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Background: Air pollution is one of the biggest problems in societies today. The intensity of indoor and outdoor air pollutants and the urbanization rate can cause or trigger many different diseases, especially lung cancer. In this context, this study's aim is to reveal the effects of the indoor and outdoor air pollutants, and urbanization rate on the lung cancer cases., Methods: Panel data analysis method is applied in this study. The research includes the period between 1990 and 2019 as a time series and the data type of the variables is annual. The dependent variable in the research model is lung cancer cases per 100,000 people. The independent variables are the level of outdoor air pollution, air pollution level indoor environment and urbanization rate of countries., Results: In the modeling developed for the developed country group, it is seen that the variable with the highest level of effect on lung cancer is the outdoor air pollution level., Conclusions: In parallel with the development of countries, it has been determined that the increase in industrial production wastes, in other words, worsening the air quality, may potentially cause an increase in lung cancer cases. Indoor air quality is also essential for human health; negative changes in this variable may negatively impact individuals' health, especially lung cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Gozlu, Senol, Cirakli, Aslan, Akbulut and Gokkaya.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the outcomes of microneurosurgical interventions on V1 segment of the vertebral artery in patients with refractory vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) due to dolicoarteriopathy and external compressions and to assess the secondary benefits of Parkinsonism-like symptoms., Methods: Retrospective analysis encompassed 101 patients treated for vertebral artery dolicoarteriopathy or compression-related refractory VBI from 2016 to 2023. Of these, 16 patients exhibited drug-resistant Parkinsonism-like symptoms. The diagnostic evaluation included cerebral computed tomography/magnetic resonance angiography or digital subtraction angiography and brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance perfusion studies, corroborated by preoperative and 6- and 12-month postoperative Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part 3 assessments. Data were analyzed through Turkey's "E-nabız" system, employing Stata16 for statistical scrutiny., Results: A significant reduction in Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores was observed (preoperative: 26.75±10.91; 6 months: 23.09±9.24; 12 months: 22.5±8.73; P < 0.001). Postoperative follow-up denoted that 43.7% of patients ceased medication and 50% reduced antiparkinsonian drugs. The microneurosurgical approach resulted in complete remission of VBI-related symptoms in 84.6% of patients, with the rest showing partial or marked improvement. At 6 months postoperation, perfusion studies revealed posterior border zone or cerebellar perfusion enhancements in 81% (13 out of 16) of patients, with full symptom resolution, while the remaining 19% (3 out of 16) showed partial perfusion and clinical improvements, particularly in regions supplied by the posterior cerebellar artery or posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The absence of operative mortality and minimal transient morbidities underscored the procedure's safety., Conclusions: Microneurosurgery for vertebral artery anomalies in refractory VBI patients, particularly those with concomitant parkinsonian-like syndromes, has demonstrated potential in symptom remission and medication reduction., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment (CUETO) risk scoring models in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients defined as high risk according to European Association of Urology guidelines and managed based on current recommendations., Material and Methods: Data from 187 high-risk NMIBC patients treated at a tertiary center between July 2010 and November 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. One- and five-year recurrence- and progression-free survival were assessed for each patient using the EORTC and CUETO risk scores. The patients were divided into four risk groups according to their risk scores as low, medium-low, medium-high and high risk, as indicated in the models. Discriminative ability was evaluated with the Harrell's concordance index (c-index)., Results: Both risk scoring models overestimated the risk of recurrence and progression at one and five years. Only the prediction of recurrence at five years in the high risk group according to the CUETO model was compatible with our cohort. CUETO (c-indices for recurrence and progression were 0.802 and 0.834, respectively) exhibited better discrimination than EORTC (0.722 for recurrence and 0.752 for progression) in the prediction of disease recurrence and progression., Conclusion: The CUETO model was superior to the EORTC model in predicting recurrence and progression and stratifying patients with different prognoses in our high-risk NMIBC patient population treated according to current guideline recommendations. However, both models overestimated the probability of disease recurrence and progression. Only the probability of recurrence at five years in the high-risk group of the CUETO model was compatible with our cohort.

