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Osteoporosis and low bone mineral density (BMD) pose significant challenges in adult spinal deformity surgery, increasing the risks of complications such as vertebral compression fractures, hardware failure, proximal junctional kyphosis/failure, and pseudoarthrosis. This narrative review examines the current evidence on bone health optimization strategies for spinal deformity patients. Preoperative screening and medical optimization are crucial, with vitamin D supplementation showing particular benefit. Among the pharmacologic agents, bisphosphonates demonstrate efficacy in improving fusion rates and reducing hardware-related complications, though the effects may be delayed. Teriparatide, a parathyroid hormone analog, shows promise in accelerating fusion and enhancing pedicle screw fixation. Newer anabolic agents like abaloparatide and romosozumab require further study but show potential. Romosozumab, in particular, has demonstrated significant improvements in lumbar spine BMD over a shorter duration compared to other treatments. Surgical techniques like cement augmentation and the use of larger interbody cages can mitigate the risks in osteoporotic patients. Overall, a multifaceted approach incorporating medical optimization, appropriate pharmacologic treatment, and tailored surgical techniques is recommended to improve outcomes in adult spinal deformity patients with compromised bone quality. Future research should focus on optimizing the treatment protocols, assessing the long-term outcomes of newer agents in the spine surgery population, and developing cost-effective strategies to improve access to these promising therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of tumor therapy, especially immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy, critically depends on the activity of the host immune cells. However, various local and systemic mechanisms of immunosuppression operate in cancer patients. Tumor-associated immunosuppression involves deregulation of many components of immunity, including a decrease in the number of T lymphocytes (lymphopenia), an increase in the levels or ratios of circulating and tumor-infiltrating immunosuppressive subsets [e.g., macrophages, microglia, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs)], as well as defective functions of subsets of antigen-presenting, helper and effector immune cell due to altered expression of various soluble and membrane proteins (receptors, costimulatory molecules, and cytokines). In this review, we specifically focus on data from patients with glioblastoma/glioma before standard chemoradiotherapy. We discuss glioblastoma-related immunosuppression at baseline and the prognostic significance of different subsets of circulating and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (lymphocytes, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, Tregs, natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, macrophages, MDSCs, and dendritic cells), including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), focus on the immune landscape and prognostic significance of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant gliomas, proneural, classical and mesenchymal molecular subtypes, and highlight the features of immune surveillance in the brain. All attempts to identify a reliable prognostic immune marker in glioblastoma tissue have led to contradictory results, which can be explained, among other things, by the unprecedented level of spatial heterogeneity of the immune infiltrate and the significant phenotypic diversity and (dys)functional states of immune subpopulations. High NLR is one of the most repeatedly confirmed independent prognostic factors for shorter overall survival in patients with glioblastoma and carcinoma, and its combination with other markers of the immune response or systemic inflammation significantly improves the accuracy of prediction; however, more prospective studies are needed to confirm the prognostic/predictive power of NLR. We call for the inclusion of dynamic assessment of NLR and other blood inflammatory markers (e.g., absolute/total lymphocyte count, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, systemic immune-inflammation index, and systemic immune response index) in all neuro-oncology studies for rigorous evaluation and comparison of their individual and combinatorial prognostic/ predictive significance and relative superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study provides a thorough review of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) in managing renal hilar masses. It focuses on the evaluation of RAPN's effectiveness and the exploration of varied surgical methods for these complex tumors. The research underscores the reliability of RAPN and emerging surgical techniques in addressing these challenges with a manageable risk of complications. The findings are poised to significantly contribute to the medical community's understanding and management of renal hilar masses, especially in terms of effectively balancing treatment efficacy and complication risks. Background: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) is increasingly being employed in the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and it is expanding in the field of complex renal tumors. The aim of this systematic review was to consolidate and assess the results of RAPN when dealing with entirely central hilar masses and to examine the various methods used to address the surgical difficulties associated with them. Methods: A thorough literature search in September 2023 across various databases focused on RAPN for renal hilar masses, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. The primary goal was to evaluate RAPN's surgical and functional outcomes, with a secondary aim of examining different surgical techniques. Out of 1250 records, 13 full-text manuscripts were reviewed. Results: Evidence is growing in favor of RAPN for renal hilar masses. Despite a predominance of retrospective studies and a lack of long-term data, RAPN shows positive surgical outcomes and preserves renal function without compromising cancer treatment effectiveness. Innovative suturing and clamping methods are emerging in surgical management. Conclusions: RAPN is a promising technique for managing