IntroductionThe functioning of modern urological departments and the high level of service they provide is possible through, among other things, the use of modern laser techniques.Material and methodsOpen operations have been replaced by minimally invasive procedures, and classical surgical tools by advanced lasers.The search for new applications with lasers began as technology developed. Among many devices available, holmium, diode and thulium lasers are currently the most popular.ResultsDepending on the wavelength, the absorption by water and hemoglobin and the depth of penetration, lasers can be used for coagulation, vaporization and enucleation. In many centres, after all the possibilities of pharmacological treatment have been exhausted, lasers are used as the primary treatment for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, with therapeutic results that are better than those obtained through open or endoscopic operations. The use of lasers in the treatment of urolithiasis, urinary strictures and bladder tumours has made treatment of older patients with multiple comorbidities safe, without further necessity to modify the anticoagulant drug treatment. Laser procedures are additionally less invasive, reduce hospitalization time and enable a shorter bladder catheterization time, sometimes even eliminating the need for bladder catherterization completely. Such procedures are also characterized by more stable outcomes and a lower number of reoperations.ConclusionsThere are also indications that with the increased competition among laser manufacturers, decreased purchase and maintenance costs, and increased operational safety, laser equipment will become mandatory and indispensable asset in all urology wards.

Summary:Purpose: Long-term valproate (VPA) treatment has been associated with hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries in women with epilepsy. The exact mechanisms of action of the drug on sex steroid hormone function are still unsettled. The aim of the present study was to investigate the action of VPA on basal and gonadotropin-stimulated steroid secretion in porcine ovarian follicular cells and to measure the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Second, the action of VPA on proliferation and apoptosis of follicular cells was investigated.Methods: Small and medium follicles were obtained from pig ovaries on days 8-10 and 14-16 of the estrus cycle. Both follicular compartments, theca and granulosa cells, were cultured as a coculture resembling follicles in vivo. VPA in concentrations of 100 and 250 µg/ml was added to the control or gonadotropinstimulated cultures.Results: VPA caused a significant increase in basal and luteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated testosterone secretion from small follicles, whereas in medium follicles, an increased basal but decreased LH-stimulated testosterone secretion was found. VPA caused decreased basal and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-stimulated estradiol secretion by small follicles, whereas only the higher concentration decreased estradiol secretion in medium follicles. The conversion of testosterone to estradiol by small follicles was decreased under the influence of VPA in testosterone-alone and in testosterone-plus-FSH-stimulated cultures, whereas this was seen at only the higher VPA concentration in medium follicles. VPA had no effect on cell proliferation and viability, whereas in a dose-dependent manner, VPA increased caspase-3 activity.Conclusions: VPA affected steroidogenesis in both unstimulated and gonadotropin-stimulated porcine ovarian follicular cells and inhibited the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. In addition, VPA may act as an apoptotic agent in both small and medium-sized follicles. Key Words: Valproate-Testosterone-Estrogen-LH-FSH-Polycystic ovaries-Apoptosis-Caspase-3.Valproate (VPA) has been used for >30 years in the treatment of epilepsy and is now one of the most frequently prescribed antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) worldwide. It has wide-spectrum antiepileptic activity and is effective in both partial and generalized epilepsies and in specific epileptic syndromes (1). In addition, it is increasingly used in other diseases such as bipolar psychiatric disorders (2) and migraine (3).Although VPA has good efficacy in prevention of various types of epileptic seizures, its use may be compromised by severe side effects. Hyperandrogenism, obesity, and polycystic ovaries have been described in some studies in ≤60% of women taking VPA for epilepsy (4-6). An intense debate concerns whether this is related to the Accepted March 27, 2003. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. E. Taubøll at Department of Neurology, Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, 0027 Oslo, Norway. E-mail: erik.tauboll@klinmed.uio.no underlying epileptic disorder (7-10) or t...

Our results indicate that polymorphisms rs1982809 situated in 3' UTR nearby region of BTLA gene might be considered as low-penetrating risk factor for RCC, but results have to be confirmed in further studies.

IntroductionCystourethroscopy (CS) is an endoscopic method used to visualize the urethra and the bladder.AimIn this study, we prospectively evaluated pain in men undergoing cyclic cystoscopic assessment with rigid and flexible instruments after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB).Material and methodsOne hundred and twenty male patients who were under surveillance after a TURB procedure due to urothelial cell carcinoma and who had undergone at least one rigid cystourethroscopy in the past were enrolled in the trial. Patients were prospectively randomized to age-matched groups for flexible (group F) or rigid (group R) CS. Patient's comfort was evaluated on an 11-grade scale, ranging from 0 (free from pain) to 10 points (unbearable pain).ResultsThe patients described the pain during the previous rigid CS as ranging from 4 to 10 (mean: 6.8) in group F and from 0 to 10 (mean: 5.8) in group R. Group R patients described the pain during the current rigid CS as ranging from 0 to 10 (mean: 5.7). No mean change in the grade was observed between the two pain descriptions (no change 11 patients, weaker pain 25 patients, stronger pain 24 patients, gamma 0.51, p < 0.0001). Group F described the pain as 1 to 5 (mean: 2.1). In the case of flexible CS the pain experience was greatly lowered compared to the previous rigid CS. All flexible CS patients reported lowered pain (by 1 to 9 grades). Patients’ age did not influence the comfort of the flexible CS or the change in pain level.ConclusionsFlexible CS is better tolerated than rigid cystoscopy by male patients regardless of patients’ age.

The studies were carried out on 40 young boars of the synthetic line 990. On their 70 days of age, the boars were divided into two groups; the control group received 0.2 mg Se and 30 mg vitamin E while the experimental group received 0.5 mg Se + 60 mg vitamin E per 1 kg of feed mixtures. The feeding test was carried on from 70 days until 180 days of age. During the experiment the boars were subjected to live evaluations, i.e. testes volume, libido level, semen characteristics, as well as selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity in blood serum and seminal plasma. The boars of the experimental group, compared with the control, showed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher sperm concentration and total sperm count, significantly lower (P ≤0.05) percentage of spermatozoa with major or minor morphological changes, elevated (P≤0.05) percentage of spermatozoa with normal acrosome, and significantly higher (P≤0.01) ORT values. GSH-Px activity was higher (P≤0.05) in seminal plasma of the control group boars.