Efficacy of flexible ureterorenoscopy with holmium laser in the management of calyceal diverticular calculi.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of flexible ureteroscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy in the management of calyceal diverticular calculi. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 27 patients with calyceal diverticular calculi admitted to the Department of Urology of the Zigong First People's Hospital from May 2018 to May 2021. Intraoperatively, the diverticular neck was found in all 27 patients, but flexible ureterorenoscopy lithotripsy was not performed in 2 cases because of the slender diverticular neck, and the success rate of the operation was 92.6%. Of the 25 patients with successful lithotripsy, the mean operative time was 76.9 ± 35.5 (43-200) min. There were no serious intraoperative complications such as ureteral perforation, mucosal avulsion, or hemorrhage. Postoperative minor complications (Clavien classification I-II) occurred in 4 (16%) patients. The mean hospital stay was 4.4 ± 1.7 (3-12) days. The stone-free rate was 80% at the 1-month postoperative follow-up. After the second-stage treatment, the stone-free rate was 88%. In 22 cases with complete stone clearance, no stone recurrence was observed at 5.3 ± 2.6 (3-12) months follow-up. This retrospective study demonstrated that flexible ureterorenoscopy with holmium laser is a safe and effective choice for the treatment of calyceal diverticular calculi, because it utilizes the natural lumen of the human body and has the advantages of less trauma, fewer complications, and a higher stone-free rate.

Drug resistance and influencing factors of biofilm bacteria in upper urinary calculi patients with double J stent indwelling.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution and drug resistance of biofilm bacteria infected with upper urinary calculi patients with double J stent indwelling, and to explore the influencing factors of Biofilm Bacteria Infections. METHODS: A total of 400 patients with upper urinary calculi who adopted double J stent inserting in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2022 were included. Urine and double J stent samples were collected, pathogen cultures were performed, and then drug sensitivity test analysis was carried out for isolates. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzes were used to analyze the influencing factors of patients with double J stent associated biofilm bacteria infections. RESULTS: A total of 13 strains (3.2%) of biofilm bacteria were detected in urine samples and 168 strains (42%) in double J stent samples (P < 0.05), 95 strains (23.7%) of pathogenic bacteria were separated from urine samples and 117 strains (29.2%) from double J-stent samples (P > 0.05). Escherichia coli were the most common bacteria. There was significantly higher drug resistance observed in biofilm bacteria versus urine-cultured pathogens (P < 0.05). Advanced age, long-term catheterization, inadequate water intake, hypoproteinemia, abnormal renal function, and diabetes mellitus were independent risk factors for biofilm bacteria infection associated with double J stent(P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among the upper urinary calculi patients with double J stent indwelling, the positive rate and drug resistance of biofilm bacteria obtained from double J stent were significantly higher than that from urine. More attention should be paid to the factors that influence biofilm bacteria infections.

Secondary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Prostate: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Among prostate cancer, primary prostate squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare condition with low incidence, and secondary prostate SCC is rarer with fewer cases reported globally. This report presents an extremely rare case of secondary prostate SCC that metastasised from lung cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: This study reports the case of a 77-year-old man who presented with acute urinary retention and dysuria and was admitted to our hospital. Physical and digital rectal examinations were conducted and revealed the overfilling of the suprapubic bladder and a slightly enlarged prostate without palpable nodules, respectively. The patient was tested negative for total and free prostate antigens (PSA) and had large masses in the upper lobes of both lungs and an irregularly enlarged prostate in the computed tomography images. The patient was inserted immediately with 18F triple-cavity Foley catheter to drain haematuria with blood clots. The patient was treated with electric coagulation haemostasis and transurethral resection of the prostate and subjected to postoperative histopathological analysis, which revealed the diagnosis of SCC. The patient was advised to undergo further radiation therapy and chemotherapy but rejected all follow-up treatments for lungs and prostate. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged 7 days after the operation. The patient remained alive after 6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary prostate SCC is an extremely rare type of tumour. Surgical intervention plays a role in stopping bleeding and relieving urination problems, and timely treatment may led to favourable prognosis.

Secondary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Prostate: A Case Report

Background: Among prostate cancer, primary prostate squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare condition with low incidence, and secondary prostate SCC is rarer with fewer cases reported globally. This report presents an extremely rare case of secondary prostate SCC that metastasised from lung cancer. Case Presentation: This study reports the case of a 77-year-old man who presented with acute urinary retention and dysuria and was admitted to our hospital. Physical and digital rectal examinations were conducted and revealed the overfilling of the suprapubic bladder and a slightly enlarged prostate without palpable nodules, respectively. The patient was tested negative for total and free prostate antigens (PSA) and had large masses in the upper lobes of both lungs and an irregularly enlarged prostate in the computed tomography images. The patient was inserted immediately with 18F triple-cavity Foley catheter to drain haematuria with blood clots. The patient was treated with electric coagulation haemostasis and transurethral resection of the prostate and subjected to postoperative histopathological analysis, which revealed the diagnosis of SCC. The patient was advised to undergo further radiation therapy and chemotherapy but rejected all follow-up treatments for lungs and prostate. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged 7 days after the operation. The patient remained alive after 6 months of follow-up. Conclusions: Secondary prostate SCC is an extremely rare type of tumour. Surgical intervention plays a role in stopping bleeding and relieving urination problems, and timely treatment may led to favourable prognosis (AU)

Transurethral en bloc resection of a bladder perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa): a case report.

