PURPOSE: Although adrenergic alpha-blockers were initially used for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), their failure rate was about 30% or less. We evaluated the clinical characteristics and the risk factors contributing to the failure of this treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 234 patients with BPH who were initially treated with adrenergic alpha-blockers, 84 (36%) were classified as non-responsive (Group II) following 3 months medical treatment. There were 150 patients with a good medical response (Group I). Prior to, and 3 months following medication, IPSS (International prostate symptom score) questionnaires, uroflowmetry, TRUS (Transurethral ultrasonography), height, weight, past medical history and life style factors, including smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise and coffee consumption were checked. The TURP findings were taken from both the non-response and initial TURP groups (Group III). RESULTS: There were no differences in risk and life style factors between the 3 groups. When comparing groups II and III, the bladder neck elevation (p=0.003), median lobe enlargement (p=0.016), prostate stone (p=0.004) and micro-abscess (p=0.003) were all significantly different. Statistical differences were obtained between groups I and II for the bladder neck elevation (p=0.002), and the median lobe enlargement (p=0.001) from cystourethroscopy. Prostate stones (p=0.006) were compared between the TRUS (group I) and TURP (group II) groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings clearly demonstrate that the BPH patients, classified as non responsive following 3 months of medical treatment, need cystoscopy or TRUS to find a more appropriate treatment.
Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists ; Alcohol Drinking ; Coffee ; Cystoscopy ; Humans ; Life Style ; Neck ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Urinary Bladder

PURPOSE: bcl-2 and p53 are known to act as a regulator of apoptosis in prostatic cancer and we evaluated the significance of these gene expressions and correlation with prognostic factors in prostatic cancer MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of histologically confirmed prostatic cancer, examined using immunohistochemical staining for the two gene products and the expression related to the grade and stage. RESULTS: We found that positive staining for bel-2 was 46.7%(21/45) and p53 was 31.8%(17/45). As compared to the Gleason grade, positive staining for bel-2 and p53 was 14.3%(2/14), 7.1%(1/14) at low grade, 40.0%(6/15), 40.0% (6/15) at intermediate grade, 81.3%(13/16), 62.5%(10/16) at high grade, respectively. It was significant difference(p<0.05). And, as compared to the stage, positive staining for bel-2 and p53 was 0%(0/7), 0%(0/7) at stage A, 33.3%(4/12), 16.7%(2/12) at stage B, 54.5%(6/11), 45.5%(5/11) at stage C, 73.3%(11/15), 66.7%(10/l5) at stage D, respectively. It was significant difference (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that bcl-2 and p53 expression are associated with the grade and stage of prostatic cancer, and to use them as the prognostic factor of prostatic canecr, further study is needed at the molecular level.
Apoptosis ; Gene Expression ; Prostatic Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: It is well known that intracoronary thrombolysis during the early period of acute myocardial infarction leads to the limitation of myocardial necrosis, preserves left ventricular function, and improves survivals. The recanalization rate of intracoronary rrokinase infusion into infarct-related coronary artery was known as 62-94 percents in previos studies. The various factors influence the outcome of intracoronary thrombolysis, including total dose of urokinase, time from onsrt of chest pain to thrombolysis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the occlusion site morphology influences recanalization rates of intracoronary thrombolysis. METHODS: We evaluated infarct-related coronary artery morphology of 56 acute mycardial infarction patients who performed intracoronary thrombolytic therapy within 6-12 hours after the onset of acute myocardial infarction. Intracoronary urokinase infusion was performed at a rate of 25000 IU/minute. The presence of calcification, collaterals, side branches and the stump site morphologies(thrombus type, pencil type, cutting type) were identified on magnified 35mm cine frames. RESULTS: Reperfusion was successed in 34 patients and failed in 22 patients. There were no statistically significant difference in the pressure of calcification, collaterals, and side branches between success and failure groups. Intracoronary thrombus was identified in 21 percent of success group, but not in failure group. The reperfusion rates according to stump site morphology were 76% in thrombus type, 58% in cutting type, and 42% in pencil type(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates the presence of intracoronary thrombus and the morphology of thrombus type is more effective in intracoronary thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction. The identification of types of the coronary obstruction will be helpful for the selection of intracoronary thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction patients. And the results suggest that the difference of stump composition show different stump morphologies.
Chest Pain ; Coronary Vessels* ; Humans ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Necrosis ; Reperfusion ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Thrombosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Despite extensive investigation, the clinical features and prognostic significance of the non-Q wave myocardial infarction, when compared with Q wave myocardial infarction, remain controversial. And no definite relationship between EKG findings and infarct related arteries has been reported. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was done on 205 patient with acute myocardial infarction who were undergone coronary angiography and left ventriculography. Among them, 30 patient with non-Q wave myocardial infarction and 175 patients with Q wave myocardial infarction. RESULTS: 1) There was no significant difference between the two groups in risk factors, prevalence of preinfarct angina and preinfarct heart failure. 2) The faction of patients with non-Q wave myocardial infarction who received thromobolytic therapy was significantly less, compared to patient with Q wave myocardial infarction(p<0.0001). 3) The patients with non-Q wave myocardial infarction had a smaller infarct size estimated by peak creatine phosphokinase(p<0.01). But there was no difference in Killip's classification and left ventricular ejection fraction. 4) In patients with non-Q wave myocardial infarction, 87% of the patients had one or more abnormal EKG finding other than Q wave, and the most frequent abnormal finding was primary T wave change. 5) The location of infarct-related artery was significantly different between group(p<0.0001). The most frequently involved coronary artery in non-Q wave myocardial infarction was left circumflex coronary artery, especially in patients with normal EKG findings. 6) There was no significant difference between the two groups in the prognosis. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences between non-Q wave and Q wave myocardial infarction in the infarct size and the location of infarct related arteries. but not in the risk factors, the prevalence of previous coronary artery disease and prognsis. Further prospective and collaborative studies should be performed to define conclusion.
Arteries* ; Classification ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Creatine ; Electrocardiography* ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stroke Volume