renal hilar masses in RCC, offering effective surgical outcomes and renal function preservation. The study highlights the need for more long-term data and prospective studies to further validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. The cost-effectiveness of biomarkers assessed prior to the prostate biopsy is still a matter of debate. The present study aims to investigate the predictive role of inflammation markers that do not involve additional costs, before the first biopsy to increase the detection rates of clinically significant PCa and to avoid unnecessary biopsies. Materials and Methods: The present study was performed with a total of 236 patients who underwent prostate biopsy between January 2015 and December 2019 and who were selected by a random sampling method. The patients were divided into the two groups of benign (n = 140) and malignant (n = 96) based on the pathology results. Mann--Whitney U test and ROC analysis were used for the statistical analyses. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The median (mean) age of the patients participating in the study was 66 (11) years. Compared to the patients with benign pathology results, the median age, PSA, and PSAD values of the patients diagnosed with PCa were higher, whereas the median PV levels were lower (p: 0.001, p: 0.001, p: 0.001, and p: 0.008, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of inflammation markers levels (p>0.05). Conclusion: Inflammation biomarkers (NLR, PLR, and SII) assessed before prostate biopsy did not contribute to the predictive factors currently used in the prediction of biopsy results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the prognosis of BCG induction-only treatment and non-complete response (CR) at the first 3-month evaluation and examined factors associated with CR. In total, 209 patients with moderate- and high-risk NMIBC who received BCG induction-only treatment between 2008 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed based on the initial NMIBC stage. PFS and associated factors of non-CR compared to CR were also assessed. Initial T1 high-grade (HG) (n = 93) had poorer RFS and PFS after BCG induction-only treatment than Ta low-grade (LG) (p = 0.029, p = 0.002). Non-CR (n = 37) had a different neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (2.81 ± 1.02 vs. 1.97 ± 0.92) and T staging from CR (p < 0.001, p = 0.008). T1HG recurrence was associated with a worse PFS compared to non-T1HG (13.7 months vs. 101.7 months, p < 0.001). There was no difference in PFS between T1HG and T1LG. T1 and NLR were predictors of response at 3 months in multivariable analysis (p = 0.004, p = 0.029). NLR was also found to be an associated factor with RFS and PFS of bladder cancer (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). BCG induction-only treatment was effective for high-risk TaLG but not for T1HG. T1HG recurrence at 3 months after BCG induction has a poor prognosis for bladder cancer. Preoperative NLR and T1 were predictors of non-CR, and NLR was also associated with the long-term prognosis of bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the involvement of pretreatment C‐reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the prognosis of patients who underwent intravesical bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) therapy for non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Methods: The clinicopathological data of 1709 patients with NMIBC who underwent initial intravesical BCG therapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the outcome of intravesical BCG therapy in a multicenter study conducted by the Japan Urological Oncology Group. The prognoses of these patients were analyzed to determine whether the biomarkers (CRP and NLR) could predict the efficacy of intravesical BCG therapy. Patients were divided into two groups according to the pretreatment CRP and NLR, with cutoff values defined as CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl and NLR ≥ 2.5, based on several previous reports. Results: In the univariable analysis, CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl was significantly associated with intravesical recurrence, cancer‐specific survival, and bladder cancer (BC) progression, while NLR ≥ 2.5 was not significantly associated with patient prognosis. In the multivariable analysis, CRP ≥ 0.5 mg/dl was significantly associated with intravesical recurrence and BC progression. The concordance index was used to examine the accuracy in predicting recurrence and progression events. While CRP was slightly, though not statistically significant, inferior to the European Association of Urology risk classification, the combination of them showed improved predictive accuracy. Conclusion: This study suggests that CRP can be a prognostic factor after intravesical BCG therapy and may provide useful data for determining treatment and follow‐up strategies for patients with NMIBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is associated with its high rates of progression and recurrence, the proper diagnosis and management can save lives. Bladder cancer is the tenth most common type of cancer in the world. This review discusses the current markers used in the recurrence prediction of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and future trends, published in the last decade, in addition to the limitations and future prospects in the field of AI-based prediction systems. Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common cancer globally and has a high mortality rate if not detected early and treated promptly. Non-muscle-invasive BC (NMIBC) is a subclassification of BC associated with high rates of recurrence and progression. Current tools for predicting recurrence and progression on NMIBC use scoring systems based on clinical and histopathological markers. These exclude other potentially useful biomarkers which could provide a more accurate personalized risk assessment. Future trends are likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the prediction of recurrence in patients with NMIBC and decrease the use of standard clinical protocols such as cystoscopy and cytology. Here, we provide a comprehensive survey of the most recent studies from the last decade (N = 70 studies), focused on the prediction of patient outcomes in NMIBC, particularly recurrence, using biomarkers such as radiomics, histopathology, clinical, and genomics. The value of individual and combined biomarkers is discussed in detail with the goal of identifying future trends that will lead to the personalized management of NMIBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although transnational collective anticapitalist action is the Left's historical instinct, past efforts at collaboration failed at building a comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable international. Reflecting on internationalism's history, this essay challenges assumptions and approaches to internationalism and unity. History suggests common aims and solidarity are insufficient, especially when the pursuit of collaboration from distinct positions leads to conflict. Creating a more institutionalized context for unity promises a more enduring collaboration. A revitalized Left institutionalism is needed. It should endeavor to build institutions especially for mediation (a practice underemphasized in the Left's historical tradition), such as an international conflict-adjudicating "workers and peoples" tribunal. Institutions like a tribunal composed of rank-and-file workers could be put at the center of international socialism along with leaders and full-time activists, constituting a coactive power that would be part of an expanded Left institutional sphere aimed at creating an anticapitalist international system within the existing international system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of renal hypothermic perfusion by renal artery balloon catheter during robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (P-RALPN) for patients with complex renal tumors. Materials and methods: We retrospectively identified 45 patients with complex renal tumors who received standard robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (S-RALPN) and 11 patients treated with P-RALPN from September 2017 to October 2021. Preoperative patients' characteristics and intraoperative surgical parameters including operating time, blood loss, hospitalization, pre- and post-surgical glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and postoperative survival time were collected and compared between the two groups. The patients' body temperature, real-time kidney temperature, and short-term renal function were analyzed in the P-RALPN group. Results: Therewas no statistically significant difference on median intraoperative estimated blood loss and postoperative hospitalization between the two groups. Patients who received P-RALPN had a slightly longer operative time than those who received S-RALPN (103.1 versus 125.9; p = 0.09). In the P-RALPN group, the volume of perfusion solution was 533.2 ml (range, 255.0-750.0 ml), the median temperature of kidney was 22.6°C (range, 21.7-24.1°C) after the kidney cools down, and the median minimum intraoperative temperature of patients was 36.1°C (range 35.2-36.7°C). The ischemia time in the S-RALPN group was markedly lower than that in the P-RALPN group (21.5 versus 34.8; p < 0.01). However, the loss of GFR was much higher for the S-RALPN group after the surgery. (28.9 versus 18.4; p < 0.01). Importantly, patients had similar postoperative survival time between the two groups (p = 0.42; HR = 0.27). Conclusion: P-RALPN is a safe and feasible surgery in the treatment of patients with complex renal tumors, which provides a new operative approach for clinicians to treat these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the heterogeneous population of patients with bacillus Calmette‐Guérin failure, there are clear differences in prognosis and therapy with regard to the timeline when bacillus Calmette‐Guérin failure occurred. There are a variety of classifications which include bacillus Calmette‐Guérin refractory disease, relapsing, unresponsive, and intolerant. Further profiling of these patients may help to shed light on other forms of therapy that are less radical. We hereby summarize the different biomarkers that predicts for response to bacillus Calmette‐Guérin immunotherapy and bacillus Calmette‐Guérin failure for non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic/national hybridity can be defined as a combination of plural ethnic/national aspects within an individual's self. This article proposes five such types: fused, dissonant, alternating, contradictory and reciprocal. Among them, the least focused type—reciprocal—can be represented by Russian Jewish Liberals who were Russified but active in both Russian and Jewish milieus from the late 19th century until the early 1920s (after the Russian Revolution, exiled in Western Europe). In such people's selves, the Jewish and Russian aspects reinforced each other. They believed that Russia and Russians provided a stage on which Jews could fulfil their potential, such as economic roles as intermediaries, proliferators of Western knowledge and defenders of the legal order, any of which, in their view, Russia and Russians needed, and feel pride in their Jewishness. Thus, they tried to defend Russia in times of crisis. Comparison with other Russian Jewish trends such as Jews in the Mensheviks and Russian Zionism suggests that such Liberals would be an extreme case but that the Late Imperial Russian multiethnic/national milieu would have been likely to generate such a trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer can be controlled by transurethral resection of bladder (TURB), but suffers from frequent recurrences in 60-70% of cases. Although, recurrence interval after TURB influences treatment course and prognosis, its implication and risk factors have not been fully elucidated. We evaluated the risk factors of early (within 1 yr) and late (after 1 yr) recurrence of pTa bladder cancer and clinical significance of recurrence interval on disease progression and overall survival.Methods: In this study, pTa bladder cancer patients enrolled in prospective patient registry system of Seoul National University, SUPER-UC, were retrospectively examined to determine the clinical risk factors for recurrence and its significance regarding to recurrence interval. A total of 1067 bladder cancer patients who underwent TURB between March 20 and June 2021 were included and classified into three groups of no recurrence, early, or late recurrence to be