Objective: To radiologically examine the pedicle, lamina, and vertebral artery foraminal anatomies at the C2 vertebra for pedicular and laminar screw instrumentation at the axis in a Turkish population., Methods: From 2018 to 2019, we evaluated 100 patients who underwent cervical computed tomography (CT) for various reasons (excluding cervical pathologies) at Marmara University Hospital. The C2 pedicles were measured on CT images using measurement tools. In addition, axial computed tomography was performed at 0.1 mm intervals. Bilateral measurements were performed for each case., Results: The median right and left pedicle axial diameters were 5.01 and 5.09 mm, respectively for the male patients and 4.31 and 4.38 mm for the female patients, showing a statistically significant difference between the sexes (P < 0.01). Of the patients, 15% had narrow pedicles. The pedicle sagittal diameters were smaller than 5 mm in 30% of the computed tomographic series. The internal height was <2 mm in 4% of the cases., Conclusions: Our findings suggest significant individual and sex-related differences. Vertebral artery groove anomalies are commonly observed. Before performing a posterior craniocervical instrumentation surgery, a computed tomography (CT) examination is beneficial because high-riding vertebral arteries must be kept in mind in determining the appropriate screw diameter and screw trajectory., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare adjuvant hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) with mitomycin C and standard Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy in terms of oncological outcomes and adverse events in patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)., Materials and Methods: The data of patients with high-risk papillary NMIBC treated with adjuvant intravesical BCG instillations or HIVEC in our institution between June 2017 and August 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-four patients who received HIVEC were matched 1:1 with patients receiving BCG therapy based on tumor characteristics (tumor stage and grade), age, gender, smoking status, and the number of tumors (single or multiple). HIVEC and standard BCG treatments were compared in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events., Results: Forty-eight patients (24 in the BCG group and 24 in the HIVEC group) were included in the study. The median follow-up times of the BCG and HIVEC groups were 32 [interquartile range (IQR): 28.0-47.8] and 28 (IQR: 16.7-41.8) months, respectively (p = 0.11). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the 24-month RFS (BCG 83% vs HIVEC 88%, p = 0.64) and the 24-month PFS (BCG 100% vs HIVEC 94%, p = 0.61). Regarding the safety profile, at least one adverse event occurred in 13 (54%) of the patients in the BCG group and 12 (50.0%) of those in the HIVEC group (p = 0.77)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that HIVEC with mitomycin C has a similar oncological efficacy and safety profile to standard BCG therapy in high-risk NMIBC., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Purpose: To compare different treatment approaches in patients with failed ureteral access sheath placement during first flexible ureterorenoscopy (f-URS) session., Methods: Patients with kidney stones measuring 1-2 cm, presented to our urology clinic between September 2020 and September 2021, were included in the study for evaluation. The study was designed prospectively (Clinical-Trials number NCT05911945). Patients were randomized into two groups, in case of a failed ureteral access sheath placement during the first f-URS session. In group 1, JJ stent was placed for dilation and second session of f-URS was planned. In group 2, mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPNL) was performed in the same session., Results: Twenty-four patients were included in each group. Pre-operative demographic data and stone characteristics of the patients in each group were comparable. Operation time, fluoroscopy time, and hospital stay were significantly higher in the mini-PNL group. When SF-36 values were compared, physical function, pain, role limitation, and general health value scores were improved in both groups after treatment. The improvement in physical function and pain parameters was statistically significant in the mPNL group. In patients with failed ureteral access sheath placement, placing a JJ stent for dilation and postponing f-URS for 4-6 weeks provides the advantages of low hospitalization time for each admission, shorter fluoroscopy and operation time., Conclusions: Performing mPNL in the same session, results in better improvements in SF-36 parameters such as pain and physical function compared to f-URS. The success and complication rates of the two procedures were comparable., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background and Aim: Some patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are unable to receive adequate BCG instillations due to intolerance. In this study we aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC®) treatment using Mitomycin C (MMC) in BCG-intolerant NMIBC patients., Methods: Retrospectively collected data from a total of 22 high-risk papillary NMIBC patients who received adjuvant HIVEC therapy for BCG intolerance were analyzed. The primary outcomes of the study were recurrence-free survival (RFS), time to recurrence, progression-free survival (PFS), and time to progression following initial TURB. Detection of histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma during follow-up was considered as recurrence, while detection of muscle-invasive disease was defined as progression. The secondary outcome was adverse events of HIVEC treatment., Results: The median follow-up was 32.2 (IQR: 17.8-42.8) months. The RFS and PFS rates were 81.8% and 95.4%, respectively. The mean time to tumor recurrence and progression was 29.2 ± 14.3 and 16.7 months, respectively. Adverse events occurred in 50% of patients, and 95% of adverse events were mild to moderate., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that adjuvant HIVEC with MMC is an effective and safe alternative bladder sparing treatment in BCG intolerant high risk papillary NMIBC patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective To evaluate the outcomes of adjustable male sling (Argus®) implantation in the management of post-prostatectomy incontinence (PPI) with intermediate-term follow-up results. Materials and methods The data on adjustable male sling surgery between September 2015 and September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were preoperatively evaluated with a voiding diary, 24-hour pad test, and validated questionnaire. Functional outcomes were also evaluated using 24-hour pad requirement and pad weight, and the International Consultation on Incontinence (ICIQ-SF) score. Results A total of 16 patients (eight having undergone the transurethral resection of the prostate [TUR-P] and eight radical prostatectomy [RP]) were enrolled in the study. Thirteen patients had moderate (81.25%) PPI, and three patients (18.75%) had severe PPI. With the mean follow-up of 36.9±14.3 months, nine patients (56.2%) were noted as cured and four (25%) as improved, with an overall success rate of 81.2%. At the last follow-up visit, the median number of pads used per day decreased from 3.5 to 1, and the 24-hour pad test result decreased from 300 to 50 gr (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The ICIQ-SF score decreased from the initial mean of 15.8 ± 2.3 to 7.1 ± 6.6 (p < 0.001). When the outcomes were compared according to the etiology, there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.522). Conclusions Male sling surgery can be performed safely in patients with moderate and severe stress urinary incontinence with low complication and high success rates. The results of TUR-P-related PPI are similar to those of surgery performed due to the etiology of RP., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Yanaral et al.)