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The myocardial protective effect of ischemic preconditioning is well known. However, the mechanism is remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of adenosine, protein kinase C, KATP channel and the change of monophasic action potential duration on cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning in cat. Materials AND METHODS: In this experiment, 66 cats were allocated into 7 groups:control (n=10), ischemic preconditioning (n=10), adenosine pre-treated (n=10), SPT (8-p-sulfophenyl theophylline) pre-treated (n=9), polymyxin B pre-treated (n=9), glibenclamide pre-treated (n=9) and nicorandil pre-treated (n=9) groups. Ischemic preconditioning was performed in ischemic preconditioning, SPT pre-treated, polymyxin B pre-treated and glibenclamide pre-treated groups by 3 episodes of 5 minutes ischemia and 10 minutes reperfusion. All animals were subjected to 40 minutes of ischemia and 40 minutes reperfusion. Monophasic action potential duration at 50% repolarization (MAP50) was measured in the ischemic and non-ischemic area respectively by epicardial probe throughout the experiment. The effect of ischemic preconditioning was determined by infarct size (% area at risk). RESULTS: Ischemic preconditioning, adenosine pre-treatment and nicorandil pre-treatment groups demonstrated a significant reduction in infarct size (26+/-4%, 25+/-4% and 34+/-8% infarction of the risk zone, respectively, p<0.01, p<0.01 and p<0.05 vs. control) with respect to control (41+/-8% infarction of the risk zone). However, pretreatment with SPT, polymyxin B or glibenclamide abolished the effect of ischemic preconditioning. Ischemic preconditioning group exhibited a significant reduction of MAP50 duration in the ischemic area during preconditioning;at the first preconditioning 128+/-11 msec vs. 144+/-10 msec control, at the second preconditioning 110+/-10 msec vs.147+/-10 msec control (p<0.01), at the third preconditioning 114+/-10 msec vs. 145+/-11 msec control (p<0.05). But, pretreatment with SPT, polymyxin B and glibenclamide prevented the reduction of MAP50 in the ischemic area during ischemic preconditioning. During 40 minutes ischemia, the shortening of MAP50 was more pronounced in the preconditioned group than in control group;at 5 minutes 112+/-13 msec vs. 124+/-10 msec control, at 10 minutes 89+/-12 msec vs. 133+/-11 msec control (p<0.05 ), at 20 minutes 93+/-12 msec vs. 136+/-11 msec control (p<0.05), and at 30 minutes 107+/-19 msec vs. 144+/-14 msec control (p<0.05). In adenosine pre-treated group, the MAP50 was significantly shortened than control group throughout 40 minutes occlusion period;at 5 minutes 90+/-8 msec (p<0.05), at 10 minutes 77+/-9 msec (p<0.05), at 20 minutes 92+/-8 msec (p<0.05), and at 30 minutes 103+/-8 msec (p<0.05). Nicorandil pretreatment pronounced the ischemic shortening of MAP50 in ischemic area and the effect was significant during early ischemic period;at 10 minutes 98+/-22 msec (p<0.05 vs. control). In pretreatment groups with SPT, polymyxin B or glibenclamide, the ischemic preconditioning of MAP50 measured in non-ischemic area was not significantly different compared with control group. MAP50 measured in ischemic area during reperfusion was not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, adenosine receptor-protein kinase C-KATP channel activation and monophasic action potential duration shortening during ischemia play an important role in myocardial protection during ischemic injury.
Action Potentials* ; Adenosine* ; Animals ; Cats* ; Glyburide ; Infarction ; Ischemia ; Ischemic Preconditioning* ; Nicorandil ; Phosphotransferases ; Polymyxin B ; Protein Kinase C* ; Protein Kinases* ; Receptors, Purinergic P1* ; Reperfusion

