PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Vijayakumar

Publications and source records attributed to S Vijayakumar.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Using vascular structure for CT-SPECT registration in the pelvis.

UNLABELLED: The authors outline a method for three-dimensional registration of pelvic CT and 111In-labeled monoclonal antibody capromab pendetide (111In MoAb 7E11.C5) images using 99mTc-labeled red blood cell SPECT data. METHODS: This method of CT-SPECT registration relies on the identification of major blood vessels in the CT and 99mTc SPECT images. The vessels are segmented from the image datasets by outlining them on transverse planar slices using a mouse-based drawing tool. Stacking the transverse outlines provides a three-dimensional representation of the vascular structures. Registration is performed by matching the surfaces of the segmented volumes. Dual isotope acquisition of 111In and 99mTc activities provides precise SPECT-SPECT registration so that registration in three dimensions of the 111In MoAb and CT images is achieved by applying the same transformation obtained from the 99mTc SPECT-CT registration. RESULTS: This method provided accurate registration of pelvic structures and significantly improved interpretation of 111In MoAb 7E11.C5 exams. Furthermore, sites of involvement by prostate cancer suggested by the 111In MoAb examination could be interpreted with the bony and soft tissue (nodal) anatomy seen on CT. CONCLUSION: This method is a general clinical tool for the registration of pelvic CT and SPECT imaging data. There are immediate applications in conformal radiation therapy treatment planning for certain prostate cancer patients.

Angiography↗
PubMed1999

Terminal differentiation in epithelia: the Hensin pathway in intercalated cells.

The intercalated cell of the collecting tubule exists in a spectrum of types. The alpha form secretes acid by an apical H+-ATPase and a basolateral CI:HCO3 exchanger, which is an alternatively spliced form of the red cell band 3 (kAE1), and the beta form secretes HCO3 by having these transporters on the reverse membranes. In a clonal cell line of the beta form, we found that seeding density causes conversion of beta cells to the alpha form. A new protein, termed hensin, was deposited in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of high-density cells, which, on purification, reversed the polarity of the transporters. Hensin also induced the expression of the microvillar protein villin and caused the appearance of the apical terminal web proteins, cytokeratin 19 and actin; all of which led to the development of an exuberant microvillar structure. In addition, hensin caused the beta cells to assume a columnar shape. All of these studies show that the conversion of polarity in the intercalated cell, at least in vitro, represents terminal differentiation and that hensin is the first protein in a new pathway that mediates this process. Hensin, DMBT1, CRP-ductin, and ebnerin are alternately spliced products from a single gene located in human chromosome 10q25-26, a region often deleted in several cancers, especially malignant gliomas. Hensin is expressed in many epithelial cell types and it is possible that it plays a similarly important role in the differentiation of these epithelia as well.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1998

Transmembrane domain of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator: design, characterization, and secondary structure of synthetic peptides m1-m6.

Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) give rise to cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common genetic disease in the Caucasian population. CFTR is organized into five putative domains, including two that are predicted to be transmembrane and consist of six membrane-spanning segments each. CFTR mediates regulated anion transport across the apical membrane of epithelial cells. The pore through which CFTR transports its solutes is thought to be formed by some combination of the amino-terminal membrane-spanning segments. Although these sequences are predicted to be alpha-helical in secondary structure, to date, no direct structural evidence has been presented testing this hypothesis. Here, we present the biophysical characterization of six peptides (m1-m6) representing the predicted amino-terminal membrane-spanning domain of CFTR. The peptides can be incorporated into liposomes and are soluble in SDS micelles and trifluoroethanol (TFE). FTIR and CD spectroscopy indicate all six peptides adopt a stable, predominantly alpha-helical secondary structure in these environments. In contrast, peptide m6 undergoes a shift from alpha-helix to beta-sheet when dissolved in 20% methanol. Additionally, the peptides show an increase in beta-sheet in TFE, a known inducer of alpha-helices, relative to that seen in the nativelike environments. These results have implications for the folding of this complex membrane protein and suggest that the possible functional role of m6 is manifested through a shift in secondary structure.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Kanadaptin is a protein that interacts with the kidney but not the erythroid form of band 3.

