No abstract available.
Humans ; Male* ; Penile Prosthesis*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Male* ; Penile Prosthesis*

No abstract available.
Erectile Dysfunction* ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Male

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Nephroma, Mesoblastic* ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

PURPOSE: Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced during the degradation of hemoglobin to heme (iron protoporphyrin) and present in various tissues including brain. CO is believed to activate soluble guanylate cyclase to exert its action on the smooth muscles. the effects of CO and its relationships to adrenergic or cholinergic mechanisms were studied using the isolated rabbit corpus cavernosal strips, and the effects of CO and NO were further investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using adult New Zealand rabbits, the corpus cavernosal strip was carefully prepared from rabbit penis and suspended in an 10ml organ bath containing Tyrode solution. When a stable tension level of the strip had been attained, drugs were added to the organ bath the change of motility of the strip was recorded on a computerized polygraph. RESULTS: The NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and CO caused a dosedependent relaxation of the cavernosal strip of the rabbit penis. Pretreatment of SNP and CO had no effect on contraction induced by adrenergic drugs and the effects of SNP and CO was not affected by atropine. The relaxation effects of SNP were inhibited by NO scavenger pyrogallol, inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo[4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) and methylene blue. The relaxation effects of CO were significantly inhibited by ODQ and methylene blue. the relaxation effects by acetylcholine were inhibited by NO synthase inhibitor L-nitroarginine methyl ester (NAME) and deendothelialization, but not affected by zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), the heme oxidase inhibitor. On the immunostaining of heme oxidase (HO) in corpus cavernosal smooth muscle strip, the positive staining for HO was observed in the perivascular nerve fibers. CONCLUSIONS: The relaxation effect of NO was confirmed, and CO exerts an endothelium dependent relaxing effect on the cavernosal strip of the rabbit penis similar to NO. This action is seem to be mediated by soluble guanylate cyclase, and the actions of CO is also mediated by similar guanylate cyclase system.
Acetylcholine ; Adrenergic Agents ; Adult ; Atropine ; Baths ; Brain ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Endothelium ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Heme ; Humans ; Male ; Methylene Blue ; Muscle, Smooth ; Nerve Fibers ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitroprusside ; Oxidoreductases ; Penis ; Pyrogallol ; Rabbits ; Relaxation ; Tissue Donors ; Zinc

PURPOSE: Androgen plays an important role during penile development and is essential for a normal libido in the male, but its role in the regulation of the androgen receptor and maintenance of erectile response has been controversial. We investigated the effect of androgen on apoptosis, proliferation of the penile erectile tissue and androgen receptor after castration and temporary androgen replacement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups; sham-operation, castration, and androgen replacement after castration. Androgens (testosterone, DHT) were administrated for 7 days at week 1, 2, 3, and 4 after castration. The weight of whole body and corpus cavernosum and serum testosterone concentration were measured. Androgen receptor expression, percentage of proliferating cells incorporating Ki-67(proliferative index) and percentage of apoptotic cells assessed by morphological analysis(apoptotic index, TUNEL) were analyzed in the penile erectile tissue. RESULTS: Castration induced a significant decrease in serum testosterone concentration from day 1 and a progressive decrease in the corpus cavernosal weight from day 14. Androgen receptor expression decreased after androgen depletion and was restored with androgen replacement. The proliferative and apoptotic index varied as follows after castration and androgen replacement: a significant increase was noted for apoptotic index with a decrease in the proliferative index and androgen receptor expression after castration. Replacement of testosterone propionate and DHT after castration decreased the apoptotic index with an increase in the proliferative index and the expression rate of androgen receptor. CONCLUSIONS: The penile erectile tissue of the adult rat was affected by the androgen milieu via the androgen receptor as seen by either cellular apoptosis or proliferation. Therefore, androgens such as testosterone and DHT play a direct role in the erectile function of the rat at the level of the penile erectile tissue.
Adult* ; Androgens ; Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Castration ; Humans ; Libido ; Male ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Androgen* ; Testosterone ; Testosterone Propionate

