Search

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Testosterone is the major sex hormone in males and plays an important role in the development of the penis and testes, muscle size, bone growth, sex drive, and sperm prod...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is widely dispersed plant on high plateaus of the Andean mountain range in Peru. Maca is also known for its supportive effects on fertility and increase of libido. However, the influence of Maca on erectile dysfunction (ED) has not been fully investigated in diabetic rats. In the present study, we aim to investigate the influence of Maca on the Glucose metabolism and erectile function using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rat. METHODS: 40 adult male rats (8 weeks age) were divided into five groups, including control, STZ diabetic, STZ with Tadalafil, STZ with Maca, and STZ with Maca/Tadalafil. Diabetes was induced by a single intra-peritoneal injection of STZ in 0.1 citrate buffer (pH4.5) in a dose of 60mg/kg. Rats with blood glucose1⁄4200mg/dl were considered diabetic. STZ rats received daily Maca of 100mg/kg and/or Tadalafil of 1mg/kg for 8 weeks. Body weight and blood glucose level were measured at baseline and 8 weeks after treatment. Intracavernous pressure (ICP) measurements with cavernous nerve electrical stimulation were conducted after 8 weeks of treatment. We investigated the results of ICP/ mean arterial pressure (MAP) ratios for each rat. One way ANOVA test was used to test significance among the study groups. Each group contained 6 to 8 rats. RESULTS: The body weight and blood glucose of STZ with Maca and STZ with Maca/Tadalafil groups were significantly decreased in comparison to STZ (P

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Genes of androgen and estrogen signaling and stem cell (SC)-like cells have crucial roles in prostate cancer (PC). This study aimed to predict clinical failure (CF) by estimating these PC-related genes. METHODS: We developed models to predict CF using biopsy samples from a training set of 46 and independent validation set of 30 patients with bony metastatic PC. Cancerous and stromal tissues were separately collected by laser-captured microdissection. The association between mRNA expression of the following genes and CF was analyzed: androgen receptor (AR) and its related genes (APP, FOX family, TRIM 36, Oct1, and ACSL 3), stem cell (SC)-like molecules (Klf4, c-Myc, Oct 3/4, and Sox2), estrogen receptor (ER), Her2, PSA, and CRP. RESULTS: Logistic analyses to predict PSA recurrence showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.0 in both sets for Sox2, Her2, and CRP expression in cancer cells; AR and ERa expression in stromal cells; and clinical parameters. We identified 10 prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival (CSS): Oct1, TRIM36, Sox2, and cMyc expression in cancer cells; AR, Klf4, and ERf ? expression in stromal cells; and PSA, Gleason score, and extent of disease. On the basis of these factors, patients were divided into favorable-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups according to the number of factors present. Five-year CSS rates for the 3 groups were 90%, 32%, and 12% in training set and 75%, 48%, and 0% in validation set, respectively (Figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: Expression levels of androgen and estrogen signaling components and SC markers are powerful prognostic tools. Source of Funding: This work was supported by Grants of the Cell Innovation Program (S. I.) from the MEXT, Japan; by Grants (T.F., S.T., and S. I.) from the JSPS, Japan; by Grants-in-Aid (S. I.) from the MHLW, Japan; by the Advanced Research for Medical Products Mining Program in Health Sciences (S. I.), NIBIO, Japan.

BACKGROUND: A screening method that focuses on the early detection of high-grade prostate cancer is required. In this study, two sets of nomograms were developed, one to predict the presence of prostate cancer, and the other to predict the presence of high-grade prostate cancer (defined as Gleason Score > or =7). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prostate biopsies were obtained from 396 men with an abnormal serum level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Using factors including age, PSA, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), serum teststerone level and prostate volume of the transitional zone (TZ), nomograms were created that incorporated these factors. External validations were performed involving 174 males, including 103 normal and 71 prostate cancer cases from our institution. RESULTS: Out of the 396 patients referred for prostate biopsy, 146 were found to have prostate cancer. On logistic regression analysis, age, PSA, prostate volume of the TZ and FSH were significant predictors of prostate cancer, while serum PSA, and testosterone levels were significant predictors of high-grade prostate cancer. The pretreatment testosterone level was found to be a significant biomarker for predicting the pathological features. CONCLUSION: The testosterone level might be a useful biomarker to be included in conventional PSA screening programs to further improve the efficacy of detecting potentially lethal carcinomas.