Serum Prostate Research Articles

Effects of Calocybe indica Mushroom on Oxidative Stress and Hematological ‎Alterations in Rats with Testosterone-induced Experimental Benign Prostatic ‎Hyperplasia

This study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of Calocybe indica extract (CLE) on testosterone propionate (TP)-induced hematological changes and oxidative stress in rats. The rats were grouped into six equal groups of ten rats each as follows:(a) control, (b) TP 3 mg/kg only, (c) 3mg/kg TP+ 5 mg/kg finasteride, (d) 3 mg/kg TP+250 mg/kg CLE, (e) 3 mg/kg TP+ 500 mg/kg CLE and (f) 3 mg/kg TP+1000 mg/kg CLE. The rats were administered TP subcutaneously for 28 days to induce benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and simultaneously administered three graded doses of CLE, and finasteride as the standard drug. Hematological parameters, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities and histopathological examination of the prostate were assessed. BPH induction showed higher red blood cells (RBCs) count, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), malondialdehyde (MDA) and lower white blood cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte count as well as lower catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. The simultaneous oral administration of CLE with testosterone injection did not significantly lower RBC count, Hb concentration and PCV but significantly lowered serum PSA and MDA. There was also a significantly higher WBC count, lymphocyte count, CAT and SOD activities. The results from this study suggest that dietary consumption of Calocybe indica, a mushroom with high antioxidant activity ameliorated BPH induced oxidative tissue damage and hematological alterations.

Outcome Evaluation of Active Surveillance in Low Risk Group Prostate Cancers

Aim: To assess the outcomes of active surveillance evaluation in low risk prostate cancer patients. Study Design: Cohort study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital (GMMMC), Sukkur from 1st August 2019 to 30th September 2022. Methodology: One hundred and ten patients suffering from prostate cancer with Gleason score upto 6 (low risk group prostate cancer) patients were enrolled. Active surveillance was done with 3 monthly check-up with physical examination and serum prostate specific antigen. Results: The mean age of the patients was 61.5±3.5 years. The Gleason score showed that majority of the cases were within the score of 6 (3+3) with highest having a clinical staging as T1c followed by T2b. The active surveillance outcomes showed on a median follow-up of 3 years that the upgrade on repetitive biopsies or prostatectomy was taken in 19 cases only with a proper treatment received in only 22 cases. Conclusion: Patients with active surveillance have increased rate of definitive treatment post initial diagnosis. Safety net hospital provides critical care and takes up active surveillance as a challenge. Keywords: Evaluation, Prostate, Molecular, Morbidity, Management

Cryotherapy for partial gland ablation of prostate cancer: Oncologic and safety outcomes.

Partial gland ablation (PGA) is a new option for treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Cryotherapy, an early method of PGA, has had favorable evaluations, but few studies have employed a strict protocol using biopsy endpoints in men with clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). 143 men with unilateral csPCa were enrolled in a prospective, observational trial of outpatient PGA-cryotherapy. Treatment was a 2-cycle freeze of the affected prostate part. Participants were evaluated with MRI-guided biopsy (MRGB) at baseline and at 6 months and 18 months after treatment. Absence of csPCa upon MRGB was the primary endpoint; quality-of-life at baseline and at 6 months after treatment was assessed by EPIC-CP questionnaires in the domains of urinary and sexual function. Of the 143 participants, 136 (95%) completed MRGB at 6 months after treatment. In 103/136 (76%), the biopsy revealed no csPCa. Of the 103, 71 subsequently had an 18-month comprehensive biopsy; of the 71 with 18-month biopsies, 46 (65%) were found to have no csPCa. MRI lesions became undetectable in 96/130 (74%); declines in median serum PSA levels (6.9 to 2.5 ng/mL), PSA density (0.15 to 0.07), and prostate volume (42 to 34cc) were observed (all p< 0.01). Neither lesion disappearance on MRI nor PSA decline correlated with biopsy outcome. Urinary function was affected only slightly and sexual function moderately. In the near to intermediate term, partial gland ablation with cryotherapy was found to be a safe and moderately effective treatment of intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Eradication of cancer was better determined by MRI-guided biopsy than by MRI or PSA.

