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Ethnicity might be associated with treatment outcomes in advanced prostate cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with apalutamide in East Asians with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). The original phase 3 Targeted Investigational Treatment Analysis of Novel Anti-androgen (TITAN) trial was conducted at 260 sites in 23 countries. This subgroup analysis included patients enrolled in 62 participating centers in China, Japan, and Korea. Radiographic progression-free survival (PFS), time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, and PSA changes from baseline were compared between groups in the East Asian population. The intent-to-treat East Asian population included 111 and 110 participants in the apalutamide and placebo groups, respectively. The 24-month radiographic PFS rates were 76.1% and 52.3% in the apalutamide and placebo groups, respectively (apalutamide vs placebo: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.506; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.302-0.849; P = 0.009). Median time to PSA progression was more favorable with apalutamide than placebo (HR = 0.210; 95% CI, 0.124-0.357; P < 0.001). Median maximum percentages of PSA decline from baseline were 99.0% and 73.9% in the apalutamide and placebo groups, respectively. The most common adverse event (AE) was rash in the apalutamide group, with a higher rate than that in the placebo group (37.3% vs 9.1%). The most common grade 3 or 4 AEs were rash (12 [10.9%]) and hypertension (12 [10.9%]) for apalutamide. The efficacy and safety of apalutamide in the East Asian subgroup of the TITAN trial are consistent with the global results.

OK-432, a Streptococcus-derived anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, has been applied in clinic for many years and achieved great progress in various cancers. In the present study, we investigated its anticancer effect on bladder cancer through tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). MTS assay validated OK-432 could inhibit proliferation in both T24 and EJ bladder cell lines. OK-432 also induced apoptosis of bladder cancer cells in vitro. Consequently, we demonstrated that OK-432 could suppress the bladder cancer cells migration and invasion by altering the EMT-related factors. Furthermore, using SD rat model, we revealed that OK-432 inhibited tumor growth, suppressed PCNA expression and inhibited metastasis in vivo. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that OK-432 inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis through inducing macrophages to secret cytokines in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling network regulates cell growth, proliferation, survival and apoptosis. This study was to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanism of rapamycin on prostate cancer PC-3 cells. METHODS PC-3 cells were treated with 1 nmol/L rapamycin. The proliferation of PC-3 was examined by MTT. The cell cycle distribution of PC-3 was measured by FCM. The protein levels of raptor, rictor, Akt, pS6k1-T389, pAkt-s473 in PC-3 were examined by western blot. RESULTS Rapamycin increased the proliferation of PC-3 at 24 h, however, it remarkably inhibited cell proliferation after 36 h (P

Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of abiraterone acetate-prednisone versus placebo-prednisone in Asian metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients who have failed docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Methods In this double-blind, phase 3 study from China, 214 patients were randomized (2:1) to abiraterone acetate 1000 mg once daily plus prednisone 5 mg twice daily and placebo plus prednisone 5 mg twice daily in 28-day treatment cycles. Results Abiraterone acetate–prednisone treatment significantly decreased prostate-specific antigen progression risk by 49%, with longer median time to prostate-specific antigen progression of 5.55 months versus 2.76 months in the placebo-prednisone group (hazard ratio 0.506, P = 0.0001, primary end-point). There was a strong trend for improved overall survival in the abiraterone acetate–prednisone group, with a 40% decrease in the risk of death (hazard ratio 0.604, P = 0.0597); however, median survival was not reached in either group because of the short follow-up period (12.9 months) and limited number of observed death events. The prostate-specific antigen response rate was higher in the abiraterone–prednisone group (49.7%) than in the placebo–prednisone group (14.1%). A total of 37.1% patients in this group had pain progression events compared with 50.7% in the placebo–prednisone group. Abiraterone–prednisone significantly decreased the risk of pain progression by 50% (hazard ratio 0.496, P = 0.0014). The incidence of adverse events was similar between the two groups; the most common adverse events being anemia (25.9% for abiraterone–prednisone vs 22.5% for placebo–prednisone), hypokalemia (25.9% and 11.3%), bone pain (23.8% and 21.1%), hypertension (16.1% and 12.7%) and increased aspartate aminotransferase (14.7% and 15.5%), respectively. Conclusions Abiraterone–prednisone significantly delays disease and pain progression, and prostate-specific antigen, with a favorable benefit–risk ratio in Asian metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients in the post-docetaxel setting.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of RNA molecules which are longer than 200 nucleotides. They do not have functional open reading frames and cannot encode proteins. Recent studies have demonstrated that lncRNAs are widely involved in the regulation of gene expression network at epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, which may affect the growth, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, apoptosis and other important physiological processes of cells. The abnormal expression of lncRNAs is closely associated with the development, invasion, metastasis and prognosis of tumors. The development of prostate cancer is a multi-factor and multi-step process, in which abnormal gene expression may play an important role. This review focuses on the recent progress in the studies on the role of lncRNAs in prostate cancer, aiming for some new clues to the clinical prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy.

Purpose To explore the feasibility and efficacy of docetaxel plus prednisone for Chinese population with metastatic castration refractory prostate cancer (mCRPC). Patients and methods A total of 228 patients recruited from 15 centers were randomized to receive 10 cycles of D3P arm (docetaxel: 75 mg/m2, intravenous infusion, every three weeks; Prednisone 10mg orally given daily) or M3P arm (mitoxantrone: 12 mg/m2, intravenous infusion, every three weeks; Prednisone 10mg orally given daily). Primary end point was overall survival, and secondary end points were events progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, response duration. Quality of life (QoL) was also assessed in both treatment groups. Results The median overall survival was 21.88 months in D3P arm and 13.67 months in M3P arm (P = 0.0011, hazard ratio = 0.63, 95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.86). Subgroup analysis was consistent with the results of overall analysis. Events progression-free survival (pain, PSA, tumor and disease) were significantly improved in D3P arm compared with M3P arm. PSA response rate was 35.11% for patients treated by D3P arm and 19.39% for M3P arm (P = 0.0155). Pain response rate was higher in D3P arm (61.11%, P = 0.0011) than in M3P (23.08%) arm. No statistical differences were found between D3P arm and M3P arm for QoL, tumor response rate and response duration of PSA and pain. The tolerability and overall safety of D3P arm were generally comparable to that of M3P arm. Conclusions Compared with M3P arm, D3P arm significantly prolonged overall survival for the Chinese patients with mCRPC and improved the response rate for PSA and pain. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT00436839

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), considered as a prototypical inflammatory cytokine, has been proposed to be involved in tumor progression through inflammation. Recent studies have indicated CRP as a progostic predictor for urological cancers, but the results remain controversial. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Library was performed to identify eligible studies published between Jan 1, 2001 and Sep 1, 2013. Outcomes of interest were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients with elevated CRP levels and those having lower levels. Studies were pooled, and combined hazard ratio (HR) of CRP with its 95% confidence interval (CI) for survival were used for the effect size estimate. Results: A total of 43 studies (7,490 patients) were included in this meta-analysis (25 for RCC, 10 for UC, and 8 for PC). Our pooled results showed that elevated serum CRP level was associated with poor OS (HR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.22-1.30) and RFS (HR: 1.38 95%CI: 1.29-1.47), respectively. For CSS the pooled HR (HR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.28-1.39) for higher CRP expression could strongly predict poorer survival in urological cancers. Simultaneously, elevated serum CRP was also significantly associated with poor prognosis in the subgroup analysis. Conclusions: Our pooled results demonstrate that a high serum level of CRP as an inflammation biomarker denotes a poor prognosis of patients with urological cancers. Further large prospective studies should be performed to confirm whether CRP, as a biomarker of inflammation, has a prognostic role in urological cancer progression.

