An elevated PSA, which normalizes, does not exclude the presence of prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of prostate cancer in patients who have an elevated referral prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which subsequently falls to within their normal age-specific reference range prior to prostate biopsy. The study demonstrated that of the 160 patients recruited, 21 (13%) had a repeat PSA level which had fallen back to within their normal range. Five of these 21 patients (24%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer following biopsy, two of whom had a benign prostate examination. The study, therefore, demonstrates that normalisation of the PSA level prior to biopsy does not exclude the presence of prostate cancer even when the prostate feels benign.

A method for the detection and analysis of growth patterns of microorganisms in soil.

A fluorescence-staining technique using the magnesium salt of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid is described and used to follow the changes in the distribution patterns of microorganisms in soils. A statistical procedure was used to determine the occurrence of significant differences in clumping of bacteria (i.e., production of colonies) in different regions of artificial soil-aggregate systems treated with nutrient solutions and also with a herbicide, Linuron. The response of soil microorganisms to glucose amendment was most marked in the aerobic, outer zone of aggregates. Linuron inhibited colony formation in aggregates treated with the herbicide. The method allows continued observations to be made on the same soil sample at intervals during incubation and os can be used to determine growth rates, inhibitory effects of chemicals, distribution patterns in soils, effects of added nutrients, and other effects where growth in situ is important.

Transport in vitro fertilisation: three years experience at a district general hospital.

Transport in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is an important development in assisted conception. We report our experience of transport IVF treatment from May 1993 to April 1996 at Arrowe Park Fertility Centre. A total of 74 patients were treated during this period. The main indications of treatment were tubal damage, unexplained infertility of more than 3 years duration, polycystic ovarian disease and endometriosis. Total number of simulated ovarian cycles were 101. Thirteen cycles were abandoned. Eighty-eight transport IVF cycles led to 29 pregnancies, giving a live birth rate and on-going pregnancy rate per patient of 31% and per cycle rate of 23%. There was one case of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Of the 74 patients, 70 (95%) patients preferred to have treatment at the local hospital. Transport IVF is an effective, efficient and economic way of providing assisted conception at district general hospital. The success rate and safety of transport IVF are comparable with conventional IVF treatment.

Intra-individual variation of serum prostate specific antigen levels in men with benign prostate biopsies.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the intra-individual (physiological) variation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurements in men after a benign prostatic biopsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-four men were prospectively assessed, all of whom had a benign prostatic biopsy within the preceding 13 months. The degree of intra-individual variability was established by calculating the coefficient of variation on four PSA levels obtained from each patient weekly over a month. RESULTS: Six patients were subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer and their data are presented separately. In the remaining 58 patients the median (range) individual mean PSA value was 6.3 (0.5-34.1) ng/mL. The median (range) coefficient of variation within the group was 9.5 (2.4-76.1)%. There was a clear linear relationship between mean PSA level and the standard deviation. CONCLUSION: In 48 of the 63 patients analysed, the coefficient of variation for serum PSA values in the group as a whole was greater than the variation claimed for the assay technique. The significance of the linear relationship between PSA and the standard deviation is discussed, with particular reference to those men who had a benign prostate biopsy.

Artichoke leaf extract reduces mild dyspepsia in an open study.

A recent post-marketing study indicated that high doses of standardised artichoke leaf extract (ALE) may reduce symptoms of dyspepsia. To substantial these findings, this study investigated the efficacy of a low-dose ALE on amelioration of dyspeptic symptoms and improvement of quality of life. The study was an open, dose-ranging postal study. Healthy patients with self-reported dyspepsia were recruited through the media. The Nepean Dyspepsia Index and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were completed at baseline and after 2 months of treatment with ALE, which was randomly allocated to volunteers as 320 or 640 mg daily. Of the 516 participants, 454 completed the study. In both dosage groups, compared with baseline, there was a significant reduction of all dyspeptic symptoms, with an average reduction of 40% in global dyspepsia score. However, there were no differences in the primary outcome measures between the two groups, although relief of state anxiety, a secondary outcome, was greater with the higher dosage (P = 0.03). Health-related quality of life was significantly improved in both groups compared with baseline. We conclude that ALE shows promise to ameliorate upper gastro-intestinal symptoms and improve quality of life in otherwise healthy subjects suffering from dyspepsia.

Optimal design for studying dry matter degradation in the rumen

A avaliaçäo da digestibilidade de forrageiras tropicais pode ser feita medindo-se o desaparecimento da matéria seca (Dms) remanescente em sacos de náilon colocados no rúmen de animais fistulados após diferentes tempos de incubaçäo (t). Matematicamente esta funçäo é representada pela equaçäo DMs = A-Bexp (-Ct). A qualidade da forrageira será interpretada pelo valor potencial de degradaçäo (A) e pela taxa de degradaçäo (C). Um delineamento pode ser definido com apenas três pontos experimentais, correspondentes a tempos de incubaçäo, para estimar os parâmetros A, B e C, baseado no critério da variância generalizada, de tal maneira que a eficiência deste delineamento seja melhor que a de qualquer delineamento definido por diferentes combinaçöes de outros pontos experimentais. Após a inserçäo das amostras no rúmen, o primeiro tempo de colheita recomendado é de 6 horas. O segundo ponto deve estar entre 21 e 28 horas de incubaçäo, dependendo da taxa de degradaçäo esperada. Forrageiras de melhor qualidade (C=0,06) devem ser observadas mais cedo que aquelas menos degradáveis (C=0,03). O terceiro ponto de colheita deve ser às 96 horas, pois tempos de incubaçäo superiores a este näo melhoram substancialmente a precisäo desejada. O uso desses três pontos experimentais maximiza o determinante da matriz de informaçäo que resolve o sistema näo linear e em consequência reduz a variância de pelo menos um parâmetro, se näo de todos eles, conferindo maior precisäo em suas estimativas. A utilizaçäo desse delineamento poupa os animais de manipulaçäo excessiva com a reduçäo dos pontos de colheita e consequentemente reduz o trabalho experimental