comparatively analyzed.Results: Early recurrence was associated with poorer cystectomy-free survival and overall survival than late recurrence. Risk factors for early recurrence included a high number of previous TURB, tumor multiplicity, tumor location, tumor shape, incompleteness of TURB, and high tumor grade. Otherwise, late recurrence was associated with low-grade tumors with insufficient TURB depth.Conclusion: Patients with risk factors for early recurrence should be closely followed up with special cautions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the most prevalent complications of Partial Nephrectomy (PN) is Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), which could have a negative impact on subsequent renal function and occurs in up to 24.3% of patients undergoing PN. The aim of this study was to predict the occurrence of AKI following PN using preoperative parameters by applying machine learning algorithms.Methods: We included all adult patients (n = 723) who underwent open PN in our department since 1995 and on whom we have data on the pre-operative renal function. We developed a random forest (RF) model with Boolean satisfaction-based pruned decision trees for binary classification (AKI or non-AKI). Hyper-parameter grid search was performed to optimize the model's performance. Fivefold cross-validation was applied to evaluate the model. We implemented a RF model with greedy feature selection to binary classify AKI and non-AKI cases based on pre-operative data.Results: The best model obtained a 0.69 precision and 0.69 recall in classifying the AKI and non-AKI groups on average (k = 5). In addition, the model's probability to correctly classify a new prediction is 0.75. The proposed model is available as an online calculator.Conclusions: Our model predicts the occurrence of AKI following open PN with (75%) accuracy. We plan to externally validate this model and modify it to minimally-invasive PN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients receive frequent monitoring because ≥ 70% will have recurrent disease. However, screening is invasive, expensive, and associated with significant morbidity making bladder cancer the most expensive cancer to treat per capita. There is an urgent need to expand the understanding of markers related to recurrence and survival outcomes of NMIBC. Methods and results: We used the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC array to measure peripheral blood DNA methylation profiles of NMIBC patients (N = 603) enrolled in a population-based cohort study in New Hampshire and applied cell type deconvolution to estimate immune cell-type proportions. Using Cox proportional hazard models, we identified that increasing CD4T and CD8T cell proportions were associated with a statistically significant decreased hazard of tumor recurrence or death (CD4T: HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.97–1.00; CD8T: HR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.95–1.00), whereas increasing monocyte proportion and methylation-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (mdNLR) were associated with the increased hazard of tumor recurrence or death (monocyte: HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.00–1.07; mdNLR: HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.04–1.20). Then, using an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) approach adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, BCG treatment status, and immune cell profiles, we identified 2528 CpGs associated with the hazard of tumor recurrence or death (P < 0.005). Among these CpGs, the 1572 were associated with an increased hazard and were significantly enriched in open sea regions; the 956 remaining CpGs were associated with a decreased hazard and were significantly enriched in enhancer regions and DNase hypersensitive sites. Conclusions: Our results expand on the knowledge of immune profiles and methylation alteration associated with NMIBC outcomes and represent a first step toward the development of DNA methylation-based biomarkers of tumor recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of the aspartate transaminase/alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio in primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.Methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical and pathological data from 314 patients with primary NMIBC who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor. The full cohorts were divided into a low AST/ALT ratio group and a high AST/ALT ratio group according to the optimal cut-off value which was obtained based on the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve for the 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS). After 1:1 PSM, the correlation between preoperative AST/ALT ratio and survival prognosis was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank tests. The independent prognostic factors for RFS and progression-free survival (PFS) were also analyzed.Results: The optimum cutoff value of the preoperative AST/ALT ratio was 1.40. Before PSM, a high AST/ALT ratio was correlated with the larger proportion of age > 60 years (P = 0.007) and the worse pathological T stage (P < 0.001). After PSM, patients with a high AST/ALT ratio had poorer RFS and PFS than patients with a low AST/ALT ratio (all P < 0.001). In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that preoperative AST/ALT ratio was considered as an independent prognostic factor of RFS (HR 2.865; 95%CI 1.873-4.381; P < 0.001) and PFS (HR 4.771; 95%CI 2.607-8.734; P < 0.001) in patients with primary NMIBC.Conclusions: The high AST/ALT ratio group tended to have poorer RFS and PFS than the low AST/ALT ratio group. Our results also indicated that the elevated preoperative AST/ALT ratio could be seen as a useful prognostic biomarker for predicting early disease recurrence and progression in patients with primary NMIBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Little is known on urine biomarkers that are associated with malignant behavior in patients with bladder cancer (BC). Our aim was to identify BC-related factors in urine samples using our original method "immune complexome analysis", based on detecting the immune complex (IC). Patients and Methods: Immune complexome analysis was performed using urine samples from 97 