Humans ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology* ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology* ; Genetic Markers ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Urothelium/pathology*

Objective: To explore the application of manual screening collaborated with the Artificial Intelligence TPS-Assisted Cytologic Screening System in urinary exfoliative cytology and its clinical values. Methods: A total of 3 033 urine exfoliated cytology samples were collected at the Henan People's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Liquid-based thin-layer cytology was prepared. The slides were manually read under the microscope and digitally presented using a scanner. The intelligent identification and analysis were carried out using an artificial intelligence TPS assisted screening system. The Paris Report Classification System of Urinary Exfoliated Cytology 2022 was used as the evaluation standard. Atypical urothelial cells and even higher grade lesions were considered as positive when evaluating the recognition sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-assisted screening systems and human-machine collaborative cytologic screening methods in urine exfoliative cytology. Among the collected cases, there were also 1 100 pathological tissue controls. Results: The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the AI-assisted cytologic screening system were 77.18%, 90.79% and 69.49%; those of human-machine coordination method were 92.89%, 99.63% and 89.09%, respectively. Compared with the histopathological results, the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of manual reading were 79.82%, 74.20% and 95.80%, respectively, while those of AI-assisted cytologic screening system were 93.45%, 93.73% and 92.66%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of human-machine coordination method were 95.36%, 95.21% and 95.80%, respectively. Both cytological and histological controls showed that human-machine coordination review method had higher diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity, and lower false negative rates. Conclusions: The artificial intelligence TPS assisted cytologic screening system has achieved acceptable accuracy in urine exfoliation cytologic screening. The combination of manual screening and artificial intelligence TPS assisted screening system can effectively improve the sensitivity and accuracy of cytologic screening and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Urothelium/pathology* ; Cytodiagnosis ; Epithelial Cells/pathology* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urologic Neoplasms/urine*

This article reviewed the current knowledge on time-course manifestation of diabetic urethral dysfunction (DUD), and explored an early intervention target to prevent the contribution of DUD to the progression of diabetes-induced impairment of the lower urinary tract (LUT). In the literature search through PubMed, key words used included “diabetes mellitus,” “diabetic urethral dysfunction,” and “diabetic urethropathy.” Polyuria and hyperglycemia induced by diabetes mellitus (DM) can cause the time-dependent changes in functional and morphological manifestations of DUD. In the early stage, it promotes urethral dysfunction characterized by increased urethral pressure during micturition. However, the detrusor muscle of the bladder tries to compensate for inducing complete voiding by increasing the duration and amplitude of bladder contractions. As the disease progresses, it can induce an impairment of coordinated micturition due to dyssynergic activity of external urethra sphincter, leading to detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. The impairment of relaxation mechanisms of urethral smooth muscles (USMs) may additionally be attributable to decreased responsiveness to nitric oxide, as well as increased USM responsiveness to α1-adrenergic receptor stimulation. In the late stage, diabetic neuropathy may play an important role in inducing LUT dysfunction, showing that the decompensation of the bladder and urethra, which can cause the decrease of voiding efficiency and the reduced thickness of the urothelium and the atrophy of striated muscle bundles, possibly leading to the vicious cycle of the LUT dysfunction. Further studies to increase our understandings of the functional and molecular mechanisms of DUD are warranted to explore potential targets for therapeutic intervention of DM-induced LUT dysfunction.
Ataxia ; Atrophy ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Hyperglycemia ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Striated ; Nitric Oxide ; Polyuria ; Relaxation ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract ; Urination ; Urothelium