To assess the influence of photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) on the erectile function of the patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Using IIEF-5, we conducted a questionnaire investigation among 210 BPH patients before and after treated by PVP (n = 80) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP, n = 130). We also reviewed the clinical data and compared the pre- and post-operative penile erectile function between the two groups of patients.Follow-up was completed in 76 cases of PVP and 123 of TURP. The baseline data showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age, prostate volume, IPSS, QOL, Qmax, post void urine residual volume and IIEF-5 scores (P0.05). Compared with the IEFF-5 score at the baseline (21.88 +/- 2.46), those at 3, 6 and 12 months after PVP were 16.72 +/- 3.17, 19.34 +/- 2.46 and 19.29 +/- 2. 18, respectively, significantly decreased at 3 months (P = 0.042), but with no remarkable difference at 6 and 12 months (P0.05). Nor were there significant differences in the IIEF-5 score between the PVP and TURP groups at any time points (P0.05). At 6 months after surgery, the incidence rates of erectile dysfunction were 11.7% and 13.7% in the TURP and PVP groups, respectively (P0.05).PVP may reduce erectile function in some cases in the early stage after surgery, but this adverse effect does not last long and is basically similar to that of TURP.

Immediate intravesical instillation of chemotherapeutic agents after transurethral resection (TUR) of nonmuscle invasive transitional cell bladder cancer has recently been suggested and has been proven to decrease the tumor recurrence rate significantly. This study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of immediate intravesical instillation combined with regular instillations of Pirarubicin (THP(®)) as prophylaxis compared to regular instillations only after TUR operation.This was a prospective, randomized, multi-center, clinical study. Patients diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (Ta and T1) pathologically and suitable for TUR were enrolled randomly into two groups. In the study group, the patients received intravesical instillation within 24-hour post TURBT, followed by regular intravesical therapy using 30 mg/50 ml of THP(®) once a week for 8 weeks, and then once a month to 1 year postoperatively Among the patients. In the control group, patients received regular instillation only.A total of 403 patients were enrolled into this study from 26 institutions in China. Among the potients, 210 were enrolled into the study group and 193 were enrolled into the control group. At the median follow-up of 18 months, the recurrence rate was 7.8% in the study group, significantly lower than that in the control group (14.3%; P = 0.042). Subgroup analysis showed that the recurrence rate in low and intermediate-risk patients was significantly lower in the study group (6.8%) than in the control group (14.0%; P = 0.047), although no significant differences were found in high-risk patients.One immediate dose of THP(®) 30 mg after TURBT followed by regular intravesical therapy appears well tolerated and more effective than regular intravesical therapy for preventing tumor recurrence, especially in low and intermediate-risk patients.

Curcumin possesses chemopreventive properties against several types of cancer, but the molecular mechanisms by which it induces apoptosis of cancer cells and inhibits cancer cell proliferation are not clearly understood. To evaluate the antitumor activity of curcumin for prostate cancer, we used an androgen dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell line and an androgen independent PC-3 prostate cancer cell line as experimental models. We treated these cells with curcumin and then evaluated the effects of curcumin on cell cycle profiling and apoptosis, as well as the activation of NF-kaapaB and c-jun in these cells. The results showed that the ratios of apoptosis in LNCaP and PC-3 cells were significantly elevated in a dose dependent manner after exposure to curcumin. In addition, curcumin induces the G2/M cell cycle arrest of LNCaP and PC-3 cells in a dose dependent manner. Mechanistically, we found that curcumin upregulated the protein level of NF-kappaB inhibitor IkappaBalpha and downregulated protein levels of c-Jun and AR. These data suggest that curcumin is a promising agent for the treatment of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer.

To assess the diagnostic value and potentially protective capacity of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) in chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).We determined the levels of cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and HSP70 by ELISA in the seminal plasma of 150 men: 36 with CBP, 43 with CP/CPPS IIIA, 46 with CP/CPPS IIIB, and 25 healthy controls. We analyzed the correlation of the HSP70 expression in the CBP and CP/CPPS patients with the chronic prostatitis symptom index (CPSI).Significantly increased levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and HSP70 were observed in the seminal plasma of the CBP patients as compared with the CP/CPPS patients and healthy controls. The expression of IL-1beta was significantly higher in the patients with CP/CPPS IIIA than in those with CP/CPPS III B and the controls, while the HSP70 level remarkably lower in those with CP/CPPS than in the controls, and its concentration in the seminal plasma of the CBP patients was negatively correlated with CPSI.The levels of HSP70 and IL-1beta in the seminal plasma appear to be most reliable molecular biological markers for the diagnosis of CBP and CP/CPPS, respectively. HSP7O has an important protective role in the regulation of cell functions in CBP patients. CP/CPPS is probably detrimental to the function of T cells and consequently suppresses the expression of HSP70.

To explore the relationship between occupational factors and the incidence of bladder cancer.The present research was based on a hospital-based case-control study. The cases were frequency matched. The non-conditional Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of each occupation.The OR of business and administration professionals, male electricians and electronic workers were 3.88 and 7.40; the OR of janitors and helpers was 0.21; the OR of handcrafted and printing clerks was 0.71, but there was no significant difference.Business and administration professionals, male electricians and electronic workers tend to have bladder cancer. The occupation of janitors and helpers has a protective effect on bladder cancer while the occupation of printing clerks shows no statistical significance on bladder cancer.

