Tadalafil for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Introduction: In men, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are primarily attributed to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Therapeutic options are targeted to relax prostate smooth muscle and/or reduce prostate enlargement.

Areas covered: This article reviews the major preclinical and clinical data on PDE5 inhibitors with a specific focus on tadalafil. It includes details of the role of the nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) – PDE5 pathway in the LUT organs (bladder and prostate) in addition to the available data on tadalafil in patients with LUTS secondary to BPH with or without erectile dysfunction (ED).

Expert opinion: Preclinical and clinical data have clearly demonstrated that PDE5 inhibitors induce bladder and prostate relaxation, which contributes to the improvement seen in storage symptoms in both animal models of bladder and prostate hypercontractility. Tadalafil is effective both as a monotherapy and add-on therapy in patients with LUTS secondary to BPH. Furthermore, as LUTS-BPH and ED are urological disorders that commonly coexist in aging men, tadalafil is more advantageous than α1-adrenoceptors and should be used as the first option. Tadalafil is a safe and tolerable therapy and unlike α1- adrenoceptors and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which can cause sexual dysfunctions, tadalafil improves sexual function.     

Prostatic Artery Embolization—Anatomic Predictors of Technical Outcomes

PurposeTo determine if cone-beam CT and digital subtraction angiography analysis of pelvic arterial anatomy has predictive value for radiation exposure and technical success of prostatic artery embolization (PAE).Materials and MethodsThis prospective, nonrandomized, single-center study included 104 consecutive patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cone-beam CT was performed in 160/208 (76.9%) hemipelves to determine prostatic artery (PA) origin. Classification of pelvic arterial tortuosity was possible in 73/104 (70.2%) patients. Learning curves of 2 interventionalists who performed 86.5% of PAEs were analyzed.ResultsTortuosity of pelvic arteries was classified as mild in 25 (34.2%) patients median age 64 years, moderate in 40 (54.8%) patients median age 69 years, and severe in 8 (11.0%) patients median age 70 years (mild vs moderate, P = .002; mild vs severe, P = .019); median fluoroscopy times were 24, 36, and 46 minutes (P = .008, P = .023); median contrast volumes were 105, 122.5, and 142 mL (P = .029, P = .064); and bilateral PAE rates were 84.0%, 77.5%, and 62.5% (P = .437), respectively. PA origin from superior vesical artery was most frequent (27.5%) and showed higher dose area product (median 402.4 vs 218 Gy ∙ cm², P = .033) and fluoroscopy time (median 42.5 vs 27 min, P = .01) compared with PA origin from obturator artery, which was least frequent. Interventionalist experience revealed significant impact on procedure times (median 159 vs 130 min, P = .006).ConclusionsTortuosity of pelvic arteries was more frequent in older patients and predicted worse technical outcomes of PAE. PA origin from obturator artery was associated with lower dose area product and fluoroscopy time, especially compared with PA origin from superior vesical artery. Interventionalist experience showed significant influence on technical outcome.     

尿石症与骨质疏松相关性的研究进展

尿路结石与骨质疏松均存在钙代谢异常,且发病率高,对生活质量造成严重影响,研究表明两者之间存在一定相关性。高钙尿症通过骨吸收增加等,或为两者发病机制间的关键桥梁。对遗传因素的研究中也发现了许多与两者有关的基因,主要为腺苷酸环化酶10基因、1,25-(OH)2D3-24羟化酶基因、钙敏受体与紧密连接蛋白14基因。但对上述一些基因变异与尿石症和骨质疏松的研究尚存在不同结论,且其具体机制仍待进一步研究。雌激素缺乏通过骨丢失、减少瞬时感受器电位阳离子通道V5表达,造成高钙尿、低骨量,导致尿石症及骨质疏松。高蛋白、高钠、低钙等饮食因素也能影响两者的形成,笔者综述两者之间相关性的研究进展。     

蒜氨酸抗菌机制研究

目的 检测蒜氨酸最低抑菌浓度（MIC）与最低杀菌浓度（MBC），探讨蒜氨酸体内外抗菌机制。方法 体外微量稀释法检测蒜氨酸MIC和MBC，荧光显微镜观察菌体表面蒜氨酸，探讨蒜氨酸抗菌机制。体内蒜氨酸和青霉素分别治疗金葡菌感染家兔脓肿，检测脓汁标本中细菌存活情况，探讨体内蒜氨酸抗菌作用。结果 蒜氨酸对大肠杆菌、伤寒杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、白色葡萄球菌的MIC分别为3.047 μg·mL^-1、6.094 μg·mL^-1、0.386 μg·mL^-1、0.386 μg·mL^-1，蒜氨酸体外无杀菌活性。浓汁标本：死菌率蒜氨酸治疗组显著高于阴性对照组（P < 0.01），与青霉素治疗组无明显差异（P > 0.05）；活菌率蒜氨酸治疗组显著低于阴性对照组（P < 0.01），与青霉素治疗组无明显差异（P > 0.05）。结论 蒜氨酸与菌体蛋白、细菌酶蛋白结合阻断细菌与环境物质交换，抑制细菌生命活动，具有较强的抑菌作用，无杀菌活性；蒜氨酸体内代谢成大蒜素，具有较强杀菌作用。     

Assessing the impact of blood alcohol concentration on the rate of in-hospital mortality following traumatic motor vehicle crash injury: A matched analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank

Background

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of trauma patients who were injured in a motor vehicle crash and tested positive for alcohol upon hospital arrival versus those who tested negative.