Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a life-threatening, severe renal infection characterized by the presence of gas in the renal parenchyma or perirenal space. Bilateral involvement is rarely seen, with only 17 cases reported in the iterature. We herein report two cases of bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis. One is occurred subsequently in a patient with diabetic cystopathy, the other is developed simultaneously and shows bilaterally-communicated gas pattern on computerized tomography. The theories on pathogenesis of the disease are reviewed and the modes of disease progression in our patients are discussed.
Disease Progression ; Humans ; Pyelonephritis*

Routine urinalysis is a simple, economical, and useful test that facilitates the detection of urinary system diseases and monitoring of renal disease progression. It consists of 4 parts of specimen evaluation, gross examination, a dipstick urinalysis, and a sediment microscopic urinalysis. Urine specimens should first be evaluated in terms of acceptability, and thereafter, the gross appearance is examined for color, turbidity, and odor. In particular, a dipstick urinalysis is an easy and rapid test that provides information on the multiple physicochemical properties of the urine sample. Moreover, although a sediment microscopic urinalysis is time-consuming, it provides information on the cells, microorganisms, casts, and crystals. In the present report, the clinical significance of the routine urinalysis and the problems concerning interpretation are summarized.
Disease Progression ; Odors ; Urinalysis*

Disease Progression ; Humans ; Vascular Calcification ; metabolism

Adult ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Male ; Tabes Dorsalis

China ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Pneumoconiosis ; epidemiology

Postoperative surveillance in patients with thyroid cancer is very important for radiologist to help the clinician manage the patient. The role of ultrasound is important but small volume tumor recurrence may not affect survival as well as its treatment may, at times, cause more morbid than its natural disease progression. In this review, I discuss postoperative surveillance in patients with thyroid cancer in the view of a radiologist.
Disease Progression ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Ultrasonography

Disease Progression ; Facial Hemiatrophy ; surgery ; Humans

PURPOSE: Bevacizumab±irinotecan is effective for treatment of recurrent malignant gliomas. However, the optimal duration of treatment has not been established. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-four consecutive patients with recurrent malignant glioma who were treated with bevacizumab at our institutions were identified. Patients who continued bevacizumab until tumor progression were enrolled in a late discontinuation (LD) group, while those who stopped bevacizumab before tumor progression were enrolled in an early discontinuation (ED) group. Landmark analyses were performed at weeks 9, 18, and 26 for comparison of patient survival between the two groups. RESULTS: Among 89 assessable patients, 62 (69.7%) and 27 (30.3%) patients were categorized as the LD and ED groups, respectively. According to landmark analysis, survival times from weeks 9, 18, and 26 were not significantly different between the two groups in the overall population. However, the LD group showed a trend toward increased survival compared to the ED group among responders. In the ED group, the median time from discontinuation to disease progression was 11.4 weeks, and none of the patients showed a definite rebound phenomenon. Similar median survival times after disease progression were observed between groups (14.4 weeks vs. 15.7 weeks, p=0.251). Of 83 patients, 38 (45.8%) received further therapy at progression, and those who received further therapy showed longer survival in both the LD and ED groups. CONCLUSION: In recurrent malignant glioma, duration of bevacizumab was not associated with survival time in the overall population. However, ED of bevacizumab in responding patients might be associated with decreased survival.
Bevacizumab* ; Disease Progression ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma* ; Humans

The unique ability of tumour cells to proliferate indefinitely is crucial to neoplastic progression as it allows these cells to express the aggressive properties of cancer without the censure of physiological ageing. This is in contrast to normal somatic cells which are subject to a "mitotic clock," a phenomenon that has been linked to telomeric shortening after each round of cell replication, so that eventually the loss of genetic material reaches a critical stage and the cells undergo senescence and cell death. A study was conducted to investigate the role of telomerase, an RNA-containing enzyme that restores the telomere length, in the neoplastic cell immortalization and progression process. Fresh human tissue samples taken from excision specimens received by the Department of Pathology, University of Malaya Medical Centre, were investigated for telomerase activity using a commercial Telomerase PCR-ELISA kit (Boehringer Mannheim). Specimens comprised 33 breast lesions (10 infiltrating breast adenocarcinoma, 13 fibroadenoma and 10 non-neoplastic breast tissue), 27 colonic lesions (17 colonic adenocarcinoma and 10 non-neoplastic colonic mucosa) and 42 cervical lesions (20 cervical carcinoma and 22 non-neoplastic cervical tissues). Telomerase activity was found in 6 (60%) of 10 breast carcinomas, 6 (46%) of 13 fibroadenomas, none of the 10 nonneoplastic breast samples, 3 (17.6%) of 17 colon carcinomas and none of the 10 non-neoplastic colonic mucosal samples, 12 (60%) of 20 cervical carcinoma and 3 (13.6%) of 22 non-neoplastic cervical samples. 5/10 (50%) Stage I, 4/7 (57%) Stage II, 2/2 (100%) Stage III and 1/1 (100%) Stage IV cervical carcinomas showed telomerase activity. These findings support a contributory role for telomerase in tumourigenesis with activation occurring from neoplastic transformation and increasing with tumour progression.
Telomerase ; seconds ; Breast ; neoplastic cell ; Progression

The aim of therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is to improve quality of life by providing symptom relief and an increased maximum flow rate, as well as reduce disease progression and the development of new morbidities. There has been an enormous decline in the popularity of surgery and it is now apparent that medication is the most frequently used treatment for BPH. This has arguably therefore been the most major change in urological clinical practice in the last decade. Currently alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonists are the commonest medical therapy, and are thought to act by relaxing prostatic smooth muscle, the neural or so-called 'dynamic' component of BPO. 5alpha-reductase inhibitors are another option for BPH, which reduce prostatic mass and therefore the mechanical or 'static' component of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Another group of agents are the phytotherapeutic extracts, which act via various mechanisms, many as yet poorly defined. This review critically assesses existing publications relating to the medical management of BPH.
Disease Progression ; Muscle, Smooth ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Quality of Life