Relationship between serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and some reproductive hormones in Kirkuk city

PCOS is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women between 12 and 45 years of age, affecting 5-10% of women. The patients were included in the current study based on the criteria of Rotterdam in the diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome with at least two of the following three criteria: menstrual cycle disorder, chemical criteria for high levels of androgen, detection of polycystic ovary using ultrasound (10 or more cysts of 2-10 mm in diameter). Sixty (60) patients were diagnosed with the syndrome and 30 healthy women were considered as control groups aged between 16 and 46 years.A number of criteria have been adopted to exclude patients who have had previous ovarian surgery as well as women taking contraceptives, steroids and herbal medicines that affect ovarian function for at least two months. The study was conducted at the Azadi Teaching Hospital in the city of Kirkuk for the period from October 2016 to February 2017.&#x0D; Blood collected for all participants on the second or third day of the menstrual cycle. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level and the level of sex hormones such as Anti-mullarian hormone(AMH),Luteinizing hormone(LH),Follicular stimulating hormone(FSH),Testosterone hormone(T) as well as Luteinizing hormone/Follicular stimulating hormone(LH / FSH) ratio were determined. The relationship between PSA and all studied variables was investigated after dividing the study sample into three age groups A (16-25), B (26-35), and C (36-45) years. Each age group included 30 patients with PCOS and 10 women as a control group).The results showed a significant increase (p &lt;0.05) in the level of the PSA, AMH, LH, T and LH / FSH ratio, conversely the level of FSH was significantly reduced (p &lt;0.05) when comparing women patientswith the control group. Correlation results showed a positive correlation between the PSA level and the values of all the studied variables except for FSH, which was inversely correlated with serum PSA in PCOS patients and for most age groups except for category C where AMH showed a negative correlation with PSA. The results also indicated a significant correlation between PSA and T, LH, and LH / FSH ratio for all ages groups. PSA can therefore be considered as a biochemical marker for androgen activity changes in patients with PCOS

Cervical lymphadenopathy as initial presentation of metastatic prostate cancer: A retrospective study of five cases and literature review.

Cervical lymphadenopathy as the initial presentation of metastatic prostate cancer is particularly uncommon, and easily misdiagnosed. In the current study, we describe five cases of metastatic prostate cancer in our hospital that presented with cervical lymphadenopathy as an initial symptom. The diagnosis was confirmed by needle biopsy of the suspicious lymph nodes and the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels of all patients exceeded 100 ng/ml. The five patients were treated with hormonal therapy; four received traditional hormonal therapy, including bicalutamide and goserelin; one patient received hormonal therapy that included abiraterone and goserelin. Case 1 developed into castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after 7 months and died after 12 months. Case 2 rejected regular hormonal therapy for personal reasons and died 6 months after the initial diagnosis. Case 3 was still alive at the time of writing. Case 4 was administered with abiraterone, prednisolone and goserelin; the treatment was effective and the patient has remained symptom-free for the last 24 months. Case 5 was treated with hormonal and chemotherapy but died 8 months after diagnosis. In conclusion, any elderly male presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy should be considered the possibility of prostate cancer, especially when the needle biopsy reveals adenocarcinoma. The prognosis for patients presented with cervical lymphadenopathy as the initial presentation is usually poor. Hormone therapy based on abiraterone may yield a better response in such cases.

Transrectal versus transperineal prostate biopsy in detection of prostate cancer: a retrospective study based on 452 patients

BackgroundTransrectal (TR) ultrasound guided prostate biopsy and transperineal (TP) ultrasound guided prostate biopsy are the two most commonly used methods to detect prostate cancer, the detection rate of the two biopsy approaches may differ in patients with different clinical characteristics. Here we aimed to compare the prostate cancer detection rate and positive rate of biopsy cores between TR and TP prostate biopsy in patients with different clinical characteristics.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed and compared the clinical data of 452 patients underwent TR or TP prostate biopsy in our hospital from June 2017 to September 2021. And patients were stratified according to several clinical characteristic (serum PSA level, prostate volume, PSA density, T stage and ISUP grade), cancer detection rate and positive rate of biopsy cores were compared in different stratified groups.ResultsThere was no significant difference in age, PSA level, prostate volume, and PSA density between the TR and TP groups. TR group had a higher overall cancer detection rate and positive rate of biopsy cores than TP group. Further subgroup analysis showed that TR group had a higher cancer detection rate in patients with prostate volumes 30–80 mL, and that the TR group had a higher positive rate of biopsy cores among the patients with T3–T4 stages, while TP group had a higher positive rates of biopsy cores among the patients with T1–T2 stages. There were no significant differences between the TR and TP groups for each subgroup when stratified by PSA level, PSA density and ISUP grade.ConclusionsTR approach may have advantage in patients with prostate volumes 30–80 mL and T3–T4 stages, while TP approach may have advantage in patients with T1–T2 stages.

