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BACKGROUND The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing among young individuals in the Arab world as well as in other regions of the world. AIM To explore the incidence and prevalence of CRC in the Arab world. METHODS The PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO and Wiley databases were searched to retrieve relevant articles irrespective of the language or the publication year. The search terms were “("colon OR rectum OR sigmoid OR rectal OR colonic OR colorectal") AND ("cancer OR malignancy OR malignant OR neoplasm") AND ("Jordan" OR "United Arab Emirates" OR "Bahrain" OR "Tunisia" OR "Algeria" OR "Djibouti" OR "Saudi Arabia" OR "Sudan" OR "Syria" OR "Somalia" OR "Iraq" OR "Oman" OR "Palestine" OR "Qatar" OR "Comoros" OR "Kuwait" OR "Lebanon" OR "Libya" OR "Egypt" OR "Morocco" OR "Mauritania" OR "Yemen"). Reviews, meta-analyses, and articles containing nonoriginal data were excluded. Retrieved articles were screened, and relevant data were extracted. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. RESULTS Nine studies were included. Five of the studies provided information regarding the prevalence of CRC. The prevalence of CRC was 0.72% in Saudi Arabia and 0.78% in the United Arab Emirate, while in Egypt, it ranged from 0.4% to 14%. Four studies showed information regarding the incidence. The annual incidence rate of CRC in Qatar was 7.5/100000/year. In Egypt, the crude incidence rate (CIR) in males was 3.1 for colon cancer and 1 for rectal cancer, while in females, it was 2.3 for colon cancer and 0.8 for rectal cancer. The age-standardized rate for CRC incidence in 2003 was 36.90 for males, 26.50 for females, and 30.49 for both sexes in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, the CIRs in Saudi Arabia were 3.6 and 2.1 in females for colon cancer and rectal cancer, respectively, while in males, it was 3.3 and 2.8 for colon cancer and rectal cancer, respectively. One study in Egypt revealed that 25% of CRC cases occurred among individuals younger than 40 years old. CONCLUSION There is a considerable prevalence of CRC in some Arab countries. More studies are needed to explore the incidence and prevalence of CRC in the rest of the Arab world.

BACKGROUND Clearly, infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is not limited to the lung but also affects other organs. We need predictive models to determine patients’ prognoses and to improve health care resource allocation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While treating COVID-19, we observed differential outcome prediction weights for markers of hepatocellular injury among hospitalized patients. AIM To investigate the association between hepatocellular injury and all-cause in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19. METHODS This multicentre study employed a retrospective cohort design. All adult patients admitted to Al-Azhar University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt and Abo Teeg General Hospital, Assiut, Egypt with confirmed COVID-19 from June 1, 2020, to July 30, 2020 were eligible. We categorized our cohort into three groups of (1) patients with COVID-19 presenting normal aminotransferase levels; (2) patients with COVID-19 presenting one-fold higher aminotransferase levels; and (3) patients with COVID-19 presenting two-fold higher aminotransferase levels. We analysed the association between elevated aminotransferase levels and all-cause in-hospital mortality. The survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and tested by log-rank analysis. RESULTS In total, 376 of 419 patients met the inclusion criteria, while 29 (8%) patients in our cohort died during the hospital stay. The median age was 40 years (range: 28-56 years), and 51% were males (n = 194). At admission, 54% of the study cohort had liver injury. The pattern of liver injury was hepatocellular injury with an aspartate aminotransferase (AST) predominance. Admission AST levels were independently associated with all-cause in-hospital mortality in the logistic regression analysis. A one-fold increase in serum AST levels among patients with COVID-19 led to an eleven-fold increase in in-hospital mortality (P < 0.001). Admission AST levels correlated with C-reactive protein (r = 0.2; P < 0.003) and serum ferritin (r = 0.2; P < 0.0002) levels. Admission alanine aminotransferase levels correlated with serum ferritin levels (r = 0.1; P < 0.04). Serum total bilirubin levels were independently associated with in-hospital mortality in the binary logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age and sex but lost its statistical significance in the fully adjusted model. Serum ferritin levels were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (P < 0.01). The probability of survival was significantly different between the AST groups and showed the following order: a two-fold increase in AST levels > a one-fold increase in in AST levels > normal AST levels (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Liver injury with an AST-dominant pattern predicts the severity of COVID-19. Elevated serum ferritin levels are associated with fatal outcomes.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), is an ongoing pandemic that has already affected millions of patients worldwide, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality burden. Objective: To characterize the clinical manifestations and outcomes of COVID-19 in Egyptian patients. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted on 333 subjects with COVID-19 who were admitted to Al-Azhar University Specialized Hospital, Quarantine Hospital, and some patients during follow up after discharge from other quarantine hospitals, during the period from 15th of April, 2020 to 31st of August, 2020. Presenting clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, imaging findings and mortality rate were recorded from electronic medical records and sometimes from patients. Results: The vast majority had cough (82.6%) and fever (51.7%), while 23.4% had dyspnea among COVID-19 patients. There was a significant older age among died cases (66.4 ± 17.4 years old) than recovered cases (40.3 ± 14.9 years old) (p- value

