Complications of curative radiation treatment for early prostate cancer.

AIM: To report the incidence of urological complications following curative radiation treatment for early prostate cancer, including minimally invasive urological procedures (MUIP), hospital admissions and open surgical procedures. Second malignancies following radiation are also reported and compared with patients undergoing a prostatectomy. METHODS: Included were patients receiving curative intent external beam radiation treatment for early prostate cancer between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2009. Medical records were reviewed for baseline characteristics, treatment details and outcomes. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to derive the 5-year cumulative incidence of the urological outcomes and second malignancy. RESULTS: There were 439 patients identified. The median follow-up was 6.96 years. The median age was 69. A total of 56 patients developed a radiation related urological complication, 25 requiring hospital admission. The 5-year cumulative incidence for an MIUP and admission was 3.95% (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.47-6.28) and 2.24% (95% CI, 1.17-4.27), respectively. There were no open surgical procedures. Further malignancy developed in 27 patients during the 5- to 9-year posttreatment period with a cumulative incidence of 10.7% (95% CI, 7.31-15.51). Of the comparator prostatectomy group, of the 265 eligible patients analyzed, 19 patients developed a second malignancy with a cumulative incidence of 9.92% (95% CI, 6.28-15.48). On log-rank testing, there was no difference in the cumulative incidence rates of second malignancy between 5 and 9 years, following respective treatments (P  =  0.8554). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MUIP, hospital admissions and open surgical procedures following radiation is reassuringly low. The second malignancy rates are also low and similar to the rates in patients treated with a prostatectomy.

Repeated electroacupuncture: an effective treatment for hyperglycemia in a rat model.

The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) in lowering blood glucose (BG) in eight fasted male obese Zucker diabetic rats aged 21-24 weeks was investigated. Group 1 (n = 4) received no EA and Group 2 (n = 4) received EA at the Zhongwan and Guanyuan acupoints on Day 1, Day 3, Day 6, Day 8, and Day 10. The BG level of the rats was measured at 10 minutes and 20 minutes after their nose had been inserted into the nose cone of an anesthetic apparatus; then, EA was applied for 30 minutes, and BG was measured again. At the end of the study, the animals were injected with sodium pentobarbitone (60 mg/mL, intraperitoneally), and blood and white adipose tissue were collected. On statistical analysis, Group 2 showed a significant decrease in mean BG at 20 minutes (baseline) and 50 minutes on Day 8 and Day 10 compared with Day 1 and Day 3, but such a decrease was not observed in Group 1. For Group 2, the baseline BG and the change in BG over 30 minutes were significantly lower on Day 8 and Day 10 compared with Day 1, Day 3, and Day 6, but not for Group 1. No significant differences were noted between the groups in serum insulin, glucose, insulin-to-glucose ratio, adiponectin, leptin, adiponectin-to-leptin ratio, and white adipose tissue.