Alterations of plasma exosomal proteins and motabolies are associated with the progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer

BackgroundCurrent diagnosis tools for prostate cancer (PCa) such as serum PSA detection and prostate biopsy cannot distinguish dormant tumors from invasive malignancies, either be used as prognosis marker for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the lethal stage of PCa patients. Exosomes have been widely investigated as promising biomarkers for various diseases. We aim to characterize the proteomic and metabolomic profile of exosomes and to evaluate their potential value for the diagnosis of PCa, especially CRPC. We also investigate the functions of some specific exosome biomarkers in the progression of CRPC.MethodsIntegrated proteomics and metabolomics analysis were performed for plasma-derived exosomes collected from tumor-free controls (TFC), PCa and CRPC patients. Expression of specific exosomal proteins were further validated by targeted 4D-parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mass spectrometry among the three cohorts. Tissue distribution and functional role of exosomal protein LRG1 was studied in clinical PCa tissue samples and cell line models.ResultsThree potential exosomal protein markers were identified. The apolipoprotein E level in PCa samples was 1.7-fold higher than that in TFC (receiver operating characteristic value, 0.74). Similarly, the levels of exosome-derived leucine-rich alpha2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H3 (ITIH3) in the CRPC group were 1.7 and 2.04 times, respectively, higher than those in the PCa group (ROC values, 0.84 and 0.85, respectively), indicating that LRG1 and ITIH3 could serve as predictive markers for CRPC. For metabolomic evaluation of exosomes, a series of differentially expressed metabolites were identified, and a combined metabolite panel showed ROC value of 0.94 for distinguishing PCa from TFC and 0.97 for distinguishing CRPC from PCa. Immunohistochemistry of tissue microarray showed that LRG1 protein was significantly upregulated in advanced prostate cancer and functional assay revealed that ectopic expression of LRG1 can significantly enhance the malignant phenotype of prostate cancer cells. More importantly, PCa cell derived LRG1-overexpressed exosomes remarkably promoted angiogenesis.ConclusionIntegration of proteomics and metabolomics data generated proteomic and metabolic signatures of plasma exosomes that may facilitate discrimination of CRPC from PCa and TFC patients, suggesting the potential of exosomal proteins and metabolites as CRPC markers. The study also confirmed the important role of exosomal protein LRG1 in PCa malignant progression.

Serum testosterone and prostate cancer in men with germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants.

The relation of serum androgens and the development of prostate cancer (PCa) is subject of debate. Lower total testosterone (TT) levels have been associated with increased PCa detection and worse pathological features after treatment. However, data from the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) and Prostate Cancer Prevention (PCPT) trial groups indicate no association. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of serum androgen levels and PCa detection in a prospective screening study of men at higher genetic risk of aggressive PCa due to BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (PVs), the IMPACT study. Men enrolled in the IMPACT study provided serum samples during regular visits. Hormonal levels were calculated using immunoassays. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated from TT and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) using the Sodergard mass equation. Age, body mass index (BMI), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and hormonal concentrations were compared between genetic cohorts. We also explored associations between age and TT, SHBG, FT and PCa, in the whole subset and stratified by BRCA1/2 PVs status. A total of 777 participants in the IMPACT study had TT and SHBG measurements in serum samples at annual visits, giving 3940 prospective androgen levels, from 266 BRCA1 PVs carriers, 313 BRCA2 PVs carriers and 198 non-carriers. The median number of visits per patient was 5. There was no difference in TT, SHBG and FT between carriers and non-carriers. In a univariate analysis, androgen levels were not associated with PCa. In the analysis stratified by carrier status, no significant association was found between hormonal levels and PCa in non-carriers, BRCA1 or BRCA2 PVs carriers. Male BRCA1/2 PVs carriers have a similar androgen profile to non-carriers. Hormonal levels were not associated with PCa in men with and without BRCA1/2 PVs. Mechanisms related to the particularly aggressive phenotype of PCa in BRCA2 PVs carriers may therefore not be linked with circulating hormonal levels.