Background: Like other viruses, hepatitis C virus (HCV) needs constituents of host cells to proliferate and iron is considered as one of the most important constituents. So, chronic HCV often appears to be associated with disturbances in iron homeostasis. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the iron metabolism dynamic changes in response to direct antiviral agents (DAAs) among Egyptian chronic HCV patients. Patients and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 180 subjects, 150 of them had chronic HCV whom received different DAAs regimens at one of the specialized HCV treatment facilities (Group A), as well as another 30 healthy volunteers (Group B), in the period from January 2017 to September 2018. The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of Al-Azhar University Hospitals and a written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Result: Before treatment, serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation and triglycerides were significantly higher among HCV patients when compared to controls (p

Background : Perioperative bleeding and excessive fluid absorption are inherent complications of TURP. These complications are related directly to the size although transurethral prostatectomy is still considered the gold standard for operative treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, it is not a procedure without morbidity. the prostate is an androgen dependent organ. This study was aimed to compare the impact of use cyproteron acetate versus dutasteride in reduction of perioperative bleeding in transurethral resection of prostate for treatment of large size prostate. Patient & Methods: This a randomized controlled trial study was conducted for 6 months on 63 patients, from December 2018 to May 2019, who were admitted to urology department in zagazig university patients were randomized through a computer randomization into three equal groups. Results: The current study revealed that Control group was statistically significant decrease of HB and HCT post operative than other two groups and significant less operative time in patients received pre operative medication than control group with consequence decrease need for transfusion as well as less hospital stay .Conclusion: The pre operative use of anti androgen drugs (CPA & dutasteride) in TURP of large size prostate is well tolerated in the properly selected patients and it can help in decreasing the perioperative bleeding and fluid absorption during this surgery also ,operative time ,hospital stay.

Background: stimulation of the PPAR-γ axis was efficient in inhibiting the proliferation of human bladder cancer cells through different pathways, in part converging to Cyclin D1, so this study aimed to determine the role of PPAR-γ and Cyclin D1 expressions in both non-invasive and invasive muscle urothelial carcinoma patients. Methods: This study was carried out using 80 paraffin-embedded specimens of urothelial carcinoma of them non-muscle invasive carcinoma (N=44) and invasive muscle carcinoma (N=36). Non-invasive carcinoma shown (65.9%) with low grade and (34.1%) with high grade while invasive carcinoma showed (33.3%) with low grade and (66.7%). According to staging, non-invasive reported (75%) Ta, (25%) T1 while invasive carcinoma reported (61.1%) T2, (27.8%) T3, (11.1%) T4.Immunohistochemical staining was performed to study the relationship between PPAR-γ and Cyclin D1 expressions with the clinicopathological parameters and its prognostic outcomes. Results: positive PPAR-γ expression was significantly associated with a high tumor grade, more lymph node metastasis, and advanced tumor stage. As well as positive Cyclin D1 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, and advanced tumor stage. Both positive PPAR-γ and Cyclin D1 expression were significantly associated with disease recurrence, short disease-free survival and overall survival. A significant positive correlation between PPAR-γ and Cyclin D1 expression was found (p < 0.001).Conclusion: the expression of PPAR-γ and Cyclin D1 are associated with the progression of urothelial carcinoma, advanced-stage and presence of lymph node metastasis. carcinoma and used as prognostic factors for bladder cancer patients. Keywords: PPAR-γ, Cyclin D1, bladder carcinoma.

