Urinary tract infection is one of the most common bacterial infections and can cause major burdens, not only to individuals but also to an entire society. Current knowledge of the microbial communities in the urinary tract has increased exponentially due to next-generation sequencing and expanded quantitative urine culture. We now acknowledge a dynamic urinary tract microbiome that we once thought was sterile. Taxonomic studies have identified the normal core microbiota of the urinary tract, and studies on the changes in microbiome due to sexuality and age have set the foundation for microbiome studies in pathologic states. Urinary tract infection is not only caused by invading uropathogenic bacteria but also by changes to the uromicrobiome milieu, and interactions with other microbial communities can also contribute. Recent studies have provided insights into the pathogenesis of recurrent urinary tract infections and antimicrobial resistance. New therapeutic options for urinary tract infections also show promise; however, further research is needed to fully understand the implications of the urinary microbiome in urinary tract infections.

We aimed to evaluate the risk factors of febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) following retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for treating renal stones. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with 10 – 30 mm kidney stones who underwent RIRS from January 2014 to July 2017. Evaluation included age, gender, body mass index, stone size, stone location, and operative time. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon and ureteral stenting was not done prior surgery. The risk factors of febrile UTI after RIRS were assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 150 patients were included in the present study, and 17 patients (11.3%) had febrile UTI after RIRS. Mean patient age was 56.64 ± 13.91 years, and both genders were evenly distributed. Mean stone size was 14.16 ± 5.89 mm. and mean operation time was 74.50 ± 42.56 minutes. According to univariate analysis, preoperative pyuria was associated with postoperative febrile UTI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative pyuria was the only independent risk factor of infectious complications after RIRS (odds ratios 8.311, 95% confidence intervals 1.759 – 39.275, P = .008). Age, gender, body mass index, comorbidity, preoperative bacteriuria, presence of hydronephrosis, renal stone characteristics, and operative time were not associated with febrile UTI after RIRS. Preoperative pyuria was the only risk factor of infectious complications following RIRS. Therefore, careful management after RIRS is necessary especially when preoperative urinalysis shows pyuria.

Kim DK, et al. World J Mens Health. 2025 Feb;43:e13. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.240290

Objectives: To compare post‐nephrectomy renal function between kidney donors and renal cell carcinoma patients, to evaluate trends in recovery, and to identify factors relevant to renal failure.Methods: Patients who had radical or donor nephrectomy from four different institutions between 2003 and 2012 were reviewed. Propensity score matching was carried out and 79 patients were selected for each group. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula preoperatively and postoperatively at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was compared, and the difference between preoperative values and each preceding date was calculated. A multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent factors for a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate to <60 mL/min/1.73 m².Results: The donor nephrectomy group showed a trend of improved estimated glomerular filtration rate recovery at 24 months and 36 months compared with the radical nephrectomy group, which was statistically significant (P = 0.028, P = 0.012). Multivariate logistic regression showed that renal cell carcinoma (odds ratio 4.605, 95% confidence interval 1.626–13.040, P = 0.004), a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate lower than 110 (odds ratio 4.477, 95% confidence interval 1.360–14.742, P = 0.014) and age older than 40 years (odds ratio 21.616, 95% confidence interval 2.761–169.222, P = 0.003) were predictive factors for a decrease in renal function.Conclusions: Renal cell carcinoma is an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease after nephrectomy. In addition, age older than 40 years and a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate of 110 mL/min/1.73 m² or less seem to represent risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease after nephrectomy.

Kim DS, et al. World J Mens Health. 2025 Jan;43(1):50-59. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.240200