Correlation of inflammatory mediators in prostatic secretion with chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a common clinical syndrome, and the mechanisms underlying the relationship between CP/CPPS and ED are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the differential expression of 40 inflammatory mediators in patients with CP/CPPS and to demonstrate whether these mediators related to the severity of erectile function. Eighty cases of patients with CP/CPPS were selected, including 40 cases of IIIA and 40 cases of IIIB, with 20 cases of healthy men as controls. After collecting their expressed prostatic secretion, cytokines levels in EPS were determined by ELISA using ELISA kits. The IIEF-5 questionnaire was used to evaluate erectile function. IIEF-5 scores were significantly lower in the IIIA and IIIB groups than those in the control group. The expression of IL-8, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 was markedly higher in the IIIA and IIIB groups than in the control group. The expression of IL-8, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 in the IIIA group was higher than that in the IIIB group. The expression of IL-8, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 was negatively correlated with IIEF-5 scores in both IIIA and IIIB patients. In conclusion, IL-8, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 are possible indicators for the clinical diagnosis of CP/CPPS and evaluation of erectile function on patients with CP/CPPS.

Differential research of inflammatory and related mediators in BPH, histological prostatitis and PCa.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common male malignancies in the world. It was aimed to investigate differential expression of inflammatory and related factors in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa), histological prostatitis (HP) and explore the role of Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), (VEGF) Vascular endothelial growth factor, androgen receptor (AR) and IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α in the occurrence and development of prostate cancer. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression level of iNOS, VEGF, AR and IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α in BPH, PCa and BPH+HP. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the protein levels of various proteins in three diseases. The results showed the mRNA and protein levels of iNOS, VEGF and IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly increased in PCa and BPH+HP groups compared with BPH group (p < .05), while the AR was significantly lower than those in PCa and BPH+HP groups (p < .05). There was no significant difference in the mRNA and protein levels of iNOS, VEGF, AR and IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α between PCa and BPH+HP groups (p > .05). iNOS, VEGF, AR and IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α are involved in the malignant transformation of prostate tissue and play an important role in the development and progression of Prostate cancer (PCa).

Limits on spin-independent couplings of WIMP dark matter with a p-type point-contact germanium detector.

We report new limits on a spin-independent weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP)-nucleon interaction cross section using 39.5 kg days of data taken with a p-type point-contact germanium detector of 840 g fiducial mass at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory. Crucial to this study is the understanding of the selection procedures and, in particular, the bulk-surface events differentiation at the sub-keV range. The signal-retaining and background-rejecting efficiencies were measured with calibration gamma sources and a novel n-type point-contact germanium detector. Part of the parameter space in the cross section versus WIMP-mass implied by various experiments is probed and excluded.

[A case-control study on relationship between hepatitis C infection and primary liver cancer].

All the cases and controls emerged from a cohort study held in the past years. They were male, more than 20 years of age at the time of their enrollment into the cohort study, with serum specimens taken and kept at -20 degrees C. Every death of primary liver cancer (PLC), occurred since then, as a 'case' (78 in total), was compared with no more than 4 matched controls chosen from cohort members who were still alive until the last follow-up. ELISA technique was used to test anti-HCV antibodies in the stored serum specimens of the cases and controls. The Results showed that anti-HCV prevalence rates were 33.3% (26/78) of the cases and 15.3% (40/262) of their matched controls, respectively (chi 2 = 11.86, P < 0.01, ORMH = 3.0, PAR% = 23.40%). The results suggest that HCV infection is another important factor in the aetiology of PLC in Guangxi, China. Because the serum specimens tested were drawn years before the occurrence of PLC deaths, our conclusion need not worry about the sequential problem, which occurs in most of other kinds of case-control studies.