PURPOSE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients usually have lower urinary tract symptoms, such as frequency and urgency. Additionally, they frequently suffer from urinary tract infections. This study investigated dysfunction and chronic inflammation of the bladder urothelium in ESRD/CKD patients. METHODS: This study enrolled 27 patients with CKD (n=13) or ESRD (n=14) for urodynamic studies and bladder biopsies. Patients presented with detrusor underactivity (DU; n=8) or bladder oversensitivity (BO; n=19). Bladder biopsies were performed in these patients and in 20 controls. The bladder mucosa was examined for E-cadherin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) expression, activated mast cell count (through tryptase staining), and urothelial apoptosis (through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling [TUNEL]). The urodynamic parameters were also compared with variables regarding urothelial dysfunction. RESULTS: The bladder mucosa samples of ESRD and CKD patients revealed significantly higher mast cell counts, more urothelial apoptosis, and lower levels of ZO-1 expression than the control samples. E-cadherin expression was significantly reduced in ESRD/CKD patients with DU, but not in ESRD/CKD patients with BO. Increased mast cell and apoptotic cell counts were also associated with ESRD/CKD with BO. Less expression of ZO-1 and E-cadherin was significantly associated with increased bladder sensation and a small bladder capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Bladder urothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation were present to a noteworthy extent in patients with ESRD or CKD. Increased inflammation and defective barrier function were more notable in ESRD/CKD bladders with BO than in those with DU. The clinical characteristics of these patients may involve urothelial pathophysiology.
Apoptosis ; Biopsy ; Cadherins ; Cell Count ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Mast Cells ; Mucous Membrane ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Sensation ; Tryptases ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Urodynamics ; Urothelium

PURPOSE: To determine whether responses to serotonin are altered in bladder strips from cats diagnosed with a naturally occurring form of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC). METHODS: Full thickness bladder strips were isolated from aged matched healthy control cats and cats with clinically verified FIC. Bladder strips were mounted in an organ bath and connected to a tension transducer to record contractile activity. A serotonin dose response (0.01–10μM) was determined for each strip with the mucosa intact or denuded. RESULTS: Bladder strips from control and FIC cats contracted in response to serotonin in a dose-dependent manner. The normalized force of serotonin-evoked contractions was significantly greater in bladder strips from cats with FIC (n=7) than from control cats (n=4). Removal of the mucosa significantly decreased serotonin-mediated responses in both control and FIC bladder preparations. Furthermore, the contractions in response to serotonin were abolished by 1μM atropine in both control and FIC bladder strips. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of serotonin on contractile force, but not sensitivity, was potentiated in bladder strips from cats with FIC, and was dependent upon the presence of the mucosa in control and FIC groups. As atropine inhibited these effects of serotonin, we hypothesize that, serotonin enhances acetylcholine release from the mucosa of FIC cat bladder strips, which could account for the increased force generated. In summary, FIC augments the responsiveness of bladder to serotonin, which may contribute to the symptoms associated with this chronic condition.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Atropine ; Baths ; Cats ; Cystitis ; Cystitis, Interstitial* ; Mucous Membrane ; Serotonin* ; Transducers ; Urinary Bladder ; Urothelium

The clinical success of mirabegron as the first β₃-adrenoceptor (AR) agonist for treatment of the overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome, has resulted in substantial interest in its site and mechanism of action. Even if the adrenergic innervation of the bladder and urethra has been well studied, the location(s) of β₃-ARs in different structures within the bladder wall and urethra, and the mode(s) of action of β₃-AR stimulation have still not been established. The recent demonstration of β₃-ARs on cholinergic nerve terminals with no immunoreactivity in urothelium or detrusor smooth muscle, is not in agreement with previous morphological studies, and functional data strongly suggest that β₃-ARs can be found these structures. However, recent studies suggest that the β₃-ARs on detrusor smooth muscle may not be the functionally most relevant. The assumption that β₃-AR activation during bladder filling inhibits acetylcholine release from parasympathetic neurons by a prejunctional mechanism and that this decreases bladder micromotions that generate afferent activity, is an attractive hypothesis. It does not exclude that other mechanisms may be contributing, and supports combined approaches to reduce afferent activity for treatment of the OAB syndrome.
Acetylcholine ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neurons ; Relaxation ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; Urothelium

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (MC) of the kidney is a rare epithelial tumor originating from the renal pelvic urothelium and few study cases have been reported. Because of the rarity of these tumors and their unknown histogenesis, its diagnosis is difficult until surgical exploration. We report here on a 55-year-old man referred to the urology department from the hepatology department because of a cystic renal mass measuring approximately 5 cm in size, which was detected incidentally under ultrasonography during the routine examination of liver. The renal mass was finally diagnosed as MC originating from kidney after partial nephrectomy and the patient still showed no evidence of recurrence until 12 months postoperatively. This is the first report on a case of renal MC in a patient who underwent partial nephrectomy. The aim of this report is to present our unusual case of MC and also review the previous literature on the pathological and radiological aspects of MC of kidney.
Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous* ; Diagnosis ; Gastroenterology ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Mucins* ; Nephrectomy* ; Recurrence ; Ultrasonography ; Urology ; Urothelium