Bladder urothelial cancer has been diagnosed at an increasing rate among young adults in China while the clinical outcomes remain highly controversial. To optimize the management of young patients with bladder cancer, we examined whether bladder urothelial cancer in young patients behaved differently from that in the elder patients.From 1994 to 2008, a database of bladder urothelial cancer patients at a major tertiary medical center was retrospectively reviewed. The clinical and pathological parameters of patients who were less than 40 years of age and a series of patients older than 40 years of age as the control group during the same period were compared. A survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test, and Cox regression was performed to identify clinical parameters that affected the clinic outcomes.Young bladder cancer patients had a lower male-to-female ratio and were less likely to have advanced stages and high-grade cancers at the initial diagnosis. Tumors in young bladder cancer patients tended to be less multifocal at diagnosis. In addition, young patients had a lower recurrence rate and longer recurrence interval than older patients. The Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-rank test showed that young patients had significantly better cancer specific survival than old patients. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that tumor grade is the sole predictor for tumor recurrence in young patients.Young patients with bladder cancer have favorable pathological features and clinical outcomes than older patients. These findings argue for more conservative management approaches for young patients with bladder cancer.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by pain in the perineum, pelvis, suprapubic area, or external genitalia and variable degrees of voiding and ejaculatory disturbance. The analgesic effect of extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT) was an interesting phenomenon with an unclear mechanism discovered by chance in the applications for urolithiasis, on which ESWT has become an increasingly popular therapeutic approach as an alternative option for the treatment of a number of soft tissue complaints. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of ESWT in non-inflammatory (IIIB) CP/CPPS.Men diagnosed with IIIB CP/CPPS were randomized to either ESWT (group 1, n = 40) or the control (group 2, n = 40). Group 1 received 20 000 shock wave impulses in 10 sessions over a two-week period, whereas group 2 received only a sham procedure. The total scores and sub-domain scores of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) for both groups were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, end-point, and 4-week and 12-week follow-up visits.The mean total NIH-CPSI score of group 1 was significantly decreased from baseline at all post-treatment time points (P0.01 for all). Decreases in pain domain and quality of life (QOL) scores were also significant. In group 2, no significant decreases of total NIH-CPSI score and pain domain score were found at all post-treatment time points. At the end-point of treatment, 71.1% of group 1 exhibited perceptible improvement in total NIH-CPSI compared with 27.0% of group 2 (P0.001); additionally, 28.9% of group 1 exhibited clinically significant improvement compared with 10.8% of group 2 (P0.01). Moreover, a greater number of patients in group 1 at 4-week and 12-week follow-up were rated as responders (perceptible and clinically significant response) compared with group 2.ESWT exhibits a potentially therapeutic role in the treatment of CP/CPPS.

To investigate the architectural features and frequency of glomeruloid features in pathological section of prostatic adenocarcinoma and evaluate the association between glomerulations and its clinical data.We studied 196 prostatic adenocarcinoma specimens obtained from needle biopsies or radical prostatectomy and their clinical data, and reviewed related literatures.Three of the 196 cases showed glomeruloid features, the Gleason score of which was 7, 8, and 8, respectively. Of the 3 cases 1 had osseous metastasis and 2 extraprostatic nervus extension. After 5 to 15 months' follow-up, 1 case died and the other 2 still under treatment.Glomeruloid structures in the prostate represented an uncommon but distinctive growth pattern that was specific for malignancy. Glomeruloid structures were usually seen in high-grade adenocarcinoma, often with extraprostatic extension.

To explore the clinical, pathological features and prognosis of patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.From January 1998 to January 2008, clinical data of 29 patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma including clinical manifestations, imaging examinations, treatment models, pTNM stages and follow-up results, were summarized to investigate its features and prognosis.All cases had no obvious clinical and preoperative imaging presentation. There were 23 patients underwent radical nephrectomy, and 6 cases underwent nephron sparing surgery. Postoperative pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Macroscopically, the cut surface of the tumors were generally beige in color. Histologically, it showed polygonal chromophobe cells and small round eosinophilic cells with eccentric hyaline degeneration. These tumor cells had a clear and sharp membrane, lightly stained abundant cytoplasm with a fine reticular translucent pattern and irregular nuclei. And a perinuclear halo was often seen in these cells. Histochemically, the tumor cells generally show a diffuse and strong reaction for CK-8 with a negative expression of Vimentin. The pTNM stages of the tumor were as follows, pT1N0M0 in 11 cases, pT2N0M0 in 8 cases, pT3aN0M0 in 5 cases, pT1N1M0 in 3 cases, pT2N1M0 in 2 cases. Twenty-six cases of patients were followed up (24 to 144 months, with an average of 90 months), 3 cases died of cardio-cerebrovascular disease, and local recurrence involved in 6 cases with reoperation in 4 cases, as well as distant metastasis in 1 case. Twenty-one cases survived with tumor-free. The statistical results indicated that the survival rates of the patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in five years and ten years were 83.9%, 77.9%, respectively, compared with renal cell carcinoma of the same stage 63.8% and 49.9% at the same periods, and there is no difference in the survival rate of five years (P0.05) but significant difference in that of ten years (P0.01).Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is a morphologically uncommon subtype of renal cell carcinoma with the good prognosis. Definite diagnosis depends on its typical pathological feature. Radical nephrectomy is the first choice for the treatment of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

To investigate the urodynamic features in patients of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with coexisting overactive bladder (OAB).Clinical data of 235 patients with symptomatic BPH who underwent urodynamic examination during January 2009 to May 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into group of pure BPH, BPH with detrusor overactivity (DO), BPH with coexisting OAB without DO and BPH with coexisting OAB with DO. The difference of age, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-volume, maximum flow rate, residual urine volume, bladder volume of first sensation, bladder volume of strong sensation, bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI) and the prevalence of decreased detrusor contractility were compared between these groups. The urodynamic characteristics of DO between group of BPH with DO and group of BPH coexisting OAB and DO were analyzed.A total of 219 cases were included in the final analysis, with mean age of (66 ± 8) years, mean TRUS-volume was (35 ± 24) ml, mean maximum flow rate was (11 ± 6) ml/s. Of the 219 patients, 93 patients (42.5%) had pure BPH, 11 patients (5.0%) had BPH with DO, 52 patients (23.7%) had BPH coexisting OAB without DO, 63 patients (28.8%) had BPH coexisting OAB and DO. Comparing to group of BPH (n = 104), patients with BPH and OAB (n = 115) were older, had higher IPSS, bigger TRUS-volume, less bladder volume of first sensation and strong sensation, higher BOOI and higher prevalence of decreased detrusor contractility. Comparing to group of BPH with coexisting OAB without DO patients, patients of BPH with coexisting OAB and DO had higher IPSS score (19 ± 12 vs 17 ± 10), bigger TRUS-volume [(51 ± 33) ml vs (43 ± 27) ml], higher BOOI (49 ± 18 vs 37 ± 14). Comparing to patients pure BPH, patients of BPH with DO had less bladder volume of first sensation and bladder volume of strong sensation [(82 ± 41) ml vs (118 ± 35) ml;(335 ± 67) ml vs (419 ± 53) ml]. Comparing to group of BPH with DO, patients of BPH with coexisting OAB and DO had higher maximum DO pressure [(45 ± 36) cmH2O vs (39 ± 30) cmH2O (1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa)] and longer DO time [(7 ± 4) s vs (6 ± 4) s].The urodynamic features in patients with BPH differ greatly and these information should be helpful in making choice of treatment and in predicting treatment outcomes.