Palliative TURP Combined with Intermittent ADT Is A Curative Therapy to Some Elderly Men with Localized Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Radical prostatectomy is the preferred therapeutic option for patients with localized prostate adenocarcinoma whose life expectancy is greater than 10 years. But for elderly patients, this may not be the best option. In clinical work, we have observed that palliative transurethral resection of prostate (pTURP) combined with intermittent androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has achieved significant good results in the treatment of elderly patients with localized prostate adenocarcinoma. Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 elderly patients aged 71 to 88 years who were hospitalized for urinary retention from March 2009 to March 2015. These patients were diagnosed as localized prostate adenocarcinoma with stage T1 to T2 and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) through MRI and prostate biopsy. Fifteen cases (group A) were given pTURP and intermittent ADT after surgery. Fifteen cases (group B) were given sustained ADT. Serum total prostate specific antigen (TPSA), testosterone, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), prostate acid phosphatase (PAP), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Quality of Life (QOL) score, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), average urinary flow rate (Qave), prostate volume and post-void residual urine (PVR) data were followed up for 5 years, and the differences between the two groups were compared. Results: The 5-year cumulative survival rate of group A was 100%. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression-free survival was 60.00%. The average duration of intermittent ADT was 23.93 months. Prostate volume reduction was significantly. The dysuria in all patients was significantly improved. Nine patients had TPSA lower than 4 ng/ml and had no local progression and metastasis. At the same time the 5-year cumulative survival rate of group B was 80%. PSA progression-free survival was 26.67%. Six cases of dysuria improved. There was no significant difference in serum TPSA, ALP and PAP between the two groups in five years (P>0.05). Serum testosterone, IPSS score, QOL score, prostate volume, Qmax, Qave, and PVR were significantly different between the two groups in five years (P<0.05). Conclusion: pTURP for elderly patients with localized prostate adenocarcinoma and BPH combined with intermittent ADT is an effective treatment. It is able to solve dysuria. The overall ADT time is short. The risk of progression to castrated resistant prostate cancer is low. Some of them have achieved tumor-free survival.

Serum Prostate Specific Antigen and Mast Cells in Distinguishing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia from Prostatic Carcinoma: Is there a Correlation?

Introduction: Benign Hyperplasia of the Prostate (BHP) and prostate cancer comprise about 90% of all diseases of the prostate gland. An increase in serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is an indicator of underlying hyperplasia, inflammation, or cancer. Mast cells are found in both inflamed and tumour tissue. Aim: To find the correlation of mast cell count with age, weight of prostate, and serum PSA level, and thereby distinguishing between the benign or inflammatory prostatic enlargement against prostatic carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted over a period of 18 months from November 2013 to April 2015 in a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal, India. Patients coming for treatment of enlarged prostate were included in this study as a convenience sample. Their age in years, weight of the gland by ultrasonography, serum PSA level, and mast cell count were recorded for analysis. The data between benign and malignant lesions were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test and the Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to find correlation among the continuous variables. Chi-square test was done to compare categorical data. Microsoft Excel 2010 (Microsoft Inc, USA) and International Business Machines (IBM) Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics 20.0 (IBM, New York, USA) software were used for conducting the statistical tests. Results: A total of 48 males with a median age of 63.5 years were studied. The weight of the prostate gland, serum PSA, and mast cell count were significantly higher in carcinoma of the gland. The weight of prostate gland (rs= 0.34, p-value= 0.02) and serum PSA (rs= 0.61, p-value &lt;0.0001) was significantly positively correlated with mast cell count in overall sample. The PSA (p-value &lt;0.001) significantly contributed to predicting the mast cells in linear regression. Conclusion: The serum level of PSA and mast cells were higher in carcinoma of the prostate. Higher prostate gland size and PSA would have higher mast cell infiltration. This study showed a correlation of serum PSA level with mast cell density, which may be used as an additional tool in distinguishing BHP versus prostatic carcinoma. Further studies are needed to find a more generalisable regression equation.

The Value of Combined Detection of Serum PSA, MALAT1 and TMPRSS2-ETV1 in Evaluating the Progress and Prognosis of Prostate Cancer.

