Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize scientific publishing. The influence of AI could be disruptive or destructive and its influence remains to be seen, but balance between the convenience and accessibility offered by AI-driven tools and the essential skills of deep scientific inquiry and communication needs to be found.

The escalating global prevalence of urinary stone disease and its impact on public health reflects the need to synthesize ideas that can help with the development of critical research priorities. By bringing together a forum of endourologists with the support of a funding agency, the IDEA session aimed to identify important future research topics.

Sexual interactions between members of the same sex are common but the reasons for these behaviours are not always clear. Results from a study across mammals suggest that increased same-sex behaviour evolved with sociality and might reduce conflict, although increased male–male sexual interactions are associated with increased adult killing.

Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) could avoid undergoing radical cystectomy (the current standard-of-care treatment) and its associated morbidity if they achieve a clinical complete response (cCR) on neoadjuvant combination treatment consisting of four cycles of gemcitabine, cisplatin and nivolumab.

New research has shown that fathers’ preconception smoking behaviour can affect DNA methylation in their children. This observation has implications for offspring and public health.

Much of the Y chromosome has remained obscure owing to the challenge of sequencing repetitive genomic regions. Recently, the Y chromosome has been fully sequenced, revealing extensive heterochromatic areas and 41 new protein-coding genes. Furthermore, 43 Y chromosomes have been sequenced, showing extensive multi-sample variation and providing promising insights into male infertility.

The successful transplantation of a transgenic kidney from a pig to a human has been described by two surgical teams. Xenotransplantation, if successful in the long term, is one possible solution to the scarcity of kidneys for people who require a transplant.

Prostate cancer screening using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) followed by biopsy has been shown to reduce mortality but results in overdiagnosis and overtreatment in a substantial percentage of patients.

Online sources are increasingly being used by patients to obtain medical information. The newest of these resources, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, are becoming ever more popular tools with the public and could be accurate sources of information. Another accessible and approachable format is the podcast. However, the veracity and utility of these sources of information need investigation.

Proteomic-based approaches are increasingly being used to assess alterations in the proteomic profile of seminal plasma in men with infertility with the aim to characterize the molecular pathways responsible for altered spermatogenesis and identify potential biomarkers. However, testes are responsible for a limited portion of the seminal plasma proteome, and limited information is available about dysregulations

Transperineal (TP) biopsy for prostate cancer shows similar cancer detection rates to those obtained with transrectal (TR) biopsy but has the advantage of reducing infections. However, TP biopsy is performed using a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) probe to guide the needle, which might cause discomfort and is still associated with the disadvantages and complications of a TR procedure.

Oligometastatic bladder cancer, defined as a cancer with limited metastases, is a potential target for curative metastasis-directed therapy in a multidisciplinary framework. The consensus definition of oligometastatic bladder cancer is a valuable starting point for clinical trials, but challenges remain in accurately characterizing metastatic burden with current imaging modalities and determining optimal

Lineage-specific, transcriptional factor-defined molecular subtypes have been identified in small cell bladder cancer (SCBC).

Proteomic characterization of bladder cancer has revealed five distinct groups.

A new technology, magnetic system for total nephrolith extraction (MagSToNE), has been presented in Nature Communications. MagSToNE improves the efficiency of stone fragment clearance by magnetizing kidney stones using a magnetic hydrogel and guidewire.

Increased mutagenesis mediated by the deaminase APOBEC is a common feature of many cancers and drives tumour heterogeneity and, in turn, therapy resistance.

In a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer, a phenotypic screening was carried out in two prostate cancer cell models to discover novel inhibitors of chemoresistance. The anti-hypertensive drug nicardipine emerged as a potent inhibitor of chemoresistant prostate cancer cells. Nicardipine was shown to be a putative inhibitor of EDD, a subunit of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). Coherently

Tuft cells are chemosensory cells that increase in number following an injury or disease — including tumours — and activate innate immunity. In a study published in Oncogene, tuft cells were observed for the first time in mouse models of prostate cancer. Tuft cell markers were upregulated in old mice and in mice with increased disease severity. Importantly, tuft cells were found in samples from patients

Resistance to cisplatin, one of the most widely used chemotherapeutics, is often reported in prostate cancer. In a study published in ACS Central Science, the authors found that Platin-L, a cisplatin prodrug, inhibits fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in prostate cancer cells by interacting with carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A), a crucial enzyme in fat metabolism. Prostate cancer cells switch from

Prostate-specific membrane antigen-PET has become a valuable diagnostic tool. The second version of the Prostate Cancer Molecular Imaging Standardized Evaluation framework is the next step towards a standardized evaluation and reporting system from primary staging to reassessment of advanced prostate cancer.

