Antonio Antunes Rodrigues

Cyclosporine action on kidneys of rats submitted to normothermic ischaemia and reperfusion

PURPOSE To verify if rat kidneys lesioned by ischaemia followed by reperfusion are affected by cyclosporine A (CsA). METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups, control (GS) and experimental (G1 and G2). G1 was subdivided in two: G1A composed of animals submitted to 60 minutes ischaemia and G1C with the same ischaemic procedure associated to 20 mg/kg/day CsA. Group G2 was subdivided and treated in the same way as G1 except that ischaemia was applied only for 40 minutes. Clamping the left renal artery followed by right side nephrectomy induced kidney ischaemia. Serum urea and creatinine were quantified on the day of surgery (D0) and in the following day (D1). Twenty four hours after reperfusion the left kidney was removed and histologically analyzed. RESULTS Group GS had normal values for urea and creatinine both on D0 and D1 and did not show structural alterations. Renal function was not significantly different when G2C was compared to GS (p>0.05). Tissue lesions were smaller in G2C than in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Renal function was protected by CsA, which also reduced tissue lesions in the kidneys of rats submitted to 40 minutes ischaemia.

Why not to use kidney grafts from elderly donors.

BACKGROUND Kidney transplantation is widely recognized as the best treatment in patients who require renal replacement therapy. Although considered a clinical and surgical triumph, it is also a source of frustration because of lack of donor organs and the growth of waiting lists. Strategies need to be developed to increase the supply of organs. One measure is use of expanded criteria for donation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of donor age on cadaver graft survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the medical records for 454 patients who underwent kidney transplantation with cadaver donors from April 1987 to December 2003. RESULTS Donor age had a significant effect on kidney transplant survival. Survival of grafts from donors aged 16 to 40 years (mean, 143.30 months) was significantly greater compared with that of grafts from donors older than 40 years (66.46 months) (P = .005). The HLA matching and cold ischemia time did not significantly affect transplant survival (P = .98 and P = .16, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Kidneys from cadaver donors older than 40 years significantly compromised graft survival, generating a negative effect via early return of recipients to waiting lists and increasing the rate of repeat transplantation, risk of death, and unnecessary costs.

Levator ani subtended volume: a novel parameter to evaluate levator ani muscle laxity in pelvic organ prolapse

OBJECTIVE We describe a new parameter based on magnetic resonance 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions proposed to evaluate levator ani muscle (LAM) laxity in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). STUDY DESIGN This is an institutional review board-approved, retrospective chart review of 35 women with POP, stages I-IV. The 3D Slicer software package was used to perform 2-dimensional and 3D measurements and the levator ani subtended volume (LASV) was described. Basically, the LASV represents the volume contained by LAM between 2 planes, which coincides with pubococcygeal line and H line. Correlations among measurements, ordinal POP stages, POP Quantification (POPQ) individual measurements, and validated questionnaires were performed. RESULTS The LASV differentiated major (III and IV) from minor (I and II) POPQ stages, which positively correlated to POP stages and POPQ individual measurements. CONCLUSION The LASV is a promising parameter to evaluate the LAM laxity.

Long term evaluation of functional and morphological bladder alterations on alloxan-induced diabetes and aging: experimental study in rats

PURPOSE to evaluate structural and functional effects of Alloxan- induced diabetes and aging on bladder of rats. METHODS evaluations were performed in three groups: A--8 weeks of age, B--44 weeks of age, C--44 weeks of age with alloxan-induced diabetes. Muscle layer thickness, extracellular matrix fibrosis and collagen were quantified on digital images of bladder samples. Cystometric evaluations before surgical vesical denervation (SVD), included maximum cystometric capacity (MCC), maximum bladder pressure (MBP), bladder contraction frequency (VCF), duration of bladder contraction (DC), threshold pressure (TP) and bladder compliance (BC). After SVD, maximum cystometric capacity (MCC), BC and maximum urethral closing pressure (MUCP) were also measured. RESULTS Reduced extracellular matrix fibrosis concentration and contraction strength were found in the bladders of group C. Before SVD, bladder compliance was not different between groups. Alterations were observed in MCC after SVD. CONCLUSIONS We did not notice smooth muscle hypertrophy in Alloxan-induced diabetic rats after 44 weeks. There was alteration in the total and relative amount of fibrosis and collagen. The cystometric studies support the idea that this morphological alterations are important to determine the different bladder functional patterns found in the aging and the Alloxan-induced diabetic animals.

