Antenatally diagnosed upper moiety hydronephrosis in a child with ectopic ureter: A case report

An ectopic ureter is any ureter, single or duplex, that does not enter the trigonal area of the bladder. In a duplex system, the ectopic ureter is inevitably the upper pole ureter. In males, the ectopic ureter always enters the urogenital system above the external sphincter. The majority of ectopic ureters are detected through prenatal ultrasound imaging, even if the specific diagnosis is not made until after birth. Radionuclide renal imaging remains the gold standard for renal functional assessment, and this is usually best provided by dimercaptosuccinic acid imaging. The goals of therapy are the preservation of renal function; elimination of infection, obstruction, and reflux; and maintenance of urinary continence. We report a case of a 6-month-old male child presenting with urinary tract infection. The child was diagnosed to have had a cystic dilatation of the right upper moiety on antenatal ultrasonography imaging

Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET) of the Kidney with Level IV Inferior Vena Caval Thrombus: A Case Report

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is classified as a malignant tumor of the kidney. It was first recognized by Arthur Purdy Stout in 1918, as a member of the family of “small round-cell tumorsâ€. Primitive renal localization is very rare. We report a case of Primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the kidney with level IV inferior vena caval (IVC) thrombus. Histologically, the tumor consisted of small round cells with round nuclei and scant cytoplasm

An unusual presentation of anterior urethral valve in a child with diabetes mellitus

Anterior urethral valve (AUV) is identified to be a common source of congenital obstructive lesion of the anterior urethra. Up to 80% of children with AUVs develop bladder dysfunction, bladder instability, hyperreflexia, diminished compliance and capacity. We report a case of an unusual presentation of a child with AUV and diabetes mellitus

Augmentation gastrocystoplasty in a child with orofacial syndrome and dysfunctional voiding

We report the case of a child diagnosed with orofacial syndrome with dysfunctional voiding and elevated serum creatinine in whom augmentation gastrocystoplasty was performed to manage urinary incontinence.Keywords: augmentation gastrocystoplasty, dysfunctional voiding, orofacial syndrom

Reproductive Toxicology: An Update

Human reproduction and development is a succession of symbiotic events. Nearly, at every point of this phenomenon found to be the principle target of one or more reproductive toxicants. Chemical agents, physical factors, as well as biological intruders can pose antagonistic effects on reproductive potential of an organism. The pathways are different viz., either damaging embryo and sometimes fetus or inducing mutation in a parent’s germ cell. The outcomes are declined fertility to impulsive abortion, functional discrepancies, developmental retardation, structural anomalies, etc. It is a now essential to establishing proper databases for reproductive and developmental toxicity chemicals, physical and biological factors including appropriate awareness among the society. Although many in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies are in pipeline which are independent studies but combination with other hazardous studies could give us an accurate numbers

Environmental Impacts of Intensive Cardamom (Small) Cultivation in Indian Cardamom Hills: The Need for Sustainable and Efficient Practices

The recent intensification of small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton) farming, and the prospects of intensification, will have the major detrimental impacts on the Indian cardamom hills (ICH) ecosystem. The increased (4 fold) cardamom production during the past 30 years was associated with a several fold increase in the consumption of fertilizers and pesticides as well as drastic reduction in erstwhile rainforest land and canopy cover. Based on simple linear extension of past trends, and the anticipated future demand of cardamom would be associated with approximately 3 fold increase in both nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rates as well as pesticides ( 4-5 fold increase in number of spray rounds) and further reduction in forest canopy cover (40%). These projected changes would have dramatic impacts on the functioning of the cardamom ecosystem because of complete loss of biodiversity and land and forest degradation. The largest impacts would be on fresh water ecosystem, which would be greatly eutrophied by high rates of nitrogen and phosphorus release from cardamom and tea plantations, and contaminated with various toxic pesticides. These detrimental environmental impacts of intensive cardamom agriculture can be minimized only if there is much more efficient use and recycling of nutrients between forest and soil

Management of antenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis in a child presenting later with urinary tract infections: A case report

Preservation of renal function remains the main goal of follow-up of a child with antenatal hydronephrosis. The question remains as to how long we need to follow these children. Even after several decades, the indications and timing of surgery in a newborn with hydronephrosis are still debated. Herewith, we report the case of a 9-year-old male child who was diagnosed to have hydronephrosis on antenatal scans and was managed conservatively postnatally who presented after 9 years with recurrent urinary tract infections

Therapeutic Applications of Monoclonal Antibodies in Urologic-Oncology Management - An Update

The idea of utilizing immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers has been appealing to scientists and clinicians for over a several decades. Immunotherapy for cancers encompasses knowledge gained from a wide range of disciplines and has the potential to procure the ‘magic bullet’ for the treatment of cancer. Monoclonal antibody-based treatment of cancer has been recognized as one of the most successful therapeutic strategies for both hematologic malignancies and solid tumours in the last 20 years. The discovery of hybridoma technology in late 1975 and the development of chimeric, humanized, and human antibodies have increased the availability and utility of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Metastatic or recurrent cancer continues to be the bane of the urological oncologist. Despite recent improvements in therapeutic management and outcomes for clinically localized disease overall survival rate in patients with the majority of metastatic and recurrent genitourinary malignancies remains relatively unchanged. By targeting tumours through specific or associated antigens, it is possible to selectively eliminate tumour cells and maintain an acceptable toxicity profile. Therapeutic antibodies that target immune cells are also being developed with the goal of breaking local tolerance and stimulating the patient’s anti-tumor immune response. As with other treatment modalities, immunotherapy is far from perfect and requires additional study to optimize clinical response and overcome therapeutic resistance. Modern advances in the field of immunotherapy hold the promise of providing the clinical urologist/oncologist with new tools to fight urological cancer. However, the literature on monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy with a particular emphasis on target antigens, monoclonal antibody design and potential applications in the field of urology is limited. Hence, the present chapter focuses on the applications of Immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies for urologic oncology settings such as prostate, bladder, renal, testicular and penile with a hope to highlight its clinical efficacy and also its mechanisms of action in each of these cancer types