The relationship between smoking, ethnicity and bladder cancer is complex and multifaceted, with substantial public and personal health as well as clinical implications. New evidence supports that targeted smoking cessation efforts among high-risk populations could reduce the burden of bladder cancer.

Between 19 and 21 June 2023, more than 1,350 attendees gathered in Birmingham, UK, for the annual meeting of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS). Building on themes evident from last year’s meeting, the programme shone a spotlight on pressing current issues, including the language used in various aspects of urological practice, providing effective transitional care for children with

Despite evidence that loss of the Y chromosome (LOY) occurs in up to 40% of bladder cancers, the biological significance of this event has been elusive. However, new data published in Nature suggest that the Y chromosome might be involved in tumour aggressiveness in bladder cancer, providing a putative mechanism for sex-related differences in this cancer type and, potentially, offering a treatment

The development of second-generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonists, such as enzalutamide, considerably improved oncological outcomes in patients with prostate cancer, but therapy resistance hampers the efficacy of these therapeutics. In a study published in Oncogene, metabolic profiling was carried out in different prostate cancer models to characterize the metabolic mechanisms underlying enzalutamide

Current standard of care for first-line treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) consists of anti-androgens, but combination therapies with novel agents such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are increasingly being tested to overcome therapy resistance.

People who receive a kidney transplant are at risk of delayed graft function (DGF), which is dependent on ischaemia–reperfusion injury, and is defined as the requirement of dialysis within the first week after transplant.

The heterogeneous nature of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a challenge for clinical trial design. Careful consideration in clinical trial design, choice of end points and adequate patient characterization is important when evaluating new therapies.

Trends and patterns in the participation of women in the paediatric urology sessions at the European Association of Urology (EAU) and European Society for Paediatric Urology (ESPU) meetings over the past decade have been reported. Objective data on representation of women at the EAU and ESPU meetings between 2012 and 2022 were obtained and the man-to-woman ratio was analysed.

Black African American cisgender heterosexual women are disproportionately affected by HIV, but prescriptions for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) do not reflect this situation. Few studies of PrEP have been specifically designed to investigate women; thus, the PrEP Optimization among Women to Enhance Retention and Uptake (POWER Up) study has been initiated to assess implementation strategies to improve

A team in Cleveland has undertaken a study to project the future participation of women in the urology workforce in the USA and has developed an interactive app to enable exploration of outcomes under varying circumstances.

A study to characterize the demographics, educational background and scholarly characteristics of current urology residency programme directors (PDs) illustrates the lack of gender balance in the field. Urology programmes were identified from the American Urological Association website as of October 2021, while demographic and academic data were collected via publicly available websites and search

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain public health concerns. Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent STIs is a novel promising intervention, which in a new study caused an ∼65% reduction in incident STIs. However, long-term effects on STI prevalence, microbiomes and antimicrobial resistance among STI pathogens, non-STI pathogens and commensals need to be monitored.

The current serum tumour markers α-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotrophin, and lactate dehydrogenase show limited value for testicular cancer relapse detection. A recent study highlights that false-positive elevations in follow-up monitoring are common and, conversely, many patients do not have elevations despite proven relapse. These findings highlight the potential for circulating microRNAs to

Transgender women remain at risk of prostate cancer and warrant consideration for PSA screening. However, current PSA reference ranges and guidelines are based on data from cisgender men. As these thresholds might be inappropriate in transgender women receiving gender-affirming hormones, we recommend that these patients should undergo screening for prostate cancer at regular intervals and further evaluation

High intensity theatre (HIT) lists are an efficient and effective measure to tackle elective surgery backlogs without compromising outcomes and safety compared with traditional elective lists. A recent pilot trial in standard and complex urological surgery at a tertiary hospital in the UK proved successful for both the patients and the staff involved.