Urine culture, stone culture, and procalcitonin: a triad for predicting the risk of infectious complications after mini-PCNL-results from a large, single-center series.

Purpose: To evaluate association between postoperative serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels and infectious complications following mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL), and to identify predictors of elevated PCT.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 496 adult patients who underwent mini-PCNL for kidney stones (February 2020-March 2025). Patients were stratified into four groups based on postoperative fever occurrence and PCT levels (≤ 2.

Artificial intelligence and radiomics applications in adrenal lesions: a systematic review.

Background: Adrenal lesions, often incidentally detected, present diagnostic challenges in distinguishing benign from malignant or hormonally active lesions. Conventional imaging (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI)) has limitations, driving interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics for enhanced accuracy.

Objectives: To systematically evaluate AI and radiomics applications in adrenal lesion characterization, focusing on diagnostic performance, methodologies, and clinical utility.

Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy with Ureterocutaneostomy: A Potentially Optimal Solution for Octogenarian and Frail Patients with Bladder Cancer.

Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) has become the primary approach for treating bladder cancer, replacing the traditional open procedure. The robotic approach, when combined with ureterocutaneostomy (UCS), offers significant advantages for octogenarians, who are at increased risk for perioperative complications. This observational, prospective, multicenter analysis is based on data from the Italian Radical Cystectomy Registry (RIC), collected from January 2017 to June 2020 across 28 major urological centers in Italy.

Evaluation of citrate-based nutraceutical combinations and their impact on chemolysis in the management of urinary diversion device: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study on improved quality of life and clinical outcomes.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (RCT) the effectiveness of two citrate-based products in preventing ureteral stent encrustation in patients with severe urinary system damage requiring long-term stent placement and frequent replacements to prevent complications.

Methods: Men and women aged 50-80, with severe urinary system damage were randomized to Product 1, Product 2 or Placebo. Efficacy points included encrustation prevention analyzed by mean normalized Kidney, Ureter and Bladder (KUB) score, ease of stent removal, and rate of emergency room (ER) visits.

Liquid Biopsy: Current advancements in clinical practice for bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is the ninth most common malignancy worldwide, with two clinically distinct forms: non-muscle-invasive disease, characterized by high recurrence and excellent long-term survival, and muscle-invasive disease, associated with poorer outcomes. Current surveillance-cystoscopy and urine cytology-offers high specificity but is invasive, costly, and insensitive to low-grade tumors, underscoring the need for reliable, non-invasive biomarkers. Liquid biopsy approaches in urine and blood have demonstrated promise for real-time assessment of tumor burden, molecular heterogeneity, and early recurrence.

Blood and urine-based biomarkers in prostate cancer: Current advances, clinical applications, and future directions.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent malignancies in men, characterized by high clinical and molecular heterogeneity. Despite the widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for diagnosis and monitoring, its limited specificity and sensitivity necessitate the development of more accurate biomarkers. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers in PCa, highlighting their clinical applications and future perspectives.

Enhanced prognostic value of four-tier hybrid grading system in Ta non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Objectives: To compare the predictive performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) 1973, WHO 2004/2022, the three-tier (low grade [LG]/Grade 1 [G1]-G2, high grade [HG]/G2, and HG/G3), and four-tier (LG/G1, LG/G2, HG/G2, and HG/G3) hybrid grading systems in Ta non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), by evaluating recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients And Methods: This retrospective multicentre study included 1233 patients with pTa NMIBC treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumour, eventually followed by intravesical instillations as determined by their physicians, between 2010 and 2023, across 18 Italian hospitals. Pathologists graded resected tissues using the WHO 1973, WHO 2004/2022 classifications, and hybrid three-tier (LG, HG/G2, HG/G3) and four-tier (LG/G1, LG/G2, HG/G2, HG/G3) systems.

Sexual function recovery following open and robotic radical prostatectomy: results of an academic penile rehabilitation program.

Despite surgical advancements, erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common consequence of radical prostatectomy (RP). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early penile rehabilitation within a dedicated penile rehabilitation program on assisted and unassisted erectile function (EF) recovery. All patients who underwent RP and at least 1 year follow-up at penile rehabilitation program in the Department of Urology, OORR Policlinico Riuniti (Foggia, Italy) were included.