The Covid-19 pandemic caused uncertainties in many different organizations, institutions gained experience in remote working and showed that high-quality distance education is a crucial component in higher education. The main concern in higher education is the impact of distance education on the quality of learning during such a pandemic. Although this type of education may be considered effective and beneficial at first glance, its effectiveness highly depends on a variety of factors such as the availability of online resources and individuals' financial situations. In this study, the effectiveness of e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is evaluated using posted tweets, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling techniques. More than 160,000 tweets, addressing conditions related to the major change in the education system, were gathered from Twitter social network and deep learning-based sentiment analysis models and topic models based on latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) algorithm were developed and analyzed. Long short term memory-based sentiment analysis model using word2vec embedding was used to evaluate the opinions of Twitter users during distance education and also, a topic model using the LDA algorithm was built to identify the discussed topics in Twitter. The conducted experiments demonstrate the proposed model achieved an overall accuracy of 76%. Our findings also reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has negative effects on individuals 54.5% of tweets were associated with negative emotions whereas this was relatively low on emotion reports in the YouGov survey and gender-rescaled emotion scores on Twitter. In parallel, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on education and how users' emotions altered due to the catastrophic changes allied to the education system based on the proposed machine learning-based models., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Emotion recognition has become increasingly utilized in the medical, advertising, and military domains. Recognizing the cues of emotion from human behaviors or physiological responses is encouraging for the research community. However, extracting true characteristics from sensor data to understand emotions can be challenging due to the complex nature of these signals. Therefore, advanced feature engineering techniques are required for accurate signal recognition. This study presents a hybrid affective model that employs a transfer learning approach for emotion classification using large-frame sensor signals which employ a genuine dataset of signal fusion gathered from 30 participants using wearable sensor systems interconnected with mobile devices. The proposed approach implements several learning algorithms such as Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), and several other shallow methods on the sensor input to handle the requirements for the traditional feature extraction process. The findings reveal that the use of deep learning methods is satisfactory in affect recognition when a great number of frames is employed, and the proposed hybrid deep model outperforms traditional neural network (overall accuracy of 54%) and deep learning approaches (overall accuracy of 76%), with an average classification accuracy of 93%. This hybrid deep model also has a higher accuracy than our previously proposed statistical autoregressive hidden Markov model (AR-HMM) approach, with 88.6% accuracy. Accuracy assessment was performed by means of several statistics measures (accuracy, precision, recall, F-measure, and RMSE).

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the impact of the resection technique (tumor enucleation (TE) or standard partial nephrectomy (SPN)) on trifecta outcomes in patients having undergone partial nephrectomy (PN)., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathologic parameters in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (pT1-2N0M0) who had undergone PN between January 2001-December 2018 at one of 15 different tertiary referral centers. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate independent predictors of trifecta failure, decreased postoperative renal functions (decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 10%), perioperative complications (Clavien-Dindo > 1), and positive surgical margins., Results: A total of 1070 patients with a mean age 56.11 ± 11.88 years were included in our study. PN was performed with TE in 848 (79.25%) and SPN in 222 (20.75%) patients. Trifecta failure rate was 56.2% for TE and 64.4% for SPN ( p  = 0.028). On multivariable analysis, TE was associated with less trifecta failure ( p  = 0.025) and eGFR decrease >10% rates ( p  = 0.024). On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference between TE and SPN according to positive surgical margins ( p  = 0.450) and complication > Clavien-Dindo grade 1 ( p  = 0.888) rates. The only independent predictive factor for complications > Clavien-Dindo 1 was the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ( p  = 0.001)., Conclusion: TE is associated with less trifecta failure than SPN. This result is mainly due to better preservation of renal function with TE.