To explore the prognostic value of combined detection of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), lung cancer metastasis-associated transcript 1 (MALAT1), transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), and erythropoietin-specific transforming gene variant 1 (ETV1) in prostate cancer. Ninety patients with prostate cancer who were treated in hospital were divided into two groups according to tumor node metastasis stage: Stage I-II group (n = 34) and stage III-IV group (n = 56). The serum levels of PSA, MALAT1, and TMPRSS2-ETV1 were detected in both groups and correlated with prostate cancer status to determine their value as indicators of disease progression and prognosis. Age, body mass index (BMI), and Gleason score differed significantly between the study group and the control group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of serum PSA and MALAT1 were higher in group III-IV than in group I-II, and the positive expression rate of TMPRSS2-ETV1 was significantly higher in group III-IV than in the control group (p < 0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis showed that serum PSA, MALAT1, and TMPRSS2-ETV1 were significantly correlated with prostate cancer (p < 0.05). Differences in PSA levels correlated with differences in age, BMI, type of pathology, and Gleason score, whereas differences in serum MALAT1 levels correlated with differences in age, BMI, and type of pathology. Gleason scores differed significantly between patients with positive and negative TMPRSS2-ETV1 indicators (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that serum PSA, MALAT1, and TMPRSS2-ETV1 were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of prostate cancer (p < 0.05). The areas under the curve (AUCs) of serum PSA, MALAT1, and TMPRSS2-ETV1 as prognostic predictors in prostate cancer were 0.692, 0.731, and 0.709, respectively, whereas the AUC of the combination was 0.819. Assessment of disease progression using the combination of indicators had a significantly higher prognostic value than single indicators (p < 0.05). Serum levels of PSA, MALAT1, and TMPRSS2-ETV1 were abnormal in patients with prostate cancer, and the combined detection of these factors provided a reference for assessing disease progression and predicting the prognosis of prostate cancer.

Histopathological Correlations of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and Tumor Grade among Prostate Cancer Patients in Kano, Nigeria

Context: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men of black extraction afflicting mostly the elderly with attendant morbidity and mortality. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is the most widely used tumor marker for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. Patients with raised PSA above 4ng/dl need further evaluation by needle biopsy, and those with cancer are graded using Gleason's score for appropriate prognostication. Aims: The study was aimed at establishing a correlation between PSA level and Gleason's tumor grade among patients with prostate cancer. Settings and Design: This is a prospective study of prostatic needle biopsies and serum PSA of prostate cancer patients over a period of 1 year. Materials and Methods: Venous blood samples for serum PSA were taken and analyzed in the laboratory using an automated in vitro immunoassay analyzer. Patients with raised PSA values (&gt;4 ng/ml) were counseled and consented for trans-rectal needle biopsies and sampled using an 18-gauge biopsy needle; tissue samples were routinely processed and reviewed. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed by means of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 21. Results: The mean age of patients at presentation was 69 years with a range of 50 to 90 years and mean serum PSA of 78.8ng/dl. The dominant Gleason's scores were 7 and 8 with grade group 5 as the most predominant. There was however no significant correlation between serum PSA and tumor grade. Conclusions: Prostatic adenocarcinoma is associated with raised PSA, but tumor grade has no statistical correlation with PSA in patients seen at AKTH, Kano.

The Assesment of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

The Assesment of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Correlation between Pre Biopsy Serum Prostate Specific Antigen Level and Gleason Score in Patients Diagnosed with Prostate Adenocarcinoma: A Hospital Based Study

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a non-invasive biomarker in the management of prostate adenocarcinoma. Due to its low specificity, its diagnostic role is controversial in prostate adenocarcinoma. Gleason score is considered as most powerful predictor of prostate carcinoma. PSA in combination with Gleason grading system improves the detection of pathological stage of prostate adenocarcinoma. Objective: To determine the degree of correlation between pre biopsy serum PSA level and Gleason score in patients diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma. Methods: Retrospective cross sectional study was conducted in Chemical Pathology and Histopathology department, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan between July 1, 2021 and September 31, 2022. A total of 51 histopathologically confirmed cases of prostate adenocarcinoma with documented Pre biopsy PSA level and Gleason score were included in the study. Serum PSA level correlation is compared with Gleason score, Gleason Pattern and Gleason Grade. p-value ≤0.05 taken as significant. Results: Mean age for prostate carcinoma patients was 65.71±10.062 years. Mean pre biopsy serum PSA level in study subjects was 40.31±37.52ng/ml. Of the total 51 study subjects, 27 (52.94%) were having Gleason score 7 suggestive of moderately differentiated tumor. Among these, 15(55.6%) were having serum PSA level between 10.01-50.00ng/ml. Statistically significant good correlation of serum PSA with Gleason score, Gleason pattern and Grade was established with p value &lt;0.05. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is good degree of positive correlation between pre biopsy PSA level and Gleason score in patients with Prostate adenocarcinoma

Clinical Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Combined With Serum Prostate-specific Antigen, Epithelial Cadherin and Early Prostate Cancer Antigen 2 In Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer.