BC patients, including 67 with non-muscle invasive BC (NMIBC). Results: Eight IC-antigens were recognized as candidates for BC-related factors from 20,165 proteins. ICserum albumin, -fibrinogen γ chain, -hemoglobin subunit a, -hemoglobin subunit ß, -ceruloplasmin, and fibrinogen ß chain were significantly associated with either pathological features and/or outcome. IC-ceruloplasmin was most widely associated with pathological features in all BC patients and lamina propria invasion and urinary tract recurrence in NMIBC. Conclusion: Based on detection of IC-antigens it was demonstrated that six IC-antigens, especially ICceruloplasmin, are potential urine biomarkers in BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system, with high morbidity and mortality. At present, the survival rates and prognosis of patients with bladder cancer are still relatively low; thus, there remains a need to improve prognosis by identifying novel targets. Kinesins (kinesin superfamily proteins) are a series of microtubule‐based motor proteins that mediate various types of cellular processes. Kinesin family member 3A (KIF3A) is critical for cytoplasm separation in mitosis, and it has been reported to be misexpressed in multiple types of cancer. However, its effects on the progression and development of bladder cancer remain unclear. Herein, we report that KIF3A is highly expressed in human bladder cancer. We identified a significant correlation between KIF3A and clinical features, including clinical stage (P = 0.047), pathological tumor status (P = 0.045), lymph node status (P = 0.041) and metastasis (P = 0.035). KIF3A expression was also correlated with poor prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. Our results further indicated that KIF3A ablation resulted in cell cycle arrest; blocked the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells in vitro; and restrained tumor growth in mice in a microtubule‐dependent manner. In summary, our findings suggest that KIF3A is a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern world, there are many wars of various origins - from economic to interethnic and inter-confessional. This means that humanity has not yet developed effective methods to prevent and combat them. In this regard, the authors, relying mainly on archival sources of prerevolutionary origin, including little-known ones, consider it very relevant to study the historical experience of the attitude of the Mensheviks-internationalists to the First World War, who proposed specific ways to end it through organised pressure of the international proletariat on the ruling elite of the warring blocs of states in terms to coerce them to sign peace. The sources involved are mainly pre-revolutionary evidence on the history of the activities of the Menshevism internationalist-pacifist movement, contained in official documents, archival materials, memoirs, works of prominent figures of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), as well as scientific publications of domestic and foreign experts on the history of Russian social democracy. The solution of research problems is based on the principle of historicism. The anti-militarist views of the Menshevik internationalists are viewed as a consequence of specific socio-historical conditions, in the formation of which both events on the fronts of the First World War and the positions of domestic and foreign representatives of the international proletariat towards it played an important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate if the preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are predictive in discriminating between Ta and T1 tumors in aging male patients.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 240 male patient data who were ≥ 65 years old, diagnosed primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with transurethral resection between 2008 and 2020. The patients were divided into the two groups according to the pathological stage, which has a stage of Ta defined group 1 and stage of T1 defined group 2. Before the transurethral resection, serum levels of NLR and PLR were obtained from each patient and compared between the groups.Results: About 115 patients enrolled in group 1 (pTa patients) and 106 patients enrolled in group 2 (pT1 patients). The median age was 73 years (range 65-89) in group 1 and 75 years (range 65-98) in group 2. In complete blood cell (CBC) parameters, neutrophil count, NLR and PLR were higher and lymphocyte count was lower in group 2. There was no statistical difference in leukocyte and platelet counts between groups.Conclusion: The present study revealed that higher preoperative NLR and PLR were associated with lamina propria invasion in aging male patients with BC and the results have predictive value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) can occur in various parts of the urinary tract and occurs in different stages and grades. The disease recurs frequently and is monitored through a series of invasive tests, such as cystoscopy or ureteroscopy, over the lifetime of an individual. Although many researchers have attempted to stratify the risks of UC, with the majority being based on cancer characteristics and host factors such as performance status, a risk classification system has yet to be fully developed. Cancer affects various parts of the body through the systemic immune response, including changes in hormones, the number and ratio of white blood cells and platelets, and C-reactive protein (CRP) or albumin levels under the influence of neuroendocrine metabolism, hematopoietic function, and protein and energy metabolism, respectively. Herein, we reviewed various systemic inflammatory response markers (SIRs) related to UC, including CRP, albumin-globulin ratio, albumin, Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), modified GPS, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-lymphocyte ratio. Our aim was to summarize the role of various SIRs in the treatment of patients with UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 1918, the Bolshevik-dominated Third Congress of Soviets declared the formation of a new composite polity—the Soviet Russian Republic. The congress's resolutions, however, simultaneously proclaimed a federation of national republics and a federation of soviets. The latter seemed to