To investigate the features of chronic prostatitis with non-neurogenic detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (NNDSD) and the effects of pelvic floor biofeedback in the treatment of the disease.We included in this study 113 male patients, aged 15 - 48 (mean 36) years and diagnosed as having chronic prostatitis for 1 -2 (mean 1.2) years based on such typical symptoms as frequent micturition, urgent micturition, voiding pain, difficult void, etc, that lasted over 3 months, and the scoreor = 1 on the first and second parts of NIH-CPSI. Urethritis, interstitial cystitis, urethral stricture and neurogenic bladder were excluded. All the patients underwent urodynamic examinations for the uroflow curve, Q(max), Pdet. max and MUCP. Biofeedback was carried out for those with non-neurogenic detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, and the effects were evaluated at 10 weeks.Twenty-one (18.6%) of the 113 cases were found to be NNDSD. Biofeedback treatment achieved obvious decreases in Q(max) (8.2 +/- 4.1), Pdet. max (125.1 +/- 75.3), MUP (124.3 +/- 23.3) and MUCP (101.5 +/- 43.6), as compared with 15.1 +/- 7.3, 86.3 +/- 54.2, 65.4 +/- 23.0 and 43.5 +/- 16.7 before the treatment (P0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed between pre- and post-treatment scores on voiding pain (4.0 +/- 2.0 vs 2.2 +/- 1.7), urination (7.9 +/- 2.1 vs 2.2 +/- 1.9), life impact (9.6 +/- 2.7 vs 2.9 +/- 2.6) and total scores (21.7 +/- 4.8 vs 8.4 +/- 4.6) (P0.05).Chronic prostatitis patients with LUTS may have NNDSD, which is urodynamically characterized by low Q(max), high intra-bladder pressure and increased urethral pressure in some patients. Urodynamic examinations may contribute to definite diagnosis and appropriate choice of treatment. Pelvic floor biofeedback has satisfactory short-term effects in the treatment of these patients.

Chronic prostatitis, especially type III A, is a common disease in adult males, for which there are quite a few therapeutic methods. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of enoxacin in the treatment of III A prostatitis.We selected 198 cases of III A prostatitis with complete treatment and follow-up data from the outpatients, all treated by enoxacin injection for 1 week, followed by oral medication of enoxacin for 2 weeks. Then we evaluated the therapeutic effect based on the NIH-CPSI scores and changes in the indexes of expressed prostatic secretions (EPS).The rate of total effectiveness was 86.4%, cure 8.6% (17/198), remarkable effectiveness 58.1% (115/198), improvement 19.7% (39/198), and ineffectiveness 13.6% (27/198). Only 16 cases (8.1%) complained of transitory gastrointestinal tract discomfort and/or skin itching.Enoxacin has desirable efficacy and few adverse effects on type III A prostatitis.

To investigate the clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods and minimally invasive treatment of prostatic utricle cyst.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 9 cases of prostatic utricle cyst, of whom 5 presented with frequent or urgent micturition, 3 with difficult urination or thinning urinary stream, and the other 1 with hemospermia. All the cases underwent ultrasonography and MRI. Transurethral cyst deroofing was performed for 3 of the patients with smaller cysts close to the prostatic urethra, and laparoscopic excision of the prostatic utricle was conducted for the other 6 with bigger cysts behind the prostatic urethra.The duration of transurethral cyst deroofing ranged from 30 to 50 min and intraoperative bleeding was 20 -70 ml; the mean time of laparoscopic excision of the prostatic utricle was 100 - 150 min and intraoperative bleeding was 30 -50 ml. All the patients were followed up for 3 - 12 months, which revealed normal penile erection and ejaculation, and no urinary tract irritation or difficult urination.Ultrasonography and MRI are excellent imaging modalities for accurate depiction of prostatic utricle cyst. Transurethral cyst deroofing is valuable for prostatic utricle cyst close to the prostatic urethra. Laparoscopic excision of the prostatic utricle, owing to its safety, effectiveness, minimal invasiveness, fewer complications and rapid recovery, can be used as the first option for the treatment of prostatic utricle cyst.

To investigate the effect of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor CCI-779 on the chemosensitivity of androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line PC-3.Prostate cancer cells PC-3 were cultured and treated with CCI-779, Paclitaxel and combination of the two. Then the inhibitory effects of the three medications on the growth of the PC-3 cells were determined by MTT, and the their cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry.Compared with the control group, the three medications all significantly inhibited the proliferation of the PC-3 cells, and the combined method even enhanced the effect. Flow cytometry showed that CCI-779 and Paclitaxel blocked the cell cycle mainly in the G1/G2 stage, while the combined medication mainly in the G0/G1 stage. Significantly increased apoptosis of the PC-3 cells was observed in the three medication groups as compared with the control group (P0.01).CCI-779 can inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 cells and enhance the chemosensitivity of prostate cancer.

To investigate the effect of inversion-table in the treatment of lower pole renal stones.From March 2006 to September 2008, 36 patients with lower pole renal calculi were treated by inversion-table, 13 cases with stone diameter from 4 mm to 20 mm received extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) combined with inversion-table treatment and other 23 cases with stone diameter from 2 mm to 4mm received inversion-table treatment alone.All of 36 cases underwent inversion-table treatment successfully and no one had cardio-cerebral accident. After following up 3 months, the radiologically documented complete stone clearance rate at 3 months group was 83.3%.Inversion-table treatment is a safe and valuable adjunct in assisting passage of lower pole renal stone fragments after mini-invasive treatment of stone and can improve stone-free rate.

To investigate the number, course and distribution of normal dorsal penile nerves and their clinical significance for selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve in the treatment of primary premature ejaculation.We dissected 38 cadaveric adult penises and recorded the number, course and distribution of the dorsal penile nerves. A total of 314 cases of primary premature ejaculation underwent selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve. The patients ranged between 20 and 45 years in age and from 1 to 22 years in disease course.The dorsal penile nerves were distributed in parallel bilaterally in all the cadaveric penises and branched into the ventral side in 4 of them. The total number of dorsal penile nerves was (3.6 +/- 1.2) in the 38 cadaveric penises, 7 in 1 case, 6 in 1 case, 5 in 6 cases, 4 in 9 cases, 3 in 14 cases and 2 in 7 cases, while that of the 314 patients with primary premature ejaculation was (7.0 +/- 1.9), 5 in 64 cases, 6 in 56 cases, 7 in 52 cases, 8 in 40 cases, 9 in 33 cases, 10 in 28 cases, 11 in 25 cases, 12 in 11 cases and 13 in 5 cases. Selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve achieved an intravaginal ejaculation latency of (4.31 +/- 1.87) minutes and sexual satisfaction rate of (61 +/- 17) %, significantly different from those before the operation ([1.24 +/- 0.32] min, [23 +/- 6] %; all P0.01).The abnormal increase of dorsal penile nerves possibly lies at the bottom of the pathogenesis of primary premature ejaculation. Selective neurectomy of the dorsal penile nerve is safe and effective for the treatment of primary premature ejaculation.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) triptorelin 11.25 mg 3-month sustained release formulations in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer.From January 2004 to March 2006, a randomized, parallel-controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted. One hundred and twenty-seven patients with documented metastatic prostate cancer were randomized to receive one injection of the 11.25 mg formulation triptorelin (n = 65) or three injections at 28-day intervals of the 3.75 mg formulation (n = 62). Changes from baseline of TPSA, prostate volume, testosterone, LH, FSH, PRL and estradiol were assessed over 3 months. Changes of the metastatic lesions were also observed and evaluated. The occurrences of adverse events were evaluated as well.After 3 months treatment, total PSA level decreased significantly from baseline both in 11.25 mg group and 3.75 mg group. At 30, 60 and 90 days, TPSA (median level) declined from 164.55 microg/L into 11.34, 4.12, 3.89 microg/L in 11.25 mg group, and from 101.38 microg/L into 6.88, 2.41, 2.57 microg/L in control group respectively. The patients ratio with over 90% decreasing from TPSA baseline were 78.6% and 75.5% respectively in two groups (P = 0.700). Prostate volume were also decreased significantly in both groups, median volume declined from 48.0 mm(3) into 21.5 mm(3) in 11.25 mg group and from 45.0 mm(3) into 21.0 mm(3) in 3.75 mg group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in changes of TPSA (P = 0.601) and prostate volume (P0.05). Both formulations were able to induce castration levels, 0.31 microg/L in 11.25 mg group and 0.26 microg/L in 3.75 mg group (P0.05). 13.8% and 17.7% of adverse events were recorded respectively in two groups, and no differences were found (P = 0.547).As a new long-acting sustained release formulation, triptorelin 11.25 mg is comparable to triptorelin 3.75 mg formulation in the aspect of efficacy and safety for the treatments of metastatic prostate cancer.

