Urological Research

Of 30 patients with severe, complicated U.T.I. 27 have been given single daily doses of Kelfiprim (KP), a new sulfatrimethoprim combination, for 8 weeks. In 24 bacteriuria was lastingly controlled, one had a relapse, one had a reinfection, and in one, with bladder carcinoma, bacteriuria persisted. Three other patients received KP for shorter periods, as they presented gastric intolerance or skin hypersensitivity, but in two of them a lasting sterilization of the urine has been obtained. The usefulness of a single daily dose schedule is stressed.

The treatment of large proximal ureteral stones continues to be controversial. We evaluated the antegrade percutaneous approaches for the proximal ureteral stones in our clinic. In this study, 73 percutaneous antegrade ureteroscopy (PAU) operations applied to proximal ureteral stones between February 2005 and December 2009 were included. The stones were located between ureteropelvic junction and 4th lumbar vertebra. PAUs were applied through appropriate calyx with the patients in prone position. During operations, amplatz dilatators were used for dilatation, and pneumatic lithotripter was used for stone fragmentation. Patients were evaluated according to their success rate, complications, hospitalization period, and preference of drainage tube etc. Patients’ mean age was 52.21 years, the mean stone diameter was 19.47 mm (range 15–25), the mean stone burden was 283.76 ± 49.12 mm2 (mean ± SD) (range 188.5–392.7) and the mean hospitalization time 1.69 days. Single access done in 68 patients and two accesses were needed in 5 patients. Sixty-eight patients (93.1%) became stone-free. Nephrostomy tubes were placed in 12 patients after operation, while tubeless approach was preferred in 61 patients. Complications were seen in five patients. There were not any complications reported during the follow-up period. PAU is an effective and safe treatment modality if appropriate calyx access was performed. The possibility of renal stone treatment in the same session is an important advantage of this modality.

The kinetics of calcium metabolism in the rat were analysed by doing a calcium balance and an assay with 45Ca after feeding a calciumbinding ion exchanger during 3 weeks. Serum and urine concentrations of inorganic phosphate and of calcium were estimated. The increase in the size of the exchangeable calcium pool, the activation of bone turnover, the hypophosphataemia and hyperphosphaturia, as well as hypercalciuria are evidence for a reactive hyperparathyroidism. The results of these experiments call for further investigations concerning the influence of cation exchangers on bone metabolism under clinical conditions.

The binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the nuclear fraction of the prostate of male Praomys (Mastomys) Natalensis has been investigated. Using in vivo or in vitro labelling with 3H-DHT, the presence of a receptor protein having a sedimentation coefficient of 3.0 S was demonstrated. The binding was shown to be specific towards DHT and could not be found in control tissue. Analysis of radiometabolites associated with the steroid receptor complex demonstrated that the majority of the bound steroid was DHT. The similarity between this steroid receptor complex and that of rat ventral prostate, together with the potential use of this experimental model are discussed.

The incidence of calcium phosphate (CaP) stone disease has increased over the last three decades; specifically, brushite stones have been diagnosed and treated more frequently than in previous years. Brushite is a unique form of CaP, which in certain patients can form into large symptomatic stones. Treatment of brushite stones can be difficult since the stones are resistant to shock wave and ultrasonic lithotripsy, and often require ballistic fragmentation. Patients suffering from brushite stone disease are less likely to be rendered stone free after surgical intervention and often experience stone recurrence despite maximal medical intervention. Studies have demonstrated an association between brushite stone disease and shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) treatment. Some have theorized that many brushite stone formers started as routine calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formers who sustained an injury to the nephron (such as SWL). The injury to the nephron leads to failure of urine acidification and eventual brushite stone formation. We explore the association between brushite stone disease and iatrogenic transformation of CaOx stone disease to brushite by reviewing the current literature.

We studied the bladders of 24-month-old intact rats, rats that had been ovariectomized at the age of 6 months, and intact and ovariectomized rats treated by estrogen from the age of 16 months. The study thus comprized four groups: group I: bilaterally ovariectomized rats; group II: intact rats; group III: ovariectomized rats treated with estrogen; group IV: intact rats treated with estrogen. The weight and collagen concentration of the bladders were determined. The ovariectomized bladders weighed significantly less and had a higher collagen concentration than the intact bladders. Estrogen substitution for ovariectomized rats reversed these parameters. Detrusor strips were also used for organ bath studies. All bladders were similar in regard to the nervemediated frequency-response relationship. The atropine-resistant response was studied by adding scopolamine to the organ bath. Strips from ovariectomized rats had a significantly diminished atropine-resistant response, which was abolished by estrogen substitution. The present study suggests that micturition problems in menopause might have a structural as well as a pharmacological explanation.

Under severe hyperoxaluric conditions calcium oxalate crystals often deposit in the renal interstitium and produce localized inflammation. We have proposed that renal epithelial cells exposed to CaOx crystals produce chemoattractants such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). MCP-1 synthesis is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). HK-2 cells of human renal epithelial line were exposed to CaOx crystals for different lengths of time. The culture media was tested for cell injury marker LDH, and subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the secretion of MCP-1 protein. Cell expression of MCP-1 was assessed by Western blot analysis. Gene expression was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The data clearly showed that the HK-2 cells express MCP-1 gene and protein. The MCP-1 mRNA expression was increased following exposure to CaOx crystals, which was reduced upon treatment with free radical scavengers, catalase and superoxide dismutase. Results indicate that CaOx crystals strongly induce MCP-1 synthesis and secretion by the HK-2 cells and production is mediated by intracellular ROS production. Based on these and other data, antioxidant therapy and blockade of rennin–angiotensin system may prove beneficial for the prevention of end stage renal disease caused by hyperoxaluria and CaOx crystal deposition.