To explore the clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), epithelial cadherin (sE-cadherin) and early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2) in prostate cancer (PC) diagnosis. Fifty patients with PC and 50 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) confirmed by pathology from January 2020 to July 2021 were studied retrospectively. All patients underwent MRI and measurement of the serum levels of PSA, EPCA-2, and sE-cadherin. The diagnostic accuracy and efficacy of these methods was compared between the groups. In MRI diagnosis of PC, lesions were mainly located in the peripheral zone; T2-weighted imaging of this zone showed low signal intensity, with different degrees of prostate enlargement. BPH had a clear boundary, complete capsule and central zone hyperplasia and uneven signal nodules. PC and BPH had different degrees of prostate enlargement. Serum levels of PSA, sE-cadherin and EPCA-2 in the cancer group were significantly higher than those in the BPH group (p<0.05). The diagnostic concordance of combined assessment of MRI, PSA, sE-cadherin, and EPCA-2 in differentiating PC from BPH was 93%, which was significantly higher than these approaches used alone (84%, 79%, 81% and 82%, respectively; p<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the combined approach in PC diagnosis was 0.900, which was significantly higher than those for the individual methods (0.840, 0.730, 0.760 and 0.810, respectively; Z=2.343, p=0.004). MRI combined with PSA, sE-cadherin and EPCA-2 can improve the sensitivity and accuracy of PC diagnosis and has potential as a guiding scheme for early diagnosis of PC.

Modulatory effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii on experimentally induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related non-neoplastic disease of the prostate gland in men that has become a global health issue in recent years. Due to the side effects of conventional treatment options, attention is now focused on phytotherapeutics for its management. We investigated the possible protective effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii in a rat model of testosterone propionate (TP) induced BPH. Rats were divided into five groups: Gr. I, untreated control group; Gr. II, TP group; Gr. III, TP + finasteride; Gr. IV, TP + S. cerevisiae var. boulardii; and Gr. V, S. cerevisiae var. boulardii group. Treatments were given daily for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, all rats were weighed and the prostatic indices, prostate specific antigen, serum testosterone concentration as well as the histological and histomorphometric changes were evaluated. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii significantly (P <0.05) reduced prostate weight, prostatic index, serum prostate specific antigen, prostatic epithelial thickness and increased luminal diameter. Thus, the results of this study suggest that S. cerevisiae var. boulardii is a potential pharmacological candidate for management of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Association between serum uric acid and prostate cancer risk in East Asian populations: a Mendelian randomization study.

Previous observational studies showed that serum uric acid (SUA) was associated with prostate cancer, but the causal relationship is unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential causal association between SUA and prostate cancer risk using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses in the East Asian populations. Publicly available summary-level genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data on SUA were obtained from a genome-wide meta-analysis of three Japanese cohorts (121,745 subjects). The GWAS data on prostate cancer were derived from Biobank Japan (109,347 subjects with 5,408 cases and 103,939 controls). A total of 34 SUA-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (P value < 5 × 10-8) were identified as instrumental variables. The inverse variance weighted method was used as the primary method to compute the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for per standard deviation increase in SUA. MR Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode were also applied to test the robustness of the results. Genetically predicted SUA was positively associated with prostate cancer risk using inverse variance weighted (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.00-1.26; P = 0.043). The positive association was robust when MR Egger (OR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.01-1.34; P = 0.048), weighted median (OR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.03-1.36; P = 0.018), and weighted mode (OR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.01-1.29; P = 0.041) were used. There were potential causal associations between higher genetically predicted SUA levels and increased prostate cancer risk. Further, MR studies with more valid SNPs and more cancer cases are needed. Validation of the findings is also recommended.

