Mucocutaneous manifestations of patients with chronic kidney disease under hemodialysis: A cross-sectional study of 49 patients.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical problem with well-known dermatologic manifestations, some of which highly disturb the patients' quality of life. This cross-sectional study was designed to identify the prevalence and type of cutaneous involvement in CKD patients. The skin manifestations of 49 patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis at Akhavan Hospital in Kashan, Iran, were recorded over 2 months. Diabetes (35%) was the most common cause of chronic renal failure in the patients, and the most common skin manifestations were xerosis (95.9%), uremic pigmentation (89.8%), scleral discoloration (87.8%), dental discoloration (85.2% among the patients with natural teeth), dry mouth (65.3%), varicosity (61.2%), pruritus (57.1%), skin atrophy (49%), lentigo (46.9%), subungual hyperkeratosis (42.9%), half and half nail dystrophy (34.7%), and purpura (26.5%). Mucocutaneous involvement has a very high prevalence in CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis, and some of the cases are medically and cosmetically disturbing; therefore, with better knowledge about the type and prevalence of these involvements, the consequences can be better predicted and managed. Further studies are recommended to be conducted on the association between these signs and CKD grade, and clinical trials are also required for establishing the treatment options available for these signs and then assessing the patients' quality of life as a primary outcome measure.

Effect of autologous muscle-derived cells in the treatment of urinary incontinence in female patients with intrinsic sphincter deficiency and epispadias: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of autologous muscle-derived cells injection in the treatment of complicated stress urinary incontinence in female patients. METHODS: Female patients presenting with severe and complicated stress urinary incontinence secondary to the bladder neck and/or urethral trauma or congenital epispadias (with or without exstrophy) were enrolled in this prospective study. They underwent transurethral injection of autologous muscle-derived cells. In selected cases, another injection was given after 6 months, as per the surgeon's assessment. All patients were monitored for 1 year, and the effect of autologous muscle-derived cells was evaluated by cough stress test, 1-h pad test and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-short form score. A multichannel urodynamic study and maximum urethral closure pressure were carried out before and 12 months after the last treatment session. Cough stress test, 1-h pad test and uroflowmetry were repeated 36 months after the last injection. Severity and occurrence of complications were recorded at each visit. RESULTS: All 10 patients who completed the study were monitored for 36 months. Three patients were cured, four had improved and three did not respond to the treatment. There was no major adverse effect related to the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Muscle-derived cell therapy might represent a minimally-invasive and a safe procedure in the treatment of patients with severe and complicated stress urinary incontinence.

Endoscopic correction of primary VUR by using polyacrylate polyalcohol copolymer (Vantris) in young girls: 2-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single endoscopic injection of Vantris in young girls affected by primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) at more than 2 years of prospective follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over the last 4 years, 73 girls with primary VUR of grades (G) I-IV underwent a single endoscopic injection of Vantris. The mean age was 8.48 (SD=4.8) years. VUR was unilateral in 73 and bilateral in 13 patients, comprising 86 renal refluxing units (RRUs). Pre-operative evaluation consisted of: blood biochemistry, urine analysis and culture, ultrasound scan, voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), and dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) renal isotope scan. Patients were followed using ultrasound scans at 1 month and every 3 months for the first year and then 2 years after injection. Direct radionuclide cystography with technetium pertechnetate was performed at 3 and 12 months after injection. VCUG was performed only in confirmed cases of failure and downgraded VUR at 3, 12, and 24 months after endoscopic correction. RESULTS: Sixty-nine (95%), 61 (83.4%), and 52 (71%) patients completed 3, 12, and 24 months' follow-up respectively. VUR was corrected and downgraded to G I in 81% and 3.3% of RRUs at 3 months' follow-up. The corrected and downgraded RRUs at 12 and 24 months' follow-up were 77%, 10%, and 77%, 11% respectively. De novo contralateral G I VUR was demonstrated in 8.6% of normal ureters. Contralateral GI VUR with normal DMSA isotope renal scans was resolved in 71% of RRUs. Febrile urinary tract infection decreased to 4.1% in the patients. CONCLUSION: According to our study, a single Vantris injection provides a high level of efficacy and safety in the treatment of primary G I-IV VUR in young girls, at 2 years' prospective follow-up.

Overall survival and functional results of prostate-sparing cystectomy: a matched case-control study.

PURPOSE: To compare two matched groups of men with bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) who underwent prostate-sparing cystectomy (PSC) or conventional radical cystoprostatectomy (CRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three men who have undergone PSC with the diagnosis of bladder TCC (Ta-T2) from 2003 to 2008 in Tehran, Iran were included in the study as the experimental group. The control group composed of 27 men with comparable tumor characteristics and age range, who had non-nerve-sparing radical cystoprostatectomy and orthotopic ileal W pouch reconstruction in the same center. All the procedures were performed by the same surgical group under the supervision of different attending staff. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was 39 months in PSC and 35 months in CRC group. The 5-year overall survival was 47% and 30% in PSC and CRC groups, respectively. Median survival was 48 months in PSC and 36 months in CRC group, using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (P > .05). Impotence was observed in 16.6% in PSC and in 83.3% in CRC group (P = .002). Mean International Index of Erectile Function-5 score of the PSC group was 19.8 compared with 5.7 in the CRC group (P = .003). Only one patient in each group was completely incontinent. Urethral anastomosis stricture occurred in 2 patients in CRC group. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent PSC did not show decreased overall survival compared to CRC, which provided better functional results.