Bladder lesions as incidental findings during transurethral resection of the prostate: prevalence, diagnosis, and pathological findings.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bladder lesions diagnosed during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), to identify the associated risk factors, and to correlate the macroscopic descriptions with the pathological findings. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective case series conducted at a hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. We reviewed the medical and surgical records of patients who underwent TURP between January 2012 and December 2017. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 513 patients, with a mean age of 70.8 years. Bladder lesions were identified during TURP in 109 (21.2%) of the patients, and 90 of those lesions were submitted for pathological examination. The most common macroscopic finding was bullous edema, which was seen in 57 (63.3%) of the 90 lesions examined. The pathological analysis revealed chronic cystitis in 61 lesions (67.8%) and malignant lesions in 16 (17.8%). Of the 57 lesions described as bullous edema, 5 (8.8%) were found to be malignant. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in the bladder mucosa appear to be more common among elderly patients who use an indwelling urinary catheter for a prolonged period and among patients with recurrent urinary tract infections. In addition, the risk of a bladder lesion being malignant is apparently higher in current and former smokers than in never smokers. Our findings suggest that at-risk patients should undergo biopsy or resection of incidental bladder lesions even if those lesions seem to be benign, due to the low level of agreement between the visual analysis and the pathological examination.

Influence of Sorghum Kafirin on Serum Lipid Profile and Antioxidant Activity in Hyperlipidemic Rats (In Vitro and In Vivo Studies).

The aim of this study was to compare in vitro the antioxidant potential of sorghum kafirin and sorghum flour and their influence on lipids and antioxidant capacity in rats. The antioxidant activity in sorghum kafirin extract measured by the DPPH and TEAC methods was increased 30 and 65 times, respectively, compared to that of its counterpart, sorghum flour. According to electrophoresis assay, the kafirins tert-butanol extract showed a high proportion of α-kafirin monomers, and its amino acid composition revealed higher hydrophobic amino acid content such as alanine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine and phenylalanine than sorghum flour extract. Diets supplemented with sorghum kafirin extract have improved lipid metabolism and increased the serum antioxidant potential (67%) especially in rats fed with added cholesterol. The bioactive peptides generated from kafirin in vivo hydrolysis appear to be associated with the positive effect on serum lipids and antioxidant activity. According to these results, sorghum kafirin extract at the levels used in this study apparently could be used for prevention of atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases.

Cinacalcet for hypercalcaemic secondary hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation: a multicentre, retrospective, 3-year study.

AIMS: Our aim was to evaluate the long-term effect of cinacalcet in patients with hypercalcaemic secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) after renal transplantation (RT) in order to expand real-world data in this population. METHODS: We performed a multicentre, observational, retrospective study in 17 renal transplant units from Spain. We collected data from renal recipients with hypercalcaemic (calcium >10.2 mg/dL) SHPT (intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) > 120 pg/mL) who initiated cinacalcet in the clinical practice. RESULTS: We included 193 patients with a mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of 52 (12) years, 58% men. Cinacalcet treatment was initiated at a median of 20 months after RT (median dose 30 mg/day). Mean calcium levels decreased from a mean (SD) of 11.1 (0.6) at baseline to 10.1 (0.8) at 6 months (9.0% reduction, P < 0.0001). Median iPTH was reduced by 23.0% at 6 months (P = 0.0005) and mean phosphorus levels increased by 11.1% (P < 0.0001). The effects were maintained up to 3-years. No changes were observed in renal function or anticalcineurin drug levels. Only 4.1% of patients discontinued cinacalcet due to intolerance and 1.0% due to lack of efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: In renal transplant patients with hypercalcaemic SHPT, cinacalcet controlled serum calcium, iPTH and phosphorus levels up to 3 years. Tolerability was good.

Effects of dietary zinc manipulation on growth performance, zinc status and immune response during Giardia lamblia infection: a study in CD-1 mice.

