OBJECTIVETo measure the levels of urinary prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with or without overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms and determine whether urinary PGE2 can serve as a biomarker for BPH-related OAB.

METHODSThis study included 86 BPH patients and 34 male control subjects without lower urinary tract symptoms. Based on the OAB symptom scores (OABSS), the BPH cases were classified as BPH/OAB (n =49) and BPH/non-OAB (n = 37) to be treated orally with tamsulosin alone and tamsulosin + tolterodine-tartrate, respectively, for 12 weeks. We measured the urinary PGE2 levels of all the subjects by ELISA before and after medication, the total PGE2 level normalized to the concentration of the urinary creatinine (PGE2/Cr). We also obtained the residual urine volume, Qmax, prostate volume, PSA level, IPSS and OABSS of the BPH patients, and compared them among different groups.

RESULTSThe baseline PGE2/Cr level was significantly lower in the control than in the BPH/OAB and BPH/non-OAB groups (both P <0.05), and higher in the BPH/OAB than in the BPH/non-OAB patients (P <0.05). After 12 weeks'treatment, the urinary PGE2/Cr level was remarkably decreased with relief of the OAB symptoms in the BPH/OAB patients (P <0.05) , but not in the BPH/non-OAB group (P >0.05). The concentration of PGE2 was not correlated with the IPSS storage score and OABSS of the BPH/OAB patients (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONPatients with BPH/OAB have significantly higher urinary PGE2/Cr levels than those with BPH/non-OAB and normal controls, which tend to decrease with the alleviation of OAB symptoms. Our findings suggest that urinary PGE2 can be a potential biomarker for BPH/OAB.

Aged ; Biomarkers ; urine ; Case-Control Studies ; Dinoprostone ; urine ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; complications ; urine ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; complications ; urine

BACKGROUND:Since the meniscal blood supply is only in the red zone, the synovial fluid becomes the main nutrition source of the meniscus. As its poor self-healing ability, the meniscus is almost impossible to heal in non-blood supply regions. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the expression and characteristics of transforming growth factor-β3 in the rat meniscus during postnatal development. METHODS:Meniscus tissues of Wistar rats with different ages (1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 days) were adopted, and immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR methods were performed to detect the location and expression pattern of transforming growth factor-β3 within the meniscus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemistry results revealed that the expression of transforming growth factor-β3 started from the joint capsule, and gradualy extended to the red zone, gray zone, and white area;RT-PCR results showed the mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β3 in the rat meniscus at different ages, and during development process gradualy increased until adult stage (rat weight > 100 g), which remained relatively stable.

Objective To determine the efficacy and safety of acarbose in the treatment of senile postprandial hypotension (PPH). Methods Forty three senile in-patients with PPH were recruited. Blood pressure and heart rate(HR) were recorded for 120 minutes by using non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring system. The participants had semiliquid standard meals with or without acarbose on two following days. The ejection fraction(EF) and fractional shortening(FS) were measured by two dimensional echocardiography before treatment. Results The magnitudes of the falls in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure (SBP、DBP、MAP) (all P

Cardiovascular Diseases ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of ethyl gallate in inducing apoptosis of human colon carcinoma Lovo cells. METHODS: Cultured human colon carcinoma Lovo cells in vitro were used as the research object. Morphological changes of apoptotic cells were observed by inverted microscope.AnnexinV-FITC/PI assay and DNA Ladder assay were performed to study the apoptotic effects. Immunocytochemistry was used to detect the expression of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 proteins. RESULTS: Ethyl gallate had growth inhibition on colon cancer Lovo cells,the density was decrease: the apoptotic rates were increased with dose increase: Agarose gel electrophoresis showed evident DNA fragmentation: the expression of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 proteins was increased in treated groups. CONCLUSION: Ethyl gallate could induce the apoptosis in Lovo cells through up-regulating the expression of cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 protein,and then activated the mitochondrial pathway.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Autopsy ; Bridged-Ring Compounds ; poisoning ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Poisoning ; pathology ; Rodenticides ; poisoning

Objective To assess the effects of health management on high-risk diabetic populations.Methods A total of 307 diabetic high-risk adults from 6 communities of Tianjin were recruited by using diabetes risk screening technology.Three-month intensive health management and nine-month follow-up were conducted in this participants.Paired t test for continuous variables and paired contingency table x2 test were used for data analysis.Results Energy intake (1989.8 vs.1766.4 kcal,t =6.84,P ＜0.05),effective exercises (120.4 vs.157.5 kcal,t =-5.00,P ＜ 0.05),body weight (73.0 vs.71.5 kg,t =6.92,P ＜0.05),systolic blood pressure (130.4 vs.124.6 mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa),t =8.36,P ＜0.05),diastolic blood pressure (81.8 vs.78.4 mm Hg,t =7.40,P ＜ 0.05),serum total cholesterol (5.21 vs.5.08 mmol/L,t =2.73,P ＜ 0.05),fasting plasma glucose (6.4 vs.5.8 mmol/L,t =16.37,P ＜ 0.05)and 2 h postprandial blood glucose (7.7 vs.6.9 mmol/L,t =9.67,P ＜ 0.05) were significantly improved after the intervention.Conclusions Community-based health management may provide an effective way to prevent and control the risk factors of diabetes.

Objective To present a new method and design of an instrument for measuring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) non-invasively. Method A pressure sensor (YH-4) and a displacement sensor (sliding rheostat) were assembled into a probe so that they work in a linear mode. When this assembled instrument probe acts on the abdominal wall of a subject, a pressure as called the external abdominal pressure (EAP), and a corresponding displacement were detected. A relationship was established mathematically between the IAP measured by non-invasive and invasive method, and IAP was calculated by EAP measurement indirectly non-invasively. Result The method was testified by animal experiment in rabbits. And the preliminary results indicated that linear relation between EAP and IAP was obtained. Conclusion Feasibility of the new method is validated by animal experiment. It provides scientific evidence for further clinical experiment.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological features,diagnosis,treatment,prognosis and causative agent of a case of eumycetoma on the submaxilla.Methods A case of eumycetoma diagnosed in our department was assessed for its clinical and pathological features as well as mycologic and molecular identification.Related literature was reviewed.Results The patient was primarily characterized by swelling of the submaxilla,with multiple sinuses draining many black granules.Pathologic examination revealed a pyogenic granulomatous inflammation,and a number of lotus rhizome node-like hypha were observed in tissue samples through PAS staining.Sequence analysis of multiple loci of the isolates,including ITS 1,ITS2 and D1/D2,showed that it was mostly similar to Madurella mycetomatis with a homology of 97%.Conclusion This is a case ofeumycetoma on the submaxilla induced by a novel species of Madurella.

This study compared two techniques of artery anastomoses,renal artery to the ex- ternal iliac artery (ESA) and to the internal iliacartery (EEA) in renal transplantation.The operation time and the incidence of anastomotic stenosis was cut down significantely in ESA group.The blood flow in grafts has no difference in two groups with normal renal function.The utilization rate of grafts with multiple arteries was higher (94.4%) in ESA group.Back bench surgery for artery repain,cold ischemia time and renal damage were reduced in ESA group.