Aims: The aim of this study is to compare between transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided aspiration and transurethral (TU) deroofing in the treatment of prostatic abscess regarding safety and efficacy. Settings and Design: This prospective randomized study was done during the period between April 2009 and March 2015 and included 32 patients with prostatic abscess. Subjects and Methods: All patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining a written informed consent and approval of the local ethical committee. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups; Group A treated by TRUS-guided aspiration, saline wash, and local injection of antibiotics and Group B treated by TU deroofing of the abscess. All patients received broad-spectrum antibiotics during the period of treatment, and the follow-up was done on the 5th day by TRUS to ensure complete resolution of the abscess. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using online social science statistical calculators http://www.socscistatistics.com/Default.aspx using t-test for two independent means, Chi-square test, and Mann–Whitney U-test with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 59 ± 11.46 and 60 ± 13.65 years for Groups A and B, respectively. Diabetes mellitus was detected in 9 (56.25%) and 6 (37.5%) patients in Groups A and B, respectively, hypertension in 7 (43.75%) and 6 (37.5%) patients in Groups A and B, respectively, and two patients (12.5%) with liver cirrhosis in each group. The mean size of the abscess was 3.36 ± 0.86 and 3.04 ± 0.86 cm in Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.29). The abscess recurred in five patients (31.25%) and one patient (6.25%) in Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.08). TRUS-guided aspiration was done for all recurrent cases except for two patients (12.5%) in Group A required trans urethral deroofing of the recurrent abscess. The mean hospital stay was 12.9 ± 4.05 and 7.25 ± 2.40 days for Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.000). In Group A, one patient (6.25%) was complicated by urethrorectal fistula, whereas in Group B, one patient (6.25%) was complicated by septic shock, three patients (13.75%) with epididymo-orchitis and two patients (12.5%) with urethral stricture. Conclusion: Patients with prostatic abscess treated with TRUS-guided aspiration show less morbidity, higher recurrence rate, and longer hospital stay than those treated with TU deroofing.

Objectives: To evaluate the possible role of silodosin (a highly selective α1A-adrenoceptor antagonist) in facilitating the passage of distal ureteric stones (DUS) in children, as the role of α-blockers as medical expulsive therapy is well known in adults. Patients and methods: In all, 40 paediatric patients (27 boys and 13 girls) diagnosed with unilateral, single, radiopaque DUS of