Background and Objective: Affect provides contextual information about the emotional state of a person as he/she communicates in both verbal and/or non-verbal forms. While human's are great at determining the emotional state of people while they communicate in person, it is challenging and still largely an unsolved problem to computationally determine the emotional state of a person., Methods: Emotional states of a person manifest in the physiological biosignals such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) because these signals are impacted by the peripheral nervous system of the body, and the peripheral nervous system is strongly coupled with the mental state of the person. In this paper, we present a method to accurately recognize six emotions using ECG and EDA signals and applying autoregressive hidden Markov models (AR-HMMs) and heart rate variability analysis on these signals. The six emotions include happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, and disgust., Results: We evaluated our method on a comprehensive new dataset collected from 30 participants. Our results show that our proposed method achieves an average accuracy of 88.6% in distinguishing across the 6 emotions., Conclusions: The key technical depth of the paper is in the use of the AR-HMMs to model the EDA signal and the use of LDA to enable accurate emotion recognition without requiring a large number of training samples. Unlike other studies, we have taken a hierarchical approach to classify emotions, where we first categorize the emotion as either positive or negative and then identify the exact emotion., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence of metabolic disorders has increased rapidly as such they become a major health issue recently. Despite the definition of genetic associations with obesity and cardiovascular diseases, they constitute only a small part of the incidence of disease. Environmental and physiological effects such as stress, behavioral and metabolic disturbances, infections, and nutritional deficiencies have now revealed as contributing factors to develop metabolic diseases. This study presents a multivariate methodology for the modeling of stress on metabolic syndrome (MES) patients. We have developed a supporting system to cope with MES patients' anxiety and stress by means of several biosignals such as ECG, GSR, body temperature, SpO 2 , glucose level, and blood pressure that are measured by a wearable device. We employed a neural network model to classify emotions with HRV analysis in the detection of stressor moments. We have accurately recognized the stressful situations using physiological responses to stimuli by utilizing our proposed affective state detection algorithm. We evaluated our system with a dataset of 312 biosignal records from 30 participants and the results showed that our proposed method achieved an average accuracy of 92% and 89% in distinguishing stress level in MES and other groups respectively. Both being the focus of an MES group and others proved to be highly arousing experiences which were significantly reflected in the physiological signal. Exposure to the stress in MES and cardiovascular heart disease patients increases the chronic symptoms. An early stage of comprehensive intervention may reduce the risk of general cardiovascular events in these particular groups. In this context, the use of e-health applications such as our proposed system facilitates these processes., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate and to compare the accuracy of the Onal and Dogan nomograms for prediction of stone-free rate after shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL) in children., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of children <18 years old who had been treated with SWL for kidney stone in our department between January 2014 and December 2016. A single observer reviewed the records and both Onal and Dogan nomograms were calculated and compared with respect to their predictive capability for stone-free status., Results: A total of 219 patients with a mean age of 82.7 months fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. In patients who were stone free and those with residual stones after completion of the first session, the mean Onal score was 2.83 and 4.12 (P = .01), and the mean Dogan score was 120.87 and 167.44 (P = .01), respectively. In patients who were stone free and those with residual stones after the third session, the mean Onal score was 3.02 and 4.14 (P = .01), respectively. Multivariate regression analysis identified both Onal and Dogan nomograms as independent preoperative factors for SWL outcome in pediatric patients (P = .001 and P = .001) CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that Onal and Dogan nomograms are independent predictors of stone-free rate following SWL in pediatric patients., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the effect of obesity on surgical outcomes of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (Mini-PNL)., Methods: Hundred and eighty two Mini-PNL procedures were performed between May 2013 and January 2015 and their results were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were classified as non-obese (BMI, 18.5-30 kg/m(2)) and obese (≥30 kg/m(2)) groups. Obese and non-obese patients were compared according to pre-operative demographic values, intra-operative surgery techniques and post-operative results., Results: BMI values of 133 patients were lower than 30 kg/m(2) while 49 patient's BMI values were higher than 30 kg/m(2). There were no significant difference between operation time, fluoroscopy time, number of access and access sites when two groups were compared. No significant difference was found in total length of hospital stay, hemoglobin drop, and complication rates. Stone-free rates were 70.7 % in the non-obese and 71.4 % in the obese group (p = 0.9)., Conclusions: Mini-PNL procedure is a safe and effective treatment modality, which should be strongly considered for obese patients with appropriate sized stones.

