bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A prospective observational trial of pelvic floor muscle training for female stress urinary incontinence
Authors: Balmforth James R. , Mantle Jill , Bidmead John , Cardozo Linda 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo assess the impact of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) on bladder neck mobility in a prospective observational study, and to correlate any observed changes with objective, standardized outcome measures of the severity of stress urinary incontinence (SUI).PATIENTS AND METHODSWomen with the symptom of SUI were recruited prospectively over a 3‐year period from a tertiary referral urogynaecology clinic in a teaching hospital. A group of 97 treatment‐naive women complaining of SUI and confirmed as having urodynamic SUI on video‐urodynamic assessment agreed to participate. Bladder neck mobility on perineal ultrasonography was assessed immediately before and on completing a 14‐week programme of ‘PFM rehabilitation’. Treatment outcome was assessed using a standardized pad‐test and a condition‐specific, validated quality‐of‐life questionnaire (King’s Health Questionnaire). Changes in functional anatomy were quantified using transperineal ultrasonography to measure the bladder neck position at rest, maximum PFM contraction and maximum Valsalva manoeuvre. Bladder neck rotational mobility from rest to maximum incursion and maximum excursion was calculated.RESULTSTreatment with an intensive package of PFMT and behavioural modification resulted in significant elevation of the bladder neck position at all three measured positions. Displacement of the bladder neck on Valsalva (rotational excursion) was reduced after treatment, suggesting increased levator ‘stiffness’. These changes in functional anatomy were associated with a statistically and clinically significant reduction in urine loss and improvement in condition‐specific quality of life.CONCLUSIONThe present results show that PFMT is an effective treatment for SUI and provide an important new insight into how dynamic pelvic floor anatomy can be modified by this widely used intervention.
The thermo‐expandable metallic stent for managing benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review
Authors: Armitage James N. , Rashidian Arash , Cathcart Paul J. , Emberton Mark , Van Der Meulen Jan H.P. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVESTo systematically review published reports of the safety, effectiveness and durability of a self‐expanding metallic prostatic stent (Memokath®, Engineers & Doctors A/S Ltd., Denmark) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who are unfit for surgery.METHODSWe systematically searched the Medline and Embase databases from 1992. The reference lists of included studies and the bibliographies of review articles were also searched. We contacted the manufacturer of Memokath for additional information. The primary outcomes were treatment failure (stent removal, replacement or repositioning) and urological symptom scores. Secondary outcomes were urodynamic indices and minor complications. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the studies and extracted data. Data were synthesized using narrative techniques.RESULTSIn all, 14 case series described the use of the Memokath stent in 839 men with BPH. All patients were at high operative risk. Most studies were of poor quality with an inadequate follow‐up. Treatment failure rates were 0–48% but the duration of follow‐up was often unclear. Five studies reported International Prostate Symptom Scores and found reductions of 11–19 points after stent insertion. All seven studies that reported on maximum urinary flow rates found that these increased, and the four that described residual urine volumes found that these decreased. Minor complications were inconsistently reported.CONCLUSIONSThe Memokath stent can provide an effective treatment for BPH in men at high operative risk; it also appears to be safe, but inadequate follow‐up does not allow firm conclusions on stent durability.