Objective To report the functional results of continent cutaneous ileal urinary diversion using modified W-pouch with non-isolated extra limb for continence. Patients and Methods From January 2013 to January 2016, 21 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with median (interquartile range) of 59 (56.5-62.5) years old underwent radical cystectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy; they then had an ileal continent cutaneous pouch constructed from W-pouch with non-isolated extra limb for continence. The technique entails the creation of a detubularized ileal W-pouch with extra limb fashioned from 59 cm of the terminal ileum. This extra limb is not isolated from the pouch. The proximal part of this limb is tailored and fixed in a subserous extramural tunnel for continence, whereas the distal part is left continuous with the pouch. The median (interquartile range) of follow up was 12 (8-17) months. Evaluation of the technique included operative time, continence efficiency, overall complications, and quality of life questionnaire for the patients. Results The median (interquartile range) of operative time of the operation was 4.7 (3.9-5.4) hours. The median (interquartile range) of operative time of the cutaneous pouch creation was 39 (33-43) minutes. No perioperative mortality had occurred. The incidence of continence was 95.2%. The overall complications were 42.8%, and most of them were grade 1 or 2 on Clavien-Dindo classification system. Conclusion Modification of W-pouch with non-isolated extra limb as continent cutaneous pouch can simplify the technique and shorten the operative time with efficient continence, less side effects, and good quality of life.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of immediate versus delayed shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) for inaccessible stones after uncomplicated percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Patients and methods: Between December 2011 and June 2014, patients with residual inaccessible stones after uncomplicated PCNL were prospectively randomised into two treatment groups; Group I, immediate SWL and Group II, delayed SWL at 1 week after PCNL. Patients with residual stones of ⩾1.5 cm, a stone density of >1000 Hounsfield units and body mass index of >40 kg/m2 were excluded from the study. The following data were reported: patients’ demographics, stone characteristics after PCNL, hospital stay, perioperative complications, stent duration, and stone-free rate (SFR). Results: In all, 84 patients (51 males and 33 females) with mean (SD) age of 39 (8.5) years were included in the study. Group I included 44 patients, whilst Group II included 40 patients. There was no statistically significant difference amongst the groups for patients’ demographics, stone characteristics, and perioperative complications. The hospital stay was significantly shorter in Group I, at a mean (SD) of 34 (3.7) vs 45 (2.9) h (P

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of pediatric percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the flank-free modified supine position (FFMSP). PCNL in the supine position is increasingly and successfully used in pediatric age group. Different modifications of supine positions have been described; however, the best supine position is not well established and remains a matter of debate. Patients and Methods This prospective study included 22 children presenting with single renal pelvis stone (2-3 cm) in the period between May 2012 and April 2014. Diagnosis was set by plain x-ray and computed tomography in all patients. PCNL was performed with the patients placed in the FFMSP. The operative time and hospital stay were estimated. The outcome and any perioperative complications or conflicts were recorded. Results The study included 22 children (15 boys and 7 girls) with a solitary renal pelvis stone. Mean ± standard deviation age of the patients was 9.5 ± 3.2 years (range, 3-15.5 years). Stone length, operative time, and hospital stay had mean ± standard deviation of 2.4 ± 0.23 cm, 65.1 ± 18.7 minutes, and 4.4 ± 0.9 days. Stone-free rate was 90.9% after 1 session of PCNL. One patient (4.5%) needed a second-look PCNL. Shock wave lithotripsy was performed for another patient. Postoperative fever occurred in 4 patients (18.2%). One patient received postoperative blood transfusion. Postoperative transient urinoma occurred in 2 patients (9.1%). Conclusion PCNL in pediatric age group via FFMSP was proved to be safe and effective in management of renal pelvis stones of size 2-3 cm. It provides stone clearance rate comparable with that reported of conventional PCNL in the prone position.

Objectives: To evaluate the outcome of augmentation of shallow urethral plate by lingual graft in repair of distal penile hypospadias. Patients and methods: Between June 2008 and May 2011, the procedure was performed on 23 patients with mean age 2.3 years (range 1–3). All patients had distal penile hypospadias; 11 sub coronal and 12 coronal. The urethral plate was less than 8 mm in all patients and 3 of them had history of previous hypospadias surgery. All procedures were carried out under general anesthesia using 4× magnifying loupe. After penile degloving and dorsal incision of the urethral plate, the lingual graft was harvested and sutured to the edges of the incised urethral plate from the hypospadias opening to the tip of the penis. The neourethra was closed and an intervening flap was fixed over the neourethra as a barrier against fistula formation. Results: Success rate was 87% as 20/23 patients were cured without any permanent complication throughout the follow up period. None of patients suffered meatal stenosis or required regular urethral dilatation. Three patients developed urethrocutaneous fistula, of which two closed spontaneously and one required surgical repair 6 months later. Two patients had failed procedures and delayed re-intervention was performed due to complete loss of the graft in one of them and repair disruption following infection in the other. Two patients had post-operative pain in the graft harvesting site which disappeared within days. Conclusion: The one-stage lingual augmented urethral plate urethroplasty offers promising outcomes for repair of distal penile hypospadias with narrow urethral plate. Keywords: Lingual graft; Hypospadias; Urethroplasty; Augmentation