PURPOSE: To examine the usefulness of various receptor tyrosine kinase expressions as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in muscle invasive urothelial cancer (UC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 98 patients with muscle invasive UC who underwent radical cystectomy between 2005 and 2010 in Yonsei Cancer Center. Using formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues of primary tumors, immunohistochemical staining was done for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). RESULTS: There were 41 (41.8%), 44 (44.9%), and 14 (14.2%) patients who have over-expressed HER2, FGFR1, and FGFR3, respectively. In univariate analysis, significantly shorter median time to recurrence (TTR) (12.9 months vs. 49.0 months; p=0.008) and overall survival (OS) (22.3 months vs. 52.7 months; p=0.006) was found in patients with FGFR1 overexpression. By contrast, there was no difference in TTR or OS according to the HER2 and FGFR3 expression status. FGFR1 remained as a significant prognostic factor for OS with hazard ratio of 2.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.27-3.90, p=0.006) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Our result showed that FGFR1 expression, but not FGFR3, is an adverse prognostic factor in muscle invasive UC patients after radical cystectomy. FGFR1 might be feasible for prognosis prediction and a potential therapeutic target after thorough validation in muscle invasive UC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma/*metabolism/*mortality/surgery ; Cystectomy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Muscles/pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/*metabolism ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3/metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*metabolism/*mortality/surgery ; Urothelium/pathology

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze patterns of sensory protein expression and urothelial dysfunction in ketamine-related cystitis (KC) in humans. METHODS: Biopsies of bladder mucosa were performed in 29 KC patients during cystoscopy. Then specimens were analyzed for tryptase, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), E-cadherin, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) with immunofluorescence staining and quantification. In addition, 10 healthy control bladder specimens were analyzed and compared with the KC specimens. Another 16 whole bladder specimens obtained from partial cystectomy were also analyzed for the muscarinic receptors M2 and M3, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), β-3 adrenergic receptors (β3-ARs), and the P2X₃ receptor by western blotting. In addition, 3 normal control bladder specimens were analyzed and compared with the KC specimens. RESULTS: The KC bladder mucosa revealed significantly less expression of ZO-1 and E-cadherin, and greater expression of TUNEL and tryptase activity than the control samples. The expression of M3 and β3-AR in the KC specimens was significantly greater than in the controls. The expression of iNOS, eNOS, M2, and P2X3 was not significantly different between the KC and control specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The bladder tissue of KC patients revealed significant urothelial dysfunction, which was associated with mast-cell mediated inflammation, increased urothelial cell apoptosis, and increased expression of the M3 and β3-AR.
Apoptosis ; Biopsy ; Blotting, Western ; Cadherins ; Cystectomy ; Cystitis* ; Cystoscopy ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Inflammation ; Ketamine ; Mucous Membrane ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Receptor, Muscarinic M2 ; Receptors, Adrenergic ; Tryptases ; Urinary Bladder ; Urothelium

Many studies informed that microRNAs (miRNAs) could function as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in several cancers. The aims of this study were to explore the expression of miR-630 in bladder urothelial carcinoma and its clinical significance for the evaluation of cancer prognosis. A total of 116 patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma were obtained in this retrospective study between May, 2012 and Sep. 2015. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to evaluate the expression level of miR-630. The chi-square test was used to examine the associations between miR-630 expression and the clinicopathological features. The Kaplan-Meier method was conducted to explore the survival status of urothelial carcinoma patients. The log-rank test was used to analyze differences in survival rate. The results showed an obvious increase in miR-630 expression from normal bladder to bladder urothelial carcinoma (P=0.027). Additionally, patients with higher miR-630 expression had significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.043) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.038) than those with lower miR-630 expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that up-regulation of miR-630 was an independent prognostic factor for both DFS (P=0.042) and OS (P=0.046). It was demonstrated that miR-630 may be a novel and valuable prognostic factor for bladder urothelial carcinoma.
Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Carcinoma ; genetics ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Urothelium ; pathology