Zinner syndrome incidentally diagnosed in a man with ureteropelvic junction stone and hydronephrosis: A case report.

Zinner syndrome is a congenital anomaly characterized by seminal vesicle cysts, ipsilateral renal agenesis, and ejaculatory duct obstruction possibly associated with infertility. Only 200 cases of Zinner syndrome have been reported since its discovery in 1914. We present the case of a 63-year-old man seeking treatment for a ureteropelvic junction stone causing severe hydronephrosis.

Long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants and risk of Parkinson's disease: a population-based multipollutant model study.

Background: Recent evidence suggests brain-first Parkinson's disease (PD) may start from the olfactory system, indicating potential inhalational exposure to causal agents. We investigated the impact of long-term exposure to various air pollutants on PD incidence using both single- and multi-pollutant models to account for interactions between pollutants.

Methods: This retrospective population study used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2006 and 2018) and included individuals aged 40-65 without PD.

Plasma metabolites of aromatic amino acids associate with clinical severity and gut microbiota of Parkinson's disease.

Gut microbial proteolytic metabolism has been reportedly altered in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the circulating aromatic amino acids (AAA) described in PD are inconsistent. Here we aimed to investigate plasma AAA profiles in a large cohort of PD patients, and examine their correlations with clinical severity and gut microbiota changes.

Interaction between cerebral small vessel disease, blood pressure, and remote ischemic lesions in acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background: Acute blood pressure (BP) reduction is the first-line treatment for acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH); however, recent research suggests that intensive BP reduction along with cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a risk factor for remote DWI lesions (RDWILs). We aimed to delineate the interplay between cSVD and BP reduction therapy on the risk of RDWILs.

Methods: We enrolled 303 patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging within 7 days after acute spontaneous ICH.

Blood neurofilament light chain as a surrogate marker for dystonia.

Background And Purpose: Dystonia is a heterogeneous movement disorder, and it remains unclear whether neurodegeneration is involved. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a biosignature of neurodegeneration. We aimed to investigate whether plasma NfL levels were elevated and associated with disease severity in patients with dystonia.

Emodin, a Natural Anthraquinone, Increases Uric Acid Excretion in Rats with Potassium Oxonate-Induced Hyperuricemia.

The treatment of hyperuricemia and gout is mostly based on lowering serum uric acid levels using drugs, such as allopurinol, or increasing urinary excretion of uric acid. However, some patients still experience adverse reactions to allopurinol and turn to Chinese medicine as an alternative. Therefore, it is crucial to design a preclinical study to obtain more convincing data on the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout with Chinese medicine.

A Case Report of Intratesticular Hematoma in a Patient with Reiter's Syndrome.

We present a case of a 28-year-old male patient with a spontaneous intratesticular hematoma. He had no history of trauma but experienced sudden onset of painful swelling in his right testis. Initially, testicular malignancy was suspected.

Scrotal Pain after Varicocelectomy: A Narrative Review.

Varicocele is a frequently encountered urological disorder, which has a prevalence rate of 8 to 15% among healthy men. However, the incidence is higher in male patients with primary or secondary infertility, with up to 35 to 80% of varicocele cases occurring in this population. The clinical manifestations of varicocele typically include the presence of an asymptomatic mass that feels like a "bag of worms", chronic scrotal pain, and infertility.

Comparative Outcomes of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy in Patients with Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer.

The effectiveness of radical prostatectomy alone for locally advanced prostate cancer is controversial owing to an increased complication rate and treatment-related morbidity. With technical advances and refinements in surgical techniques, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has improved the outcomes of patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. RARP therefore plays a role in the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer after Percutaneous Arterial Embolization of the Prostate: A Case Report.

We report a patient with prostate cancer found 2 years after percutaneous arterial embolization (PAE) of the prostate with a rapid increase in prostate specific antigen (PSA) 3 months later, even though the initial result was low. He did not consult a urologist during or after PAE until acute urinary retention developed. The clinical stage was cT2cN1M1b with Gleason grade 5 + 5 = 10.

Extract Prevents Calcium Oxalate Crystallization and Extends Lifespan in a Urolithiasis Model.