To compare the distance between the colon and the trajectory of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) access both in prone and flank-free modified supine (FFMS) positions as measured on computed tomography and to study the effect of age, gender, BMI, side, and previous renal surgery as influencing factors.In this prospective study, we included 367 patients scheduled for PCNL. All patients underwent low dose abdominal computed tomography both in prone and FFMS positions. Patients18 years and those with previous colonic surgery or renal congenital anomalies were excluded. The perpendicular distance between the imaginary line of the renal access and the colon was measured. Findings were correlated to different influencing factors.Two hundred nineteen patients were males, and 148 were females. BMI of30 were reported in 158 patients whereas BMI30 in 209 patients. Data analysis showed that the mean perpendicular distance between colon and the renal access in FFMS and prone positions were 35.92 ± 0.22 mm and 17.78 ± 0.09 mm, respectively. In prone position only obesity, age, and overall interaction effect were the significant factors on the studied distance. In FFMS position, in addition to the effect of the prior factors, previous renal surgery also significantly reduces this distance.The distance between the colon and assumed PCNL trajectory at a puncture on the posterior axillary line was influenced mainly by patient position. In FFMS position the colon appears to be farther than in prone position. BMI and age significantly influence this distance to a lesser extent.

Background and Objectives Studies on hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Egypt supported a strong role for various exposures in the health-care setting. In this study, we attempted to estimate the frequency of HCV exposure among Egyptian health-care workers (HCWs). Methods Five hundred and sixty-four (564) HCWs were included in this study. Two hundred and fifty-eight (45.74%) were health-care providers and 306 (54.25%) were non-health-care providers. All HCWs completed both the study questionnaire and provided a blood sample for anti-HCV testing by third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subsequently, anti-HCV-positive samples were tested for HCV RNA using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results The mean age of included HCWs was 33.0 ± 9.8 years; of them, 319 (56.56%) were males and 245 (43.44%) were females. The mean duration of health-care work was 9.3 ± 6.7 years. The frequency of antibody against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among included HCWs was 8.7% (n = 49). Old age and prolonged duration of health-care work were significantly associated with anti-HCV seropositivity. Forty (81.63%) of 49 with anti-HCV-positive HCWs had positive hepatitis C viremia. The frequency of HCV RNA positivity increased with age. The frequency of eradicated past infection among nurses (36.85%) was markedly higher than that (6.7%) detected in non-health-care providers. Conclusion High rate of HCV infection is detected in Egyptian HCWs in rural Lower Egypt governorates. Health-care providers seem to eradicate HCV infection more frequently than non-health-care providers. National screening and treatment of infected HCWs are recommended.

Objective To evaluate the role of preoperative testicular shear wave elastography (SWE) in the prediction of improvement of semen analysis parameters after subinguinal microsurgical varicocele ligation in patients with primary infertility and clinically detectable varicocele. Patients and Methods Testicular SWE before the surgical intervention was done. Forty-eight patients were scheduled for subinguinal microsurgical varicocele ligation as a treatment option. Computer-assisted semen analysis was repeated 6 months after the intervention. Results At a cutoff value of 4.5 kPa, the stiffness index had a sensitivity of 86.4% and a specificity of 84.2% for semen parameter improvement after varicocelectomy. Correlation between different parameters of semen analysis and SWE showed a statistically significant negative correlation between SWE stiffness index and both sperm count (million/mL) and total motility. On the other hand, a nonsignificant negative correlation was found between SWE stiffness index and percentage of normal form. Conclusion Testicular SWE is a good test that can be used in the assessment of male infertility with clinically detectable varicocele, and its results may predict semen parameter improvement after varicocelectomy. Further studies on a larger number of patients are needed to verify our results.