recognize regionalism and localism as organizing principles on par with nationalism and to legitimize the self-proclaimed Soviet republics across the former Russian Empire. The current article compared two such non-national Soviet republics, those in Odessa and the Russian Far East. The two republics had similar roots in the discourses and practices of the Russian Empire, such as economic and de facto administrative autonomy. They also took similar organizational forms, were run by coalitions, and opposed their own inclusion into larger national and regional formations in Ukraine and Siberia. At the same time, both of the Soviet governments functioned as ad hoc committees and adapted their institutional designs and practices to the concrete—and very different—social and international conditions in the two peripheries. The focus of the Odessa and Far Eastern authorities on specific problems and their embeddedness in the peculiar contexts reflected the very idea of federalism as governance based on decentralization and nuance but contradicted the party-based centralization and the exclusivity of the ethno-national federalism in the consolidated Soviet state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinonasal carcinoma, albumin-to-globulin ratio, patients, risk factor, survival. [Extracted from the article]

Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) instillations are considered as a gold standard of therapy in high- and intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Unfortunately, up to 40% of patients might experience treatment failure and even 15% of patients initially diagnosed with NMIBC will progress to muscle-invasive disease. Since patients, who fail to respond to BCG, are at particular risk of progression, immediate radical cystectomy (RC) is currently recommended to provide cancer control. However, immunotherapy in NMIBC management still evolves. Immune checkpoint inhibitors emerge as new immunotherapeutics, which in the future might be combined with BCG and may serve as an alternative to radical cystectomy in patients, who failed to respond to BCG alone or are at particular a priori risk of BCG failure, especially if RC is not a safe option. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify NMIBC patients that will not benefit from BCG therapy and demand radical cystectomy. In the following review, we attempt to focus on several clinical and molecular factors and demonstrate the efforts directed to unravel their significance in BCG-failure risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To report a comparative analysis of outcomes in patients who underwent excisions of renal hilar tumors using both open and robotic approaches. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed robotic and open patients who underwent partial nephrectomy of renal hilar tumors between 2011 and 2016. "Trifecta" was defined as negative surgical margins, no complications, and a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) preservation of ≥90% at last follow-up. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was applied to equilibrate treatment groups, minimize selection bias, and optimize inference on the basis of each patient's clinicodemographic characteristics. Results: One hundred robotic and 64 open patients had sufficient data for IPTW. After weighting, there were no statistical differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups (p < 0.05). On adjusted analyses, robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) achieved equivalent rates of trifecta to open surgery (21.1% vs 13.9%, respectively, p = 0.387). There were no differences between robotic and open cohorts for negative margin rates (72.8% vs 90.4%, p = 0.124), absence of complications (68.6% vs 75.2%, p = 0.587), or GFR ≥90% (39.4% vs 21.6%, p = 0.111). The robotic cohort had a shorter mean length of stay (3.8 vs 5.0 days, p = 0.012), and no difference in estimated blood loss (253.3 vs 357.1, p = 0.091) or operating time (199.8 vs 200.4, p = 0.961). Conclusions: In our analysis both open and RPN for hilar tumors were equally likely to achieve a low "trifecta" outcome with a shorter mean length of stay in the robotic cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to report the impact of patients’ baseline characteristics on the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) for localized kidney cancer. Patients and methods: Data from our kidney cancer database were retrospectively extracted to include 402 patients who underwent NSS between March 2000 and June 2016, and had sufficient data. Definition of AKI was based on the postoperative serum creatinine levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) magnitude, which were measured during the 72 h after surgery. Results: Based on RIFLE and AKIN criteria, the overall rate of postoperative AKI was 35%. The average decrease in eGFR among patients who developed AKI was 20% as compared with the non-AKI subgroup (2%). In univariate analysis, variables that were associated with AKI included right-sided tumors (p = 0.014), male sex (p = 0.01), hypertension (p = 0.003), baseline eGFR (p = 0.009) and history of nephrolithiasis (p = 0.039). However, multivariate analysis revealed that the only independent predictors of postoperative AKI were hypertension (p = 0.009) and cigarette smoking (p = 0.024). Conclusion: AKI is a common complication of NSS affecting about one-third of the patients. The most important risk factors are hypertension and smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A relatively high proportion of patients who undergo partial or radical nephrectomy for enhancing renal mass actually have oncocytoma, a benign renal tumor. Several parameters have been shown to be typical for oncocytoma, but only a small number of patients present with these parameters. The aim of our study was to report the clinical, operative and postoperative characteristics of patients who underwent nephron-sparing surgery in our center with a histopathological diagnosis of oncocytoma compared to patients with malignant renal tumor. Patients and Methods: Sixty-three out of 530 patients who underwent nephronsparing surgery for enhancing renal mass were diagnosed with oncocytoma. Clinical and radiological features and operational data of these patients were compared with patients who