Measuring the psychosocial impact of population‐based prostate‐specific antigen testing for prostate cancer in the UK
Authors: Brindle Lucy A. , Oliver Steven E. , Dedman Daniel , Donovan Jenny L. , Neal David E. , Hamdy Freddie C. , Lane Janet A. , Peters Tim J. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the psychosocial impact of participation in a population‐based prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) testing programme, akin to screening, and to explore the relationship between urinary symptoms reported before PSA testing and the response to the subsequent PSA result.PATIENTS AND METHODSThis prospective questionnaire study was nested within the case‐finding component of the ProtecT (prostate testing for cancer and treatment) feasibility study (ISRCTN20141297). Men aged 50–69 years from 18 general practices in three cities in the UK completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form‐12 (SF‐12) Health Survey, and the International Continence Society ‘male’ (ICSmale) questionnaires before giving consent for a PSA test in a community clinic (baseline). Men with an ‘abnormal’ PSA result returned for further investigation (including biopsy) and repeated these questionnaires before biopsy.RESULTSAt baseline, study participants had similar levels of anxiety and depression to the general male population. There was no increase in the HADS scores, or reduction in the SF‐12 mental health component summary score, on attendance at the biopsy clinic after receiving an ‘abnormal’ PSA result. Urinary symptoms were associated with levels of anxiety and depression before receiving a PSA result (baseline), but were not associated with anxiety and depression at biopsy independently of baseline scores. Therefore changes in anxiety or depression at biopsy did not appear to differ between those with and without urinary symptoms.CONCLUSIONSThis study confirms the findings of other studies that the deleterious effects of receiving an abnormal PSA result during population screening are not identified by generic health‐status questionnaires. Comparisons with outcomes of studies measuring cancer‐specific distress and using qualitative research methods raise the question of whether a prostate cancer screening‐specific instrument is required. However, a standardized measure of anxiety identified differences at baseline between those who did and did not report urinary symptoms. These findings suggest that it might be advisable to better inform men undergoing PSA testing about the uncertain relationship between urinary symptoms and prostate cancer, to minimize baseline levels of psychological distress.
LRIG1, a candidate tumour‐suppressor gene in human bladder cancer cell line BIU87
Authors: Yang Wei‐Min , Yan Ze‐Jun , Ye Zhang‐Qun , Guo Dong‐Sheng 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVESTo determine the effects of LRIG1 on the growth, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells and the mechanisms underlying such effects.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe plasmid pLRIG1‐green fluorescence protein (GFP) was transfected into BIU87 bladder cancer cells by Lipofectamine2000 (Invitrogen, Groningen, the Netherlands), and the cells that expressed LRIG1 stably were screened out by G418. The changes in LRIG1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein levels were measured by Western blot; growth curves were estimated by the tetrazolium (MTT) assay; then cell‐cell adhesion, cell‐matrix adhesion and cell invasion assays were used to measure proliferation, adhesion and invasion in LGIR1‐transfected and control cells.RESULTSThe LRIG1 protein level in pLRIG1‐GFP transfected cells was significantly higher than that in control cells, while the EGFR protein level was significantly lower. pLRIG1‐GFP transfected cells had less proliferation than control cells. Contrasting with non‐LRIG1‐transfected cells, the invasion and cell‐matrix adhesion ability of pLRIG1‐GFP transfected cells decreased markedly, and conversely the homotypic cell‐cell adhesion ability was significantly higher.CONCLUSIONSLRIG1 might act as a tumour‐suppressor gene, participating in negative feedback control of EGFR expression, which inhibits bladder cancer cells from growth, migration and invasion.
Anatomical foundations and surgical manoeuvres for precise identification of the prostatovesical junction during robotic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Tewari Ashutosh K. , Rao Sandhya R. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo develop a technique to identify the bladder neck during robotic radical prostatectomy (RRP) using anatomical and patient studies, and to evaluate its efficacy during and after surgery.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe data for this study were from 10 fresh cadaveric dissections and 50 consecutive athermal RRPs performed at our institution. We used a technique we term ‘the bimanual bladder neck pinch’.RESULTSThe technique helped us to identify the prostatovesical junction and to decrease the time required to dissect the bladder neck, and the time for urethrovesical anastomosis. Urinary continence requiring 0–1 pads was 29% at 1 week , 62% at 6 weeks, 88% at 12 weeks, and 95% at 16 weeks. No patient in the series had a clinically significant leak or urinary retention.CONCLUSIONSOur technique of the ‘bimanual pinch’ is easy to learn and has reduced the difficulty of bladder neck transection. It improved the outcome both during and after RRP in our series.