BACKGROUND: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a mesenchymal tumor with distinct histologic and immunologic features. PEComas that originate in the bladder are extremely rare clinically, with only 35 cases reported in the English literature thus far. Here, we report a case of bladder PEComa resection by transurethral en bloc resection of bladder tumor (ERBT). CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old female with a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes with associated complications of frequent urinary tract infections presented to our hospital for a routine physical examination. Outpatient ultrasound examination revealed a strong echogenic mass of approximately 1.5 × 1.3 × 1.3 cm in size on the posterior wall of the bladder. The enhanced computed tomography and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging after admission both suggested a well-defined isolated nodular mass on the posterior wall of the bladder with significant enhancement on the enhanced scan. The tumor was successfully and completely resected by ERBT. Postoperative pathological examination and immunohistochemical results confirmed the mass was a bladder PEComa. No tumor recurrence was observed in the six-month postoperative follow-up. CONCLUSION: Bladder PEComa is an extremely rare mesenchymal tumor of the urinary system. When imaging and cystoscopy reveal a nodular mass with an abundant blood supply in the bladder, PEComa should be included in the differential diagnosis of bladder tumors. Surgical resection is currently the primary option for the treatment of bladder PEComa. For a solitary, pedunculated, narrow-based, small-sized bladder PEComa, resection of the tumor by ERBT was a safe and feasible approach in our patient and may be considered for similar cases in the future.

Metal-organic frameworks-derived carbon modified wood carbon monoliths as three-dimensional self-supported electrodes with boosted electrochemical energy storage performance.

Wood-derived carbon monoliths, in recent years, have attracted tremendous interest in the field of energy storage, but their electrochemical characteristics are still far from satisfactory. Here, we report a universal and efficient approach for the preparation of structure-engineered, heteroatom-functionalized and property-boosted wood carbons. A two-step ion-exchange process greatly enriches the nucleation sites of ZIF-8 on the inner wall of wood tracheids, hence leading to a unique carbon/carbon heterostructure after carbonizing and acid-washing. Particularly, the prepared NPCM-900 with a large specific surface area of 708.2 m2 g-1, a hierarchical porous architecture and a suitable N content of 2.3% delivers an ultrahigh area-normalized specific capacitance of 23.7 F cm-2 at 5 mA cm-2, which stands for a new capacitive record among the wood-based binder-free electrodes. The NPCM-900//NPCM-900 all-solid-state supercapacitor has an admirable energy density of 9.3 Wh m-2 at 24.9 W m-2 and a large power density of 248.3 W m-2 at 4.8 Wh m-2, while the NPCM-900 based Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor (NPCM-900//Zn) exhibits a superior energy density of 12.7 Wh m-2. Furthermore, the NPCM-900//NPCM-900 and NPCM-900//Zn present great stabilities with capacitance retentions of 87% and 85%, respectively, after 5000 cycles. These parameters notably outperform those of most wood-based supercapacitors, endowing the NPCM-900 with extensive prospects for practical use.

Protecting quantum correlations of the XXZ model by topological boundary conditions.

The differences between the XXZ model with topological and periodical boundary conditions were compared by studying their entanglement, quantum discord, and critical temperature above which the entanglement vanishes. It shows that the different boundary conditions mainly affect bipartite quantum correlations of the boundary spins rather than that of other spin pairs. The topological boundary spins can protect entanglement and discord against strong magnetic fields while the periodical boundary spins can protect them against nonuniform magnetic fields. Compared with the periodical XXZ model, the critical temperature is significantly improved for the topological XXZ model. The topological XXZ model also allows us to improve significantly its critical temperature by increasing the strength of magnetic field, which is not feasible for the periodical XXZ model. It is therefore more promising for preparing entangled states at high temperature in the topological XXZ model.

Expression of serum Dickkopf-1 in gastric cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression and clinical significance of DKK-1 protein in patients with gastric cancers. METHODS: Enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay was used to detect expressions of serum DKK-1 protein in 90 cases of gastric cancers, 50 cases of gastric benign disease and 40 healthy cases. The dynamic change in serum DKK-1 protein of gastric cancer patients who accepted radical operation for a month was also observed. RESULTS: The expression of serum DKK-1 protein in gastric cancer groups was significantly higher than that in gastric benign group's (P < 0.01) and in health control (P < 0.01). Serum DKK-1 level was increased gradually along with the progress of the disease. Serum DKK-1 levels were significantly higher in patients at TNM staging III and IV than patients at TNM staging I and II. Level of serum DKK-1 was related to microvascular invasion, differentiation degree and infiltration depth. Level of serum DKK-1 was significantly reduced in patients after radical surgery (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of serum DKK-1 protein in gastric cancer patients is increased. Level of serum DKK-1 is related to TNM staging, microvascular invasion, differentiation degree and infiltration depth. DKK-1 detection can be used as a reference index in monitoring gastric cancer progress and biological behavior.

Expression of ornithine decarboxylase in precancerous and cancerous gastric lesions.

AIM: To investigate the expression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in precancerous and cancerous gastric lesions. METHODS: We studied the expression of ODC in gastric mucosa from patients with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG, n=32), chronic atrophic gastritis [CAG, n=43; 15 with and 28 without intestinal metaplasia (IM)], gastric dysplasia (DYS, n=11) and gastric cancer (GC, n=48) tissues using immunohistochemical staining. All 134 biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa were collected by gastroscopy. METHODS: The positive rate of ODC expression was 34.4%, 42.9%, 73.3%, 81.8% and 91.7% in cases with CSG, CAG without IM, CAG with IM, DYS and GC, respectively (P<0.01), The positive rate of ODC expression increased in the order of CSG < CAG (without IM) < CAG (with IM) < DYS and finally, GC. In addition, ODC positive immunostaining rate was lower in well-differentiated GC than in poorly-differentiated GC (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of ODC is positively correlated with the degree of malignity of gastric mucosa and development of gastric lesions. This finding indicates that ODC may be used as a good biomarker in the screening and diagnosis of precancerous lesions.