Although epithelial membrane proteins are separately targeted to apical or basolateral domains, some are apically located in one cell type but are basolateral in others. More dramatically, the anion exchanger of a clonal cell line of intercalated cells derived from the kidney can be retargeted from the apical to basolateral domain. This Cl:HCO3 exchanger, kAE1, is an alternately spliced form of the erythroid anion exchanger (AE1, band 3), but unlike band 3 it does not bind ankyrin. Here we identify a new protein (kanadaptin) that binds to the cytoplasmic domain of kAE1 in vitro and in vivo but not to the erythroid AE1 or to ankyrin. No significant homologous proteins have been reported so far. Kanadaptin is widely expressed in epithelial (kidney, lung, and liver) and non-epithelial cells (brain and skeletal and cardiac muscle). In kidney, we found by immunocytochemistry that kanadaptin was only expressed in the collecting tubule. In the intercalated cells of this segment, it colocalized with kAE1 in cytoplasmic vesicles but not when the exchanger was in the basolateral membrane. These results raised the possibility that this protein is involved in the targeting of kAE1 vesicles to their final destination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Sociodemographic analysis of patients in radiation therapy oncology group clinical trials.

PURPOSE: To assess the degree to which the sociodemographic characteristics of patients enrolled in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) clinical trails are representative of the general population. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sociodemographic data were collected on 4016 patients entered in 33 open RTOG studies between July 1991 and June 1994. The data analyzed included educational attainment, age, gender, and race. For comparison, we obtained similar data from the U.S. Department of Census. We also compared our RTOG data with Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data for patients who received radiation therapy, to determine how RTOG patients compared with cancer patients in general, and with patients with cancers at sites typically treated with radiotherapy. RESULTS: Overall, the sociodemographic characteristics of patients entered in RTOG trials were similar to those of the Census data. We found that, in every age group of African-American men and at nearly every level of educational attainment, the proportion of RTOG trial participants mirrored the proportion in the census data. Significant differences were noted only in the youngest category of African-American men, where the RTOG accrues more in the lower educational categories and fewer with college experience. For African-American women, we found a similar pattern in every age group and at each level of educational attainment. As with men, RTOG trials accrued a considerably larger proportion of younger, less educated African-American women than the census reported. Using SEER for comparison, the RTOG enrolled proportionately more African-American men to trials all cancer sites combined, and for prostate and head and neck cancer. In head and neck trials, the RTOG enrolled nearly twice as many African-American men than would be predicted by SEER data. In lung cancer trials, RTOG underrepresented African-American men significantly; however, there was no difference for brain cancer trials. There were no racial differences in RTOG accrual and SEER incidence data for women on trials in brain, lung, and head and neck cancer. However, the RTOG trials accrued nearly twice the proportion of African-American women in cervical cancer trials and in all sites combined, compared to the SEER data. CONCLUSIONS: Comparisons with the U.S. Census and SEER show that African-Americans are proportionally well represented in cancer clinical trials conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. The comparative analysis indicates that all educational levels in each age group of African-Americans generally mirror the U.S. Census, with one exception. The exception is a significant overrepresentation of less-educated African-Americans in the youngest age category. This exception is counter to the expectation that better-educated patients are more likely to enroll in trials. When compared with SEER data, the RTOG trials either parallel or overrepresent African-American men and women, with the only exception being in lung cancer, where men are underrepresented. These results show that, in comparison to the Census and SEER data, the RTOG has fulfilled its commitment to enroll African-American patients in its clinical trials.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Prostate-specific antigen levels are higher in African-American than in white patients in a multicenter registration study: results of RTOG 94-12.