Associations between Giardia lamblia infection and low serum concentrations of zinc have been reported in young children. Interestingly, relatively few studies have examined the effects of different dietary zinc levels on the parasite-infected host. The aims of this study were to compare the growth performance and zinc status in response to varying levels of dietary zinc and to measure the antibody-mediated response of mice during G. lamblia infection. Male CD-1 mice were fed using 1 of 4 experimental diets: adequate-zinc (ZnA), low-zinc (ZnL), high-zinc (ZnH) and supplemented-zinc (ZnS) diet containing 30, 10, 223 and 1383 mg Zn/kg respectively. After a 10 days feeding period, mice were inoculated orally with 5 × 106 G. lamblia trophozoites and were maintained on the assigned diet during the course of infection (30 days). Giardia-free mice fed ZnL diets were able to attain normal growth and antibody-mediated response. Giardia-infected mice fed ZnL and ZnA diets presented a significant growth retardation compared to non-infected controls. Zinc supplementation avoided this weight loss during G. lamblia infection and up-regulated the host's humoral immune response by improving the production of specific antibodies. Clinical outcomes of zinc supplementation during giardiasis included significant weight gain, higher anti-G. lamblia IgG antibodies and improved serum zinc levels despite the ongoing infection. A maximum growth rate and antibody-mediated response were attained in mice fed ZnH diet. No further increases in body weight, zinc status and humoral immune capacity were noted by feeding higher zinc levels (ZnS) than the ZnH diet. These findings probably reflect biological effect of zinc that could be of public health importance in endemic areas of infection.

Recovery of axonal myelination sheath and axonal caliber in the mouse corpus callosum following damage induced by N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate.

Disulfiram is an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor used for the treatment of alcohol dependence and of cocaine addiction. It has been demonstrated that subchronic administration of disulfiram or N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC), the main derivative of disulfiram, to rats can produce central-peripheral distal axonopathy. However, few data regarding the axonal effects of these compounds in the central nervous system exist. Our previous studies have revealed DEDTC-induced axonal damage in the mouse brain during the course of postnatal development, together with alterations in axonal pathfinding and in the myelination process, with partial recovery during the post-treatment period. In order to gather new data about how this axonal damage and recovery occurs in the central nervous system, we performed an ultrastructural analysis of the axons located in the corpus callosum from mice treated with DEDTC during postnatal development. The axonal caliber throughout the axonal area, the maximum axonal diameter, the maximum fiber diameter, and the axonal circularity, at different postnatal stages [from postnatal day (P)9 to P30], were analyzed. In addition, parameters related to the myelinization process (number of myelinated axons, sheath thickness, and the ratio of myelinated axons to total axons) were evaluated. A reduction in the average value of axonal caliber during treatment and a delay in the axonal myelination process were detected. Whereas early recovery of individual axons occurred after treatment (P22), complete recovery of myelinated axons occurred at late postnatal stages (P42). Therefore, chronic treatment with dithiocarbamates requires periods of rest to encourage the recovery of myelinated axons.

Alternative statistical methods for interpreting airborne Alder (Alnus glutimosa (L.) Gaertner) pollen concentrations.

This paper reports on the behaviour of Alnus glutinosa (alder) pollen grains in the atmosphere of Ponferrada (León, NW Spain) from 1995 to 2006. The study, which sought to determine the effects of various weather-related parameters on Alnus pollen counts, was performed using a volumetric method. The main pollination period for this taxon is January-February. Alder pollen is one of the eight major airborne pollen allergens found in the study area. An analysis was made of the correlation between pollen counts and major weather-related parameters over each period. In general, the strongest positive correlation was with temperature, particularly maximum temperature. During each period, peak pollen counts occurred when the maximum temperature fell within the range 9 degrees C-14 degrees C. Finally, multivariate analysis showed that the parameter exerting the greatest influence was temperature, a finding confirmed by Spearman correlation tests. Principal components analysis suggested that periods with high pollen counts were characterised by high maximum temperature, low rainfall and an absolute humidity of around 6 g m(-3). Use of this type of analysis in conjunction with other methods is essential for obtaining an accurate record of pollen-count variations over a given period.