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Patients administered anti-cholinergic agents, as first-line therapy for an overactive bladder (OAB) are often unable to continue medical treatment because of dry mouth. We assessed oral health in patients with OAB using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), an oral health-related quality of life questionnaire. We investigated 75 patients with OAB who were receiving continuous administration of anti-cholinergic agents. The OAB symptom score, as well as GOHAI and our original dry mouse score were determined by self-administered questionnaires. The mean age of the subjects was 70.9±10.2 years, the median period of anti-cholinergic agent use was 20 (1-116) months and the mean OAB symptom score was 6.3±3.1. The GOHAI score for all patients was 51.9±8.4 and not significantly different from the national normal value (p＝0.22). On the other hand, the score in patients with a severely dry mouth was 49.2±8.6, which was worse than the national normal value (p＝0.04). The psychosocial functioning score in patients with a severely dry mouth was significantly lower than in those with a slightly dry mouth (p＝0.02). Our results indicate that dry mouth in patients with OAB is significantly associated with worsening of oral health. GOHAI is useful as a screening test to assess the quality of life in patients with OAB.

A 67-year-old man presented with macroscopic hematuria. Transrectal prostatic needle biopsy was performed because of elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) (3.85 ng/ml) and palpation of hard nodules at the prostate. Pathological diagnosis was leiomysarcoma. Computed tomography revealed several pulmonary metastases. Radical cysto-prostatectomy and construction of ileal conduct were performed. Adjuvant radiotherapy (50 Gy) was also performed. During follow-up, the size of the pulmonary metastases increased, and we decided to start systemic chemotherapy 7 months after surgery. The chemotherapy consisted of gemcitabine (900 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 8), and docetaxel (100 mg/m2 on day 8). After eight courses, there was 20% reduction in the size of some pulmonary metastases. He remained alive 21 months after diagnosis.

We have performed transurethral enucleation with bipolar system (TUEB) on 60 patients since April 2008. The patients were 61 to 81 years old (average 71.7 years old), and estimated prostate volumes were 25 cm3 to 80.43 cm3 (average 51.1 cm3). The weight of prostate removed was 8 g to 56 g (average 27.4 g) during the operations which lasted between 40 min to 200 min (average 117.5 min). The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life index (QOL) maximum flow rate (Q max) and average flow rate (Qave) were recorded before operation, and at 1 and at 3 months after operation. The results indicated a high safety with TUEB compared to TUR-P even for beginners. In conclusion, TUEB may become the most common approach in the treatment of BPH.

A 74-year-old man visited our hospital, because of high prostate specific antigen (PSA). Retropubic radical prostatectomy was performed for prostatic cancer. Suddenly right inguinal lesion pain appeared at 25 days after operation with disturbance of gait. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated inflammatory change in right pubic bone, pectineal muscle, adductor muscle, which suggested the diagnosis of osteomyelitis of the pubis. After long-term administration of antibiotic therapy, osteomyelitis of the symphysis pubis and gait possible. There was no recurrence of osteomyelitis of the symphysis pubis at one year after operation. In addition to our case, we review the 8 cases of osteomyelitis of the pubis after radical prostatectomy previously reported in Japanese publications.

We retrospectively analyzed the records of 21 patients with penile carcinoma treated between January 1993 and February 2007. According to TMN classification (UICC 2002), 9, 8, 2 and 2 patients belonged to stages I, II, III and IV, respectively. During the follow up period of 4 to 144 months (median 15 months), the overall 5-year survival rate was 75.8%. All three patients having N2 died within one year. Lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001) and organ metastasis (p = 0.007) were found to be unfavorable prognostic factors for patients with penile cancer.

From February 2005 to April 2007, 48 consecutive patients with BPH underwent holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) combined with mechanical morcellation. The first 14 cases (group 1) underwent HoLEP according to Gilling's method. In the next consecutive 17 cases (group 2), in addition to HoLEP performed as in group 1, the urethral external sphincter was stimulated electrically with a needle electrode inserted in a transperineal manner to prevent sphincteric injury. In the latter 17 consecutive cases (group 3), we used a modified HoLEP procedure, which partially preserved the apical adenoma in the 10-to 2-o'clock position. International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life index, urinary flow (Qmax) data, and postvoid residual urine were significantly improved postoperatively in each group, there being no differences among them with the exception that group 3 had better Qmax data than group 3 at one month after operation. On the other hand, postoperative transient urinary incontinence was significantly reduced in group 3 on the day of discharge and 1 month after the operation. These results demonstrate that our modified HoLEP procedure is a promising method to avoid postoperative transient urinary incontinence.