Objective To compare the safety, efficacy and complications of single vs multiple instillations of povidone iodine (PI) and urographin as a sclerosing agent in the treatment of chyluria. Patients and methods The study included 58 patients diagnosed with chyluria between March 2006 and January 2013. The inclusion criteria were either severe attacks of chyluria or patients with mild-to-moderate chyluria who had failed conservative treatment. The patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups: those in Group A had a single instillation of a combination of PI 0.2% plus the contrast-agent urographin 76%, while those in Group B had multiple instillations of the same combination twice daily for 3 successive days. Results The mean (SD) age of the patients in Groups A and B was 38.22 (10.67) and 37.9 (10.86) years, respectively. Chyluria was severe in eight patients (14.8%), moderate in 25 (46.3%) and mild in 21 (38.9%). The success rate in Group A (single instillation) was 85.2% and in Group B (multiple instillation) was 88.9%. The recurrence rate in Group A was 14.8% with a disease-free duration (DFD) of 4–15 weeks, while in group B it was 11.1% with a DFD of 6–18 weeks. Conclusion There was no significant difference between a single instillation of a combination of PI 0.2% and urographin 76% as a sclerosing agent in the treatment of chyluria and multiple instillations. However, the single instillation protocol is more cost effective with a shorter hospital stay.

Occult Hepatitis B among Patients under Hemodialysis at Mansoura University Hospitals: Prevalence and Risk Factors Background: In spite of the progress made in the prevention of transfusion transmitted infections over the last decade, transmission of hepatitis viruses like B and C infection through transfusion of serologically negative blood has been documented among susceptible patients who are under hemodialysis due to end stage renal failure. Aim: The present study was performed to diagnose Occult Hepatitis B among patients under hemodialysis at Mansoura University Hospitals and to determine the risk factors for such infection. Material and method: The study was conducted on 96 patients attending Mansoura University hospitals for hemodialysis with age range from 26 to 65 years. In addition, one hundred sixty seven healthy blood donors were included in the study and considered as a control group. Blood samples were obtained from each subject and subjected to full biochemical analysis for liver function tests and serological markers for hepatitis C IgG (HCV IgG), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody(HBs Ab), hepatitis B core IgG and IgM (HBc IgG & HBc IgM). Furthermore molecular study for hepatitis B viral DNA and its genotypes were performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

Objective To evaluate the results of simple closure using bilateral anterior pubic osteotomy to achieve a tension-free approximation of the pubis and abdominal wall in patients with bladder exstrophy. Patients and methods A prospective study carried out between 2006 and 2009 included 15 patients (13 boys and 2 girls; age range 3–47 months). Of these patients, three had recurrent exstrophy while 10 were operated primarily. An elective surgical technique was used for all patients, which included dissection of the exstrophic bladder from the abdominal wall, closure of the bladder and reconstruction of the urethra, then dissection of the rectus muscle and sheath lateral to the attachment of muscle to pubic bone, which makes osteotomy of the superior pubic ramus easy, thus facilitating closure. Results For closure of the bladder and anterior abdominal wall the results were excellent for all patients soon after surgery, but there was soft-tissue infection in two patients. Of all 15 patients, one had incomplete bladder dehiscence and another had a vesico-cutaneous fistula; both needed surgical intervention later. Conclusions Simple closure with anterior pubic osteotomy is a feasible and effective means to facilitate both bladder and abdominal closure for patients with bladder exstrophy. It is advantageous in being a rapid procedure, and can be completed by the paediatric urologist.