age presented with higher-grade and larger (>3 cm) tumors and are more likely to experience tumor recurrence.

Report of an unusual case: testicular involvement of chronic myeloid leukemia 10 years after the complete response.

Testicular extra-medullary myeloid cell tumours are rare tumours presenting in most cases with painless testicular swelling. We are representing here along of a case of 21-year-old man with painless scrotal swelling. From his medical history, he was treated by allogenic bone-marrow transplantation and chemotherapy 10 years ago because of chronic myeloid leukemia. The pathology of orchiectomy specimen revealed malign cells with blastic cell infiltration means a late relapse of chronic myeloid leukemia. The patient has been in hematological remission and no evidence of any myeloid disorders by 10 years' follow up. Although testicular involvement is a rare and an unusual event in blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia, extramedullary myeloid cell tumour should be considered in the diagnosis of intratesticular tumours.

Predictors of Gleason score upgrading in patients with prostate biopsy Gleason score ≤6.

INTRODUCTION: The discrepancy between prostate biopsy and prostatectomy Gleason scores is common. We investigate the predictive value of prostate biopsy features for predicting Gleason score (GS) upgrading in patients with biopsy Gleason scores ≤6 who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). Our aim was to determine predictors of GS upgrading and to offer guidance to clinicians in determining the therapeutic option. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients who underwent RRP for clinically localized prostate cancer at 2 major centres between January 2007 and March 2013. All patients with either abnormal digital examination or elevated prostate-specific antigen at screening underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. Variables were evaluated among the patients with and without GS upgrading. Our study limitations include its retrospective design, the fact that all subjects were Turkish and the fact that we had a small sample size. RESULTS: In total, 321 men had GS ≤6 on prostate biopsy. Of these, 190 (59.2%) had GS≤6 concordance and 131 (40.8%) had GS upgrading from ≤6 on biopsy to 7 or higher at the time of the prostatectomy. Independent predictors of pathological upgrading were prostate volume <40 cc (p < 0.001), maximum percent of cancer in any core (p = 0.011), and >1 core positive for cancer (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: When obtaining an extended-core biopsy scheme, patients with small prostates (≤40 cc), greater than 1 core positive for cancer, and an increased burden of cancer are associated with increased risk of GS upgrading. Patients with GS ≤6 on biopsy with these pathological parameters should be carefully counselled on treatment decisions.

Does the time from biopsy to radical prostatectomy affect Gleason score upgrading in patients with clinical t1c prostate cancer?

PURPOSE: It is debated whether treatment delay worsens oncologic results in localized prostate cancer (PCa). Few studies have focused on the role of a delay between the time of biopsy and the time of surgery. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of the time period between biopsy and surgery on Gleason score upgrading (GSU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 290 patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy in Ankara Training and Research Hospital were included in the study. The biopsy Gleason score, age, total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value, prostate volumes, and PSA density (PSAD) were analyzed in all patients. The patients were divided into two groups: patients with GSU (group 1) and patients without GSU (group 2). Variables having a p-value of ≤0.05 in the univariate analysis were selected and then evaluated by use of multivariate logistic regression models. Results were considered significant at p<0.05. RESULTS: GSU occurred in 121 of 290 patients (41.7%). The mean age of the patients was 66.0±7.2 years in group 1 and 65.05±5.60 years in group 2 (p=0.18). The mean PSA values of groups 1 and 2 were 8.6±4.1 and 8.8±4.3 ng/dL, respectively. The mean prostate volumes of groups 1 and 2 were 43.8±14.1 and 59.5±29.8 mL, respectively. The PSAD of group 1 was significantly higher than that of group 2 (0.20 vs. 0.17, p=0.003). The mean time to surgery was shorter in group 2 (group 1, 52.2±22.6 days; group 2, 45.3±15.5 days; p=0.004). According to the logistic regression, time from biopsy to surgery is important in the prediction of GSU. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the time period between biopsy and surgery is a significant factor that affects GSU in patients with clinically localized PCa.