Estimated costs of treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia in Brazil

INTRODUCTION The treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) presents 2 options: medical or surgical, and there are doubts about what is the best treatment since 80% of patients who undergo surgery become asymptomatic and 10 to 40% of those under medical regimen undergo surgery within a 5 years period. It is difficult to assess the actual costs of treating BPH in Brazil due to several factors, among them regional particularities and the scarcity of current statistical data. PATIENTS AND METHODS Recently, in the Ribeirao Preto area, Sao Paulo, Brazil, the IPSS (International Prostatic Symptoms Score) and quality of life were verified in 934 volunteers. It was determined the percentage of individuals with ages ranging from 40 to 79 years with moderate symptoms (score 8-19) and with severe symptoms (score 20-35), values for which are indicated medical and surgical treatment, respectively, according to the Brazilian Society of Urology consensus on BPH. Data on Brazilian population in that age range were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics referent to the year of 2000. It was determined the number of patients, according to the criteria above, subjected to either one of the treatments mentioned. Surgical costs of prostate transurethral resection were researched according to Unified Health System - SUS tables (173 US dollars) and of Brazilian Medical Society - AMB with a mean cost in 3 hospitals of 933 US dollars. Drug costs were calculated by the annual mean price (355 US dollars) of 4 alpha-blockers (tamsulosin, alfuzosin, doxazosin and terazosin). RESULTS The estimated population for medical treatment was 5,397,321 individuals, with a cost corresponding to 1,916,489,055.00 US dollars. The estimated population for surgical treatment was 2,040,299 men, what would represent a cost of 353,291,204.00 US dollars based on the SUS table and of 1,904,279,066.00 US dollars based on AMB with hospital expenses included. CONCLUSION All theses facts induce us to predict that the treatment of BPH in a not-so-far future can become a public health problem for Brazilian society, since the current estimate would be, approximately, costs around 2.26 - 3.83 billion dollars, added by the yearly increase in the risk population (24.99%) for the group under medical treatment and over the non-operated amount of the surgical group.

Histologic Study of Urethral Extracellular Matrix and Collagen From Aging and Long-Term Alloxan-induced Diabetic Male Rats

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the histological alterations of extracellular matrix in long-term alloxan-induced diabetes and aging urethras of male rats with descriptions of total connective tissue, muscle layer and collagen types I and III relative amounts. METHODS Histologic evaluations were performed in 3 animal groups: group 1, 8 weeks old; group 2, 44 weeks old; and group 3, 44 weeks old with alloxan-induced diabetes. The muscle layer thickness, extracellular matrix fibrosis, and collagen were quantified on digital images of the urethral samples. RESULTS A higher total thickness and muscle layer thickness and higher connective tissue and collagen content were observed in the urethras of group 3. No changes in the collagen type III/I ratio were found in the urethra of groups 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the morphologic alterations of the urethra should also be considered in long-term studies of diabetic lower urinary tract dysfunction. These morphologic alterations due to diabetes differ from the changes induced by aging itself and could represent a final stage in decompensate urethras. Further studies are necessary to establish the real influence of the urethral morphologic changes on lower urinary tract diabetes dysfunction.

