Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the December 2010 issue of the UIJ. I am pleased to announce that all articles published in the UroToday International Journal are now indexed by SCOPUS and Excerpta Medica Database (Embase). Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database that contains both peer-reviewed research literature and Web sources. It has nearly 18,000 titles from more than 5,000 publishers. Embase contains over 23 million indexed biomedical records from more than 7,500 journals. These two major indexing sources provide readers with easy access to our articles and assure our authors of extensive coverage for their papers.
In this issue, Newman et al assesses the effects of darifenacin on the reduction in the number of incontinence episodes and diary days where no incontinence episodes are reported (termed "dry days") in a population of patients with incontinence and overactive bladder. The authors analyzed data from three-phase III fixed-dose, randomized, placebo-controlled studies (n = 1059). The results demonstrate that darifenacin treatment significantly reduces the number of incontinence episodes and increases the number of patients experiencing 3 or more consecutive dry days. Similar results were shown in the two-year, open label study, demonstrating significant improvement in health-related quality of life scores.
Halachmi et al examine renal cancer recurrence following nephron-sparing surgery in 229 patients. Significant predictors of oncological failure include: tumor size less than 4 cm, central tumor location, multifocal tumors, and male gender. Further, the findings include that warm ischemia time greater than 20 minutes is a significant predictor of recurrence. The oncological effectiveness of nephron-sparing surgery is compared to reported outcomes of radical nephrectomy.
Pandith et al evaluate the frequency and distribution of FGFR3 somatic mutations in bladder tumors. The authors examined DNA preparations from paired tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens from 65 patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). The authors identified Codon S417Y, a new mutation. The pattern and distribution of FGFR3 mutations were significantly associated with low-grade and low-stage tumors. The frequency of mutation decreased significantly with an increase in tumor invasiveness. The results indicate that FGFR3 mutations can be useful in distinguishing superficial from invasive bladder lesions.
Wang et al study 56 patients receiving renal transplant to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a preoperative high-dose (1.5 mg/kg) and postoperative short-term low-dose (0.5-1 mg/kg) prophylactic application of rabbit antihuman thymocyte immunoglobulin (ATG-R) plus immunosuppressive therapy. They compared the outcomes to a control group receiving only immunosuppressive therapy. ATG-R treatment resulted in a significantly lower incidence of delayed graft function and acute rejection within 6 months, without increasing the incidence of lung infection.
Abraham et al identified 745 men with a documented varicocele and severe oligospermia from a 10-year database review. The authors compare the outcomes of patients receiving laparoscopic correction with those receiving open varicocelectomy. The results demonstrate similar improvements in semen parameters and in the number of successful pregnancies. The authors conclude that laparoscopy appears to be an effective option for management of infertility due to a varicocele.
Tamer Aboushwareb provides a state-of-the-art review article on approaches to renal tissue engineering. The author describes the properties of stem cells and considerations of usefulness in regenerative medicine. He presents methods for identifying renal progenitor cells and their potential contributions for regeneration and renal repair. Finally, he describes disease-specific cellular therapies for renal dysfunction.
In this final issue of 2010, I thank the UIJ staff, reviewers, authors, and readers for your continued support. I extend my wishes to each of you that you may enjoy a healthy and productive 2011.
Sincerely,
Karl-Erik Andersson
Editor-In-Chief
UIJ