Approximately 1 in 20 people develops kidney stones at some point in their life. Although the surgical removal of stones is common, the recurrence rate remains high and it is therefore important to prevent the occurrence of kidney stones. We chose (AM), which is a traditional Chinese medicine, to study the prevention of urolithiasis using a model based on our previous screening of traditional Chinese herbs.

Gut microenvironmental changes as a potential trigger in Parkinson's disease through the gut-brain axis.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease attributed to the synergistic effects of genetic risk and environmental stimuli. Although PD is characterized by motor dysfunction resulting from intraneuronal alpha-synuclein accumulations, termed Lewy bodies, and dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in the substantia nigra, multiple systems are involved in the disease process, resulting in heterogenous clinical presentation and progression. Genetic predisposition to PD regarding aberrant immune responses, abnormal protein aggregation, autophagolysosomal impairment, and mitochondrial dysfunction leads to vulnerable neurons that are sensitive to environmental triggers and, together, result in neuronal degeneration.

Elevated α-synuclein and NfL levels in tear fluids and decreased retinal microvascular densities in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The pathognomonic hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), α-synuclein, has been observed in the retina of PD patients. We investigated whether biomarkers in the tears and retinal microvascular changes associate with PD risk and progression. This prospective study enrolled 49 PD patients and 45 age-matched healthy controls.

Alteration of Gut Microbial Metabolites in the Systemic Circulation of Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis contributes to Parkinson's disease (PD) by signaling through microbial metabolites. Hippuric acid (HA), indole derivatives, and secondary bile acids are among the most common gut metabolites.

Objective: To examine the relationship of systemic concentrations of these microbial metabolites associated with changes of gut microbiota, PD status, and severity of PD.

Association of Fecal and Plasma Levels of Short-Chain Fatty Acids With Gut Microbiota and Clinical Severity in Patients With Parkinson Disease.

Background And Objectives: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are gut microbial metabolites that promote the disease process in a rodent model of Parkinson disease (PD), but fecal levels of SCFAs in patients with PD are reduced. Simultaneous assessments of fecal and plasma SCFA levels, and their interrelationships with the PD disease process, are scarce. We aimed to compare fecal and plasma levels of different SCFA subtypes in patients with PD and healthy controls to delineate their interrelations and link to gut microbiota changes and clinical severity of PD.

Review of Animal Models to Study Urinary Bladder Function.

The urinary bladder (UB) serves as a storage and elimination organ for urine. UB dysfunction can cause multiple symptoms of failure to store urine or empty the bladder, e.g.

Plasma Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein Reflects Risk and Progression of Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) presents bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharides, to cellular surface pattern receptors for immune responses in the gut-brain axis of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: We investigated whether plasma LBP levels were associated with PD severity and progression.

Methods: This study included 397 participants (248 PD patients and 149 controls).

Long-Term Vascular Outcomes in Patients With Mixed Location Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Microbleeds.

Objective: To determine whether mixed location intracerebral hemorrhages/microbleeds (mixed ICH) is a risk factor for vascular unfavorable outcome compared to cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related ICH (CAA-ICH) or strictly deep hypertensive ICH/microbleeds (HTN-ICH).

Methods: A total of 300 patients with spontaneous ICH were included. Clinical data, neuroimaging markers, and follow-up outcomes (recurrent ICH, ischemic stroke, and vascular death) were compared among mixed ICH (n = 148), CAA-ICH (n = 32), and HTN-ICH (n = 120).

Association of acute pyelonephritis with double-J ureteral stenting: a nationwide population-based case control study.

Objective: Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) due to ureteral catheters has been frequently seen. The risk factors of this include both timing and those of the female gender. However, the association of Acute Pyelonephritis (APN) with use of ureteral DJ stents has rarely been investigated.

Animal Models for Studying Stone Disease.

Animals have stone disease too. There are several animal models for the research of human stone disease. Rodents are the most frequently used for stone research, although they are not prone to forming crystals in the kidneys.

Clinical, radiological, and genetic characteristics in patients with Huntington's disease in a Taiwanese cohort.

Characteristics of Huntington's disease (HD) differ among various ethnicities. Few studies have explored the relationship between phenotypes and genotypes of HD in Asians. We evaluated the relationship between integrated clinical and imaging phenotypes and genotypes in a Taiwanese HD cohort, enrolling 123 HD patients genetically diagnosed between August 1994 and February 2019.