Therapeutic option for infected urinary tract fistulas in renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND Approximately 20% of urinary tract fistulas after renal allografting are complicated by urinary tract infection, which presents a therapeutic challenge. OBJECTIVE To evaluate an option for treatment of urinary tract fistulas associated with urinary tract infection and unsuitable for minimally invasive or primary surgical urinary tract repair. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 650 recipients who underwent transplantation over 17 years. Urinary leakage was initially treated with indwelling bladder catheterization. Patients with fistulas refractory to treatment underwent surgical intervention to repair the urinary tract. In patients who were not candidates for primary repair of the urinary tract, temporary urinary diversion was performed, rather than classic percutaneous or open nephrostomy, using a ureteral stent (ie, a 6F or 8F Foley catheter with the balloon placed inside the renal pelvis). RESULTS Overall, urinary leakage occurred in 36 patients (5.5%). Conservative management was successful in 14 vesical fistulas (42.4%) and no ureteral fistulas (0%). Three patients died of sepsis during conservative treatment, before the new surgical approach. Five of 36 urinary leaks (13.9%) were managed using ureteral intubation with an 8F Foley catheter, with a success rate of 80%. CONCLUSION Ureteral catheterization with an 8F Foley catheter is a feasible therapeutic option to treat complicated urinary tract fistulas unsuitable for primary surgical repair of the urinary tract.

Free PSA and prostate volume on the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the influence of prostate volume on the performance of total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) on the diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 188 patients underwent transrectal ultrasound guided biopsies (10-12 cores) due to prostate nodes detected by digital rectal examination and/or tPSA range of 2.5-10ng/ml. Mean age was 65.7±8.7 years. 19/100 (19%)(GI) patients with prostate volume >40ml had prostate cancer while the corresponding figure for patients with prostate 40ml and 16% in prostates <40ml was a better option for prostate biopsy indication than tPSA at a cut-off of 4ng/ml associated or not with f/tPSA ratio.

Ação do citrato de sildenafil sobre a função uretral de ratas com desnervação vesical

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide acts as a non-adrenergic and non-cholinergic neurotransmitter in the bladder and urethra. It activates the guanilatocyclase that transforms GMP in cGMP which promotes muscle relaxation. Sildenafil citrate increases the cGMP concentration by inhibiting the phosphodiesterase responsible for its hydrolysis. METHODS: 6 female rats weighing 200g were anesthetized with urethane at a dosage of 1.25mg/kg. All animals underwent cystostomy with a catheter P50 connected by a Y to an infusion pump and to a polygraph Narco-Biosystem. The cystometry was performed trice in each animal: right after the cystostomy, after surgical of bladder denervation and 1h after gastric infusion of 1mg/kg of sildenafil citrate. Maximum (MaP) and minimum (MiP) vesical pressure were compared in the following moments: I - before bladder denervation, II - after bladder denervation and III - after bladder denervation and sildenafil administration. Wilcoxon test was used for a level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: Mean values of MaP were: I - 86.6±10.1, II - 42.6±15.0 and III - 30.8±12.4. The corresponding values of MiP were: : I - 72.1±18.9, II - 31.1±9.8 and III - 14.5±9.5. The comparison between MaP and MiP in each moment showed difference only in moment III (p 0.05 in IIxIII. For MiP the p values were <0.004 in IxII, <0.002 in IxIII and <0.01 in IIxIII. CONCLUSION: 1) Bladder denervation reduces maximum and minimum urethral pressure; 2) Sildenafil citrate reduces the minimum urethral pressure widening the interval between the peak and bottom pressures; and, 3) Sildenafil citrate does not interfere on the peak urethral pressure after bladder denervation.

PD50-04 WHICH PATIENTS CAN EXPECT IMPROVEMENT IN STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCY AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY?

one of the follow up visits when asked directly by the examiner, SUI in the bladder diary, or evidence of SUI on the supine stress test. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2015 134 women underwent RSC. 52 patients complained of urinary incontinence pre operatively (38.5%). As BMI increased, the number of pads recorded on preoperative bladder diary also increased, however, following concomitant mid urethral sling there was no difference in number of patients reporting incontinence or pad use at the last postoperative visit (Table 1) over 21.3 months follow up. The denovo rate of urinary incontinence did not increase as the BMI increased and failed to meet statistical significance, with normal BMI having a de-novo SUI rate of 26%, overweight 17%, obese 23%, and extreme obesity 25%, p>0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Obese patients undergoing RSC have increased preoperative pad use and SUI rates but have similar SUI cure rates and denovo SUI rates compared with nonobese patients.