A rare cause of acute urinary retention in women: meatal condyloma accuminata, a case report

Acute urinary retention in women is a rarely seen phenomenon due to pharmacological, neuromuscular, anatomical, functional and infectious causes. Human papillomaviruses causing condyloma acuminata is one of the rarely reported viral infectious cause of acute urinary retention in case reports. A 45-year-old woman with acute urinary retention was found to have a round solid lesion on external urethral meatus. Histopathological examination revealed as condyloma acuminata. Urethral condyloma can be treated by local excision as an effective method for early improvement of voiding function. Even if the genital condyloma can be locally excised, patients should be referred to the gynecologists for cervical cancer screening.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

Volatile constituents of several Seseli species with acetylcholinesterase activity

Apiaceae is a well-known family of plants with characteristic umbels comprising a lot of aromatic plants important from the economic, medical and ecological points of view. Species from the Seseli L. genus are used in traditional medicine since ancient times from their antimicrobial, antiinflammatory and analgesic activities. Plants belonging to the genus Seseli are also a rich source of coumarin compounds of different type, which show the ability to inhibit several important enzymes, e.g. acetylcholinesterase (inhibitors of AChE are used in Alzheimer’s disease treatment).                Extracts containing volatile compounds were prepared from several Seseli representatives (S. elatum subsp. osseum (Crantz) P.W.Ball, S. andronakii Woronow ex Schischk., S. hartvigii Parolly & Nordt, and S. petraeum M. Bieb.). AChE-inhibitory activity of the tested extracts from Seseli species was determined by TLC-bioautography on TLC plates (0.2-mm thickness) covered with silica gel. All TLC plates were developed with the optimized the mobile phase system containing an optimal concentration of 2-naphthyl acetate (30 mg/20 mL).                The GC-MS analysis was carried out on a Shimadzu GC-2010 Plus chromatograph coupled to a QP2010 Ultra mass spectrometric detector using a Phenomenex capillary column ZB-5MS (30 m; diameter of 0.25 mm and thickness of 0.25 µm). The initial column temperature was set to 50 °C, which was held for 3 min, and in the next step, the column was heated to 250 °C at a rate of 8 °C per min (and was then held at that temperature for 2 min). The split ratio after the injection of 1 µL was 1:20 and helium was used as the carrier gas (the flow rate was 1 mL per min). Ionization was performed by electron impact at 70 eV. The identification of compounds was based on a comparison of their mass spectra with those of MassFinder and NIST mass spectral libraries, as well as by retention index (calculated based on a homologous series of n-alkanes) comparison

Effect of atorvastatin on spermatogenesis in rats: A stereological study

Purpose: To investigate the effects of oral atorvastatin on spermatogenesis in a rat model.Methods: Rats were equally assigned into control and study groups, the latter receiving atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day). At the end of 12 weeks, spermatogenetic activity was evaluated using stereological and optical fractionator methods. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured using micro–ELISA kits. Total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL - C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were also measured by enzymatic colorimetric assays.Results: Testicular stereological analysis revealed that atorvastatin reduced Sertoli cell numbers (p < 0.001), spermatogonia (p < 0.001), spermatocytes (p < 0.001), and seminiferous tubule diameters (p < 0.001). LDL – C (p = 0.01) and TG (p = 0.01) values were significantly lower in the study group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in FSH (p = 0.44), LH (p = 0.48),and TT (p = 0.06) levels between the groups.Conclusion: The findings show that atorvastatin causes deleterious effects on rat spermatogenesis. It should therefore be used with caution in clinical practice owing to its potential adverse effects, especially on male fertility. Keywords: Statin, Atorvastatin, Spermatogenesis, Stereology, Testi

Oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic: challenges, dilemmas and the psychosocial impact on cancer patients.

COVID-19 has caused unprecedented societal turmoil, triggering a rapid, still ongoing, transformation of healthcare provision on a global level. In this new landscape, it is highly important to acknowledge the challenges this pandemic poses on the care of the particularly vulnerable cancer patients and the subsequent psychosocial impact on them. We have outlined our clinical experience in managing patients with gastrointestinal, hematological, gynaecological, dermatological, neurological, thyroid, lung and paediatric cancers in the COVID-19 era and have reviewed the emerging literature around barriers to care of oncology patients and how this crisis affects them. Moreover, evolving treatment strategies and novel ways of addressing the needs of oncology patients in the new context of the pandemic are discussed

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of MicroRNA-21 in Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Tumors

WOS: 000464095200007Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the commonly diagnosed urological cancers that causes human death, ranked as the seventh most common cancer worldwide. To date, no reliable diagnostic tool has been defined to recognize non-muscle invasive bladder tumors other than cystoscopy. For this reason, scientists have focused on finding new non-invasive biomarkers that can be used to diagnose BC with higher specificity and sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic role and prognostic significance of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in non-muscle invasive bladder tumors. In this review, the overall diagnostic performance of miR-21 was discussed on non-invasive BC based on a literature search of PubMed and Cochrane Library. Although findings are insufficient, promising results have been reported regarding circulating miR-21 as a biomarker for BC prospective studies with larger numbers of participants are needed

Does antegrade JJ stenting affect the total operative time during laparoscopic pyeloplasty?

Objective: We aimed to show the effect of retrograde JJ stenting and intraoperative antegrade JJ stenting techniques on operative time in patients who underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty

Seseli petraeum M. Bieb. (Apiaceae) Significantly Inhibited Cellular Growth of A549 Lung Cancer Cells through G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest.

Seseli L. is an important genus of the Apiaceae family, with a large number of aromatic species. It is used in traditional medicine extensively, but there is quite limited information on their phytochemicals and biological activities. Seseli petraeum M. Bieb. grows in Northern Anatolia, and there are no phytochemical studies on this species. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the extracts of S. petraeum on A549 lung cancer cell proliferation. For this purpose, the antiproliferative effect was determined via MTT assay, and the extracts obtained from the root of S. petraeum showed a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. The hexane extract of the root exhibited potent inhibition on A549 cancer cell growth at the 24th hour with 3.432 mg/mL IC50 value. The results also showed that the hexane extract had displayed cytotoxic effect through an arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis as well as DNA damage of A549 cells. Consequently, this study demonstrated the antiproliferative potential of the extracts from S. petraeum, especially hexane extract from the roots. Further studies are required to identify the mechanisms underlying these effects

Seseli petraeum M. Bieb. (Apiaceae) Significantly Inhibited Cellular Growth of A549 Lung Cancer Cells through G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest.

Seseli L. is an important genus of the Apiaceae family, with a large number of aromatic species. It is used in traditional medicine extensively, but there is quite limited information on their phytochemicals and biological activities. Seseli petraeum M. Bieb. grows in Northern Anatolia, and there are no phytochemical studies on this species. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the extracts of S. petraeum on A549 lung cancer cell proliferation. For this purpose, the antiproliferative effect was determined via MTT assay, and the extracts obtained from the root of S. petraeum showed a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. The hexane extract of the root exhibited potent inhibition on A549 cancer cell growth at the 24th hour with 3.432 mg/mL IC50 value. The results also showed that the hexane extract had displayed cytotoxic effect through an arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis as well as DNA damage of A549 cells. Consequently, this study demonstrated the antiproliferative potential of the extracts from S. petraeum, especially hexane extract from the roots. Further studies are required to identify the mechanisms underlying these effects