Author: R. Popescu

Clostridium difficile – an emerging plague

Introduction: Clostridium difficile infection stands nowadays as one of the major emerging health problems still underestimated. Only in 2009 the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection (ESCMID) was able to publish guidelines for this serious disease. Actually the guidelines were updated in 2013 so we can speak of a united action towards the resolution of this healthcare problem. Methods: This is a review article aiming to shed light in various aspects of clostridium difficile infection as clinical presentation, symptoms and signs, therapeutic options and risk factors with a focus on urologic pathology. Conclusions: This type of infection represents a challenge from many points of view like treatment, relapse approach, mortality, morbidity, germ’ s adaptability to treatment and last but not the least the outbreak of different aggressive strains like B1,NAP1 or ribotype 027 toxinotype III.

Neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer – a review

Objectives: This review aims to provide practicing clinicians with the most recent knowledge of the biological nature of prostate cancer especially the information regarding neuroendocrine differentiation. Methods: Review of the literature using PubMed search and scientific journal publications. Results: Much progress has been made towards an understanding of the development and progression of prostate cancer. The prostate is a male accessory sex gland which produces a fraction of seminal fluid. The normal human prostate is composed of a stromal compartment (which contains: nerves, fibroblast, smooth muscle cells, macrophages) surrounding glandular acins – epithelial cells. Neuroendocrine cells are one of the epithelial populations in the normal prostate and are believed to provide trophic signals trough the secretion of neuropeptides that diffuse and influence surrounding epithelial cells. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men. In prostate cancer, neuroendocrine cells can stimulate growth of surrounding prostate adenocarcinoma cells (proliferation of neighboring cancer cells in a paracrine manner by secretion of neuroendocrine products). Neuroendocrine prostate cancer is an aggressive variant of prostate cancer that commonly arises in later stages of castration resistant prostate cancer. The detection of neuroendocrine prostate cancer has clinical implications. These patients are often treated with platinum chemotherapy rather than with androgen receptor targeted therapies. Conclusion: This review shows the need to improve our knowledge regarding diagnostic and treatment methods of the Prostate Cancer, especially cancer cells with neuroendocrine phenotype.

Complications of radical retropubic prostatectomy – our experience

Introduction: Radical retropubic prostatectomy represents in its various forms (open, laparoscopic and robotic) the "gold standard" treatment for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Unfortunately like al treatment solutions it has its shortcomings. Retropubic radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy are the curative options. Materials and Method: The experience of Clinic of Urology from Central Military Hospital representing more than 100 cases was analyzed . Classical open retropubic prostatectomy was performed in all cases. We focused in this paper on intraoperative complications and also precocious and late postoperative complications. Results: Our results are matching the other centers in terms of intraoperative complications (blood loss), early postoperative complications (hematuria, urinary tract infection, lymphatic drainage) or late postoperative complications (erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence). However none of these complications are to be underestimated Conclusions: The limits of this intervention can be pushed a litle bit further, in our opinion the age factor is a relative one, some of these patients having a longer than 10 years life expectancy. It provides good oncological outcome with manageable complications most of the times.

Penile fracture – clinical case presentation

-