Recent advances of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in urological surgery

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery designates a surgical procedure that utilizes one or more patent natural orifices of the body with the intention to puncture a hollow viscera in order to enter the abdominal cavity. First carried out at the beginning of the 2000s in experimental models, it can be considered the natural evolution of laparoscopy towards the ideal of scarless surgery, as the avoidance of a large abdominal scar is associated with better cosmetic results and better recovery. However, the technology currently available does not allow the performance of complete pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery procedures. The surgical tools used are not specially designed for this approach, so difficulties in retracting organs, bleeding control and clashing of instruments are the main obstacle surgeons face. For this reason, the current available technique is the so‐called hybrid approach, where a natural orifice approach is combined with some abdominal trocars, using the natural orifice as the exit door for the specimen removal. As not many comparative studies have been published evaluating the advantages of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in front of traditional laparoscopic surgery, a review of the history of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, and an assessment of the available evidence of this technique regarding renal and urological pelvic surgery are performed in this article.     

Recent advances in immuno‐oncology and its application to urological cancers

Recent advances in immuno‐oncology have the potential to transform the practice of medical oncology. Antibodies directed against negative regulators of T‐cell function (checkpoint inhibitors), engineered cell therapies and innate immune stimulators, such as oncolytic viruses, are effective in a wide range of cancers. Immune‘based therapies have had a clinically meaningful impact on the treatment of advanced melanoma, and the lessons regarding use of single agents and combinations in melanoma may be applicable to the treatment of urological cancers . Checkpoint inhibitors, cytokine therapy and therapeutic vaccines are already showing promise in urothelial bladder cancer, renal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer. Critical areas of future immuno‐oncology research include the prospective identification of patients who will respond to current immune‐based cancer therapies and the identification of new therapeutic agents that promote immune priming in tumours, and increase the rate of durable clinical responses.     

Recent progress in immunotherapy for urological cancer

Cancer immunotherapy for urological tumors had made progress for several decades, but recent advances in immunotherapy, as therapeutic vaccines or immune checkpoint inhibitors, have drastically changed the present treatment strategy. Recently, nivolumab and atezolizumab have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of urological cancers. Additional immune checkpoint inhibitors and vaccines are being tested in clinical trials. Despite advances in these therapeutic modalities, benefits are limited to a subset of patients. New agents and novel combinations will also continue to create new immunotherapy strategies. Further development of biomarkers for predicting response is required to achieve optimal efficacy with these therapeutic interventions.     

PTEN在泌尿系肿瘤中的研究新进展

PTEN作为第一个被发现的具有磷酸酶活性的抑癌基因,近年来国内外对其做了大量的相关性研究,本文主要介绍近年来PTEN在肾癌、膀胱癌、前列腺癌中的研究新进展.     

Bacterial toxic shock in urological diseases]

It is a review of present-day and historical aspects of bacterial toxic shock arising in urological setting. It is noted that conditions of its onset are changing, therapeutic approaches undergo revision, critical care facilities are updated. Among the causes of this complication the authors single out endoscopic procedures, transurethral interventions in the presence of infectious process, hospital infection, long stay at hospital. Forty-eight cases of bacterial toxic shock are reviewed in relation to classification, causes of development, treatment, bacteriological evaluation.     

Recent advances in neuro-otology

Four advances in the field of neuro-otology are described: (1) auditory brain-stem response audiometry, (2) electroneuronography, (3) the cochlear implant, and (4) the infratemporal fossa approach to the skull base. Auditory brain-stem response audiometry is an accurate method for the early detection of hearing impairment and early diagnosis of acoustic neurinomas. Electroneuronography accurately assesses the degree of injury to the facial nerve, thereby improving management of facial nerve lesions. The cochlear implant restores the sensation of sound to totally deaf patients. The infratemporal fossa approach is used to treat extensive lesions of the skull base.     

Potential of hyperbaric oxygen in urological diseases

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a promising medical technology that delivers oxygen to targeted tissues at high pressure to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the blood. Over the past three decades, hyperbaric oxygen has been used in a variety of conditions, including radiation‐induced tissue injuries, non‐healing states with ischemia and malignant neoplasms. In the field of urology, hyperbaric oxygen has also been applied to some pathological conditions (e.g. radiation‐induced hemorrhagic cystitis, Fournier gangrene, interstitial cystitis, male infertility, acute kidney injury and urological cancers). In normal and injured tissues, hyperoxia from hyperbaric oxygen therapy contributes to anti‐inflammation, angiogenesis through endothelial proliferation, enhanced fibroblastic activity, increased lymphocyte and macrophage activity, and bactericidal effects with the aim of wound repair. In cancerous tissues, the enhanced supply of oxygen into the hypoxic cancer cells can exert inhibitory effects on factors that contribute to their aggressiveness (e.g. cell survival, escape from apoptosis, epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and tumor immunotolerance), and sensitize the tumor to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, further research, including multicenter clinical studies, is essential for determining the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in refractory urological diseases that are resistant to conventional therapies.     

Recent advances in trigonocephaly

IntroductionThe aim of this review was to report on recent advances in trigonocephaly since the last report on craniosynostosis published in 2006.Material and methodsThe review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Research focused on four main topics: epidemiology, neurodevelopmental disorders, genetics and surgical techniques.ResultsForty reports were included. The prevalence of trigonocephaly increased during the last two decades both in Europe and in the United States, but no clear contributing factors have yet been identified. Neurodevelopmental disorders are frequent in syndromic trigonocephaly and not particularly rare in non-syndromic cases (up to 34%). Developmental retardation (speech, motor or global) was almost always present in children exposed to valproic acid. Chromosomal abnormalities described in metopic synostosis comprised deletion of chromosome 11q24, deletion or trisomy of 9p and deletion of 7p, deletions of 3q, 13q, 12pter, 22q11, and duplication of 15q25. SMAD6 mutations should be systematically screened for in familial cases. Recent advances in surgical techniques have mainly concerned endoscopic-assisted procedures, as they significantly reduce perioperative morbidity.ConclusionsNeurosurgeons, maxillofacial and plastic surgeons will be increasingly concerned with trigonocephaly because of the increase in prevalence observed over the last two decades. Cytogenetic alterations are probably underestimated in this craniosynostosis, considering the high rate of neurodevelopmental retardation compared to other single-suture synostoses. Genetic counselling is therefore more and more effective in this pathology. An objective method to evaluate the cosmetic results of both endoscopic and open surgeries is necessary, as some under-corrections have been reported with minimally invasive surgery.