Background: The experience of short term results of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair using 3D mesh in a developing country is reviewed. Methods: From January 2012 to February 2014, 53 patients underwent laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty. A retrospective case series of 53 consecutive patients undergoing TEP/TAPP by a single surgical team was followed prospectively with a focused physical examination and interview. 4 out of 53 patients had recurrent hernia following open repairs and 49 had primary hernias. Data collected included operative time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative difficulties, immediate postoperative pain, chronic groin pain, recurrence, sensory disturbance, activity or occupational limitation and personal satisfaction. Results: All the patients were male aged 32 to 75 years with a mean age of 53.5 years. Mean operative time was 37.4 minutes; intraoperative dissection, blood loss were less; and immediate postoperative pain was negligible as assessed by VAS. There was no mortality or major morbidity. Mean follow-up was 12 months (2 to 18 months). Follow-up was completed by interview and physical examination. Hernia was not found to recur during the follow up period. Chronic pain occurred in 2 patients (3.7%), which was mild in nature. Ninety-seven percent of patients were satisfied with their repair and would or had recommended TEP/TAPP to others using 3D Mesh. Conclusions: Short-term results of TEP/TAPP hernia repair using 3D mesh demonstrated to be an effective and safe procedure with low prevalence of chronic pain that is generally of a mild, infrequent nature. It was also concurred that there is decrease in operative time. Manipulation of mesh was significantly reduced. Intraoperative bleeding and use of post operative analgesia was reduced considerably. There was no recurrence, however the cost of the mesh increased the overall cost of the procedure acting as a limiting factor in a developing country.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the urinary tract are rare, and the urinary bladder is the the most common primary site. Primary ureteric NET is rarer with under 80 cases reported in the literature thus far. Most of these tumours are of the high-grade small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma subtype, which has a worse prognosis. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has a proven role in the management of NET of the bladder as it downstages the tumour, which may add to significant recurrence-free survival and overall survival. We report the successful management of a patient with locally advanced small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the ureter, who had a pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with etoposide and cisplatin. He subsequently received adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiation and is recurrence-free at a follow-up of 1 year.

The manuscript reviews the implications of rare-earth elements, which comprise an important class of material and are essential for numerous technological improvements, and how research has gradually advanced due to their peculiar chemical and physical characteristics. The implications of their versatility will encourage the development of energy-efficient technological innovations. Interestingly, materials based on rare-earth elements have been closely studied in conjunction with several contemporary biologically-based technological advances and targeted therapies, to adequately overcome neurological problems. We provide a thorough overview of the multiple effects of materials made of rare earth’s, especially within the field of neuroscience research.

Disseminated BCG infection (BCG-osis) secondary to intravesical BCG given for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer has been reported. We report the successful management of two cases of BCG-osis secondary to inadvertent intravenous BCG injection. Both cases are recurrence-free at the follow-up of 12 and 18 months, respectively. There is only one such case reported in English literature so far to the best of our knowledge.