Which Surrogate Marker of Insulin Resistance Among Those Proposed in the Literature Better Predicts the Presence of Non-Metastatic Bladder Cancer?

: Recent evidence has shown that insulin resistance (IR), a hallmark of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, predicts bladder cancer (BC) presence. However, the best surrogate marker of IR in predicting BC is still unclear. This study examined the relationships among ten surrogate markers of IR and the presence of BC.

Global Andrology Forum Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Premature Ejaculation.

Purpose: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a commonly encountered male sexual dysfunction (MSD) with various definitions, diagnostic criteria, and treatment options, leading to significant heterogeneity and controversy in its management. This study aimed to explore the global practice patterns of the diagnosis and management of PE.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional, global, online survey on PE was conducted using a questionnaire developed by an international cohort of experts.

The Role of Butirprost as an Adjuvant in Enhancing the Effect of Antibiotics in Patients Affected by Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis: A Randomized Prospective Trial.

Bacterial prostatitis (BP) is a common prostatic infection characterized by pain and urinary symptoms, often with negative bacterial cultures from prostatic secretions. It affects young and older men bimodally and impacts quality of life (QoL) significantly. : Treatment typically involves antibiotics, but a multimodal approach with additional nutraceuticals may enhance outcomes.

The Novel Histological Prostatic Inflammation Score Helps Defining the Association Between Stromal and Glandular Inflammation with the Risk of Prostate Cancer at Prostate Biopsy.

There is emerging evidence of an inverse association between prostatic inflammation (PI) and prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis and outcome. The Irani score, a validated system that scores PI according to the grade of stromal infiltration (Irani G) and the aggressiveness of glandular infiltration (Irani A), has indeed been found to be inversely associated with PCa diagnosis and outcome, but the presence of two categories (G and A) makes the performance of this score suboptimal. This study aimed to determine whether a novel prostatic inflammation score (PIS) that combines Irani G and A scores better defined the risk of being diagnosed with PCa at prostate biopsy (PBx).

Oncological outcomes and prognostic implications of T1 histo-anatomic substaging in the management of high-Grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: results from a large single centre series.

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the prognostic value of T1 histo-anatomic substaging (T1a/T1b) for high grade (HG) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) over a large single-centre cohort.

Materials And Methods: Patients with primary HG T1 NMIBC were identified from our Institutional database, between 2011 and 2022. Data from diagnosis to repeated transurethral resection of bladder tumour (RE-TURBT), bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment and follow-up were collected.

Effects of Varicocele Repair on Testicular Endocrine Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The objective of this manuscript is to assess the effect of varicocele repair (VR) in patients with clinical varicoceles on serum total testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and inhibin B serum levels.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed in compliance with the Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies (MOOSE) guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). All eligible studies were selected following the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison/Comparator, Outcomes, Study design) model.

Stapled W-shaped (Hautmann) Orthotopic Ileal Neobladder. Functional Results and Complications over a 13-year Period.

Background And Objective: The preferable technique for orthotopic bladder substitution after radical cystectomy is debated. The aim of this study was to describe our technique of a stapled W-shaped ileal neobladder and assess the complications and functional results in 100 patients. treated from December 2009 to July 2022.

Radical cystectomy versus trimodal therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Analysis of an other-cause mortality matched cohort.

Objective: Comparative effectiveness studies comparing trimodal therapy (TMT) to radical cystectomy (RC) are typically hindered by selection bias where TMT is usually reserved to patients with poor overall health status. We developed a novel approach by matching patients based on their calculated other-cause mortality (OCM) risk. Using this homogeneous cohort, we tested the impact of TMT vs RC on cancer-specific mortality (CSM).

UroLift to preserve seminal parameters in young male with LUTS from BPH.

Purpose: Prostatic urethral lift has been an effective ejaculation sparing treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on male semen parameters.

Methods: Between July 2014 and January 2022, 20 young men with urinary symptoms of BPH, unresponsive to drug treatment and motivated to preserve ejaculation for eventual paternity, underwent UroLift.