PURPOSE: To compare serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in a national sample of African-American and white men with prostate cancer, and to attempt to explain any differences by using self-reported individual-level socioeconomic status adjustments. METHODS AND MATERIALS: During 4 1/2 months in 1994-95, 709 patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer were enrolled in this prospective study; 17.5% were African-American and 82.5% were white. Information about clinical stage, tumor grade, pretreatment PSA, type of insurance, and educational and income status was obtained. Serum PSA levels were measured and racial differences were found; how the differences were influenced by other patient- or tumor-related factors and if the differences could be explained by socioeconomic status disparities were determined. In univariate analyses, factors associated with the mean PSA levels were studied; log-converted values were used to yield a normal distribution. Multivariate analyses were done on log-linear models for description of association patterns among various categorical variables; a perfectly fitted model should have a correlation value (CV) of 1.0. RESULTS: The mean PSA level was higher in African-Americans (14.68 ng/ml) than in whites (9.82 ng/ml) (p = 0.001). Clinical stage (p = 0.001), Gleason sum tumor grade (p = 0.0001), educational level (p = 0.001), and household income (p = 0.03) were also associated with mean PSA levels; age, type of biopsy, and insurance status were not. Disease stage (p = 0.0001), grade (p = 0.0001), education (p = 0.07), and income (p = 0.02) were all associated with PSA levels for whites, but none of these factors were important for African-Americans (all p values > 0.1). The best fitted log-linear model (CV = 0.99) contained PSA (< 10, 10-20, and > 20), Gleason sum grade (2-5, 6-7, and 8-10), race, and two interactions: PSA by race (p = 0.0012) and PSA by Gleason sum (p = 0.0001). Models replacing race for either income (CV = 0.82) or education (CV = 0.82) or both (CV = 0.78) did not fit as well. CONCLUSIONS: African-Americans with nonmetastatic prostate cancer have higher serum PSA levels at diagnosis than whites, implying a higher tumor cell burden. Individual-level household income, education, or insurance status alone or in combination account for racial differences, but only partially.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of serum prostate-specific antigen levels and PSA density in African-American, white, and Hispanic men without prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of race or ethnicity on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and PSA density (PSAD) in a population of healthy men without clinically evident prostate cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted between January 1988 and January 1993. The serum PSA levels were measured in 859 men (586 African Americans, 142 whites, and 131 Hispanics) who were participants in a prostate cancer screening program or had urinary symptoms suggestive of prostate gland pathology. All men underwent a detailed clinical examination, including digital rectal examination, serum PSA determination, and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). None of the subjects included had clinical or TRUS evidence of prostate cancer (furthermore, 283 men were pathologically proved to be cancer-free by prostate biopsies). Serum PSA levels and PSA densities as a function of each individual's ethnic background were determined. RESULTS: The mean serum PSA level in African Americans was 2.1 ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that of whites (mean PSA of 1.53 ng/mL) and Hispanics (mean PSA of 1.83 ng/mL) (P = 0.003). Similar differences among the three groups were observed in PSA density (the mean PSAD was 0.078, 0.057, and 0.065 for African Americans, whites, and Hispanics, respectively). A separate analysis for the biopsy-negative men was performed, and the findings were consistent with the observations for the entire study group. After adjustment for age and prostate volume, the differences remained statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Among men without evidence of prostate cancer, African Americans have higher serum PSA levels and PSA densities than do whites or Hispanics. Race or ethnicity was an independent factor that affected serum PSA levels even after adjustment for age and prostate volume.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A new look at an old option in the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer: hormone therapy as an alternative to watchful waiting.

Watchful waiting is an attractive option in the management of early-stage, low-grade prostate cancer because of the high financial costs and complication risks associated with surgery and radiotherapy. Despite the drawbacks of current local therapy, neither treatment can demonstrate a discernible survival benefit over observation alone. Even the slowest progressing disease, however, can potentially develop into a deadly medical problem. As a result, physicians and patients frequently have difficulty accepting untreated cancer. Therefore, we propose that another option be considered in cases of prostate cancer that would otherwise qualify for observation alone: the use of two oral hormonal agents, flutamide and finasteride, to achieve complete androgen blockade. Some evidence exists which suggests that such therapy may improve symptom-free survival, and perhaps overall survival as well. This 'aggressive' form of 'conservative' therapy may satisfy patient concerns that are not adequately addressed by current forms of therapy.

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1998

Effect of subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy: final report of a randomized, open-labelled, phase II trial.

