Vitamin E enhances the immune functions of young but not old mice under restraint stress.

Young and old C57BL/6 male mice were given a diet containing a high dose of vitamin E (VE treatment) and its effect on the immune system was examined before and after the exposure to restraint stress. The VE treatment per se gave rise to a slight increase of splenic T cells in percentage and a significant enhancement of Con A response of spleen cells in young, but not in old mice. The VE treatment also resulted in the enhancement of production of IL-2 and IFNgamma in young, but not in old mice. Restraint stress led to thymic involution in both young and old mice. This thymic involution was not ameliorated by the VE treatment. Percentage of splenic T cells and their mitogenic response decreased just after the stress, but soon rebounded over the control level. The VE treatment further enhanced the recovery after the stress in young mice, but on the contrary suppressed the recovery in old mice. The results in the present study suggested that the VE treatment was effective in the prevention of immunological decline of young mice before and after the exposure to the stress. On the other hand, such a preventive effect was not observed in old mice that were already in the depressed state of immunological functions.

[Conservative treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy: reevaluation of the effect of eviprostat by subjective symptoms and uroflowmetry].

The clinical effect of Eviprostat was evaluated in 53 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Subjective symptoms were improved in 86.2% of the patients who were treated with Eviprostat. Nomogram unit of uroflowmetry also improved in 51.4% of the patients. The overall clinical efficacy estimated by the combination of subjective symptoms and uroflowmetry was observed in 90.9% of the patients. In conclusion, Eviprostat was considered to be useful in patients with discomfort symptoms who had no immediate indication for prostatectomy.