[Nephrolithiasis of adult: From mechanisms to preventive medical treatment]

Comparison of STONE Score, Guy's Stone Score, CROES Nomogram, and Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity Score in Prognosticating Outcomes of Multiple-Tract Mini-Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Retrospective Study

Objective  The objective of this study was to compare the STONE score (Size of the stone, Topography or location, degree of Obstruction of the urinary system, Number of stones, and Evaluation of Hounsfield units), Guy's stone score (GSS), Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) nomogram, and Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity Score (RSCS) in prognosticating multiple tract mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) outcome. Methodology This descriptive retrospective analysis was carried out at the Urology Department, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Male and female patients in the age range of 18-70 years who underwent multiple tract mPCNL for renal stones from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023, were included in the analysis. Results  A total of 110 patients were registered. Stone-free status (SFS) was achieved in 78.2% (n=86), and complications were observed in 13.6% (n=15) patients. The odds ratio for STONE score, GSS, CROES scoring system, and RSCS for predicting the SFS was 7.093 (95%CI 2.40-20.89), 9.333 (95%CI 2.92-29.81), 11.70 (95%CI 2.56-53.38) and 3.450 (95%CI 1.25-9.53), respectively. Conclusion  Multiple tract mPCNL is a safe and effective technique for the management of renal stones, producing a high stone-free rate. This study demonstrated adequate efficacy and dependability of the four scoring systems in predicting SFS.

Living donor-gifted allograft lithiasis: surgical experience after bench surgery stone removal and follow-up

This study presents the surgical experience and long-term outcomes of living donor kidney transplantations involving asymptomatic kidney stones, using ex vivo flexible ureterorenoscopy (f-URS) during bench surgery for stone removal. Out of 1743 living kidney donors assessed between January 2012 and October 2022, 18 (1%) were diagnosed with urolithiasis. Among them, 12 donors were rejected, and 6 were accepted for kidney donation. Stone removal was successfully performed using f-URS during bench surgery, with no immediate complications or acute rejections observed. The study analyzed six living kidney transplants, of which 4 (67%) donors and three recipients were female, and 4 (67%) donors were blood-related to the recipient. The median age for donors and recipients was 57.5 and 51.5 years, respectively. The stones, primarily located in the lower calyx, had a median size of 6 mm. The median cold ischemia time during surgery was 41.6 min, and ex vivo f-URS ensured complete stone removal in all cases. After a median follow-up of 120 months, the remaining grafts were functioning well, and no urinary stone recurrence was observed in either the recipients or living donors. The findings suggest that bench f-URS is a safe approach for managing urinary stones in kidney grafts, providing good functional outcomes without stone recurrence in selected cases.

Evaluations of the curative efficacy of G. fruticosus solvent extracts in experimentally induced nephrolithiatic Wistar male rats

BACKGROUND

In Ethiopian folk medicine, there is a claim that medicinal plants can treat urolithiasis although there is insufficient scientific evidence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the curative efficacy of Gomphocarpus fruticosus extracts in experimentally induced nephrolithiatic rats.

METHODS

Urolithiasis was induced in male Wistar rats by feeding ethylene glycol in drinking water for 28 days. The curative effects were evaluated after oral administrations of 200 mg/kg of the extracts from 15 to 28 days. Urine samples were collected 1 day before sacrificing the rats. Blood, liver and kidney samples were gathered under anaesthetic condition at day 28. Crystals in the urine were also analyzed by light microscopy.

RESULTS

G. fruticosus EtOAc extract reduced significantly the level of sodium (P < 0.001), whereas it was significantly elevated the levels of magnesium and citrate (P < 0.01) compared to lithiatic control. G. fruticosus BuOH extract lowered the levels of potassium (P < 0.01), calcium and phosphate in urolithiatic rats. It was also observed that G. fruticosus EtOAc extract decreased the level of oxalate in the urine (P < 0.001), whereas it was increased the levels of magnesium (P < 0.05) and citrate (P < 0.01) in serum analysis after exposure to BuOH extract. In the kidneys, CaOx crystal deposits were reduced significantly by G. fruticosus EtOAc extract (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

It has been noted that G. fruticosus EtOAc extract was potent in treating urolithiasis. However, further study is required to assess the efficacy of the active compounds against urolithiasis.

[Differential diagnosis of normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism and idiopathic hypercalciuria on the example of clinical case]

Idiopathic hypercalciuria is a heterogeneous generalized disorder caused by various defects in calcium transport and increased urinary calcium excretion. The main etiopathogenetic factors are violations of vitamin D metabolism, changes in the sensitivity of calcitriol receptors and violations of the processes of calcium reabsorption in the proximal tubules and in the ascending knee of the Henle loop. This article presents a clinical observation of patient with idiopathic hypercalciuria, initially high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the absence of hyperparathyroidism. Therapy with thiazide diuretics allowed to achieve normalization of daily urinary calcium excretion and reducing PTH. Despite the low prevalence of idiopathic hypercalciuria, differential diagnosis of this metabolic disorder should be carried out with mandatory consideration of clinical and laboratory data, as well as with diseases that may cause increased PTH production.

