En-Bloc Transurethral Resection of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer. Current Evidence and Glimpses into the Future

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Associations between music education, intelligence, and spelling ability in elementary school

Musical education has a beneficial effect on higher cognitive functions, but questions arise whether associations between music lessons and cognitive abilities are specific to a domain or general. We tested 194 boys in Grade 3 by measuring reading and spelling performance, non verbal intelligence and asked parents about musical activities since preschool. Questionnaire data showed that 53% of the boys had learned to play a musical instrument. Intelligence was higher for boys playing an instrument (p < .001). To control for unspecific effects we excluded families without instruments. The effect on intelligence remained (p < .05). Furthermore, boys playing an instrument showed better performance in spelling compared to the boys who were not playing, despite family members with instruments (p < .01). This effect was observed independently of IQ. Our findings suggest an association between music education and general cognitive ability as well as a specific language link

Diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility and influence on decision-making of a methylation urine biomarker test in the surveillance of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Contains fulltext : 203990.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

World Journal of Urology / Pseudoprogression and hyperprogression during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for urothelial and kidney cancer

Objectives A small subset of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors manifest atypical patterns of response, the so-called pseudoprogression (PP) and hyperprogression (HP). Their prevalence in urothelial (UC) and renal cancer (RCC) remains, to date, mostly uninvestigated. Therefore, we aimed to provide a summary of the current knowledge about PP and HP during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in UC and RCC patients. Methods and materials A systematic medline/pubmed© literature search was performed. The atypical patterns of response to systemic immunotherapy were reviewed. Endpoints were PP and HP in UC and RCC. Results Tumors respond differently to immunotherapy compared to systemic chemotherapy. To evaluate response to immunotherapy, new guidelines (iRECIST) have been developed. To date, no studies focused on PP in UC and RCC, and the only way to evaluate its role is to take patients who respond to treatment beyond progression as surrogate for pseudoprogressors. PP seems to occur in a non-negligible rate of UC and RCC (from 1.5 to 17% and from 5 to 15%, respectively). The concept of HP, defined as a rapid progression after treatment, just took the first steps, and therefore, data from ongoing trials are awaited to elucidate its impact in genitourinary cancers. Conclusions PP and HP are not uncommon entities in UC and RCC patients, treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Further investigation is warranted to define which patients are likely to experience PP and could benefit from treatment beyond progression and which ones will instead rapidly experience progression despite treatment and should, therefore, avoid systemic immunotherapy.(VLID)360161

The BIR2/BIR3-interacting Phospholipase D gamma 1 negatively regulates immunity in Arabidopsis

Plants have evolved effective strategies to defend themselves against pathogen invasion. Starting from the plasma membrane with the recognition of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) via pattern recognition receptors, internal cellular signaling pathways are induced to ultimately fend off the attack. Phospholipase D (PLD) hydrolyzes membrane phospholipids to produce phosphatidic acid (PA), which has been proposed to play a second messenger role in immunity. The Arabidopsis PLD family consists of 12 members and for some a specific function in resistance towards a subset of pathogens has been shown. We demonstrate here that Arabidopsis PLDγ1, but not its close homologs PLDγ2 and PLDγ3, is specifically involved in plant immunity. Genetic inactivation of PLDγ1 resulted in increased resistance towards the virulent bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea. As pldγ1 mutant plants responded with elevated levels of reactive oxygen species to MAMP-treatment, a negative regulatory function for this PLD isoform is proposed. Importantly, PA levels in pldγ1 mutants were not affected compared to stressed wild-type plants, suggesting that alterations in PA levels are unlikely the cause for the enhanced immunity in the pldγ1 line. Instead, the plasma-membrane-attached PLDγ1 protein colocalized and associated with the receptor-like kinases BIR2 and BIR3, which are known negative regulators of pattern-triggered immunity. Moreover, complex formation of PLDγ1 and BIR2 was further promoted upon MAMP-treatment. Hence, we propose that PLDγ1 acts as a negative regulator of plant immune responses in complex with immunity-related proteins BIR2 and BIR3

World Journal of Urology / Molecular markers in bladder cancer

Purpose Use of molecular markers in urine, tissue or blood offers potential opportunities to improve understanding of bladder cancer biology which may help identify disease earlier, risk stratify patients, improve prediction of outcomes or help target therapy. Methods A review of the published literature was performed, without restriction of time. Results Despite the fast-growing literature about the topic and the approval of several urinary biomarkers for use in clinical practice, they have not reached the level of evidence for widespread utilization. Biomarkers could be used in different clinical scenarios, mainly to overcome the limitations of current diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic tools. They have been evaluated to detect bladder cancer in asymptomatic populations or those with hematuria and in surveillance of disease as adjuncts to cystoscopy. There is also a potential role as prognosticators of disease recurrence, progression and survival both in patients with non-invasive cancers and in those with advanced disease. Finally, they promise to be helpful in predicting the response to local and/or systemic chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. Conclusions To date, due to the lack of high-quality prospective trials, the level of evidence provided by the current literature remains low and, therefore, the potential of biomarkers exceeds utilization in clinical practice.(VLID)362010

Characterization of Late Recurrence After Radical Cystectomy in a Large Multicenter Cohort of Bladder Cancer Patients

To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of late recurrence (LR) in patients with bladder cancer (BCa) treated with radical cystectomy (RC) and to identify clinicopathologic predictors of LR and postrecurrence survival

An up-to-date catalog of available urinary biomarkers for the surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Objectives With the advent of novel genomic and transcriptomic technologies, new urinary biomarkers have been identified and tested for bladder cancer (BCa) surveillance. To summarize the current status of urinary biomarkers for the detection of recurrence and/or progression in the follow-up of non-muscle invasive BCa patients, and to assess the value of urinary biomarkers in predicting response to intravesical Bacillus CalmetteGuerin (BCG) therapy. Methods and materials A medline/pubmed© literature search was performed. The performance of commercially available and investigational biomarkers has been reviewed. End points were cancer detection (recurrence), cancer progression, and response to BCG therapy. Results The performance requirements for biomarkers are variable according to the clinical scenario. The clinical role of urinary biomarkers in the follow-up of non-muscle invasive BCa patients remains undefined. The FDA-approved tests provide unsatisfactory sensitivity and specificity levels and their use is limited. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been shown to be useful in specific scenarios, mostly as a reflex test and in the setting of equivocal urinary cytology. FISH and immunocytology could conceivably be used to assess BCG response. Recently developed biomarkers have shown promising results; upcoming large trials will test their utility in specific clinical scenarios in a manner similar to a phased drug development strategy. Conclusions Current commercially available urinary biomarker-based tests are not sufficiently validated to be widely used in clinical practice. Several novel biomarkers are currently under investigation. Prospective multicenter analyses will be needed to establish their clinical relevance and value.(VLID)361990

The effect of HER2 status on oncological outcomes of patients with invasive bladder cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in patients with bladder cancer (BCa) and to assess its association with oncological outcomes