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate an immunoassay for urinary nuclear matrix protein (NMP22) as an indicator for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups of subjects attended the trial of NMP22. First group was 27 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, second group was 24 patients with other urinary cancer consisted of prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma, and third group was 24 healthy volunteers. NMP22 was determined using a commercial test kit, which is based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In normal healthy volunteers and other urinary cancer group median NMP22 levels were 2.24 and 3.27 U/ml, respectively. Median urinary NMP22 levels in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were 54.30 U/ml. It was significantly greater than other two groups. Median NMP22 levels according to the tumor stage and the tumor grade did not show the significant difference statistically. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary NMP22 is a useful marker that is more specific for bladder cancer thsn for other urinary cancer. Further tests are required to clarify the influence of other spe- cific conditions, such as urinary tract infection, and intravesical drug instillation or procedure.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Instillation, Drug ; Nuclear Matrix* ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Tract Infections

No abstract available.
Wandering Spleen*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the specific findings of color Doppler ultrasonography in patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the resistive index (RI) of 110 patients with BPH, and compared them with 100 controls with no symptom, using color Doppler ultrasonography. The RI was compared with the prostatic volume and maximum flow rate (Qmax). In 20 patients with BPH, the RI was measured following surgical treatment. RESULTS: The RI was significantly higher in the patients than the controls (p<0.001). The BPH patients (n=110) had a mean RI of 0.74, whereas the controls (n=100) had a mean RI of 0.60. There was a significant correlation between RI and Qmax (r=-0.731, p<0.01), and the RI correlated significantly with the prostatic volume (r=0.739, p<0.01). In the 20 BPH patients having undergone TURP, the elevated RI decreased significantly to the normal control levels, from 0.70 to 0.60 (p<0.001), following surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The Doppler RI might be useful as a new parameter in BPH. However, further studies, on its value in representing urodynamic information, will be required.
Humans ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color* ; Urodynamics

The intron has been a big biological mystery since it was first discovered in several aspects. First, all of the completely sequenced eukaryotes harbor introns in the genomic structure, whereas no prokaryotes identified so far carry introns. Second, the amount of total introns varies in different species. Third, the length and number of introns vary in different genes, even within the same species genome. Fourth, all introns are copied into RNAs by transcription and DNAs by replication processes, but intron sequences do not participate in protein-coding sequences. The existence of introns in the genome should be a burden to some cells, because cells have to consume a great deal of energy to copy and excise them exactly at the correct positions with the help of complicated spliceosomal machineries. The existence throughout the long evolutionary history is explained, only if selective advantages of carrying introns are assumed to be given to cells to overcome the negative effect of introns. In that regard, we summarize previous research about the functional roles or benefits of introns. Additionally, several other studies strongly suggesting that introns should not be junk will be introduced.
DNA ; Eukaryota ; Genome* ; Introns* ; RNA

We describe the use of a new urethral stent implanted in 6 patients with prostatic outflow obstruction. All patients were in a high risk group for surgery and treated successfully, for a follow-up of 6 to 13 (mean 8.5) months. The majority of patients were satisfied with the procedure, which provided a quick, safe and effective results, compared with conventional surgical treatment. The stent, woven from nitinol in the form of a tubular mesh, was inserted into the prostatic urethra via a delivery device using endoscopic control under local anesthesia. During follow-up period, the stent remained in situ and there were no urinary incontinence or other complications. The average maximum flow rate at postoperative 6 months was 19.5 ml/sec. This stent is a useful alternative to conventional surgical treatment in the high risk and large prostate patient.
Anesthesia, Local ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prostate ; Stents* ; Urethra ; Urinary Incontinence