Comparison between tamsulosin and alfuzosin on the expulsion phase of ejaculation in rats
Authors: Giuliano François A. , Clément Pierre , Denys Pierre , Alexandre Laurent , Bernabé Jacques 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of acute intravenous (i.v.) delivery of tamsulosin and alfuzosin on the contractions of bulbospongiosus muscles (BS) induced by central delivery of a serotonin agonist, 8‐hydroxy‐2‐(di‐n‐propylamino)tetralin (8‐OH‐DPAT), in anaesthetized rats, as an experimental model of the expulsion phase of ejaculation.MATERIALS AND METHODSUnder urethane anaesthesia, adult male rats were implanted with a cannula into the lateral cerebral ventricle for intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection, and with recording electrodes in the BS for electromyogram (EMG) monitoring. Tamsulosin (1 µg/kg) and alfusozin (10 µg/kg) were injected i.v. and 15 min later 8‐OH‐DPAT (20 µg) was delivered i.c.v. BS‐EMG recording was continued for 30 min after i.c.v. 8‐OH‐DPAT. The area under the curve (AUC) of the BS cluster of contractions was determined as reflecting the energy of BS contractions.RESULTSAfter i.c.v. delivery of 8‐OH‐DPAT, there were rhythmic BS contractions in the form of clusters of bursts in vehicle‐, tamsulosin‐ and alfuzosin‐treated rats. The number of BS clusters was not altered by the α1‐blockers as compared with vehicle, but the AUC was significantly less in tamsulosin‐treated rats than in vehicle‐ or alfuzosin‐treated (both P < 0.05) rats.CONCLUSIONSystemic injection of tamsulosin impaired BS contractile capacity whereas alfuzosin did not. This might explain anejaculation in men treated with tamsulosin.
Gene expression profiling of the human prostate zones
Authors: Van Der Heul‐Nieuwenhuijsen Leonie , Hendriksen Peter J.M. , Van Der Kwast Theo H. , Jenster Guido 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo investigate differences in gene expression in different zones of the prostate by microarray analyses, to better understand why aggressive tumours predominantly occur in the peripheral zone (PZ), whereas benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs almost exclusively in the transition zone (TZ).MATERIALS AND METHODSExpression profiling of both prostate zones was done by microarray analysis. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) of the top 18 genes confirmed the microarray analyses. RT‐PCR with common cell‐type markers indicated that the differential expression between the zones was not caused by an unequal distribution of different cell types. Primary stromal and epithelial prostate cells were used to study cell type expression in the 12 highest differentially expressed zonal‐specific genes.RESULTSIn all, 346 genes were identified as preferentially expressed in the TZ or PZ. A few of the TZ‐specific genes, including ASPA, FLJ10970 and COCH, were also stroma‐specific. Comparisons with other microarray studies showed that gene expression profiles of prostate cancer and BPH correlate with the expression profiles of the PZ and TZ, respectively.CONCLUSIONGene expression differs between the PZ and TZ of the prostate, and stromal–epithelial interactions might be responsible for the distinct zonal localization of prostate diseases.
Laparoscopic varicocele ligation in children and adolescents using isosulphan blue: a prospective randomized trial
Authors: Schwentner Christian , Radmayr Christian , Lunacek Andreas , Gozzi Christian , Pinggera Germar M. , Neururer Richard , Peschel Reinhard , Bartsch Georg , Oswald Josef 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate, in a randomized prospective trial in children and adolescents, the feasibility of isosulphan blue‐based lymphatic vessel preservation during laparoscopic varicocelectomy and its impact on the complication rate, as the operative management of varicoceles remains controversial.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 50 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to two laparoscopic varicocelectomy groups. The indications for surgery included scrotal pain and a difference in testicular size, as well as severe cosmetic impairment. All the patients had a laparoscopic varicocelectomy using three ports. Patients in group A had standard laparoscopy, while those in group B had additional isosulphan blue administered. After surgery, the patients were assessed at 3, 6 and 12 months for varicocele recurrence, hydrocele formation, atrophy, pain or other complications.RESULTSThere were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery. There were no adverse reactions, scrotal haematomas or atrophy. At 3 months after surgery, the incidence of hydrocele in group A was 20% whereas in group B no hydroceles were detected (P = 0.025); at 6 months the 20% still had hydroceles. One patient in each group had varicocele recurrence associated with persistent pain. In two patients in group B, blue pigmentation of the left hemiscrotum persisted at the 3‐month follow‐up but resolved by 6 months.CONCLUSIONSLaparoscopic repair of varicoceles using isosulphan blue helps to identify and preserve the lymphatic drainage. It prevents secondary hydrocele formation, the most common complication, with no supplementary risk to the patient. Also, testicular oedema causing impaired spermatogenesis can be avoided.