had malignant renal tumors. Results: Mean age of patients with histologically proven non-malignant oncocytoma was significantly higher than that in patients with malignant renal cell carcinoma (66.7 vs. 61.4 years). All other analyzed variables showed no significant difference between the 2 groups. Conclusions: No reliable clinical, operative or radiological parameters can differentiate preoperatively between oncocytoma and malignant renal neoplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare outcomes between robot-assisted partial nephrectomy ( RAPN) and open PN ( OPN) for completely endophytic renal tumours. Patients and Methods We retrospectively reviewed 1 230 consecutive cases, consisting of 823 RAPNs and 407 OPNs, performed for renal mass at a single academic tertiary centre between 2011 and 2016. Of these, data on 87 RAPN and 56 OPN cases for completely endophytic renal tumours were analysed. Patient and tumour characteristics, operative, postoperative, functional, and oncological outcomes were compared between groups. Results Apart from a higher prevalence of solitary kidney among OPN cases ( RAPN, 5.7% vs OPN, 21.4%; P = 0.005), demographic characteristics were similar between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences in tumour size ( P = 0.07), tumour stage ( P = 0.3), margin status ( P = 0.48), malignant tumour subtypes ( P = 0.51), and grades ( P = 0.61) between the groups. Also, there were no statistically significant differences among the groups for warm ischaemia time ( P = 0.15), cold ischaemia time ( P = 0.28), and intraoperative ( P = 0.75) or postoperative (Clavien-Dindo Grade I-V, P = 0.08; Clavien-Dindo Grade III-V, P = 0.85) complication rates. The patients in the RAPN group had a shorter length of stay ( P < 0.001), less estimated blood loss ( P < 0.001), and lower intraoperative transfusion rates (0% vs 7.1%, P = 0.02). No local recurrences occurred during a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 15.2 (7-27.2) and 18.1 (8.2-30.9) months in the RAPN and OPN groups, respectively. There was no difference in estimated glomerular filtration rate preservation rates between groups for the early ( P = 0.26) and latest ( P = 0.22) functional follow-up. Conclusion For completely endophytic renal tumours, both OPN and RAPN have excellent outcomes when performed by experienced surgeons at a high-volume centre. For skilled robotic surgeons, RAPN is a safe and effective alternative to OPN with the advantages of shorter length of stay and less blood loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay offers a critical analysis of the contributions to the history of the Russian Civil Wars made by one of its most prolific and controversial historians, Geoffrey Swain, setting his monographs, articles, chapters, book reviews and other writings on the subject into broader developments in the field. The author finds that Swain’s interventions in debates on the civil wars have cut against the grain in many respects, but that Swain’s case for the potentiality of an alternative outcome to the Civil-War struggles—a ‘Third Way’, one that was neither Red nor White but ‘Green’—remains, so far, not proven. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Treatment of renal cell carcinoma has evolved considerably over the last few years. While total nephrectomy is necessary at times, nephron-sparing surgery, with a goal of renal function preservation, should always be considered. Although open partial nephrectomy is considered the gold standard approach for nephron-sparing surgery, laparoscopic- or robotic-assisted techniques allow urologists to perform renal surgery less invasively, with excellent long-term oncological outcomes. Cryotherapy and radiofrequency ablation are less invasive management approaches for carefully selected patients with small renal masses. Active surveillance should be considered in elderly or patients who are unfit for surgery. Ultimately, the method chosen for management of a renal mass is an informed decision made by the physician and patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its emergence as a discipline in the 1960s, women's history has had a profound effect on the study of the past. Scholarship on women's experiences of and contributions to the Russian revolutionary movement has increased exponentially since the publication of a number of biographies of Aleksandra Kollontai in the 1970s and 1980s and a comprehensive picture has emerged of women's involvement in all the major revolutionary parties, as leading figures as well as rank and file activists. Despite this wealth of historical discovery, remarkably little has found its way into so-called 'general' histories of the revolution. An integrated history, which is the ultimate aim of women's history, has yet to be produced for the Russian revolutionary movement, even though recent prosopographical studies of revolutionary women have made clear the numerous ways in which men and women cooperated and interacted on a daily basis in the underground. This article explores the nature of and reasons for this failure, makes a case for why incorporating women's experiences into the grand narrative of the Russian revolution is important and discusses how this might be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of unmarked nineteenth-century Jewish graves in the Melbourne General Cemetery strongly counters traditional histories of local communal practice and identity. An expanded synthesis of sources allows for an understanding of the site in international and local contexts, both historical and current. Previous above-ground archaeological cemetery studies have been limited to analysis of funerary monumentation. This article finds meaning in the archaeological record formed by the absence of burial markers altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The management of bladder cancer faces multiple challenges concerning the diagnostic and follow-up approaches. The standard diagnostic examination comprises invasive cystoscopy. Urine cytology and recently proposed urine-based biomarkers have been unable to replace cystoscopy, thus prompting calls for improvements. Here, we explore urine liquid biopsy to detect cancer mutations and subsequently evaluate the utility of urine as a suitable specimen for diagnosing bladder cancer. Our