Advantages of Herbal Over Allopathic Medicine in the Management of Kidney and Urinary Stones Disease

Kidney and urinary stone disease (Nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis) are the condition where urinary stones or calculi are formed in the urinary tract. The problem of urinary stones is very ancient; these stones are found in all parts of the urinary tract, kidney, ureters, and the urinary bladder and may vary considerably in size. It is a common disease estimated to occur in approximately 12% of the population, with a recurrence rate of 70-81% in males and 47-60% in females. The treatment of kidney and urinary stone diseases such as a western (allopathy) medicine and surgery is now in trends. However, most people preferred plant-based (herbal) therapy because of the overuse of allopathic drugs, which results in a higher incidence rate of adverse or severe side effects. Therefore, people every year turn to herbal therapy because they believe plant-based medicine is free from undesirable side effects, although herbal medicines are generally considered to be safe and effective. In the present article, an attempt has been made to emphasize an herbal therapy is better than allopathic therapy for the management of the kidney and urinary stone disease.

Hexametaphosphate as a potential therapy for the dissolution and prevention of kidney stones

The incidence of kidney stones is increasing worldwide, and recurrence is common (50% within 5 years). Citrate, the current gold standard therapy, which is usually given as potassium or sodium salts, is used because it raises urine pH and chelates calcium, the primary component of up to 94% of stones. In this study hexametaphosphate (HMP), a potent calcium chelator, was found to be 12 times more effective at dissolving calcium oxalate, the primary component of kidney stones, than citrate. HMP was also observed to be effective against other common kidney stone components, namely calcium phosphate and struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate). Interestingly, HMP was capable of raising the zeta potential of calcium oxalate particles from -15.4 to -34.6 mV, which may prevent stone growth by aggregation, the most rapid growth mechanism, and thus avert occlusion. Notably, HMP was shown to be up to 16 times as effective as citrate at dissolving human kidney stones under simulated physiological conditions. It may thus be concluded that HMP is a promising potential therapy for calcium and struvite kidney stones.

High-throughput sequencing contributes to the diagnosis of tubulopathies and familial hypercalcemia hypocalciuria in adults

Hereditary tubulopathies are rare diseases with unknown prevalence in adults. Often diagnosed in childhood, hereditary tubulopathies can nevertheless be evoked in adults. Precise diagnosis can be difficult or delayed due to insidious development of symptoms, comorbidities and polypharmacy. Here we evaluated the diagnostic value of a specific panel of known genes implicated in tubulopathies in adult patients and compared to our data obtained in children. To do this we analyzed 1033 non-related adult patients of which 744 had a clinical diagnosis of tubulopathy and 289 had a diagnosis of familial hypercalcemia with hypocalciuria recruited by three European reference centers. Three-quarters of our tubulopathies cohort included individuals with clinical suspicion of Gitelman syndrome, kidney hypophosphatemia and kidney tubular acidosis. We detected pathogenic variants in 26 different genes confirming a genetic diagnosis of tubulopathy in 29% of cases. In 16 cases (2.1%) the genetic testing changed the clinical diagnosis. The diagnosis of familial hypercalcemia with hypocalciuria was confirmed in 12% of cases. Thus, our work demonstrates the genetic origin of tubulopathies in one out of three adult patients, half of the rate observed in children. Hence, establishing a precise diagnosis is crucial for patients, in order to guide care, to survey and prevent chronic complications, and for genetic counselling. At the same time, this work enhances our understanding of complex phenotypes and enriches the database with the causal variants described.

Kidney Stone Disease: An Update on Current Concepts

Kidney stone disease is a crystal concretion formed usually within the kidneys. It is an increasing urological disorder of human health, affecting about 12% of the world population. It has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal failure. The etiology of kidney stone is multifactorial. The most common type of kidney stone is calcium oxalate formed at Randall's plaque on the renal papillary surfaces. The mechanism of stone formation is a complex process which results from several physicochemical events including supersaturation, nucleation, growth, aggregation, and retention of urinary stone constituents within tubular cells. These steps are modulated by an imbalance between factors that promote or inhibit urinary crystallization. It is also noted that cellular injury promotes retention of particles on renal papillary surfaces. The exposure of renal epithelial cells to oxalate causes a signaling cascade which leads to apoptosis by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Currently, there is no satisfactory drug to cure and/or prevent kidney stone recurrences. Thus, further understanding of the pathophysiology of kidney stone formation is a research area to manage urolithiasis using new drugs. Therefore, this review has intended to provide a compiled up-to-date information on kidney stone etiology, pathogenesis, and prevention approaches.