The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, efficacy and impact on quality of life of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). An open-labelled randomized design was used, with patients randomized to either treatment or control arms. Patients in the treatment arm received r-HuEPO given by subcutaneous injection at a dose of 200 units kg(-1) day(-1) plus oral iron supplements (ferrous sulphate 325 mg p.o. t.i.d.). Entry was restricted to patients with carcinoma of the lung, uterine cervix, prostate or breast who presented for RT with anaemia parameters reflective of 'the anaemia of chronic disease'. Radiotherapy policies (portals, doses, fraction size, etc.) were determined by the site and stage of disease. Complete blood counts (CBCs) were obtained weekly. The target level of haemoglobin was 15 g dl(-1) for men and 14 g dl(-1) for women. Quality of life (QOL) was assessed weekly by using an analogue scale to judge energy, activities of daily living and overall quality of life. Forty-eight patients were entered in the study, 24 in the treatment arm and 24 in the control arm. The prerandomization demographic characteristics and mean laboratory values were comparable in both arms. The mean haemoglobin at completion was 13.6 g dl(-1) for r-HuEPO-treated patients compared with 11.0 g dl(-1) for control subjects (P = 0.0012). Patients who received r-HuEPO demonstrated a mean weekly haemoglobin increase of 0.41 g dl(-1) compared with a decrease in mean haemoglobin level in controls for 6 of the 7 weeks of the study (mean weekly decrease of 0.073 g dl(-1)). Target levels of haemoglobin were achieved by 41.6% of r-HuEPO-treated patients compared with none of the control subjects. The mean platelet count declined in both arms of the study with RT but the decline from pretreatment was less rapid in r-HuEPO-treated patients (11.2% decrease) compared with controls (26.3% decrease) and was statistically significant during weeks 4-6. Toxicity was minor with only mild irritation at the injection site. Mean quality of life end points were superior in the treatment arm but not statistically significant. r-HuEPO had a beneficial effect on weekly haemoglobin levels in patients undergoing RT with response rates similar to other studies. There was also a less rapid decline in weekly platelet counts in r-HuEPO-treated patients compared with control subjects. Further studies are needed to address the optimum dose and scheduling as well as the impact of r-HuEPO on clinical outcomes.

Anemia↗
PubMed1998

Phenotypic plasticity in the intercalated cell: the hensin pathway.

The collecting duct of the renal tubule contains two cell types, one of which, the intercalated cell, is responsible for acidification and alkalinization of urine. These cells exist in a multiplicity of morphological forms, with two extreme types, alpha and beta. The former acidifies the urine by an apical proton-translocating ATPase and a basolateral Cl/HCO3 exchanger, which is an alternately spliced form of band 3. This kidney form of band 3, kAE1, is present in the apical membrane of the beta-cell, which has the H+-ATPase on the basolateral membrane. We had suggested previously that metabolic acidosis leads to conversion of beta-types to alpha-types. To study the biochemical basis of this plasticity, we used an immortalized cell line of the beta-cell and showed that these cells convert to the alpha-phenotype when plated at superconfluent density. At high density these cells localize a new protein, which we term "hensin," to the extracellular matrix, and hensin acts as a molecular switch capable of changing the phenotype of these cells in vitro. Hensin induces new cytoskeletal proteins, makes the cells assume a more columnar shape and retargets kAE1 and the H+-ATPase. These recent studies suggest that the conversion of beta- to alpha-cells, at least in vitro, bears many of the hallmarks of terminal differentiation.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Radiation induced renal cell cancer: a report of 4 cases and review of the literature.

PURPOSE: During clinical care in the University of Chicago renal cell carcinoma program there was 1 case of prior radiation therapy for a neuroblastoma (patient age 16 months). After this index case was found our investigation was conducted to identify other cases with apparent radiation therapy induced renal cell carcinoma and review the literature on the subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical summaries of 573 cases from the University of Chicago renal cell carcinoma program from 1992 through 1998 were reviewed. RESULTS: Four cases (3 men and 1 woman) of renal cell carcinoma, including the index case, were identified with prior therapeutic radiation therapy. Of the patients 3, 32, 35 and 36 years old, had been radiated for neuroblastoma 31, 32 and 35 years, respectively, before diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma and 1 (age 64 years) had been radiated for testicular seminoma 25 years earlier. The 32-year-old patient had 2 primary renal cell carcinomas in the remaining kidney and an associated leiomyosarcoma. He was alive and disease-free on dialysis 8 years after diagnosis. The 35-year-old patient had localized well differentiated renal cell carcinoma and was disease-free for 24 months. The 36-year-old patient had relapse 7 years after nephrectomy and had progressive refractory disease 12 years after diagnosis. The 64-year-old patient had relapse in 2.5 years but was alive with metastatic disease 4 years later. A literature review documented 4 other patients with renal cell carcinoma of those with neuroblastoma treated with radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation therapy induced renal cell carcinoma is rare (less than 1% of renal cell carcinoma cases), and in our 4 cases it occurred 25 to 35 years after radiation. The risk of renal cell carcinoma should be considered during long-term followup of patients exposed to radiation therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Race and serum prostate-specific antigen levels: current status and future directions.