The objective of this study was to present the outcomes of comparative clinical study of microperc versus mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PNL) in the treatment of lower calyx stones of 10-20 mm. Patients with lower calyx stones treated with microperc (Group-1) or mini-PNL (Group-2) between 2011 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographics of the patients were compared, including age, gender, BMI, stone size, laterality and procedural parameters (operation and fluoroscopy time), and outcomes (success and complication rates). A total of 98 patients were evaluated, assigned to Group-1 (n = 58) and to Group-2 (n = 40). Groups were statistically similar in terms of age, stone size, and BMI (p = 0.3, 0.07, 0.6, respectively). The mean procedure and fluoroscopy duration for Group-1 were 43.02 ± 27.98 min and 112.05 ± 72.5 s, and 52.25 ± 23.09 min and 138.53 ± 56.39 s in Group-2 (p = 0.006 and 0.006). The mean hematocrit drop was significantly higher in Group-2 compared to Group-1 (3.98 vs. 1.96%; p < 0.001); however, none of the cases required blood transfusion. Overall complication rates exhibited no statistically significant difference (p = 0.57). Stone-free status was similar (86.2 vs. 82.5%, p = 0.66). The tubeless procedure rate was significantly higher in Group-1 (p < 0.001). In Group-2, duration of hospitalization was significantly longer than in Group-1 (2.63 vs. 1.55 days; p < 0.01). Outcomes of the present retrospective study show that microperc is a treatment option for medium-sized lower calyx stone, being associated with lower blood loss, procedure, reduced fluoroscopy and hospitalization time, and a higher tubeless rate.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of the laser lithotripter with the ultrasonic lithotripter in mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (miniperc)., Material and Methods: From June 2013 to January 2014; medical records of 77 consecutive patients who underwent miniperc operation were retrospectively evaluated. Ultrasonic lithotripter was used in 22 patients (Group 1), while laser was used in 55 patients. In the laser group, 22 patients were randomly selected who had same characteristics compared to group 1 (Group 2). Success rate, total operative time, complications according to modified Clavien classification, fluoroscopy time, haemoglobin drop, hospital stays and cost analysis were assessed. Success rates were evaluated on the second postoperative day and after the first month., Results: Total operative time (p = 0.635) and fluoroscopy time (p = 0.248) were not significantly different between the two groups. In the laser group, the success rate (81.8%) was notably more than in the ultrasonic lithotripter group (68.2%) but there was no statistically significance (p = 0.296). Ten reusable ultrasonic probe were used for 22 patients, due to thinness and sensitiveness of the probe. Conversely, one single laser fiber (550 micron) was used for 22 patients. When the cost analysis of lithotripsy was considered, the cost per case was 190 dollar in group 1 and 124 dollar in group 2. (p = 0.154) Complication rate, hospital stay and haemoglobin drop were similar in both groups., Conclusion: Laser lithotripsy seems to be more cost effective than ultrasonic lithotripsy for miniperc but larger number of patients are required to confirm this estimation.

To compare the outcomes of flexible ureterorenoscopy (F-URS) and mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PNL) in the treatment of lower calyceal stones smaller than 2 cm. Patients who underwent F-URS and mini-PNL for the treatment of lower calyceal stones smaller than 2 cm between March 2009 and December 2014 were retrospectively evaluated. Ninety-four patients were divided into two groups by treatment modality: F-URS (Group 1: 63 patients) and mini-PNL (Group 2: 31 patients). All patients were preoperatively diagnosed with intravenous pyelography or computed tomography. Success rates for F-URS and mini-PNL at postoperative first month were 85.7% and 90.3%, respectively. Operation time, fluoroscopy time, and hospitalization time for F-URS and mini-PNL patients were 44.40 min, 2.9 min, 22.4 h, and 91.9 min, 6.4 min, and 63.8 h, respectively. All three parameters were significantly shorter among the F-URS group (p < 0.001). Postoperative hemoglobin drop was significantly lower in F-URS group compared to mini-PNL group (0.39 mg/dL vs. 1.15 mg/dL, p = 0.001). A comparison of complications according to the Clavien classification demonstrated significant differences between the groups (p = 0.001). More patients in the F-URS groups require antibiotics due to urinary tract infection, and more patients in the mini-PNL group required ureteral double J catheter insertion under general anesthesia. Although both F-URS and mini-PNL have similar success rates for the treatment of lower calyceal stones, F-URS appears to be more favorable due to shorter fluoroscopy and hospitalization times; and lower hemoglobin drops. Multicenter and studies using higher patient volumes are needed to confirm these findings.

Duplex collecting systems are the most commonly encountered anomaly of the urinary system. Complete duplex system with an H shaped ureter is a very rare situation. There are only two reported H ureter cases in the literature. Herein, we aimed to present an H shaped ureter case, which was identified while performing ureterorenoscopy to a 48-year-old female patient due to a right distal ureteral stone.

Background: Brain abscess is a rare but serious, life-threatening infection in children. It may arise from parameningeal infections such as otitis media, sinusitis and mastoiditis., Case Description: A ten-year-old boy with the diagnosis of glycogen-storage disease and obesity was admitted to the emergency room with complaints of vomiting, decreased level of consciousness, imbalance on walking. On neurological examination, the patient was ataxic. His cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination showed mastoiditis on the right side and 39 × 34 mm abscess formation with surrounding edema on the right cerebellar hemisphere. The patient underwent surgery to drain the abscess, microbiological samples were obtained and empirical antibiotic treatment with vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam were started. Postoperative cranial MRI examination showed that the lesion regressed 10 × 10 mm with a reduction in the edema. On the second week of the treatment, the antibiotics were switched to vancomycin and meropenem because of the relapsing fever. The therapy was continued for 6 weeks. A final MRI (after completing antibiotherapy) showed resolution of the cerebellar abscess. The child's clinical condition improved and he was discharged without any sequelae., Discussion and Evaluation: Children with congenital heart disease and an immonocompromised state are particularly at risk. Streptococcus intermedius is usually a commensal microorganism in the normal flora of the mouth which can cause brain abscess rarely in children. Brain abscess induced mortality rates are still relatively high, even with the advancement of imaging technologies, the combination of surgical drainage and antimicrobial therapy., Conclusion: This case is one of the few reported cases of cerebellar abscess caused by S. intermedius in an immunocompetent child, due to its low virulence, a rare occurence and timely management resulting in fully healed.

