Association between Recreational Physical Activity and the Risk of Upper Urinary Calculi.

OBJECTIVE: Upper urinary calculi (UUC) is considered to be a comprehensive disease associated with many risk factors, but the role of physical activity (PA) is undefined. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate this relationship in Asian populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with UUC were the subjects of study and those who participated in a health examination in local medical center were included as controls. Information was collected through the same standard questionnaire. A metabolic equivalent score (METs) was measured for each kind of activity. OR of UUC in categories of PA were determined by logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1,782 controls and 1,517 cases were enrolled. People who took higher PA (5-9.9, 10-19.9, 20-29.9 and >30 METs/wk) weekly were associated with lower risks of UUC than those took lower PA (<4.9 METs/wk) after adjusting for age, ethnicity, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, water intake, history of gout, history of diabetes mellitus, history of supplemental calcium use and history of hypertension (adjusted OR 0.11, 0.32, 0.24, 0.34; 95% CI 0.08-0.15, 0.23-0.43, 0.15-0.40, 0.22-0.53, respectively; p value <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our cross-sectional study, PA was associated with UUC.

[Transurethral plasmakinetic enucleation of prostate and suprapubic small cut in the treatment of high risk and senior patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder stones].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficiency of transurethral plasmakinetic enucleation of prostate (TUPKEP) and suprapubic small cut in the treatment of high-risk and senior patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder stones. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted for 68 high-risk and senior patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder stones. All of them were treated by TUPKEP and suprapubic small cut. RESULTS: Operation was successfully performed in all 68 cases. And there was no instance of transurethral resection syndrome, shock, myocardial infarct, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, permanent urinary incontinence or surgical site infection. Seven patients with temporal urinary incontinence recovered at a mean time of (9.48 ± 1.52) days post-operation. The mean operative duration was (48.63 ± 4.14) min and the mean volume of blood loss (50.97 ± 5.33) ml. The changes of maximum flow rate (Qmax), international prostatic symptom score (I-PSS) and quality-of-life (QOL) were statistically significant before and after operation. Qmax increased from (4.56 ± 0.35) to (18.82 ± 1.65) ml/s (P < 0.001), I-PSS decreased form (21.96 ± 1.89) to (11.23 ± 0.86) (P = 0.018) and QOL decreased from (4.94 ± 0.35) to (1.95 ± 0.32) (P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: The approach of TUPKEP and suprapubic small cut is both safe and effective in the treatment of high-risk and senior patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder stones and should be widely applied.

[Reducing effect of curcumin on expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 in rats with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of curcumin on the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 in rats with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis. METHODS: Sixty healthy adult male SD rats with the body weight of 200 -220 g were equally and randomly divided into a normal control, a positive control, a model, an oral curcumin and an intraperitoneal curcumin group. The rat models of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis were made by hypodermic injection of estradiol benzoate at the dose of 0.25 mg/(kg x d) for 30 days after castration, and then treated with curcumin at 200 mg/(kg x d) by gavage or intraperitoneal injection. The positive controls received oral celebrex at 250 mg/(kg x d), while the normal control and model groups were given saline by gavage. After a week of treatment, the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 in the serum and prostate tissues of the rats were detected by ELISA assay. RESULTS: The levels of TNF-alpha and IL-8 in the serum and prostate tissues were significantly lower in the intraperitoneal curcumin than in the positive control group (P < 0.05), but the expression of IL-6 showed no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.01). CONCLUSION: Curcumin is efficacious for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis in rats, and the action mechanism may be associated with its decreasing effect on the proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 and TNF-alpha in the blood and tissues.

[Curcumin inhibits growth, induces G1 arrest and apoptosis on human prostatic stromal cells by regulating Bcl-2/Bax].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of curcumin on apoptosis of human prostatic stromal cells. METHOD: Different concentrations of curcumin were added into culture media system to induce apoptosis of human prostatic stromal cells. The apoptosis was detected by MTT assay, flow cytometry, RT-PCR and TUNEL method. RESULT: Curcumin at concentrations of 10-40 micromol x L(-1) could inhibit the proliferation of human prostatic stromal cells in a doseand time-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Characteristic apoptosis were confirmed by TUNEL RT-PCR manifest downregulation of Bcl-2/Bax (P < 0.05). Cell cycle was arrested into G1 phase by curcumin. CONCLUSION: Curcumin can induce apoptosis in human prostatic stromal cells by down-regulation of Bcl-2/Bax.

[Curcumin in the treatment of prostatic diseases].

The use of turmeric, derived from the root of the plant curcuma longa, for the treatment of various diseases has been described in Ayurveda and in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. The active component of turmeric responsible for this activity, curcumin, was identified almost two centuries ago. Extensive research over the last decade has indicated that this polyphenol can both prevent and treat prostatic diseases.