Prostate cancer (PC) is a serious public health problem in the United States, especially in African-American men (AAs). AAs have higher incidence and mortality rates and present with higher stage and grade of PC than other racial/ethnic groups. Given the importance of serum prostate-specific antigen level (PSA) as a screening tool for PC and its prognostic value among patients with PC, exploring the relationship between PSA and race has gained enormous interest lately. The number of studies addressing such relationships has increased tremendously over the past few years. Most of these studies indicate a higher PSA in AAs than whites in men with or without PC even after adjustment for patients' age and prostate volume (in men without PC) and for PC grade and stage (in men with PC). The etiology of higher PSA levels in AAs is not completely understood and might be secondary to biological, environmental/socioeconomic reasons, or both. Studying serum PSA dynamics among AAs may help in elucidating the epidemiological features of PC in AAs.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1997

The effect of apical and basolateral lipids on the function of the band 3 anion exchange protein.

Although many polarized proteins are sorted to the same membrane domain in all epithelial tissues, there are some that exhibit a cell type-specific polarity. We recently found that band 3 (the anion exchanger AE1) was present in the apical membrane of a renal intercalated cell line when these cells were seeded at low density, but its targeting was reversed to the basolateral membrane under the influence of an extracellular matrix protein secreted when the cells were seeded at high density. Because apical and basolateral lipids differ in epithelia, we asked what effect might these lipids have on band 3 function. This question is especially interesting since apical anion exchange in these cells is resistant to disulfonic stilbene inhibitors while basolateral anion exchange is quite sensitive. Furthermore, the apical anion exchanger cannot be stained by antibodies that readily identify the basolateral protein. We used short chain sphingolipid analogues and found that sphingomyelin was preferentially targeted to the basolateral domain in the intercalated cell line. The ganglioside GM1 (Gal 1beta1, 3GalNAcbeta1, 4Gal-NeuAcalpha2, 3Galbeta1, 4Glc ceramide) was confined to the apical membrane as visualized by confocal microscopy after addition of fluorescent cholera toxin to filter grown cells. We reconstituted erythrocyte band 3 into liposomes using apical and basolateral types of lipids and examined the inhibitory potency of 4, 4'-dinitorsostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DNDS; a reversible stilbene) on 35SO4/SO4 exchange. Although anion exchange in sphingomyelin liposomes was sensitive to inhibition, the addition of increasing amounts of the ganglioside GM1 reduced the potency of the inhibitor drastically. Because these polarized lipids are present in the exofacial surface of the bilayer, we propose that the lipid structure might influence the packing of the transmembrane domains of band 3 in that region, altering the binding of the stilbenes to these chains. These results highlight the role of polarized lipids in changing the function of unpolarized proteins or of proteins whose locations differ in different epithelia.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Racial differences in prostate-specific antigen levels in patients with local-regional prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a good objective measure of tumor cell burden or virulence of disease, or both, in prostate cancer. Many differences between whites and African Americans (AA) have been noted in prostate cancer in the United States, including a poorer outcome in African Americans. To study whether AAs present with more tumor cell burden or more virulent disease, or both, at presentation, serum PSA levels between whites and African Americans are compared. METHODS: Ninety-two patients were seen during April 1988-August 1993 at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia; these patients were identified from computer registration records in 1994. Fifty-five patients were AAs and 37 were whites: 14, 55, 15, and 8 had stage A, B, C, or D1 disease, respectively, and 29, 45, and 17 had grade 1, 2, or 3 tumors. Because of positive skewing of actual PSA values, logarithmic transformation was used in statistical analysis. Two sample t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used as appropriate. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, stage (P = 0.043), grade (P = 0.003), and race (P = 0.029) were correlated with the PSA levels; higher-stage and -grade patients and those of African American ethnicity had higher mean PSA levels; type of biopsy and age did not influence PSA levels. On multivariate analysis, race retained its statistical significance (P = 0.05), whereas other factors lost their significance. White patients had 0.51 times lower PSA levels than those of African Americans with comparable stage and grade tumors. Using ANOVA, an average white patient with stage B, grade 1 tumor is likely to have a PSA value of 7.92 ng/ml, compared to 13.9 ng/ml in an African American of similar stage and grade tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study confirm previously reported, similar findings in the greater Chicago area. The causes of such racial differences are unknown and require study with individual-level socioeconomic status adjustments, although preliminary studies suggest sociological causes. An ongoing Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) study will determine whether such differences exist at the national level and will adjust for individual levels of socioeconomic status.