Background: To compare the perioperative outcomes and safety of transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy with those of retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy for patients with pheochromocytoma. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register for studies from 1999 to 2019 to assess the perioperative outcomes and safety of transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy and the retroperitoneal approach for laparoscopic adrenalectomy in patients with pheochromocytoma. After data extraction and quality assessments, we used RevMan 5.2 to pool the data. Results: Four retrospective studies were obtained in our meta-analysis. Patients who underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy were associated with shorter operative time (WMD: 34.91, 95% CI: 27.02 to 42.80, I2 = 15%; p < 0.01), less intraoperative blood loss (WMD: 139.32, 95% CI: 125.38 to 153.26, I2 = 0, p < 0.01), and a shorter hospital stay (WMD: 2, 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.82, I2 = 82%, p < 0.01) than patients who underwent transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy. No significant differences were found in the complication rate (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 0.58 to 4.33, I 2 = 0; p = 0.38) or in the incidence of hemodynamic crisis (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.19 to 2.94, p = 0.67) between the two groups. Conclusion: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy could achieve better perioperative outcomes than the transperitoneal approach for patients with pheochromocytoma.

Objective To assess the diagnostic delay (DD) and physician-related DD (pDD) in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) and the potential benefits of a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) approach. Methods A retrospective study was undertaken among patients with axial SpA, which aimed to analyse DD, pDD and their risk factors. The influence of pDD on disease outcomes was examined. The pDDs among consecutive SpA patients in an MDC cohort were compared with propensity score matched historical controls (1:1). Results A total of 208 patients with axial SpA formed the historical control group and 49 patients with axial SpA formed the MDC cohort after introduction of the MDC. The median DD and pDD in the historical controls were 25.5 and 10.0 months, respectively. A cut-off of pDD > 4 months was associated with more active disease and functional impairment. An initial visit to a non-rheumatologist was the most significant risk factor for pDD. Following MDC introduction, the median pDD decreased from 13 months to 1 month after adjustments were made for confounders such as sex, education level, history of smoking, human leukocyte antigen-B27 status and SpA/ankylosing spondylitis classification criteria. Conclusion The MDC was a promising approach that resulted in a reduced pDD among patients with axial SpA.

Background: To compare the postoperative continence and clinical outcomes of Retzius-sparing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RS-RALP) with non-RS RALP for patients with prostate cancer. Methods: We searched PUBMED, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register from 1999 to 2019 for studies comparing RS-RALP to non-RS RALP for the treatment of prostate cancer. We used RevMan 5.2 to pool the data. Results: A total of eight studies involving 1620 patients were included in our meta-analysis. No significant difference was found in positive surgical margins (PSM), bilateral nerve-sparing, postoperative hernia, complications, blood loss, or operative time. Postoperative continence was better with RS-RALP compared with non-RS RALP (OR = 1.02, OR: 2.86, 95% CI 1.94-4.20, p < 0.05). Conclusions: RS-RALP had a better recovery of postoperative continence than non-RS RALP. The perioperative outcomes were comparable for the two methods.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) cancer susceptibility candidate 2a (CASC2a) in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and its predictive value in the recurrence of UCB after radical cystectomy (RC).Material/MethodsTumor and paired adjacent normal tissues were obtained from 112 patients with UCB who underwent RC in our hospital from March 2010 to March 2012. The expression of CASC2a was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).ResultsCASC2a was down-regulated in UCB tissues, and was highly negatively correlated with the pT, pN, tumor size, and lymphovascular invasion (LVI). The sensitivities of CASC2a for diagnosing UCB and its recurrence after RC were 89.30% and 81.55%, respectively, and the specificities were 71.43% and 58.21%, respectively. Patients with a high expression of CASC2a had a higher 5-year recurrence-free survival rate than those with low expression of CASC2a. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the pT, pN, tumor grade, tumor size, concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS), LVI, soft tissue surgical margin (STSM), and CASC2a expression were related to the recurrence in patients undergoing RC for UCB. Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that CASC2 expression, pT4, lymph node metastasis, and CIS were independent risk factors.ConclusionsCASC2a was down-regulated in patients with UCB, and was associated with the risk of recurrence among patients undergoing RC, indicating that lncRNAs could act as predictive biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in bladder cancer, including CASC2a.

Background. The topic of whether preoperative Th1/Th2 cells and their related factors have a predictive value for postoperative febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) in patients with ureteral calculi has not been explored. Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of preoperative Th1/Th2 cells and related cytokines in the prediction of postoperative febrile UTI after ureteroscopy in patients with ureteral calculi. Material and methods. One hundred sixty patients who underwent ureteroscopic pneumatic lithotripsy in the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University (China) were recruited and divided into febrile UTI group (n = 78) and non-UTI group (n = 82). Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportions of Th1 and Th2 cells (Th1% and Th2%). Detection of Th1/Th2 cell-related cytokines was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to measure the expression of T-bet and GATA3. Results. Compared with patients in non-UTI group, those in febrile UTI group had significantly increased proportions of Th2 cells, levels of Th2 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and IL-5), and mRNA expression of Th2-associated transcription factor GATA3 (all p < 0.05). In addition, the Th1/Th2 ratio of febrile UTI group was significantly lower than that of non-UTI group (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the accuracy rate of Th2%, Th1/Th2 ratio, and IL-4, IL-10 and IL-5 levels for the diagnosis of postoperative febrile UTI in patients with ureteral calculi was 90.63%, 85.00%, 72.50%, 87.50%, and 91.88%, respectively, and their combined diagnostic sensitivity was 97.4% with specificity as high as 100%. Conclusions. Perioperative Th2 dominance was correlated with the risk of postoperative febrile UTI after ureterscopy in patients with ureteral calculi, which can provide clinical guidance for the development of individualized treatment.