Objective: To investigate the role of density value in computed tomography (CT) and twinkling artifact observed in color Doppler analysis for the prediction of the mineral composition of urinary stones., Material and Methods: A total of 42 patients who were operated via percutaneous or endoscopic means and had undergone abdominal non-contrast CT and color Doppler ultrasonography examinations were included in the study. X-ray diffraction method was utilized to analyze a total of 86 stones, and the correlations between calculated density values and twinkling intensities with stone types were investigated for each stone., Results: Analyses of extracted stones revealed the presence of 40 calcium oxalate monohydrate, 12 calcium oxalate dihydrate, 9 uric acid, 11 calcium phosphate, and 14 cystine stones. The density values were calculated as 1499±269 Hounsfield Units (HU) for calcium oxalate monohydrate, 1505±221 HU for calcium oxalate dihydrate, 348±67 HU for uric acid, 1106±219 HU for calcium phosphate, and 563±115 HU for cystine stones. The artifact intensities were determined as grade 0 in 15, grade 1 in 32, grade 2 in 24, and grade 3 in 15 stones., Conclusion: In case the density value of the stone is measured below 780 HU and grade 3 artifact intensity is determined, it can be inferred that the mineral composition of the stone tends to be cystine.

We report an association between a new causative gene and spastic paraplegia, which is a genetically heterogeneous disorder. Clinical phenotyping of one consanguineous family followed by combined homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing analysis. Three patients from the same family shared common features of progressive complicated spastic paraplegia. They shared a single homozygous stretch area on chromosome 6. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a homozygous mutation (c.853&#95;871del19) in the gene coding the kinesin light chain 4 protein (KLC4). Meanwhile, the unaffected parents and two siblings were heterozygous and one sibling was homozygous wild type. The 19 bp deletion in exon 6 generates a stop codon and thus a truncated messenger RNA and protein. The association of a KLC4 mutation with spastic paraplegia identifies a new locus for the disease.

We present our experience with the largest series of colon perforation (CP) as complication of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). From January 1998 to August 2014, 22 cases that presented with PNL-related CP from seven referral centers were retrospectively reviewed. The patients with CP were evaluated in terms of probable risk factors. Peri-operative and postoperative findings, timing of diagnosis, and treatment modalities of the CP were reviewed. Of the 22 patients, previous ipsilateral renal surgery (n:2) and retrorenal colon (n:5) were the risk factors for CP. The CP was directly visualized via nephroscopy during the surgery in 3 (13.6%) and with nephrostography at the end of the procedure in 4 patients (18.2%). In two patients, perforation was realized via the passage of contrast into the colon with nephrostography on the postoperative second day. Postoperative passage of feces through the nephrostomy tube was seen in six patients. The clinical signs in 13 cases directed CP diagnosis. The confirmation of the CP was achieved with a CT scan in all the patients. The patients with extraperitoneal perforation were primarily managed conservatively. Open surgical treatment was performed in cases with intraperitoneal perforation (n:5) and those with extraperitoneal perforation resistant to conservative treatment (n:5). Meticulous evaluation of the risk factors preoperatively is the initial step in the prevention of CP. Timely diagnosis plays essential role in the management of this PNL complication. Although extraperitoneal CP may be managed conservatively, surgery is required for intraperitoneal CPs.

Background: Malignant transformation of mixed epithelial and stromal tumor (MEST) of the kidney is a very rare entity. We report an unusual case with a review of the literature., Case: A 25-year-old woman underwent surgery for an 8-cm biphasic renal tumor, which was diagnosed as MEST of the kidney. High cellularity, mitoses, and nuclear atypia seen in the stromal component were compatible with a sarcomatous transformation in MEST. The patient also had pulmonary metastatic nodules that were resected 2 months after the nephrectomy. Metastatic pulmonary tumors were morphologically identical to the sarcomatous component of the renal tumor and showed pulmonary epithelial hyperplasia with a phyllodes-like pattern., Conclusion: Although MEST of the kidney is known as a benign tumor, malignant transformation, mostly sarcomatous type, should be considered in the diagnosis.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of preoperative radiological and postoperative pathological findings on survival of patients after radical nephrectomy because of renal cell carcinoma (RCC)., Material and Methods: We performed 159 consecutive radical nephrectomy between December 2007 and January 2014. We evaluated age, gender, complaints, operation time, comorbidity, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance graphy (MRG) results. Size of the mass, lymph node involvement, renal vein invasion, and presence of metastases were investigated. During histopathological examination, especially, pathological diagnosis, subtypes of RCC, lymph node involvement, lymphovascular, perineural invasion, and capsular, renal pelvis invasion, and renal vein involvement were sought. Follow-up periods of the patients were determined based on dates of death of the patients, and the study period., Results: RCC was seen in 124 (78%) of patients. Mean estimated suvival of RCC patients was 60 months and 5 year survival was 64%. Tumor size greater than 6.5 cm, lymph node involvement (p=0.006) and metastasis in radiological results (p<0.001), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.015) and stage of disease (p<0.001) found to be significantly affecting the survival. Lymph node involvement in radiological results (p=0.0089; HR: 4.6; CI 95%: 1.4753-14.3523) and stage of the disease (p= 0.0129; HR: 1.6; CI 95%: 1.1087-2.3461) were affecting the survival independently., Conclusion: We found radiological lymph node involvement and stage of the disease as independent factors affecting the survival of RCC patients after radical nephrectomy.