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Potency probability following conformal megavoltage radiotherapy using conventional doses for localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Impotence is a familiar sequela of definitive external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for localized prostate cancer; however, nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (NSRP) has offered potency rates as high as 70% for selected for patients in several large series. To the authors' knowledge, age and stage-matched comparisons between the effects of EBRT and NSRP upon the normal age trend of impotence have not been performed. Herein, we report the change in potency over time in an EBRT-treated population, determine the significantly predisposing health factors affecting potency in this population, and compare age and stage-matched potency rates with those of normal males and prostatectomy patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Our results are obtained from a retrospective study of 114 patients ranging in age from 52 to 85 (mean, 68) who were diagnosed with clinical stages A-C C (T1-T4N0M0) prostate cancer and then treated conformally with megavoltage x-rays to 6500-7000 cGy (180-200 cGy per fraction) using the four-field box technique. Information concerning pre-RT potency, medical and surgical history, and medications was documented for each patient as was time of post-RT change in potency during regular follow-up. The median follow-up time was 18.5 months. RESULTS: The actuarial probability of potency for all patients gradually decreased throughout post-RT follow-up. At months 1, 12, 24, and 36, potency rates were 98, 92, 75, and 66%, respectively. For those patients who became impotent, the median time to impotence was 14 months. Factors identified from logistic regression analysis as significant predictors of post-EBRT impotence include pre-EBRT partial potency (p < 0.001), vascular disease (p < 0.001), and diabetes (p = 0.003). Next, an actuarial plot of potency probability to patient age for the EBRT-treated population was compared to that obtained from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study of normal males. The two curves were not significantly different (logrank test, p = 0.741) between ages 50 and 65. Finally, potency probability after follow-up of 1 year or more in EBRT-treated patients was stratified by age and substratified by clinical stage and then compared to similarly stratified potencies for patients treated with NSRP. The prostatectomy data were derived from the pooled data of six large (total n, 952), independent series conducted at academic centers. For patients older than 70 years, 79.1% of EBRT patients and 32.9% of NSRP patients remained potent after treatment. For patients with stage B2 disease, 75.0% of EBRT patients and 49.3% of NSRP patients remained potent after treatment. Overall EBRT patient potency was 76.1% vs. 66.2% for NSRP patients. CONCLUSIONS: 1) By 36 months after completion of EBRT for localized prostate cancer, fully one-third of all patients becomes impotent; however, for patients younger than 70 years, the probability of impotence does not depart significantly from that for normal males. 2) In the EBRT-treated population, pre-EBRT partial potency, vascular disease, and diabetes are the most significant predispositions to the development of impotence. Patients with these predispositions, though, do not become impotent significantly earlier than other patients. 3) When comparing age and stage-stratified potency rates for EBRT and NSRP patients, potency is roughly equal for both modalities for most age and stage groups; however, for patients older than 70 years or with stage B2 disease, EBRT offers notably higher posttreatment potency rates than NSRP. Thus, for the treatment of localized prostate cancer, EBRT may not affect the normal age trend of impotence in younger patients and may induce impotence less frequently than NSRP in older patients or in patients with later stage disease.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1997

Hypolipidemic effect of flavonoids from Solanum melongena.

Flavonoids extracted from the fruits of Solanum melongena (Brinjal) orally administered at a dose of 1 mg/100 g BW/day showed significant hypolipidemic action in normal and cholesterol fed rats. HMG CoA reductase activity was found to be enhanced, while activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase were significantly reduced. Activities of lipoprotein lipase and plasma LCAT showed significant enhancement. A significant increase in the concentrations of hepatic and fecal bile acids and fecal neutral sterols was also observed indicating a higher rate of degradation of cholesterol.

Animals↗