Accurate Prediction of Antimicrobial Susceptibility for Point-of-Care Testing of Urine in Less than 90 Minutes via iPRISM Cassettes.

The extensive and improper use of antibiotics has led to a dramatic increase in the frequency of antibiotic resistance among human pathogens, complicating infectious disease treatments. In this work, a method for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is presented using microstructured silicon diffraction gratings integrated into prototype devices, which enhance bacteria-surface interactions and promote bacterial colonization. The silicon microstructures act also as optical sensors for monitoring bacterial growth upon exposure to antibiotics in a real-time and label-free manner via intensity-based phase-shift reflectometric interference spectroscopic measurements (iPRISM). Rapid AST using clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) from urine is established and the assay is applied directly on unprocessed urine samples from urinary tract infection patients. When coupled with a machine learning algorithm trained on clinical samples, the iPRISM AST is able to predict the resistance or susceptibility of a new clinical sample with an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (AUC) of ∼ 0.85 in 1 h, and AUC > 0.9 in 90 min, when compared to state-of-the-art automated AST methods used in the clinic while being an order of magnitude faster.

Allium Ureteral Stent as a Treatment for Ureteral Stricture: Results and Concerns.

INTRODUCTION: Ureteral strictures could be a chronic illness that leads to severe side effects and poor quality of life. A treatment with an Allium ureteral stent (URS), a self-expanding, large-caliber URS, was implemented in our department for ureteral stricture. Our study aim was to report the long-term results, including success rate, complications, and adverse effects. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on all patients who were treated with an Allium URS in our department between January 2017 and January 2021. Demographic, clinical, radiological, and perioperative parameters were retrieved and analyzed. The primary outcome was stricture resolution rates following stent removal. RESULTS: Our cohort included 17 patients, 9 men and 8 women. The etiology of ureteral strictures was urolithiasis in 76.5% and pelvic procedure injury in 17.6%. The overall success rate was 35.29% in an average follow-up of 10.42 ± 2.39 months after stent removal. A higher failure rate was observed in the urolithiasis etiology group (90% vs. 66.7%, p = 0.38). The mean indwelling time of the Allium stent was 14.29 ± 1.29 months. CONCLUSIONS: Although an Allium URS could be considered as a feasible and attractive treatment of ureteral strictures, due to its minimal invasiveness, the success rate of this treatment is relatively low. Therefore, this option should be carefully considered and should be discouraged in young and fit patients and reserved for older unfit patients who are unwilling to undergo surgical repair of ureteral strictures.

The Use of Tissue Adhesive for Tumor Bed Closure during Partial Nephrectomy is Associated with Reduced Devascularized Functional Volume Loss.

OBJECTIVES: To quantitatively compare the functional renal volume loss, following nephron sparing surgery (NSS) between patients in whom tumor bed closure was done by biological tissue adhesive and those who were managed by standard suture technique. METHODS: From our institutional NSS database we retrospectively collected patients who had two sequential quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography of 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid uptake studies, the first study immediately before surgery and the second one 3-6 months following surgery. The study group included 69 patients: 26 (37.7%) patients in the sealant group (BioGlue®) and 43 (62.3%) patients in the standard suture group. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were noted in the baseline clinical and pathological characteristics of the studied groups. However, there were several statistically significant differences in operative variables: patients in the suture group had larger amount of blood loss (3-fold), longer ischemia time (26.6 vs. 21 minutes,) and slightly longer operation time. Patients in whom tumor bed was closed by sutures had nearly 3-fold higher parenchymal loss compared to patients managed by sealant (26.28 vs. 8.92 ml, p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The use of tissue sealant during tumor bed reconstruction is associated with reduced devascularized parenchymal mass loss and should be considered among modifiable surgical factors during NSS.

Histopathologic Differences between Jewish and Arab Population in Israel at First-Time Presentation with Bladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pathology of urothelial carcinoma may vary in different populations at diagnosis. Our aim was to evaluate the histopathologic differences between Jewish and Arab patients in Israel at first diagnosis of urothelial cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected data of all patients with confirmed urothelial cancer, treated at our department between January 2010 and January 2015. We examined the distribution of the histopathologic data among the studied populations. To compare the categorical variables we used the Chi-Square Pearson test. Comparison of independent variables was made by Student's t-test. P value below 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The study group included 413 patients, 345 Jews and 68 Arabs. The major differences were that Arab patients were younger (62.61 versus 68.55 years, P = 0.001), had more aggressive tumors that were detected at a more advanced stage, and had also a higher rate of metastatic disease (7.4% versus 3.2%, P = 0.05). Nonurothelial cell tumors were 2.3 times more prevalent in Arab population. Unlike Jewish population, Arab women had higher rate of invasive/metastatic disease compared with Arab men (40% versus 22.4%). CONCLUSION: At time of diagnosis the tumors were more aggressive in Arab patients, especially in Arab women. The reasons for those differences constitute a target for a separate research. These results should have an impact on prevention medicine and education of physicians treating mixed populations.

Successful Endovascular Control of Renal Artery in a Transplant Kidney During Nephron Sparing Surgery (NSS) for Large Centrally Located Tumor.

Renal cell carcinoma in a transplant kidney is a rare condition. Nephron Sparing Surgery (NSS) is the treatment of choice. One of the main technical challenges is obtaining adequate vascular control. We present a rare case of large centrally located hillar tumor in a kidney 18 years after transplantation treated with NSS. Vascular control was achieved by using a novel approach. Post-operative course was uneventful with minimal decrease in renal function. We believe that this unique choice of treatment can be used in cases of NSS where the access to the renal pedicle is limited.