The use of robotically assisted surgery for treating urachal anomalies
Authors: Madeb Ralph , Knopf Joy K. , Nicholson Craig , Donahue Laurence A. , Adcock Brian , Dever David , Tan Beng Jit , Valvo John R. , Eichel Louis 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo report the management of urachal anomalies using a robotically assisted approach.PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween January 2005 and February 2006, five patients (mean age 51 years, range 24–68) were diagnosed with urachal anomalies. Two basic robot‐assisted surgical approaches were used for excising the urachal anomalies: excision of the urachal remnant via partial cystectomy, and radical cystectomy for excision of urachal adenocarcinoma.RESULTSAll five cases were successful and the excised specimens were assessed histologically. The short‐term oncological outcome in the three patients with histologically confirmed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma showed no evidence of recurrent disease within a median interval of 8 months. Surveillance follow‐up cystoscopy in the patients who had a partial cystectomy showed a well‐healed bladder mucosa with no evidence of recurrence.CONCLUSIONSRadical excision of the urachal tract with partial cystectomy or radical cystectomy using the da Vinci robot is safe, effective and technically feasible.
The role of Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ release in the muscarinic‐mediated contraction of mammalian urinary bladder smooth muscle
Authors: Rivera Luis , Brading Alison F. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVETo study the involvement of extracellular Ca2+ and the properties of the intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) stores on the carbachol‐induced contraction of mammalian urinary bladder smooth muscle strips under polarized and depolarized conditions.MATERIALS AND METHODSStrips of bladder were suspended between platinum ring electrodes in a cylindrical organ bath (0.2 mL) and continuously superfused with Krebs’ solution at 1 mL/min. The effect of nifedipine, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), thapsigargin, procaine, ryanodine and caffeine before and during a 10‐s application of 100 µm carbachol under polarized conditions were studied. The effect of these drugs was also assessed under depolarized conditions using a protocol that allowed a more detailed assessment of the role of [Ca2+]i stores, consisting of emptying the stores by exposure to Ca2+‐free solution, rapidly refilling them by a 10‐s application of 81.5 mm Ca2+ (priming), returning to the Ca2+‐free solution for 3 min and then applying 100 µm carbachol (10 s) in Ca2+‐free solution (store release).RESULTSUnder polarized conditions, nifedipine and Ca2+ removal almost completely inhibited the carbachol‐induced contractions. CPA increased the amplitude and duration of both carbachol‐ and electrical field stimulation‐induced contractions. Although ryanodine had no inhibitory effect, caffeine and procaine significantly inhibited the carbachol‐induced contraction. Under depolarized conditions nifedipine blocked both priming and store release contractions. CPA, thapsigargin, procaine and ryanodine significantly increased the priming and inhibited the store release contractions. However, caffeine virtually abolished both priming and store release contractions.CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that in guinea‐pig urinary bladder smooth muscle the Ca2+ necessary for contraction enters the cell through voltage‐dependent dihydropiridine‐sensitive Ca2+ channels and is pumped into an intracellular store that is released by carbachol. Under polarized conditions, the blockade of sarco‐endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATP‐ase (SERCA) with CPA increases [Ca2+]i and carbachol‐induced contractions. The effects of caffeine and procaine suggest that store release involves ryanodine receptors and calcium‐induced calcium release. Under depolarized conditions, Ca2+ entry is blocked by nifedipine and the stores diminish. Stored Ca2+ is also greatly reduced by the blockade of SERCA with either CPA or thapsigargin. Procaine, ryanodine and caffeine blocked the store release contractions, suggesting that this involves ryanodine receptors and calcium‐induced calcium release.
Prostate cells exposed to lycopene in vitro liberate lycopene‐enriched exosomes
Authors: Goyal Anuj , Delves George H. , Chopra Mridula , Lwaleed Bashir A. , Cooper Alan J. 