To investigate the clinical efficacy, surgical indications and postoperative complications of mid urethral sling procedures in treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.A multicenter clinical trial was conducted from April 2002 to April 2008 in five hospitals, 304 cases of genuine stress urinary incontinence and 8 cases of mixed incontinence were included. TVT procedures were carried out in 134 patients, TVTO procedures in 167 patients, Monarc procedures in 11 patients. Perioperative evaluations included: operating time, bleeding volume, and perioperative complications. Operative efficacy was classified into three categories: cure, improved and failure and evaluated before discharge, 3 months after surgery and then every year.TVT group had longer operating time [(18.5 + or - 9.6) min] and more bleeding volume [(32.2 + or - 12.6) ml] than those in TVTO group [(11.5 + or - 3.1) min, (12.8 + or - 8.5) ml] and in Monarc group [(11.1 + or - 2.6) min, (12.3 + or - 3.5) ml] with P0.05. Monarc and TVTO procedures had higher cure rates and improve rates comparing with TVT, but the differences were of no significance. The cure rate (95.7%) in patients with genuine stress incontinence were significantly higher than that in patients with mixed incontinence (37.5%). No significant differences of total intra- and postoperative complications were noted for all of the three procedures. However, bladder injury tended to occur in TVT group and obturator nerve injury and vaginal injury tended to occur in TVTO group. Transient voiding dysfunction and urinary retention were the most common complications.Mid urethral sling procedures have excellent clinical outcomes in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.

s To assess the understanding degree of urologists for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.The questionnaires was distributed to urologists and patients in 119 hospitals over the country, respectively. The urologist survey was mainly focused on the questions of BPH progression and therapeutic model. The patient survey was mainly focused on the questions of patient's age, symptom features and the preference to receiving treatment.The evaluations based on 289 completed urologist questionnaires and 4253 completed patient questionnaires showed that 98.6% of urologists agreed that BPH was a progressive disease but there were still some differences in understanding the risk factors for BPH progression. Additionally, 98.1% of patients were diagnosed to be moderate or severe BPH, nocturia was the most frequent symptom. In the treatment for BPH, both the urologists and patients concerned about how to improve the system rapidly.This study is the first questionnaires specifically to the urologists and BPH patients, the results would reflect the situations of BPH diagnosis and treatment in China and would be helpful to the development of BPH guideline.

To study the inhibitory effect of matrine on the proliferation of the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP and the expression of the androgen receptor (AR).LNCaP cells were treated with matrine at the concentration of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 g/L for 12, 24 and 36 hours, the cell growth activity determined by MTT colorimetry and trypan blue staining at 36 hours, the cell cycle changes detected by flow cytometry and the expression of AR by Western blot at 24 hours.Matrine suppressed the in vitro growth of the androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line LNCaP in a time- and dose-dependent manner, blocked the cell cycles in the G2/M phase and decreased the expression of AR in the cell line in a dose-dependent manner (P0.01).Matrine can significantly inhibit the in vitro growth of NCaP cells by down-regulating the expression of AR and blocking cell cycles.

To study the changes of hypothalamus metabolism in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) so as to get some clues to the possible pathogenic factors and pathophysiological mechanism of the problem.Six cases of psychogenic ED and 4 normal volunteers were studied by positron emission tomography (PET) for the characteristics of hypothalamus glucose metabolism. Following audiovisual sexual stimulation, the concentration of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) was determined and the ratio of the left (right) hypothalamus count to the cerebrum count was calculated.Audiovisual sexual stimulation significantly increased 18F-FDG in the volunteers (left: 1.026 +/- 0.115 vs 2.400 +/- 0.210; right: 1.003 +/- 0.187 vs 2.389 +0.196, P0.05) as compared with the psychogenic ED patients (left: 2.781 +/- 0.156 vs 2.769 +/- 0.223; right: 2.809 +/- 0.129 vs 2.793 +/- 0.217, P0.05).Psychogenic ED may not be simply a functional disease; the hypothalamus may be involved in the pathophysiology of the problem.

To investigate the expressions of the aging gene P16(ink4a) and anti-aging gene HST2 in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Twenty-three BPH and eighteen normal prostate specimens were collected and total RNA was extracted, followed by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expressions of P16(ink4a) was detected by semi-quantitative analysis in BPH and normal prostate tissues.P16(ink4a) mRNA, rather than HST2, was expressed in the BPH and normal prostate tissues. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that the P16(ink4a) mRNA expression in the normal prostate tissues (0.4868 +/- 0.545 was significantly higher than in the BPH tissues (0.2783 +/- 0.0268, with a statistical difference in between (P0. 05).P16(ink4a) might play an important role in the pathogenesis of BPH and is probably one of the factors of cell aging escape.

To study the effects of curcumin on the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line PC-3, and to explore its anticarcinogenic mechanism.PC-3 cells were treated with curcumin at the concentration of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50 micromol/L respectively. Then the cell activity was assayed by dyed rate of Typan blue and MTT at 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours, the cell cycle and morphological changes observed by flow cytometry (FCM) and electronic microscopy at 24 hours, the VEGF mRNA expression measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and the secreting protein levels of VEGF in the supernatants determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The growth of PC-3 cells was suppressed obviously by curcumin in a dose- and time-dependent manner in vitro. There were significant differences in inhibition rate among different concentration and time groups (P0.01). Furthermore, curcumin arrested the cell cycle of PC-3 cells in the G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner (P0.01). The percentages of apoptotic cells were significantly higher in different concentration groups than in the controls (P0.01). Apoptosis-associated morphological changes were observed in PC-3 cells at 24 hours, and a marked decline in the expression of VEGF was noted after the exposure to different concentrations of curcumin within 24 hours.Curcumin can suppress the growth of PC-3 cells, promote their apoptosis and arrest their cell cycle in the G2/M phase, and reduce the expression of VEGF mRNA and proteins, which may sever to explain its inhibitory effect on tumor and angiogenesis.