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic

PURPOSE: Androgen was thought to be linked to sexual activity in man but its peripheral action have not been identified precisely. Recently, androgens dependent nature of nitric oxide synthase(NOS), the enzyme system producing nitric oxide(NO) as the principal mediator in penile erection, has been studied. The present study was designed to determine if NO within the penis is regulated by androgen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Effect of testosterone on the penile NO was investigated from three groups of rabbit; control(a sham operation), castration group (four sub-groups: 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after castration) and testosterone replacement group (four sub-groups: testosterone propionate(10mg/day) was given subcutaneously from 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after castration for 7 days respectively). Strips of rabbit corpus cavernosum were isolated and mounted in organ chambers. The relaxation effects were assessed with electrical field stimulation(EFS) in the precontracted cavernosal muscle strips with phenylephrine. Penile NOS activity was measured by the rate of 14C-L-arginine-citrulline conversion. Penile tissue was subsequently stained for the presence of NOS, using a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry. RESULTS: EFS evoked a relaxation of rabbit corpus cavernosum. A gradual decrease in the EFS evoked relaxation was recorded, proportional to the duration of being castrated, which was restored to the level of control by testosterone replacement. After castration, penile NOS activity was significantly reduced to 51.3%, 43.7%, 37.5%, and 32.7% of the level of control at 1, 2, 3, 4weeks. This decrease in penile NOS activity after castration was also restored by testosterone replacement. Diffusely scattered delicate nerve fibers showing blue color reaction after NADPH-d histochemical staining were reduced in castrated cavernosum in comparison with control. CONCLUSIONS: Based on presented data we conclude that testosterone plays a direct role in penile erection by regulating the activity of NOS within the penis.
Androgens ; Castration ; Male ; NADP ; Nerve Fibers ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Penile Erection ; Penis* ; Phenylephrine ; Relaxation ; Sexual Behavior ; Testosterone*

Malignant melanoma of female urethra and vulva is extremely rare and the prognosis remains poor inspite of several types of treatment. We experienced a case of malignant melanoma on urethra and vulva, which was managed by radical cystectomy and vulvectomy with bilateral groin lymphnode dissection. Adjuvant therapy for metastasis following lymphnode dissection with Interferon was done.
Cystectomy ; Female* ; Groin ; Humans ; Interferons ; Melanoma* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Urethra* ; Vulva*

PURPOSE: Prostate tumor volume calculated after surgery using pathologic tissue has been shown to be an independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence. Nonetheless, prostate size varies among individuals, regardless of the presence or absence of cancer. We assumed to be lower margin positive rate in the surgical operation, when the prostate volume is larger and the tumor lesion is same. Thus, we defined the tumor-prostate ratio in the ratio of tumor volume to prostate volume. In order to compensate the prostate tumor volume, the effect of tumor-prostate ratio on biochemical recurrence was examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 251 patients who underwent open retropubic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in a single hospital. We analyzed the effects of tumor volume and tumor-prostate ratio, as well as the effects of known risk factors for biochemical recurrence, on the duration of disease-free survival. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, the risk factors that significantly impacted disease-free survival time were found to be a prostate-specific antigen level ≥10 ng/mL, a tumor volume ≥5 mL, tumor-prostate ratio ≥10%, tumor capsular invasion, lymph node invasion, positive surgical margins, and seminal vesicle invasion. In the multivariate analysis performed to evaluate the risk factors found to be significant in the univariate analysis, positive surgical margins (hazard ratio=3.066) and a tumor density ≥10% (hazard ratio=1.991) were shown to be significant risk factors for biochemical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor-prostate ratio, rather than tumor volume, should be regarded as a significant risk factor for biochemical recurrence.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatectomy* ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Recurrence* ; Risk Factors ; Seminal Vesicles ; Tumor Burden