We report a case of lung and lymph node metastasis treated with carbon ion radiotherapy after radical nephrectomy five years earlier. The patient was a 70-year-old woman. She was diagnosed with lung and neck lymph node metastasis by chest computed tomography four years after surgery. The metastatic mass increased gradually despite interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 treatment. Carbon ion radiotherapy was applied to the metastatic mass, and it has not increased in size to date. Carbon ion radiotherapy is thus regarded as an effective treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma masses, and it can be an important option for treatment of renal cell carcinoma.

We present a case of a 70-year-old man with an anamnesis of intra-cerebral bleeding that resulted in right half of the body paralysis and right diaphragm paralysis, The present clinical history indicated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis during a regular hospital visit, and the patient had a total of 4 TAEs enforced from three years before. A 4 x 3.5 cm neoplasm at the left adrenal was detected by CT inspection this time. The diagnosis was a metastatic adrenal gland tumor from HCC. Since HCC is controlled by TAE, the metastatic lesions were not found in other organs and were isolated, of 10 cm or less in size. Hence, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed in March, 2006. He started having a meal from the 2nd day after the operation. He left the hospital on the 9th day. Pathologial diagnosis was a metastatic adrenal gland tumor from moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. When observing the adaptation standard strictly to the high-risk case, it was thought that the metastatic tumor extraction under laparoscopic surgery could become a low stress cure in consideration of QOL being useful as a local treatment for cancer.

We have performed holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP) in 14 cases since February 2005. The patient's age ranged from 62 to 84 years old (average: 75). The preoperative results of International Prostate Sympton Score (IPSS), quality of life index, maximum urinary flow rate and residual urine volume were compared with those 3 months after surgery. The mean operation time, the mean estimated prostate volume and the mean enucleated prostate volume were 143 min, 50 cm3 and 35 g, retrospectively. All cases showed improvement in each parameter, and all but one case recovered continence in 3 months after surgery. A periurethral abscess had developed in the patient, suffering from incontinence. We concluded that HoLEP is an effective treatment. The relatively higher incidence of urinary incontinence in HoLEP remains to be resolved in the future.

Two partial cDNA clones (Protein kinase C alpha and Protein kinase C iota), each of which encoded a different member of PKC-protein family, were isolated using RT-PCR from mRNA of Bombyx mori. The full-length cDNAs were isolated using SMART-RACE. The cDNAs were expressed in HepG2 cells and the recombinant proteins were partially purified using an affinity chromatography. Protein kinase C alpha (BPKC alpha) showed a calcium-dependent kinase activity of histones. Whereas protein kinase C iota (BPKC iota) showed a calcium-independent activity. Bisindolyl maleimide I, a PKC inhibitor, inhibited these kinase activities. Furthermore, in vitro BPKC alpha interacted and phosphorylated two proteins expressed in the brain of Bombyx mori: Rab protein, which plays important roles in the vesicle transport in the brain, and bMBD2/3, which is a methyl DNA-binding protein and regulates transcription. These results suggest that these PKCs phosphorylate various substrate proteins and function in the brain of Bombyx mori.

A case of renal oncocytoma associated with acquired cystic disease of kidney (ACDK) in a 56-year-old man is reported. He had received hemodialysis for 15 years because of chronic renal failure. Computed tomography (CT) was performed because of distention in the upper abdomen, revealing a right renal tumor. He underwent laparoscopic right nephrectomy, and was diagnosed with renal oncocytoma. There have been reported 8 cases of renal oncocytoma in hemodialysis patients, and our case was the third one associated with ACDK in the literature.

We report a case of bladder hernia. A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for the management of prostate cancer. An egg-sized soft mass was palpated at his right inguinal region. Magnetic resonance imaging and cystography revealed that the mass was a bladder hernia. During radical prostatectomy, we had to resect the bladder hernia for safe regional lymphadenectomy. This hernia was the extraperitoneal type. The stage of prostate cancer was pT3b N0 M0. This is the third reported case of inguinal bladder hernia associated with prostate cancer in Japan.