Serum prostate specific antigen is a good indicator of prostatic volume in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause of bladder outlet obstruction in men over the age of 50 years. An association between the prostate specific antigen (PSA), International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) and prostate volume (PV) may be instrumental in determining patients who may benefit from treatment. Targeted therapy will reduce the cost of care because it is unwise to treat all men with prostate enlargement to prevent complications when the risk of occurrence is negligible. To determine the correlation between the PSA, IPSS and PV in men of African descent. This was a cross sectional analysis involving 92 patients diagnosed as having symptomatic BPH at the Ho Teaching Hospital. The data were collected using standardised questionnaires. The IPSS determined urinary symptom severity. The PV was determined using a transabdominal ultrasound machine. Serum PSA was retrieved from the electronic medical records. The mean PV was 61.04 cm3 ± 21.95 cm3, the mean PSA was 4.21 ng/mL ± 3.85 ng/mL, and mean IPSS of 21.59 ± 3.78. The Pearson's correlation between PV and PSA was 0.283 (p = 0.01), between PV and IPSS was 0.108 (p = 0.30), and finally, between Serum PSA and IPSS Score was -0.086 (p = 0.42). This study showed that serum PSA has a positive correlation with PV. However, IPSS had no significant association with PSA or PV in patients with BPH.Contribution: This study provides insights into the implications of clinical parameters on the management of prostate enlargement.

Role of serum cathelicidin in diagnosis of patient with prostatitis and prostate carcinoma

BackgroundThis study investigated the diagnostic role of 75 levels measured in serum prostatitis and prostate carcinoma and in the differentiation of these two conditions.MethodsThe study was conducted with 75 patients histopathologically diagnosed with prostate carcinoma or prostatitis and followed up at the Departments of Urology and Medical Oncology and 21 healthy male subjects. Serum cathelicidin levels were investigated using the ELISA method. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS for Windows 22.0 package software. Compliance of the variables to normal distribution was examined using visual and analytic methods. In the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, cases with a p value of greater than 0.05 were accepted as normal distribution.ResultsA total of 75 patients including 45 diagnosed with prostate carcinoma and 30 diagnosed with prostatitis, as well as 21 healthy control subjects were included in the study. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was detected as 23 (4–1200) ng/mL in the patients with prostate carcinoma and as 9.85 (3.9–405 ng/mL) in the patients with prostatitis. The cathelicidin levels were diagnostically significant when assessed by ROC analysis in the prostate cancer, prostatitis and control groups (p = 0.005). The cutoff values derived from the ROC curve analysis were 3.5151 ng/mL for distinguishing prostate cancer from prostatitis, 2.2620 ng/mL for prostate cancer versus control group and 1.2340 ng/mL for prostatitis versus control group.ConclusionsIn this study we showed that the serum cathelicidin levels were significantly higher in the patients diagnosed with prostate carcinoma. Measurement of serum cathelicidin levels could be used as a diagnostic marker in prostate carcinoma as well as facilitating differential diagnosis to strengthen the diagnostic suspicion before prostate biopsy and distinguish the diagnosis from prostatitis cases.

RNA profiling of circulating tumor cells systemically captured from diagnostic leukapheresis products in prostate cancer patients.

The application of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in both clinical practice and research has been continuously limited by the rare number of targets that can be found in a tube of peripheral blood. Diagnostic leukapheresis (DLA) was used to increase the sampling volume. AdnaTest was used to process the whole leukopak, and the RNAs of captured CTCs was then profiled by NanoString nCounter platform. Spike-in experiments and leukopaks from patients with metastatic prostate cancer were used to validate this new strategy. The whole leukopak was further concentrated five times to reduce the total volume from 150​mL to 30​mL, which enabled it to be processed by 3 separate AdnaTest kits. The spike-in experiment demonstrated a reliable capture when there were more than 100 cancer cells/10​mL of concentrated leukopak. In 1 out of 5 real patient samples, CTCs were only detected in the leukopak, but not in peripheral blood. The RNA profiling of DLA CTCs indicated a more aggressive phenotype of CTCs occurred when the patient was experiencing a disease relapse, even when the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was still relatively low and CTCs in peripheral blood were not detectable. We established a new protocol, integrating DLA, AdnaTest and NanoString nCounter technology, to profile RNAs from CTCs captured from a large blood screening volume. The new protocol can process the whole leukopak with sensitive CTC capture. The RNA profiling of CTCs can provide valuable information for disease monitoring.