To evaluate the clinical effect of transrectal high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa).A total of 57 PCa patients, 27 localized and 30 advanced, underwent transrectal HIFU with the Sonab- late 500, the localized group treated by transrectal HIFU only, while the advanced group by transrectal HIFU combined with androgen ablation.For the HIFU treatment, the mean operating time, hospital stay and follow-up were 111 mm (ranging from 86 to 153 mm), 3.2 days (ranging from 2 to 18 days) and 18 months (ranging from 6 to 30 months), respectively. The biochemical disease-free rates at 1, 2 and 3 years in the localized group were 86%, 81% and 79%, respectively. While in the advanced group, the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) was4.0 microg/L in 26 cases (0.51 microg/L in 20) and the prostate volume decreased more than 50% in 21 cases after treated for an average of 8 months (ranging from 3 to 24 months). After transrectal HIFU prostate ablation, the prostate volume reduced, serum PSA lowered, Qmax raised and IPSS improved significantly (P0.05). No serious complications occurred including severe urethrorectal fistula and incontinence.Transrectal HIFU is a safe, effective and minimally invasive therapy for patients with prostate cancer.

To compare the differences of the efficacy and different therapeutic drugs on the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in order to ensure the optimal indication for different BPH patients.A randomized, parallel-controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted. From September 2002 to December 2003 906 BPH patients were enrolled into 7 therapeutic groups, including selective-adrenoceptor antagonist (terazosin, doxazosin tamsulosin and naftopidil), 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor (finasteride and epristeride) and natural product (cernilton). International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Quality of Life (QOL), uroflowmetry, total prostatic volume (TPV) and transitional zone volume and residual urine were used as efficacy criteria.According to the baseline, the IPSS and Qmax were significantly correlated to the prostatic volume and transitional zone volume (P0.01). At average follow-up of 6 months, significant improvements in IPSS, QOL, Qmax and residual urine volume were observed in each therapeutic group, and no difference in IPSS improvement was found among the groups. Prostatic volume and transitional zone volume were significant decreased in 5alpha-reductase inhibitor groups (P0.05). In patients with baseline TPV greater than 35.5 cm3, the improvement of Qmax was more significant than that in patients with TPV less than 35.5 cm3 in finasteride group (P0.01) (5.7 ml/s and 2.2 ml/s respectively), and more significant symptomatic improvements were also found in cernilton, doxazosin and naftopidil group. In each group, the improvement of symptom were more significant in patients with IPSS higher than 20 points (P0.01).Each drug observed in this study can improve the subjective and objective symptoms significantly for BPH patients, especially for patients with higher IPSS baseline. When using 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, prostatic volume can be decreased significantly and more obviously subjective and objective improvement can be found in the patients with TPV greater than 35.5 cm3.

To observe the change of invasion ability of the bladder cancer cell line BIU87 after transfected with LRIG1 gene.Plasmid pLRIG1-GFP was transfected into bladder cancer cells (BIU87) by Lipofectamine 2000, and cells that could express LRIG1 stably was screened out by G418. The alteration of cellular invasion property of BIU87, BIU87-neo and BIU87-LRIG1 cells was evaluated by Boyden chamber. The expression of mRNA and protein of LRIG1 and EGFR was detected by RT-PCR and Western-blot.Compared with BIU87 and BIU87-neo cells, after BIU87 cell line was transfected with plasmid pLRIG1-GFP, the invasion ability decreased significantly, the expression of mRNA and protein of LRIG1 was obviously up-regulated and that of EGFR was down-regulated (P0.01).LRIG1 gene can significantly inhibit the invasion ability of BIU87 cell line.

To evaluate the effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ASODN) of survivin gene on taxol-induced apoptosis in bladder cancer cells.A survivin ASODN eukaryotic vector pcDNA3-SVVas was transfected into human bladder cancer cells of the line BIU87 mediated by liposomal reagent (BIU87 SVVas cells). The mRNA expression of survivin was measured by RT-PCR. Blank plasmid pcDNA3 was transfected as control (BIU87 neo cells). The cell growth curve was drawn using trypan blue dye exclusion assay. MTT assay was used to investigate the sensibility of transfected cells to taxol. The BIU87 SVVas cells, BIU87 neo cells, and BIU87 cells were cultured in the culture fluid with taxol and then DNA gel electrophoresis, Hoechst nuclear staining and fluorescent microscopy, and annexin-propidium iodide (PI) staining were used to examine the cell apoptosis.Compared to BIU87 and BIU87 neo cells, the mRNA expression of survivin in the BIU87-SVVas cells was obviously reduced. The growth of the BIU87-SVVas cells was significantly reduced in comparison with the BIU87 (P0.05). The sensibility of BIU87 SVVas cells to taxol increased significantly shown by cell proliferation and MTT assays. Agarose gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA showed typical DNA ladder only in the BIU87 SVVas cells, but not in other cells. Hoechst nuclear staining and fluorescent microscopy showed that the nuclei of the BIU87 SVVas cells become condense. Annexin-PI test showed that the cell apoptosis rate of the BIU87-SVVas cells treated with taxol was significantly higher than those of the other groups.survivin antisense RNA enhances the taxol-induced apoptosis in the bladder cancer cells. This may lay an experimental foundation for further research of biotherapy in bladder cancer.

To prepare the tumor antigen peptide complex (HSP70-1d) of HSP70 and idiotype (Id) from SmIg ScFv fragment in patients with Chronic B cell leukemia (B-CLL), and to study the anti-tumor effect of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) induced by HSP70-Id complex-modified dendritic cell (DC) in vitro and explore their immune mechanism.Purified HSP70 was combined into peptide complex (HSP70-Id) with the prepared Id-ScFv from B-CLL cells in vitro by using biochemical technique. The plastic-adherent monocytes from human peripheral blood were cultured and induced into DC with rhGM-CSF and rhIL-4 using cell culture and separation technique. The cultured DC were harvested and pulsed by HSP70-Id complex. DC morphology was observed under converted phase microscope and its phenotype was characterized by FCM on 8th day as well as their secreting cytokines were measured. Host lymphocytes were stimulated by DC loaded with HSP70-Id complex and co-cultured in the medium containing IL-2. The activation and proliferation of lymphocytes were examined by MTr test, which was also used to assay cytotoxicity of CTL elicited by modified DC to Daudi, K562 and HepG2 tumor cells, and FCM analyzed the changes of T lymphocyte subsets.Mature DCs were obtained successfully, showing typical morphology and phenotypic properties, the expression ratio of cellular surface molecules, CD1a was 20% - 30%, CD83 was more than 72% , both CD86 and HLA-DR over-expressed obviously in the complex-loaded DC group secreting cytokines of Thl type, IL-12 and TNF-alpha. The culturing lymphocytes that were activated by modified DC could more effectively and specifically kill Daudi (71. 24%), but not K562 and HepG2 tumor cells. Results of FCM assay demonstrated that percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes cocultured with complex-modified DC increased notably to 56.51% and 70.21%, respectively. CD4+ T/ CD8+ T proportion was changed from 1.49 to 0.81. The dose of peptide would be reduced to 1/50 if specific CTL induced by complex-modified DC instead of directly by peptide complex.DCs modified by HSP70-Id complex exhibit powerful biological activities, and could induce CTL to specific cytotoxicity against carcinoma cells. It might be produced by cooperation of CD4+ T, CD8+ T lymphocytes and DC. The results also suggested that DC modified by HSP70-Id complex can present antigen and induce CTL with high efficacy and specificity.

