Clinical significance of urinary white blood cell count and serum C-reactive protein level for detection of non-palpable prostate cancer

AIM: The clinical significance of the urinary white blood cell (U-WBC) count and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level was evaluated in an effort to improve the efficiency of prostate biopsies. METHODS: We enrolled 228 consecutive patients with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ranging from 3.0 to 20.0 ng/mL, normal digital rectal examination findings, and who underwent prostate biopsies between January 2001 and August 2004. Of these, 157 patients had histologically confirmed benign prostatic disease and the remaining 71 patients had prostate cancer. Patients with a pretreatment U-WBC count < or =3 or >3/high power field were defined as non-pyuria and pyuria, respectively. The patients were also separated into two groups based on the serum CRP level prior to biopsy. Several clinical factors were compared among these subgroups. RESULTS: Inflammation was histologically detected at rates of 58.1% and 34.1% in the pyuria and non-pyuria groups, respectively (P = 0.0014). The rates of cancer detection were significantly lower in the pyuria, than in the non-pyuria group (P = 0.0384). The cancer detection rates did not significantly differ according to serum CRP levels prior to biopsy. CONCLUSION: The U-WBC count appears to be a reliable indicator of minute prostatic inflammation. The serum PSA level was elevated in patients with asymptomatic prostatitis. Counting U-WBC is a simple, convenient and non-invasive method that should be valuable part of routine urological examinations.     

Testicular cancer with tumor thrombus extending to the inferior vena cava successfully removed using veno-venous bypass: A case report

A 33-year-old man with a left testicular tumor was referred to Shinshu University Hospital for advanced therapy. Radiographic imaging revealed multiple metastases in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes (RPLN) and bilateral lungs, as well as tumor thrombus that extended from the left renal vein to the inferior vena cava (IVC) adjacent to the right atrium. After orchidectomy, a diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma was made with a clinical stage of T1N2M1bS3, which has a poor prognosis, based on the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group consensus. After eight courses of chemotherapy, the patient's tumor markers normalized and the lung metastases disappeared, but the RPLN and tumor thrombus remained. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and thrombectomy were performed using a veno-venous bypass (VVB). The pathological examination of the thrombus revealed a mature teratoma. The patient has been disease-free since surgery.     

Acquired progressive lymphangioma occurring following femoral arteriography

Our case report concerns an unusual case of acquired progressive lymphangioma (APL) which developed in a 52-year-old Japanese man following femoral artery catheterization for angiography. The histological examination revealed many irregularly shaped and dilated lymphatic channels that were lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. Immunohistochemical staining for von Willebrand factor was negative in the endothelial cells of the dilated channels. Electron microscopic study demonstrated no Weibel-Palade bodies in the cytoplasm of the endothelial cells. The endothelial cells had no distinct basement membrane.     

Melatonin treatment for rhythm disorder

Abstract We tried melatonin treatment in two patients with non-24 h sleep-wake syndrome, who did not respond to treatments by vitamin B₁₂, bright light therapy, or hypnotics. In one patient, melatonin 5–10 mg improved difficulty in falling asleep and in waking, although it failed to improve the sleep-wake rhythm. In another patient, melatonin 3 mg successfully changed the sleep-wake rhythm from free-running pattern to delayed sleep phase pattern. However, melatonin re-administration after a 4-month drug-free interval failed to improve his free-running sleep-wake rhythm. These results suggest that melatonin acted as a sleep inducer in one patient and as a phase setter in the other, although the effect on the latter patient was transient.     

Coexistence of renal replacement lipomatosis with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis

We report on a case of coexistence of replacement lipomatosis with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) in the same kidney associated with staghorn calculi. A 63-year-old man was admitted to hospital complaining of a right abdominal mass. Computed tomography (CT) showed renal parenchymal atrophy with extremely increased perirenal fat. Right nephrectomy was performed. Postoperative diagnosis was renal replacement lipomatosis with XGP. Renal replacement lipomatosis and XGP have several similarities in terms of clinical background and CT findings. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate them from malignant diseases. It is extremely rare that both conditions coexist in the same kidney. To our knowledge, only one such case has been reported.     

Immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and immunoelectron microscopic studies of spinal cord neurofibrillary tangles in progressive supranuclear palsy

Immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and immunoelectron microscopic studies of spinal cord neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) were performed. The spinal cord NFTs reacted with antibodies to tau protein (tau-2), ubiquitin and Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles (ANTs, Ab 39). Ultrastructurally, the NFTs consisted of bundles of straight fibrils. In longitudinal sections, the individual NFT fibrils appeared as straight fibrils with a diameter of approximately 15 nm. In cross sections, circular structures approximately 15 nm in diameter were seen, and some had a central density. Electron microscopic examination of specimens stained with the antibodies and by the modified Bielschowsky method revealed the products of the tau, ubiquitin and ANTs immunoreactions and silver deposits on the NFT fibrils. This is the first demonstration of the ultrastructure of spinal cord NFTs in PSP.     

Inhibition of inward rectifier K+ currents by angiotensin II in rat atrial myocytes: lack of effects in cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We examined the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) on inward rectifier K+ currents (IK1) in rat atrial myocytes. [125I]Ang II-binding assays revealed the presence of both Ang II type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2) receptors in atrial membrane preparations. Ang II inhibited IK1 in isolated atrial myocytes with an IC50 of 46 nmol/l. This inhibition was abolished by the AT, antagonist RNH6270 but not at all by the AT2 antagonist PD123319. Treatment of cells with pertussis toxin or a synthetic decapeptide corresponding to the carboxyl-terminus of Gialpha-3 abolished the inhibition by Ang II, indicating the role of a Gi-dependent signaling pathway. Accordingly, Ang II failed to inhibit IK1 in the presence of forskolin, dibutyryl-cAMP or protein kinase A catalytic subunits. In spite of the increased binding capacities for [125I]Ang II, Ang II failed to affect IKI in cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). AT, immunoprecipitation from atrial extracts revealed decreased amounts of Gialpha-2 and Gialpha-3 proteins associated with this receptor in SHR as compared with controls. The reduced coupling of AT, with Gialpha. proteins may underlie the unresponsiveness of atrial IK1 to Ang II in SHR cells.     

Oxygenated and reoxygenated tumors show better local control in radiation therapy for cervical cancer

The presence of hypoxic cells is one of the major factors affecting resistance against radiation therapy. In the clinical setting, little information exists as to the relationship between intratumoral oxygen partial pressure (pO(2)) and outcome. This study involved 30 consecutive patients with cervical cancer, who were treated with a combination of external and high-dose rate intracavitary irradiation. The pO(2) was measured before radiation therapy and at 9 Gy, using a needle-type polarographic oxygen electrode. The mean intratumoral pO(2) before radiation therapy was 17.3 +/- 10.8 mm Hg. The 3-year local control rates of patients with pO(2)< or = 20 mm Hg and pO(2) > 20 mm Hg before radiation therapy were 52% and 100%, respectively, representing a significant difference (P= 0.035). At 9 Gy, mean intratumoral pO(2) was 23.6 +/- 9.1 mm Hg, a significant increase compared to the value before radiation therapy (P= 0.006). The 3-year local control rates of tumors with pO(2)< or = 20 mm Hg and pO(2) > 20 mm Hg at 9 Gy were 35% and 93%, respectively, representing a significant difference (P= 0.001). The significantly better local control for oxygenated tumors at 9 Gy as well as before radiation therapy indicated that the oxygen effect and reoxygenation by radiation played an important role in local control in radiation therapy for cervical cancer.     

Expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by cultured angiofibroma stroma cells from patients with tuberous sclerosis

Large dendritic cells were cultured from facial angiofibromas of six patients with tuberous sclerosis. The cells were examined immunocytochemically for expression of selected cytoskeletal and non-structural proteins and the results compared with the staining profiles obtained with normal skin fibroblasts and normal glial cells. In similarity to normal glia, the angiofibroma stroma cells expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Conversely, by analogy to fibroblasts, the abnormal stroma cells produced fibronectin and did not react with the antibody to S-100 protein. By immunogold labelling it was established that GFAP and vimentin were co-localized in intermediate filaments of the angiofibroma cells.