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVESTo investigate whether cellular exosomes liberated by prostatic cell lines in culture might be acting as the transport vehicles for the dietary antioxidant lycopene, known to be sequestered in the prostate gland and to reduce the risk of developing benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer; its subsequent secretion into seminal plasma also confers protection to spermatozoa against oxidative free‐radical damage.MATERIALS AND METHODSUsing benign and malignant human prostatic cell culture models, we assessed the role that their exosomes (the putative in vitro analogues of prostasomes) might have in the transport of lycopene.RESULTSCells exposed to lycopene in vitro accumulated the molecule and secrete lycopene‐enriched exosomes. This continued after the lycopene exposure was stopped. Extraction of lycopene from the exosomes, followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography, confirmed nanogram quantities of lycopene per milligram of exosomal protein. Packaging into exosomes for export resulted in reduced degradation of this labile antioxidant, and therefore maximized the effectiveness of delivery to the sites of action.CONCLUSIONThese results support the likelihood that these organelles act as the transport vehicles for this important lipophilic agent known to have a role in the chemoprevention of various urological pathologies such as BPH, prostate cancer and male infertility.
Animal and human tissue Na,K‐ATPase in normal and insulin‐resistant states: regulation, behaviour and interpretative hypothesis on NEFA effects
Authors: Iannello S. , Milazzo P. , Belfiore F. 
Published: September 2006

SummaryThe sodium(Na)‐ and potassium(K)‐activated adenosine‐triphosphatase (Na,K‐ATPase) is a membrane enzyme that energizes the Na‐pump by hydrolysing adenosine triphosphate and wasting energy as heat, so playing a role in thermogenesis and energy balance. Na,K‐ATPase regulation by insulin is controversial; in tissue of hyperglycemic‐hyperinsulinemic ob/ob mice, we reported a reduction, whereas in streptozotocin‐treated hypoinsulinemic‐diabetic Swiss and ob/ob mice we found an increased activity, which is against a genetic defect and suggests a regulation by hyperinsulinemia. In human adipose tissue from obese patients, Na,K‐ATPase activity was reduced and negatively correlated with body mass index, oral glucose tolerance test‐insulinemic area and blood pressure. We hypothesized that obesity is associated with tissue Na,K‐ATPase reduction, apparently linked to hyperinsulinemia, which may repress or inactivate the enzyme, thus opposing thyroid hormones and influencing thermogenesis and obesity development. Insulin action on Na,K‐ATPase, in vivo, might be mediated by the high level of non‐esterified fatty acids, which are circulating enzyme inhibitors and increase in obesity, diabetes and hypertension. In this paper, we analyse animal and human tissue Na,K‐ATPase, its level, and its regulation and behaviour in some hyperinsulinemic and insulin‐resistant states; moreover, we discuss the link of the enzyme with non‐esterified fatty acids and attempt to interpret and organize in a coherent view the whole body of the exhaustive literature on this complicated topic.
Comparison of bobuck (Trichosurus cunninghami) demography in two habitat types in the Strathbogie Ranges, Australia
Authors: Martin J. K. , Handasyde K. A. 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe demographic characteristics of populations are determined by the life‐history strategies of their constituent individuals. Habitat characteristics, such as the availability of key resources, shape life‐history strategies; thus habitat variation may result in intraspecific variability in demography. We studied two neighbouring populations of bobucks or mountain brushtail possums Trichosurus cunninghami within a fragmented forest system. One population occurred in a forest patch that was selectively logged in the last 40 years; the other occupied narrow strips of linear roadside remnant vegetation that have not been logged for at least 100 years. Many demographic parameters of the two populations were similar, and were consistent with those described previously for a bobuck population living in continuous forest. For example, both sexes were long‐lived (at least 12 years), but there were fewer males in the oldest age classes at both sites. Most females produced one young per year and reproduction was highly seasonal. Females in the oldest age classes produced young, but none of these survived to pouch emergence. There were also marked differences between our two study populations: the sex ratio of adults was equal at the forest site but female‐biased (1.7:1) at the roadside site. Forest males weighed significantly less than males at the roadside site and females at both sites. The peak of births occurred more than a month later at the roadside than at the forest site. The sex ratio of roadside offspring did not differ significantly from parity; however, the sex ratio of young at the forest site was significantly male‐biased (62% of young). This demographic variation may be explained by differences in habitat characteristics (particularly logging history); a detailed investigation of resource availability at the two sites is warranted. Our results highlight the importance of studying multiple populations when attempting to describe the population ecology of a species.