To investigate the effects of the small interfering RNA plasmid-dextran magnetic nanoparticles (siRNA-DMN) combination with external magnetic fields on silencing survivin gene expression of bladder cancer cells and apoptosis when DMN used as gene carrier to transfer siRNA-survivin recombinant plasmid in vivo.The siRNA-survivin recombinant plasmid specific targeted survivin was synthesized in previous experiment. DMN were prepared by chemical coprecipitation method and used as gene carrier. The siRNA-DMN were constructed by static electricity of polylysine and transferred into human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells with the help of external magnetic fields. The growth inhibiting rate (IR) of BIU-87 cells was observed by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide's test and the apoptosis index (AI) was detected by transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling method. The relatively transcription levels of survivin mRNA and protein expression were respectively detected by semi-quantitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western Blotting techniques.The diameter, effective diameter and saturation magnetization of DMN-siRNA were about 10 - 12 nm, 94.8 nm and 0.19 emu/g, respectively. The IR (39.60%) and AI (28.72%), the relative expression of survivin mRNA and protein of siRNA-DMN combination with external magnetic fields on BIU-87 cells were significantly higher and lower than those in the control group and single siRNA-DMN group, respectively (P0.05).The siRNA-survivin plasmid-DMN combination with external magnetic fields could effectively inhibit survivin expression and induce BIU-87 cells apoptosis which provided experimental basis for the magnetic targeting gene therapy of bladder tumor.

To identify the types of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) in human ejaculated sperm using molecular technology.Based on the WHO criteria, the donated semen was screened by computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA), the sperm optimized by swim-up method, and the VDCCs' alpha1 subunits examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Such mRNA messages as alpha1H, alpha1G, alpha1E, alpha1B and alpha1C were detected, but alpha1A and alpha1D were not.Human motile sperms express multiple VDCC RNAs, among which T-type and non-L-type channel messages are likely to be predominantly expressed. Not only T-type but also non-L-type calcium channels may be major gates for the external calcium influx, which helps regulate sperm motility and acrosome reaction.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Prostate in combination with an antibiotic for the treatment of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.A double-blind, parallel contrasted, multi-central method was applied in the study. After the Stamey test and expressed prostate secretion (EPS) examination, 160 patients with prostatitis were recruited and randomized into a trial group (80 cases with 1 case missing) and a control group (80 cases). In the trial group, the patients used the levofloxacin and Prostate during the first 4 weeks and Prostate only during the following 4 weeks. In the control group, the patients used the levofloxacin and placebo during the first 4 weeks, and placebo only during the following 4 weeks. Before and 4 and 8 weeks after the treatment, the patients were visited and evaluated by the national institute health-chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI), EPS, and asked about the side.After 4-week and 8-week treatment, the pain index dropped by 3.34 +/- 2.45 and 4.06 +/- 3.03 in the trial group, and effects. 2.28 +/- 2.42 and 3.30 +/- 3.29 in the control; the voiding index dropped by 2.22 +/- 1.79 and 2.77 +/- 2.04 in the trial group, and 1.24 +/- 1.67 and 1.83 +/- 2.25 in the control respectively. There was significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment in both the two groups (P0.01), while the difference was not significant between 4-week and 8-week post-treatment (P0.05). And there was significant difference between the two groups in the pain index and voiding index (P0.01), but not in the white blood cell count and lipid in the EPS (P0.05). No serious side effects were recorded, and the tolerance to Prostate and placebo showed no significant difference.Prostate in combination with an antibiotic can effectively relieve the pain and voiding symptoms and improve the life quality of the patients with nonbacterial prostatitis and well deserves to be recommended in clinical practice.

To explore the apoptosis induction by curcumin in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line LNCaP).After LNCaP cells were induced by 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 micromol/L curcumin respectively, the cell activity was assayed by MTT at 5, 12 and 24 hours. Flow cytometry and electronic microscopy were adopted to observe cell cycle and morphological changes of LNCaP cells at 24 hours. After 5 hours, the expression of IkappaBalpha in LNCaP cells was detected by Western blotting.The growth of LNCaP cells was suppressed obviously by curcumin in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners in vitro. There were significant differences in inhibition rate among different concentrations and time groups (P0.05). Furthermore, curcumin could arrest the cell cycle of LNCaP cells at G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner (P0.01). The ratios of apoptosis were significantly higher than those of controls (P0. 5). Curcumin could lead to characteristic morphological changes of apoptosis in LNCaP cells after 24 hours. The expression of IkappaBalpha in LNCaP cell did not show marked changes after the exposure to different concentrations of curcumin within 5 hours.Curcumin can suppress the growth of LNCaP, and promotes their apoptosis.

To study the expression of AKAP82 which was one of A-kinase anchor proteins in sperm in asthenospermia.Sperm from 41 patients with asthenospermia (experimental group) and 27 healthy fertile men (control group). Motility parameters were estimated with a computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) technique. Electrophoretic and immunoblot analysis and indirect immunofluorescence of sperm were assayed in experimental group and control group respectively.Eleven cases in experimental group showed abnormal bands or deletion of normal band in immunoblot analysis, 2 of which were also abnormal in immunofluorescence results, and while only 2 abnormal in the control. A significant difference between experimental and control group was observed (P0.05).Abnormality of AKAP82 expression in sperm may be one of the etiological factors in asthenospermia.

To explore the rationality of clinical typing of cystitis glandularis (CG) and the potential of cancerization of different types of CG.Flow cytometry was performed to examine the ploidy of 25 fresh bladder specimens of patients with CG resected during operation, 13 high risk type and 12 low risk type, and 7 specimens of normal mucosa of bladder, by calculating the DNA index (DI). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), mutant p53, p21ras, Rb, and bcl-2 in other 38 preserved specimens of CG resected during operation, 18 high risk type and 20 low risk type, and 5 specimens of normal bladder.The DI was 1.00 +/- 0.03 in the normal bladder group, 1.05 +/- 0.07 in the high risk type CG group, and 1.01 +/- 0.05 in the low risk type CG, without significant differences between any 2 groups (t = -1.639, P = 0.115). The expression of PCNA and expression of p53 were negative in the low risk group, and PCNA was expressed in 5 specimens of high risk type CG (27.8%), and not expressed in the low risk type CG (P = 0.017). p53 was expressed in 4 specimens of high risk type CG (22.2%), and not expressed in the low risk type CG (P = 0.041). There were no significant differences in the expression of p21, Rb, and bcl-2 between the high and low risk groups.High risk type and low risk type of CG are both benign lesions. High risk type CG may be more likely to cancerate. It is reasonable to distinguish different types of CG. p53 gene may play an important role in the canceration of CG.