Pyogenic granulomas are benign vascular disorders of the skin and mucose membranes, generally developed by trauma and irritation. The lesions are generally small. They are most commonly seen in the skin and oral mucosa and rarely seen on penis. We present the case of a huge pyogenic granuloma on the penis.

Micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy is a safe and efficient technique for appropriate sized stones. It is performed through a 4.85 Fr all-seeing needle and stones are fragmented into dust, without the need for tract dilatation, unlike other percutaneous nephrolithotomy types. Even though micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy has many advantages, increase in intrapelvic pressure during surgery may cause rare but serious complications. Herein we report a case of micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy in a 20-year-old woman with a 20 mm right renal pelvis stone and present an undesired outcome of this complication, upper calyceal perforation. Right lower calyceal access was performed with 4.85 Fr all-seeing needle and 2 cm renal pelvis stone was fragmented by 272 μm Holmium-Yag laser system. Upper calyceal perforation and infrahepatic accumulation of stone fragments were detected by fluoroscopy during the surgery. Postoperative imagings revealed perirenal urinoma, perirenal and infrahepatic stone fragments, and lower calyceal stone fragments inside the system. On second postoperative day, minipercutaneous nephrolithotomy and double J catheter insertion procedures were applied for effective drainage and stone clearance. Risk of calyceal perforation and urinoma formation, due to increased intrapelvic pressure during micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy, should be kept in mind.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is a very commonly used treatment modality for appropriate sized stones. Even though it is a noninvasive treatment technique, major complications may occur following SWL sessions. Herein, we report a 17-year-old male patient, who received 2 sessions of SWL treatment for his left kidney stone, 4 months before his admission. Imaging methods showed an enhanced left renal pelvis mass with contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) and this finding raised a suspicion of pelvis renalis tumor. Diagnostic ureterorenoscopy was planned for the patient and operation revealed a left intrarenal hematoma, which was drained percutaneously during the same operation. Careful history should be taken from patients with renal pelvis masses and intrarenal hematoma formation should be kept in mind, especially if the patient has a previous SWL history.

We evaluate quality of life and sexual function before and after transobturator tape procedure (TOT) using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ -SF) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Between 2008 and 2013, 92 patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) underwent TOT procedure. A total of 81 patients were sexual active and enrolled in the study. All patients completed the Turkish translation ICIQ -SF and FSFI forms before and 1, 3, 6, 12 months after surgery. To evaluate the impact of incontinence and TOT success on sexual function, we compared patients that were dry after surgery and patients still incontinent and/or facing complication. All 81 patients completed the study protocol. The total FSFI score was 21.3 ± 7.9 and statistically significant when compare with preoperative total FSFI score (16.2 ± 7.9). The mean postoperative ICIQ -SF score (2 ± 2.9) was also significantly lower than the mean preoperative ICIQ -SF score (17.3 ± 1.8). Complications were encountered in 13 patients, including vaginal erosion (4 patients), de novo urge incontinence (4 patients), vesico-vaginal fistula (1 case), cysto-rectocele (1 case) and high postoperative residue requiring mesh excision (3 patients). Continent (n = 68) patients had a significantly better postoperative total FSFI and ICIQ -SF score against patients who had urine loss. Our study found a significant improvement of FSFI score and ICIQ -SF score after TOT operation in women with SUI. Additionally, urine loss due to complications was related with worsened FSFI score and ICIQ score compare with healthy patient's scores.

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rare and often fulminant necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum and genital region frequently due to polymicrobial infection. This truly emergent condition is typically seen in elderly, diabetic and immune compromised patients. Here, we report an unusual case of FG with isolated glans penis necrosis in a diabetic 77-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department complaining 5 days of pain and darkening of the glans penis. Examination of the patient's glans penis was consistent with FG and included significant erythema and infectious discharge. He was given intravenous antibiotics and emergency debridement was done. On following days, the necrotic area spread to distal parts of both cavernosal areas. Partial penectomy was performed. Isolated penile involvement in FG is very rare. Performing partial penectomy in appropriate cases can save penile length, stop the progression of disease, and increase the quality of life.