Synchronous bladder and prostate cancers in the specimens of radical cystoprostatectomy: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the features of prostate cancer that have been incidentally detected in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens of bladder cancer patients. The researchers of the current study retrospectively evaluated the data from 119 men who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy at four referral institutions in Ankara, Turkey. Of the 21 prostate cancer patients, 17 (81%) were aged ≥ 60 years; 10 (47.6%) had clinically significant diseases; three had a Gleason score of 6, three had a Gleason score of 7, three had a Gleason score of 8, one had a positive surgical margin along with extracapsular invasion of the tumor and a high Gleason score, and three patients had a tumor volume of ≥ 0.5 cm(3), of which two also had a high Gleason score. Patients were followed-up for a mean of 29 ± 10.2 months; the overall survival was 96.6% (n = 115) during that period. Preoperative digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen values did not differ between the benign and prostate cancer groups. There was no survival advantage in the insignificant prostate cancer and benign prostate groups. No additional benefit for predicting prostate cancer was found with digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen tests, although some clinicians advised such. In patients aged < 60 years, organ-sparing cystectomy seems reasonable. In prostate-sparing surgery, candidates who are aged >60 years, the preoperative work-up may routinely include prostate biopsy, especially the apex. Preoperative findings of multifocality of bladder cancers and the presence of carcinoma in situ have the risk of prostatic involvement.

Serum omentin level in patients with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in males. Hypertriglyceridemia and obesity are known risk factors for disease development. Omentin is a plasma adipokine that is synthesized in visceral adipose tissue; its plasma concentration changes in colorectal cancer and conditions associated with insulin resistance. To our knowledge, the relationship between omentin and PCa has not been investigated previously. Therefore, we evaluated omentin levels in PCa patients in this matched case-control study. Fifty consecutive patients newly diagnosed with PCa and 30 consecutive patients newly diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were assessed. Patients with PCa were divided into three subgroups according to the Gleason score. The omentin concentrations were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Blood urea nitrogen (p < 0.001), creatinine (Cr; p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.001), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA; p = 0.03) levels were significantly higher in the PCa group than the BPH group. The median omentin level in BPH patients was 373 (207-792) versus 546.8 (297.1-945.7) ng/mL in the PCa group (p < 0.001). There was a negative weak/moderate correlation between omentin and body mass index in the BPH group (r = -0.364, p = 0.048). Circulating omentin levels were elevated in patients with PCa. Further studies would be useful to establish the mechanism underlying this increase and to assess the interaction between PCa and adipose tissue.

A rare entity of benign recurring mesenchymal tumor of the female urethra.

This is a case report of a 51-year-old female patient with benign mesenchymal tumors of paraurethral region which caused lower urinary tract symptoms. The pathological examination of the lesion was reported as angiomyxoma which is a distinct soft tissue tumor characterized by the presence of prominent myxoid matrix and numerous thin-walled blood vessels. This tumor has a predilection for the trunk, head and neck, extremities, and genitalia. It is a benign tumor, and total excision is curative. Recurrence is rare except for aggressive angiomyxomas.

Bilateral testicular germ cell tumors.

Testicular cancer represents 1% to 1.5% of neoplasias in males and 5% of urologic tumors in general. The incidence of bilateral testicular tumors is 1-5%. Approximately one third of the cases are diagnosed as synchronous, while the other two thirds are diagnosed as metachronous tumors. Additionally, 5% of all patients diagnosed with testicular cancer may have contralateral intratubular germ cell neoplasia and may develop a contralateral germ cell tumor. However, few data are available regarding bilateral testicular germ cell tumors (BTGCTs). In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the incidence, pathological features and clinical outcomes.of BTGCTs.

An alternative noninvasive approach for the treatment of high-flow priapism in a child: duplex ultrasound-guided compression.

We are presenting a 5-year-old boy with a traumatic high-flow priapism developed after a straddle injury and successfully treated by compression and simultaneous monitoring with a duplex ultrasound probe. We believe that this may be an alternative method against conventional treatment modalities including conservative follow-up, sympathomimetic drug administration, percutaneous embolization of the fistula, and surgical ligation.