To study MUC1 expression and distribution of tumor-infiltrating dentritic cells (TIDCs) in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC).Immunohistochemical staining was employed to detect MUC1 expression and TIDC distribution in 69 surgical specimens of BTCC. MUC1 expression was also detected immunohistochemically in BIU-87, T-24 and drug-resistant BIU87/A cells. Flow cytometry was performed for determining the apoptosis rates of these 3 cells after a 48-hour treatment with adriamycin, vincristine and cisplatin, respectively.MUC1 expression was detected in the BTCC tissues of all stages and the immunohistochemical staining patterns were significantly associated with the pathological grade and clinical stage of the tumors (P0.001). The number of TIDCs in the tumors was inversely correlated with tumor pathological grades and clinical stages (P0.005). MUC1 expressed weakly in the cytoplasm and on the membrane of BIU-87 cells and T-24 cells, but strongly in the cytoplasm and membrane of BIU-87/A cells, showing significant differences between the drug-sensitive and -resistant cells (P0.05). The apoptosis rates of BIU-87 cells and T-24 cells increased obviously after treatment with adriamycin, vincristine and cisplatin, but no significant differences were noted between the two cells or between the 3 drugs. The apoptosis rate of BIU87/A cells, however, exhibited no obvious increase after adriamycin or vincristine treatment, but showed significant increase in response to cisplatin treatment (P0.05).The expression pattern of MUC1 and distribution of TIDCs can be useful markers to evaluate the degree of malignancy and prognosis of BTCC. The decrease in the number of TIDCs may have important relation to tumor immune evasion and immune tolerance, and MUC1 over-expression may lead to drug resistance of BTCC, indicating its involvement in tumor infiltration and metastasis.

To evaluate the value of quantitative examination of MUC 1 in the urine of patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC).Urine samples were obtained from 31 patients with BTCC for quantification of MUC 1 content by immunoradiometric analysis. The urine samples were also examined in 10 patients with cystitis glandularis, 10 with benign urine disease and 10 healthy volunteers. The differences in urine MUC1 content were statistically measured between the groups, between cancer patients of different clinical stages and classes, between primary and recurrent cancer patients, and between measurements taken before and after operation.Urine MUC 1 was detected in all the patients. No significant differences were found between the groups, nor between patients with BTCC in all stages (P0.05), or between primary and recurrent cancer patients (P0.05). But MUC 1 contents showed significant difference before and after the operation in the cancer patients (P0.05).Urine MUC 1 can not serve as the marker to screen and diagnose BTCC, but it can be useful in therapeutic effect and prognostic evaluation. Specific oncogene markers are more significant than oncogene phenotype markers in clinical diagnosis and screen of BTCC.

To investigate the effect of the photodynamic therapy (PDT) with the new water-soluble metalloporphyrin compound on human prostate cancer PC-3 cells in vitro and the anticancer mechanism of PDT.The new water-soluble manganese, 5,10,15, 20-tetra (N-methyl4-pyridyl) porphinato (2-) tetraiodide salt, was synthesized. The PC-3 cells were treated with the compound of serial concentrations(0, 0.1, 1, 1.0 micromol/L) followed by irradiation of different dosages of visible light. The techniques of MTT and Annexin-V/propidium iodide double-labeled flow cytometry (FCM) were applied to measuring the inhibitory effect of the compound on the growth activity and apoptosis of the cells.When the metalloporphyrin compound concentration was within 10 micromol/L and the irradiation time was within 30 min, the water-soluble metalloporphyrin compound had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of PC-3 cells and induced PC-3 cell apoptosis, and the effects depended greatly on metalloporphyrin concentration and illumination dosages. Higher concentrations and dosages induced the death of the majority of PC-3 cells.The PDT of the water-soluble metalloporphyrin compound followed by light irradiation has a distinctive killing effect on PC-3 cells in vitro, and the rates of proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis are correlated with metalloporphyrin concentration and the dosages of light irradiation. The results suggest that the mechanism of metalloporphyrin PDT may be involved with the induction of apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells.

To evaluate retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial or total adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism.From February 2000 to September 2003, 130 patients (76 women and 54 men) with a confirmed diagnosis of primary aldosteronism underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic operation. Of the 130 cases, there were 119 cases with Aldosterone-producing Adenoma and 11 cases with Idiopathic Adrenal Hyperplasia (unilateral of 2 cases). Eleven cases with Idiopathic Adrenal Hyperplasia underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. Of the 119 cases with Aldosterone-producing Adenoma, 61 cases underwent total adrenalectomy, and 58 cases underwent partial adrenalectomy. All cases were with preoperatively high plasma aldosterone, low plasma rennin and hypokalemia and arterial hypertension.Operations were successfully performed in all cases. The operative time ranged from 15 to 225 min (mean 52 +/- 40 min, Md = 43 min) and the operative bleeding ranged from 0 to 200 ml (mean 23 +/- 34 ml, Md = 20 ml, zero bleeding means that less than 5 ml) without blood transfusion. The hospital length of stay was ranged from 3 to 9 d (mean 5.1 +/- 1.3 d). No major complication occurred. Kalemia was normalized within one month and aldosterone/PRA ratio was decreased obviously in all cases. Postoperatively blood pressure was normalized within 2 month in 88 cases without using any drug.It is safe and practical to perform retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial on total adrenalectomy on the patients with primary aldosteronism.

To investigate the efficacy of plaque thinning with carbide burs and improved Nesbit technique in the treatment of Peyronie's disease.Follow-up studies were made on 11 patients with Peyronie's disease treated by plaque thinning with carbide burs and the improved Nesbit technique.Satisfactory results were achieved in all the cases. Nine cases without ED could now complete sexual intercourse. Of the 8 cases with penile curvature, only 2 failed to be completely corrected. And of the 5 cases with erectile pain, only 2 still had slight intermittent pain during erection. However, neither the incompletely corrected curvature nor the slight intermittent pain affected the patients' sexual life.Plaque thinning with carbide burs and improved Nesbit technique for the treatment of Peyronie's disease have many advantages, such as easy manipulation, good short-term results, few complications, and rare recurrence, while its long-term results are not yet clear.

So far the etiology of chronic prostatitis(CP), particularly chronic nonbacterial prostatitis(NBP) or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), remains to be elucidated. According to recent epidemiologic data, the prevalence of CP ranged from 2.5% to 16% of the world population, affecting men of all ages and all ethnic origins. Since 1990s researchers of many countries have carried out largerscaled, deeper and more extensive studies than ever before on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, with the sponsorship and coordination of such international institutions as the International Prostatitis Collaborative Network(IPCN), the Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network of the National Institute of Health (NIH-CPCRN) and so on. The main achievements of recent years include: the etiology of CP/CPPS being a complicated multi-step and multi-factor course, the establishment of the new clinical classification system, the introduction of the National Institute of Health chronic prostatitis symptom index, the new criteria of diagnosis and standardized clinical evaluation, the primary explorations of new treatment methods and medicines, etc. Further investigations suggested are the optimization of clinical classification, the screening and verification of treatment methods and medicines for CP/CPPS, etc.

To study the expression of Mucin1 gene and tumor infiltrating dendritic cells(TIDC) in the tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.Mucin1 and TIDC were detected in 20 specimens of BPH and 30 specimens of prostate cancer by immunohistochemistry SP method.MUC1 expressed in both prostate cancer and BPH. The staining patterns were significantly associated with tumor pathological grade (P0.001). The number of TIDC was negatively correlated with tumor pathological grade, the higher the grade, the smaller the number of TIDC (P0.001).The expression pattern of MUC1 and the number of TIDC could be considered as useful markers to evaluate the malignant degree and prognosis of prostate cancer. The decrease of TIDC plays an important role in tumor immune evasion and immune tolerance. Highly expressed MUC1 could lead to the failure of hormonal treatment for prostate cancer, and contribute much to tumor infiltration and metastasis.