Knotted ureteral stent: a rare complication of ureteral stent usage.

The use of ureteral stents has become a routine urological practice. There are many different complications with ureteral stent use. One rare complication is knotting, which can be a very difficult condition to treat. We report a case in which a complete knot was found in the proximal part of an indwelling ureteral stent with a proximal ureteral stone.

The effect of diclofenac sodium and papaverine on isolated human ureteric smooth muscle.

OBJECTIVES: The pain assocaited with ureteral obstruction is caused by a rise in intraluminal pressure above the obstruction which produces an increase in tension of the ureteral smooth muscle. A reduction in pressure will result in decreased tension and relief of pain. In this study we used papaverine and a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, diclofenac sodium to decrease ureteral tension and compaired their effects on isolated human ureteric smooth muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiment have been carried out with isolated ring preparation of human ureter. The tissue displayed spontaneous activity and contracted when exposed to KCl (40 mM). Papaverine (10(-5) M) and diclofenac sodium (10(-8)-10(-5) M) were applied on the precontracted segments and isometric variation was recorded with Nihon-Kohden TB-612 isometric transducer. Their relaxant responses were comparatively examined. RESULTS: Mean relaxation obtained by diclofenac sodium and papaverine were respectively 43.19% and 28.96%. Our study showed that diclofenac sodium may be more potent than papaverine in the treatment of renal colic.

Effect of valproic acid treatment on penile structure in prepubertal rats.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the histological effects of valproic acid (VPA) on the penis in prepubertal rats. METHODS: Twelve male Wistar rats (21-24 days old) were divided equally into 2 experimental groups, and given tap water (control group) or 300mg/kg/day VPA via gavage for 30 days. After the penes had been harvested, the antiangiogenic and antifibrogenic properties of VPA were evaluated immunohistochemically using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) and Masson's trichrome staining. Apoptosis was determined by caspase-3 and caspase-9 immunoreactions. Results were expressed as histochemical score (HSCORE), a semi-quantitative analysis for the intensity of immunohistochemical reactivity. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical HSCORE decreased for VEGF and TGF-ß1 staining and increased for iNOS staining in rats treated with VPA compared with the control group. Intensities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 labeling were also significantly increased by administration of VPA. Masson's trichrome staining exhibited a fairly diminished level of collagen in the corpus cavernosum of rats treated with VPA. CONCLUSION: In the light of these results, the administration of VPA from prepuberty to adulthood led to increased apoptosis and deterioration of the smooth muscle/collagen ratio in rat's corpus cavernosum.

Comparison of the protective effect of dipyridamole and acetylsalicylic acid on long-term histologic damage in a rat model of testicular ischemia-reperfusion injury.

PURPOSE: Ischemia reperfusion injury arising from testicular torsion results in a loss of spermatogenesis and a significant increase in germ cell apoptosis. We investigated the effects of dipyridamole and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 2 well-known platelet inhibitors, on testicular ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 6 for each group): control, sham-operated, torsion/detorsion (T/D), T/D + dipyridamole, and T/D + ASA. Testicular ischemia was achieved by rotating the left testis 720° clockwise for 2 hours. Thirty minutes before torsion, 10 mg/kg dipyridamole was injected transperitoneally in the T/D + dipyridamole group, and 100 mg/kg ASA was injected transperitoneally in the T/D + ASA group. Sixty days after the initial surgical procedure, ipsilateral orchiectomies were performed for histopathologic examination to determine Johnsen's mean testicular biopsy score (MTBS), mean seminiferous tubular diameter (MSTD), and apoptotic index (AI) in all groups. RESULTS: Unilateral testicular torsion-detorsion led to a significant decrease in Johnsen's MTBS and MSTD values in the ipsilateral testis and a significant increase in AI values of the T/D group. There were no significant differences between the T/D + dipyridamole and control groups in terms of MSTD and MTBS values. Although an amount of improvement exits in T/D + ASA group, there were significant differences between the T/D + ASA and control group MSTD and MTBS values. There was no significant difference between the T/D + dipyridamole and control groups in terms of AI values (P > .05), but the differences between the T/D + ASA and control groups were significant despite a slight decline in AI values of the T/D + ASA group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the use of dipyridamole before testicular reperfusion has a potentially protective effect against long-term injury in testicular ischemia reperfusion injury.