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Molecular Diagnostic and Treatment Methods in Socially Significant Diseases in Urology

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2025 | Viewed by 1589

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Medicine, Medical University-Sofia, 15 Acad. Ivan Geshov Blvd., 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria
2. Department of Urology and Andrology, University Hospital Tsaritsa Yoanna-ISUL, 8 Byalo More Str., 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: urolithiasis; endourology; prostate cancer; reconstructive urology; urological oncology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urology is a specialty that harbors a lot of socially significant diseases with a heavy burden on the healthcare system and significant negative effects on the well-being of our patients. Only in the last few decades have we begun to gain insight into the molecular basis of their biological nature, diagnostics, and treatment. Those advances and breakthroughs in our knowledge have begun to help us overcome the formidable challenge that urological socially significant diseases represent at present:

  • Urolithiasis: a worldwide common disease affecting as much as 20 % of the population in some countries. In the last two decades, a significant shift has been observed in the focus of the research in the field, from relying only on the treatment of urinary stones at the present moment to perceiving urolithiasis as a metabolic chronic disease, necessitating the uncovering of its molecular basis;
  • Benign prostate hyperplasia: a universal problem for all males over 50 years of age, one that leads to severe decrease of QoL and economic toll in the range of tenths of billions. Some of the most significant advantages in the past are due to molecular biology, e.g., alpha-blockers and 5-ARI, and some of the most promising perspectives for the future will also emerge from there;
  • Uro-oncology: one of the most complex and resourceful oncological diseases in the field of Urology (prostate cancer, bladder cancer, renal cancer, just to name a few). Molecular sciences have enormously impacted these studies, and it appears that this is just the beginning. The change in that area is so significant that it is taught that the next generation of urologists may never see more of the methods we use in the diagnostic and treatment of those diseases today;
  • Recurrent urinary tract infection: one of Urology’s biggest “gray areas” with unimaginable health costs. We still fail to gain adequate knowledge and bench-to-bed transition of basic science to achieve better results for those patients.

These facts support the urgent need for new molecular research in the field of socially significant disease in Urology, aiming to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as help in clinical decision-making and implementing personalized medicine concepts for our patients. This Special Issue is dedicated to all contemporary progress and future trends in the field.

Original papers, review articles, and opinions from experts in the field are welcome.

Dr. Elenko Popov
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • prostate cancer
  • bladder cancer
  • renal-cell cancer
  • risk stratification
  • urolithiasis
  • chronic UTIs
  • BPH
  • clinical decision-making

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1212 KiB  
Article
Human Herpes Virus Genotype and Immunological Gene Expression Profile in Prostate Cancer with Prominent Inflammation
by Elena Todorova, Anita Kavrakova, Goran Derimachkovski, Bilyana Georgieva, Feodor Odzhakov, Svitlana Bachurska, Ivan Terziev, Maria-Elena Boyadzhieva, Trifon Valkov, Elenko Popov, Chavdar Slavov, Ivan Tourtourikov, Vanyo Mitev and Albena Todorova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(10), 4945; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26104945 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 547
Abstract
We aim to investigate the role of the Herpesviridae family (HHV) in the onset and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) and to profile the local PCa immunological status. A total of 116 “tru-cut” biopsies (58 PCa and 58 benign prostatic hyperplasia [...] Read more.
We aim to investigate the role of the Herpesviridae family (HHV) in the onset and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) and to profile the local PCa immunological status. A total of 116 “tru-cut” biopsies (58 PCa and 58 benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH]) and 49 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) instances of PCa were analysed using real-time qPCR and histological examination. Infection with CMV, EBV, HHV6, and HHV7 was detected in 11.5% of the “tru-cut” biopsies (25.9% in BPH and 6.9% in the PCa group). In the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, infection was detected in 69.4% of the patients, with individual rates of EBV (47%), HHV6 (38%), HHV7 (41%), CMV (2.9%), HSV2 (2.9%), and VZV (5.8%). In the HHV-infected PCa cases, the histopathological landscape included intratumor lymphocyte infiltration with fibrosis and necrosis, periductal chronic inflammatory reaction and granulomatous lesions with foci of abscesses and necrosis, as well as inflammatory infiltration, chronic lymphadenitis, prostatic intraepithelial atrophy (PIA), and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN). The majority of HHV-infected PCa patients were predominantly classified as grade G3/G4/G5 tumours, exhibiting perineural, perivascular, and lymphovascular invasion, seminal vesicle invasion, senile vesicle amyloidosis, and lymph node metastasis. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant association between HHV infection and PCa (χ2 ≈ 20.3, df = 1, p < 0.0001; Fisher’s exact test, p < 0.0001) with an odds ratio of 6.50 (95% CI: 2.80–15.12). These findings suggest that long-term HHV infection could contribute to a complicated and potentially altered immune PCa tumour environment due to inflammation. This may serve as a predictor of aggressive disease progression. Full article
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Review

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12 pages, 540 KiB  
Review
The Role of miR-802 in Diabetic Kidney Disease: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Insights
by Antonio Tejera-Muñoz, Vanessa Marchant, Lucía Tejedor-Santamaría, Lucas Opazo-Ríos, Carolina Lavoz, María José Gimeno-Longas, José L. Aceña, Marta Ruiz-Ortega and Raúl R. Rodrigues-Díez
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(12), 5474; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26125474 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Despite its rising incidence, awareness and early detection of renal complications remain limited. Current research in DKD aims to identify non-invasive biomarkers for [...] Read more.
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Despite its rising incidence, awareness and early detection of renal complications remain limited. Current research in DKD aims to identify non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and to develop effective therapies that go beyond controlling risk factors, as few options are available to halt or reverse kidney inflammation and fibrosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), key regulators of gene expression, have emerged as promising candidates for both diagnosis and treatment in DKD. Among them, miR-802 has gained attention due to its role in modulating inflammatory, fibrotic, and metabolic pathways. Elevated levels of miR-802 correlate with renal inflammation and fibrosis in diabetic and obese models, highlighting its potential as both a diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic target. This review focuses on the emerging evidence supporting the involvement of miR-802 in the pathogenesis of DKD and its potential role as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. In addition, considering that miR-802 has also been implicated in other diseases, such as cancer, where it may act either as a tumor suppressor or an oncogene, these contrasting effects will also be discussed as part of the broader context to better understand the multifaceted biological roles of miR-802. This review emphasizes the need for further research to clarify the molecular mechanisms of miR-802 and to assess its potential for clinical translation in DKD. Full article
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