The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of the modified Nesbit procedure using different techniques for dissecting the neurovascular bundle (NVB) to correct ventral congenital penile curvatures (CPCs). The bundle was mobilized using the medial and lateral dissection technique in 21 (Group 1) and 13 (Group 2) patients, respectively. In the medial technique, Buck's fascia is opened at the dorsal side of the penis, the deep dorsal vein is removed at the most prominent site of the curvature and a diamond-shaped tunica albuginea (TA) is excised from the midline of the penis. In the lateral technique, the bundle is mobilized using a longitudinal lateral incision of the Buck's fascia above the urethra at the 5 and 7 o'clock positions via a bilateral approach. The localization and degree of curvature was evaluated using the combined intracavernous injection stimulation test or from the patients' photographs. The mean patient age and degree of curvature were similar between groups. The mean operation time was longer for Group 2 (P = 0.01). In Group 1, nine patients (42.8%) required one diamond excision, 10 (47.6%) required two diamond excisions and two (9.5%) required more than two excisions; in Group 2, six patients (46.2%) required two diamond excisions and seven patients (53.8%) required more than two diamond excisions (P = 0.019). The differences in penile shortening, penile straightening and numbness of the glans penis were not statistically significant. Medial dissection of the bundle for the modified Nesbit procedure reduces the number of diamond-shaped removals of TA and thus shortens operation time in comparison with its lateral counterpart.

Urinary incontinence is a stent-related complication; however, total incontinence is not often seen in emergency departments. We report a patient who presented with a sudden, painless, and total urinary incontinence after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. This is the first case of total incontinence due to migrated ureteral double J stent through the external urethral sphincter into the urethra following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

Only a few studies have investigated the association between the severity of Peyronie disease (PD) and clinical parameters such as age and associated comorbidities. The aim of this study was to report the relationship between the degree of curvature of the penis and the clinical parameters among patients with PD. A total of 1001 patients with PD were evaluated retrospectively in terms of penile deformity, erectile status, and risk factors for systemic vascular diseases. The degree of curvature was assessed with a protractor during maximum erection in response to a combined injection and stimulation test and/or vacuum device. A modified Kelami classification was used to categorize penile deformities as follows: patients with deformities without curvature (notching, hourglass, and swan neck deformity, group 1), with mild curvature (≤ 30 degrees, group 2), with moderate curvature (31-60 degrees, group 3), or with severe curvature (> 60 degrees, group 4). Chi-square tests, 1-way analysis of variance, and univariate and multiple ordinal regression analyses were used for statistical analysis. Penile deformity without curvature was detected in 12.3% of the patients, whereas the curvature was less than 30 degrees in 39.5%, 30 to 60 degrees in 34.5%, and more than 60 degrees in 13.5% of the patients. Multiple ordinal regression analysis identified age (P = .013), side of deformity (P = .007), erectile dysfunction (P < .0001), and diabetes mellitus (P = .001) as significant independent predictors of the severity of penile curvature. In conclusion, patients' age, side of deformity, erectile function, and diabetes were significantly associated with the degree of curvature.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in clinical characteristics of Peyronie's disease (PD) patients under oral colchicine treatment in comparison with the initial clinical evaluation with a special emphasis on patients with altered deformity after treatment. A total of 118 patients under oral treatment with colchicine for at least 3 months in the acute phase of PD were retrospectively evaluated with combined infection and stimulation test. PD patients were followed up in four groups according to the clinical course of the deformity: improved, remained unchanged, deteriorated deformities or altered localisation of the deformity. Among 116 patients who completed the treatment, penile curvatures improved in 27.6% (n = 32), remained unchanged in 39.7% (n = 46) and deteriorated in 12.1% (n = 14) of the patients after a follow-up of 8.6 ± 3.2 (6-17) months, while localisation of the deformities changed in 20.7% (n = 24) of the patients. In this group, the initial side of the deformities were lateral, ventral, ventrolateral in 41.6% (n = 10), 29.1% (n = 7) and 8.3% (n = 2) of the patients and of hourglass and notching type (n = 4, 16.6%) respectively. Six (60%) patients with lateral, five (71.4%) with ventral curvatures completed their follow-up period with dorsal curvatures. In conclusion, lateral curvature is the most commonly altered deformity that mostly shifts to the dorsal sise of the penis after colchicine therapy., (© 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

We report a case of multimetastatic malignant melanoma that was diagnosed after histopathologic examination of the excised paratesticular mass. Our patient initially visited the neurosurgery clinic due to low back pain. After preliminary evaluation, he was referred to our clinic due to a right scrotal mass. We excised the paratesticular mass and testis. The histopathologic findings were consistent with malignant melanoma. He was referred to the oncology department for adjuvant treatment. The patient died during the third month of chemotherapy. Our case was unique because the malignant melanoma was widely metastatic and involved primarily paratesticular tissues without any invasion of the testis and epididymis.