results show that the analysis of pre- and postoperative urine with a cost-effective 127-gene panel enables the characterization of tumor mutations. These findings provide cumulative evidence in support of the results of previous studies that testing urine for mutations is a useful strategy to complement the clinical management of bladder cancer patients. The standard diagnostic and follow-up examination for bladder cancer is diagnostic cystoscopy, an invasive test that requires compliance for a long period. Urine cytology and recent biomarkers come short of replacing cystoscopy. Urine liquid biopsy promises to solve this problem and potentially allows early detection, evaluation of treatment efficacy, and surveillance. A previous study reached 52–68% sensitivity using small-panel sequencing but could increase sensitivity to 68–83% by adding aneuploidy and promoter mutation detection. Here, we explore whether a large 127-gene panel alone is sufficient to detect tumor mutations in urine from bladder cancer patients. We recruited twelve bladder cancer patients, obtained preoperative and postoperative urine samples, and successfully analyzed samples from eleven patients. In ten patients, we found at least one mutation in bladder-cancer-associated genes, i.e., a promising sensitivity of 91%. In total, we identified 114 variants, of which 90 were predicted as nonbenign, 30% were associated with cancer, and 13% were actionable according to the CIViC database. Sanger sequencing of the patients' formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues confirmed the findings. We concluded that incorporating urine liquid biopsy is a promising strategy in the management of bladder cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the wealth of information that has been published and continues to be published every year on revolutionary Russia, the inter‐revolutionary period of 1908–17 has attracted relatively little attention. Yet the complex interplay of events that determined the paths taken and choices made in 1917 and beyond can only be comprehensively understood when forgotten ideas and concepts and those that best expounded them are resurrected and investigated. This article attempts to shed some light on this period by analysing the main ideas put forward during it by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Rozhkov (1868–1927) and by examining how they differed to those presented by Lenin. Furthermore, the article will attempt to show that Rozhkov was a well‐known, influential and independent Russian thinker and political activist who consistently and logically elaborated his own grand theory of social development, which, generally speaking, represented an alternative to the views espoused by Lenin and his followers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights a number of articles and book reviews about the Asiatic Mode of Production (AMP), a research tool for understanding Ancient Asia, published in the "Journal of Contemporary Asia." Dominance of collective working of the land; Debate on Oriental society and AMP; Russian research on AMP; Western historians and political scientist who made contributions to AMP; Criticism of AMP; Use of historical materialism to explain how modes of production should be specified.

It is ironic, to say the least, that for a long time now the little known name of Nikolai Aleksandrovich Rozhkov (1868–1927) has been used to substantiate a range of claims about the world's most famous revolutionary – Lenin. Despite numerous one-line references, so little has been written about Rozhkov that readers are unable to evaluate the validity of any statement written about him or his relationship to others, including Lenin. This article attempts to begin to address this issue by providing a very brief biography of Rozhkov, with particular reference to his revolutionary work in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) and his relationship with Lenin up to 1908. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) was shown to play a significant role in different neoplasms. In a previous study by our team, we showed that Sema3A is overexpressed in patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC). In this study, we analyzed 43 specimens from patients with the entire spectrum of UC and compared them with samples from 14 normal urothelium using immunostaining and computerized morphometry. The results showed that patients with UC had intense Sema3A staining in the apical layer of the mucosa compared to patients without UC. Moreover, patients with higher grade UC showed intense Sema3A staining across all mucosal layers. Introduction: Our previous studies showed elevated levels of Semaphorin3a (Sema3A) in the urine of patients with urothelial cancer compared to healthy patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the extent of Sema3A expression in normal and malignant urothelial tissue using immune-staining microscopic and morphometric analysis. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven paraffin-embedded bladder samples were retrieved from our pathology archive and analyzed: 14 samples of normal urothelium, 21 samples containing low-grade urothelial carcinoma, 13 samples of patients with high-grade urothelial carcinoma, 7 samples containing muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma, and 2 samples with pure urothelial carcinoma in situ. All samples were immunostained with anti Sema3A antibodies. The area of tissue stained with Sema3A and its intensity were analyzed using computerized morphometry and compared between the samples' groups. Results: In normal bladder tissue, very light Sema3A staining was demonstrated on the mucosal basal layer and completely disappeared on the apical layer. In low-grade tumor samples, cells in the basal layer of the mucosa were also lightly stained with Sema3A, but Seama3A expression intensified upon moving apically, reaching its highest level on apical cells exfoliating to the urine. In high grade urothelial tumors, Seama3A staining was intense in the entire thickness of the mucosa. In samples containing carcinoma in situ, staining intensity was high and homogenous in all the neoplastic cells. Conclusions: Sema3A may be serve as a potential non-invasive marker of urothelial cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]